A Talk by Priestmonk Kosmas, Why Logic and Reason in Spiritual Matters Can Lead to a Loss of Grace will be held in the hall of the parish of St George Church, Carlton, at 6pm. A Paraklesis (Moleben) to the Most Holy Theotokos will be served in English beforehand at 4.45pm.Continue Reading
7th Sunday after Pentecost – Healing the Blind and Dumb
Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)
The first Sunday readings after Pentecost showed us the Commandments of God according to which all the saints of the universal Church and our Russian Church lived. These commandments were like steps into the Kingdom of Heaven. And the Kingdom of Heaven the Merciful God has prepared for all. This means that these steps are leading there; these commandments of God are a must for every one of us. So with such a purpose the Holy Church presented them to us.
But now for the last several weeks the Holy Church has begun to show us not what we should cultivate in ourselves, but things which we should avoid, against which we should fight. These readings told about the power of evil, about being possessed by it, about passions, sins, slavery to sin, bodily paralysis which is the result of sin; and this pointed out to us our spiritual paralysis, which is always the result of sin.Continue Reading
7th Sunday after Pentecost
MATINS (VII)
John 20:1-10
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.Continue Reading
The Chancery of the Diocese of Western Europe has announced the sad news that Bishop Ambrose (Cantacuzene) reposed in the Lord today.
Bishop Ambrose, whose secular name was Peter Cantacuzene, was born on 3/16 September 1947, in Vevey, Switzerland, the son of Prince Peter Georgievich Cantacuzene (1922-1975) and his ife, Olga Alekseevna (nee Orlov, 1923-1984). He completed his secondary schooling with a certificate in classical philology, and then went on tto study law at Lausanne University. Within seven years he had become a teacher of French and basic principles of law in a secondary school. In 1972, in the Vevey’s Church of the Greatmartyr Barbara, during its patronal feast, he was tonsured a reader. In 1974, he took part in the Third Pan-Diaspora Council.Continue Reading
6th Sunday after Pentecost – the Paralytic
Homily From “The One Thing Needful,” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)
The Gospel reading of last Sunday told us how the Gadarenes went out to meet Jesus and how they asked Him to “depart out of their coasts.” And this happened because all of them were infected with one sin, the passion for profit, the love of money. This was an insatiable thirst for wealth, more and more of it. And wealth came to them through large herds of swine which were grazing in their pastures. But according to Jewish Law, they had no right to keep them. In this was their sin, and they lived in sin, to satisfy only this passion, this idol of getting rich. And this passion seemed to unite them all. See how the Gospel says: “And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus and…besought Him that He would depart out of their coasts” (Mt. 8:34).Continue Reading
6th Sunday after Pentecost
MATINS (VI)
Luke 24:36-53
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them.Continue Reading
Allnight Vigil and Liturgy – Thursday 16/7/09 at 10.30pm
The Saint Nicholas Church in Christchurch, New Zealand has a website Continue Reading
