The spiritual person becomes a disciple of the beneficial word. He searches for it from all sources: firstly from the Bible, then from the sayings of the fathers and the teachers who may be depended on, and then from any other source. Even if it should be a word that has come from the mouth …
It seems to be regular news these days to hear of church bombing especially in the Middle East that claim the lives of innocent people. It is becoming so regular that many western news channels don’t even bother reporting it. Those who do report it stop at the devastating effect of the bombing and the …
A very interesting and important clue to the nature of this communal meal is furnished by the name used by the hermits themselves when referring to it: Agapy. This word was not an uncommon one in the desert hermit's vocabulary, for it had a number of meanings. It was commonly used with reference to an …
The monk doesn’t need anyone to tell him about solitude for the monk came to the monastery seeking to be isolated from the world, seeking to be a monk (monakhos) and by definition a monk is he who lives a solitary life. We are not speaking about solitude in any negative connotation but rather a …
In this world there shall be tribulation. Whether reduced to a minimum by man himself, or given some relief by the religious promise of a reward in the "other world," suffering remains here, it remains awfully "normal." And yet Christ says, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33). Through his own …
Let us celebrate this greatest and most shining feast, in which the Lord has risen from the dead. Let us celebrate it with joy, and in equal measure with devotion. For the Lord has risen, and together with Him He has raised the whole world. He has risen, because He has broken the bonds of …
Fr Grigoris Balakian’s memoir Armenian Golgotha, for decades has been an important text of Armenian literature, belonging to this group of significant books that deal with crimes against humanity in the modem age. Fr Balakian, a priest and later a bishop in the Armenian Apostolic Church, was an esteemed clergyman and intellectual. On the night …
Since you like to hear about holy things, lend an ear to me for a few moments. There are in Egypt three classes of monks. First, there are the cenobites, or as we should say, men living in a community. Secondly, there are the anchorites, who live in the desert, each man by himself, and …
A life of TRUE submission means living in complete obedience to the Holy Spirit. A person of TRUE submission accepts gladly whatever happens in their life and with thanksgiving, knowing that it was for their well being, whether in appearance or thought it is perceived as good or bad. Anba Bishoi's mother modeled submission during …
The exercise of reading conjures up all kinds of different feelings and emotions for different people. For some, reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures, for others readings is an avenue for attaining and retaining desired knowledge, but for many others, the exercise of reading is so foreign that they often claim: ‘I have never …
