| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Hilarion: the Lord tells us to seek first the Heavenly Kingdom On 28 June 2020, 3 Sunday after Pentecost, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of ‘The Joy of All Who Sorrow’ Icon of the Mother of God in Bolshaya Ordynka Street, Moscow. Concelebrating with Vladyka Hilarion were clerics of the church. During the Litany of Fervent Supplication special prayers were offered due to the danger of the spreading coronavirus infection. After the Litany of Fervent Supplication Metropolitan Hilarion lifted a prayer read at a time of spreading of the harmful pestilence. After the Liturgy the archpastor delivered a homily: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, “This Sunday, during the reading from the Gospel According to Matthew, we have heard the words of our Lord Jesus Christ that no man can serve two masters for he will either take care of the one and neglect the other; or else he will please the one and despise the other. “Ye cannot serve God and mammon,” the Lord says (Mt 6:24), that is, to serve God and at the same time the mundane material wealth. “The Lord addressed these words to His disciples, but they are also addressed to each of us. These words do not imply that people must renounce all kinds of earthly property and live in carelessness, laziness and idleness. By calling us not to be anxious about the morrow, our Lord Jesus Christ does not mean, for instance, that parents should not care for their children, for their sustenance and material welfare, or that grown-up children should not take care of their elderly parents. The Lord does not call upon us to be careless, lazy or passive. He calls upon us to put God and the Heavenly Kingdom first. And all the rest will be aligned around this sole pivot, this sole foundation, on which the Lord urges us to build up our earthly life. |
| Parish Last Updated: Feb 8th, 2011 - 05:50:02 Coworkers with Christ. A Practical Look at God’s Plan Fr. Ted Pisarchuk Sep 3, 2008, 10:00 Discuss this article Printer friendly page Source: www.st-anthony-butler.org Chapter 5 Tithing and Alms: It’s not About Money " The Angel Raphael ...exhorts us to give alms freely and generously, saying to us: Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving; for alms delivereth from death, and the same purgeth away sins (Tobit. 12:8-9). He shows us that prayer and fasting are not enough, and that they are to be assisted by almsgiving; that supplication avails little to obtain what we ask, unless joined to good works and acts of mercy. The Angel reveals... that our requests become efficacious through almsgiving, that our life shall be delivered from dangers by almsgiving that our soul shall be delivered from death through almsgiving. " (Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage, +258 A.D.) I have never met a person who tithes and was not on fire for the Lord. If you don " t tithe, you may not really trust God. Or, put another way: if you don " t trust God with your wallet, do you really trust Him with anything else? Tithing is a faith issue, a spiritual issue. It is not a money issue. If you are on fire and seek to love God and serve Him with all your heart, mind and soul, you will tithe. Tithing will flow from within you. You will not see it as giving ten percent of your money to the Church. Tithing is returning to the Lord what is His. Does not God own the cattle on a thousand hills, or every beast in the forest? (Ps 50:10) Is it not God who puts the breath in your lungs? (Gn 2:7) Does He not clothe the lilies of the field (Mi 6:28) and know the number of hairs on your head? (Mt 10:30) Can your money save your soul? Tithing is the voluntary return of ten percent of your income to the Lord’s storehouse, the Church. Tithing can be likened to taking the spiritual temperature of the soul. If a person tithes with a pure heart, he is putting his trust in God. The same can be said for the local Church. If it is resistant to tithing, there is a good chance it is resistant to going outside and sharing the Good News. The people have not put all their trust in God. Often they have put their faith in fundraisers instead. Tithing is an issue of faith and trust. Tithing is evangelical! |
| A New Year Standing at the opening gates of a new year is an awesome thing. No one can really see what will be. As Solomon said, " Every matter has its time and way….who can tell him how it will be? " Even at the best, our acquaintance with the future amounts only to a " perhaps. " Source: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Waterbury “ Every matter has its time and way although man’s trouble lies heavy upon him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?” (Ecclesiates 8:6,7) Standing at the opening gates of a new year is an awesome thing. No one can really see what will be. As Solomon said, “Every matter has its time and way….who can tell him how it will be?” Even at the best, our acquaintance with the future amounts only to a “perhaps.” For some people who greet a new year with no expectancy, life is stale and hope has died. In the face of so many sorrows, fears and disappointments, they are filled with cynicism. Solomon was such a man. He observed that “The winds move in circles and never get anywhere. The rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west with monotonous regularity. There is only one good man in a thousand; and there isn’t any such thing as a good woman. Everything is vanity. And matters cannot be changed.” “The crooked,” he said, “can never be made straight.” But wait! Before you join Solomon in the chorus of his song, let me remind you of the throne set in heaven and the voice which cries, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) This King of kings and Lord of lords has made possible: The New Covenant . The Old Covenant was a sentence of death upon all of us (Gal.3:10). But Christ has made a New Covenant and sealed it with his own blood (Mt. 26:28). And he says, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Heb 8:12) You can receive pardon for the sins of the past. The New Man. Life can be made over again. Listen! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (II Cor. 5:17) |
| Arhiva Adresarea televizat a Sanctitii Sale Patriarhul Moscovei i al întregii Rusii cu prilejul srbtorii de Pate 1 mai 2016 03:00 La 1 mai 2016, de srtoarea Învierii Luminate a lui Hristos, Sanctitatea Sa Patriarhul Moscovei i al întregii Rusii Chiril s-a adresat telespectatorilor cu prilejul srbtorii de Pate. Hristos a Înviat! În viaa fiecruia dintre noi exist momente de cotitur. Învierea lui Iisus Hristos este, de asemenea, un moment de cotitur, doar c la scara întregii istorii a omenirii. Cel Ce provoca uimire la poporul simplu i ur deschis la elita societii, în final a fost trdat, înjosit i rstignit ca un criminal. Îns a treia zi îngerii au vestit ucenicilor Lui o veste zguduitoare, neateptat: Învtorul lor e viu! El a înviat i astfel a biruit moartea, eliberând de robia morii i a pcatului întregul neam omenesc. Cretinul este acea persoan care poart în sine lumina Învierii lui Hristos. Ce înseamn aceasta? Semnific c frica morii, a suferinei, nenorocirile, singurtatea nu determin alegerea cretinului în via. Principalul este pentru dânsul doar aceea ce trece împreun cu el în eternitate. În antichitate oamenii puneau în mormântul celor decedai bani, alimente, arme - cu credina c în alt lume cel decedat se va putea folosi de toate acestea. Îns noi înelegem bine: nimic din cele pmânteti nu vom lua în cealalt lume, afar de credina noastr i faptele bune. Dup cum spune apostolul i Evanghelistul Matei: Fiul Omului nu a venit s i se slujeasc, ci ca s slujeasc El i s-i dea sufletul rscumprare pentru muli (Mt. 20:28). Aceast pild de slujire jertfelnic a lui Hristos este pentru toi oamenii – i pentru fiecare dintre noi. Nu trebuie s ne jenm s facem fapte bune. Fie ca în sânul poporului nostru, care a trecut calea deloc simpl i dureroas de la ateism la renaterea credinei, s apar, nu m tem de acest cuvânt, moda pentru caritate, pentru milostenie, pentru svârirea faptelor bune. Noi devenim martori adevrai ai Învierii lui Hristos, atunci când imitm slujirea Sa jertfelnic i vedem cum în jurul nostru se schimb, se transform, învie lumea, cum revin la via oamenii lipsii de dragoste i cldur omeneasc. Fie ca lumina Învierii lui Hristos s fie pentru fiecare dintre noi un reper sigur care ne ajut s nu rtcim în alegerea zilnic a cii de via! Hristos a Înviat! V felicit pe voi pe toi cu prilejul marii srbtori, dragii mei! Serviciul de pres al Patriarhiei Moscovei i al întregii Rusii Календарь ← 6 martie 2022 19 aprilie 2020 |
| God fulfilled the promise He had given to people in ancient times: I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death (Hos. 13:14). And in the light of Easter morning we rejoice with St. Paul that death is swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54)! From now on, nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39), for the deadly effect of sin is brought to naught by the power of the Risen Lord. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18), reveals to us the true riches of God’s grace – the radiance of eternal life with God and in God, when, according to the prophetic words of the Apostle, God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). For two thousand years now, the Church has been living in the unfading joy of the Resurrection, striving to make every man that cometh into the world (Jn. 1:9) a partaker of this joy. In the light of Pascha everything is different: we are not afraid of any mundane sorrows, afflictions and worldly troubles, and even difficult circumstances of these troubled times do not seem so important in the perspective of eternity granted unto us. St. Ephraim the Syrian had a remarkable thought that during the creation the Lord had put into the depths of man the entire Heavenly Kingdom which only waits for us to discover it like a precious pearl. The Kingdom is written in the soul and placed therein as a dowry, in order that, when the Heir of the Kingdom comes, He may take it with Him into the bridal chamber (Commentary on “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth…”). And this Heir – Christ – did come and rise from the dead, saving people from sins and giving us power to become the sons of God (Jn. 1:12), that we may walk before the Lord in holiness and truth, live in chastity, worthy to be called Christians, and be the salt of the earth,.. the light of the world (Mt. 5:13-14). To bear witness to the Risen Saviour, we do not have to go somewhere far, like the apostles did, who spread the marvellous Paschal light all over the world. Many people around us are in need of a living model of Christian faith working through love (Gal. 5:6). God does not demand of us some heroic deeds that are beyond our strength. He just asks us to show love to one another, to remember that by doing so we also show love to Him. A kind smile, attention and sympathy to those who are near, as well as timely words of consolation and support can become our most important deeds for the sake of our Lord. |
| b) violence to the moral order of things, and c) looking deeper, it is the conscious or unconscious impulse of man toward self-annihilation. a) Man is a being who has been given physical and spiritual powers. In his nature there is an inherent longing for society, for association with others, and without this he cannot attain to the fullness of his existence. Everything that a man is and all that he has is a means by which he establishes unity with other people and with nature. He is born and lives in this nature, realizes it’s calling and meaning only when it is used correctly and in a healthy manner, and when it achieves unity in accordance with the order of things as given and established by God. What is essential for all psycho-physical forces and gifts of man is also essential for the community of male and female genders. Thanks to the mystery of love, two become one being. The quality of true love is to procreate and give a new quality to life. The blessing inherent in male and female nature is the creation of a new life, birth and multiplication, filling the earth and having authority over it (see Gen. 1:28). Trampling this established order of human nature underfoot destroys the very essence of human existence and its eternal calling. Love is given to man so that he will procreate, regenerate. Every birth is birth for eternity, and not for death and non-existence. The relegation of love to irrational lust, “the lusts of the flesh” and “lust of the eyes”—and that is what the incitement of lust of a man for a man and a woman for a woman is—deprives the great and all-creative mystery of a man’s love for a woman and a woman’s for a man of meaning. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Mt. 7:19). Can fruitless love be true love? That is precisely what sodomite, gay-lesbian love is, which will not inherit, and is incapable of inheriting the Kingdom of God—because such love is lifeless and barren (see 1 Cor. 6:9). b) Love, which is God Himself and which is given to man so that he might come to know God through it and realize the fullness of heavenly-earthly existence, is made an abuse by this existential darkening of the mind and heart, the source of sodomite darkness and blindness. |
| The Light of truth is the Divine light; it is the righteousness of God. It is immutable and eternal, and does not depend upon whether we accept it or not. When we accept God’s truth it defines in the first instance the nature of our relationship with others, the ability to bear, as St. Paul says, ‘ one another’s burdens ’ (Ga. 6: 2), that is, to show solidarity by sharing both their joy and pain. ‘ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another ’ (Jn 13: 35), says the Lord. However, these eternal Divine truths, which can but only transform our lives, today have ceased to be ideals. They are persistently expunged from modern man’s consciousness by the propaganda of moral irresponsibility, egoism, consumerism and the negation of sin as the fundamental problem of human existence. It is the substitution of true values by false values that largely explains the ever-growing significance of the so called ‘human factor’ in tragic events that take away hundreds of lives. It is this that explains the crises which have had a global impact on the economy, politics, the environment, family life, the generation gap, and many other things. To celebrate Christ’s Nativity is to bring us closer to the Saviour, to help us seen more clearly his countenance, to be immersed in his good news. The Lord is born ever anew mysteriously for us in the depths of our souls so that we may ‘ have life more abundantly ’ (Jn 10: 10). The event of that night in Bethlehem enters our life today, helps us to see it from another perspective, at time unusual and unexpected. That which seemed important and great suddenly becomes trivial and transient, making way for the majesty and beauty of eternal Divine truth. It is with especial power that the words of the Saviour today resound: ‘ I am with you always, even unto the end of the world ’ (Mt 28: 20). These words give hope based on the firm conviction that no matter what temptations befall us in this life the Lord will never abandon his inheritance. |
| St. Gregory of Nyssa writes, “Having once put your foot on the ladder which God is leaning against, go on climbing…every rung leads up to the beyond…Finding God means looking for Him tirelessly…To see God means never to cease to desire Him.” God first let this ladder down into your soul when you were baptized. It is still there. God will never to remove it. So, dive into your soul and start climbing it one step at a time, ascending as you defeat the passions on each rung: including slander (10), talkativeness (11), gluttony (14), lust (15), seeking the higher virtues of simplicity (24), humility (25), discernment (26) and so reaching to stillness (27), prayer (28), dispassion (29) and love (30), and finally to Christ Himself, our Lord, God and Savior. Amen! Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Related articles “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). This is what last… For the secular people of today, focusing on an ascetic saint represents a problem. How can… Whenever I think of Great Lent, I make it a point to remember a meaningful conversation… |
| elissa 7 июня 2016, 23:00 Jews spoke Greek for 300y before & 1000y after Jesus (place prepared of God for the woman in the wilderness); hebrew is the " doctrine of Pharisees " 8 congregations in Revelation 2 & 3, God mentions the synagogue of satan twice! Greek is Zephaniah 3:9 " s " pure language " and the " language "/" authority " given to the 3rd empire in Daniel 7:6... God told Abraham " all nations " would be blessed by his seed, the Word made flesh as understood in Greek..or How could Paul have reasoned from scriptures if not for Acts 15? : (Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.) Paul did not carry a copy of scripture teach everyone Hebrew, then reason Jesus is Christ..Scripture was ready and waiting in every region in a synagogue & language all knew!! The consonantal languages are like text messaging " BRB " carries no meaning but vowels and grammar of greek gave rise to literacy & secured God " s word against corruption (Pharisees couldn " t retrieve all copies anyway) .. God established His word in Greek precise unmovable! Jer5:15 and Deut 28:49 MT Hebrew is NOT the original language &there " s no evidence Jerusalem withstood Hellenism! Jesus quotes Psalm 22 on the cross & no one in Jerusalem understood, they heard as if He was speaking Greek.. Greek name Elijah/Elias () sounds like the “Hebrew” word God (Eli). This is God’s design His signature on events of history, to His glory and our salvation! J Clivas 9 августа 2015, 22:00 I " m astonished that a metropolitan (Alfeyev) would use the irreligious abbreviations " BCE " and " CE " instead of the traditional Christian " B.C. " and " A.D. " At least YOU are not afraid to give Christ our Lord the reverence shown him by Christians over the centuries. Duane Uptain 7 августа 2015, 21:00 Thank you, Father! I realize this question addresses something that was not necessarily intended by the scope of this article, but when you say, " ...of the Old Testament a true and perfect version, of the New the divine original itself. " , do you mean " original " in regard to Holy Tradition for the New Testament? Because my understanding was that there are no extant original copies of the N.T. autographs. Thank you! |
| Праотцы Иссахар и Завулон. Рос-пись ц. Рождества Богородицы в Ферапонтовом в честь Рождества Богородицы мон-ре. Мастер Дионисий. Нач. XVI в. Часто в Свящ. Писании И. упоминается вместе с Завулоном, его младшим братом, которого Лия родила впосл. Иакову: будучи единокровными братьями, рожденными одной матерью, они представляли в истории Израиля племенное единство. Устойчивое упоминание этих колен вместе в списках колен Израилевых свидетельствует о тесных связях между их представителями (Быт 35. 23; 49. 13-15; Исх 1. 3; Втор 33. 18; Числ 1. 28-31; 26. 23-25; Нав 19. 10-23). Обоим родоначальникам колен в благословении Моисея было посвящено одно пророчество: «…веселись, Завулон, в путях твоих, и Иссахар, в шатрах твоих; созывают они народ на гору, там закалают законные жертвы, ибо они питаются богатством моря и сокровищами, сокрытыми в песке» (Втор 33. 18-19). В этом пророчестве младший брат упомянут раньше старшего (как и в случае с коленами Ефрема и Манассии ), что может указывать на потерю И. своего преимущества по рождению. Это подтверждается и в благословении Иакова, где И. также упомянут после младшего брата и иронично характеризуется как «осел крепкий, лежащий между протоками вод (буквально в MT - между (=под) навьюченными корзинами); и увидел он, что покой хорош, и что земля приятна: и преклонил плечи свои для ношения бремени и стал работать в уплату дани» (Быт 49. 14-15). Подобная тенденция отражена также в списках колен в Числ 34. 25-26 и Нав 19. 10-23, где удел И. упоминается после удела Завулонова (ср.: Суд 5. 14-15). Только в более поздней лит-ре оба колена представлены в естественном, родовом порядке (Иез 48. 25-26; 1 Пар 27. 18-19). Генеалогия потомков колена И. приведена в 1 Пар 7. 1-5, в то время как генеалогия колена Завулона отсутствует. Это может указывать на возвышение колена И. и возврат в дальнейшем своего родового первенства. НЗ следует уже поздней линии, перечисляя представителей колена И. перед Завулоновым в списке запечатленных печатью спасенных праведников ВЗ (Откр 7. 7). |
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