| La rândul su, Întâistttorul Bisericii Ortodoxe Ruse a spus: «Sanctitatea Voastr, Preafericite Printe Patriarh al Antiohiei i al Întregului Orient, Înalt Presfiniile i Preasfiniile Voastre, dragi prini, frai i surori! Am intrat cu o emoie deosebit în aceast catedral. Ultima dat când am fost aici, aceast catedral arta mai mult ca o ruin. i cu bucurie i cu recunotin adus lui Dumnezeu vzând aceast frumusee restaurat, mrturisesc c Dumnezeu n-a permis ca sfinenia s fie batjocorit, i biserica s-a pstrat, i astzi, o putem vedea cu toat frumuseea ei cea de la început. Vizitele pe care le-am efectuat în Liban mi-au lsat întotdeauna amintiri deosebite, pentru c acest pmânt este o parte din ara Sfânt. Pe acest pmânt au clcat picioarele apostolilor, de acest spaiu este legat începutul existenei cretine a Bisericii. De acest pmânt sunt legate faptele mari care au fost svârite în Biserica Antiohiei. Aici au fost scrise operele Sfinilor Prini, a celor mai renumii scriitori i gânditori bisericeti. Aici au aprut primele opere ale renumiilor canoniti, juriti bisericeti care au participat la crearea codului de legi al imperiului Bizantin, cunoscut sub numele de Codicele lui Justinian. Acest pmânt este de asemenea cunoscut i prin cei care au aprat Ortodoxia de eretici i schisme. A fost acel loc de care au depins destinele Bisericii Ecumenice. Aceast mreie a Bisericii Antiohiene, dobândit prin ostenelile Sfinilor Apostoli Petru i Pavel, a dinuit secole de-a rândul i acum îi manifest în chip deosebit prezena aducând în sânul societii multiculturale a Libanului acea mrturie a valorilor cretine, a care a fost prezent în Seria i în alte ri din Orient. Noi toi apainem împreun Unei singure Biserici Ortodoxe, în care dispar toate acele hotare naionale i politice. Trim o singur via comun, oriunde nu ne-am afla din punct de vedere fizic, — în Liban, în Siria, în Ucraina, în Bielorusia sau în alt ar, pentru c suntem cu toii unii într-o singur Biseric — Biserica Ortodox Ecumenic care-i pstreaz mreia i sfinenia Tradiiei lsate de Sfinii Apostoli. |
| By the peril of which time was abundantly shown how great a calamity the introduction of a novel doctrine causes. For then truly not only interests of small account, but others of the very gravest importance, were subverted. For not only affinities, relationships, friendships, families, but moreover, cities, peoples, provinces, nations, at last the whole Roman Empire, were shaken to their foundation and ruined. For when this same profane Arian novelty, like a Bellona or a Fury, had first taken captive the Emperor, and had then subjected all the principal persons of the palace to new laws, from that time it never ceased to involve everything in confusion, disturbing all things, public and private, sacred and profane, paying no regard to what was good and true, but, as though holding a position of authority, smiting whomsoever it pleased. Then wives were violated, widows ravished, virgins profaned, monasteries demolished, clergymen ejected, the inferior clergy scourged, priests driven into exile, jails, prisons, mines, filled with saints, of whom the greater part, forbidden to enter into cities, thrust forth from their homes to wander in deserts and caves, among rocks and the haunts of wild beasts, exposed to nakedness, hunger, thirst, were worn out and consumed. Of all of which was there any other cause than that, while human superstitions are being brought in to supplant heavenly doctrine, while well established antiquity is being subverted by wicked novelty, while the institutions of former ages are being set at naught, while the decrees of our fathers are being rescinded, while the determinations of our ancestors are being torn in pieces, the lust of profane and novel curiosity refuses to restrict itself within the most chaste limits of hallowed and uncorrupt antiquity? Chapter 5. The Example set us by the Martyrs, whom no force could hinder from defending the Faith of their Predecessors. But it may be, we invent these charges out of hatred to novelty and zeal for antiquity. Whoever is disposed to listen to such an insinuation, let him at least believe the blessed Ambrose, who, deploring the acerbity of the time, says, in the second book of his work addressed to the Emperor Gratian: Enough now, O God Almighty! Have we expiated with our own ruin, with our own blood, the slaughter of Confessors, the banishment of priests, and the wickedness of such extreme impiety. It is clear, beyond question, that they who have violated the faith cannot remain in safety. |
| Thus, using Tolstoyism as an example, we see that churchless Christianity leads to a terrible distortion and even to the destruction of Christianity itself. It is refuted by its own complete lifelessness. Protestant false teaching is disgraced by this same lifelessness. What have the Protestants attained, having obscured the concept of the Church with their philosophizing? They have attained only disunity, and most hopeless disunity. Protestantism is constantly breaking down into more sects. There is no Protestant Church life, but some sort of «scarcely living» life of separate sects and communities. Protestantism has killed the general Church life, about which the Lord Jesus Christ prayed in that first sacred prayer. In actual fact, the fundamentalist Protestants stand far closer to Orthodox Christians than do the Protestants of extreme rationalistic doctrines who have nothing in common with Christianity, except for the arbitrary and baseless assuming of the name. They do not even seek a blessing for that. What kind of unity is possible between them? What kind of life can they have? We are not saying all this entirely from ourselves. In some moments of enlightenment Protestants themselves say the very same thing even more sharply. «The country,» writes one of them, «which was the cradle of the Reformation is becoming the grave of the Reformationist faith. The Protestant faith is on the verge of death. All the latest works about Germany, just as all personal observations, agree in this.» " Is it not noticeable in our contemporary theology that its representatives have lost everything positive?» another of them asks. Still sadder are the words of a third. «The vital strength of Protestantism is being exhausted in a muddle of dogmatic schools, theological discord, church strife . . . the Reformation is forgotten or is held in contempt; God " s word, for which fathers died, is being subjected to doubts; Protestantism is disunited, weak and powerless.» An Orthodox researcher of Lutheranism ends his work with this dismal conclusion. «Left to their own devices, their own subjective reason and faith, Lutherans courageously went ahead on a false path, and autodidacticly perverted Christianity, perverted the symbolic dogma itself, having placed the Lutheran denomination on the edge of ruin. In Lutheranism, the authority of the first reformers is increasingly denied. More and more the community of the faith is being destroyed and Lutheranism is coming closer to its spiritual death.» |
| The most wonderful element in the legacy of the monks Sava and Simeon—son and father—was their joint effort to bring to the Serbian nation a spiritual center in which prayer and committed Christian life would be the eternal flame and vigil lamp guiding the Serbian people to the Kingdom of God. This eternal torch and divine light was Hilandar Monastery. Hilandar Monastery was once a small monastic settlement which had fallen into ruin for many years. The property was owned by Vatopedi Monastery. Due to Sava " s virtuous life and his representation of the Vatopedi brotherhood at the Imperial Court in Constantinople, and also because of Simeon " s generous material support of the Monastery, the ruins of Hilandar, by Imperial decree, were given to the Serbs as an independent and self-governing property to be used as a monastery. This was made official by two foundational charters: the chrysobull of Byzantine Emperor Alexis III Angelos of Constantinople in June 1198, and the charter of Hilandar Monastery " s co-founder, Zhupan Stephen Nemanja—monk Simeon—in late 1198. Hence, the idea of a Serbian monastery on the Holy Mountain became a reality when father became obedient to son, when both of these spiritual pillars of the Serbian people became totally dedicated to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and Holy Orthodoxy. Hilandar Monastery - Mount Athos In May 1199, the main church, dedicated to the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple (November 21st), along with several other buildings necessary for the Monastery to function properly, were completed and consecrated. The Typikon of Hilandar (rules and regulations governing the communal prayer life of the monastery) was based upon the Greek Typikon of the Monastery of the Theotokos the Grace-giver in Constantinople, St. Sava " s favorite Imperial monastery. St. Sava himself translated the Greek text of this typikon into Old Slavonic for use at Hilandar. When monastic life at Hilandar began, there were only fifteen monks, but within a short period of time the number grew to ninety. There was no doubt that the Hilandar community would be successful as long as the great Sava and Simeon were leading the way: that is, by being totally dedicated to Jesus Christ they were able to attract many candidates to the radically devoted monastic lfe m Christ led by the Holy Spirit. Hence, Sava saw another blessing and miracle develop before his very own eyes: the arrival of many young Serbian ascetics desirous, as he was in his youth, of the totally committed life in Christ. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Marital Relations During a Fast Is it necessary to limit marital relations during a fast and how?—the opinion of a priest. Anastasia Spirina 17 June 2020 The question of how to understand the abstention from marital intimacy when fasting is often asked by Foma readers in the column “Questions for the Priest”. The Foma journal has asked Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky, cleric of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste Church in Moscow, Spassky to answer this question. Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky The Church definitely instructs us to abstain from marital intimacy during a fast, but we must understand that there are always nuances. There are dispensations for those who cannot completely restrain themselves. It is important to understand that the intimate relationship between a husband and a wife is not lust or simply desire. Also, by definition it is an expression of love. Therefore, abstinence from marital intimacy during a fast must in no way ruin this love. Abstinence is not worth practicing if one of the marital partners cannot or does not want to limit intimacy. In this case, fasting from physical relations is only worth practicing if there is mutual consent. If a couple fasts for the first time, no absolutely categorical and drastic practices are necessary, because there is a risk of destroying the couple’s relationship. More than once I have seen a marital relationship sharply worsen because of abstaining from marital intimacy. In order not to be tempted, couples move to different rooms so as not to think about each other. They begin to communicate less and this leads to alienation. Just as the limitation of food can harm one’s physical health, family happiness risks being harmed when there is an unreasonable attention and focus on abstinence from intimate marital relations. However, if we understand why we are doing this, then everything can be different. The useful sides of abstaining are revealed to us. Couples who observe fasting from physical intimacy are constantly supported by mutual interest in each other and will miss each other even more. Such couples turn out to be more strengthened in their relationship. Unfortunately, one of the problems in the modern world, in particular in the area of sexual intimacy – is satiety. Couples quickly become bored with each other and there is a desire to either find another partner or to start experimenting in their own bed. Such a problem doesn’t arise for those who choose abstention during the time of fasting. It is the same thing with the limiting of meals. For example, if we stop eating eggs, meat and drinking milk and kefir, then after the fast these ordinary products, even when prepared in the most simple way, seem incredibly tasty. |
| Der Graf steckte in seinen Geldnöten wie in einem großen Jägergarn; er wollte nicht glauben, daß er sich darin verstrickt habe, und verstrickte sich doch mit jedem Schritt mehr und mehr, und fühlte sich weder imstande, das Netz, das ihn umschloß, zu zerreißen, noch es vorsichtig und geduldig zu lösen. Der Gräfin mit ihrem liebenden Herzen entging es nicht, daß das Vermögen ihrer Kinder dahinschwand; sie sagte sich jedoch, der Graf trage keine Schuld; er könne nicht anders sein, als wie ihn die Natur gemacht habe, und leide selbst, obwohl er es verberge, unter dem Bewußtsein, daß ihm und seinen Kindern der Ruin drohe. So suchte sie denn Mittel, dem Notstand abzuhelfen. Von ihrem Frauenstandpunkt aus bot sich ihr nur ein einziges Mittel dar: eine Heirat Nikolais mit einem reichen Mädchen. Sie fühlte, daß dies die letzte Möglichkeit war, und daß, wenn Nikolai die Partie ausschlage, die sie für ihn gefunden hatte, sie von der Hoffnung, ihre Lage zu verbessern, auf immer Abschied nehmen müßten. Diese Partie war Julja Karagina, die Tochter trefflicher, hochachtbarer Eltern, die seit ihrer Kindheit in der Familie Rostow verkehrte und jetzt durch den Tod ihres letzten Bruders sehr reich geworden war. Die Gräfin schrieb direkt an Frau Karagina nach Moskau, brachte eine Heirat der beiden Kinder in Anregung und erhielt von ihr eine freundliche Antwort. Frau Karagina erwiderte, sie ihrerseits sei einverstanden; es werde davon abhängen, ob ihre Tochter dazu geneigt sei. Frau Karagina sprach den Wunsch aus, Nikolai möchte doch nach Moskau kommen. Nunmehr äußerte sich die Gräfin ihrem Sohn gegenüber mehrmals mit Tränen in den Augen dahin, jetzt, wo ihre beiden Töchter versorgt seien, habe sie nur noch den einen Wunsch, ihn verheiratet zu sehen. Sie sagte, wenn das geschehen wäre, würde sie sich beruhigt ins Grab legen. Und im Anschluß daran teilte sie ihm mit, daß sie ein vortreffliches Mädchen für ihn ins Auge gefaßt habe, und suchte herauszubekommen, wie er über eine Verheiratung denke. |
| Upon receiving his education, the future hierarch received monastic tonsure at the Kiev Caves Lavra with the name Theodosius, in honor of St Theodosius of the Caves (May 3). Metropolitan Dionysius (Balaban) of Kiev made him archdeacon of Kiev’s cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) , and then appointed him steward of the episcopal household. Soon he left Kiev and went to the distant Krupitsky monastery near Baturino (in the Chernigov diocese), which was famed for its strict monastic life. There he was ordained to the holy priesthood, but remained there only a short time. In 1662, St Theodosius was appointed Igumen of the Korsun monastery in Kiev diocese, and in the year 1664 he was made head of the ancient Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery. This monastery had fallen into the hands of the Uniates and Poles at the beginning of the seventeenth century and was in complete ruin. Thanks to the energy and initiative of St Theodosius, the Vydubitsky Mikhailovsk monastery was quickly restored. He was particularly concerned with the order of church services. He formed an excellent choir, which was famed not only in Little Russia, but also in Moscow. St Theodosius sent his singers to Moscow in 1685 to instruct their choirs in Kievan chant. As a strict ascetic himself, St Theodosius was concerned with the spiritual growth of his monks. He founded a small skete on the island of Mikhailovschina, not far from the monastery, for brethren wishing to live in solitude. He appointed the hieromonk Job (Opalinsky), one of the most zealous monks of his monastery, to organize and administer the skete. St Theodosius had to live through some quite difficult days, enduring many sorrows. He and other Igumens were accused by Bishop Methodius of Mstislav and Orshansk of betraying Russia in a supposed correspondence with the enemies of Russia. On September 20, 1668 St Theodosius explained the matter. On November 17, 1668 the lie was exposed, and St Theodosius together with the other Igumens were vindicated. Archbishop Lazar (Baranovich) esteemed the high spiritual qualities of St Theodosius and befriended him. He called him “a sheep of the flock of Christ, teaching by humility,” and he prophetically expressed the wish that the name of St Theodosius might be inscribed in Heaven. |
| Tenants in the area already have received legal notices to vacate their premises. For now, Hagia Elia has not received an eviction order. Naki Demirçivi, one of a group of lawyers representing the church, said that previous experience in fighting city re-development schemes does not offer much hope for Hagia Elia’s preservation. “Ultimately, the developer can do whatever he wants to do. There are many ways of circumventing restrictions. All we can do is delay their plans,” Demirçivi claimed. For some of those attending the early August services at Hagia Elia, the redevelopment of the Karaköy neighborhood, with its century-old churches, could prove just as contentious as Gezi Park . “This [Karaköy redevelopment] is an enormous project [and] they don’t tell you what is going to happen,” said 40-year-old parishioner Maria. “We feel very bad because what they [are] doing in Istanbul now is terrible. They are going to ruin the city. They don’t have any respect for the city, for the architecture.” For Deacon Vissarion, who conducted Hagia Elia’s reopening service, saving the church is important not only for Istanbul’s small Russian-Orthodox population, but for everyone living in the city. “[The church] is a very basic part of the multi-cultural part of Constantinople, of Istanbul,” he said. Source: Eurasianet.org 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. |
| Photo: eparhijabihackopetrovacka.org The remains of several martyrs were discovered during restoration work at a 15th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in Bosnia earlier this month. The holy relics “were literally embedded in the foundation of the sacred monastery and preserved it in difficult and stormy times,” the Serbian Diocese of Biha and Petrovac reports about the renovations at St. Nicholas Rmanj Monastery. Among the discovered remains were those of ten monks, priests, and laborers, including those of the well-known 19th-century Hieromartyr Cvijo Zori, a widowed priest whom the people considered an honorary monk due to his virtuous life. He was worked to death by the local ruler, whose cruelty towards the Orthodox is documented in the memoirs of the English archaeologist John Arthur Evans. On April 5, His Grace Bishop Sergije of Biha and Petrovac placed the relics in a specially made reliquary. The holy remains, which were once embedded and preserved in the foundation of the monastery, will not remain in the church for the veneration of the faithful. The diocese considers it providential that the relics should be found now, when the area is experiencing a great Orthodox revival. The Rmanj Monastery was built in 1443, and has been a spiritual center for the local Serbian Orthodox ever since. The local diocese was based there for more than a century. During the Ottoman period, it was razed to the ground several times. The last great ruin came in 1944 when the Nazis completely destroyed the monastery by bombing. It was restored with great difficulty in the 1980s, but it was robbed and severely damaged by Croatian troops during the war in 1995. The monastery was rebuilt and consecrated in 2001. Rmanj Monastery was proclaimed a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007. 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. |
| A special invitation has been extended to all clergy and their wives of the Orthodox Church in America to participate in a special webinar titled “Passion-Bearing Doesn’t Have to Ruin Your Health and Marriage” at 1:30 p.m. [EST] on Friday, August 7, 2015. The webinar—available at no cost to participants—is being made available by the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Clergy and their wives may register to participate on-line here . Facilitating the webinar will be Deacon Dr. Stephen Muse, who will address the spiritual roots, signs and symptoms of compassion, fatigue and burnout and suggest safeguards to prevent the conditions that are common to those in ministry and their families. “The expertise of Deacon Stephen will be known to many, both from his previous presentations to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America and his recently published books, When Hearts Become Flame and Being Bread , published by Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press,” said Priest Nathan Preston, Administrator of the OCA’s Department of Pastoral Life. Deacon Stephen also conducts the week-long “Clergy-in-Kairos” wellness program for clergy and clergy couples at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, GA. 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. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
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