JOY and the Christian Person   In the previous issue of our periodical, we dealt with the topic of Friendship, and its importance for the growing child and adolescent. Whenever someone is with their friends they are filled with enthusiasm and joy. The faithful are characteristically people of Joy, as our Lord has said, “I will see you again, and your heart will Rejoice, and your Joy no one will take it from you”, and again, “Ask and you will receive, that your Joy may be full” (John 16:22, 24). The Apostle Paul commands in the same spirit, “Rejoice in [...]

Guardian of Our Souls and Bodies   Long ago, before the creation of mankind, an epic battle took place that shaped the course of the entire cosmos. The angels of God, led by Archangel Michael, fought against the dark forces of Satan. The Archangel addressed the heavenly host saying: “Let us stand well! Let us stand with fear!” All the angels then replied with one voice: “Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Your glory!” The outcome of this battle was the expulsion of Satan and his forces from heaven. As our Lord Jesus [...]

The Illumined Heart By Frederica Mathewes-Green. Published by Paraclete Press, 2007   In The Illumined Heart, Frederica Mathewes-Green writes about the experiences of Anna and her family, to explain how the teachings of the Orthodox Church were preserved from the time of the Apostles until today. When Jesus taught his Disciples, they in turn taught others and passed down Christ's teachings to the churches they started. The disciples spread Christ’s teachings through both written and verbal communication, as St Paul says: “Brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word [...]

Making the sign of the Cross   In Holy Orthodoxy, everything we do reflects the Apostolic and living theology of the Church. This is most evident in the way we make the sign of the cross, being the symbol of Christ’s victory over death. Using only the right hand, we join our thumb and first two fingers and lay the last two fingers flat against our palm. The three fingers together signify the Holy Trinity, i.e. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the two fingers in the palm represent the dual natures of Christ, i.e. divine and human. We touch [...]

St Maximus the Confessor (On the Liturgy)   St Maximus the Confessor was born in 580 AD to an aristocratic family of Constantinople, and received the finest education. He was an imperial secretary for four years before realising his calling to become a monk at the age of 34. He lived through the tumultuous events of the 7th century, which saw Jerusalem occupied by Persians and Christ’s True Cross taken and carried away; its subsequent recovery by Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; the Persian attack on Constantinople averted miraculously by the Theotokos’ defence of the city (from which the Akathist Hymn arose); [...]