The Mother of Christ: The Mother of God by Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyannis. Published by Orthodox Book Center, 2005.   In The Mother of Christ: The Mother of God Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyannis examines the conception, upbringing, and spiritual life of the Theotokos, her impact on society, and her importance to us personally - particularly when we depart from this life. He primarily draws from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of St James, ascribed to the ‘Brother’ of our Lord, writing from his personal daily experience of the Virgin Mary, who had adopted him upon her betrothal to his widowed father Joseph. These writings [...]

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:14-22) 8th Sunday of Matthew Gospel Reading   In this Gospel passage, Christ has been followed by a large crowd, and the disciples believe that there is no way to feed all the people present. Christ then takes two fish and five loaves of bread and multiplies them, feeding the people with twelve baskets left to spare. When Christ heals the sick among the crowd (v 14), He does not test their faith as He usually does by asking whether they wish to be cured. By following Christ into the wilderness straight after the [...]

How can we reduce anxiety in our children, and can the Church help?   It appears that anxiety in children is on the rise. Whereas as recently as a generation ago, childhood was considered a carefree age, today, many children are frightened, stressed or anxious. Anxiety can look very different from one child to the next. Some children get physical symptoms such as a racing heart, palpitations or shaking. Others just have a sense of dread that something bad will happen. In severe cases, children are not able to go to school or get out of the house. Reasons for [...]

The Metastasis of St John the Theologian (Commemorated 26th September)   The Holy Apostle and Evangelist St John the Theologian spent the last years of his life in the city of Ephesus. When he grew weak from old age, he was no longer able to preach publicly as he used to. His unceasing sermon to his disciples was the constant repetition of the Lord’s commandment: “My little children, love one another”. According to Saint John’s biography by his beloved companion and disciple Saint Prochorus, when the Apostle had reached the age of 105 years and received from God the knowledge of [...]

Salvation: Do We Need It In Our Times? - Part B   Link to Part A: https://lychnos.org/salvation-do-we-need-it-in-our-times-part-a/   Salvation is the greatest gift of God to man, and this became a reality through Jesus Christ. His sacrifice liberates man from the tyranny of sin, the main instrument of the Devil, which degrades the human person spiritually, and afterwards bodily, leading to Death first of the soul and then of the body. Since man was created by God with the potential of living eternally, but lost this potential after his Fall, he can no longer attain Salvation, as he no longer [...]