St Gerasimos the Jordanite (Commemorated on March 4) St Gerasimos, the Hermit of the Jordan, was born in the region of Lycia in Asia Minor towards the end of the fourth century. Despite still being a child, he entered a monastery where he gave himself to prayer and fasting. It was from this monastery that he travelled to visit the Holy Land, where he came to make his home in the desert near the Dead Sea. Due to his great virtue he started receiving disciples, and as their number grew he founded a monastery on the banks of the Jordan [...]

1821-2021: Church and Freedom March 25 is a major day in both our Orthodox faith and in our Greek culture. For the former, we celebrate the Annunciation – that blessed day when the Archangel Gabriel announced to Panagia that she would give birth to the Son of God, the cause of our salvation. For the latter, we celebrate Greek Independence Day - the commemoration of the successful revolution of the Greeks against the oppressive 400-year rule of the Ottomans. This equivalence of dates is no coincidence: the feast day of the Annunciation was chosen as the day to start the [...]

Western Mentality and Eastern Morality One of the great empires of the world was the Roman Empire, which was created in 31BC. At various points in its history it was divided into two separate Eastern and Western imperial courts as an administrative expediency, followed by a later reuniting. The Western Roman Empire was abolished by the Germanic Goths in 476AD. By the 5th century Christianity was well developed among the masses, and was more dominant in the East but spread at a slower pace in the West. Dramatic changes happened in the population in western Europe early in the 5th [...]

Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible “O Lord, Your works shall be magnified greatly; You made all things in wisdom” (Ps. 103:24). From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures overflow with expressions of great wonder and doxology towards God the Creator. Creation itself reveals God, reflecting His power, wisdom and craftsmanship. The act of creation was not something that happened ‘by chance’ or ‘by accident’, but rather it was a deliberate and free expression of God’s creative will. It was the outcome of His infinite love, wisdom and goodness; being that the created world might [...]