This is a true story as told by a pious Christian… "While I was still a very young child, my father died.  My mother quickly remarried and she and my stepfather put me into an orphanage.  Later on, when I was older, they brought me out of the orphanage to live with them.  My stepfather sent me out to sell lottery tickets to make money.  At the end of each day he would take the money that I had earned, then he would abuse me and beat me badly.  At one stage I felt much despair and said to myself [...]

Kneeling A mother was worried about her child. She asked St Porphyrios (recently canonized) for his prayers and counsel. His response surprised her: “show me your knees”. He pointed out that there were no callouses and that more prayer for her child on bended knee was required! Prayer, which is our lifeline to God, can be done either standing, kneeling or sitting, be it at home or in church. The stance we take during prayer can be telling of our spiritual state. In the Old Testament, there are many references to bowing, kneeling and prostrations. King David wrote: “O come [...]

St Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit At the time St Basil wrote his treatise On the Holy Spirit, controversies abounded concerning the divinity of both Christ and the Holy Spirit. St Basil compared the state of the Church under siege to a naval battle being fought in the midst of a raging tempest, in which the two fleets are so broken up by the dark storm that banners can no longer be seen, signals are no longer recognised, and one cannot distinguish one’s ally from one’s foe. St Basil denounces these errors as the end-product of vanity and [...]

Divine Liturgy Hymn of Praise of the Anaphora This Hymn is chanted during the Anaphora[1] at the climax of the Holy Liturgy, in anticipation, during and in response to the consecration of the Holy Gifts into the Divine Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In most Parishes as the Hymn is chanted, the Priest says the prayers of the Epiclesis (calling down from above), an earnest plea to God the Father to send down the Holy Spirit to change the gifts we offer into the Divine Gifts of Christ’s own Body and Blood. According to St Germanos, this is a [...]