St Nectarios and the Village in Romania In a village of Romania, the people constantly pleaded with their Patriarch to send them a priest. Unfortunately, the Patriarch had no priest to send, and since no priest was in the village, no Sacraments or Liturgies could be performed: no marriages, baptisms or funerals. One day a car pulled up outside the village church and out came a priest. The villagers were surprised but pleased. They warmly welcomed him and asked how the Patriarch was able to send him when he told them he had no extra priests. He answered: “Didn’t you [...]

Where does evil come from? The ultimate source of evil is the devil. The Bible tells us that the devil was once an angel of light, who fell because of pride. The devil tempts us, but we are free, and it is up to us whether we fall for the devil’s traps. The devil is very cunning, so we need to be vigilant and watchful. The Apostle Peter warns us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We must not be complacent, believing we [...]

Holy Father Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance Commemorated on 26th November Born in 930 AD near Pontus, Nikon had a privileged upbringing. He witnessed the laborious toils of the field-workers on his father’s estate as a child and contemplating this as he grew, he realised that working hard on a field or living comfortably and wealthy, all people will go to the grave in the end - in the hands of God.  Nikon decided to become a monk and joined the Monastery of the Golden Stone, located on the borders of Pontus in the north-east of today’s Turkey. He shrugged [...]

Gospel Reading November 2nd (Luke 16: 19-31) The Rich Man and Lazarus A number of messages can be drawn from the severe contrast this parable presents between the earthly lives of the rich man and Lazarus and also their experiences in the next life. The first message is that there is a life after death and that what we do in our earthly lives will determine how we will experience eternity. It was not the rich man’s wealth as such that condemned him. The reference to Lazarus being carried by angels to “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16: 22) (Abraham was a [...]

‘Strip yourself of worldly cares, for the season is one of wrestling. Clothe yourself with the spiritual armour, for we have a heavy warfare to wage with demons. … Sharpen your sickle, which you have blunted through gluttony - sharpen it by fasting.’ (Homily 3 On the Statues). St John Chrysostom (AD c.347-407) was a truly committed Christian warrior for Christ. The above words were written to his congregation in order to remind them to look beyond the difficulties of their day-to-day struggles, and to realise their heavenly destiny. There was a very turbulent period of social and civil unrest, [...]