St Symeon the New Theologian on The Life-Giving Death of Christ   This Discourse by St Symeon the New Theologian, written in the 10th and 11th centuries, discusses the implications of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. It calls the reader to examine themselves and the state of their soul in the light of the perfect virtue and knowledge that were made clear through Christ. Reflecting on Christ’s death on the Cross, St Symeon considers that we too should struggle spiritually even to the point of dying to achieve a single virtue. This level of spiritual warfare is something that [...]

St John Chrysostom: And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14) In commencing Homily 11 on the Gospel of St John the laity are first exhorted by St John Chrysostom to study the Scriptures. Then he turns his attention to explain the phrase: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He explains that the Word becoming flesh is an “ineffable honour” – transforming humanity. The condescension of Christ, the Master, in taking on the form of his servants allowed humanity to be elevated from “disgrace and darkness, to glory unspeakable”, without diminishing the glory [...]

St Basil the Great on Attentiveness St Basil’s sermon on attentiveness is based on Deuteronomy 15:9: “Be attentive to yourself, lest an unlawful word be hidden in your heart”. It can be found in the book titled On the Human Condition, which contains a collection of St Basil’s homilies and writings published by St Vladimir’s Seminary Press. Focusing on the first phrase, St Basil discusses the usefulness of attentiveness and explains that it is a God-given gift for our protection. Just as animals have the abilities required to defend themselves in the wild, so we have attentiveness. But against what [...]

St John of Damascus on the Dormition   This great Saint of our Church gave three homilies on the Dormition, which are believed to have been given at the all-night vigils held at the Church of the Theotokos’ tomb in Gethsemane. The first homily delves into the life of Panagia and her role in the Incarnation. After going through her connection to the Old Testament and her life, it ends on a description of her tomb as a place of life and healing. The second homily is the longest. It covers in greater detail the death, funeral and glorious assumption [...]

St Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians At the end of the first century AD, the Christian congregation of Corinth was so divided that the younger members of the local church formed a rebellion against their appointed elders. When news of this reached St Clement, the Bishop of Rome, he felt deeply that the only way to preserve the unity of the Church was to respect the Ministry established by the Apostles. He therefore wrote a letter to the Corinthians: “How blessed and marvelous are the gifts of God, dear friends!” St Clement called to the Corinthians to study the God-given [...]