St Seraphim of Sarov On Gluttony Why does the Orthodox Church place such an emphasis on eating during the spiritually intense Lenten period? Food is a blessing. Jesus shared many meals with his disciples and followers. Enjoying food is not a sin. However, one can reach a point where eating becomes excessive, and distorted as merely pleasure, or even as a comfort. Food can even become an addiction. This is not an exaggeration considering the obesity epidemic in developed countries. The medical profession has long called for temperance. The Church regards gluttony as a sin. The Holy Fathers have not [...]

St Gregory of Nyssa On the Baptism of Christ St Gregory of Nyssa, the younger brother of St Basil the Great, was one of the most influential theologians of the early Church. In his famous sermon On the Baptism of Christ the Saint begins by explaining the ongoing significance of baptism for the Orthodox Christian: “Baptism, then, is a purification from sins, a remission of trespasses, a cause of renovation and regeneration. For as the child new-born is free from accusations and from penalties, so too the child of regeneration has nothing for which to answer, being released by royal [...]

St Paisios on non-possessiveness When someone asks us for something and we’re sad when we give it to them, that means that we love it more than we love Christ. - St Paisios Not willing to let anything stand between himself and Christ, St Paisios disdained all worldly possessions and happily gave away anything that was asked of him, “for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) His life is a pure testimony to the godly grace that is provided when one follows a life of non-possessiveness. Whilst non-possessiveness is often seen as a monastic virtue, St Paisios strongly [...]

The Epistle to Diognetus The Epistle to Diognetus is a short letter addressed by an unknown Christian author to the pagan Diognetus (translated as “Born of Zeus”). The manuscript is speculated to have been written in the years 100-150AD and was rediscovered in 1436 in Constantinople, when it was found by a young priest in a pile of packing paper in a fish shop! The Epistle is regarded as an apology (defence) of Christianity and begins with an introductory address to Diognetus, who is curious about Christianity. He wants to know about God, the reasons why they do not follow [...]

Fourth Ecumenical Council Emperor Marcian convened the Fourth Ecumenical Council in the city of Chalcedon in 451AD to deal with controversy concerning Christ’s nature. Proponents of Monophysitism argued that in the person of Jesus Christ the human nature was absorbed into the divine nature, like a cube of sugar dissolves in a cup of water. Thus, they claimed that the incarnate Christ was left with only one nature, the Divine (Greek mono-one, physis-nature). As the 630 delegates were gathered in the church of Saint Euphemia where her holy relics were housed, the Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their [...]