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What is the “Fear of God”?   Our parents and grandparents did not have an issue with the term “Fear of God.” It is a term that appears throughout the Old and New Testaments, and a term that was in the minds of the faithful throughout the ages. These days, however, this phrase troubles many people, who seek to re-define and soften it. They ask “why should we fear God? Isn’t He the God of love? Isn’t He our Father in Heaven?” If you are one of those people, then consider that in essence, you seek to not be accountable [...]

Christ has made us free (Galatians 5:1) St Paul’s invocation “Christ has made us free” invites us to reflect on what it really means to be free as Orthodox Christians living in a modern world. Freedom is commonly thought of as the ability to choose between right or wrong, good or bad. The word in Greek eleftheria (ελευθερία) is made up of two roots – eleftho (ἐλεύθω) meaning “to come towards” or “to approach”, and eros (ερώς), meaning “love” or “desire.” “Freedom” (ελευθερία) is taken to mean “being able to live consistent with that which we desire.” What is it [...]

Psalm 33 (34)   Psalm 33 (34) is a psalm of thanksgiving sung by King David when he fled from the court of Abimelech of Geth (also known as Achous the Philistine). David had come to Abimelech’s court when he fled from the madness of Saul. However, when he saw those around Abimelech looking at him and whispering, he feigned insanity and was dismissed by Abimelech. In this way, according to St Nicodemus the Hagiorite, David escaped certain death and was thankful to God. Despite his ingenious escape, David remembered that it was God who was ultimately responsible for it. [...]

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 [...]