What’s new?

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 [...]

Epistle Reading of the Birth of St John the Baptist – June 24 (Epistle to the Romans 13:11-14, 4:1-4) Our Church has assigned this reading for the Birth of the Forerunner. Whilst St Paul does not directly refer to St John the Baptist, he is nevertheless an excellent example of all the virtues St Paul is referring to. When St Paul writes that, “now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (13:11), it reminds us of St John the Baptist’s mission in calling the Jews from their [...]

Lord and Master of my Life By Archbishop Makarios of Australia “O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen .” This prayer of Saint Ephraim which is repeated frequently in the period of Lent, is the framework upon which the author builds the structure of this [...]

St Athanasius of Paros (Commemorated 24 June) Born to devout parents in the small village of Kostos on the island of Paros in 1722, St Athanasius was educated in Smyrna at the Athonite Academy under two of the greatest scholars of that age: Neophytus of Kavsokalyvia and Eugenius Voulgaris. He became known for his study of Holy Scripture and preaching, and soon became a teacher at the Academy. He was then appointed to head the School of Thessalonica where he shone because of his faith in God, which showed in his sermons. Because of a plague, St Athanasius went to [...]

The Resurrection is a Revolution Every year has several days of celebrations, or festive days, during which we honour a religious, national or social event. These are meant to instil in our minds the deeper meaning of the occasion. For us Orthodox Christians the Resurrection, or Pascha, is a joyful and enthusiastic celebration. On the one hand there is a strong religious preparation (Great Lent, Holy Week) accompanied on Easter day by centuries-old customs, such as: the Easter candles; red eggs; Easter bread (tsoureki); lamb on the spit; and the exuberant spirit of friendship, joy, forgiveness and closeness with one [...]