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What do we expect Heaven to be like?   What an exciting Question! I was once with a 15- year-old boy who was dying in the middle of the night after a long battle with leukaemia. He asked me “What will Heaven be like?” I was not sure which answer would be suitable for him, so I asked him “What do you imagine Heaven will be like?” He responded, “I think Heaven will have waterfalls and dolphins.” Everyone who believes in God, has a strong sense that Heaven is an existence of great beauty. Many earthly words and images have [...]

St Cyril of Alexandria (Commemorated 9th June and 18th January)   St Cyril of Alexandria lived from 376 to 444. He was the nephew of Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and received a classical education in languages and philosophy. St Cyril was Patriarch of Alexandria, succeeding his uncle, from 412 to 444. He left many works and commentaries on the Gospels of St Luke and St John, as well as the Epistles of St Paul. St Cyril was well-versed in theology, contributing greatly to the honouring of the Theotokos in our Church. He fought the heresy of Nestorius, who was [...]

Words do not Change Reality   Every citizen born and raised in a Country where his forefathers lived and established themselves for centuries, loves and defends the place of his birth, and feels happy and secure only there. This is particularly true for the Greek people, who since antiquity the ideal was that their Country was superior to father, mother and anything else. The Spartan women when sending their sons to war, on giving them the Shield, the major armour of protection, were saying to them – “Come back either with it (as victor), or on it (as dead)”. The [...]

St Paul: The Definition of an Apostle   One of the first names that comes to mind when reflecting on the role of an Apostle is St Paul. This is not a mere coincidence, but rather recognition of St Paul’s amazing accomplishments in establishing the Church through his Apostleship. So how is it that such a persecutor of the Church and enemy of the first Christians, transformed from Saul of Tarsus into the great Apostle Paul? His conversion is well documented multiple times in the Acts of the Apostles. It records that just like the twelve disciples, St Paul was [...]