Category Archives: Sunday Homilies

Interview with Fr. Andrew Phillips on his book Orthodox Christianity and the Old English Church

Father Andrew, to begin our interview, let us note that you are one of the serious researchers of Orthodox Christianity in England. Your many works pay attention to the spreading of Christianity before the schism of 1054. Tell us first how did it happen that you decided to dedicate yourself to this mission – to find and spread information and facts about the spreading of Christianity in England. I was born and brought up not in London, which is not England, but the Norman capital of Britain, but in the English countryside. Here there still survived English traditions. There I lived near or heard of saints and places connected with saints, of whom I knew nothing. Adults seemed to know very little either. They would say, for example: ‘That was all a long time ago’ or ‘Things were different then’, or simply ‘He was a saint’. But nobody could tell me what a saint was. All I knew was that there was a special atmosphere around those saints and places, something warm and pleasant, something that made me feel at home. So when I was eight years old I began trying to find out about them, asking people and looking

Mandamados, Home of the Archangel Michael

„На много места по света се почита паметта ми, но в Мандамадос е моят дом”… Това били думи на самия св. архангел Михаил, когато се явил на млад мъж от Атина със заповед да отнесе меч в манастира му край с. Мандамадос на о. Лесвос. И наистина, благочестивите поклонници, дошли тук, усещат с цялото си сърце и душа, че се намират на особено място – неизчерпаем извор на благодатни чудеса, непресъхващ дори до днес, а според силата на вярата умножаващи се за прослава на Божието свято име. Чудотворната релефна икона на св. Архангел Михаил Известна е в целия гръкоезичен православен свят чудотворната икона на св. архангел Михаил от манастира „Таксиархи” край Мандамадос. Тя е релефна и уникална по своя вид, защото е моделирана от глина, замесена с кръвта на осемнадесет монаси, посечени от сарацински пирати в далечния Х в. Преданието е запазило жива историята за създаването на иконата… От края на IX до края на ХI в. сарацинските пиратски нападения били непрестанни по островите на Византийската империя. Пиратите били „ужасът” на островното население, плячкосвали, грабели и убивали необезпокоявано. Отвличали мъже, жени и деца, а после ги продавали в робство по богатите тържища на Изтока… Пирати предвождани от някой си Ширхан

For 2017, Resolve to Acquire the Spirit of Peace

If you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, you couldn’t do better than to try the best-known instruction of a 19th-century Russian monk named Seraphim of Sarov: “Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and thousands around you will be saved.” Far from naive, religious fluff or spiritual psychobabble, these words of a forest-dwelling hermit who became one of the most revered saints of Orthodox Christianity are eminently practical. For example, I try (and often fail) to remember them when I turn on the news or pick up a paper, and find myself assaulted by the abundant evidence of the Fall. It’s so easy to become cynical as a result of the darkness one encounters, even second-hand through media, that I’ve actually fasted from news as much as possible ever since Advent began. One could say I’m burying my head in the sand to avoid the “real world.” Yet I challenge whether the news presents an accurate, proportioned view of reality. And I assert that my abstinence, an effort to follow St. Seraphim’s advice, is actually very real world. Because in the face of wars, shootings and the fascination with obscenity that can be brought to my living room each night,

A Homily given on the Sunday of the Blind Man

Автор: ставроф. иконом Иван Л. Кондаков “И като минаваше, видя един човек, сляп по рождение” (Иоан 9:1) Братя и сестри, Когато някой от нас страда от телесен или душевен недъг, склонни сме да мислим, че Бог ни е наказал за голямо прегрешение. Срещнем ли нещастник, мислим, че той носи последиците на лични или наследствени прегрешения. Така мислили и учениците на Господа Иисус, когато видели пред храма един млад просяк, сляп по рождение. Те запитали Иисуса Христа: “Кой е съгрешил, тоя или родителите му, за да се роди сляп?” (Иоан 9:2) Иисус отговорил: “Нито тоя е съгрешил, нито родителите му, но това биде, за да се явят делата Божии върху му… Плюна на земята, направи калчица от плюнката и намаза с нея очите на слепия. И му рече: иди се умий в къпалнята Силоам. Той отиде, уми се и се върна прогледнал” (Иоан 9:3-7). Но иудеите не повярвали, че е бил сляп и е прогледнал, докато не повикали родителите му. Те отговорили: “Знаем, че този е нашият син и че се роди сляп; а как сега вижда, не знаем или кой му е отворил очите” (Иоан 9:20-21). Бояли се, че може да бъдат отлъчени от синагогата, ако признаят силата на Иисуса

A Homily before the Entrance of the Church

A Homily given on the Small Compline with the whole Akathist to the Mother of God / Χαιρετισμών εις την Υπεραγίαν Θεοτόκον

CONTENTS: 00:00: On Time and Joy 03:33: Knowing our spiritual poverty, the good God has left us a model for realising the joy in our life – the Mother of God 06:00: Is it possible that this is not enough to make us constantly filled with joy? …not to feel cast down? …not to despair? …not to lose our temper and grumble against the trials in our life? 11:05: So considering this state of affairs, tell me, can it be so that we do not feel joy? Is it possible to become disheartened? To be disconcerted? To despair? 13:00: Through our life let us show our respect to her Heavenly Son and do this by making His Gospel not only a daily book of ours, but make the Gospel itself our life, our breath.

A Homily given after the Small Compline with an Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God – Part 4

CONTENTS: 00:00: “Are you still alive my mother? (Esenin)” 02:30: The Miracle-working icons of the Mother of God – Portaitissa, Protector of the Holy Mount Athos 04:45: The most clear sign that the end times have come – truly, in reality 05:22: Beginning of life eternal 07:30: …Christ, His Judgement is to fear 09:20: To us men it is absolutely possible to ask God to help 12:50: The prayers of the mother strenghten the foundations of the home 13:34: The world will not let us go, it counts us as his 16:45: Let us greet Christ

The Rich Traveler

By Archimandrite Seraphim /Alexiev/ Into a remote and beautiful mountain village came an unusual stranger for his summer vacation. He was a very rich man. He was traveling alone, and being quite tired, he wanted to find a place to stay and rest. He had the intention of rewarding the people who could give him a quiet and pleasant stay. Since he had countless riches, he wanted to give his cordial hosts a present that they had never even dreamed of. He saw what seemed to be a beautiful house situated on a wonderful spot and decided to ask for shelter there. He knocked on the door, but when it was opened and he was invited to come in, he instinctively shrank away. An unbearably foul-smelling air reached him from inside. What was the matter? The home of these people and their pigsty were under the same roof. Without even mentioning the reason for his visit, the traveler excused himself and went back out into the yard. He went along the clear river which was running through the village. Close by was another beautiful, newly built house which attracted his attention, and he decided to knock at its door. However,

A Homily given after the Small Compline with an Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God – Part 3