Two Men in a Hospital

Two Men in a Hospital

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

A CHRISTMAS GIFT TO JESUS

A CHRISTMAS GIFT TO JESUS

It is told that a Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, about four centuries after the birth of Christ, saint Jerome had the holy desire to worship the place where our Savior was born.

So, he came into the holy cave but there, while he was praying and meditating on the first Christmas, he had a wondrous vision.

Jesus Christ appeared to him as a child in the midst of a brilliant and dazzling light and asked him with His sweet heavenly voice: 

“Jerome, what gift will you give Me for my birthday today?”

Talking with a barber about God...

Talking with a barber about God...

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation and talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”

“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.

The Great Miracle in Syria of Panagia "Saidnaya" to a Saudi Arabian man

 

The Great Miracle in Syria 

of Panagia "Saidnaya" to a Saudi Arabian man

 

  The following account of this truly amazing miracle has been told in numerous places, but I thought to include it here also in case you haven't heard it yet. It should be a testament to the fact that our Faith is truly alive, and that the great miracles of the scriptures and the traditions of the Church are not fabrications, and that wonders that equal or exceed them continue to occur. For as Christ said, "Lo I am with you always, until the close of the age."

 

"In December 2004 a Saudi Arabian man, a Moslem, appeared before several new agencies to relate the following incredible event he experienced and which changed his life (this story appeared on TV, the Internet, radio, and was circulated in newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets throughout Saudi Arbia, Syria, Palestine, and evidently in all neighboring countries.

Some years ago, this man married a very rich Moslem woman but sterile. As the years passed, and despite all their efforts and significant medical expenses with many doctors, they remained childless. The man's parents suggested to him that he marry a second woman, while upholding his initial marriage (as the local laws permits up to four concurrent marriages).

How an Atheist Cancer Patient Believed in God

How an Atheist Cancer Patient Believed in God

One morning, after the Divine Liturgy, I went to the Church Office. A 50yr old gentleman came to see me there. I didn’t know him nor had I seen him at Church before. He spoke to me about a 42yr old man who was admitted in the Hospital of Piraeus. He had cancer. It had spread and had gone to his brain. The doctors had confirmed that nothing could be done to save him. He was taking large quantities of medication but they did not help.
The man in my office told me that he was a close relative of the patient. He asked me to go and give him Holy Communion.

Great Miracle of St. Marina

Great Miracle of St. Marina

 

“A few years ago [in 2000], a family from Lemessos, Cyprus, named Vassiliou received the following miracle. In Greece they are well known from the televised requests they made in order to find a donor for their young boy Andrea, who suffered from leukemia. The donor was indeed found and the parents began preparing for their trip to Texas, U.S.A where the bone marrow transplant was going to be performed. Meanwhile, they also prayed and begged Jesus Christ to save their boy. Before they left for the U.S.A the parents heard of St. Marina’s miracles and they called the monastery of St. Marina located on the island of Andros in Greece to ask for her blessing. 

 

A person can become a saint anywhere. – St Porphyrios

“It is a great art to succeed in having your soul sanctified. A person can become a saint anywhere. He can become a saint in Omonia Square, if he wants. At your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love. Make a new start every day, with new resolution, with enthusiasm and love, prayer and silence — not with anxiety so that you get a pain in the chest.” 

– St Porphyrios

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

★. 　☆　　　 ｡☆　　.　　　★・｡　・
　 ☆　　★ . . ｡
☆　FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND .★・ ｡ 　☆　

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints.
Other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord, "You promised me, Lord,
That if I followed you, you would walk with me always.
But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only been one set of prints in the sand.
Why, When I have needed you most, you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you."

MOTHER OF GOD (THEOTOKOS)

MOTHER OF GOD (THEOTOKOS)
Theotokos Maria, Mother of Jesus Christ

The Virgin Mary is the woman God chose to bear His Son in this world. The Orthodox believe in the ever-virginity of Mary. Since God chose her to manifest His presence among men, she is called, " All Holy" and the bridge between God and man. For this reason, she is highly praised and venerated in the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox always pray to the Virgin Mary, beseeching her to intercede for us to God. The Orthodox do not worship the Virgin Mary-worship is do to God alone. The Orthodox make a distinction between worship and intercessory prayer. Just as we ask other people to pray for us, we ask the Virgin Mary, for she has found favor in God's eyes and has a very unique relationship with God, to pray (intercede) for us. It should be noted that the Virgin Mary and all the saints are ceaselessly praying for all of us.

Praying to the Guardian Angel: Whom Christ loves, His Angels Love Too!

Praying to the Guardian Angel: 
Whom Christ loves, His Angels Love Too!

It is a wonderful truth that the Angels in Heaven love our children – indeed, all children – and we can take great comfort that at the moment of our Baptism, when we are received into the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He provides each one of us with a Guardian Angel. This Angel remains with us throughout our lives, watching over us, in the same way that we each benefit from the prayers and loving care of our Patron Saint, after whom we are named at our Baptism. The hosts of Heaven love and care for us!

The Life and Work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, a Great Hesychast Father

 

The Life and Work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky,

 a Great Hesychast Father

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794) was a great figure of monasticism who lived a few years on Mount Athos and communicated in Slavic lands, especially in Ukraine, Moldova and Wallachia, but he spread throughout the Balkan and Russian lands and other areas.

He was a great prophetic figure in the field of monasticism in the 18th century, having reintroduced to monasticism in the Balkans and Russia its ancient patristic sources, since monasticism had changed under the reforms made by Peter the Great, when Russia leaned towards the enlightening and romantic spirit of the West.

St. John of Kronstadt brings homeless children to the shelter.

St. John of Kronstadt and the Education of Children

    

A child’s soul is divine beauty

St. John of Kronstadt considered love for children to be the foundation of a teacher’s work—a foundation that is very often denied by modern-day so-called technicians of secular educational sciences and activities. He said to the students of the gymnasium where he taught, “You are my children, for I gave birth to you and continue to give birth in you to the good tidings of Jesus Christ. My spiritual blood—my instructions—flow in your veins. You are my children, because I have you always in my heart and I pray for you. You are my children, because you are my spiritual offspring. You are my children, because truly, as a priest I am a father, and you call me “batiushka” (“little father”, an affectionate term for a priest).