Palm Sunday – Homily on Holy Communion

Palm Sunday - Homily on Holy Communion by Bishop Ilias (Miniatis) –
Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord. (John 12:13)

The Destroyer of hell, conqueror of death, Author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead. When on the next day He entered into Jerusalem, the entire city was shaken by the news of such a great miracle and the arrival of such a Miracle-Worker. “Who is this?” they asked each other. The entire multitude had gathered for the Passover, as if drawn by a divine wave of hand, and now receives Him with great solemnity as the King of Israel.

Some go before Him, others behind; some cut branches, others throw them on the ground; others spread their garments on the path, and all with one voice—even the little children—exclaim, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord! I will mark three circumstances in this light-bearing solemnity: first, the garments that were spread on the ground; second, the palm branches, the signs of victory; and third, the joyful exclamation of: Hosanna, Blessed is He that comes. [Read more…]

Fear, Anxiety, and God – Pastoral Advice During Coronavirus Crisis

Fr. Johannes Jacobse Fear, Anxiety, and God (Advice During Coronavirus Crisis)by Fr. Johannes Jacobse –
If we seek the Savior, if we conform our lives in obedience to Him, then peace and assurance can reign in our heart and we will get through this trial strengthened and changed.

I did a live stream this morning on how to handle the anxiety and fear that grips a lot of people during this pandemic. Here are my recommendations.

(1) Use the media sparingly. Don’t spend the day watching the news. The constant repetition of the same “facts” (in precious short supply until more concrete numbers come in) amplifies them; it gives them a greater authority than what they warrant.

Most news readers (real journalists are few) don’t know much. They simply don’t have the time to study what they report. Consequently, most draw from the same sources, and some of those sources are suspect. Maintaining a critical distance is prudent. [Read more…]

Inga Leonova: Criminal Stupidity for Bishops and Priests to Give Holy Communion and Spread the Virus

Inga Leonova: Criminal Stupidity for Bishops and Priests to Give Holy Communion and Spread the VirusWhen will the Orthodox bishops finally say ENOUGH and deal with these false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing who deny the power of the Holy Eucharist and constantly attack faithful priests and bishops?

Inga Leonova, the infamous creator and editor-in-chief of the heretical “The Wheel” journal, accuses bishops and priests in Romania and Russia of “criminal stupidity” for giving Holy Communion to Orthodox Christian faithful in their Churches. She also insists that these priests and bishops “should be arrested” for these “crimes.”

In her public Facebook post Inga Leonova writes (bolded for emphasis):

“More news from the world of criminal stupidity. The same is happening in Russia. The same is happening in Orthodox communities the world over, perhaps not at the same scale as in the more militantly “traditional” countries. But every small parish that does that spreads the virus exponentially.

I think these priests and bishops should be arrested. [Read more…]

Fr. Cyril Hovorun: Mistake to Believe Eucharist Cannot Transmit Virus

Fr. Cyril Hovorun Heresy on Holy Eucharist and VirusHere comes “Public Orthodoxy” with yet another challenge to the true teaching of the Orthodox Church by Fr. Cyril Hovorun, a progressive academic who appears enamored with the spirit of the world. Hovorun fancies himself wiser than the Apostles, Saints, Fathers, Theologians, and Teachers of the Church. ANAXIOS!

The heretical academics at “Public Orthodoxy” just can’t let a serious crisis go to waste.

Key excerpts by Fr. Cyril Hovorun:
“Now let us go back to those who believe that the virus cannot be transmitted through the Eucharist. Their mistake, firstly, is docetic, because, like ancient docetists, they believe that the Body of Christ is exempted from the laws of nature. [Read more…]

An Orthodox Christian Response to the Coronavirus

Orthodox Christian Response to Coronavirus Bishop Irenei of Londonby Bishop Irenei of London –
No genuinely believing Christian can for one moment accept that the Holy Mysteries might bring or be the source of sickness or ill-health: by no means!

As we enter now fully into this lenten period leading to the bright Resurrection of Christ, we find ourselves also in a period where many are stricken with fear at the spread of a new virus (Coronavirus COVID-19), which is affecting people in many parts of the world — including several countries within the borders of our Diocese. Since many are asking how this situation is to be approached, within our Church consciousness, I write to you in this initial week of the Great Fast to share the comfort and solace of the Church.

The Church of Christ has endured through many centuries — in the course of which she has been confronted with countless illnesses and diseases, small and great — in solid faith and with peaceful hearts, each member of the Church knowing that he or she is part of no worldly or man-made institution, but the Harbour of Life that is Christ’s Body. [Read more…]

When People of God Fall, They Behave Worse Than Pagans

When People of God Fall They Behave Worse Than Pagansby Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon –
How are pagans to take seriously those who profess to be better than the world, when in fact they live by norms conspicuously lower than the world?
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How are pagans to take seriously those who profess to be better than the world, when in fact they live by norms conspicuously lower than the world? How is it possible for a Christian church to hold its bishops, for instance, to lower ethical expectations in matters of business than the chairman of a secular corporation?

Why are such scandals permitted, year after year? Or again, why should a priest not be unfrocked for offenses that would promptly send a school counselor to prison? How can we expect pagans to take any Christian church seriously if it does not call its own stewards to account?

Alas, it is a demonstrable fact that the people of God, when they fall, often enough do not fall to the level of good paganism, but much lower. [Read more…]

Giacomo Sanfilippo’s Unholy Vendetta Against Faithful Orthodox Priests and Teachers

Giacomo Sanfilippo Unholy Vendetta Against Faithful Orthodox Priests and Teachersby Fr. Ioannes Apiarius –

Via multiple posts and articles full of hysteria, wild exaggerations, distortions, and innuendos Giacomo Sanfilippo (also known as Peter J. Sanfilippo), has been relentlessly defaming and attacking several Orthodox Christian priests, bishops, and seminary professors. Why? Because these men dare to publicly and fearlessly defend the Orthodox Church teaching on homosexual sin and warn the Church about many false teachers (like Sanfilippo) and deceitful venues that question, challenge, mock, deconstruct, contradict, and distort Church teaching, practices, and theology, especially regarding morality, human sexuality, and marriage.

Since 2017 Sanfilippo has used his inappropriately named “Orthodoxy in Dialogue” website, his Facebook pages, and his Twitter accounts to maliciously condemn these good men and smear their reputations. Sanfilippo has launched an unholy personal vendetta against these priests and teachers and is fomenting rebellion inside the Holy Orthodox Church. [Read more…]

The Ten LGBTQ Commandments

The Ten LGBTQ CommandmentsTransExodus 666 (The Queen James Bible) –

And the prince of this world spewed these words, saying, I am your lord, who brought you out of the land of binary sexuality and oppressive and outdated moral standards, out of the house of holiness, sanctity, normal human sexuality, love, and marriage.

  1. You shall have no other gods but your sexuality, sexual urges, and LGBTQ identity.
  2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, except the LGBTQ rainbow flag with six colors.
  3. You shall not take the name of the LGBTQ prophets and propagandists in vain.
  4. Keep the LGBTQ Pride Month holy, and teach your children and grandchildren to celebrate it also.[Read more…]

A Monstrous Immoral Leviathan Destroying America and Individual Liberty

A Monstrous Immoral Leviathan Destroying America and Individual Libertyby Doug Mainwaring –
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Our government Leviathan is very real and has grown to previously unimaginable proportions. Its ever-increasing reach seems to know no bounds. And what was once perceived to be Leviathan’s mostly fiscal threat to the health and well-being of our nation is now a monstrous moral threat.

Leviathan’s vast bureaucracies are now its foot soldiers, who have busied themselves with weaponizing executive edicts, errant court rulings and out-of-control regulatory powers against all who disagree with our Ruling Elites never-ending social/moral engineering experimentation.

When will a critical mass of Americans of every race, creed, and color wake up and recognize Leviathan’s hot breath on the napes of all our necks, and finally exclaim, once and for all, “Enough is enough?” [Read more…]

Jesus Christ and the Social Problem

Jesus Christ and the Social Problem by Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis –
The more that people are cleansed of the passions, the greater their capacity for real communion with God and other people.

Those who take a romantic and external view of the human person transfer wickedness from the person onto society, which is why they proclaim that any improvement in society will bring with it an improvement in people. But, without denying the importance of social effects on people, we Orthodox prioritize the transformation of the person through repentance and divine grace.

It’s a grave error to want to change society without first striving to change ourselves. It is, at the very least, naive to believe that a change in a few social institutions will also bring about a change in people even if they don’t repent. [Read more…]