The Path of Faith is Secret

St. Theophan the Recluse [II Cor. 5:1-10; Luke 7:2-10] What a bright person the centurion is! How did he reach such faith that he surpassed with it all Israelites, raised with revelation, prophesies, and miracles? The Gospels do not indicate…

As far as their Orthodoxy is Concerned…

“Keep an eye on your bishops as far as their Orthodoxy is concerned lest they go so far as to teach doctrines against the true faith or celebrate with heretics and schismatics. As far as other things, they act out…

God Will Sort Everyone Out in Good Time

by St. Theophan the Recluse [Col. 4:2-9; Luke 9:49-56] How should one relate to unbelievers who do not confess the Lord? The same way as the Lord related to the village that did not receive Him. Youthful zeal, full of…

Confessing Him Correctly

St. Theophan the Recluse [Col. 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:44-50] Whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth Him that sent Me, said the Lord, while He that sent Him is God. Consequently, whosoever confesses the Lord, confesses God; whereas whosoever does not confess Him,…

Whom Say the People that I Am? by St. Theophan the Recluse

[Col. 2:13-20; Luke 9:18-22] Whom say the people that I am? the Lord asked. In answer to this, the Apostles related the current opinions among the people concerning Him, formed according to the nature of people’s views at that time.…

The Spirit of Judgmentalness – St. Theophan the Recluse

The Spirit of Judgmentalness. [II Cor. 3:12-18; Luke 6:1-10] The Lord’s disciples pluck the ears of grain, rub them in their hands and eat them on the Sabbath—a deed very unimportant both in appearance and in essence; meanwhile the Pharisees…

The Feeding of the Multitude and Our Food

St. Theophan the Recluse [Col. 2:1-7; Luke 9:12-18] The miraculous filling of the multitude in the desert is an image of the filling of the faithful in holy communion with the Most-Pure Body and Most-Pure Blood of the Lord. The…