Orthodox Wisdom

The joyful service of Bright Week done solo in singing and chant for the Paschal joy and salvation of us all. There are many wonderful recordings of choirs singing this service, but I wanted to offer a simpler version of this service. Blessed Pascha to all! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Христосъ воскресе!  Воистину воскресе! Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!  Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!   Apart from the Paschal Troparion, the translation is from Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston, MA.   This channel is dedicated to sharing the prayers, hymns, teachings, and service texts of the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Glory to Jesus Christ!

Many today say that universalism (i.e. that all souls will be saved and enjoy heavenly bliss) has never been condemned by a Council, that some Saints taught this doctrine, and that therefore it is an acceptable view for Orthodox Christians to hold, even if it is a minority view. While some Saints appear to have held this view in some way, the vast majority of Saints rejected such ideas, and some even specifically distinguished their sanctity from their error on this matter. St. Photios the Great said, “What St. Gregory, the bishop of Nyssa, said about the apocatastasis, the Church does not accept.” Both the 5th and 6th Ecumenical Councils explicitly reject any notion that all unrepentant souls, both men and demons, will ultimately be redeemed and will enjoy the love and truth of Christ. St. Sophronius of Jerusalem (+638) wrote this letter upon becoming Patriarch of Jerusalem in 634 while the monothelite heresy (i.e. that Christ has one will, not two) was raging. His Synodical Letter was read and accepted at the 6th Ecumeincal Council that condemned monothelitism, as well as the teachings of Origen and those of like mind. In it we find a clear condemnation of universalism as well as a condemnation of principles essential to the theory of evolution. May we pray genuinely and simply those prayers of the evening prayer rule: "O Lord, deliver me from the eternal torments" (prayer of St. John Chrysostom), and "O Lord, I fear Thy Judgment and the endless torments" (prayer of St. John Damascene). +Universalism, eternal hell+ “[Origen and other heretics] want an end to punishment” “alleging the restoration of all rational creatures, angels, human beings, demons” “we both speak of the consummation of the present world and believe that that life which is to come after the present life will last forever, and we hold to unending punishment” +Adam, Eve, Paradise, Creation, Evolution+ “They throw out the planting of paradise, they do not want Adam fashioned in the flesh, they object to the moulding of Eve from him, they reject the utterance of the snake” “But it is not only on this point that the deranged err and go astray from the straight road (such impiety would be tolerable in comparison with [their other] evils), but they also make myriads of other statements contrary to the tradition of the apostles and our Fathers. They throw out the planting of paradise, they do not want Adam fashioned in the flesh, they object to the moulding of Eve from him, they reject the utterance of the snake, they forbid the ranks of heavenly armies as they were created to be in the beginning by God, imagining that they resulted from a primordial condemnation and deviation. They dream up, both godlessly and mythically, that all rational things were produced in a henad of minds, and they abuse the creation of the waters above heaven, and want an end to punishment, and they introduce besides total corruptibility of all perceptible things, while alleging the restoration of all rational creatures, angels, human beings, demons, and again confounding their differences into one mythical unity, when Christ will be different from us in no respect, whom they preach in a foolish manner, not the one whom we proclaim in pious belief in glory or honour or kingship or lordship. They seethe like demons and bring forth myriads of things from the diabolical and impious store of their heart…” Sophronius of Jerusalem and Seventh-Century Heresy from Oxford Univeristy Press. See pgs 119-125: https://www.scribd.com/document/20535... Orthodox Wisdom is now on your favorite podcast platform! Go to the “About” tab at the top of the this channel to find links to: -Apple Podcasts -Spotify -Stitcher -and more… This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Symeon writes, "Brothers and fathers, already Pascha, that joyous day, that day of all gladness and delight, the day of Christ’s Resurrection, has arrived in the annual cycle. Rather, it occurs daily and eternally in those who know its mystery, and so has filled our hearts with ineffable joy and exultation. At the same time, it has brought to an end the toil of the all-venerable Fast; or, better to say, it has perfected our souls and consoled them as well. Therefore, as you see, after inviting all the faithful together to rest and to thanksgiving, it has passed." "For He sees the dispositions and intentions of our souls rather than the toils of our bodies, whereby we exercise ourselves in virtue, whether we intensify our asceticism out of eagerness of soul or practice less than the zealous because of the weakness of our bodies. In accordance with our intentions He measures out the prizes and the charisms of the Spirit to each one, either granting fame and glory to him who is zealous or leaving him still in a lowly state and in need of more strenuous purification." "Most men believe in the Resurrection of Christ, but very few are they that have a clear vision thereof. Those who do not behold it cannot even worship Christ Jesus as Holy and Lord. As Scripture says, 'No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit,' and, elsewhere, 'God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.'" "That most sacred phrase which is daily on our lips does not say, 'Having believed in the Resurrection of Christ,' but, 'Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless One.'" Read the text here: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/05/mystical-resurrection-of-christ.html?m=1 CHRIST IS RISEN! This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Eugene wrote this letter to Thomas Merton in 1962, the same year he was received into the Orthodox Church after an arduous and painful journey in search of the truth, which he ultimately realized is a person: the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Body is the Holy Orthodox Church. He had been previously inspired by Thomas Merton and his pursuit of the other world, and with pain of heart wrote a letter expressing his concerns, concerns which were later justified by Merton’s ultimate abandonment of not only prayerful, ascetic Christianity, but of the uniqueness of Christian truth altogether. The ideas set forth in this letter were written at the same time Eugene was writing his desired magnum opus, The Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of God, specifically the chapter titled “New Christianity.” Neither this chapter nor the entire book were finished, but in addition to this letter to Merton, what was completed was the chapter on Nihilism, available from St. Herman Press under the title: “Nihilism: the root of the Revolution of the modern age”.   Presented here is a reading of Eugene’s letter in its entirety, beginning and ending with valuable context from the biography of Fr. Seraphim: “Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works” by Hieromonk Damascene, finishing with a quote by Fr. Seraphim from his book “Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future” Introduction: 00:00 Letter to Thomas Merton: 04:52 Conclusion: 44:36 Excerpt from “Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future”: 48:37   Excerpts from Eugene’s letter:    “The outward Gospel of social idealism is a symptom of this loss of faith.”   “The Kingdom is not of this world; to think or hope that Christianity can be outwardly "successful" in the world is a denial of all that Christ and His prophets have said of the future of the Church. Christianity can be "successful" on one condition: that of renouncing (or conveniently forgetting) the true Kingdom and seeking to build up a Kingdom in the world. The "Earthly Kingdom" is precisely the goal of the modern mentality; the building of it is the meaning of the modern age. It is not Christian; as Christians, we know whose Kingdom it is. And what so greatly troubles me is that today Christians—Catholic and Orthodox alike—are themselves joining, often quite unaware of the fact, often with the best possible intentions, in the building of this new Babel....” “When I feed my hungry brother, this is a Christian act and a preaching of the Kingdom that needs no words; it is done for the personal reason that my brother—he who stands before me at this moment—is hungry, and it is a Christian act because my brother is, in some sense, Christ. But if I generalize from this case and embark on a political crusade to abolish the "evil of hunger," that is something entirely different; though individuals who participate in such a crusade may act in a perfectly Christian way, the whole project—and precisely because it is a "project," a thing of human planning—has become wrapped in a kind of cloak of “idealism.”" Orthodox Wisdom is now on your favorite podcast platform! Go to the “About” tab at the top of the this channel to find links to:  -Apple Podcasts  -Spotify  -Stitcher -and more…   This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Nikodemos writes, “Reflect, my beloved, that we have a duty to rejoice with the Virgin Panagia, who upon seeing her Son and God risen, was filled immediately with such great joy which was as great as her grief experienced during His Passion.” Every true Christian heart is eager to rejoice in the Theotokos, and to share in the pure joy she has in her Son. Let us rejoice with her, now that we have noetically beheld the Resurrection of Christ, and remember that “The greatest joy which you can give to the Theotokos, however, is the decision to conquer your passions and at every moment to live with chastity for the love of the Virgin.”   CHRIST IS RISEN!   Text by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite (also known as St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain): https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2012...  Orthodox Wisdom is now on your favorite podcast platform!  Go to the “About” tab at the top of the this channel to find links to:  -Apple Podcasts  -Spotify  -Stitcher  -and more…   This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

"Let us ask Him who is the Christ, who was immolated for us as our Paschal Lamb, to grant us to bring to worthy contemplation the solemnity of Paschal joy which we have entered upon, and through this to attain eternal joys." -Venerable Bede   This reading of St. Bede's homily at the Paschal (Easter) Vigil illumines the mind and brings joy to the heart. St. Bede lived in the 7th and 8th centuries in Northumbria (Northern England) as a priest, monk, true scholar, and author of many books, most notably The Ecclesiastical History of the English People and my personal favorite, The Life of St. Cuthbert.    Through the prayers of the Venerable Bede, may we all celebrate our Christ, our Risen Chirst, for all eternity. Amen.   This homily is from Book II of Homilies on the Gospels - Lent to The Dedication of the Church by Bede the Venerable. Published by Cistercian Publications.    This channel is dedicated to sharing the prayers, hymns, teachings, and service texts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A first-hand account of Pascha celebrated by prisoners of the Solovki concentration-camp, a formerly active monastery. CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED, HE IS RISEN!   "The white night of Solovki was nearing its end. The delicate, rose-colored morning of Solovki, the sun playing for joy, greeted the monastery-concentration camp, converting it into the invisible city of Kitezh and filling out free souls with a quiet, unearthly joy. Many years have passed since that time, but the fragrant remembrance of this delicate Paschal morning is unforgettably alive; it was literally only yesterday."   Text: The Orthodox Word, Issue 32, pages 161-163: https://archive.org/details/100101V17...  This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

“We have arrived, my beloved, at the saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, at Great Week. This week is called Great, because in its 168 hours from today until the night of the Resurrection, we give honor to great events, unique and world historic, which shocked the earth, the heavens, and that which is below the earth. This is why this week is called Great, and it is why it should not pass us by like all the others.”   He lists these duties for all Orthodox Chrisitans:   1) To thank our Lord Jesus Christ from the bottom of our hearts  2) To follow the sacred services  3) To fast  4) To go to Confession and receive Divine Communion 5) To serve our brethren who are suffering and are in need  6) To forgive everyone for everything.  Met. Augoustinos reminds us that if we do not forgive “then you are not a Christian”   “Do you know who we are like? We are like a beggar who every day has fifteen cents thrown at him, but one day a certain king passes by him and says, "Open your pockets!" and begins to count 1, 2, 3,... 5,... 10,... 100,... 168 gold coins that dazzle his eyes. And he, instead of taking this treasure to use it, he goes to the river and throws the gold coins in the water. Isn't this insanity? These hours therefore that the Church gives us is a treasure. Every hour, every bell ring, every beat, every second, is an important hour.  Let us take advantage of these holy days. Let us not allow them to escape from us like the rest of our lives. Do we know if we will live to celebrate another Great Week? Perhaps this Great Week is the last of our lives? How many people did we have with us last year? Where are they now? We are leaving, the train is whistling, only once do we go through life with this skin.  I pray this Great Week is an important milestone in our lives. May the Lord give us this week holy thoughts, holy feelings, heroic decisions, sanctification of the soul. May we seal Holy Week with the words, "Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your kingdom" (Lk. 23:42).”    Text: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2020...  This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

An excerpt from Lesson 7 on the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle & Evangelist John the Theologian by Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios. Elder Athanasios looks at two keys in the spiritual life and guards us against the common deceptions of our day.    You can read the full excerpt at Orthodox Ethos: https://orthodoxethos.com/post/the-in...  ____________________________   If you benefitted from this, please join us for the Course on Revelation taught by Fr. Peter Heers. Tonight (4/12/22) will be Lesson 7 from which this excerpt comes from. Watch here: https://youtu.be/XwR-6n3L8es  Also, consider becoming a patron of Orthodox Ethos. Sign up for any amount you wish and get:   -Access to exclusive weekly Q&A sessions  -Access to all previous lectures, including the following which are not available any other way:       -Orthodox Survival Course 2020       -The Truth of Our Faith       -Fr. Seraphim Rose's "Orthodox Survival Course"       -On the Divine Liturgy  -Access to all previous weekly Q&A sessions  -PDF downloads of Lecture slides   -Connect with other Orthodox Christians, possibly in your area  -Exclusive access to our Discourse forum  -The blessing of supporting the many labors of The Orthodox Ethos and Uncut Mountain Press  -And more!   SIGN UP HERE: https://www.patreon.com/frpeterheers ____________________________  This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Maximos the Confessor answers the following question:   What is the meaning of: “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast in the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him”? And how are we to understand the words: “and does not doubt”?   An excerpt from his answer: “Since the human person is composed of soul and body, he wavers between two laws, by which I mean the law of the flesh and that of the spirit. On the one hand, the law of the flesh operates by virtue of the senses, but that of the spirit by virtue of the intellect [i.e. nous]. Now the law of the flesh, operating by means of the senses, is of a nature to bind one closely to matter, but the law of the spirit, operating by means of the intellect, brings about an unmediated union with God. Thus it is only reasonable that “he who does not doubt in his heart,” that is, who does not distinguish in his intellect—which is to say, who does not sever the unmediated union with God, which has come about through faith, inasmuch as he is dispassionate, or rather because he has already become God through union with Him by faith—is able to “say to this mountain, move, and it will be moved,” indicating, through the demonstrative pronoun “this mountain,” the mind and law of the flesh, which truly is heavy and difficult to move, and as far as our natural powers are concerned, is absolutely immovable and unshakeable.”    Read the full text here: https://www.scribd.com/document/40331...  This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!