A very solemn and beautiful way to enter the period of Great Lent.
His Grace Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis will be presiding together with His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis and they will be joined by all the Clergy of Melbourne. At the completion of Vespers, we enter Great Lent by seeking the forgiveness and blessing of our Clergy as well as from one another.
Sunday 13 March, 6.30 – 8.00pm
St Eustathios Church, 221 Dorcas St, South Melbourne
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Can seven words – Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me – change lives?
It may seem a lot of effort over just seven words: Finding 110 Eastern Orthodox Christians, giving them a battery of tests ranging from psychology to theology to behavioural medicine, and then repeating the tests 30 days later. But the seven words – “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” (aka the Jesus Prayer) – are among the most enduring in history. Continue reading
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– Words from the Church Fathers –
Fasting, prayer, alms, and every other good Christian deed is good in itself, but the purpose of the Christian life consists not only in the fulfillment of one or another of them. The true purpose of our Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.
But fasting, prayer, alms and every good deed done for the sake of Christ is a means to the attainment of the Holy Spirit. Note that only good deeds done for the sake of Christ bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Continue reading
Filed under Wisdom of the Church Fathers
SERVING CHRIST IN THE POOR by Fr Philip LeMasters
Meat Fare Sunday in the Orthodox Church – St. Matthew 25:31-46
I would like for us all to think for a moment about what actions on our part could separate us from God. We probably think of something really dramatic, like denying our faith, worshiping a false god, or committing murder or another flamboyant sin – probably one that we’re not likely to commit. Continue reading
Filed under Sunday Homilies
YOUR BODY BELONGS TO THE LORD – SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
From the Praises of the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Trans. by Fr. Seraphim Dedes
The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. . .Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?. . .Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?…So glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6: 13, 15, 19, 20 – Epistle on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son) Continue reading
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– Words from the Church Fathers –
Do not say ‘I have sinned much, and therefore I am not bold enough to fall down before God’. Do not despair. Simply do not increase your sins in despair and, with the help of the All-merciful One, you will not be put to shame. For He said, “he who comes to Me I will not cast out.” (John. 6:37) Continue reading
Filed under Wisdom of the Church Fathers
Luke 18: 10 – 14
Jesus Christ shared the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee with us to warn us of the great spiritual danger of arrogant self-confidence in our own righteousness, coupled with contempt for those whom we consider to be beneath us. In this way Jesus sought to protect us from the terrible spiritual sickness of ‘Phariseeism’. Continue reading
Filed under Readings, Sunday Homilies
For our Holy Fathers, the purpose of the entire Triodion was to remind us in brief of God’s benefaction to us from the beginning and to instill in the memory of all how we were fashioned by Him, and how we violated the commandment which He gave us for the sake of our nakedness; how we were banished from the delight of Paradise and expelled through the envy of our enemy the serpent, the Author of evil, who was brought down on account of his pride, and how we remained outcasts from the good things of Paradise and were led around by the Devil; how the Son and Word of God, moved by compassion, bowed the Heavens and came down, dwelt in the Virgin and became man for our sake, and through His own way of life showed us how to ascend back to Heaven, through humility, fasting, and refraining from evil deeds, and through His other actions; how He suffered, arose, and ascended to the Heavens, and sent forth the Holy Spirit upon His Holy Disciples and Apostles; and how He was proclaimed Son of God and perfect God by them throughout the world; what the Divine Apostles accomplished through the Grace of the All-Holy Spirit; and that they gathered together all the Saints from the ends of the earth through their preaching, replenishing the world above, which was the goal of the Creator from the very beginning. This, then, is the purpose of the Triodion.
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AMBASSADORS OF THE FAITH: SHARING THE LIGHT AND THE LOVE OF CHRIST
One of the most profound passages of Scripture is the story of Jesus appearing to two men walking on a road on the day of His Resurrection. Luke and Cleopas were traveling to the village of Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. Suddenly, the Resurrected Jesus appeared and walked with them, although at first they did not recognize Him.
The events and conversation that occurred on this seven-mile journey with Jesus provide us with powerful and practical teachings that can invigorate our spiritual lives. Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35. Continue reading
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God is greater! Greater than your illness whatever it may be. Greater than your deepest disappointment. Greater than your greatest worry. Greater than your worst enemy. Greater than your most difficult problem. Greater than life. Greater than death. God is greater! Believe it! Live by it! Affirm it! Claim it by faith and use it as a pillow to rest your weary soul. God is greater! If your God is not greater, then the God you believe in is too small. He is not the God the Church believes in. ~ St Isaac the Syrian
Bring your children along to learn of their rich Orthodox faith and to come close to God and His Love.
Join us every Tuesday for the Orthodox Youth Group of Brunswick & Coburg.
St Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church 