On this great and glorious feast of Pascha—the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our hearts are filled with tremendous joy, our souls are transformed and we bask in the Light of Truth. I wish to share with you the inspiring, uplifting and brilliant homily of our Father among the Saints, Athanasius the Great. Brethren, how fine a thing it is to move from festival to festival, from prayer to prayer, from holy day to holy day. The time is now at hand when we enter on a new beginning: the proclamation of the blessed Passover, in which the Lord was sacrificed. We feed as on the food of life, we constantly refresh our souls with His precious blood, as from a fountain. Read more...

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, Our Orthodox Church recommends that, during this period of Great Lent, we focus our attention toward sincere repentance, “the melting pot of sin,” according to St. John Chrysostom. Repentance is the first topic of our Lord Jesus Christ’s preaching and the very essence of the Christian teaching. It is the Church’s daily invitation to us all. Despite this, many of us have not truly experienced repentance. We sometimes feel that it does not concern us personally because we have not “come to ourselves” in order to comprehend and contemplate how we may have committed any sin. However, as we are taught by the wise teacher of the spiritual life, Abba Isaac the Syrian, and as most of the Church Fathers proclaim through experience, repentance is necessary even for the perfect. Read more...

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPE --His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Archbishop of Constantinople, released the following message today to the Ukrainian Nation and the members of the Ukrainian community abroad in response to the escalating crisis in the Ukraine. Beloved children and friends in Ukraine and abroad,It is with heavy heart that we have been following the ongoing and, indeed, only escalating tragic circumstances in Ukraine over the last weeks. We feel that our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are our own flesh and blood. We endure the same sufferings that you suffer and we work with you for your joy, as St. Paul says. In our high responsibility as Ecumenical Patriarch, we are obliged to call for peace from the authorities in a democratic and independent nation, where its elected leaders – both in government and opposition – have the ultimate responsibility to protect the dignity of human life among its citizens. Read more...

I greet you with joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to Almighty God, by whose grace we have been given the opportunity to celebrate the Birth of His Son. If we look around, we find hatred, mistrust, suffering, and the absence of peace and love in our neighborhood, city, country, and in fact the whole world. This reality in life makes us cry out for God’s help, assistance, and intervention. Read more...

Your Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the United States of America, our beloved brother and concelebrant in Christ, and to the bereaved family and Parish of St. John The Baptist in Perth Amboy, NJ: Grace, peace and comfort to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. With deep sadness we have learned of the falling asleep in the Lord of the ever memorable Protopresbyter Michael Rosco. Read more...