“What is the bread handed out after the Liturgy?”

“What is the bread handed out after the Liturgy?”

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It is a good question.

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Many visitors are surprised to be offered a piece of bread at the end of the service.

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It is called antidoron.

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It is bread that has been blessed.

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It is not the Eucharist.

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It is not Holy Communion.

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It is a blessing.

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And it is a sign of welcome.

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Visitors may receive it too.

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That is part of the point.

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All through the Gospels, sharing a table means sharing a life.

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Christ ate with tax collectors and sinners.

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He broke bread with His disciples.

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He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

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Bread shared at the end of the Liturgy carries that same simple message.

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You are welcome here.

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We are glad you came.

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So when someone offers you that piece of bread, take it.

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Receive it gladly.

Never Despair — Trust in God’s Mercy.

 Never Despair — Trust in God’s Mercy

“Keep only one thing in mind: Never fall into despair.

Even if a person stumbles and sins ten thousand times in a single day, it is not right before God to despair.

On the contrary, one must continue to hope, rise again, and prepare for the spiritual struggle, until the grace of God comes and sets him free.”

— Elder Ephraim of Arizona (Elder Ephraim the Athonite) ☦️

No matter how many times we fall, we must never lose hope in the mercy of God. The spiritual life is not about never stumbling, but about continually rising through repentance, humility, prayer, and trust in Christ. God’s mercy is greater than our sins, and His grace never abandons those who sincerely turn toward Him.

 

 

Do not complicate your life.

"Do not complicate your life—it is already wisely ordered. Trust in God and do not be afraid. What is meant for you will come; what is not meant for you will pass you by. Live with peace in your heart, not fear in your thoughts. And you will see—everything will turn out better than you could ever imagine."

Saint Elijah of Optina (Elder Hilarion)

Mother Olga Yurevich.

"No matter how much a person sins, no matter how much he is a complete idiot, the Lord will not love him less. Our Lord loves us fully, each of us individually. And each one with an extraordinary love, the only kind the Lord can love."

Mother Olga Yurevich

Voluntarily lost in the Paradise of the Mountain of Saints.

Wandering in caves and on mountains.

"Mount Athos demands strong legs," "Walking—that is what the Mountain is all about"—I hear this time and again. And I agree. To share in the way of the ancients, at least in the act of moving about, if not in all else. To breathe in the forest’s breath and have every question vanish regarding why this specific geographical place was chosen for the creation and flourishing of the monastic commonwealth. To crush dry leaves beneath your soles and feel the urge to apologize even to them for disturbing their peace with your superfluous presence. To drink water from springs and holy wells, sensing the salty aftertaste of the sweat of ascetics that has dripped there for centuries. To meet a fellow human on your path and exchange the Resurrection greeting. To sit upon a rock that might well shelter sanctified relics beneath it. And sweetest of all: to know that this is for a short while—a very short while. To know that you will depart for your place of ministry thousands of kilometers away. This—the Lord knows how—heightens the sweetness of the place. So much so, in fact, that it leaves you insatiable for it all.  Photograph:

Voluntarily lost in the Paradise of the Mountain of Saints.

What Happens to the Souls in Hell? St. Macarius' Revelation.

 

Mother Isikhia on her path to monastic life. A conversation with Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok

 

The Sparrow and the Silence | An Orthodox Monk’s Lesson in Love (Greek Subtitles)

 

Eternity!!!!

 

Eternity

If we fill ourselves with good thoughts and noble aspirations, we shall find them in eternity. Those thoughts that embody goodness here grant us peace in eternity. But if we occupy ourselves with other thoughts—hellish ones, filled with envy and malice—then, upon passing into eternity, we shall see that we squandered the time during which we could have mended our lives, yet failed to do so. Then, the pangs of conscience over lost time will begin. Who, then, shall deliver us from this in eternity?

Only God can deliver man from this. Or perhaps someone on earth might remember us and pray to the Lord to free us from those mental shackles we forged here on earth—shackles we failed to cast off while there was still time. Peace and joy are the greatest riches, both of this world and of the next.

Archimandrite Thaddeus of Vitovnica

“I am willing…” (Luke 5:13).

“I am willing…” (Luke 5:13)

When our Lord said, “I am willing,” He revealed His readiness to love, act, heal, and forgive, but it also demonstrated the immediacy of His commitment. However, just like in Pickleball or Tennis, there is no “game” unless there is interaction; you must return the ball served to you.

In other words, God is willing to love you, but are you willing to love Him and be loved?

God is willing to forgive your sins, but are you willing to repent?

God is willing to

 lead you, but are you willing to follow?

God is willing to answer your prayers, but are willing to pray?

God is willing to reveal 

 through Holy Scripture, but are you willing to read?

God is willing to bless us, but are you willing to receive His blessing…or even want it?

In a sense, Christ is more than willing to serve,

 but the ball is in your court.

Fr. John

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Eph. 4:29)

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Eph. 4:29)

It is the responsibility of every Christian to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ; first by living it, and then by teaching it. This is what it means to be apostolic. 

Fr. John

Until Tomorrow | Saint Sabbatius of Solovki (Greek Subtitles)

 

Ο ΥΜΝΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΘΕΙΤΣΑΣ!!!THE HYMN OF THE AUNTIE!!!

 

Elder Ephraim: Apostle to America with Constantine Zalalas: Modern Orthodox Elder!!!

 

SPIRITUAL DANGER.

The Opening of the Doors to the New Church of St. Joseph the Hesychast (Saxonburg, PA)

 

Daily Prayer Rules Explained | Archimandrite Athanasios Mytilinaios.

 

«Create Christ centered families» - π. Γεώργιος Σχοινάς. Με αγγλικούς υπότιτλους.

 

Without place and time!!!!Εκτός τόπου και χρόνου!!!

 

The path for all of us is the same: we will all leave this life.

"The path for all of us is the same: we will all leave this life. Yesterday, I, a twenty-year-old, was running down Gorky Street, and tomorrow I might be dying. No metaphors. Am I afraid? Yes, I am. It's an unprecedented situation. But it's also very interesting. There's God, there's eternity. I'm not ready. There's so much negativity. We were sitting with Vanya Okhlobystin on the set of the film "Tsar," getting our makeup done and talking about what we had read and heard about eternal life. The makeup artist said, "Oh, you guys are so funny." I told him, "Just wait until we stand before the Creator; you'll be laughing uncontrollably." Because with our consciences and our lives as they are, we'll have to look God in the eye, the God who gave his life for us on the cross...

Don't be fooled into thinking that after death, only dust will remain of us. All the great scientists are believers. All my doctor friends, who deal with life and death, believe.

There are thousands of testimonies about clinical death that prove there is no end. Einstein didn't doubt the existence of God, nor did Pushkin, Lomonosov, or Mendeleev. And some seventeen-year-old girl says, "I'm not sure your God exists..." But first, you should read, study the issue, and then you can say that. But she doesn't do that; she just talks. It's like getting on the subway, seeing the diagram – a circle with colorful dots. You wave your hand and say, "Oh, it's nothing, I'll just go on my own." And you'll end up riding the Circle Line for the rest of your life."

Petr Mamonov