Elder Efraim of Arizona. The pleasures of the world and the pure pleasures of God.
May an angel of God, my child, follow you and show you the path of God and of your salvation. Amen; so be it. I pray that God gives you […]
Author: Helen Kotsaridou
Posts by Helen Kotsaridou
Spiritual messages
The unforgivable sin There is no unforgivable sin but the unrepentant sin. Nor does any gift of God remain without addition, except when we do not thank […]
Know thyself: The importance of self-knowledge according to St. Nectarios the Wonderworker
The ancient Greek saying, “know thyself,” has been attributed to at least twelve ancient authors. In its original sense, learning to know oneself was a spiritual odyssey leading to […]
Apologize but don’t associate
A novice monk consulted a discreet elder: What if my brother’s behavior scandalizes me? Should I apologize to him? Apologize to him, the Elder replied, but stop associating with […]
Elder Efraim of Arizona-Illness
My child, although much of your illness is due to disobedience, the love of God is evident in you. God loves you very much, which is why He chastens […]
The Development of Monasticism in the Empire of the Romans (Byzantine Empire)
Monasticism played a decisive part in the religious life of Byzantium, as it has done in that of all Orthodox countries. It has been rightly said that ‘the best […]
Our final form
Every man on the Day of Judgment will take on a “characteristic form”, a particular form with specific characteristics, which will be proportional to “the qualities of evil or […]
Elder Efraim of Arizona-Through Time to Eternity
May your prayers support the crumbling house of my wretched soul. There is nothing good in me. That is why I weep, calling to mind the things that will […]
December 9: The Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna
The righteous Joachim and Anna were childless for fifty years of their married life. In their old age the Archangel Gabriel appeared to each one of them separately, telling […]
With sick love
The one who is a lover of self, according to the Holy Fathers, can be neither a friend of God nor a friend of humans. He may pretend that […]