"When you choose a wife for yourself, you should be for her not only a husband, but a father, a mother, and a brother, because she is leaving her family for the sake of being with you and following in your path. So give her to see in your the mercy of a father, the tenderness of a mother, and the friendship of a brother."

☦️ Tsarina Martyr Alexandra Feodorovna

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Mt 18:3

O all Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us from our sins; Master, pardon our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake.

☦️ "Let us lay aside all earthly cares" during the Dormition Fast and attend the Small Paraklesis and Great Paraklesis services. The theme of these services centres around the petition, “Most Holy Mother of God, save us.”

In some places, the services on weekdays during the Dormition Fast are similar to the services during Great Lent.

In the Greek tradition, during the Fast either the Great Paraklesis (Supplicatory Canon) or the Small Paraklesis is celebrated every evening except Saturday evening and the Eves of the Transfiguration and the Dormition.

Image: the Orsha Icon of the Mother of God, which miraculously appeared in 1631 at the foundation of the Kuteinsky Holy Epiphany Monastery near the city of Orsha (Belarus)

☦️ St Anthony of the Desert

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Mortify the understanding of my flesh, О most pure Virgin who hast given birth unto life, and deliver me from every torment.

With the most radiant splendour of Him Who shone forth from thee, О Virgin, enlighten the eyes of my soul, that I may glorify thee.

✝️Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Pray thou, О holy Lady who alone art the Theotokos, that I may obtain salvation and divine radiance on the day of judgment.

St Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov, was once nearly beaten to death by robbers and walked with a bent back for the rest of his life from the injuries he received. This hunched stance shows in many icons. After recovering from his injuries, he spent a thousand days and nights in prayer on a large rock in the forest, sometimes standing, other times kneeling, leaving the rock only for brief periods. The Uncovering of the Relics of St Seraphim is commemorated on July 19/ Aug 1.

"You loved Christ from your youth, O blessed one, and longing to work for Him alone you struggled in the wilderness in constant prayer and labor. With penitent heart and great love for Christ you were favored by the Mother of God. Therefore we cry to you: 'Save us by your prayers, venerable Seraphim, our father.'” --Troparion, Tone 4

Do you know what a great gift it is that God gave us the right to speak to Him every hour and moment, wherever we are? He always listens to us. This is the greatest honour we have. For this reason we must love God. ☦️ St Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia

I cannot describe to you how much our Panagia likes chastity and purity. Since she is the only pure Virgin, she wants and loves everyone to be like that. As soon as we cry out to her she rushes to our help. You don’t even finish saying, ‘All-holy Theotokos, help me’ and at once, like lightning, she shines through the nous and fills the heart with illumination. She draws the nous to prayer and the heart to Love.

✠ St Joseph the Hesychast

The "beauty" of the pagan shopping temple is superficial. True beauty— and truth in beauty— is found in the Orthodox Church.

"As You were voluntarily crucified for our sake, grant mercy to those who are called by your name."

Why do we fast before the Dormition? “In a close-knit family, word that its matriarch is on her deathbed brings normal life to a halt. Otherwise important things (parties, TV, luxuries, personal desires) become unimportant; life comes to revolve around the dying matriarch. It is the same with the Orthodox family; word that our matriarch is on her deathbed, could not (or at least should not) have any different effect than the one just mentioned. …

Fr. Thomas Hopko has noted, she heard the word of God and kept it so well, that she of all women in history was chosen not only to hear His Word but give birth to Him. So while we fast in contemplation of her life, we are simultaneously preparing ourselves to live a life in imitation of her. That is the purpose of the Dormition Fast.”

—from the article "Why a Fast for the Dormition?", by Daniel Manzuk, published in “The Word", June 2008, Antiochian Archdiocese of America

Do not undertake to explain the Gospels or the other books of Holy Scripture yourself. The Scriptures were not expressed arbitrarily by the prophets and apostles, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How mindless then is it to explain them arbitrarily? The Holy Spirit, having expressed the Word of God through the prophets and apostles, explained it through the Holy Fathers. Both the Word of God and its explanation are a gift of the Holy Spirit. The holy Orthodox Church and its true children accept only this patristic interpretation!

☦️ St Ignatius Brianchaninov

The purpose of our struggle is not that we become better persons than we are now, but rather, the purpose of our prayer and struggle is for Christ to dwell in our hearts, together with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, and for us to become gods by grace.

—Archpriest Theodore Gignadze ©️

Facebook Page: Sermons by Father Theodore Gignadze

☦️ St Theophan the Recluse #fasting

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” ✝️ Mt 17:9

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life: come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One!

☦️ St. Nectarios of Aegina

Jesus heals. (Matt. 15:29-31)

Commenting on Jesus healing the multitudes in Matt. 15, St John Chrysostom declares that “most of our diseases arise from sins of the soul.”