[i]Syriac Dialogue, Vienna, February 1996./[/i] Saint Cyril wrote three letters to Nestorius asking him to reconcile his teaching with the orthodox teachings of the fathers of the church, but Nestorius did not accept. The letters of Saint Cyril always began with the salutation: "To the most pious and most God-loving bishop Nestorius". His third and last letter to Nestorius was sent from "Cyril and the synod assembled in Alexandria from the diocese of Egypt". On – …

I would like to thank you all brothers and beloved. I am not only present with you now but you are always in my heart. I lived all my days in your hearts and I am still living there… And when I went to the monastery I took you all with me in my heart and mind. For you I am here, and for you I go there… I took you in my heart and – …

Jonah and Christ Homily 43.2 The Gospel of Saint Matthew "For Jonah was a servant, but I am the Master; and he came forth from the great fish, but I rose from death. He proclaimed destruction, but I am come preaching the good tidings of the kingdom. The Ninevites indeed believed without a sign, but I have exhibited many signs. They heard nothing more than those words, but I have made it impossible to deny – …

I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak to the pastors of the Church of England, I mean, to speak to the angels of the Church and to the ministers of our Lord; those who were mentioned in the Book of Revelation as stars in the right hand of our Lord. I thank God because He has given me a chance to speak to those to whom the Lord said, ‘You will be – …

"Elijah will come to give confidence to the faithful, and this Christ says; "Elijah will come and shall restore all things." (Matthew 17:11.) Therefore it is said, "In the spirit and power of Elijah." (Luke 1:17.) For St. John neither wrought signs nor wonders, as Elijah did. For "John," it is said, "did no miracle, but all things which John spoke of this Man were true." How then was it "in the spirit and power – …

The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation, which had the outward appearance of fruits, because they had followed the letter of the law. But they lacked fruit in that they did not abide by the Spirit of the law and “neglected the weightier things of the law.” They continued to question His authority even to the last moment (9th hour gospel). Christ had rejected the Jews, as they were plotting to slaughter – …

The Second Sunday of the Great and Holy Fast: On the Mountain of Temptation (Matins: Luke 4:1-13) And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'” (Luke 4:3-4). On the First Temptation Then the devil draws near to tempt Him; expecting that the feeling – …

As we stand at the door of the new millennium, adhering to the Scriptures, the Apostolic Tradition, the Church’s dogmas, and the patristic teachings, all may seem unreal and even “primitive” or archaic. The Orthodox Church has a reputation for incessantly clinging to Tradition, and that She has no message to bring to contemporary society. But as Orthodox Christians, how do we deal with such claims? How do we deal with a society, which can – …

Asceticism is to live with satisfaction on your minimal needs without experiencing delight and getting away from materialism,. St. Paul the Apostle reminded his disciple Timothy in his first epistle, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” ; “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” and “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction – …

Termination of pregnancy occurs for various reasons. When there are either maternal or fetal factors, which cause termination of pregnancy without human intervention, then it is referred to as “spontaneous abortion”. It can also result from trauma to the mother as a result of an accident, or due to other reasons. However, sometimes termination of pregnancy is due to human intervention because of the woman’s choice to abort by request or consent. We now pose – …

Issued by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church and His Holiness Karekin I, Catholicos of all Armenians Preface H.H. Catholicos Karakin I, the Catholicos of all Armenia, visited Egypt from January 14-18, 1998. On Wednesday, January 14, he visited H.H. Pope Shenoud who introduced him and invited him to address the thousands of people who usually attend H.H. Pope Shenouda’s weekly meeting. The Catholicos spoke about the importance of Church – …

In celebrating the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, we encounter many questions, like Why do we celebrate on the 7th of January instead of the 25th of December? What is the difference between the Wise Men (or Magi) and the shepherds? How do we explain the differences in teh geneologies and nativity accounts in the gospels according to St. Mark and St. Luke? Was St. Mary from the tribe of Judah or the – …