CATECHESIS & DAILY INSPIRATION |
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The Venerable Alypius the Stylite, of Adrianople (640) |
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The NATIVITY FAST
A time for preparation!
May our spiritual efforts bring us renewal in Christ!
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Reflections and Daily Inspiration |
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For the Christian, the cross gradually becomes lighter and more joyful, while for the nonbeliever it becomes heavier and more burdensome. Why is this so? Because where the one carries their cross with faith and devotion to God, the other carries it with grumbling and anger.
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Monk Arseniye: Ancient Answers to Modern Challenges - Orthodox Spirituality
18,298 views
A sermon given by Monk Arseniye Yovanovich (monah Arsenije Jovanovic) in Clearwater, Florida. Fr Arseniye is one of most well known orthodox monk/preacher in the Serbian orthodox church. He was deep into the punk and drug scene of NYC. He later rediscovered Orthodoxy as the only Truth and became a monk, living for a period of over 5 years as solitary desert dweller. Now he's abbot of a monastery Ribnica in Serbia.
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Finding A Cure: YouTube Liturgy Fatigue
As we come to the end of 2020, we are still struggling with a pandemic, and we can see clearly that it will be a while before life gets back to “normal”. In some ways, we may have found blessings in this strange new situation, as extracurriculars are cancelled and many of us are spending more time at home with our families. Some have found that this pandemic allowed them — forced them, really — to slow down, and ultimately that may be a blessing. But there are so many ways in which the pandemic is worryingly difficult. In how many homes is abuse increasing? Is mental health on the decline? This is a difficult situation, and like so many things, it both offers opportunities and creates real problems.
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Metropolitan Onuphry Talks about Powerful Prayer and Why It Is Important to Love Church
Great prayer bears great fruit.
The Archpastor reminded those present that the Mother of God is the fruit of a great prayer: Her parents, righteous Joachim and Anna, had been asking God to grant them a child for over 50 years. During this time, they experienced many reproaches and insults, because the Jews considered childlessness a curse, but the parents did not stop hoping, praying, and were heard by God.
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SAINT OF THE DAY
DECEMBER 9, / NOVEMBER 26
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The Venerable Alypius the Stylite, of Adrianople (640)
Alypius was born in Hadrianopolis, a city in Paphlagonia. From child- hood, he was dedicated to the service of God. He served as a deacon with Bishop Theodore in the church in that city. But, desirous of a life of solitude, prayer and meditation, Alypius withdrew to a Greek cemetery outside the city. This was a cemetery from which people fled in terror, because of frequent demonic visions seen there. Alypius set up a cross in the cemetery and built a church in honor of St. Euphemia, who had appeared to him in a dream. Beside the church, he built a tall pillar, climbed on top of it, and spent fifty-three years there in fasting and prayer. Neither the mockery of men nor the evil of the demons was able to drive him away or cause him to waver in his intention. Alypius especially endured countless assaults from demons. Not only did the demons try to terrorize him with apparitions, but stoned him as well, and gave him no peace, day or night, for a long time. The courageous Alypius protected himself from the power of the demons by the sign of the Cross and the name of Jesus. Finally the demons were defeated and fled from him. Men began to revere him and come to him for prayer, consolation, instruction and healing. Two monasteries were built beside his pillar, one on one side for men and one on the other for women. His mother and sister lived in the women’s monastery. St. Alypius guided the monks and nuns from his pillar, by example and words. He shone like the sun in the heavens for everyone, showing them the way to salvation. This God-pleas- er had so much grace that he was often illuminated in heavenly light, and a pillar of this light extended to the heavens above him. St. Alypius was a wonderful and mighty miracle-worker in life, and also after his repose. He lived for one hundred years and entered into rest in the year 640, during the reign of Emperor Heraclius. His head is preserved in the Monastery of Koutloumousiou on the Holy Mountain.
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