GERONTIKON

"What am I to do, Abba, since passions and demons beset me?" a young monk asked the holy Sisoes.

"Do not say that you are bothered by demons, child," answered the elder, "because the greater part of us are beset by our own evil desires."

ΣΤΕΦΑΝΟΣ O ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΟΣ

Ήταν στα τελευταία του ο αββάς Στέφανος ο Βυζάντιος, που είχε χρηματίσει αρχειοφύλακας του στρατηγού Μαυριανού. Καθισμένοι πλάϊ του τον περιμέναμε πιά εγώ κι ο αββάς Θεοδόσιος, ο αφρικανός, επίσκοπος Βαβυλώνος. Τον διαβάζαμε τον 118ον ψαλμό, τον "άμωμο", όπως συνηθίζεται για τους ψυχορραγούντες, όταν ξαφνικά στρέφει εκείνος το βλέμμα του έντονα σε κάποιον που εμφανίστηκε μπροστά του και του λέγει με βαριά φωνή:
- Τι ήρθες εδώ; Γκρεμίσου στο σκότος το εξώτερο, Δεν έχεις δουλειά μαζί μου. Μερίς μου ο Κύριος.

Μόλις λοιπόν φτάσαμε να πούμε διαβάζοντας τον στίχο τούτον " Μερίς μου ει Κύριε", ο αββάς Στέφανος παρέδωσε το πνεύμα του στον Κύριο. Ψάξαμε για κανένα ρούχο να τον αλλάξουμε για την ταφή, μα δεν βρήκαμε. Και τι πλούτοι και τι δόξες είχε κάποτε...

Πηγή : Ορθόδοξη Χριστιανική Γωνιά.

Ετήσιο μνημόσυνο μακαριστού Πατριάρχου Αλεξανδρείας Πέτρου



Σεπτέμβριος 10. 2011 19:01

Τελείται την ερχόμενη Κυριακή, 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2011, το ετήσιο μνημόσυνο του μακαριστού Πάπα και Πατριάρχου Αλεξανδρείας και πάσης Αφρικής Πέτρου στον ιερό ναό Αγίου Σάββα Λευκωσίας. Της θείας Λειτουργίας και του Μνημοσύνου θα προστεί ο Πανιερώτατος Μητροπολίτης Κιτίου κ. Χρυσόστομος συμπαραστατούμενος από τον Σεβασμιώτατο Μητροπολίτη Ναυκράτιδος κ. Κύριλλο.
Γραφείο Εξαρχίας Πατριαρχείου Αλεξανδρείας στην Κύπρο

Fr. Ioann Okhlobystin's bid for presidency opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church

Moscow. Fr. Ioann Okhlobystin's plans to nominate himself for president in the 2012 polls have failed to win support from the Russian Orthodox Church.

"Both the Basis Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church and one of the documents passed by the 2011 Archbishop Council say that clerics cannot nominate their candidacies for elections to any representative bodies of power of any countries and at any levels," head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin has told Interfax-Religion.

Naturally, this equally applies to the presidential election, he said, commenting on Okhlobystin's statement, made at the Interfax main office, that he was planning to run for the presidency.

Okhlobystin said that in order to go into politics, he needed "at least a tacit approval from the Church".

Father Vsevolod emphasized that exceptions from the rules forbidding priests to participate in elections could only be allowed in case of extreme necessity for the Church.

There appear to be no grounds for such exceptions in Russia, he added

The Romanian Patriarchate






September 10, 2011
Chief of the Commission for Foreign Politics within the Palestinian National Council on a Visit to the Romanian Patriarchate

 His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church received at the Patriarchal Residence Mr. Dr. Nabil Shaath, chief of the Commission for Foreign Politics within the Palestinian National Council. The Palestinian official was accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Bader Aqel, Ambassador of the Palestinian National Authority in Romania. Mr. Dr. Nabil Shaath thanked for reception and appreciated the good relations between the Romanian and Palestinian peoples.

The Metropolis of Boston

The 10th anniversary of September 11th


To the Reverend Clergy and Faithful Stewards of the Metropolis of Boston

Dear Brethren, 
As the Country prepares to observe the 10th anniversary of September 11th, we extend an invitation to the faithful of your Community to join Metropolitan Methodios and our Greek-American Community this Sunday September 11, at the Hatch Shell in Boston.  If you are unable to join us in Boston, Massachusetts Remembers will be broadcast live on local NPR station WBUR 90.9 and WCVB TV the Boston Channel 5.
May the Lord grant eternal rest to those who lost their lives on this tragic day ten years ago!

With love in the Lord,

The Romanian Patriarchate

The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us: From 9 – 12 September 2011, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church will pay a canonical visit to the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Germany, Austria and Luxemburg, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Serafim, Metropolitan for Germany, Central and Northern Europe.

ΤΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΝ ΓΕΝ. ΠΡΟΞΕΝΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΚΗΣ ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΗΜ ΜΕΤΑΦΕΡΕΤΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΛΑΙΑΝ ΠΟΛΙΝ.

Τήν Παρασκευήν, 27ην Αὐγούστου/9ην Σεπτεμβρίου 2011, ἔγιναν τά ἐγκαίνια τοῦ νέου κτιρίου τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ Γενικοῦ Προξενείου εἰς τήν Ἀνατολικήν Ἱερουσαλήμ.
Τά ἐγκαίνια ταῦτα, ἤτοι ἡ ἔναρξις τῶν ἐργασιῶν τοῦ Προξενείου εἰς τό νέον κτίριον τοῦτο, ἐγένοντο διά τελετῆς Ἁγιασμοῦ, τήν ὁποίαν ἐτέλεσεν ἡ Α.Θ.Μ. ὁ Πατήρ ἡμῶν καί Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων κ.κ. Θεόφιλος, συνοδευμόμενος ὑπό τοῦ Γέροντος Ἀρχιγραμματέως Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντίνης κ. Ἀριστάρχου καί τοῦ Γέροντος Δραγουμάνου Μητροπολιτου Ἐλευθερουπόλεως κ. Χριστοδούλου, καί ἄλλων Ἁγιοταφιτῶν, παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Γενικοῦ Προξένου τῆς Ἑλλάδος εἰς τά Ἱεροσόλυμα κ. Σωτηρίου Ἀθανασίου, τῆς συζύγου αὐτοῦ καί τοῦ προσωπικοῦ τοῦ Προξενείου.

GERONTIKON

Once a demonized youth went to the skete of some Fathers in order to be cured by their prayers.
Out of humility, however, they fled. For much time, the unfortunate man suffered thus,
until a certain elder took pity on him, crossed him with a wooden cross he had on his belt, and cast out the evil spirit.

"Since you evict me from my abode," the spirit said, "I will enter you."

"Come," the elder courageously answered him.

So it is that the demon entered into him and tortured him for a full twelve years.
The holy one endured the struggle with fortitude, but fought against his enemy with superhuman fasting and unceasing prayer.
All of those years he never even once put food in his mouth, chewing rather a few date pits every evening
and swallowing only the juice from them.

Finally, conquered by the incessant struggle of the elder, the demon freed him.

"Why are you leaving?" the elder asked him. "No one is casting you out."

"Your fasting destroyed me," answered the demon, becoming invisible.