After the Wise Men left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to flee to Egypt with the newborn Babe, Jesus Christ, and His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary. The Angel told Joseph to remain in that country until he received the command to return, for Herod intended to "seek the young Child, to destroy [...] Read more

† NICOLAE by the mercies of God Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas To our beloved Clergy and Orthodox Christians, grace, peace and joy from Christ the Lord, and from us a hierarchical blessing. “Christ is born! Glorify Him! Christ is [...] Read more

One of the greatest and most holy prophets of the Old Testament. He lived in the 9th century B.C., during the reign of the sinful King Ahab, King of Israel, who worshiped the idol of Baal. Prophet Elias, also known as Elijah, was wise and faithful to the true God. God sent Prophet Elias to speak the truth to King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel. [...] Read more

† NICOLAE by the grace of God Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas To the Beloved Clergy and Orthodox Christians of our holy Archdiocese, peace and unwavering hope from Christ the Risen Lord, and from us hierarchical blessings. “We [...] Read more

† NICOLAE by the mercies of God Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas To the Beloved Clergy and Orthodox Christians of our Holy Archdiocese, peace and unwavering hope in Christ the Risen Lord, and from us hierarchical blessings. “But now [...] Read more

Prayer comes first-it is the very breath of the Church; those who pray carefully and profoundly also fast Fasting without prayer could easily be reduced to a form of starvation without spiritual benefit We fast because of our sins and those who do not sin 6 keep the fast in order to avoid sinning (preventively) Fasting proves that we are not [...] Read more

When we think of fasting in the Orthodox Church today, our mind almost immediately goes to certain rules relating to what we can and cannot eat. Moreover, this practice is especially associated with Great and Holy Lent. And so, when it comes to this “forty-day” fast, there are some who will almost exclusively focus all their attention on [...] Read more

During the reign of the Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081- 1118), a controversy arose in Constantinople among men learned in Faith and zealous for virtue about the three holy Hierarchs and Fathers of the Church, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Some argued for Saint Basil above the other two because he was able, as none [...] Read more

Verily, verily, I say unto you, There are some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Thus, inasmuch as He had discoursed much of dangers and death, and of His own passion, and of the slaughter of the disciples, and had laid on them those severe injunctions; and these were in [...] Read more

"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaver, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven." What I have often said I shall now repeat, and shall not cease to say. What is that? It is that Jesus, when about to touch [...] Read more