According to some, St. Theophan the Recluse is sympathetic toward, if not outright endorsing, an ecumenistic ecclesiology. They suppose that he recognizes the validity of mysteries outside the Orthodox Church and that the boundaries of the Body of Christ extend past the Orthodox Church. The first two quotes may appear to support this, even if indirectly, but the third quote outright contradicts any such...

Naturally, one will love one's own family and the relatives he grew up with, most of all, and secondly, the whole country, the people to which one belongs. One is tied to this people both by state and civil obligations and by culture and customs. One is bound to one's people, to one's own homeland, and one loves them. This love for homeland is that Christian patriotism which cosmopolitanists so strongly...

Repost from Catacomb History. Original article here

Excerpt: "What is Christianity? What is Church life? Christianity is an ardent love toward Christ our Saviour; Christianity is not an abstract idea but an unceasing ardency of spirit, prayer, joy,...

Dearest to Christ,

Many Orthodox Christians have contacted us seeking resources for exemption from mandatory masks, vaccination, and testing against Covid-19 in various settings (i.e., workforce, school, and military). Below, we have compiled various resources we believe are helpful. Each has its own particular strength; find the documents best suited to your situation. Maybe multiple documents...

Excerpt from Russia's New Martyrs and the Catacomb Church, Lesson 5: The Lives and Witness of the New Martyrs (1917-1927).

"Today is Tuesday, the 27th of July 2021, eve of the celebration of the Baptism of Rus, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is ready to celebrate this day in all majesty, just like every year. On the evening of Tuesday a majestic procession took place in Kiev, in which more than 350 thousand faithful participated. Leading this great procession was Onuphry, Metropolitan of Kiev, while the clergy and the...

St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (+1966), from a homily given in 1956 on the Sunday of the Dread Judgment:

"St. John the Theologian "himself says that he was 'in the Spirit' - meaning that the Holy Spirit Itself was in him - when the fate of the Church and the world was revealed to him in various symbols. That is why this is a Divine Revelation. He presents the fate of the Church in...

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One should distinguish between the Church-Organism and the Church-organization. Only to the Church-Organism are some names for the Church applicable, which we find in the Holy Scripture; for example: “glorious, holy, blameless” (Eph. 1: 4), “without spot or blemish” (Eph. 5:27), “Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 19: 7, 21:9), “body of Christ” (Eph.1: 23; Col.:18), “pillar and the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) and many others....

Spring-Summer Course 2: May 25 - July 27, 2021

CROWDCAST PAGE: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/russias-new-martyrs--the

YouTube link for first lesson: https://youtu.be/IXyrRmTdLss

Outline...