Orthodox Wisdom

Taken as an obedience, Fr. Seraphim Rose was asked to write on “Convert Pitfalls” and how to avoid them. Being a convert himself, and having overcome so many spiritual obstacles, he was well-suited for this task. While his work on this specific text did not progress to completion, these notes of his give us simple and direct guidance to keep us on the narrow path. Fr. Seraphim’s notes, starting at...

“It is through more than his literary inheritance that Fr. Seraphim is leading these converts. As the accounts related in this chapter indicate, Fr. Seraphim, being still alive in Christ, is even now personally drawing people into the fullness of the ancient Christian Faith.” –Hieromonk DamasceneI humbly ask all listeners to ask for Fr. Seraphim’s intercession and pray to God that one day soon he...

This reading contains excerpts from St. Ignatius’ essay “On Miracles and Signs.” The reason for this recording is to raise the awareness and discernment of Orthodox Christians regarding the degree of deception manifested first in the spirit of Antichrist, which is increasingly obvious in the world, and secondly in the Antichrist himself, who will be the fulfillment of “the spiritual direction of m...

St. Silouan teaches, “The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. Without the grace of God we cannot love our enemies. If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies – know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation.”“O Merciful Lord, give Thy graceto...

This article traces the life of St. Justin Popović of Ćelije, Serbia in the context of his grace-filled writings, showing the depth of his love and wisdom. St. Justin, spiritual son of St. Nikolai Velimirović, produced various dogmatic works and also a tome on the Lives of Saints. St. Justin writes, “The lives of saints are, as a matter of fact, dogmatics incarnate, because in them all the eternal...

St. Justin Popović gives the quintessential teaching on the Saints and the meaning of their Lives for us today. He writes, "The Lives of the Saints are in fact the life of the Godman Christ, which is poured out into His followers and is experienced by them in His Church." Everything good and holy in the Saints finds its beginning, middle, and end in Christ. St. Justin also points out that the Live...

“Everything in the Church must be heavenly.”“In truth the church is an earthly heaven, where God’s altar is, where the awesome Mysteries are celebrated, where the Angels minister with men, where there is uninterrupted glorification of the Almighty - there heaven truly is, and the heaven of heavens.” –St. John of Krodstadt“In church, everything is different:  there one’s particular world is not ear...

St. Hilarion of Verey (+1929), New Martyr under the Soviet yoke, was an Archbishop, bold confessor, and shining star of the Russian, before and after the 1917 revolution. This text was written in 1914. Read his life here: https://www.orthodox.net/russiannm/hi... “I have only wanted to show what moral ugliness socialism is, what an abyss of falsehood lies within it, and, therefore, how mistaken is...

St. Seraphim said, “My joy, I beg you, acquire the spirit of peace.”St. Seraphim of Sarov (+1833) is one of the most beloved Saints on recent times, truly a Saint of God cleansed and illumined, whose life and teachings overflow with divine energy. You may have heard his words: “Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.” If you are not yet familiar with St. Seraphim please...

Aflame with Apostolic zeal, the young Hieromonk Juvenaly brought thousands into the Faith before his martyrdom in 1796 at age 35. He joined St. Herman of Alaska and others on the first official Orthodox mission to the Americas, landing in Kodiak, Alaska in 1794.While there are various stories of the Saint's life and death, I have done my best to draw from multiple resources and give a reliable acc...

Blessed Olga said, "God can create great beauty from complete desolation and nothingness." These words of healing came during an appearance of Mat. Olga to a woman who had suffered sexual abuse, and this account is recorded here. During her life on earth Mat. Olga selflessly cared for her husband, Fr. Nikolai, and their eight children. She helped others as a midwife, knit and made clothes for many...

Hear over a dozen modern Orthodox Holy Fathers teach about the beginnings of God’s creation and the theory of evolution. This collection of teachings is specifically from Orthodox Holy Fathers of the 19th and 20th centuries. By no means is this meant to deemphasize the earlier Holy Fathers in any way; it is simply meant to highlight Fathers of our times who were familiar with the “enlightenment” o...

A short recording meant to emphasize how vital receiving Holy Communion is for Orthodox Christians. St. Nicodemus, the great 18th century ascetic of the Holy Mountain, draws upon Scripture, the Fathers, and the Canons of the Church to persuade us that in order to have life in Christ, true life, we must receive the Eucharist, and often. Otherwise, we give openings to the devil and eventually may fa...

“From the second chapter of St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians it is clear that the teaching about the Antichrist enters into the content of the earliest apostolic evangelization.”“But why is it so important to know this teaching? Because, as the Holy Fathers warn us beforehand, he who ignores this teaching, considering it unimportant and not essential in Christianity, will not recogni...

“Archbishop Averky was one of the last of the giants of 20th-century Orthodoxy, not merely of the Russian Church Outside of Outside of Russia, or even of Russian Orthodoxy—but of the whole of the 20th-century Orthodox Church.”“The abundance with which his golden lips gushed the sweet honey of the pure teaching of Orthodoxy, especially in his most fruitful last years, has perhaps helped to hide fro...

“We Orthodox live Christ in the Divine Liturgy, or rather Christ lives within us during the duration of the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is the work of God. We say: "It is time for the Lord to act."“Christ celebrated the Divine Liturgy once and this passed into eternity. His divinized human nature came to the Divine Liturgy. We know Christ specifically in the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Litur...

A reading of the wisdom of St. Paisios of Mount Athos on Work and Spiritual Life. This writing comes from Volume IV of his Spiritual Counsels: Family Life. The great Elder gives guidance on how both employees and employers can glorify God with their work, how to battle despair and boredom at work, how to guide parents and children to a fulfilling life, and much more. His insight is gentle yet powe...

Listen to the 7th century account of the Life of St. Brigid, Abbess and Wonderworker of Kildare, Ireland, by St. Cogitosus. St. Brigid was born in 451 and reposed in 525. Through her faithful protection and inspiration, she is regarded as one of the three patron Saints of Ireland, alongside St. Patrick and St. Columba. In this reading you will learn of her beginnings, a few of her miracles, her re...

Simple evening prayers chanted by a layman in English. Includes:TrisagionEvening TropariaPrayer to God the Father by St. Macarius the GreatPsalm 50DoxologyPrayer to our Lord Jesus ChristPrayer to the Most-Holy TheotokosPrayer to the Holy Guardian AngelDismissalEvening prayers from a couple different prayer books:Orthodox Daily Prayers published by St. Tikhon's Seminary PressA Prayer Book for Ortho...

Simple morning prayers chanted by a layman in English. Includes: TrisagionPrayers upon rising from sleepPsalm 50The CreedIntercessory Prayers"O Lord grant me to great the coming day in peace..."DismissalMorning prayers from a couple different prayer books:Prayers for Orthodox Christians published by the Antiochian DioceseA Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians published by Holy Transfiguration Monas...

In this talk, Fr. Seraphim gives insight and advice especially helpful for Orthodox Christians in America. He briefly shares the history of Orthodoxy in the US, examines the present state of the Church, and gives advice on how we can live out our Orthodox Faith. Being a convert himself, he knows the common pitfalls that new Orthodox believers fall into and how to avoid them. Any inquirer, catechum...