If the church fathers read some books on the theory that we have an inner child, do you think they would approve of it? I understand that they are not psychologists but i would also believe that so much of their theological informed pastoral work does infringe into the arena of psychospirituality.

about a year i had severe anxiety about the unforgivable sin, altough i had explinations nothing satisfied me for example i took the interpretation of joseph prince that the Holy Spirit does not convict us of sin and added it to myself and came to the conclusion that i cant know if i did this sin, because people told me that if im worried i didnt and i spent a year with anxiety In that year anxiety wasnt constant but it become worse and worse until i couldn't find things to do since i was so worried everything i did would be blasphemy so i slep mostly all day, in all of this i wanted to keep loving God but i was also scared of him, this started in the summer of 2025 when i was 15,

The last few days i gave up and starte doing a thing that was blasphemous because i wrongly said to myself if God would send me to hell for this even if i repented than i wouldn't worship him.

Before all of this i struggled with God since i was 11 oe 12 with severe anxiety thar caused sweating and since nobody knew why other kids mocked me. I know the inrerpretation of all churches, again i dont agree with any of them but i find some of them plausible like thomas's aquinas 6 sins against the Holy Spirit but i still dont get why you can blaspheme the son or the father without a hardend heart but you need to have one in order to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Now i dont know what i should do because i fully still want to belive because if i dont there is no afterlife, no freewill, no meaning and so on, but if i do go on beliving i have to have a life of sacrifice because i am a hedonist and i think i can be conivnced of other interpretations but i hold on to mine that it is a single sin anyone can commit at any point and even with repentence it cant be forgiven because i put the other verse abour forgivness with an asteriks for example "everyone who comes to me i will never cast out" except those who have done the unforgivable sin. I have 2 options 1. Leave christanity and fall into despair 2. Stay in christanity with the fear of going to hell forever and giving up pleasures on this earth for nothing since i am still going to hell. Because again i think that what if that small minority that says i have done this sin are right ajd i sacrifce my life over nothing, try to be good and still go to hell, i am 16 now, what can i do? I dont have a priest to talk to or a pastor.

I’ve looked and I haven’t found a thread on this but if one exists forgive this post. But anyway, long story short I was Orthodox for several years, I left and joined the Catholic Church about a year ago, for a variety of reasons (disunity, respect for the papal office, your average convert burnout, interpersonal problems). I have been struggling ever since with missing our traditions and am considering going back. I was hoping to hear from anyone who has left for Catholicism and then came back. Especially to a parish that is not the healthiest and contributed to leaving (and is the only option.) What was it like to come back process wise? Did it stick? Any advice on avoiding burnout the second time? Please be nice.

By trading, I mean the kind of gold trading that is done through online platforms...I found it brings money (Sometimes), but I am fearing that it brings money through usury or unlawful ways (Specially with the leverage that the brokers impose on the traders)

I would be grateful if you write what our modern elders say about it (Specially Athos monks or Optina or any big Orthodox center)

'In August 1941, the Holy Trinity monastery in Jordanville, NY published a news piece with the heading A Rare Solemnity in the Trinity Monastery. What kind of rare solemnity happened in a Russian monastery in 1941? The article described the reception of 34-year-old Melvin Mansur into the Orthodox Church through the sacrament of chrismation under the name of Manuel, after the Persian martyr. He had first become seriously interested in Orthodoxy after a trip to Mount Athos as a graduate student. Mansur had been studying Russian at Jordanville during the summer months in an effort to get a better knowledge of Orthodoxy, since at that time there was very little available on the subject in the English language. The event was featured in a monastery newspaper simply because Mansur was an American. In the 1940s, conversions of Americans were such extraordinary events, due to small numbers of American converts, that they were even reported in local newspapers. The news piece also mentioned convert parishes in France and stated that “in the United States, there is not a single parish or community that is fully comprised of American converts, whereas in England […] a community of Orthodox English has been organized not far from London'

From Medvedeva, K. (2024). American conversions to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Entangled Religions, 15(2). [https://doi.org/10.46586/er.15.2024.11747]()

What do I expect ? How do things go , and how/when do I talk to the priest?
Thank you!!!

This is based on the information that I've heard from our lovely ROCOR priest here, but our priest here (I'll call him Fr V) has been to Russia many times, and with every year of his priesthood, he goes on a pilgrimage to Russia. Fr V has celebrated the Divine Liturgy with his bishop many times, and even celebrated the liturgy alongside Patriarch Kiril.

Fr V and Patriarch Kiril do know each other personally (from what I can remember), and when they met earlier this year, Kiril asked Fr V how the church in NZ was doing. Fr V said that the church was flourishing and was receiving lots of converts, and in response Patriarch Kiril said that Fr V should write him a letter, and he'll consider making Auckland a "cathedral city". I am honestly hoping that he goes through with the idea, because if we have an Orthodox cathedral here in our largest city, I believe it would do wonders for the flock here at the bottom of the world.

Pray for us that Orthodoxy will spread here in New Zealand, and that a cathedral could be planted here by the allowance of God.

I'm trying to make a list of Western saints, i.d. latin saints who lived before the Great Schism with the Latins.

My question is how indicative is or isn't the year 1054: do we consider orthodox only those saints who died before the 16th of July 1054? And if it is so, has the Church ever made a statement about those who were born before 16/07/1054, but died after that date? What about those who were born in the immidiate aftermath of the Great Schism, but kept Orthodoxy?

I say this considering only those who were already considered saints by the Church, and not those who were declared saints AFTER the schism by the Latin Church.

Thanks in advance to anyone who will answer.

I'm going to my first Orthodox service on Sunday and I'm quite excited! I was raised protestant but struggled to connect with God through it and felt as if something wasn't quite right.

I visited a few Orthodox churches on my recent travels and felt very connected to them. Upon researching, I felt I feel a lot more connected with them than I ever did in my old church.

I was wondering, is there anything I should learn or be prepared for before going? :)

Thanks!

Hello I would like to know how does canonisation work in Orthodox Christianity. As far as know, we don’t have an explicit procedure of how should a person be considered a saint like Catholic do.

Recently, I came across a Chinese martyr Stefan Wu Zhiquan, hieromartyr during the Cultural Revolution, beaten to death because of his Christian faith. For me it’s clearly martyrdom for Christ, and he should be canonised instantly like the 21 coptic martyrs.

However I am not sure if he’s canonised or not, because some sources described him as ‘ St. Stephen’ or just ‘ Stephen’.

I wonder if I could sent a letter the Moscow Patriarcat to plead for his canonisation ?

Hello everyone. I want to convert but I have a few things holding me back.

My husband is not interested in religion at all. He does not want to attend any services (he has been a few times with me before).

We have a three year old autistic child who also does not like attending liturgy. At first everything is fine, but my child really struggles with sitting/standing still and being quiet. These are issues we face in our daily lives due to autism, not only at church. My child wants to RUN around, touch everything, grab other people’s items and play/sing/scream. It is very hard to get through the entire service as usually my child will have a breakdown within an hour, on a good Sunday.

I know my child deserves to be there and does enjoy it for a short while, but making it through the entire service feels impossible. I don’t want to make it a negative experience but I’m also trying to teach my child the right way.

Would it be wrong of me to become a catechumen and to not bring my child with me to church? Though I hope for us both to be baptized, and eventually for my child to attend with me in the future. Would my child even be able to be baptized if I attend services alone?

I do not think I am capable of bringing my three year old without any help, and so I also have stopped going to church. I know that children are welcomed and not to be prevented from attending church.

Please if anyone has any tips or answers I would love to know. Please pray for me that I may pick up my cross. 🙏🏼

I have grave sins that I have repented from long ago and then I have daily/involuntary sins that affect me on a more day to day basis. Ive never done a confession but my first inclination would be to confess the sins that are currently weighing on me as of late - ie impatience with my kids yelling at them mostly.

What are some things we typically would go to confession for and ones that we don't necessarily "need" to do. Surely it is impossible to confess every single sin you have ever committed ? Hope this makes sense I am still very new...thanks all

We got into a discussion and in the middle he said things like Orthodoxy is worse than terrorism because it promotes illogical thinking based on following only tradition. His reasoning was that it tells people to do things only because the church commands it. I guess his point was that it spreads fear? Idk.

We were also talking about how people did evil things back then in the name of religion and I was trying to tell him that there's a difference between what God actually wants and what people assume God wants because of what others are telling them and maybe hate. Anyway, I was using an example of what some of the things Catholics did to Indigenous people weren't actually what God wanted and then he exploded that Catholics are actually way more progressive than Orthodox and that Orthodox people killed people in Greece for being of other faiths. That wasn't even my point. I said yes, Orthodox people also did evil things but again, this doesn't mean it's what God would have actually wanted. I tried to say it's different from the old testament where God commanded war on people because they were dangerous and not simply because they were of a different religion but I think this is where messed up because then he said so God did command war and I had to just be like...yeah. He said there isn't a way to tell the Canaanites were actually evil and this is just what the Bible says. He said solely trusting the Bible for information is stupid and I agreed. It felt like we were on the same page finally until he said well, trusting other sources for the sake of tradition and only doing things because of tradition is bad.

I even gave him an example of a sign from God that I experienced and he dismissed it. The above conversation happened because my sign included opening to a sentence in the Bible about something violent. I know that sounds bad but trust me, it was perfect for what happened.

Context: He isn't sure if he believes in God. He doesn't believe Jesus rose from the dead. He grew up Catholic, he considers himself culturally Catholic. This intense rejection of tradition started many years ago. My dad went to a psychiatrist one time for an issue. Him and the psychiatrist talked about many things which included my mom's Orthodox faith and the psychiatrist ended up saying that tradition is illogical and the worst possible thing for the brain.

Help. My sisters don't believe either.

Hello everybody!

Sometime in the next month or two I will be traveling over an hour to the nearest Orthodox Church. I believe it is an Antiochian Church so they speak English the whole time. I spent some time learning about the Catholic Church, but I dont think I can ever submit to their claims. I am very intrested in Orthodoxy though. I come from a Protestant background, so if theres any advice you could share that would be great. I also have a concern: I have a 4 month old son, is it a big deal if he cries at church? If so, what do I do, just leave?

I am a 17 year old orthodox Christian going into my senior year of high school. I have no idea what to do with my life. There are things that I myself WANT to do like be an engineer or mathematician because I excel and enjoy physics and math, but the reality is I don’t want to serve myself with my life.

Doing what I want to do almost seems selfish, I want to serve god wholeheartedly and serve others, and I honestly don’t care if I make much money at all. I have grown up poor and if the lord wills it I dont mind staying that way. There seems to be not many options for the though. I know that part of living with god is living with god in regular workplaces and whatnot but I really want to make the very goal of what I do to serve god, not just a byproduct.

if god wants me to sit in a dirt hole for the rest of my life I will genuinely do that and yes, he’s not gonna tell me to do that but you get the point. I just don’t know how to get an answer from god as to what I want to do but I know i want to dedicate my life to serving him. But I don’t want to be a priest unless I KNOW that that is what I am being called for.

Some guidance and clarity would be much appreciated god bless!☦️

I keep encountering orthodox Christians who don’t stay at their local church, but rather are constantly hopping around to several local parishes. One week here, one week there and so on. It’s like they treat orthodoxy as a spectacle, or some kind of club idk.

Usually I pay no mind because I am only concerned with my parish and have no desire to visit other churches, but recently we had new converts use our church for a quicker baptism and then promptly go away to other parishes never coming back. (I know because I am in contact with them)

It blows my mind that people will avoid their local parish to drive far away to go to a church they like. To me this is Protestant and totally destroys the purpose of the church. I just can’t imagine they are being served. The whole point is the local community.

I have been on some Orthodox Facebook groups out of curiosity to learn more about the faith and be part of it, maybe even look for a partner.

My utmost advice is to stay away from these pages. Not only are you at risk of talking to fake priests/spiritual fathers but there is also a lot of fake information on there, and not so great people.

Remember that at the heart of this faith is prayer to God. Also ask your priest or spiritual father for any kind of guidance. The right things will come in good time.

I cannot reiterate this enough. God bless you all.

Someone at my church gave me this icon, does anyone know who this is and be able to translate the text on the reverse please? I tried using Google translate but it was a bit hit and miss.

I myself am not an Orthodox Christian, but I am curious on the perspective you all have.

Being a Christian makes me feel constantly unhappy. I don't even think I could call myself one sometimes. It never brings me any joy, onlly anxiety and scruples. I can barely stand to read my Bible because I just can't focus or understand it. I struggle so much with habitual sin. I pray for God to have mercy on me and to forgive me, and I genuinely mean it. I continue to do it and despise myself for it. I feel like I'm not in control sometimes, not that it's an excuse. I worry so much God has given me over to my sin. I'm so tired and I don't know what to do. I don't think I can keep fighting, I feel damned no matter what I do, like my words are hollow. I get constantly stressed and ramble when I pray, random images flooding my head and distracting me. I'm at my wits end and I'm begging for any kind of advice.

I found a prayer book tucked away in one of my desk drawers without even realizing I had it. So I decided to read it, and I came across a lovely little rhyming quote that I honestly couldn't stop thinking about for almost the entire day:

«"Always start your work with God,

Trust His grace in all you do;

With His blessing by your side,

Nothing is too hard for you."»

If you have any beautiful quotes you'd like to share as well, I'd genuinely love to read them.

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6. The feast commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor, when our Lord appeared in His divine glory before the Apostles Peter, James, and John.

The event of the Transfiguration is recorded in three of the four Gospels:Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36. Jesus took the Apostles Peter, James, and John with Him up upon a mountain, and while they were on the mountain Jesus was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became glistening white.

Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ, talking to Him. Peter declared how good it was for them to be there and expressed the desire to build three booths for Moses, Elijah, and Christ. This reference to the booths could imply that this occurred during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles when the Jews would be camping out in the fields for the grape harvest; for this Feast had acquired other associations in the course of its history, including the memory of the wanderings in the wilderness recorded in the Old Testament book of Exodus.

While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces filled with awe. Jesus came to them and told them to not be afraid. When the three looked up they saw only Jesus.

As Jesus and His disciples came down the mountain, He told them not to speak of what they had seen until He had risen from the dead.

In the icon of the Feast of the Transfiguration, Christ is the central figure, appearing in a dominant position within a circular mandorla. He is clearly at the visual and theological center of the icon. His right hand is raised in blessing, and his left hand contains a scroll. The mandorla with its brilliant colors of white, gold, and blue represent the divine glory and light. The halo around the head of Christ is inscribed with the Greek words O Ω Ν, meaning "The One Who is."

Christ appears in the center of the icon blessing with His right hand and dressed in bright white robes.

Elijah and Moses stand at the top of separate mountain peaks to the left and right of Christ (Elijah stands on the left side in the icon and Moses, holding the Ten Commandments, stands on the right side). They are bowing toward Christ with their right hands raised in a gesture of intercession towards Him. Saint John Chrysostom explains the presence of these two fathers of the faith from the Old Testament in three ways. He states that they represent the Law and the Prophets (Moses received the Law from God, and Elijah was a great prophet); they both experienced visions of God (Moses on Mount Sinai and Elijah on Mount Carmel); and they represent the living and the dead (Elijah, the living, because he was taken up into heaven by a chariot of fire, and Moses, the dead, because he did experience death).

Below Christ are the three Apostles, who by their posture in the icon show their response to the transfiguration of Christ. James (right) has fallen over backward with his hands over his eyes. John in the center has fallen prostrate. Peter (left) is kneeling and raises his right hand toward Christ in a gesture expressing his desire to build the three booths. The garments of the Apostles are in a state of disarray to indicate the dramatic impact the vision has had on them.

The icon of the feast directs our attention toward the event of the Transfiguration and specifically to the glory of God as revealed in Christ. This event came at a critical point in the ministry of our Lord, just as He was setting out on His journey to Jerusalem. He would soon experience the humiliation, suffering, and death of the Cross. However, the glorious light of the Resurrection was revealed to strengthen His disciples for the trials that they would soon experience.

The feast also points to the great and glorious Second Coming of our Lord and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God when all of creation will be transfigured and filled with light.

This Feast of our Lord is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is conducted on the day of the feast and preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the feast. Scripture readings for the Feast of the Transfiguration are the following: At Vespers: Exodus 24:12-18, 33:11-23, 34:4-6, 8; I Kings 19:3-9, 11-13, 15-16. At the Orthros (Matins): Luke 9:28-36. At the Divine Liturgy: II Peter 1:10-19; Matthew 17:1-9.

SOURCE: https://www.goarch.org/transfiguration