True story

 

 

A man was hesitant to visit Elder Paisios. He felt ashamed because people said he was involved with many women, and he worried others might overhear and judge him. He thought he might even be the last one allowed to see the Elder.

When he finally came, Elder Paisios looked at him and said,

“What can I tell you, my son? The Virgin Mary tells me not to say anything to you, because you are helping an orphan.”

This message was clear — Elder Paisios was prevented from speaking any harsh words because the Virgin Mary protected the man, recognizing his good deed in helping an orphan.

This story reminds us that true spiritual guidance is rooted in love and mercy, seeing the heart beyond appearances or rumors.

Saint Anthimos

 

🇬🇧 English

This is a true incident.

The Saint had a Turkish friend, a very good man, who helped Christians and did everything with kindness and love. The Saint wondered what would happen to this man’s soul, since he was not Orthodox but had such a good heart.

One day he prayed and asked God where his friend’s soul was after his death.

Then he saw his Turkish friend in a beautiful, bright, and peaceful place and asked him:

— “What is this place? It looks like Paradise.”

And the Turk replied:

— “Yes, my friend Anthimos, this is also Paradise — the Paradise of the non-Orthodox. There are many Paradises for good people.”

Then the Saint asked him:

— “And why didn’t you become Orthodox?”

And he answered:

— “I was afraid for my head.”

👉 The message of the story is the divine justice and the mercy of God, who knows the hearts of people beyond the boundaries of religions, as well as the fear that kept many people away from their faith at that time.

🇹🇷 Türkçe

Bu gerçek bir olaydır.

Azizin bir Türk arkadaşı vardı; çok iyi bir insandı, Hristiyanlara yardım eder ve her şeyi iyilik ve sevgiyle yapardı. Aziz, bu adamın ruhunun ne olacağını merak ediyordu; çünkü Ortodoks değildi ama çok temiz bir kalbe sahipti.

Bir gün dua etti ve Tanrı’ya, arkadaşının ölümünden sonra ruhunun nerede olduğunu sordu.

Sonra Türk arkadaşını güzel, aydınlık ve huzurlu bir yerde gördü ve ona sordu:

— “Burası nedir? Cennete benziyor.”

Türk cevap verdi:

— “Evet, dostum Anthimos, burası da Cennettir — Ortodoks olmayanların Cenneti. İyi insanlar için birçok Cennet vardır.”

Aziz ona tekrar sordu:

— “Peki neden Ortodoks olmadın?”

O da şöyle cevap verdi:

— “Başım için korkuyordum.”

👉 Hikâyenin mesajı, dinlerin sınırlarının ötesinde insanların kalplerini bilen Tanrı’nın ilahi adaleti ve merhametidir; ayrıca o dönemde birçok insanı inançlarından uzak tutan korkudur.

Christ came to earth to build His Church.

 Christ came to earth to build His Church. From the Apostles, the Orthodox Church began and has preserved the faith unchanged.

Orthodoxy proclaims that the fullness of Christian truth has been kept intact since the time of Christ and the Seven Ecumenical Councils. While many Christian traditions have developed, adapted, or reformed over the centuries, the Orthodox Church maintains continuity with the original apostolic faith.

In 1054, the Great Schism divided East and West. Later, Protestant communities separated from Rome. From the Orthodox perspective, these divisions led further away from the original unity of the early Church.

There have been three great falls in history:

1. The Fall of Adam
2. The Great Schism of 1054
3. The continuing fragmentation of Christianity

But Truth is one. Christ founded one Church through His twelve Apostles — and Orthodoxy understands itself to be that Church.

Orthodoxy means “right belief” or “true worship”:

Ortho = right, straight

Doxa = belief, glory, doctrine

The truth

 

English:

At the Holy Sepulchre, inside the Edicule in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, there are indeed oil lamps that are usually kept burning. However, before the Holy Fire ceremony on Holy Saturday, the area is inspected and — according to tradition and procedure — the lights and oil lamps are extinguished. An inspection is also carried out by the other Christian communities and by the Israeli authorities.

Therefore, the argument “there is a permanently burning lamp, so that’s where it comes from” is not exactly accurate, because the ceremony requires that no other flame be present inside at that specific moment.

Russian (Русский):

В Храме Гроба Господня, внутри Кувуклии в Храме Воскресения в Иерусалиме, действительно обычно горят лампады. Однако перед церемонией Благодатного огня в Великую субботу место проверяется и — согласно традиции и установленному порядку — свет и лампады гасятся. Проверка также проводится представителями других христианских общин и израильскими властями.

Следовательно, аргумент «там постоянно горит лампада, значит, от неё и берут огонь» не совсем корректен, поскольку церемония предусматривает отсутствие какого-либо другого пламени внутри в тот момент.

 

Listen

 

When the time comes

When Will He Appear?

According to traditional Orthodox interpretation of the Book of Revelation:

The Antichrist does not appear because a certain calendar year arrives.

He appears when specific spiritual conditions are present.

He comes when:

• There is widespread spiritual apostasy
• Humanity seeks solutions without repentance
• The world longs for unity, security, and economic stability
• Faith becomes superficial, cultural, or indifferent

It is not primarily about chronology.

It is about the spiritual climate of humanity.

Under What Conditions?

Sacred Tradition speaks of:

1. Great global confusion and crises
2. A strong desire for a powerful world leader
3. A form of false or temporary peace
4. Signs and wonders that will persuade many

He will not appear as an obvious villain.

He will present himself as:

• A peacemaker
• A reformer
• A protector
• A “savior” of humanity

This is precisely what makes him dangerous.

What Will He Do?

According to Revelation:

• He will demand universal recognition
• He will ultimately turn against the true faith
• He will seek worship directed toward himself
• There will be persecution

Sacred Tradition also teaches that before the final stage, the two witnesses — Elijah and Enoch — will appear to testify, reveal the truth, and call people to repentance.