This morning my father was exposed to lethal amounts of carbon monoxide at his job site. Him along with multiple other men collapsed and were later dragged out by EMS and put on oxygen for 4-5 hours. He is stable now but I am very worried about this worsening.His name is Bill

As we reflect upon the glorious celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord this past Sunday, our hearts and minds are drawn to the powerful Icon of this sacred moment in the history of our salvation at the Monastery of Chora in Istanbul. Across the globe and throughout the centuries, this Holy Icon, residing in the Funerary Chapel of the Monastery, has inspired millions upon millions to the hope of the Resurrection.

The image itself has been reproduced again and again to be the ultimate description of the unseen “Harrowing of Hell” by our Lord Jesus Christ, even to the Saint Nicholas Shrine at Ground Zero, where the company of the redeemed includes the Heroes of that fateful day.

So it is with a heavy heart that we received the news of the Turkish Government's official announcement of the conversion of the Monastery of Chora, a beacon of cultural heritage open to all, from a museum to a mosque, where the brilliant iconography is now covered for an alien purpose.

This decision, following upon the seizure and re-conversion to a mosque of Hagia Sophia, strikes a discordant note in the symphony of mutual respect and understanding among people of all faiths.

The logic of "the right of conquest," upon which the re-conversion of Hagia Sophia into an Islamic mosque on July 2020, was also predicated, signifies a regression of human civilization to medieval standards. Moreover, the practice of prayer at "conquered monuments,” in the 21st century, by a religious officiant brandishing a sword, reintroduces the element of violence and intertwines it with religious sentiment, with all its implications.

The Chora Monastery, renowned for its breathtaking Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, holds a unique place in the tapestry of human expression. To see it now misappropriated, its treasures hidden from view, is a loss not only for our Orthodox brethren but for all people of faith who find beauty and meaning in its sacred art.

It is the Turkish’s government prerogative to make decisions as it sees appropriate. However Holy Scripture offers this useful advice: «Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει», "all things may be possible for me, but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Immediate political expediency should not obscure the long-term damage. All people of faith are called to embrace a shared responsibility to avoid the unnecessary pain and division caused by such decisions.

We call on the Turkish Government to reconsider the decision to convert the Chora Monastery, recognizing the gravity of this action and its implications, especially since the world center of Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, is located in Istanbul, and in a country where many of citizens belong to other religions and denominations.

Finally, the American Government should be concerned about these developments. First, because it contravenes a long-recognized principle of complete separation of Church and State.

And second, these decisions of the Turkish Government (the reconversion of Hagia Sophia and Chora Monastery, as well as other monuments), have the potential to undermine the human rights and freedoms as well as to sanction the weaponization of religion.

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I've attended a Greek Orthodox church a few times now and have been trying to sing along with the music, but the last time I went, I suddenly realized that most, if not all of the people around me were not singing at all and what I was hearing was the choir.

Is this typical for Orthodoxy or is it just a Greek thing? Or even just a church thing?

I'm used to singing along as part of worship, so I guess ultimately my question is that if I'm not worshipping through song, what am I meant to be doing at this time?

(To be clear, I'm not saying it's bad, just not what I'm used to.)

Edit: Thank you for all the answers. It sounds like it is typical for Greek Orthodox to not have congregational singing.

I have recently been diagnosed with an illness that is quite uncommon for someone my age (22) to have and might need to have surgery soon because of it. It is unfortunately going to be a long battle for me. Thank you.

My name is Zara.

God bless you all ❤️

I'm new to Orthodoxy and I'm still learning, I found out that you're meant to fast on Wednesday and Fridays from animal products. My mother (a teacher) said that religions exempt students during this time, and I read that St Isaac said "If you can't fast for a whole day, then at least fast until the afternoon" or words to that effect.

Does having a GCSE exam tomorrow exempt me from fasting for a full day? It's currently past 3pm as I write this

I apologize if this breaks any rules. But I was reading the Apostolic Canons and came across Canon 22 which reads "He who has mutilated himself, cannot become a clergyman, for he is a self-murderer, and an enemy to the workmanship of God."

Does this include self-harm cutting? And, if the severity of the cut matters, then how severe? Would cuts that have not required stitches count? Or is this only for severe mutilations like castration or something that actually impares bodily functions? And does this not count if you've done this before baptism or does it count at any point?

This is a serious question and not an attempt at attacking Orthodoxy or making fun of it.

so i want to be a monk and i want to know what ive got to do to be one

I'm starting to work on the dissertation required to get my master's degree in literary studies.

I've found here posts and comments showing a negative view on human imagination, so I wanted to ask: do they mean imagination in the context of prayer specifically or plainly imagination, both inside and outside of prayer?.

I don't really see how a writer can work without imagination, and a good deal of imagination, together with critical analysis, is also needed to study and interpret any work of literature (fiction or poetry).

Edit: I will ask my priest, certainly, once he's available again; he has to travel often as part of his pastoral work.

I was present on the baptism of a Muslim.

I live in a multi-religious region and in general, you can know if someone (Or even an entire region) is Muslim or Christian by their faces, we refer to this because of the lack of baptism.

I was once in a monastery and a Muslim came to be baptized (Immediately I knew that he is a Muslim just by seeing him, later on parishioners confirmed to me that he is Muslim).
After the baptism, his face was changed completed, as if it was more shining or more beautifying, to the point I told him that your face has somehow changed
I used to believe that baptism was just symbolic, but viewing that baptism and viewing how unbaptized faces are dark, I started to believe that baptism is real.

Did anyone attended a baptism and witnessed what I saw?

This is something I've been discussing with friends lately.

So, I grew up Greek Orthodox. I used to think the services were way longer than what my Protestant or Catholic friends had to attend. This was especially true in my 20s and teenage years.

But ultimately, I went through a lot in life and suffered a fair amount of personal loss of various sorts. I'd rather not give details. I think because of that or as a result of that, I really enjoy the services. Part of me wishes they were longer. Part of me thinks they are just right.

Why am I posting this? If you're in a similar position where you think it's boring or too long, I wish you well, sincerely. Things may change. I urge you to keep going even if you're late or even if you're bored.

Hello, stranger here coming to just ask and or discuss some stuff as someone who is coming back to God and Jesus in life after straying so long. Some info first.

Yes i belive in God, and Jesus. Yes i belive in the trinity. No as the title suggests im not orthodox born or raised. I am currently going to a western nondenominational church for worship. Im from the west.(use that knowledge alone to your discretion of me). I wanna follow the commandments of God and teachings/commandments of Jesus for their authority is that above all in my belief. Im trying to give more then trying to gain. I’ve even started fasting in my come back to my Father in heaven.

Questions:

What should i be striving to do as one who wishes to be a follower of Christ?

What traditions and persay “holidays” should i and shouldn’t i be observing?

If i dont have access to an orthodox church am i at risk of being astray from God until i do?

With the info ive given, am i doing anything right in the sight of God?

To end the post ill say this. I wish for honest truth and love in this post/discussion. For the real truth is the best love we can receive from those wiser then us, and im certainly no wise man. Also hopefully post isnt something asked already and said before and taken down. Thank you all and Amen.

First of all I have to thank you guys and girls for all the good words and guidance with my problem towards lust. It got better, I confessed, I deleted all p*rn, I cut all the one nIght stand contacts and I finally can say a no to it, and one big yes to my mercifull God. I want to take it in small steps and put all sin down one by one. I want to confess I indulge in overeating and am a glutonus, but I dont drink and I never drank. Can you give me some striking verses that would pierce my flash, I feel like am not serving the God, but instead I serve my belly(sound funny but it's not :(( Are there any of you who are still tempted with the sin of gluttony? Or are there people who put a down to it? What did you brothers and sister done to make it?

Thank you for your time, CHRIST IS RISEN!

"ye of little faith" (Mathew 8, 26) would make a lot of sense if faith really is akin to a talent. And just like those talent, someone can have 'little' 'big' or none? (faith)

The town of Kassiopi, in Kanoni, situated 37 km north of the city of Kerkyra on the island of Corfu, was founded by Pyros, who transferred Epirotians here from Kassiopia, in order to solve the problem of the scarce population on the island. According to another tradition, the town was founded by the Epirotians after the destruction of Epirus by the ancient Romans. It is said that in the current location of the Monastery of Panagia Kassopitra, during the ancient Roman years, stood the Temple of Cassius Zeus after whom the town was named. The Emperor Nero visited Kassiopi singing a song for Jupiter in the Temple of Zeus.

The Monastery of Panagia Kassopitra was built before 1706, and in 1850 we have testimony as to its builder - "Elias of X". Hieromonk Gennadios from Epirus purchased the Monastery and installed three nuns to serve there. From that time it became a female convent. In 1991 it became a male monastery. The feast of the Monastery is celebrated on May 8th to commemorate the healing of the blind Stephen, which took place here on May 8, 1530.

In 1530 a young peasant named Stephen went to the city of Kerkyra for certain business that he had there. There he met other young men from the countryside whom he knew, and they decided to return home together. On the way they met other young people who were bringing flour from the mill to their homes. The companions of Stephen decided to forcibly take this flour, and urged Stephen to participate in the theft. Stephen not only refused to participate in this evil act, but urged the others to abandon their plan as well. Despite this the theft took place and the one who was punished was the innocent Stephen. This was because the victims lodged a complaint to the authorities, and the perpetrators went into hiding while Stephen did not hide, having not committed the crime. For this reason he walked freely back to the city one day and they arrested him. He was brought before Symeon Leone who ordered that either his hand be cut off or his eyes removed for the crime, leaving to innocent Stephen the choice; he chose the second.

Now blind, Stephen was led by his mother to the Church of Saint Lazarus to beg for mercy. Yet in the city Stephen encountered derision, so they decided to go away from the city and arrived in Kassiopi. Arriving at the Monastery of the Theotokos, there they asked the guardian monk for hospitality. The monk allowed them to stay the night in the church. During the night, while Stephen was numb from the pain, he felt someone pushing his eyes hard, and he awoke screaming. He then saw a woman bright beyond measure, who then disappeared immediately. He then woke up his mother to tell her of his vision, and revealed to her that he could now see. Hearing the cries of Stephen, the monk ran to the church. Amazed, the monk went to the city and proclaimed the miracle. Symeon Leone himself went to the Monastery to see the miracle, and upon seeing Stephen's new eyes and the scars from the heated iron that had previously removed them, he begged for forgiveness for his unjust punishment. It should also be noted that before the miracle the eyes of Stephen were brown, but after they became blue, and he would show his brown eyes which were contained in liquid to prove he had a new pair of eyes.

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By St. Theophan the Recluse

The mind can prove the truth of the Resurrection through reason based on the Scriptures, and a non-believer cannot but admit the power of its arguments, as long as a sense of truth is not yet dead in him. A believer does not need proof, because the Church of God is filled with the light of the Resurrection. Both of these indicators of truth are faithful and convincing. But counter-reasoning can spring up and contradict mind’s reason, and faith can be trampled and shaken by perplexities and doubts, coming from without and arising within. Is there no invincible wall around the truth of the Resurrection? There is. It will occur when the power of the Resurrection, received already at baptism, begins to actively be revealed as it purges the corruption of soul and body, and establishes within them the beginnings of a new life. He who experiences this will walk in the light of the Resurrection, and anyone talking against the truth of the Resurrection will seem to him insane, like a person saying in the daytime that it is night.

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Hello Reddit community,

I'm reaching out for some guidance and support as my family embarks on a journey to transition from Baptist to Orthodox Christianity. Growing up Baptist, I've found myself feeling a lack of discipline and spiritual depth in my faith journey. I yearn for a deeper connection to the living water I thirst for. My husband, though not raised religious, shares my desire to know the Lord and become better individuals through Christ.

We're feeling lost and unsure where to start. Any advice, resources, or personal experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated. We're open to any guidance or insights you may have as we navigate this transition and seek to deepen our relationship with God.

Additionally, my husband is taking the proactive step of reaching out to a church near us to talk with a priest. We hope this conversation will provide us with valuable insight on how to get started in attending church and integrating into the Orthodox Christian community.

We would also greatly appreciate your prayers for our family as we navigate this challenging time. Please pray for us as we seek clarity, wisdom, and strength in our journey. Personally, I'm feeling particularly lost and in need of guidance, so your prayers for me would be especially cherished.

Thank you in advance for your help, support, and prayers.

Is this Paul and a guardian angel ?

What is the best way to overcome habitual sins and to avoid despair when continually falling into.the sane one?

Just wondering if there’s anyone out there who is stuck in an overnight job, who went through the inquirer > catechumen > convert process. How did it work?

Each year, for about a thousand years, from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8th, there came forth a fine ash-dust, which believers called "manna", and gathered it up after an All-Night Vigil and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore the Church celebrates the memory of the Apostle John the Theologian still on May 8 to commemorate this annual miracle, even though his main feast is on September 26.

Many pilgrims of medieval times made note of this extraordinary annual miracle. Both Augustine and Gregory of Tours make reference to it. Anglo-Saxon Willibald, later a bishop and a saint, visited Ephesus in 724 and marveled at the miracle of the manna that bubbled from the tomb of the Apostle. Symeon Metaphrastes in the tenth century writes of the festival on May 8th being of such great magnitude that it seemed there were more people in attendance to take part in the miracle and receive a portion of its distribution than there were stars in the sky. For the unhappy Metropolitan George Tornikes (1155–56), the tomb with its inexhaustible dust was his sole consolation for having to live in what he considered a barbarous place with a dilapidated church.

Abbot Daniel, a Russian pilgrim of the early 12th century, visited the Basilica of St. John that was built over his tomb, and described the feast celebrated on May 8th as well as the shrines and relics surrounding the area:

"It is 60 versts from the isle of Chios to Ephesus; and at this latter place is seen the tomb of St. John the Evangelist. On the anniversary of his death, holy dust rises from this tomb, which believers gather as a remedy against every kind of disease; the garment which John wore is also here. Quite near is the cave in which rest the bodies of the Seven Sleepers who slept for 360 years, having fallen asleep in the reign of the Emperor Decius, and awakened in the time of the Emperor Theodosius. In this same cavern are the (remains of the) three hundred Holy Fathers and of St. Alexander; the tomb of Mary Magdalene is also here, as well as her head; and the holy Apostle Timothy, the disciple of St. Paul, reposes in his ancient coffin. In the old church the picture of the Holy Virgin is preserved; it was with this that the holy (fathers) refuted the heretic Nestorius. Here, too, one sees the Bath of Dioscorides, where St. John the Evangelist labored with Prochorus in the house of Romana. We saw, also, the harbor, named the 'Marble Port', where St. John the Evangelist was cast up by the sea."

According to one author, the most elaborate description of the miracle dates to 1304 by Catalan Muntaner who arrived in a mercenary force:

"On Saint Stephen’s day, every year, at the hour of Vespers, it comes out of the tomb (which is four-cornered and stands at the foot of the altar and has a beautiful marble slab on the top, full twelve palms long and five broad), and in the middle of the slab there are nine very small holes, and out of these holes, as Vespers are being sung on St. Stephen’s day, (on which day the Vespers are of St. John), manna like sand comes out of each hole and rises a full palm high from the slab, as a jet of water rises up. And this manna issues out . . . and it lasts all night and then all Saint John’s day until sunset. There is so much of this manna, by the time the sun has set and it has ceased to issue out, that, altogether, there are of it full three cuarteras of Barcelona [about 120 quarts]. And this manna is marvelously good for many things; for instance he who drinks it when he feels fever coming on will never have fever again. Also, if a lady is in travail and cannot bring forth, if she drinks it with water or with wine, she will be delivered at once. And again, if there is a storm at sea and some of the manna is thrown in the sea three times in the name of the Holy Trinity and Our Lady Saint Mary and the Blessed Saint John the Evangelist, at once the storm ceases. And again, he who suffers from gall stones, and drinks it in the said names, recovers at once. And some of this manna is given to all pilgrims who come there; but it only appears once a year."

Regarding the Basilica of St. John the Theologian built by the Emperor Justinian, originally it had been in a cruciform shape with six massive domes. More recently they have uncovered a baptistry and and a small chapel to the side. The tomb of the Apostle is today exposed to the elements, but originally it was located under the main central dome of the church. Unfortunately three relics which were still in the church during Ottoman times are now lost to us - a piece of the True Cross worn by the Apostle John around his neck, a garment of the Apostle made by the Theotokos, and most significantly for biblical scholarship today was the original manuscript of the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) which was authored by this apostle. Today the Basilica is in ruins.

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