Orthodox Wisdom Readings from Saints of Holy Orthodoxy

On occasion, I depart from my standard approach and record texts by those still alive in this world. Generally, I stick to texts from those who finished their race and are widely embraced as being victorious in Christ. This text from Fr. Zacharias, the disciple of St. Sophrony of Essex, is truly life-changing and worthy of your heart’s attention. As it has been said, “many confess, few repent.” Fr. Zacharias inspires us to confess more genuinely, bearing our shame, and teaches us how to make a confession that attracts the grace of God and brings greater power to live the life in Christ.

The original title of this talk is "The Awakening of the Heart through Bearing Shame in the Sacrament of Confession". The video title is shortened due to YouTube and Spotify character limitations. Also, a Q&A immediately following this talk is included in the book. I did not record it in order to encourage listeners to buy the book and support the monastery in Essex, England.

-BUY "The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter: 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology"
https://essexmonastery.com/bookshop/the-hidden-man-of-the-heart-BUY the first book in this series of four, "Christ, Our Way and Our Life: A Presentation of the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony"https://essexmonastery.com/bookshop/christ-our-way-and-our-life
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/
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Fr. Zacharias teaches:

When the believer becomes aware of his iniquity, he no longer does anything to conceal it, but he will confess his iniquity to the Lord against himself (cf. Ps. 32:5 Lxx). And the Lord forgives the ungodliness of his heart and renews him with the grace of eternal salvation in return for the shame he bears in the act of repentance. The deeper the shame with which he reveals his sins in the sacrament of confession, the greater the power and grace he receives for his regeneration.

The presence of shame in the mystery of confession is not only healthy and normal, but also confirms that repentance is offered from the heart — that it is voluntary and deeply humble. Whoever truly repents and confesses his transgressions takes full responsibility for them, without justifying himself as Adam did in Paradise. He does not blame God or his neighbour. Instead, he endures the shame of his sins with humility and courage.



The Gospel account of Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus throws a great deal of light on our subject (Luke 19:1-10). This notable and influential man, a tax-collector of ill-gotten wealth, Was overcome by the desire to see who Jesus was. But his desire Was frustrated by the density of the crowd for he was of small stature. Zacchaeus, however, was so eager that he thought nothing of becoming a laughing-stock to the crowd. Because he was willing to accept whatever shame might come his way, he took courage, and climbed up into a sycamore tree so that he would be able to see Jesus. The Lord drew near, and He noticed Zacchaeus. Then He called him down from the tree so that He could meet him. He even gave him the honour of visiting his house and staying with him. And the result of this visit was truly marvellous: Zacchaeus who had despised his standing with the crowd was put right. All his former iniquities were made good, and his debts were restored fourfold in righteousness. Christ our God and Saviour declared: 'Salvation is come to this house.'
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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Our holy father Paisios the Athonite exposes the plans of the enemy and calls those who love the Truth, Christ Himself, to be aware and resist. Repent, receive the Mysteries, prayer fervently, since, as St. Paisios says, "Perhaps you, too, will live to see many of the signs written in the Book of Revelation."

This text is found in “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. II: Spiritual Awakening” by St. Paisios, pp. 197-201

-BUY “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. II: Spiritual Awakening” by St. Paisios:
https://www.holycross.org/products/spiritual-awakening-elder-paisios
-BUY "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos":
https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/products/saint-paisios-of-mount-athos
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/

A similar text from St. Paisios: "On Our Times"
-READ: http://apantaortodoxias.blogspot.com/2015/06/on-our-times-st-paisios-of-holy-mount.html
-LISTEN: https://youtu.be/0KIEmH-qt2Q
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St. Paisios teaches:

-Geronda, tell us something about the Antichrist.
-Let us for once say something about Christ... We must be as close to Christ as we can. Will we be afraid of the Antichrist if we are united with Christ? Isn't the antichrist spirit present today? One way or another, evil is done by the antichrist spirit. And even if an antichrist monster is created to do some horrible things, in the end he will be ridiculed. But many events will take place. Perhaps you, too, will live to see many of the signs written in the Book of Revelation.

Ecumenism, the European Union, one huge nation, one religion made to fit — these are the schemes of the devil. The Zionists are preparing someone to be the Messiah. For them the Messiah is a king who will reign here on earth. The Jehovah's Witnesses are also looking toward an earthly king. The Zionists will present someone and the Jehovah's Witnesses will accept him. They will say, "He is the one." There will be great confusion. In that confusion, everyone will be looking for a Messiah to save them. And then they will present some who will say, "I am the Imam, I am the fifth Buddha, I am the Christ expected by the Christians, I am the one expected by the Jehovah's Witnesses, I am the Messiah of the Jews." He will have five "selves"…

Rather, the anticipated Antichrist will, in some manner, be the incarnate devil, who will present himself to the Jewish nation as the Messiah and will mislead the world. Difficult years are ahead; we will be tested very severely. The Christians will suffer great persecution. And, you see, people are not at all aware that we are living during the signs of the times, that the sealing is already advancing.

-Geronda, do the Zionists believe what is said about the Antichrist?
-They would like to govern the whole world. To achieve their goal, they will use even sorcery and satanism.

-Geronda, when I hear about the Antichrist, I feel a fear inside of me.
-What do you fear? Will he be more terrible than the devil? He is a man after all. Saint Marina used to beat the devil, and Saint Justina dispelled so many demons. After all, we didn't come in this world to have an easy life.
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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You may never hear more inspiring, humbling, and challenging words on illness, its purpose, and the best way we can face it. This excerpt from "Wounded by Love" exhibits his insatiable love for Christ, his wounded yet healed heart. St. Porphyrios knew about suffering with illness both by personal experience and his many years as a hospital chaplain in Athens.

The holy Elder suffered from the following illnesses: myocardial infarction (anterior diaphragm with lateral ischaemia), chronic kidney disease, duodenal ulcer (with repeated perforations), operated cataract (loss of lens and blindness), herpes zoster (shingles) on the face, staphylococcus dermatitis on the hand, inguinal hernia (frequently strangulated), chronic bronchitis and cancer of the pituitary gland. Cf. Dr. Georgios Papazachou in an article in the periodical Synaxis, 41 (Jan–Mar) 1992, 93.

This reading is from "Wounded by Love: The Life and the Witness of Saint Porphyrios", pp. 224-231

-READ the text here:
http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/elderporphyrios_illness.aspx
-BUY Wounded by Love here:
https://www.holycross.org/products/wounded-by-love-the-life-and-the-wisdom-of-elder-porphyrios
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/
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St. Porphyrios teaches:

I thank God for granting me many illnesses. I often say to Him: ‘My Christ, Your love knows no limits!’

That’s why I do not pray for God to make me well. I pray for Him to make me good. I’m certain that God knows that I am in pain. But I pray for my soul, for God to forgive my transgressions.

I didn’t want to think about hell and about tollgates. I didn’t remember my sins, although I had many. I set them aside. I remembered only the love of God and was glad. And I made entreaty, "O my God, for the sake of your love, may I also be there. But if on account of my sins I must go to hell, may your love place me wherever it wishes. It is sufficient for me to be with You."

We benefit greatly from our illnesses, as long as we endure them without complaint and glorify God, asking for His mercy. When we become ill, the important thing is not that we don’t take medicines or that we go and pray to Saint Nektarios. We need also to know the other secret, namely, to struggle to acquire the grace of God. This is the secret. Grace will teach us all the other things, namely, how to abandon ourselves to Christ. That is, we ignore the illness, we do not think about it, we think about Christ, simply, imperceptibly and selflessly and God works His miracle for the good of our soul. Just as we say in the Divine Liturgy, "we commend all our life to Christ our God."
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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The Church worldwide loves St. John of Kronstadt… but do we love him for plainly speaking the truth? I can only imagine if parish priests today gave a homily like this. Most would get a lot of complaints from their parishioners, maybe even yelled at during coffee hour, and the bishops might hear of it, too. God grant us humility to accept the bitter medicine meant to heal our souls!

-READ the text here:
http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/sjok_pascha.aspx
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/
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St. John teaches:

The Great Fast was a defeat of, was death for, the devil; because he fled from many souls and died to them, as it were, after their sincere repentance and communion of the Holy Mysteries; but on the feast of Pascha he rose again in not a few souls. How did he arise? Through gluttony, drunkenness, outrage and other vices that drunkenness gives rise to, and to which many Christians gave themselves over. It is thus that Christians love Christ; it is thus that they celebrate the greatest holiday of the year! What benefit is there in such people calling themselves Christians?
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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St. Nikolai Velimirović offers comments on the seven phrases Christ spoke on the Cross, helping us go deeper in our understanding and love for Christ.

-READ the text here:
https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2019/04/the-seven-phrases-christ-spoke-on-cross.html
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/
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St. Nikolai teaches:

The fourth phrase: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). These words show both the strength of human nature and the Lord’s foreknowledge. As a man, He was suffering, but underneath human pain there’s a mystery. You see, only these words would be able to dispel the heresy which was later to shake the Church and which stated that the divine nature suffered on the cross. But the eternal Son of God became incarnate as a man so that He could be a man in body and soul, so that, when the time came, He’d be able to suffer for people and to die on their behalf. Because, if the divine nature of Christ had suffered on the cross, this would mean that His divine nature would have died. And that’s something we shouldn’t even contemplate. Ponder as deeply as you can on these great and terrible words: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The seventh phrase: "It is finished" (Jn. 19:30). This doesn’t mean that life is ended. No! It means that His mission, which was concentrated on the salvation of the human race, had ended. The divine task of our sole, true Messiah had been completed and was sealed with His blood and earthly death. The torments were over, but life was just beginning. The tragedy was finished, but not the drama. Next to come was the majestic achievement: victory over death, the resurrection, and glory.
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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St. Ephraim offers a dynamic commentary on this famous story (Matthew 26:6-13) that the Orthodox Church reads each year on Holy Wednesday. Presenting detailed conversations between the sinful woman, the devil, Simon the Pharisee, and Christ, this homily is faithful to Scripture yet expands our understanding and experience of this most instructive example of repentance and love.

-READ the text here:
https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/04/homily-on-sinful-woman-st-ephraim-syrian.html
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/

Troparion for Holy Week's Bridegroom Matins: "Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching; and again unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest thou be given up to death, and lest thou be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse thyself crying: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us."
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From St. Ephraim's homily:

The sinful woman answered and said to him, (even) to Satan, after his speech: "Well have you said that I go to inter the dead, one that has died to me. The sin of my thoughts has died, and I go to bury it."

Christ speaking, "The great Physician is in your house. Allow sinners to look upon Me, for their sakes have I abased Myself. I will not ascend to heaven, to the dwelling whence I came down, until I bear back the sheep that has wandered from its Father's house, and lift it up on My shoulders and bear it aloft to heaven."

Christ explaining who owes the 500 pence and who owes 50, speaking to Simon: "You are he that owes five hundred, and this woman owes fifty. Lo! I came into your house, O Simon; and water for My feet you brought not; and this woman, of whom you said that she was an harlot, one from her childhood defiled, has washed My feet with her tears, and with her hair she has wiped them. Ought I to send her away, O Simon, without receiving forgiveness? Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will write of her in the Gospel. Go, O woman, your sins are forgiven you and all your transgression is covered; henceforth and to the end of the world."
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!


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