Orthodox Wisdom

Anyone inquiring into Orthodoxy will find clarity from Elder Cleopa's detailed exposition of the Scriptures, especially if the ever-virginity of the Virgin Mary is currently a stumbling block to Orthodoxy. Elder Cleopa is one of the most beloved Romanian elders of the 20th century. A confessor of the faith under the Romanian communists, Elder Cleopa was a truly heavenly man whom thousands of people from all over travelled to receive his counsel and sit in his presence. He was not only a friend of God, the most blessed a man can be, but of his contemporary saints as well, including Elder Thaddeus, Elder Arsenie, St. Justin Popovic, St. Paisios the Athonite, and more. This podcast is a reading from "The Truth of Our Faith: Discourses from Holy Scripture on the Tenets of Christian Orthodoxy" by Elder Cleopa of Romania, pp. 82-88. -BUY "The Truth of Our Faith" by Elder Cleopa of Romania, published by Uncut Mountain Press: https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/the-truth-of-our-faith/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ In 2021, the Romanian Orthodox Church officially decided to canonize Elder Cleopa and add his commemoration to the Church calendar. His canonization is set for 2025. https://orthochristian.com/137894.html ______ Elder Cleopa teaches: You also heard that although she was a virgin, as she had never known a man, the angel did not say to her “blessed art thou among virgins” but “blessed art thou among women,” without this word expressing disdain for the Most Holy Theotokos... God, as much as Adam, called Eve “woman” when she was a virgin because she had a female, and not male, nature, showing thus the feminine sex. In no way is it understood that God and Adam called her who was received from the side of Adam (and was still a virgin) a woman with the meaning of married woman. For just as Eve was a virgin when he called her woman, so too the mystical and spiritual Eve, the most holy Virgin Mary—she who gave birth to Christ the New Adam—is virgin unto the ages of ages, even though Holy Scripture refers to her as woman. At that time, Adam, by the will of God and in virginity, gave birth from his body to a woman, yet not by sexual intercourse with a woman. When the fullness of time had come, the female nature in synergy with the Holy Spirit gave birth to a man, yet not by relations with a man. In virginity, the Virgin Mary gave birth and remained virgin—just as in the beginning, in virginity, Adam gave birth without the co-operation of a woman, remaining virgin. Thus, God deigned through the Virgin Mary to cure the fallen nature of the old Adam with the New Adam born of the Virgin.... Thus, pay close attention: Holy Scripture does not call the Mother of God woman and thereby mean married woman, as some believe, but with the word woman reveals only the sex, the given female nature of the Ever-Virgin Mary, while simultaneously (in a hidden or concealed manner) saying that she is the woman whose Seed (Christ) will bruise the head of the serpent and through whom shall come the salvation of mankind. ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Dorotheos of Gaza (+565), disciple of Sts. Barsanuphius and John, is one of the most revered teachers on spiritual life, speaking from his direct experience with Christ through his ascetic struggle. Here he addresses the fear of God, the three stages of divine fear, and the meaning of the Apostle John's famous words.This is an excerpt from the full recording:On Divine Fear - Abba Dorotheos of Gaza https://youtu.be/7CHHNtUv2YQ -READ "Our Holy Father Dorotheos of Gaza: Various Soul-Profiting Instructions to His Disciples" here: https://www.ctosonline.org/patristic/OH.html -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ ______ St. Dorotheos writes: “If, now, even the Saints, who so love the Lord, fear Him, why does St. John say that ‘love casteth out fear?’ The Saint wishes to indicate to us that there are two kinds of fear, one initial and the other perfect, and that, while one is characteristic of neophytes, as we say, in the spiritual life, the other is characteristic of the holy, of those who have been made perfect spiritually and have attained to a measure of holy love. Heed what I am saying. One does the Will of God out of fear of punishment. He, as we have said, is a total neophyte. He does not strive on account of goodness itself, but because he fears chastisements. The other does the Will of God because he loves God and since he especially rejoices when his life is pleasing to God. He knows the essence of goodness; he has tasted of what it means for one to be united to God. This is the one who has the true love that St. John calls ‘perfect.’ And this love leads him to perfect fear. For he fears and does the Will of God, not out of fear of chastisements, not out of fear of perhaps going to Hell, but, just as we have said, because he has tasted of the sweetness experienced by those who are united to God and fears that he might be deprived of it. Thus, this perfect fear, which comes forth from love, distances us from initial fear. And for this reason, it is said that: ‘Perfect love casteth out fear.’ Nonetheless, it is impossible for one to arrive otherwise at perfect fear, save by initial fear.” ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Drawing upon the witness of Christ and many saints, St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite sets forth the standard (akrevia) for the Orthodox Church's weekly fasts on Wednesday and Friday. Even if the ideal is beyond our abilities or beyond what our spiritual father has blessed, we must know the standard and humbly be aware of how we measure up, repenting and striving to offer more and more of ourselves to our gracious King, Jesus Christ. This podcast is a reading from "Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession" by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, pp. 209-212 -BUY "Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession" by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, published by Uncut Mountain Press: https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/exomologetarion-a-manual-of-confession/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ Not sure what all this fasting is about? First, talk with your spiritual father or parish priest and ask for guidance. Additionally, read the wealth of resources on the meaning of fasting from a variety of authors here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/pr_fasting.aspx A helpful word from Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou regarding penances, canons, and not "throwing the baby out with the bath water": “Here in the West [versus Greece], though, because of the circumstances of life, and the difficulty of the conditions in which people live and the world that surrounds them, we have to be more indulgent and patient. But it is good to know the rules of the Church, for example, that a certain sin is punished by a two-year exclusion from Holy Communion. Nobody can apply these rules literally anymore, but it is very important that we know them, because they reflect the magnitude of the soul's deadening when certain kinds of sin have been committed. The time can, of course, be shortened in any case, depending on the repentance of the person, and on the disposition and willingness of the priest to co-operate with that person. Everything can be accelerated if the priest works together with the penitent and prays for him. I now realize that when we priests pray for ourselves, God does not listen to us, He can be as deaf as I am, but when we pray for other people He responds very quickly, which shows that this is the true nature of our ministry.” -The Hidden Man of the Heart, p. 58 _______ St. Nikodemos teaches: Canon 69 of the Holy Apostles designates that any hierarch or priest or deacon or subdeacon or reader or chanter who does not fast during Great Lent and Wednesday and Friday is to be deposed. If a layperson does not fast during these times (unless he cannot fast on account of bodily illness), he is to be excommunicated. Do you see how the Apostles numbered the Wednesday and Friday fast together with the fast of Great Lent? Therefore, just as the fast of Great Lent consists in the eating of dry foods, namely, to eat but once a day, at the ninth hour, without consuming oil or wine, likewise, the fast of Wednesday and Friday is to be conducted in the exact same manner. ...the Apostles in their Canons number this fast together with that of Great Lent, and in the Apostolic Constitutions they number it together with the fast of Holy Week, saying: "One must fast during Holy Week and Wednesday and Friday."279 But why should I say that this regulation is only of the Apostles? It is a regulation of Christ Himself, for this is what the Apostles say in Book V, ch. 14 of the Constitutions: "He (that is, Christ) commanded us to fast on Wednesday and Friday." We must also note the following, that just as there must be a fast from food on Wednesday, Friday, and Great Lent, there must also be a fast from pleasures of the flesh. For this reason weddings cannot take place on these days, because the divine Paul commands that married couples are not to come together during a time of prayer and fasting: "Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer" (1 Cor. 7:5).

The story of 30 nuns, imprisoned for Christ, who refused to work for the Soviet regime and the miraculous events surrounding their witness to the truth. Originally published in English in “Russia’s Catacomb Saints” by I. M. Andreyev, Fr. Seraphim Rose, and Fr. Herman Podmoshensky. “We can work, but we do not wish to work for the regime of Antichrist and we shall not work even though they might kill us for this." -READ "Russia's Catacomb Saints" here: http://russiascatacombsaints.blogspot.com/ -MORE images of the known icon of the Nuns of Shamordino: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Nuns_of_Shamordino -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ From “Russia’s Catacomb Saints”: "But without a definition of the category of your inability to work, they will send you to extraordinarily difficult labor." "All the same, we will not work whether it be difficult or easy labors." "Why?" I asked in astonishment. "Because we do not wish to work for the regime of Antichrist." “We can work, but we do not wish to work for the regime of Antichrist and we shall not work even though they might kill us for this." Though prisoners, they were spiritually free. No one in the Soviet Union had such freedom of worship as they. What their example did to instill religious faith in thousands of prisoners and guards there at Vorkuta, I cannot begin to describe. Later on, when I had the opportunity as a locker-room attendant for the MVD men to talk with some of the more hardened Russian Communists about religion, not one failed to mention the Miracle of the Nuns. ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Maximus the Confessor explains one of the more difficult verses in sacred Scripture: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21). This is a reading of Question 42 from "On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios". -BUY "On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios" here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0813235715/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr= -BUY an excellent 8-lecture course by Fr. Maximos Constas on St. Maximus the Confessor's Life and Teachings: https://patristicnectar.org/bookstore_160419_1 -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ St. Maximus taught: Because Adam’s natural power of free choice was corrupted first, it corrupted nature together with itself, losing the grace of impassibility. And thus the fall of free choice from the good toward evil became the first and blameworthy sin. The second sin, which came about as a result of the first, was the blameless alteration of nature from incorruptibility to corruption. Thus two sins came about in the forefather through his transgression of the divine commandment: the first was blameworthy, but the second was blameless, having been caused by the first. And for our sakes, through the passibility of nature, He became sin, but He did not commit voluntary sin, thanks to the immutability of His free choice—to the contrary, He corrected the passibility of nature through the incorruptibility of His faculty of free choice, making the end of nature’s passibility, by which I mean death, into the beginning of the transformation of our nature into incorruptibility. The Lord, then, did not know my sin, that is, the turning away of my free will: He did not assume my sin, neither did He become my sin, but [He became] sin because of me; that is, He assumed the corruption of nature which came about through the turning away of my free choice, and He became, for our sake, man passible by nature, abolishing my sin through the sin that came about because of me. The condemnation of my freely chosen sin—I mean, of human nature’s passible, corruptible, and mortal elements—was assumed by the Lord, who for my sake became “sin” in terms of passibility, corruption, and mortality, voluntarily by nature assuming my condemnation—though He is without condemnation in His free choice—so that He might condemn the sin of my free choice and nature as well as my condemnation, simultaneously expelling sin, passibility, corruption, and death from nature, bringing about a new mystery concerning me, who had fallen through disobedience: the dispensation of Him, who for my sake and out of His love for mankind, voluntarily appropriated my condemnation through His death, through which He granted that I be called back and restored to immortality. ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Gregory Palamas, in preparation for the feast of Theophany, calls his flock to remember the grace of their baptism and the high calling they have as children of God. He provides a summary of the practical aspects of how a person is baptized, giving spiritual commentary about this apostolic tradition. He then details the example and teachings of St. John the Baptist and his perennial, soul-profiting wisdom as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. This is a reading of Homily 59: "On What is Accomplished in Holy Baptism, and On Repentance, and What Saint John the Baptist Said About This Subject" -BUY the collection of St. Gregory’s Homilies here: https://mountthabor.com/products/saint-gregory-palamas-the-homilies -BUY other books by St. Gregory, some of which can be found here: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ St. Gregory taught: Repentance is the beginning, middle, and end of the Christian way of life, so it is both sought and required before Holy Baptism, in Holy Baptism, and after Holy Baptism. Holy Baptism is a symbol of death. After the holy anointing, he is immediately led to the sacred font, which has been thoroughly sanctified beforehand by various holy rites and ablutions. Once he has been brought, the bishop baptizes him by immersing him three times, invoking at each immersion one of the Three Persons whom we worship. Water is a means of cleansing, but not for souls. It can remove dirt from those being baptized, but not the grime that comes from sin. For that reason, the Healer of souls, the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9), Christ, Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), enters the water before us to be baptized, as we celebrate today in advance. He draws the grace of the All-Holy Spirit from above to dwell in the water with Him, so that later when those being baptized as He entered the water, He is there, clothing them ineffably with His Spirit, attaching Himself to them, and filling them with the grace that purifies and illumines reasonable spirits. And this is what the divine Paul referring to: "as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). While the three immersions in the water are also the saving invocation of the Life-Giving Trinity, they represent the Lord's three-day burial. Following this, the person being baptized comes out of the water the same number of times, because otherwise he could not have been submerged three times, but also because this signifies the resurrection from sin of the three parts of the soul, and the return of the mind, soul and body, all three together, to incorruption. Thus in divine baptism both death and life can be seen, the tomb together with the resurrection, just as the Lord, Who "in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth continuously unto God" (cf. Romans 6:10). As repentance is the beginning and end of the Christian way of life, the Lord's Forerunner and Baptist, who was himself the starting point of this approach to living, preached saying, "repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). And the Lord Himself, the perfection of all goodness, said the same in His preaching (Matthew 4:17). Repentance means hating sin and loving virtue, turning away from evil and doing good (cf. Psalm 34:14; I Peter 3:11). As I speak these words to you, brethren, I feel no small pain in my soul, that we who were long ago vouchsafed Christian baptism have not yet accomplished those very things which John demanded of those approaching his own baptism. Yet the Lord's baptism, of which we were deemed worthy, is as far superior to the baptism given by John in those days, as the grace of the Holy Spirit is more excellent than water… ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

With pain of heart, we present the teachings of St. Paisios to correct the blasphemies of Archbishop Elpidophorus and guard the faithful against his lies, whose speech was presented by Bishop Athenagoras at the opening of a Hindu temple in New Jersey on October 4, 2023. Archbishop Elpidophoros writes: “This Hindu temple represents a Sacred Space…May the opening of this beautiful shrine be a beacon of joy, understanding and harmony within the Hindu community and beyond…In the spirit of love and fellowship, I offer my congratulations and blessings for the success and flourishing of this sacred endeavor.” St. Paisios’ words to a Greek Orthodox seminary graduate would apply today: "You are harming yourself and others when you relate this refined Hindu nonsense and at the same time present yourself as a graduate of Chalki. Be careful, you will become possessed bythe devil." Full Video of the Interfaith Harmony event at the Hindu temple. Go to 1:20:10 for Bishop’s speech:https://www.youtube.com/live/7VhZtb2wGek?si=AfYGZF8WUUvG_bKz Orthodox articles on the event here: 1) https://orthochristian.com/158195.html 2) https://www.monomakhos.com/the-downfall-of-the-goa-proceeds-apace/ Details of the temple and its shrines: 1) https://www.baps.org/News/2023/Interfaith-Harmony-Day-24199.aspx 2) https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/january-february-march-2024/americas-largest-hindu-temple-opens-in-new-jersey/ 0:00 Beginning 0:23 On the Asceticism of Hinduism 3:12 Hinduism Has Done A Lot of Harm 7:52 The Seduction of People (Hinduism & Other Sects) 11:48 Baptism is not magic, not given to cure psychological problems 14:19 Return to Orthodoxy 16:51 Two accounts of St. Paisios helping Hindus come to Christ -BUY “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. III: Spiritual Struggle” by St. Paisios: https://www.holycross.org/products/spiritual-struggle-elder-paisios -BUY "Saint Paisos of Mount Athos": https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/products/saint-paisios-of-mount-athos -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ ______ St. Paisios writes: They practice and practice but what do they achieve in the end? Orthodox temperance and abstemiousness — ascetic discipline in general — always aims for a higher spiritual purpose, the sanctification of the soul. The Hindu’s satanic and worldly asceticism results in an agile body, flexing arms and legs like a paper puppet so they can be admired by fools and mocked by demons. Some of our people go to the Hindus and are taught to say in the Hindu language certain incantations about Christ, Panaghia and the Saints. Some may know that these things are blasphemous, others may not, in the end they become possessed by demons. Then they start uttering incoherent words. They eventually become delirious, and onlookers consider them to be in a spiritual state, but this is actually a demonic state. What can you say? The confusion is immense! There was a sign outside a Roman Catholic Church in Paris that read: "Teaching of the Jesus Prayer with the yoga method." What have they come to! No wonder psychological problems abound, and people lose their mind. Impressed by the Elder's spiritual gifts, the man asked him about meditation and other spiritual techniques. "Look, my child," the Elder kindly interrupted him, "techniques do not matter at all. You are trying, but where you are digging, there is no gold; there is just the devil. The gold is Christ." ______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

"[Papal infallibility] is the ultimate triumph of humanism..." -St. Justin Popovic St. Justin expresses the ultimate implications of the dogma of papal infallibility. Regardless of how frequent or infrequent papal infallibility is exercised, the embrace of such an ability for a man, even if supposedly given by God, is why St. Justin is righteously provoked. He perceives the ultimate implications of such a dogmatic pronouncement and shutters, calling to repentance all those hooked by such lies. As St. Justin says, “In writing this, we are not writing either the history of Europe, of its virtues and faults, or the history of the European pseudo-Churches. We are simply setting forth the entirety of their ontology, penetrating to the heart of European conceit, its demonic underground, where its dark sources lie and with whose waters it threatens to poison the world. This is no passing of judgment on Europe, but a wholehearted and prayerful call to the only way to salvation: through repentance.” 0:00 Beginning 0:13 Introductory comments 1:24 Quote from Catherine of Sienna (RC saint): “Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not raise up our heads against him…” 2:24 Quote from Pope John Paul II (RC saint): “the name for that deep amazement at man’s worth and dignity is the gospel…” From St. Justin: 2:52 Papal infallibility dogmatized at Vatican I and upheld at Vatican II 5:25 “The dogma of the infallibility of the Pope is a Nietzschaen affirmation of the entire creation of European humanistic man.” 7:53 The Pope has “proclaimed himself a Church with the papist Church and has become all powerful in it.” 8:30 Three principles falls in human history: Adam, Judas, and the Pope 8:40 What is the core of the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope, a man? 10:55 The dogma of the infallibility of the Pope is the “final triumph of humanism” and the “heresy above all heresies” 12:36 Repentance is the only way out St. Justin's teachings in this video are excerpted from "Papism as the Oldest Protestantism - St. Justin Popović": https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthodox-wisdom/episodes/Papism-as-the-Oldest-Protestantism---St--Justin-Popovi-e1judki These excerpts are from the chapter “Man or the God-Man" from "The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism” NOTE: The meaning of Theanthropic: divine (in Greek theos = God) and human (in Greek anthropos = man); the Theanthropos = the God-Man, i.e. Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. -BUY “The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism” by St. Justin: https://lazarica.co.uk/bookshop/ -LISTEN to more recordings by Orthodox Wisdom of St. Justin's teachings: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYgxvJMJchHwGAWGZebY0s2s -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/

Foundational to any spiritual life is to have an experienced guide. St. Paisios offers answers to various questions regarding this essential aspect of Orthodox spiritual life: finding an experienced spiritual father and being healed by love and obedience. 0:00 Beginning 0:14 The Spiritual Life Requires a Spiritual Guide 2:29 Refer People to a Spiritual Father 5:38 A Spiritual Father Must Be Nearby 7:48 The Spiritual Father in the Family This is a reading from "Spiritual Struggle: Saint Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels (Vol. III)", pp. 277-282. -BUY "Spiritual Struggle: Saint Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels (Vol. III)": https://www.holycross.org/products/spiritual-struggle-elder-paisios -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ St. Paisios teaches: The most necessary thing today is for people to find a Spiritual Father, to confess, trust him and follow his advice. If people have a spiritual guide and establish a rule of prayer and study, if they go to Church on a regular basis and receive Holy Communion, then they have nothing to fear in this life. The soul must be attended to closely by the Spiritual Father so that it does not go astray. Spiritual study certainly helps in our struggle for the spiritual life, but if we are without a spiritual guide, we can easily give our own interpretations to what is being studied and fall into error. For example, when someone is going on a long trip and is not certain of the way, he can consult the map but he can also stop and ask for directions. Of course, one should choose his spiritual guide carefully and not entrust his soul to just anyone. Just as one seeks the best doctor for his physical health, he should also seek out a good Spiritual Father for his spiritual health, and go to him, the doctor of his soul, on a regular basis. Just as one takes care to have his family doctor available as nearby as possible, he should also have his Spiritual Father near him. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Many Orthodox Christians have had to learn the hard way how to prepare not only to fast, but to feast. A feasting period, like we begin on Pascha and Christmas, requires us to remain watchful and sober if we are to preserve the grace we gained during the fast and avoid falling back into our old sins and bad habits. St. John Chrysostom is well aware of this and offers a timeless word to all who wish to take up their cross and follow Christ. -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you, the hospitals for all the passions: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ -HELP: An Orthodox ministry devoted to helping those struggling with drunkenness: https://inexhaustiblecup.org/ -PRAYER to overcome addictions: Akathist the Theotokos, “The Inexhaustible Cup”: https://prescottorthodox.com/text-akathist-inexhaustible-cup/ 0:00 Beginning 0:20 After fasting, we fast a different fast 2:39 Consequences of eating and drinking too much 3:41 The drunkenness from wine and the drunkenness NOT from wine 7:03 Continued analysis of St. Paul’s words / prodigal young men 8:18 Drunkenness is a self-chosen demon 10:19 “neither fornicators…nor drunkards will possess the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-11) 11:32 The reasons St. John teaches this to neophytes 13:47 “Human nature is inclined to nothing so harmful as ease.” / Examples of the Ancient Jews 17:02 The shining example of Apostle Paul 19:48 Consider what gifts, what dignity the King of all has given us 20:52 Unlike in human affairs, only we can remove our God-given dignity as Christians initiated into Christ 21:55 Keep watch and preserve our baptismal purity 24:01 Shine your weapons and armor, and spite the devil 25:01 Final exhortation This reading comes from “Baptismal Instructions” by St. John Chrysostom, pp. 80-92. Different versions exist online, and you can buy a copy here: https://svspress.com/saint-john-chrysostom-baptismal-instructions-hardcover/ _______ Beloved, even if the fasting is over, let the piety remain. Even if the time of the holy quarantine is gone by, let us not put aside the memory of it. Let no one feel displeasure at this exhortation; for I do not say it to impose on you another period of fasting, but because I wish you both to relax and to display not a more exact kind of fasting -- but the true one. For it is possible for one who is not fasting to fast. How is this? I shall tell you. While on the one hand we are taking food, let us, on the other, abstain from sin. For this is the fasting which helps us, and it is with this fasting in view that we abstain from food, so that we may more easily run in the course of virtue. Therefore, if we wish both to take proper care of the body and to keep the soul free from sin, let us take heed and act accordingly. You did not need exhortation and advice during the holy season of Lent as much as you need it now. During that season the practice of fasting made you be temperate, even in spite of yourselves; but now I am afraid and I fear the freedom from this obligation and the relaxation which it produces. Human nature is inclined to nothing so harmful as ease. Therefore, our loving Master, from the very beginning, has put on human nature a kind of curb and, in His great providence, has condemned man to toil and misery. Sin, however, is born precisely from such sources as wantonness, gluttony, and too much sloth. Therefore, I exhort, since we know clearly that these are wrong, let us not use what is wrong on the pretext that we are relaxing. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!