• On the Deadening of the Human Spirit: A Sermon on the Sunday of the Myrhh-Bearing Women, by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov.
• Excerpts from Elder Gervasios (Paraskevopoulos) of Patras, by Hierodeacon Cyril (Kostopoulos). The exemplary life and pastoral work of a parish Priest of our times.
• A Brief History of the Irish Orthodox Church, from the 2003 St. Herman Calendar.
• O Lord, I Have Loved The Beauty of Thy House: How We Should Conduct Ourselves in Church.
• Chapter One from A Tiny Step Away from Deepest Faith, by Marjorie Corbman. The author, a teenager, is a very thoughtful writer with a capability beyond her years. This profound little book describes her search for meaning, which ended with her reception into the Orthodox Church.
• Godparenting 101, from the parish newsletter of St. George Orthodox Church in Eugene, OR.
• We Were Guests at St. Seraphim's. An account of a pilgrimage to Sarov and Diveyevo, by Dr. A. P. Timofievich.
• The Da Vinci Code: Resources for a Proper Understanding.
• You may have noticed the improved "Related Articles" panel when viewing articles. To improve site performance I now pull in the top five Google search results after the page loads. For my fellow geeks out there, this is my attempt to use some of that nifty AJAX technology that is sweeping the Web (though I didn't use the ASP.NET 2.0 "Atlas Framework"—I wanted to roll my own).

+ + +

• Jihad: Chapter 3 from Defeating Jihad, by Serge Trifkovic.
• London's Bombs and Sleepwalkers: Chapter 8 from Defeating Jihad, by Serge Trifkovic.
• Islam and Women: The Christian Science Monitor's Distortion and the Reality, by Srdja (Serge) Trifkovic. This article mentions an important Islamic practice called taqiyya. As Dr. Trifkovic notes on p. 288 in Defeating Jihad, "Islam not only allows, but mandates lying to "infidels" in order to gain political or any other advantage (i.e. Taqiyya,the concealment of one's Islamic beliefs to non-Muslims)." In other words, you should seriously doubt anything a Muslim says about his beliefs if they run contrary to what you know is clearly taught in the Koran. This is something that the pro-Islam elites of our day do not understand or are not willing to admit. They swallow the "Islam is a peaceful religion" rhetoric, and have the resources and clout to foist this view on the masses who are still largely ignorant of the Islamic threat.
• Jihad's Fellow Travelers, by Serge Trifkovic.
• Can a Pious Muslim Become a Loyal American?, by Serge Trifkovic.

Posted September 16/29, Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Great-Martyr Euphemia.

St Vincent of Lérins: Homily 24 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton.

Saint Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome: Homily 27 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton.

Saint Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh: Homily 30 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton.

• The Christian Marriage and Family: Four Lectures by Fr. Josiah Trenham.
• Dealing with a Secularized Christmas. From The Veil (Nativity Fast, 2005).
• Prayer: Our Nativity Centerpiece.
• Living the Monastic Life in the World, from The Veil (Summer, 2005).
• The Holy Art of Prosphora Baking, a tutorial by Peter Serko.

December 21/January 3, Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ. Virgin Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia, and with her 500 men and 130 women.

• Frequent Reception of the Holy Mysteries is Beneficial and Salvific: An Excerpt from Concerning Frequent Communion, by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.
• Explanation of the Lord's Prayer: An Excerpt from Concerning Frequent Communion, by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.
• Concerning Mortal Sins, Pardonable Sins, and Sins of Omission. Part I, Chapter 3 from the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession.
• The Da Vinci Code: Religious Relativism as Pulp Fiction, by Rassaphore-monk Serge (Nedelsky). From Orthodox Life.
• Podvig. From The Veil, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Summer, 2005).
• "All I Can Do Is Pray". From The Veil, Vol. 13, No. 1.
• I Never Learned that in Catechism! From The Veil (Dormition Fast, 2006).
• Establishing Good Habits. From an anonymous source.
• Suggested Reading for Those Confused by the Pope's Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate: The "False Union with Rome" page has been updated after the Pope's recent visit with the Ecumenical Patriarch, who, in his homily during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. Andrew, called the Pope "His Holiness our brother and bishop of the elder Rome." Many other egregious and un-Orthodox statements were made during this infamous visit. Judge for yourself by comparing Orthodox writings on Roman Catholicism with the documents from that visit, which are available on the official Web site of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. If you think their meeting was one that follows in the steps of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church, please, before deciding conclusively, read traditional Orthodox writings concerning Rome. Decide with intellectual and spiritual integrity. These are momentous times...
• Britain's Oldest Christian Bookshops Remove Koran from Shelves. From Christianity Today. Mark Brewer, the Texan lawyer and courageous Orthodox Christian mentioned in this news article, has asked for support in his stance viz-a-viz the Koran and the SPCK bookstores. Please pray for him: blogs have mentioned fatwahs being called for on him and SPCK shop managers; but in general he just needs prayers for guidance and strength in the work he has been undertaking. Also, please send him words of encouragement and, if possible, donations to the Orthodox Church Mission Fund of Houston. His email address is: Brewer [at] bplaw [dot] com.
• Islamic Settlement Next to an Orthodox Convent Seeks Expansion. Please pray for Abbess Markella and the nuns at the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Live-Giving Spring, in Dunlap, CA, which is one of Elder Ephraim's convents in North America.
• Wanted—Volunteers to type and/or scan troparia from the HTM Menaion: A composer of Byzantine music has received permission from the Holy Transfiguration Monastery to set to music all the apolytikia, idiomela and doxastica in their 12-volume Menaion. In order to finish this large project faster, he is looking for volunteer(s) who could either type or scan these troparia. There are between 50 and 100 such troparia in each of the twelve months.

Scanning would involve using an optical character recognition (OCR) program to convert the image resulting from the scan into text*. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please contact Alexandros Andreou at: aalexandros [at] fastmail [dot] fm

(*Excellent free scanning software is included with later versions of Microsoft Office (it's called Microsoft Office Document Scanning, located in the Microsoft Office >> Microsoft Tools group in your PCs start menu), but you can use any OCR software.)

Posted on January 25/February 7, St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople

• AnOpen Letter to the Holy Abbots and the Holy Representatives of theSacred Twenty Monasteries in the Holy Community of the Holy Mount Athos. The So-Called "Kelliotes Letter" (December, 2006).
• The Missionary Origins of Modern Ecumenism:Milestones Leading up to 1920, by Fr. Peter Heers. A talk delivered atthe September, 2004 conference "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations,Disenchantment", sponsored by the School of Pastoral Theology, TheAristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
• Concerning the Intercommunion that Took Place in Ravenna, 2002:An Article and Exchange of Letters. This is a bit dated, but most ofthis has not been posted in English, and thus will be new to manypeople. It is definitely relevant to 2007, especially in light of thePope's visit to the Phanar last year.

• Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus Prayer. An excerpt from With Elder Porphyrios: A Spiritual Child Remembers, by Constantine Yiannitsiotis.
• As Holy Week Approaches, by Father Rodney Torbic.
• A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week, by Father Alexander Schmemann.

• Anti-Patristic: The Stance of the Zealot Old Calendarists, by Monk Basil of the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregory (Grigoriou), Mount Athos.

August 25/September 7, Return of the relics of Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari.

• Photos from the 25th Anniversary of the Repose of Blessed Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina. Taken September 1-3, 2007 at St Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, CA.

August 28/September 10, St. Moses the Black of Scete.

• Obscuring the Issue: Chapter 1 from Religion of Peace?: Islam's War Against the World, by Gregory Davis. I recently met Dr. Davis at the pilgrimage for the 25th anniversary of the repose of Blessed Fr. Seraphim of Platina. It was very encouraging to meet yet another Orthodox Christian involved with raising awareness in the West about Islam. His book is well worth reading, and his superb documentary, Islam: What the West Needs to Know, is a "must see". Learn more about his book and video at WhatTheWestNeedsToKnow.com.

September 28/October 11, St. Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine.

• Marriage: The Great Sacrament, by Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, Mount Athos. This is an excerpt from The Church at Prayer: The Mystical Liturgy of the Heart. Many consider this to be the best statement on Orthodox marriage they've ever read.
• Excerpts from Family Life, by by Elder Paisio the Athonite. This is a selection of passages translated by Fr. Luke Hartung, never before seen in English. It is a work-in-progress.
• Confession and Repentance: A Talk Given by Fr. Josiah Trenham at the 2006 Antiochian Clergy Conference (Diocese of the West).
• Interpretation of the Prayer - Lord, have Mercy!. An excerpt from the fifth volume of the Philokalia (not yet published).
• Homily for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Given in the Cathedral of Trebinje, 2007, by the Most Reverend Atanasije, Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina.
• Deaconnesses. From The Veil, Pascha 1998.
• Holy Monastery of the Pantokrator, Thessaloniki, Greece. A wealth of traditional articles and books!
• The Papacy and Its Unholy State: A Worldwide Wake-up Call to Orthodox Leaders, By Raphael Masterjohn, from "The Light of Orthodoxy," Vol. 1, No. 1 (07/15/2007).
• Ecumenism and the Orthodox Church, by Protopresbyter Theodore Zissis. This article by one of the foremost theologians and professors in Greece rightly criticizes the 2006 meeting in Constantinople of Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict XVI.
• Ostrov (The Island), (DVD) NTSC version with English subtitles (2006). I keep running into people that have never heard of this movie, let alone seen it. This is a must-see Orthodox movie! Ecumenical News International wrote: "Patriarch Alexei II, and other senior clerics, praised Ostrov for its profound depiction of faith and monastic life. Addressing a church conference on 29 January, the Patriarch called Ostrov a 'vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture'." Here's a good review of the movie by Fr. Stephen Freeman.
• Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (DVD). This movie was released September 11, 2007. Buy a copy or two and share with friends. Help the West wake up to the reality of Islam. Yes, there are moderate Muslims; but there is no moderate Islam! Learn more about why we are not at "war with (nebulous) terror," but rather at war with an imperialist political ideology that is Islam.
• Days Made of Fear (DVD), Ninoslav Randjelovic. This is an important collection of short documentary films on war-torn Kosovo. Buy this video and help spread the word about the tragic things that have happened, and are still happening, to the suffering Orthodox people in this Serbian Holy Land. To order contact Most Holy Theotokos Church, 2148 Michelson Dr., Irvine, CA 92612.

• On Miracles and Signs. From the Essays of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov).
• Visions Outside the Church, by Monk Gorazd.
• A Private Letter Concerning Ecumenism, by Blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite.
• Introduction to The Œcumenical Synods of the Orthodox Church, by Fr. James Thornton.
• Is There Spiritual Life and Sanctity Today? A talk given by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Kyrillos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Essex.
• On Television: Comments by Various Saints and Holy Elders.

Dear Friends of the OCIC,

Greetings in Christ. I have just posted the following items, with more to come in the next few days as I help announce two important new books distributed by Uncut Mountain Supply. Excerpts will be provided, as well as other new articles.

Asking for your prayers,

-----------------

February 22/March 6, Opening of the Relics of Holy Martyrs at the gate of Eugenius at Constantinople.

• Feasts and Holidays. An Excerpt from With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man, by Blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994).
• "Liturgy and Spirituality", by Hieromonk [now Bishop] Athanasije JEVTI´C. Chapter 8 from Christ: The Alpha and Omega.
• Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life, by Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregorios of Mount Athos. Available in nine Languages!
• The Rule of Fasting in the Orthodox Church, by Father Seraphim (Rose) of Platina.
• A Study of English Orthodox Theological Terms Compared to the Original Greek, by the Holy Monastery of St. Gregoriou, Mount Athos.
• Saint Seraphim of Viritsa's Spiritual Testament: "This Was From Me", by Metropolitan Manuel Lemeshevsky. An edifying message for handling trials and temptations.
• Photos from My Recent Pilgrimage to Greece and Romania, by Patrick Barnes. Enjoy hundreds of new photos from Greece and Romania in the newly overhauled OrthodoxInfo Photo Albums on Picasa. Prints of select photos are available for sale. Please inquire if interested.
• Lenten Resources, a superb collection from Monachos.net.
• Letter from Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus (Church of Greece) to the Papist Bishop of Syros Island. Translated from the Greek newspaper Orthodox Press, November, 2007. In these confusing times of "ecumenical dialog," thank God for Orthodox Hierarchs who clearly state the Church's position viz-a-viz Roman Catholicism. This Bishop knows and acts upon what another Bishop recently and so eloquently stated: "True love for a Christian is to secure eternal life for one's neighbor, which means you straightforwardly say he is in error, and try to return him to the truth, directing him onto the path of salvation."
• Postcards from Greece, a podcast by Fr. Peter Heers. I highly recommend this superb new podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
• Ora et Labora. This is the best blog I've seen on Orthodox Christianity. The blogger, a Russian Orthodox clergyman who wishes to remain anonymous, posts frequently and with considerable insight and erudition.

Dear Friends of the OCIC,

I hope Great Lent is going well, and that you are reaping the fruits of your spiritual labors.

I just posted a major update. Details below. In a few weeks I will have more to post, including excerpts from the forthcoming book by Fr. John Romanides entitled Patristic Theology. You can read a little about the book on the distributor's Web site  (Uncut Mountain Supply).

I ask for your prayers.

In XC,

Patrick Barnes

===========

March 10/23, Second Sunday of Great Lent. Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and with

those with him.

• Announcing an important new book: The Boundless Garden: Selected Short Stories, Volume I, by Alexandros Papadiamandis. Read the Introduction and one of the stories entitled "A Village Easter: Memories of Childhood".
• Another noteworthy new book is The Life and Teachings of Saint Seraphim of Sarov.With thirty-one short chapters on a variety of topics, such as peace ofsoul, the light of Christ, tears, repentance, fasting, guarding themind, etc., this book is sure to have a little something for allreaders. Here is an excerpt:

13. On feats.

Itis not advisable to undertake excessive feats but to do one's best tomake our friend – our flesh – loyal and capable of performing virtues.

Itis necessary to follow the middle path, 'turn not to the right hand,nor to the left.' (Prv., 4, 27): to give the spirit the spiritualnourishment, and the body – the bodily nourishment, which is needed forthe maintenance of this temporary life. One should not reject thelawful demands of the public life, following the words of theScripture: 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's;and unto God the things that are God's.' (Math. 22, 21)

Oneshould be lenient towards the weaknesses and imperfections of one's ownsoul and endure one's own shortcomings as we tolerate the shortcomingsof our neighbours, and at the same time not become lazy but impeloneself to work on one's improvement incessantly.

Whetheryou have eaten too much or you have done something else of this kind,because of the weakness of human nature, do not become indignant, donot add another harm to the harm which has already happened, but impelyourself manly to correct it and at the same time to preserve peace ofsoul, following the words of the Apostle: 'blessed is he thatcondemneth not himself ….' (Rom. 14, 22). These words of the Saviourhave the same meaning: 'Except ye be converted, and become as littlechildren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' (Math. 18, 3)

Abody which is exhausted by labour or illness should be fortified bymoderate sleep, food and drink, without even taking into account whattime of the day it is. Jesus Christ, immediately after He raisedJairus' daughter from the dead, ' he commanded to give her to eat.'(Lk., 8, 55)

We should refer any success in anythingto God and say with the Prophet: 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, butunto thy name give glory' (Ps. 115, 1).

Before theage of 35, that is, the middle of his life, man needs to undertakeheroic efforts in order to preserve himself, but many at this age strayoff the path of virtues, and become corrupted and follow their ownwishes. Saint Basil the Great attests this (Homilies): many havecollected a lot in their youth, but when they reached the middle oftheir life and the cunning spirits attacked them, they could not standthe tumult and lost everything they had collected.

Inorder not to experience such a transformation, one should examineoneself as one measured by ordeals and pay heed to oneself during one'sentire life, following the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian: 'Everyoneshould weigh his life as if on the scale.' (Homily 40)

• A Guide to Confession. A helpful set of questions to help one prepare for the Mystery of Confession.
• The Lord's Prayer: A Homily by Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregoriou, Mount Athos. Available in four Languages!
• Thoughts on Fasting and Temperance, by Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich.
• The Condition of Society, by Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich.
• Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich: Honoring an American Apostle, by Hieromonk Damascene.
• Metropolitan Laurus, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia: May his memory be eternal! Extensive coverage of his repose and life can be found on the Ora Et Labora blog.
• The Monk's Mission, by Elder Paisios the Athonite.
• Agrassroots movement to establish a unified and autocephalous OrthodoxChurch in North America seems to be gaining momentum. I was awakened tothis by the outstanding series of interviews that Kevin Allen conductedon his engaging and informative "Illumined Heart"podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. I have gathered the key resources Icould find in order to learn more about this challenging problem. Findthem in the new section on the "Orthodoxy in America" page.
• In the last update I neglected to add a link to this article by Fr. Theodore Zissis, which he wrote after the Letter from Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus (Church of Greece) was published.
• If anyone has an extra copy, or would be willing to part with, the issue of Divine Ascent: A Journal of Orthodox Faith dedicated to St. Nikolai of Japan, please let me know.

April 16/29, BRIGHT TUESDAY. Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene of Lesvos.

• Chapter 1: What is the Human Nous?
• Chapter 24: What is the Core of Orthodox Tradition?
• Chapter 29: On Conservatives and Liberals

Christ is Risen! This is just a quick notice to spread the word about some upcoming summer conferences:

• "Life in the Holy Spirit": June 20-22 at Saint Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA. Hosted by the Holy Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring. Speaker is Constantine Zalalas.
• "Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century": June 17-22 in Erie, PA. It is the second conference hosted by the Russian Orthodox Old Rite parish.
• "Living Orthodoxy in Modern America" (Summer Family Camp): July 28 - August 1 near Eugene, OR. Hosted by Saint John the Wonderworker Serbian Orthodox Church in Eugene.

Christ is Risen! This is just a quick notice to spread the word about some upcoming summer conferences:

• "Life in the Holy Spirit": June 20-22 at Saint Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA. Hosted by the Holy Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring. Speaker is Constantine Zalalas.
• "Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century": June 17-22 in Erie, PA. It is the second conference hosted by the Russian Orthodox Old Rite parish.
• "Living Orthodoxy in Modern America" (Summer Family Camp): July 28 - August 1 near Eugene, OR. Hosted by Saint John the Wonderworker Serbian Orthodox Church in Eugene.

May 22/June 4, Apodosis of Pascha. Martyr Basiliscus, Bishop of Comana.

• Memorandum on the Participation of the Orthodox Church in the World Council of Churches (18 February, 2007), by The Theological Committee of the Sacred Community of Mount Athos. These are the newly translated conclusions of this committee from an approximate sixty-page report sent secretly to the Oecumenical Patriarch last year.
• Saint Anthony the Great and Ecumenism, by Protopresbyter Theodore Zissis.
• A Homily on Abortion, by Bishop Basil of Wichita.
• An Interesting Interview with the new First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion.
• Photos of Recent Pilgrimages to Holy Archangels Monastery (near San Antonio, TX) and the Convent of Saint Paraskevi (near Houston, TX).

"Beloved brother, after the recently celebrated Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, after the joy of Christ's Resurrection, now that the path of asceticism has opened up also for you, you should likewise continue in prayer in anticipation of that great and crowning feast of Holy Pentecost. Of course, ever since that first Pentecost in the time of the holy Apostles, the Holy Spirit has continuously and consistently been and ever will be in the Church, and His grace, without ever diminishing, performs all the Mysteries through the course of the year. But know that on the Feast of Holy Pentecost, when the Holy Church triumphantly celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, this is not only a remembrance of a past event—even though this particular event in time was of great significance both for the past and for the present and for the future (all feasts and mysteries celebrated by the Church possess significance for the future)—but this is also a special and most abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Church, when His grace is signed most powerfully upon all those who on that day come to church with prayer, and, bending their hearts and knees, pray to receive the Holy Spirit into their souls and a blessing upon their lives.

"The holy Apostles, as we said, continued in prayer and supplication, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. So likewise do you, following their example, pray in advance and with fervent prayer prepare yourself in such a way that the grace of the Holy Spirit not only touch you but that it come to abide constantly in your heart. Do not think that the time between Ascension and Pentecost is some kind of empty space. No, this time is given to us with a purpose, that we might prepare ourselves to receive a great gift and mystery. Further, it does not say in Scripture that, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles continued in prayer and fasting, as they did on other occasions (Acts 13:3; 14:23; I Cor. 7:5; II Cor. 6:5, 11:27). It says simply that they continued in prayer and supplication, and that their waiting for this great gift (Acts 11:20) was not joined with any labors or difficulties; their ascesis in this case was only spiritual. The descent of the Holy Spirit was the beginning of a New age, the foretaste of a blessed life in heaven, where there will be rewards for ascetic labors but not the labors themselves; it will be a time of rest and tranquility, not labors and battles... And of you is required, now, no fasting or prostrations, but only the joyous anticipation of grace and an abiding in prayer. Take care that you are not negligent in this regard. Like Christ's holy disciples in ancient times, so too, you, who are also Christ's disciple, remain in church, praising and blessing God (Luke 24:53).

"And so, after the Lord's Ascension in the flesh and until Pentecost, the holy Apostles awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit had not yet descended, the Church had not yet received that invaluable, precious gift. The Body of the Church was still soulless, inanimated, as it were. The Holy Spirit had not yet come to give life to and to animate the Church of Christ; the heart of the Church had not yet begun to beat.

"O Holy Spirit, come and enter into the heart of the Church of the Son of God! O Holy Spirit, come also into our earthly temples and into our hearts! Yes, brother, the Holy Spirit will come into God's temples. Take care that He likewise come into your soul and body. You know that the Church is there where the Holy Spirit dwells; without the Holy Spirit there is no Church. For this reason heretical assemblies cannot be called the Church, even though their external form might resemble the Church. Know that this is merely a corpse without life. The Holy Spirit is there where there is correct faith and unyielding confirmation in virtue and truth. It is about such a Church that the Lord testifies as of His Bride, addressing her prophetically: Thou art all fair, My companion, and there is no spot in thee (Song of Solomon 4:7)." (From Reflections of a Humble Heart, pp. 33-35)

• My Debate with a Reformed Protestant. On July 2, 2008 I was invited to participate in a three-way discussion with two brothers, Robin (Protestant) and Patrick Phillips (a convert to Orthodox from Protestantism). We had a friendly exchange that, I hope, clarified Robin's understanding of the Orthodox Church and Her claims. Thank you, Robin and Patrick, for this opportunity.

July 27/August 9, Holy Great-martyr and Healer Panteleimon.

• Buddhism and Eastern Asceticism Compared to Orthodox Christian Asceticism. An excerpt from The Hidden Man of the Heart: The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology, by Archimandrite Zacharias.
• The Origins of Christianity, by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna.
• From the Little Mountain: Reflections on Orthodox Christian Monasticism (DVD). This is a superb 32-minute movie that all Orthodox Christians should watch. I was very impressed with the content and production quality. Help support Hermitage of the Holy Cross and buy this DVD!
• A Second Debate with a Reformed Protestant. Although this debate is entitled "Is Protestantism Heretical?", it quickly turned into a debate on epistemology before reaching an impasse. Perry Robinson also commented on the debate.
• My apologies for this commercial, but please consider buying an Amazon Gift Certificate this month for a friend or family member using the link in the upper right next to the search box. This helps support the site. Thank you!

• Shine As the Sun: C.S. Lewis and the Doctrine of Deification, by Chris Jensen (Road to Emmaus). One of the best articles I've ever read on C.S. Lewis.
• Notes on the Jesus Prayer, by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov (Road to Emmaus).
• What Beef Have Women Theologians with Divine Order? Orthodox Theologies of Women and Ordained Ministry, by Rebecca Herman. A response to Dr. Valerie Karras's argument for women Priests in Thinking Through Faith—New Perspectives from Orthodox Christian Scholars (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2008).
• Photos from Feast Day of St. Paisius Convent in Safford, AZ, November 28, 2008. These photos show the tremendous progress the nuns have made in building their beautiful Byzantine-style church (modeled after St. Nicholas Church at St. Anthony's Monastery in Florence, AZ). They need a plasterer! The convent is in great need of a real plasterer (i.e., not a stucco man—there is a difference). The plasterer does not need to have any experience with limestone plaster specifically. They just need to be able to screed a wall flat (using beads is normal), watch the curing in order to add a second color coat on top of the first at the right time, etc. Anyone who has experience with traditional plaster should be able to learn how to apply the product they are using. The convent is willing to pay for travel. If you can help or know of anyone that can, please contact them.

March 24/April 6, Forefeast of the Annunciation. Venerable Zacharias the Recluse of Egypt (4th c.).

• A Liturgical Explanation of Holy Week, by Father Alexander Schmemann.
• On the Priesthood (MP3): Three Audio Lectures by Fr. Josiah Trenham.
• Embracing the Cross of Christ (MP3): Four Audio Lectures by Fr. Paul Jaroslaw.
• Saint John Chrysostom for the 21st Century, by Fr. Josiah Trenham. See especially Part IV.
• Safely Home to Heaven, A Letter from an Orthodox Nun to a Former Calvinist. From Road to Emmaus.
• Raising Children According to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Theodoros Zisis.
• The Lord's Prayer Interpreted according to Saint Maximos the Confessor, by Protopresbyter Theodoros Zisis.
• Announcing a new book: Solovetski Patericon: The Holy Fathers of the Solovetski Isles (Gozalov Books, The Hague).

• A Hermenueutic of the Old Testament (MP3), Three Audio Lectures by Archpriest Joseph Hirsch. A superb set of talks on the Orthodox principles of interpretation of the Old Testament.
• Spiritual Study, By Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994). An Excerpt from Spiritual Awakening.
• Connecticut's 5th Century Church, By John Gallager. A fascinating article about Orthodox Christians in North America over 1500 years ago. From Ancient American, Issue #54.
• A Lenten Commentary on Humor, Laughter, and Frivolity, By Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna.
• The Person of the Theotokos in Protestant Theology, By Presbyter Basileios A. Georgopoulos, Th.D.
• Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, by George Karras. This is a summary of the classic book by Jerry Mander.
• Photos of the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring. See also the new pictures in the photo album for Saint Anthony the Great Monastery, especially those of the recently built Chapel of the Holy Prophet Elias.

September 4/18, The Holy Prophet Zacharias, Father of the Venerable Forerunner.

• The Unity of the Church and the World Conference of Christian Communities [MP3 Audio Book], By Saint Hilarion (Troitsky). Read by Patrick Barnes. This is the first audio book offered by the Orthodox Christian Information Center. Please send your feedback!
• Heresy vs. Truth: A Response to Dr. Peter Bouteneff [PDF and MP3], By Patrick Barnes. This is my response to Dr. Bouteneff's two-part Ancient Faith Radio podcast episode on ecumenism. This is the first time I have offered an article in both audio and text formats. I did an audio version because I am replying to Dr. Bouteneff's audio comments. I am also considering a podcast series for OrthodoxInfo.

• An Open Response to Patrick Barnes, by Dr. Peter Bouteneff. I am grateful to Dr. Bouteneff for taking time out of his busy schedule to respond to my criticism of his podcasts. I will be posting a "response to his response" in the near future.
• What Pan-Orthodox Decision?, by Fr. Anastasios K. Gotsopoulos, parish Priest of St.Nicholas' Church, Patrae, Greece. This is a response to the Ecumenical Patriarch's harsh criticism of the "Confession of Faith Against Ecumenism". Links in this article will help those who wish to study this matter understand what is taking place in Greece concerning ecumenism. Awareness of this "Confession" is spreading to America, as is the debate. The entire matter is of utmost importance and worthy of the attention of all Orthodox Christians.

Warm greetings in Christ! Posted tonight, November 5/18 (Martyrs Galacteon and his wife Episteme at Emesa):

• Heresy vs. Truth, Part II: A Reply to Dr. Bouteneff's "Open Response to Patrick Barnes", by Patrick Barnes.
• Blessed Are They Which Are Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake, Sermon Nine on the Beatitudes, from the highly edifying new book Delight in the Law of God, by the Rev. Dr. James Thornton.
• Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbour, Sermon Nine on the Commandments of God, from the highly edifying new book Delight in the Law of God, by the Rev. Dr. James Thornton.

Dear Friends of the OCIC,

Warm greetings in Christ! I hope this finds you well. The following was just posted to OrthodoxInfo.com.

Asking for your prayers and wishing you all a joyous Nativity,

Patrick Barnes

December 5/18, Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified.

• A Strange Miracle of St. Nicholas, translated by Moses Hawk.
• Holy Scripture and the Church,by New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop of Verey. This is anespecially important article for Protestants to read. From The Orthodox Word, Issue #264-265, Jan-Apr 2009.
• Preaching the Gospel of Christ in the Modern World, by Hieromonk Damascene. From The Orthodox Word, Issue #250, Sep.-Oct. 2006, Vol. 42, No. 5.
• Edifying Blog on the Writings of Elder Paisios the Athonite and Living an Orthodox Life.Fr. Luke Hartung is translating some of the writings of Elder Paisiosas well as posting some helpful things about life in the Church. Wellworth reading and following.

December 18/31, Martyr Sebastian at Rome and his companions: Martyrs Nicostratus, Zoe, Castorius, Tranquillinus, Marcellinus, Mark, Claudius, Symphorian, Victorinus, Tiburtius, and Castulus (287).

• John the Blessed, a special story by Photios Kontoglou for the Civil New Year and Feast of St. Basil. Translated by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna, who noted elsewhere: "The story, whatever the time of year, is a charming statement about those who, so rare in today's world, sense the presence of God, live simply in concord with the world as He created it, and show that joy which comes from a wholly natural and simple way of life." If you enjoy this story you should also read the short stories of Alexandros Papadiamandis: The Boundless Garden.

Dear Friends of the OCIC,

September 10/23, Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora at Nicomedia (305).

• Fr. Paul Tarazi: From Study to Heresy! A Critique of his Book Introduction to the New Testament: Paul and Mark, by Archimandrite Touma (Bitar), Abbot of the Monastery of St. Silouan in Douma, Lebanon.
• A Critical Commentary on the book On the Nature of Christ by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. Reviewed by Seminarian Nicholas Vester, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Autumn 2005.
• The History and Development of the Orthodox-Oriental Dialogue, a multi-part series by Minas Monir.