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Latter-day Fathers

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain

Gerontissa Gabrielia

Elder Germanos of Stavrovouni

Stories from the Desert Fathers

On Good and Evil

On Lasciviousness

On Avarice

On Repetance

On Prayer

On Fasting

On Labour

On Confession

On Matrimony

On Holy Communion

Gerontikon of
Mt. Athos

Elder Joseph the Hesychast and the teaching of mental prayer which flowed
from his letters

Prayer of the heart for the Faithfull Living in the world

With the Fathers

On the Necessity of Constant Prayer for all Christians

Hermas: The Shepherd

First Vision

Second Vision

Third Vision

Fourth Vision

Fifth Vision

First Commandment

Second
Commandment

Third Commandment

Forth Commandment

Fifth Commandment

Sixth Commandment

Seventh
Commandment

Eighth Commandment

Ninth Commandment

Tenth Commandment

Eleventh
Commandment

Twelwth
Commandment

First Similitude

Second Similitude

Third Similitude

Forth Similitude

Fifth Similitude

Sixth Similitude

Seventh Similitude

Eighth Similitude

Ninth Similitude

Tenth Similitude

St. John Chrysostom - Homily on the passage <Father if it be possible...>

Symeon of
Thessaloniki -
All should pray in the
name of Jesus Christ

Basil of Caesarea - Letter 234 to Amphilochius

Basil of Caesarea - On the Holy Spirit 66-68

The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp

St. John Chrysostom Instructions to Catechumens

First Instruction (1)

First Instruction (2)

First Instruction (3)

First Instruction (4)

First Instruction (5)

Second Instruction (1)

Second Instruction (2)

Second Instruction (3)

Second Instruction (4)

Second Instruction (5)

St. John Chrysostom Three homilees concering the power
of demons

Introduction

Homily 1

Homily 2

Gerontikon of Mt. Athos

A Hesychast Vigil

Once, when St. Nikodemos the Athonite was living in a cell in Kapsala, he set out to attend the vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos at the great Monastery of Iveron of their feastday. On the way, he stopped at cell where there lived a good hesychast elder with his small synodia. His thought was to join them for the Small Vespers and then continue to the vigil festivities at the great Monastery.

As the Vespers began, after the opening psalm, the elder of the house began quietly with the Jesus Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy. . . . . He continued for some time, and when he stopped another of the monks picked up the prayer and continued. And so they went, round and round, from one to the other. To the Lord, to the Theotokos, to the saint of the house. For the monks, for the world, for the departed. In stillness, barely audible, in near complete darkness. Near dawn, when the bells at the Great Doxology were heard from the Monastery, the priest began the Divine Liturgy.

After receiving Holy Communion the fathers took a light meal. The Saint had forgotten to go on to the celebration at Iveron, but the compunctionate vigilance of the elder and his community had been a taste of heaven which he did not regret.

From the lives of various humble monks

Fr. Petronios, dikaios of the Romanian Skete of Prodromos on Mt. Athos relates the following concerning the Romanian fathers.

Come and see the witness of the two little foreigners, said blessed Macarios the Great when some of the fathers came and he showed them the cell of the two brothers who, with silence and deep humility had arrive at great spiritual stature. As in the life of the great ascetic Makarios, so also in the life of venerable Pafnutios,we know that God revealed to them that simple people in the world: two women in a village, a shopkeeper, and a cantor - were spiritually advanced as the father were. From that time when the Grace of the Holy Spirit came into the world on Pentecost, unceasingly it works with His wonderful power. As it made the former fishermen Apostles and simple people into theologians, it fills them with beautiful fruit: love and joy, and peace.

And as the number of unknown saints is greater than the number of those written in the synaxarion and honored with hymns and akolouthias, so the number of the truly humble and unknown is far greater than all of these. Let us set some of these before us with their particular gifts. I have met them among the simple of the world, and also in the monastic life. In what follows, I would introduce some who struggled in the monasteries and whom I had the blessed opportunity to meet and know in my life. I hope that our brothers will benefit spiritually from their example.

Forgiveness

Brother Gabriel was many years in the monastery, but he did not hurry to become a monk. When asked why he did not become a monk, he said, 'It is a great honor to be a monk, but I am not worthy of that honor.' But with his zeal, his work and obedience, there was not a better monk in the monastery.

With other things, Gabriel also had this custom. Every Saturday, before the bell for vespers, he passed by all the cells of the monks and novices saying, 'Bless me and forgive me the sinner.' And the father, knowing his custom, would say, 'May God bless you and forgive you.' And then the novice Gabriel would go on to the next cell until he had finished all of them.

Once I asked him why he did this, and he explained to me: "I read in an old book that every Saturday, after vespers, all the choirs of angels gather before the throne of God to hear the report of the guardian angels of humanity and each comes before the throne of the Heavenly Father and reports the activity of the person. And the angels of people who commit sins are sad, but the angels of the people who do good deads are joyful and brilliant. The Heavenly Father is happy with the good deads and 'there is joy in heaven over the sinner who repents.' Beyond the divine throne there stand two ranks of angels: one radiant and glorious and the other awesome and austere. Then God sends the radiant angels to reward the good people and the awesome to punish the sinners. Therefore I forgive others and ask their forgivesness so that my guardian angel might go up cheerfully with his report to the Heavenly Father and that I might escape the trial of the fearsome angels.

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