By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the Mystery of the Church. When we say "sacrament," we mean an action that surpasses human reasoning, because it does not submit to the measures of the material world. It is an action in which God Himself participates. He sends His grace through material elements such as water, oil, and bread, and these become means for blessing the believers and sanctifying their lives. This is not the place to elabo

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) The discipline (science) of theology is divided into several fields. Instruction in the faith that focuses on Holy Scripture is called biblical theology; instruction concerned with doctrine is called dogmatic theology; and so forth. Instruction in the faith that confronts erroneous concepts or teachings, responds to heresies and distortions, or clarifies the nature and essence of the right faith is called apologetic theology. The Chri

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Divine revelation in Christianity is founded on God's own initiative to reveal Himself. God revealed Himself fully in Jesus Christ: "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9); "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6); "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Yet this divine self-revelation required preparing human beings to become capable of receiving it. God patiently endured centuries of human frailty un

St. Mary of Egypt and St. Zosimas 16th cetnury Greece It is good to hide the secret of a king, but it is glorious to reveal and preach the works of God" (Tobit 12:7). So said the Archangel Raphael to Tobit when he performed the wonderful healing of his blindness. Actually, not to keep the secret of a king is perilous and a terrible risk, but to be silent about the works of God is a great loss for the soul. And I (says St. Saphronius), in writing the life of St. Mary of Egypt,

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Christians initially (in the first century A.D.) knew the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Old Testament and some widely circulated texts of the New Testament. It is worth remembering that printing was not available at that time. Consequently, the complete Bible, with both Testaments and all its books, was not accessible to everyone until the advent of the printing press (Johann Gutenberg, died 1468). From the first century, Christi

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) This simple reflection on Christmas leads us to the Christian concept of giving. The first attitude required of Christians is to be open to the gift of God, because when they accept the divine gift and appreciate its importance and role in their life, they become worthy to practice giving in turn. “By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). The Bible urg

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper) The hymn of the angels at the Nativity of Christ is the key verse to the practical meaning of this feast. The angels of heaven sing: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men' (Luke 2:14). God is always glorified in the highest, and through His presence, peace is achieved on earth and goodwill enters the hearts and souls of mankind. If the glory of God in the highest, the peace on earth, and the goodwill amo

An Interview with Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Question : The media always talks about crises. Is there a Christian definition or concept of crisis? Answer : The word “crisis” indicates simply that something is wrong and unnatural. Crises vary depending on the problems that cause them. The accumulation of problems is what constitutes a crisis. A crisis is more dangerous than a problem because it can make a person lose focus and become distracted, which can make it difficult to d

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) His Eminence presents a three-part series about revitalizing the diaconate in our Archdiocese. Deacons and Martyrs Steven and Lawrence - Mt Athos 17th century To adequately analyze the diaconal ministry, it is first necessary to look back at its history in the Church. How was it actually carried out in the early Church? How did it evolve? Did it expand or contract? Church history shows that there has never been a rigidly fixed or demarcated minist

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) In the story of the man blind from his birth (John 9:1-38), we see a profound gesture. Following the Jewish religious concept, which directly linked physical illness to sin, the disciples asked the Master: “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied: “Neither this man sinned, nor did his parents,” rejecting in his answer a direct relationship between physical illness and sin. Illness is not a punishment fo

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) In man, in every human being, there is an inner longing towards that which is perfect, but often, he is not aware of what that is. Man longs for fulfillment. He has an insatiable desire to get rich from everything. He wants to grow and increase in everything he loves, or in everything he believes is useful or necessary to him. He is never satisfied with anything in this world. You see him always striving, with all his energy and ability, for what

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Icon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council During Holy Week, ecclesiastical media reported news of the ordination of a liturgical deaconess in one of the churches in Zimbabwe, Africa, affiliated with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. I won't delve into the subject of ordaining a deaconess. That's a matter I'll leave to theologians and synods, for now. In this article, I'll simply raise some questions stemming from this event. Such an event requ

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) His Eminence delivered this sermon at St. George Church of Houston, Texas on Renewal (Bright) Monday, May 6, 2024, the celebration of St. George the Great-martyr. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen! My beloved, today we have a great feast and a great saint – St. George, the most popular saint in the Christian world. St. George was a great martyr. He was persecuted so much,

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) April 26, 2024 Tomorrow, according to the liturgical calendar, and tonight, according to the customary timing, we embark on our journey into the Holy Week. We will walk alongside our Lord Jesus Christ step by step in His final days on earth. We will witness his ascent to Golgotha and His resurrection from the dead. But before that, we will immerse ourselves in every detail of the events leading up to his trial. Through meditation on gospel events

Prot. no.: 157/2024 Venerable Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, and Christ-loving Faithful of this Archdiocese, May you have much joy on this glorious feast of Palm Sunday! Today we see Christ riding triumphantly into the Holy City of Jerusalem and the crowds welcoming Him with praise and loving service, as they shout “Hosanna!” and lay down palm branches and even their own clothes as a carpet for His entrance. Let us likewise open our hearts to Him and welcome Him into our lives.

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) The term "repentance" scares many people because self-reflection has become undesirable, if not irrelevant. Today’s human beings do not want to see their own flaws and shortcomings. They prefer to be praised by everyone, honored in every circumstance. Hiding inside all people are illusions about themselves that they don't want to break. People convince themselves that pride provides psychological comfort, and in their stubbornness, they believe in

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) St Gregory of Palamas The joyful Lent is here again. Let us approach it with joy and eagerness. This season nourishes us spiritually, purifying us to rise to the level of life worthy of human beings created in the image and likeness of God. In our Christian circles, Lent is often approached as a mere religious obligation or abstinence from certain foods and drinks for a period of time. In reality, it is an intensive and liberating spiritual exerc

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) The humble person is objective and aware of his duties and rights; he knows the extent of his impact on society and realizes his position and role within it. He does not monopolize his talents and abilities but is happy to share them with others, even if their talents end up exceeding his. He rejoices in other people’s success and is thrilled by their growth and maturity. He knows neither jealousy nor envy, is thankful for everything, and flourish

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Today there is widespread misconception among believers between “being worthy” and “being ready” to receive Holy Communion. Whoever refrains from partaking of the chalice of Holy Communion due to unworthiness is confusing this with unreadiness. No human being is worthy of God dwelling in Him and uniting with Him. Who among us acquires perfect purity and who is among us is without sin? No human being is worthy of this great blessing. God dwells amo

By Metropolitan Saba (Isper) Until the 1970s, the Orthodox did not practice frequent Communion for many reasons, including the liturgical stagnation caused by a long history of continuous persecution. Education ceased and ignorance prevailed, so the prevailing concept was to limit participation in the holy things to a few times a year, such as great feasts. The believers were convinced that man is not worthy to partake of this fearful mystery. There is no doubt that this conv