Orthodox Edification

July 2014 Archives

Posts on Orthodox subjects such as spirituality, practices, saints, services, and history

A Simple Rule of Prayer — Ascribed to St. Pachomius and to St. Seraphim of Sarov

The holy Apostle Paul has told each of us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Most of us know that we are far from achieving this goal: to pray without ceasing, we must first at least pray frequently; and to pray frequently most of us must first pray regularly according to some rule. The Church gives us many helpful rules of prayer. Most prayer books include useful sets of morning and evening prayers, prayers at mealtimes, and so on.

The following short rule is sometimes called the “Rule of St. Pachomius,” sometimes “The Little Rule of St Seraphim.” It is said to have been given by an angel (more…)

A Miracle in Austria

posts-icon-czar-nicholas-ii28 June 2014 marked the centenary of the tragic assassination, planned by freemasons, of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his spouse Sophia, Duchess of Hohenberg. This was the spark that lit the powderkeg of Europe and so led to the First World War. Carefully planned by international freemasonry and carried out by a manipulated young Bosnian student, the assassination successfully destroyed the old Europe for ever and led to the fall of Christian monarchies. Although warned not to visit Sarajevo by the (more…)