Great Lent

In the medieval paintings of the Last Judgment, for example of Hieronymus Bosch or Peter Bruegel, the terrible torments of those parts of the body that man has sinned with in earthly life are depicted. The purpose of this portrayal was to frighten, so as to discourage sinning and earthly iniquities. But sin continues to exist, and the pictures of Bosch and Bruegel, who extracted unprecedented images from the depths of their affected subconsciousnesses, became the inheritance of world culture and museum exhibits. These kinds of images could not stop the iniquities of mankind.

The last judgment begins when the person is condemned by his own conscience. However, it is not worth punishing even your own soul. After all, you can remember all your life your condemnation of another person - suffering will be before our eyes, until we forgive.

There remains only one reward - the deceased and risen Christ, Who brings out of hell of condemnation th souls of all the faithful and those who have not denied Him.

                                                                                                               Archpriest George Zavershinsky

Christmas: Has the genealogy of Christ been outdated?

Every family has children, parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and an ancestor, from whom its history began. For the royal family of Windsor on the island of Great Britain for example, it was George V - the cousin of the last Russian emperor, who looked surprisingly like him. The world treats the royal genealogy of the current British monarch Elizabeth II seriously and even with exaggerated attention. However, that story is nowhere near as ancient as the history of the genealogy of Christ.

In the genealogy of Christ are given the exact names of famous historical figures - Abraham, David and many others who undoubtedly existed. It remains a mystery how it was preserved in such a way that corresponds exactly to the descriptions found in the oldest books of the Bible. What is more certain - a genealogy of a great and powerful personality of this world, or the genealogy of Christ? The answer does not require a long reflection.

There is nothing comparable with the genealogy of Christ in antiquity, the accuracy of the given names and the duration of the "popularity" of the Personality that appeared in this family. The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, and His name sounds in the world incomparably more often than any other name. Since it is impossible to compare another genealogy with the genealogy of Christ, which dates back to the most ancient times, therefore this genealogy is the foundation of the foundations of the life of modern humanity. Can it become obsolete?

                                                                                                               Archpriest George Zavershinsky

photo  -  CHRISTMAS. SCOTTISH BORDERS

To the Feast of the Transfiguration:

Prayer is a flowing river or wind, refreshing us on top of a mountain. It is a cool stream from which the wearied traveler can draw some water and wash his face. Is is the internal prayer that helps the man see himself in true and undistorted light.

Inner monasticism is the Christ’s way, walked by the saints through achieving continuous prayer and the height of happiness. Christ ascended the mountain and was transfigured in front of the apostles which were following him. The path up the mountain is the physical and spiritual ascent to joy. It continues uninterrupted and we ask God for support, and sometimes rest, so we can recover our strength and continue ascending. The end of this long earthly path, which will continue after this life, is when the need to pray will becomes a natural state of our being.

I congratulate you on the occasion of the beginning of Great Lent!

Greeting from Archpriest Georgy Zavershinsky

The entry of Orthodox believers upon Great Lent starts with Forgiveness, and every

day of Lent must be devoted to confession to God and reconciliation with people. It
is only trust and the absence of hypocrisy/self- righteousness in relationships with
God, with oneself and with other people that help a person to survive. And moreover,
not just to ‘save one’s face’ in this life, but to come into eternity with joy, gratitude
and acceptance of it with every person. We shall strive to be ready to appear before
God in eternity with any of those people whom He allows us to encounter in life.

 Greeting from Archpriest Georgy Zavershinsky

Sermons and talks

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God By St. Theophan the Recluse Theophany. [Titus 2:11–14; 3:4–7; Matt. 3:13–17] 

The Baptism of the Lord is called Theophany [God Revealed] because in it the one true God, worshipped in Trinity, revealed Himself so palpably: God the Father—through the voice from heaven, God the Son, incarnate—through His baptism, and God the Holy Spirit—through the descent upon the Baptized. Here the mystery of the relationship between the persons of the Most Holy Trinity is also revealed. God the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, but does not proceed from the Son. Here also is revealed the fact that the incarnate Divine economy of our salvation is accomplished by God the Son incarnate, coexisting with the Holy Spirit and God the Father. And it is revealed that the salvation of each person can be accomplished no way other than in the Lord Jesus Christ, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, according to the good will of the Father. All the Christian Mysteries shine here with their divine light and enlighten the minds and hearts of those who with faith celebrate this great festival. Come, let us mentally hasten on high and plunge ourselves into the contemplation of these mysteries of our salvation, singing, “When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest”—a salvation which in trinity establishes us, and in trinity saves us.