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W relacjach skrzywdzonych kobiet często powtarzają się słowa „czułam się jego własnością”. Manipulatorzy w sutannach psychicznie i duchowo obezwładniają swe ofiary, korzystając z sakralnego autorytetu instytucji kościelnej, która udziela im władzy duchowej nad wiernymi.
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In this study, we would first like to show the nature of the pneumatic relationship of the Romanian disciple, the great Father Dumitru Stăniloae to the Greek master, Saint Maximus the Confessor; then, we would take as an example the theme of the transfiguration of suffering by the Incarnate Word; finally, it seems interesting to me to look into some aspects of the ascetic theology of Saint Maximus that the Romanian theologian underlines.
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In addressing the issue of discontinuity in ritual and its subsequent innovations, we must address the question of the role of memory. It is memory that allows rituals to be repetitive? If culture filters what is remembered, is memory always social, approving, accommodating, and reconstructing? A partial distributive memory found in members of the same society can be reassembled on ritual occasions, just as a structural amnesia can lead to discarding those rituals which a society no longer deems pertinent. Semantic or individually de-contextualised memory is different from an individual’s episodic recollections that concern his or her own biography. This last distinction is mobilised in healing rituals that concern one’s somatic well-being and psychological biography.
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The topic that I approach in this study is part of the current and immediate theological preparation by relating to the saints and through holiness understood as participation at the Person of Christ Our Saviour. Here one can find particularly important aspects for highlighting the spiritual life of the past and of today, together with questions and answers that may clarify, at least in part, what exactly the personality of the great hegumen from Neamt Monastery, St. Paisius of Neamtu (1722-1794) and of the “Confessor of the Romanians” Archimandrite Paisius Olaru (1897-1990) represented for the life of the Church and for the people of faith.
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The present article aims to outline the life and work of a great Romanian saint, little known, lover of silence and wilderness, and also a monk formed in the Athonite spirit of long night vigils, fasting and asceticism, becoming honored in Romanian, Greek and Russian Orthodoxy – Saint Antipas of Calapodesti.The beginning of the presentation will include a brief introduction in which I will recall the biographical sources of the saint, the publication of the biography and the canonization of Father Antipas. The following chapters will deal with the wonderful life of Saint Antipas of Calapodesti: His wonderful childhood, full of hardships, but also of searching for God's comforting grace, the sight of the uncreated light and the decision to follow the monastic life, the temptations overcome with the help of the Most Loving God and His Blessed Mother, his departure and his stay in the Holy Mountain, his complete obedience and humility, which led him to leave his beloved wilderness in the Holy Mountain and return to the city of Iasi to collect alms, his departure to Russia, also out of complete obedience, and his stay with blessing at the Valaam monastery in northern Russia.For the final part of the presentation, I have selected from the archive of the Prodromu Monastery in the Holy Mountain, a fragment from a personal letter of Father Antipas, which highlights the spiritual gifts that adorned this Romanian Saint.
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The study below analyses extensively The Law for the Election of Metropolitans and Diocesan Bishops as well as for the Establishment of the Holy Synod of the Holy Autocephalous Romanian Orthodox Church, issued in 1872: structure, historical context, effects. We wished to highlight the fact that the law constituted the basis of the following church regulation that underwent constant improvements until today. It was also the basis for founding the highest Church authority: the Holy Synod.
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The Orthodox Romanian deanery of Chişinău-Criş is one of the historic tracts within the Eparchy of Arad. Attested by documents in the second half of the 18th century, for two hundred years it will contribute to the development and good running of church, social and even national-political life. Taking into account the multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-confessional challenges in these parts of the country we will realize that the effort made in this regard was colossal. Endowed by God, through the diocesan authorities, with capable Archpriests and vocational priests, the Chişinău-Criş Archdiocese will endure the hardships of the times, including after the establishment of the communist regime in Romania. However, shortly after its bicentennial, in 1968 it will be abolished. Thus ends the existence of one of the oldest and most dynamic deaneries that has shaped the history of the Arad's Episcopate for two centuries.
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Today’s Orthodox Christian parents insist on giving priority to the religious education, even if their limited time obstructs them from participating in the service of a church as much as they would prefer. The Orthodox Christian communities lack the practice of getting together for purposes connected with specific parental interests. Early childhood is the most important period for a person’s development. Preschool time necessitates the maximum attention from the parents. The model provided by the close adults is absorbed by children thanks to the rapid evolvement of the brain till the age of five. Parents’ religious life influences the connection between the child and the living God. The parents’ involvement in the activity of a parochial church contributes enormously to the child’s emotional development. Social abilities are easily acquired when preschoolers enjoy multifold opportunities to interact with other children. The dynamics of an Orthodox Christian family is endorsed by its devotion to the religious aspect of life. Staying close to God and fulfilling His commandments changes the entire life.
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Review of: Ioan-Vasile Leb, Gabriel-Viorel Gârdan, Marius Eppel, Emilian-Iustinian Roman, Mircea-Gheorghe Abrudan. 2022. Instituţii Ecleziastice Ortodoxe. Izvoare legislative bisericeşti şi laice (sec. XVIII-XX). Iaşi: Doxologia, 2 vol.
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The catholic tradition in the area of Gračanica dates back to the period of the medieval Bosnian state, and the first mention of the catholic parish in Gračanica – as an organized religious congregation – dates back to 1623. However, this parish was already non-existent by the first half of the XVII century, most likely due to religious conversion or emigration. The restoration of the catholic community in Gračanica came after the Austro-Hungarian occupation (1878), when a large number of families moved to Gračanica, mainly civil servants, state employees, entrepreneurs, qualified craftsmen, etc. In the beginning the Catholics of this town belonged to the Špionica parish, and from 1900 to the Doboj parish. After the First World War, Gračanica was merged with the parish of Lukavac, only to be returned to the Doboj parish in 1931 – to which it belongs to this day. The Catholics of Gračanica gathered in their own religious community. Gathered in this way, they started the construction of their own church, that is, a chapel, in 1906, which was only completed after the end of the First World War. The catholic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gračanica has been a valuable cultural and historical monument since these times, and a recognizable symbol of Gračanica that all residents of this city consider as part of their own heritage.
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The current world, characterised by a dynamic full of continuous fluctuations and challenges, urges us to change perspectives regarding the educational phenomenon. There is a growing interest for the holistic development of the human being so that s/he could face the imperatives of the contemporary society. The present article creates a favourable opportunity to highlight that the harmonious formation of human individuality was first described many centuries ago. St. John Chrysostom, who adopts a broad approach to the education topic, points out that a responsible educational process should offer a holistic development to people. Thus, we aim to analyze Christian and modern pedagogy discourses in a comparative manner, in order to demonstrate the modernity of the Antiochian pedagogue’s view on education. We investigated the degree of overlapping between the Hrisostomian pedagogical ideas and the current theories of personality development. Also, our content analysis looks into the number of references regarding the children’s upbringing and education as compared to the recurrent topics in the works of St. John Chrysostom. We analyzed St. John’s recommendations on the child’s development, virtues and values, so we can integrate them in contemporary formative contexts. The outcome reveals that the writings of the Christian pedagogue align with the current desideratum of the Romanian educational system. We consider theses pedagogical suggestions and the good practices that are given to be valuable instruments as they are up to date in terms of educational principles, methods and content and they satisfy the needs and the specifics of the educational process beneficiaries.
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Digital technology is an essential part ofcontemporary life. It is found in almost all areas of professionalactivity, but also in our personal life, in our family and in ourhomes, transforming our relationships with others: relatives,friends, colleagues and even with ourselves, leading to a „digitalself” – term used by the experts to describe the new phenomenon. After twenty years of research, it is found that, beyond thepositive aspects and improvements that digital devices can bringto our lives, in the absence of self-control and discernment, carefulconduct, a digital philosophy and ethics, they can cause manyforms of compulsive behaviour, cyber addictions, loneliness anddepression. Confronted with these unwanted negative effects, specialists recommend the adoption of appropriate digital conduct principles, a „digital ethics”, a „family digital strategic plan”, some of their forms constituting „an appropriate digital parenting”towards children and teenagers, and a „digital detox” and „digital minimalism”, in the case of adults.
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The hesychast prayer is not only an elevation of the mind towards God, accompanied by a steadfast will and a sober sanctification corresponding to this state of mind, but it is also a gift of God’s grace, offered to the devout, who persevere unceasingly in fervent, sincere prayer, pure and undisturbed by passionate thoughts. In their souls the gifts of the Spirit bear full fruit (Galatians 5, 22): tranquility, joy, peace, trust, comfort, gentleness and all the other benefits that spring from true prayer. Whoever has reached this stage of prayer and tasted the unspeakable beauty of her spiritual gifts has reached the light of God’s knowledge, the contemplative life, lived in the Spirit and in truth (John 4, 24). Prayer is the food of our spiritual life, for without it our soul cannot survive. Prayer is our spiritual breath, the means by which we cultivate the relationship of communion with God, we manifest our love and trust towards Him and we acquire from Him all that is useful for our souls and bodies, as the Savior entrusted us, saying: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16, 23). The Holy Fathers made prayer the object of their daily activity. They practiced prayer in the ideal way, concentrating their mind on God, removing from it tempting thoughts and passionate imaginings and lowering it into the depths of the heart, to inflame it with the spirit of divine love and turn it into the purified abode of the Holy Spirit.The purity of the humble thought and the sincere and loving heart make the prayer fruitful, descending the divine grace into our souls, to enlighten them and direct them on the path of salvation. In the exercise of prayer, we also ask for the intercession of the saints, because these “households of God” (Ephesians 2, 19) can intervene with Him for us, to protect us from dangers, to deliver us from troubles, to help us overcome sin and to win the crown of salvation. Of all the saints, the Mother of God is our most fervent intercessor and supporter. As the spiritual mother of Christians, she is the perfect model of persistent prayer for the human race. God fulfills our requests especially when we pray for the health, growth, help and salvation of our neighbour. Prayer is the invincible weapon with which we defeat the devil’s devices and illusions, our conversation with God and the royal path on which we direct our steps to heaven.
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Through his monastic experience, Father Arsenie Boca reached a spiritual state that gave him the gift of seeing in depth the shortcomings of the contemporary monastic life. Therefore, in the work „Monastic life practice” he approaches profound issues of the monastic life, with an astonishing pragmatic thinking. Even if he talks about situations that can be difficult to accept, especially when the „official” position is to avoid discussing these delicate problems of the Romanian monastic life, Father Arsenie follows the path shown by the Fathers of the Church, underlining the difference between the Philokalical perspective and the worldly mindset, present even among monks. His work is relevant even today, not only for unmasking the monastic problems, but especially for the profound spiritual solutions offered for solving them. His teachings contained in this volume have a special authority, not only because they were dedicated exclusively to the monks, in a very straightforward manner, but also because the indication of obvious shortcomings, together with their solution, illustrates the complexity of the spiritual life.
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In the first part of this study, I want to demonstrate that human life is a great gift received from God for our salvation, and therefore we have a great responsibility to protect and transfigure it through prayer. Next, I will underline the importance of the personal and communal prayer for the transfiguration of our lives. In this way, I will develop the theme of the Prayer of Jesus, which becomes a liturgy of the mind, and, in parallel, I will present the connection of the liturgy of the mind with the ecclesial and the cosmic liturgy.
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The Christian who advances in the likeness of God does not direct his attention only to God and his fellowmen, but also to Creation, to the world and the surrounding nature. The world that surrounds him and in which he walks and which he looks at every day is a means of meeting God, of amazement and contentment. On the one hand, by paying attention to Creation, man shows his love and gratitude towards God, love and care towards his neighbor. On the other hand, also in the love of God and people there is the power to change the human soul in such a way that the love spills over the Creation as well. The surrounding world can be an opportunity for rise or fall, and this depends on how man looks at and receives, every day, this gift from God. The more he grows in love and, in general, in virtue, detaching himself from sin, the more attention and care for Creation improves.
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The spiritual life depends on the thoughts that man cultivates in his mind and heart. He must constantly distinguish between good and bad thoughts and also fight against them. Evil thoughts are often „wolves in sheep’s clothing”, and if a man has been wounded by them he has to seek the necessary „medicines” for healing. The Philocalic Fathers tell us that man has to fight against four enemies: the body, the imagination, the sinful habits and the demons. When the soul loses the battle against one of these four enemies, the mind loses its freedom. In order to escape, in order to be cured, it can use the following medicines: vigilance or guarding of the thoughts, hesychia, fear of God, avoidance of occasions that give birth to evil thoughts, hard work and ascetic life, prayer, confession of thoughts and, last but not least, spiritual reading. All these are aimed at bringing the mind to its first state: apathia.
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By confessing the mystery of God, the entire creation is an essential way through which man can grow spiritually, transfiguring himself and rising to the knowledge of his Creator. In this sense, Saint Basil the Great develops, in the nine Homilies at Hexaemeron a profound and original cosmology, opening the soul and mind of his believers to the secret depths of creation. An erudite Cappadocian, the great hierarch of the Christian Church paints, with deep wisdom and spiritual skill, the picture of the world brought into existence by God from nothing, using his vast theological, astronomical, philosophical and biblical-exegetical wisdom. Saint Basil the Great deals, in detail, with the daily divine activity of the creation of the world, elaborating a true theology of creation, which will become later an important point of reference for the entire patristic cosmology. All the six days of the creative act are a preparation for the creation of man, which appears, following the divine counsel (Genesis 1, 26), as a crowning of the entire creation, being the point of intersection of the spiritual and the material world. The light, the sky, the standing and flowing waters, the fruit trees and all the plants of the earth, the stars that adorn the firmament, the swimming animals, the flying birds and all the land mammals find their fulfilment at the end of the divine creative activity, when man, the miniature cosmos, is brought into existence, and God reveals Himself as one in being, but threefold in Persons. Therefore, the entire creation is meant to be an environment of affirming man in communion with God, nature being, thus, a vital context by which man advances ontologically towards the Tabor of divine glory, the place where one lives, spiritually, the eternity of the eighth day.
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Illness and its consequences, as an integral part of human life, are often presented in biblical accounts. The Bible, however, puts the main focus of interest not on the depiction of the dramatic experience of the individual but rather on the theological interpretation of disease as a righteous punishment for sin. Hence, except for the Book of Job, the description of man’s suff ering is one-sided, concise and laconic. Descriptions of isolation are another matter. The examples analysed in this article — Job, King David, Jesus of Nazareth, st. Elizabeth, the anonymous daughter of Jephthah, John the Baptist and the Hebrews during their journey to Canaan — illustrate various models of experiencing the phenomenon of isolation. They can be assigned to three paradigms: isolation–alienation, isolation–integration, as well as isolation–crisis–rebellion. Due to the specifi c nature of the literary genre, this paper is based on the narrative books of the Bible. The Book of Psalms and prophetic books were excluded from this analysis.
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