Our Journey Through Great Lent

Τίτλος Βιβλίου: Αγαπάτε τους Εχθρούς Υμών 

Του Ιεμονάχου Γρηγορίου, Ιερόν Κουτλουμουσιανόν Κελλίον Αγίου Ιωνάννη του Θεολόγου, 'Αγιον Όρος. | By Hieromonk Gregorios, Elder of the Cell of St. John the Theologian, Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mount Athos.

56 Σελίδες, 'Εκδοση Ε', 2018, 11.5 x 16.2 εκ., Μαλακό Εξώφυλλο | 56 Pages, 5th Edition, 2018, 11.5 x 16.2 cm, Softcover

Η αγάπη μας είναι πραγματική μόνο όταν μιμήται την αγάπη του Θεού και προσφέρεται σε όλους χωρίς διακρίσεις. Και η λυδία λίθος που δοκιμάζει την πνευματικότητά μας είναι η αγάπη προς τους εχθρούς. 

 Available in English: "Love Your Enemies" 

Spiritual Counsels, Volume II: Spiritual Awakening

By Saint Paisios the Athonite 

Size: 6" x 9" (15.3  x 23 cm) 

Pages: 410

Binding: Softcover 

From the Introduction to the Elder's Counsels:

"- Geronda, how do you see things going?

 - How do you see things going?

- What can we say, Geronda? You tell us.  

- The present calm worries me. Something is up. We haven't quite understood what times we're living in and we don't even consider that we will die someday. I don't know what will happen; the situation is very difficult! The world's fate is in the hands of a few, but God is still holding the brakes. We need to do a lot of praying with pain and love for God to intervene. We need to take matters seriously and live spiritually. These are very difficult times. Much ash and trash has fallen, there is great indifference. A very strong wind is needed to blow them away. The old timers used to say that the time will come when people will start kicking. All barriers are discarded and nothing is respected. It's terrible! Everything has become Babylon. We must pray for people to come out of this Babylonian captivity. Read the Prayer of the Three Young Men, to see how humbly they prayed; read Psalm eighty three: O God, who shall be compared to Thee? Be not silent, neither be still, O God... We have to do this, otherwise we struggle in vain. We need divine intervention. 

Now, certain European sicknesses have come into the mix and they keep getting worse. A Cypriot family man who lived in England once told me "We are in spiritual danger; I must take my family away from England." Over there you can see a father taking is daughter, a mother her son. Everyone is "crowned" in marriage, everyone is "blessed". I am ashamed to even mention some of the things that are going on. But we don't lose any sleep over it. Now, I'm not saying that we ought to take up banners and marching in protest, but we should turn our attention to the great danger ahead of us and raise our hand to God in prayer. We must defend ourselves against evil. We must put on the brakes because..."

From the Contents:

- Prologue 

- An Introduction to the Elder's Counsels 

- Part One: The Responsibility of Love

- Part Two: Struggle and Devoutness

- Part Three: Spiritual Bravery 

- Part Four: Dependence Upon Heaven

- Part Five: Spiritual Weapons 

Other books in this series: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man, Spiritual Struggle, Family Life, Passions and Virtues, and On Prayer.

Spiritual Counsels, Volume VI: On Prayer

By Saint Paisios the Athonite

Size: 6" x 9" (15.3 x 23 cm) 

Pages: 314

Binding: Softcover 

From Chapter One, Prayer is Conversation with God:

"Blessed are those who have tuned into the Heavenly Station 

- Geronda, what does prayer mean to you? 

- I send a signal; I ask for help. I continuously ask for help from Christ, from Panaghia, from the Saints, for myself and for others. If I do not ask for help, it will not be given to me. 

I remember a time during the Greek Civil War when one thousand, six hundred guerrillas had closely surrounded us. All together, we were but one hundred and eighty soldiers barricaded behind an outcropping of rock. If we were to have been captured, they would have killed us. I kept trying to set up an antenna for the wireless in order to contact Central. I could not; the antenna was repeatedly cut down by the incessant gunfire. The captain shouted at me, " Leave that alone! Come here! Help us heave a crate or tow of grenades!" At the same time, he kept making the rounds of the machine-gun nests to inspect them. As soon as he left, I ran back to the wireless. Until he gave the orders, I kept trying to set up the antenna and also running back to help, so that he would not shout. I finally set up the antenna with a shove and a stick, and managed to make contact. I said but two words. That was it! In the morning, the air force came and saved us. Is it a small matter that one hundred and eighty men surrounded by one thousand, six hundred soldiers were, in the end, saved? 

That incident made me realize that great mission of the monastic: to help through his prayer. Worldly people say, "What do monks do? Why don't they come into the world and help the community?" It is as if they were telling a wireless operator, "What are you doing there with the wireless? Drop the wireless.."

From the Contents:

- Prologue 

- Part One: Communication with God

- Part Two: The Struggle for Prayer

- Part Three: Our Intercessors Before God

- Part Four: "Ask and it Shall be Given You"

- Part Five: The Jesus Prayer and Nepsis

- Part Six: The Life of Worship

- Part Seven: The State of Doxology

- Appendix 

- Index 

Other books in this series: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man, Spiritual Awakening, Spiritual Struggle, Family Life, and Passions and Virtues.

By Hieromonk Gregorios, Elder of the Cell of St. John the Theologian, Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mount Athos.

Size: 4.15" x 6.6" (10.5 cm x 17 cm)

Pages: 100

Binding: Softcover

From the Prologue: The Lord taught this parable because “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’.” (Luke 15:1) Christ lovingly welcomed sinners and ate with them. The Scribes and the Pharisees were unable to comprehend this love and, because of this, grumbled against the benevolent Lord, accusing Him of keeping company with tax collectors and sinners. In order to help them, Jesus told this wonderful parable which incorporates great truths for all believers.

Our icon "The Extreme Humility of Jesus Christ" depicts Jesus Christ, the Immortal God who created the universe. He was reduced to the most humbling of circumstances, publicly put to death as a common criminal in a brutal and humiliating execution, betrayed by one of His closest followers for a handful of silver. Christ’s hands bear the bloody marks of the nails and His side still bleeds from the wound inflicted by the soldier. His head is inclined, eyes closed, in suffering and death. Only a God Who loves humanity deeply, passionately, would undergo such a terrible trial at the hands of His creation.

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This icon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background consists of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here.