On this day, Holy and Great Friday, we celebrate the awesome, holy, and saving Passion of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ

Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco

When the glorious disciples at the supper were illumined by the washing of the feet,
then was the impious Judas darkened by the disease of avarice.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?

by St. Luke, Archbishop of Crimea
(April 18, 1954)

Excerpt from St. Andrew of Crete's Homily on Palm Sunday

John 12:1-18
From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. John
by Blessed Theophylact

From "The One Thing Needful” Sermons of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko, 1893-1978)

On April 17-18, the Sunday of Venerable Mary of Egypt, St. Mary of Egypt Church in Roswell (Atlanta), GA celebrated its patronal feast.

This Life of Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt was written down in the seventh century by Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

A Homily by St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

Mark 10:32-45
From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Mark
by Blessed Theophylact

St. Ambrose Elder of Optina

Selected Sayings of St. Barsanuphius of Optina

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Of the first elders of the Pskovo-Pechersk monastery only Mark alone is known by name.

By Metropolitan Philaret
From "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," (Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1978)

Mark 9:17-31
From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Mark
by Blessed Theophylact

Selected sayings of St. Anthony of Optina

Jordanville Readings - Deacon Peter Markevich

God has now wrought a work that is completely new, which never was in past ages, and never will be in the future.

By St. Gregory of Neo-Caesarea

by St. John Chrysostom

An article by St. Tikhon (Bellavin) written when he was still an archimandrite at the Kholm theological seminary

Homily on the Third Sunday of Great Lent by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

“O Invincible and incomprehensible and divine power of the precious and life-giving Cross, forsake not us sinners.”
by Professor I. M. Andreyev

Mark 8:34 - 9:1
From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Mark
by Blessed Theophylact

An icon of the Most Holy Theotokos recently began streaming myrrh in the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in the Ukrainian village of Seltso

On December 26 2013 / January 8 2014, in the 92nd year of her life, Abbess Irina of Novo-Diveevo Convent, departed to the Lord.

An unusual story from the life of the main icon-painter of the Russian diaspora.