The Sin of War - Our Only Enemy Is Death

By Protopresbyter Fr. Thomas Bambinis

The Sin of War

War is a great temptation for the consciences of the faithful. It extinguishes love. They identify it with selfishness, at best they subjugate it to national selfishness. Of course, the battles that take place in defensive wars are not only inevitable, they are also just, but even in these just wars, all the darkness of people is easily manifested, as well as, of course, all of the brilliant greatness of those who struggle on behalf of the just, the sacred and the freedom of their people with selflessness and self-denial, without obvious hatred for the aggressors.

War and the Orthodox Church (George Mantzarides)

By George Mantzarides,
Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the 

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

War, as an armed and bloody conflict of organized groups, is one of the most serious and distressing problems of man, especially in our time. The experience of the two world wars, the endless series of military engagements that followed them, but also the existence of terrifying means of destruction, which can wipe out hundreds of times not only the human race, but also every trace of civilization from the face of the earth, is enough to reveal the magnitude of the problem.

Heraclitus argued that war was the "father of all." This view remains with small variations strong to this day. Many even observe that peace is a form of war, waged with politics or economics. On the contrary, for the Church the "Father of all" is not war, but the God of peace (2 Cor. 13:11). And the coming of God into the world is a gospel of peace (Luke 2:14).

The Burning Issue of Euthanasia

By Archdeacon Raphael Misiaoulis
of the Sacred Metropolis of Tamasos and Oreinis

This past year, and not only, we have seen in the media the issue of euthanasia being discussed by various people and whether a dialogue should be opened on this issue.

Euthanasia as a subject is not easily accessible and this is because both as a concept and much more its transformation into action, leads the individual to dilemmas and controversial situations.

The term "euthanasia" is a term that is purely related to medical science and refers to the cessation of life through the help of a doctor, in order to redeem the person suffering from the pain of their illness and to reach a calm end.

On the contrary, in ancient times, as already mentioned, euthanasia was the good and calm death or the glorious death on the battlefield.

Thoughts on World Contraception Day (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Unfortunately we live in a secular society, even if it is called and self-described as Christian. And of course this Christianity is also secularized.

Within this perspective is the disregard of the daily Christian feasts, in which our Saints are featured by the Church, who are models for our lives and for holiness, and there are other holidays that refer to human life, and in fact to events that are not inspired by the commandments of Christ.

Among the many celebrated world days is "World Contraception Day".* People have established a world day, in which the contraception of the child will be "celebrated", that is, the human desire to feel pleasure, but without the birth of children, which is the continuation of life.

"Give Heed To Thyself" (A Homily of St. Basil the Great)

For St. Basil, "Know Thyself" (Gnothi Seauton) is closely connected with "Give Heed to Thyself" (Proseche Seauton), for you cannot know yourself unless you guard yourself, and you cannot guard yourself unless you know yourself. The origins of this saying is in Deuteronomy 4:9, which says: "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life." Know Thyself and Give Heed to Thyself are so closely connected, that some Church Fathers believed the ancient Greek maxim had its origins in Moses and in Solomon, who says: "If thou know not thyself, thou fair one among women, go thou forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids by the shepherd’s tents" (Song of Songs 1:8).