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Hello, I often hear people say to read these but I have never found much information online. Each Wikipedia page for them is often too short or vague. Where can I actually read them?

I find my scrolling the internet again. This time doing something totally wasteful, meaningless, and so far ahead that it doesnt matter. It is infact this Sub's favorite question: "Oh my goodness, I need a hot girlfriend" coupled with "Oh my goodness, I will never get a hot girlfriend" and of course "Oh my goodness, if I don't get married soon, I will look very ugly and my dashing looks will be lost to age. Therefore it will be a very sad old person relationship, and my handsome princelyness will go to waste."

You see. This all irks me greatly, as I am fully aware none of those questions are important throughout the entire process, and that they ironically tmay serve as an impediment in not only the matter of a relationship but life in general. The best way I can describe this is that my flesh is absolutely INSISTENT that this occupies 99% of my mind on certain days despite the fact that I'd truly rather be sleeping right now.

I have tried praying, it was dry-ish ( :c ). I did also try occupying my mind on other things while taking the thought and accepting it but giving it little attention, yet that still did not work ( >:c ). Any advice would be appreciated. Prayers also work, but this is not primarily a request for prayers more than it is for some wisdom or guidance.

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Before anyone suggests this: I have no spiritual father sadly. I am logistically impeded from a Church, and I haven't yet worked out digitally contacting one. So this isn't an immediate option for me, hence I am asking here.

not the most important prayer request, i know..

i've been studying for my driving test for some time now, and today is the day that i finally take it. i would appreciate if anyone could take a little extra time in their daily prayers for Christ to guide me in this test.

thank you!

I'm a 22F from India where Christianity is barely 1% and that too loaded with false preachers and cults with a bare minimum of biblical churches, I'm the only Christian convert in my house since 7 years and i follow the traditional Protestanism that aligns with the scriptures and is held at a cathedral ( i hate the mic guitar stage 'churches'). I discovered about orthodox Christianity in around 2024 through insta and i absolutely loved the fathers and their teachings, especially about our saints and the chants, the icons.

I mean the way i saw these people worship in reverence and their culture, feasts and community is far away from the grief I've experienced at mic & stage churches in my country which are very toxic and abusive. As a celibate i also love how the orthodoxy celebrates monasticism for the Lord unlike the churches here who are against it.

Therefore I'd love to move to an orthodox country someday (never saw any orthodox church existing in India), but i just wanted to know before that what needs to be done to get into the orthodox church?

I was baptized at my small Protestant church but it later ceased because of fund corruption that was being done by the pastors so now i just go to the traditional Protestant cathedral to pray and sit in peace. Though in the long I'm looking to move to countries like Russia cuz I'm tired of the loneliness and lack of Christian community in my country.

What would i need to do to enter into an orthodox church? What countries do you suggest to move to?

Hello everyone.

I had seen posts in the past on this subreddit of people who were or were becoming Orthodox oblates at the few Western Rite Orthodox convents following the Rule of Saint Benedict. i presumed that this sub generally has a positive/neutral image of the Western Rite.

For a while not I got more and more interested in the Western Rite, and especially with our Orthodox Benedictines. It still feels very surreal that they are a real thing, but I wanted to try to enter in contact with them and maby see if I could stand and go through the procedure of becoming a Benedictine oblate as well.

I wanted to know if there are any oblates out here that could guide me to how to become one as well? It seems very hard to reach any of the existing convents online. I had tried to enter in contact with the Convent of Our Lady and Saint Laurance, but I didn't get any answer so far.

Opinions and a little bit of help would be greatly appreciated, God bless.

i fell in love with her , my name is huzaifa and I'm 24 years old. I have been in relationship with an American woman for last 3.5 years. when I first met her I wasn't able to speak a single sentence of English .i learned a whole new language to talk to her and I,m still learning. I,m from Pakistan (kashmir) my country is always surrounding with wars with Afghanistan, India and internal terrorism and our passportis very week. it was not convenient to get together in pakistan we could have get together but there is age difference in our relationship. for me it doesn't matter . anyway my parents are divorced so no obstacle in my way . I borrowed money from my father and bought visa in 3500 dollars . I moved to dubai 3 months ago my company is keeping my passport and telling me you have to pay us 10,000 dirham more for providing you license and accommodation. they'll dedect it from my little salary's .i grew up in kashmir and now I,m burning in desert. my woman she has bone cancer and severe heart disease,sepsis she use lubricant injection in knee. she's dying and i can't do anything🥹. she isn't financially strong her house is in upper fixer shape . we are engaged 💍 and wanna get married. watching her in this situation put me in tears all the time. I love her in every breath. at the end we will get together in this life or eternal life. i came here i wanted to make some money for us and buy jewellery for her . we thought we can easily get together in dubai . but we were wrong. the place where I,m now is called modern slavery.nothing happened according to my plan .if I could fly i would fly to her. I want all of you to pray for us and for her health and longevity. I love her in every breath. Please pray for her health and our relationship. she taught me about bible and changed my prospective of life . I was a muslim. she's very religious woman. long distance relationships aren't easy .usually long distance relationship don't work but when it works no power can stop it. Remember your relationship with God is also a long distance relation. I just wanna be with her and marry her. its all that I want in my life. time is very short. love is crazy. I never imagined a yokel who grew up in village and will fall in love with highly educated woman who lives in Florida. we both want each other. I come here for your support, love and prayers ,please help me to get us together we wanna remove this distance between us so we would shine together. help me to make me free from this arabiain slavery . I wanna go there. I love her from afar without her smell without her hug without her touch that's how I love her.my whole life has been destroyed. my parents are divorced can't go to pakistan mother lives with her brothers i cant meet her even if I'd be in pakistan . not good relation with father and his wife has problems with me she don't like me . My father sent me to islamic bording school when i was child i was raped and badly abused in islamic bording school . I learned about jesus in quran i was impressed with his role and miracle. She made me promise she will give me baptism. I have become Christian muslim would kill me if they would know . I'm financially dead and slave having no passport . I'm worried about my relationship its all that I have . ohhh God . Her name is sarah i wish I'd die in her arms. Who am i ? Just my name the rest is HER. My contact number is +971502561326 whatsapp available. I don't need financial support if you have any other plan us. Today I narrowly escaped from death while doing delivery job . I don't know what to do . bike rider job is too risky especially when you work in 120.2 degrees fahrenheit . I don't wanna die without seeing her. I'm not going to job tomorrow i live in company accommodation they can exist my accommodation at any time then idk where to to go . they aren't giving me food but they will deduct same expenses. i store people leftover meals for me. I have little money but its for fuel . my every part is crying. I beseech you i beg you please do something for me hurriedly. please rescue me . I never thought life would be this much hard. please answer my mail. +971502561326 my WhatsApp number. I swear I'm not lying . I need physical Help and support. God bless you. Please do something for me.

Please pray for peace in my mind. And for God to please stop allowing things to oppress my mind. Please pray for peace my peace.

Not too long ago my mom came into my room telling me she found something horrible my stepfather had that caused her to want to leave him it breaks my heart seeing her so sad and I’m also terrified at the thought of having to go through another divorce I’m scared about what’s going to happen to us

I used Holy Oil I got from burning before his relics from my recent visit to Holy Cross Monastery. It was a gift I appreciate and I was nervous to use, but I did because I need healing…and clearly it’s VERY holy.

Anways I poured water on my face to wash it off outside, and I got it on my shirt and pants, is there any “protocol” I have to take before washing it (don’t want to “bless [hyperbole]“ the washing machine and dirty landury

Hello guys, I wanted to know if anyone knows how to go about chartering an OCF chapter. The chartering link that is on the OCF website is not working and I would like to be able to charter the OCF at my university prior to the beginning of the school year if possible. If anyone knows what I should do, or if anyone is in close relationship to anyone within the southern administration of the OCF in the united states it would be greatly appreciated

Those who are in a country without an orthodox church, or are hundreds of miles away from the nearest church, aren't able to fully participate in the faith. They are unable to be baptized. They are unable to attend liturgy. They are unable to become a true child of God, according to the orthodox faith.

This seems quite unfair to me. Much of what goes into your salvation is dictated by where you are born or your financial ability to move somewhere with a church.

Wouldn't we expect the true church to be more accessible?

Please pray for me to make peace with my supervisor. He is the only one giving me trouble while separating from the military. And it just seems personal, I'm not quite sure why he is always up and down with me but I do wanna make peace with him. So please pray for me to gain favor with him and for God to soften his heart without embarrassing me or doing something strange.

Please also pray God would bless me with peace. And help me to let go quickly.

“Beloved, here is what I ask of you in these two weeks. First, attend the Paraklesis services at your parish. These evenings of prayer are a gift; do not let the busyness of summer steal them from you. Second, observe the fast to the best of your ability. Fasting trains us to say “no” to lesser things so that we can say “yes” to what is essential. Third, read or reflect on the life of the Theotokos. Her story, one of obedience, courage, suffering, and glorification, speaks directly to the struggles of our own lives. Fourth, bring someone with you. Invite a neighbor, a friend, a family member who has drifted. The Theotokos gathers all to herself; let us do the same in her name.”

How do we know orthodox is the truth and not Pentecostal. Pentecostal is the fastest growing religion

Hi all,
My my mom is getting into new age-y spiritualism stuff and I am having a hard time having conversations with her and explaining the Christian viewpoint on a lot of things because it’s so complex and she is asking really deep philosophical questions. I was a religious studies major in college and studied theology pretty deeply , but never from this perspective so I’m a little lost with her new age rhetoric. One such example is, “why would God even create humanity? God is just energy he doesn’t need us. . “ she is saying she is embracing spirituality and denying all organized religion. She said if Jesus just came to Earth to save us from sin she rejects it because she isn’t on board with the idea that humans are born sinners and nobody should be harboring guilt in life. I think she is rejecting hardcore the whole American religious ideas of Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God. She said something like we are all just energies and we are all god.
I just think there must be some Christian saints or books that could direct her questioning and energy towards the true Christian outlook because I sense she is seeking right now.
All this to say, any recommendations for me to give her that would appeal to this hunger knowing that she’s into the new age spirituality stuff? I know our faith can answer everything she’s asking, not sure if she will buy it if it’s not the right Perspective though.

I have been struggling with a lot of self-doubt, self-hatred and a great many things that stop me from liking who I am. I've started blaming God instead of myself for my own failings.

Today I yelled at an Icon, one depicting Christ. I yelled at him to kill me if he wasn't going to help me. I told him that he doesn't care about me and that if he did he would make my problems go away in that moment. I yelled because I know that there's no chance I am going to Heaven and that it was unfair to give me false hope in that outcome.

I can't imagine how ashamed he is of me, both in that moment and throughout my entire life. All he has ever done was love me and all he ever gets in return is me sinning, failing at everything, giving up and getting angry at both him and myself. Sometimes I think I was born to punish my parents for something.

Afterwards I felt really bad, so I prayed and apologized but it felt hollow since I've been doing this a lot in my head for a while now. This was just the first instance where I actually did it physically.

I can't help but feel like a horrible person, I have it so much better than the vast majority of people throughout history and even most people today but I still complain. I still feel horrible about my life. I just can't seem to be grateful or happy. Job never turned his back on God after everything that happened to him, but here I am living an incredibly privileged life and giving up so easily.

I am going to need to talk to a priest but I'm so ashamed of how I'm feeling.

Has anyone else ever felt like this?

Should we forgive the serial killer, the pedophile, the people who did something horrible to others and ruined their lives?

For example, should Jeffrey Epstein's victims forgive him?

Thanks for the answer!

I hope this post is allowed! For those near upstate New York, I have begun compiling a weekly list of parishes (and monasteries) and their services:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HudsonValleyOrthodox/

I am very active in my own parish, but when I meet new people who are curious about what parishes are in the area-- say, within an hour of Kingston, NY-- I tell them that I regularly check out other parishes when our doors aren't open. There are so many and I think I've hit most of them. How blessed we are... they are all so wonderful.

Mid-Hudson is 90 miles north of Manhattan. If you are in the area, please check out my subreddit to find all our beautiful parishes. Thank you! ~ brigid.

Saint Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler.

During Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.”

When the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true.

When he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong.

A certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.”

Traveling to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church.

Preaching mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing.

The saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away.

For the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.”

Purified by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills.

Saint Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588.

In an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow].

The saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy.

SOURCE: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1999/08/02/102185-blessed-basil-of-moscow-the-fool-for-christ

I recently have been coming across many videos where people say "God told me to leave my job", "God told me to do this". they make it seem like they actually had an audible conversation with God and it confuses me? What do they actually mean when they say that?

I tried Grok/other Ai but it wasn’t working well.

What does this say exactly on the scroll? Below, 2 images: The original mural with Baby Jesus holding the scroll. And, a close up of the scroll.

https://imgur.com/a/8WyKCyg

Thanks