How to fight passions

Once there came to the elder two young men and asked him: "Tell us, Father, how to get rid of evil inclinations and get root out bad habits?" The old man asked one of them to pull out a young tree, which he easily did. Then he asked to root out another one. The boy pulled it out too, but it was stronger, and he had to work hard. The hermit led the boy to a third tall and strong tree. Despite big effort, the young men even together failed to pull it out.

The old man resumed: "My children, evil inclinations and habits are similar to those trees, if they do not grow long and are recently rooted in the heart, a strong will is enough to eradicate them; but if they are deeply rooted, it is already very difficult or almost impossible to dominate them. So work hard, while there is time and a heavy struggle does not exceed your strength!"

The keys of Kaniv: How St. Martyr Macarius did not retreat before the horde

September 1678 is remembered for the smoke over the Dnipro and the hundreds of people gathered inside the cathedral. This is the story of the Venerable Martyr Macarius of Ovruch – a shepherd who did not abandon his flock to save his own life.

Lenten spring or arid hell: what Zosima’s duel with Ferapont teaches us

Why Father Ferapont’s rusks smell of pride, while Elder Zosima’s cherry preserves smell of love. Reading Dostoevsky in the middle of Lent.

Armor of the invisible: why the Great Schema is the ultimate freedom

The black analavos with a skull is not a sign of mourning, but the attire of those who have left earthly vanity. How ordinary fabric becomes a shield from any earthly anxieties and fears.

The man who painted with his mind: Theophanes the Greek and his white lightning

Epifaniy the Wise watched him for hours – and still could not understand how he worked. Theophanes covered walls with frescoes without ever glancing at models, and at the same time carried on a conversation about the nature of God.

The practice of lay communion: how it has changed over 2,000 years

Over two millennia of Church history, not only the frequency of receiving the Mysteries has changed, but also the inner attitude toward them. This is the story of how the Eucharist traveled from “daily bread” to a rare reward – and then began its return.

Triumph of Orthodoxy – why this feast belongs to artists

There is a small icon in the British Museum – just thirty-seven centimeters high. It is from this modest board that one should begin speaking about what happened in March 843.