☦️🕯️In the Orthodox Christian tradition, when a person bows and makes the sign of the Cross, it’s not just a physical action — it’s a prayerful gesture expressing faith, reverence, and humility before God.🕯️☦️

☦️ Watch yourself continually, in order that the spiritual life and spiritual wisdom should not be dried up within you. Meditate oftener upon what you read, or sing, or hear in church, or sometimes at home. Live as the saints lived: by their prayers, wisdom, and virtues; in meekness, humility, and gentleness, not sparing yourself, but renouncing yourself, your rest, ease and enjoyment, for the love of God and your neighbor, in patience, courage and struggle — have their faith, hope and love.
St John of Kronstadt

🌟☦️ Cross Procession is prayer on move. Very helpful for learning how to pray properly, that is not only standing in the corner. Central Russia, recently.

Two more groups of terrorists, who planned to burn synagogues in support of Palestine, were stopped by the Russian services. Such supporters come to our Orthodox community on a regular basis asking to post their materials. But there is nothing good in that.

🌟 Rich frescoes, many Saints and biblical scenes, in the cathedral dedicated to the holy Prince founder of the diocesan city of the region, where St. Seraphim of Sarov lived.

"Understand two thoughts, and fear them. One says, "You are a saint," the other, "You won't be saved." Both of these thoughts are from the enemy, and there is no truth in them. But think this way: I am a great sinner, but the Lord is merciful. He loves people very much, and He will forgive my sins."
St. Silouan the Athonite
Path to the Heaven is not an easy road. "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."(Matthew 7:14). We can't claim we are saved and need nothing to do, and we shouldn't desperately give up either.

Cross Procession of the canonical Orthodox in the western part of historical Rus, in the past, when Orthodoxy was not yet harshly persecuted.

Persecuted Metropolitan Arseny of Svyatogorsk, abbot of the Svyatogorsk Lavra, urgently requires heart surgery, but they, instead of having a drop of humanity, keep increasing pressure on him and whole number of Confessors of the canonical Orthodoxy. And all the "I stand with U" supporters are not just hypocrites, but persecutors of Christianity.

🌟 What does the holy Church instill in us by putting in our mouths, both during prayer at home and in church, prayers addressed, not by a single person, but by all? She instills in us constant, mutual love, in order that we should always and in everything, during prayer and during worldly intercourse, love one another as our own selves — in order that we, imitating God in three Persons, constituting the highest Unity, should ourselves be one formed of many. " That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us."
St John of Kronstadt

We all know that if we want to succeed in any kind of work it needs our efforts and patience.
So does the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Efforts to pray, learn, go the the Liturgy instead of sleeping, struggle with passions - lead us forward. We can't anything without God 's grace, mercy and support. But He will not force us without our free will and intention.
“Concerning forcing ourselves to all that is good.— “ The kingdom of heaven,” it is said, “suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Therefore it is necessary to continually force ourselves to truth and goodness; when praying, we must every moment force ourselves to pronounce each word with power, truly from the heart.”
St. John of Kronstadt

Often people ask what a Christian can do if he doesn’t have any talents, with reference to the parable about the talents. Well, the word talent here has a broad meaning. St. Nikon of Optina explains some of it.
“By talents we mean not only wealth, education, or fame. Talents are good conditions for salvation of the soul. Each of us has his own given talents. Poverty, sickness, various sorrows—these are all talents. From the worldly point of view, talents mean scholarly, musical, or artistic abilities. They are not sinful; it is good when such abilities are combined with a Christian life, and when they are dedicated to God. If an ability prevents us from living in a godly manner and saving our souls, then it should be abandoned. It is better to be a little simpler, but to be saved. What benefit is it to you if you gain the whole world but destroy your soul?”

The Empress ("Derzhavnaya"), icon of the mother of God depicts Her as the Queen. It is of great importance in our days when the good power, "the one who now holds it back" of the Scripture, is being removed from the world.

Constantinople's neo-orthodox schismatic (Dumenko) prayed with LBQT supporters, the fact alone is shocking. But now he's going to visit Athos. Reputation of the Holy Mountain destroyed completely.

⚡️ Stop defiling your flesh with shameful deeds and polluting your soul with wicked thoughts; then the peace of God will descend upon you and bring you love.
St. Maximos the Confessor

☦️ Holy relics of Apostle Andrew the First Called.
Fwiw I was blessed to venerate them.

☦️ "There you have the teaching of the holy Fathers on such cases", said my starets, "and therefore you ought from today onward to carry out my directions with confidence, and repeat the prayer of Jesus as often as possble. Here is chotki (prayer rope). Take it, and to start with say the prayer three thousand times a day. Whether you are standing or sitting, walkin or lying down, continually repeat 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' Say it quietly and without hurry, but without fail exactly three thousand times a day without deliberately incresing or diminishing the number. God will help you and by this means you will reach also the unceasing activity of the heart." I gladly accepted this guidance and went home and began to carry out faithfully and exactly what my starets had bidden. For two days I found it rather dfficult, but after that it became so easy and likeable, that as soon as I stopped, I felt a sort of need to go on saying the prayer of Jesus, and I did it freely and willingly..
Way of Pilgrim

🌟 This sermon of mitred Archpriest Andrew has become even more urgent in the light of increasing contemporary events.

In the West people typically fear and hate Islam and the islamic world, but the Orthodox Christian attitude is different. Strength makes it different. In the photo it's a nazi SS division: only this muslim Croatian regiment, among other Eastern European ethnicities, expressed desire to fight the Russians in Stalingrad. They failed. God is with us. But to have Him on our side our faith must be vivid, not logic-based. Living faith.

🌟☦️ It’s important to remember that while prayer can be a part of worship – when we pray to God, for example – prayer and worship themselves are not the same. To most Christians, prayer tends to mean speaking to God and/or asking Him for something. This is why many in the

West often insist that praying literally is worshiping, because this definition implies that we reserve personal prayer for God alone. However, that does not make it worship.
Often forgotten is the fact that the word pray can also be used as an adverb, a preface before a polite request or instruction (ex: pray pour me a glass of wine). This definition does not imply a specific recipient of the request. Therefore, a Christian could pray to — or ask a request of — anyone, for anything, so long as they do not worship (i.e. devote their entire being to) anyone other than God.
When an Orthodox Christian "prays to" a Saint, what we are really doing is asking that Saint to pray for us, to intercede before God for forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation. This is what the Church calls intercessory prayer.
Parish of St John the Evangelist