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The “Low Level” Ascetic Saint: Characteristics and Misconceptions

The “low level” saint is a theological term (not accepted by all scholars) aiming to describe a category of saints who lived with ordinary people and who were not usually members of the Church hierarchy (with some exceptions, like St. Nectarios of Pentapolis). There are many well-known “low level” ascetic saints of the ancient Church (for example the various Sts. Anargyroi) and many “low level” ascetics who lived in modern times (e.g. Paisios the Hagiorite, the Elder Porfyrios and Fr. Iakovos Tsalikis) who are considered holy people by the faith community.

Saint Nathaniel in John’s Gospel

St. Nathanael is an apostle of Christ, one whom little is known of. He is referred to only in St. John’s gospel (1:45 and 21:2), the last of the four gospels of the New Testament. Although the ecclesial tradition wishes to identify him with the apostle Bartholomew [possibly, in order to justify the absence of his name in the synoptic gospels], it remains worth noting that St. John calls him Nathanael [despite the fact that John was familiar with the synoptic gospels and the particular references to Bartholomew: Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16].

Sermon on 9th Sunday of Matthew

Today’s Gospel passage, my dear brethren, continues the narrative of St. Matthew’s Gospel from where we left it on last Sunday. After the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves, the evangelist is about to record another wondrous event, only this time, the miracle is restricted within the close circle of the Lord’s disciples. For whereas the multitudes were given bread, that is, that which appealed most immediately to their desires and needs, the disciples were given a sign of a different kind: to them Christ’s reveals the miracle by which miracles are made, that is, the miracle of faith.

Sermon on 13th Sunday of Matthew (21:33-42)

Today’s passage of the Holy Gospel, my dear brothers and sisters, is a parable that illustrates Christ’s own mission and the spreading of His Gospel to the nations. The language of this parable is borrowed from the beginning of the fifth chapter of the Prophet Isaiah: I will sing for the one I love     […]

Sermon on the Sunday of the Fourth Ecumenical Council

Today’s feast, my brothers and sisters in Christ, commemorates the synaxis of the 630 Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council, but it is better remembered by a miracle brought about by St Euphemia and which was commemorated on its own feast day a few days ago, on the 11th of July. Miracles performed by our […]

Prolegomena in the Studies of St.Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis

1.0 PAPIAS, THE APOSTOLIC FATHER OF THE CHURCH The Apostolic Fathers are the leaders of the Christian Church who lived in the second century AD.  The relation of the Apostolic Fathers with either the apostles or the elders who knew Christ personally, gave them a special status of respect in the faith community. Among the […]