Parable: Paisios the Athonite on how to share plums correctly

Father Paisios said:

- There is human justice and there is Divine justice.

- And what is Divine justice?, they asked him.

Then the elder gave such an example:

- Imagine that a person came to visit a friend and they had ten plums. One of them ate eight plums and the other got two. Is it fair?

- No, all answered in unison, this is unfair!

Father Paisios continued:

- Ok. Now fancy the two friends had ten plums. They divided them equally, five by five, and ate them. Is that fair?

- Yes, that’s fair!, everybody said.

“But this is human justice,” said Father Paisios. Yet, there is Divine justice! Imagine that one of the friends who had ten plums, having guessed that the other loves them very much, said, “Do me a favor and eat these plums, I don’t really like them. And besides, they cause me a stomachache! I can just do with one.”

Give someone else what he wants, not a half but everything; give him the good, and leave yourself the bad. This will be Divine justice, concluded the elder.

The Borders of Our Humanity

“True Christianity consists in the practice of the commandments of the Gospel. Where this practice is absent, there is no Christianity, whatever the outward appearance may be.” — Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

The Wood Between the Worlds: An Interview with Nicholas Kotar

In this exclusive interview, author and Orthodox deacon Nicholas Kotar discusses tsarists, Narnia, and starting his own press.

Why Did St. Gabriel of Georgia Burn the Flag of Lenin?

Recently the Orthodox Church celebrated the feast day of St. Gabriel Urgebadze of Georgia, the fool for Christ. A hieromonk who lived during the Soviet Union, he experienced intense persecution, especially during the post Stalin era. Some mainstream liberal historians have made the Soviet Union appear to be a much nicer place after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, during the rise of Nikita Khrushchev and his policy of “de-Stalinization." However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the life of St Gabriel shows.

Why the Church of Greece Celebrates the Protection of the Theotokos on Oct. 28

Commemorating Prime Minister Metaxas’ historic rejection of Mussolini’s ultimatum and the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, Greeks celebrate faith, courage, and national unity.

The Word vs. the World

There is no longer one common word or story for man to align himself with. Instead, all views and stories of our origin and purpose are accepted as equally valid. This can be seen as nothing less than a direct rejection of truth itself. We have substituted “the Truth” for “my truth.”

St. John Lampadistes, Wonderworker of All Cyprus

St. John Lampadistes, whose feast day is October 4/17, was a young ascetic in 10th century Cyprus.