#eschatology

This homily is a homiletic exposition of Psalm 36:1, in which the author, drawing on biblical examples from Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Lazarus and Herod, argues that the prosperity of the wicked is fleeting, whilst the suffering of the righteous is rewarded with eternal bliss. The listener is urged not to envy the prosperity of sinners, but to follow the path of virtue with a view to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Holy Sacrament of Marriage is examined in its ecclesiological and Eucharistic dimensions, drawing on the teachings of Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Ignatius Theophorus and Saint John Chrysostom, right through to Alexandre Schmemann and Ioan Ziziulas: the union of spouses in Christ is not merely a blessing of a biological fact, but an integration into the Body of the Church, at the centre of which remains the Divine Eucharist.

This excerpt from a work of fiction presents a dialogue between Abbot Partenie and the writer-philosopher Voina, set in a monastery, centred on the themes of authentic preaching, the Church’s role in relation to young people and society, and the political crisis in which a character named Rusceanu is proposed as prime minister. The narrative tension deepens through the revelation of Voina’s personal tragedy — Sonia’s sudden death and Pavel’s despair — and through the contrast between the writer’s worldly eloquence and the monk’s inner prayer.