Among the things for which we ask in the Lord’s Prayer is, “Lead us not into temptation.” St. Benedict of Nursia tells us we’ll never overcome temptation without God’s help:
These words, brothers, are warning enough that we should be on our guard. We must therefore beg the Lord with many sighs, striking our hearts as well as our breasts, never to leave us His servants without His help…by the protection of His assistance, to surround us with the wall of His grace and by His defense ward off the incursion …

The central activity of Orthodox Christianity is prayer, and nowhere is this more evident than at what roughly constitutes the halfway point in the Divine Liturgy, where we say several litanies of prayers. In one of these litanies—simply called the “Little Litany”—the deacon (or priest) even says, “Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord…” While these prayers repeat many of the petitions made in other prayers, rather than being redundant they instead serve a wonderful purpose: drawing us closer to God, and to each other.
THE LITANY …

Most of us have experienced days where we don’t want to do anything—even get out of bed. Sometimes we truly need physical rest, but other times we’re simply listless or sluggish.
St. Symeon the New Theologian puts listlessness into its spiritual context when he says:
I have known the demon of cowardice to fight and work together with that of listlessness. One comes to the aid of the other and reinforces him. The first brings fear and obduracy into the soul, the second produces darkness, negligence, blindness of heart and mind, and …

As I record this we’re at roughly the half-way point in Great Lent, where some of the disciplines of the season can begin to feel a bit wearying. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk reminds us why we discipline ourselves like this now:
Beloved Christians! We are created not for temporal but for eternal life. We are renewed unto eternal life through holy Baptism. We are called to eternal life by the word of God. Christ the Son of God came into the world, suffered and died for the sake of our eternal …

Here’s a prayer for Great Lent from St. Gregory the Dialogist:
O Almighty Lord, who hast made all created things in wisdom, and by Thine inexpressible providence and great goodness hast brought us to these all-holy days, for the purification of body and soul, for the controlling of carnal passions, and for the hope of the Resurrection…Enable us also, O Good One, to fight the good fight; to accomplish the course of the Fast; to preserve inviolate the Faith…to be accounted victors over sin; and uncondemned to attain unto and adore …

You can also download a free, full-color study guide from the Worship & You website.
Here’s a thought you might find a little strange: is it possible to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord every time you worship during the Divine Liturgy? Not only can you do this, but there is a specific moment during the Divine Liturgy in which you can celebrate this event: during the Little Entrance.
THE LITTLE ENTRANCE
During the third antiphon (see Unit 3) the priest—accompanied by the servers—carries the Gospel from the altar into the nave. The …

Here’s a thought you might find a little strange: is it possible to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord every time you worship during the Divine Liturgy? Not only is this case, but there is a specific moment during the Divine Liturgy in which you can celebrate this event: during the Little Entrance.
THE LITTLE ENTRANCE
During the third antiphon (see Unit 3) the priest—accompanied by the servers—carries the Gospel from the sanctuary into the nave. The saints proclaim that this act signifies Christ’s Incarnation: St. Germanus of Constantinople says, “The entrance …

You might have heard there’s a difference between theoretical knowledge and applied knowledge. This might be the case in intellectual studies, but it’s not the case in the Orthodox Christian life.
St. John of Karpathos says:
Some hold that the practice of the virtues constitutes the truest form of spiritual knowledge. In that case, we should make every effort to manifest our faith and knowledge throughout our actions. Whoever trusts blindly to knowledge alone should call to mind the words, ‘They claim to know God, but in their actions they deny Him’ …

We often hear about the kingdom of God, but what exactly is it? Blessed Theophylact answers:
When a man’s disposition and way of life are like that of an angel, most assuredly this is the kingdom of God. For God indeed is said to rule as King when nothing worldly meddles in the governing of our souls and when in every respect we live not of this world. This manner of life we have within us, that is to say, we have it within us when we desire and will it. …

President John F. Kennedy famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” St. Ephrem the Syrian says something similar about our relationship with Christ:
On that dreadful and amazing day, You shall say to us sinners, O Lord: ‘You men know well what I have undergone for you; what have you suffered for Me?’…The martyrs will point to their wounds, their sufferings, the severed parts of their bodies…The ascetics will point to their asceticism, to their long fasts and vigils, to …