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Podcast Monday- St. Porphyrios a Great Figure of Orthodoxy

We live in an era of insecurity. It is rare to turn on the news and not hear of some calamity or unfortunate conflict. And although we may be more attuned to the strife occurring across the globe, it is in no way unique to our era. The century before ours witnessed two world wars and decades of fear of nuclear attack, not to mention dozens of other serious conflicts.

But what does this mean? Is God absent amidst all of this suffering? 

By no means! If God is in any way “absent,” it is through our decisions, our weakness, and our lack of prayer that we have rejected Him. Rather than put our trust in the Eternal God, we have put our trust in human systems—imperfect systems that will always bring about conflict.

Thankfully, we have also been blessed with a great many holy figures in our era who, rather than placing their trust in man, instead trust Christ. Figures such as St. Nektarios, numerous blessed elders, new martyrs and confessors under Communism, and the quiet, humble faithful whose names we do not know.

In this video, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta recounts his interactions with just such a holy figure: the recently glorified St. Porphyrios.

http://pemptousia.com/video/metropolitan-alexios-of-atlanta-st-porphyrios-a-great-figure-of-orthodoxy/

As you listen, consider:

1.  What human “systems” might I be replacing God with? Politics, celebrities, or even a Church life absent of personal interaction with Christ?

2.  How does the Metropolitan’s providential encounter with the Saint demonstrate how God acts in the lives of those who draw near to Him?

3.  What traits of St. Porphyrios did the Metropolitan take note of immediately? What might this say about the qualities of those who are like God?

4.  How are God’s gifts different from any others that the world has to offer? Were the gifts of St. Porphyrios limited by his physical death?

5.  Do I wrongly focus on other sources of conflict rather than take responsibility for how my own sins and lack of prayer contribute to division? 

 

- Anthony 

Anthony Ladas is a student at Fordham University and currently an intern for Y2AM.

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