Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

Bach's Christmas Oratorio 

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in Eisenach, in central Germany, and died in 1750 in Leipzig — indeed, blind. Shortly before his death, he dictated his final musical piece, whose theme was: “Before Your throne, Lord, I now draw near.” As is internationally known, he was a supreme composer who found rich inspiration in the texts of Holy Scripture.

Among his artistic works is also his noteworthy creation, the Christmas Oratorio. Bach has bequeathed to us three oratorios: the Christmas Oratorio, the Easter Oratorio, and the Ascension Oratorio — if we exclude the three surviving works titled Passions (according to Matthew, Mark, and John), which, although written in the oratorio form, together with other similar works came to constitute a distinct genre bearing the classical name Passions, such as those by Schütz, Telemann, Handel, and others.

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On World Mental Health Day (October 10th)

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

October 10th of each year is considered a day dedicated worldwide to mental health. It was established in 1994 by the World Federation of Mental Health and the World Health Organization, in order to raise public awareness of mental illness issues. This is because mental illnesses are constantly increasing, to the extent that experts are talking about a global "epidemic" of mental disorders, such as those related to depression or alcohol consumption. And in our country, things are not better. There are statistics that show that 10 to 12% of the total population of all ages suffers from mental illnesses, while as for adolescents, there is their expressed statement (2 out of 5) that they are not satisfied with their lives and do not feel generally "well".

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The Hatred of the Internet

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The newspaper Ta Nea (5/19/2025) conducted an investigation titled "The Keyboards of... Hate", in which the data of the Ministry of Citizen Protection on cases of abusive speech on social networking media were presented, and "testimonies of victims of abusive speech" with the consequences in the psychological sphere are recorded. In fact, "the perpetrators act with the belief that they will not be prosecuted."

In the main article of the same newspaper simply titled "Hate" it is written:

"In recent years, a new type of hatred, extremely dangerous and complex in its forms, has spread with disproportionate consequences. The hatred of the Internet. Today's research by 'NEON' not only describes its versions. Not only does it emphatically note its effects. But it also underlines the current legislative framework and the institutional shield that we have or must expand against the carriers of this hatred.

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TV Series - "Saint Paisios: From Farasa to Heaven" (Seasons 1 and 2)

Saint Paisios: From Farasa to Heaven

Season One (English subtitles)

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

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Cast and Screenwriter of the Television Series About Saint Paisios Visit the Metropolis of Nafpaktos

On the 9th and 10th of July, His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou was visited by the screenwriter of the successful television series about Saint Paisios “From Farasa to Heaven,” Mr. George Tsiakkas and his wife, actress Christina Pavlidou, who played Saint Paisios’ mother, Eulogia, with three other friends of his.

On the morning of July 9, they visited the Offices of the Sacred Metropolis, where they discussed with His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos about Saint Paisios, whom he met personally and wrote two books about, such as “Saint Paisios the Athonite as an Empirical Theologian” and “Saint Paisios the Athonite: An Autobiography”, as well as drafting the petition for his canonization to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as early as 2004, ten years after his repose.

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"Life Is Not Digital" (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew)

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was interviewed on May 25th 2025 by George I. Androutsopoulos, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Athens, which was published on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in the University of Athens newspaper, “Vima tis Kyriakis”. We quote below a portion of the interview:

Question: I thank you very much, on behalf of the university community, for the honor and opportunity of our conversation. Let us start with the young people. One - the positive - side is that the students of our University record excellent performance when they continue their studies abroad or participate in international competitions. The other, however, is that our children and young people today spend a large part of their time on Instagram and TikTok, while the rise in the phenomena of violence among young people is impressive. Have the standards and the path of prudence and virtue been lost in our days? How could the University and the Church contribute to a restart?

Answer: Christ is Risen! Thank you very much for the invitation. I am familiar with the newspaper of the University of Athens and I congratulate you for the initiative to create this forum for dialogue and reflection, but also for the effort to highlight the multidimensional work that is being done in your historic educational institution for the benefit not only of the academic community, but also of the entire Greek society.

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Movie Review: "The King of Kings" (2025)

 

The King of Kings

Director: Seong-ho Jang

Producer: Seong-ho Jang, Woo-hyung Kim

Based on: "The Life of Our Lord" by Charles Dickens

Screenplay: Seong-ho Jang

Cinematographer: Woo-hyung Kim

Music:     Kim Tae-seong

Starring: Oscar Isaac (Jesus Christ), Kenneth Branagh (Charles Dickens), Uma Thurman (Catherine Dickens), Mark Hamill (King Herod), Pierce Brosnan (Pontius Pilate), Forest Whitaker (Peter), Ben Kingsley (High Priest Caiaphas)

Production Company: Mofac Studios

Country: United States

Initial release: April 11, 2025

Run Time: 101 minutes

Every year around Christmas for at least the past 30 years I have read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, and ever since I discovered he wrote "The Life of Our Lord" about 15 years ago I have included it among my annual or semi-annual readings after I read "A Christmas Carol", just like the Dicken's family would do after Charles Dickens passed away. I always thought the two should be published together, at least, and perhaps even include a few of his other Christmas tales.

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Movie Review: "The Last Supper" (2025)

The Last Supper

Director: Mauro Borrelli

Producer: Shawn Boskie, Ivan Cohen, Manu Gargi, Ken Halsband, Michael Scott

Screenplay: Mauro Borrelli, John Collins

Cinematographer: Vladislav Opelyants

Music: Leonardo De Bernardini

Starring: Jamie Ward as Jesus Christ, Robert Knepper as Judas Iscariot, James Faulkner as Caiaphas, James Oliver Wheatley as Peter

Production Company: Pinnacle Peak Pictures, Canyon Productions, Wellspring Entertainment, Skyrun Pictures

Country: United States

Initial release: March 14, 2025

Run Time: 114 minutes

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Creators of Film "Man of God" Currently Working on New Film "Moses the Black"

On the heels of the success of Man of God, the English-speaking international hit on the life of the Greek saint Nektarios of Aegina, with a cast of acclaimed actors, including Golden Globe winner Mickey Rourke, writer-director-producer Yelena Popovic and producer Alexandros Potter recently launched Simeon Faith, a fund that will finance and produce talent-driven, highly marketable films with strong elements of faith for a global audience. Simeon Faith is backed by a network of cinephiles and investors that recognize the importance of investing in impactful content in a media-dominated world.

The fund aims to develop, finance and produce one to two films per year over the next four years, with a focus on hard-hitting, relevant and meaningful stories that will bring the lives of the saints and messages of faith to the big screen. The first film on the slate currently in development is Moses the Black, a story of a gangster in modern-day Chicago inspired by the incredible story of repentance of the fourth century saint of the same name. You can learn more about Saint Moses the Black here.

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Fyodor Dostoevsky's Meeting With Archbishop Nicholas Kasatkin the Missionary of Japan

By Michael K. Makrakis

Although Dostoevsky was born in Moscow (30 October 1821), he spent his life in St. Petersburg since May 1837 changing many times his place of abode. His last address was on Kuznechny Lane, near the Church of Vladimirskaya. This is where he received the invitation of the Society of the Friends of Russian Literature to attend the unveiling of the Pushkin bust in Moscow and give a speech. It was April-May of 1880. Dostoevsky was then writing his last book "The Brothers Karamazov". Although he did not want to interrupt his work, his huge love for Pushkin made him finally decide to travel to Moscow.

He left on 22 May. His wife, Anna Grigoryevna, who accompanied him to the station, begged him to write to her every day describing all the details. This is why he composed the letters covering the period he stayed in Moscow: from the next day of his arrival (23-24 May) until the 8th of June, 1880, the day he gave the speech for Pushkin. This speech caused so much upheaval that it was characterised as a true "historical fact". As he writes in one of his letters (13 June 1880) after his speech "the people started sobbing and embracing one another swearing to be better in the future."

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