Spiritalitas | Martyria

2021 3 articles

Spiritalitas No. II (XII) / 2021 A Carefree Life The Most Reverend Archbishop Maximos Constas

The spiritual crisis caused by cyberculture — the fragmentation of the self, distraction and inner incoherence — is analysed through the lens of Orthodox anthropology, bringing into dialogue Matthew Crawford’s contemporary diagnosis in The World on Your Head with the patristic tradition of mindfulness (προσοχή), from Saint Basil the Great and Diadochus of Photice to the Byzantine Hesychasts, proposing inner attention as the Gospel’s essential response to digital culture.

Spiritalitas No. II (XII) / 2021 In prayer and fasting. Worship and asceticism: components of Orthodox spiritual life Rev. Prof. Dr. Emeritus Gheorghe Metallinós

The paper by Father Professor Gheorghe Metallinós, presented at the International Symposium ‘European Secularisation and Orthodox Resistance’ (Bălți, 2012), analyses the Orthodox spiritual life through its three components — faith, asceticism and worship —, demonstrating that asceticism and the liturgy are organically intertwined, with monasticism representing the most authentic form of this unity, whilst authentic theology springs from ascetic and liturgical experience, not from academic research.

Spiritalitas No. I (XI) / 2021 A Dangerous Prayer: The Story of Deacon Synesios The Most Reverend Archbishop Maximos Constas

The hierodeacon Synesios of Dochiaru, an exceptional Athonite protopsalt of the nineteenth century, prayed to Saint Paraskevi to take away the gift that might endanger his salvation, and he lost his voice. Drawing on this account, the article reflects on the spiritual danger posed by personal virtues and achievements, calling for repentance not only for sins, but also for the gifts in which we take pride.

2020 1 article

Spiritalitas No. I (X) / 2020 The externalisation of the ideal image Archimandrite Simeon Kraiopoulos

The text, taken from the book Do You Know Yourself? Spiritual Life and Psychological Problems, analyses the consequences of the gulf between one’s ideal image and one’s true self: the projection of one’s own faults onto others, psychological emptiness, self-contempt and dependence on the approval of others, proposing humility, repentance and divine grace as the only path to genuine healing.

2019 2 articles

Spiritalitas No. II (IX) / 2019 The ills of education in our time. Proposals for a cure Professor (Dr), Emeritus Dimitrie Țelenghídis

This article proposes a diagnosis and a programme for remedying the ills of contemporary Greek education, identifying the root cause as the gradual estrangement of the people from Christ. Drawing on Canon 102 of the Quinisext Council, Saint Gregory Palamas, Saint Nicholas Cabasilas and Saint John of the Desert, the author argues that existential repentance and the sacramental life of the Church constitute the only effective remedy.

Spiritalitas No. I (VIII) / 2019 On Temptations Protos. Arsenie Muscalu

This article analyses the theological distinction between temptation and trial in man’s spiritual life, drawing on scriptural texts and the teachings of Saints John Climacus, Isaac the Syrian, the Apostles James and Paul, and Silouan the Athonite. The reader comes to understand that temptation arises from sinful inclinations or the work of the devil, whilst trial is ordained by God for the sake of strengthening, humility and spiritual growth.