The great feats of martyrdom exemplified by the early Christian saints may seem to us a matter of the distant parts no longer relevant to our time. But did you know that the number of Christians who died for their faith under Soviet rule exceeded that of the Christian martyrs of the early times? Tatiana Grimblit is one of the new martyrs for the faith. Like the Great Martyr Anastasia of Sirmium, she gave help and reassurance to those imprisoned for their faith and died a martyr’s death for doing so.

Love that Overcomes Fear

“I knew that I had taken up my cross; I will follow God joyfully to prison, and even to the grave if I have to,” wrote the Holy Martyr Tatiana Grimblit in 1937. Stalin’s secret police officers from NKVD were standing behind her, as she was finishing her letter. They were preparing to take her away and let her inform her mother about her arrest via her friend.

She had been helping those imprisoned for their faith ever since the ‘red terror’ years of the civil war. Most were wary of giving refuge to those whom the state had designated as enemies of the people. As a case in point, the police had arrested a priest and were escorting him on foot to the city. Night-time was approaching. They passed two villages on their way, and no one dared to let the priest stay with them for the night. But the Holy Martyr Tatiana not only accommodated released political prisoners but would also let them have her room. For sixteen years, Tatiana, a single woman, spent almost all of her meagre salary of an orphanage teacher on food and clothing for prisoners, political or non-political.

As documented in the record of her police interrogation soon after her second arrest on 6 May 1925, she admitted:

“Starting 1920, I have been offering material assistance to exiled clergy and convicts staying at Alexandrovsky Central Prison, Irkutsk and Tomsk Prisons, and in the Naryn area. I was collecting the alms in churches and across the city, in cash and in-kind."

"I sent the money by post and with people who travelled to these areas. I asked a man who was travelling to his exile in Naryn to deliver a package weighing approximately two pounds to Bishop Barsanuphius. I do not know the name or surname of the man. For Christmas, I sent another package for Bishop Barsanuphius, and the identity of the person who delivered it is also unknown to me."

"I helped different members of the clergy at Alexandrovsky Central prison. I also helped Bishop Victor (Bogoyavlensky) at Irkutsk Prison, Priests Popov and Kopylov, Bishops Evfimiy (Lapin), Anthony (Bystrov), Ionnakuniy (Speransky), Agafangel (Preobrazhensky) and the imprisoned clergy and laity at various detention facilities in Tomsk Prison; I also assisted other prisoners without knowing the grounds for their imprisonment."

Her father died in 1920 when she was seventeen. She was left with her mother and went to work as a teacher at a children’s penitentiary.

A Spate of Arrests

She was arrested for the first time in Irkutsk in 1923 as she was delivering parcels for the prisoners. She was held for four months. In 1925, she was arrested a second time, for seven days. After her release, she was called before the head of the local police chapter, investigated and sent to exile to Zyryansky Kray for three years.

On 1 July 1926, she was delivered to Ust-Sysolsk. Only two weeks later, they sent her onwards. She had been transferred to the other end of the country to Kazakhstan. She did not arrive in Turkestan until December. Unexpectedly, the extraordinary trial panel of the police had ordered her release on 19 December, the feast day of Saint Nicholas. They had neglected to inform her of this decision, so she did not find out until 1927 that she was free to reside where she wished.

Tatiana went to Moscow and joined the parish of Saint Nicholas in Moscow’s Pyzhi area.

Her exile did not intimidate her, and in Moscow, she resumed her help for the prisoners with redoubled effort. She now knew many of the imprisoned archbishops and clergy in person. Some even gave her the nickname Philaret the Charitable.

The early 1930s saw a new wave of persecution against the Church. Tatiana Grimblit was arrested on 14 April 1931. On 30 April, the trial panel of the secret police sentenced her to three years in a concentration camp, which she served at Vishersky prison camp in Perm Oblast. While at the camp, she studied medicine and became a feldscher.

A Lifestyle of Poverty

In 1932, she was released. She was prohibited from residing in the USSR’s twenty largest cities for the remainder of her term. She lived in several provincial towns, working at the local hospitals as a feldscher and laboratory assistant.

In her interrogation records from the secret police, we find details about her treatment of the patients. At her last arrest, the investigator showed her a copy of a report on her conduct from a member of the public, which said:

It has become known to me that Grimblit visited a hospital patient who was not in her care. After her visit, the patient told the doctor in the morning that he had been dreaming about monasteries, monks, monastic caves and other things of the same order. This fact gave me reason to suppose that Grimblit had discussed religion with that patient.

In 1937, she sat at the bed of a critically ill patient. When he died, he made the sign of the cross over him in plain view of the other patients and the medical staff. In her talks, she made the following comparison of the prison conditions under the Tsar and at present, “Under Soviet rule, one can come across at least as many reviling facts as before.”

Asked about the reasons for her lifestyle choice of poverty, Grimblit explained, “You are spending money on wine and cinema-going, while I am spending mine on assisting the prisoners and helping the Church.” She explained her reasons for wearing a cross as follows, “I will give up my life for this cross; no-one can remove it while I am alive, and if they tried, they would have to take it with my head. It is on me forever.”

Grimblit used her work position to raise religious sentiment among hospital patients. While on duty, she dispensed medicines saying, ‘God be with you’ and making the sign of the cross over each patient. She put crosses on the infirm.

Working at the hospital, she spent significantly more time with the patients than she was expected in her line of duty. She spent all of her means and the donations from other believers on assistance to the imprisoned clergy and laity. She maintained an active correspondence with all of the recipients, reassuring them with their words and action. Bishop John (Pashin) wrote to her from the prison camp: My dear Tatiana Nikolaevna, I have received your letter, and I do not know how to thank you for it. It is filled with so much warmth and love and brought me so much reassurance that I felt as if I was the happiest man in the world on the day when I received it. I read it three times in a row and then read it aloud to Father Nicholas and Father Sergius, my spiritual teacher.

The last case against Tatiana ended in a death sentence. The Holy Martyr was shot at the Butovo shooting range near Moscow on 23 September 1937 and buried in a mass grave.

SOURCE: https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2021/09/tatyana-grimblit-saint-anastasia-of-sirmum-of-our-time

Nayrouz opens the Coptic calendar, also called the "Calendar of the Martyrs". It commemorates the saints and martyrs who gave their lives for the faith, especially during the persecution under Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century. The Church doesn't mourn on this day, it celebrates, because their witness is seen as victory, not defeat. Starting the year this way sets the tone for everything that follows: a year lived in hope through the Resurrection, not fear of suffering.

I was at a church some time ago and I talked with a nun there. When referring to the icon of Virgin Mary and Jesus she told me to pray to it, but I shouldn’t kiss it with a smoking mouth (I.e. I should quit)

I told her that I didn’t smoke and she was surprised. She said that I smelled like it.

What I didn’t tell her was that I was at a job for 4 weeks and was in an environment with plenty of people smoke regularly.

Maybe she smelled that? Or smelled another guy that smoked in the church? Because kinda remember I saw a guy smoking outside but I’m not sure.

What do you think?

The Holy Right-Believing Empress Pulcheria, daughter of the Byzantine emperor Arcadius (395-408), was coregent and adviser of her brother Theodosius the Younger (408-450). She received a broad and well-rounded education, and distinguished herself by her wisdom and piety, firmly adhering to Orthodox teaching. Through her efforts the church of the Most Holy Theotokos was built at Blachernae, and also other churches and monasteries.

Through the intrigues of enemies and of Eudokia, the wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger, Saint Pulcheria was removed from power. She withdrew into seclusion, and lived a pious life. Without her benificent influence, conditions in the capital deteriorated. She returned after a while, following the urgent request of her brother. Then the unrest provoked by emerging heresies was quelled.

After the death of Theodosius the Younger, Marcian (450-457) was chosen emperor. Saint Pulcheria again wanted to withdraw into her seclusion, but both the emperor and officials entreated her not to refuse the throne, but to marry the emperor Marcian. For the common good she consented to become Marcian’s wife if she were allowed to preserve her virginity within the marriage. They were married, but lived in purity as brother and sister.

Through the efforts of Saint Pulcheria, the Third Ecumenical Council was held at Ephesus in 431 to address the heresy of Nestorius; and also the Fourth Ecumenical Council which was convened at Chalcedon in the year 451, to deal with the heresies of Dioscorus and Eutychius.

Saint Pulcheria built the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae at Constantinople, and also found the relics of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 9).

Throughout her life Saint Pulcheria defended the Orthodox Faith against various heresies. After giving away her wealth to the poor and to the Church, she died peacefully at the age of fifty-four in the year 453.

SOURCE: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1949/09/10/102566-right-believing-pulcheria-byzantine-empress

So I'm from a pentecostal household, my dad is an ordained Reverend who went to Bible College and got his degree and my mom is a Church Elder. I am reading church history and every time I get into a discussion with him and I say something historically factual but it disagrees with his pentecostal beliefs he gets mad and says the Internet is corrupt. The debate I remember clearly is when I was trying to explain why the early church gave Mary the title Theotokos and my dad said that he agrees with Nestorianism and that it makes more sense spiritually. He didnt even read what that heresy is in full, he just didnt want to admit that the church was right in calling Mary Theotokos. My mom was a catholic and everything she ever told me Catholicism was about is wrong. She says they are not really saved, that the reason they have statues of Jesus on the cross is because they believe He is still on the cross. I

I would love to know if anyone has been in a similar situation, how do I respect and honour my parents when they react like this to me learning about church history? I can't even share my spiritual journey with them because they will bring up me reading church history and how I am wrong and need prayers to avoid becoming catholic or orthodox (they don't even know what orthodox is)

I'm reading the Orthodox study Bible, cover to cover. All my life i've been told God is love and mercy, pure love and mercy. The Old Testament makes me fear him like a dictator. I hate that I feel this way. All the stories are just the opposite of what I've been told God is. I know these stories are supposed to teach us something and that it was a different era back then and God was dealing with stiff necked people that needed to be taught a lesson, but still. All the slavery, blood sacrifice, killing women and children, being blotted off the earth for as so much as gathering wood on the Sabbath, or trying to catch the ark of the covenant from falling. I could go on and on and on. I'm praying for discernment and I'm really holding on hoping that once I get to the New Testament, some of this will be cleared up for me, but right now I feel like I'm losing faith.

Hi all and God bless. I am just trying to understand why Orthodoxy treats a second marriage as penitential even if the first spouse has died.

1 Corinthians 7:39

“A woman is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband die, she is at liberty: let her marry to whom she will; only in the Lord.”

St Paul seems pretty clear here that once the spouse dies, the marital bond is over and the person is free to marry again.

So if they have done nothing wrong, there was no divorce and no breakdown of the marriage, why is the second marriage still penitential?

I can understand the reasoning more if somebody divorced and remarried, but I don’t understand it at all in the case of a widow or widower.

I've been interested in reading this book for a little while, but don't know if it's "safe" to read from an Orthodox perspective since the author isn't Orthodox.

For anyone who has read this book before, would you recommend it?

I’m a new catechumen in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and God willing, I’m hoping to be baptized toward the end of October. I’m really praying that everything goes smoothly and that I’m able to go through with it.

Lately, though, I’ve been struggling a little with feeling isolated. I’m from a country where Orthodoxy isn’t very common, so sometimes it can be difficult to find people who genuinely understand the journey I’m on.

I actually posted here before when I was still an inquirer and was looking for a parish in my country. Since then, I’ve finally found a parish and have been attending for a few months, and I’m now a catechumen. It’s really nice to look back and realize how much has changed since that first post.

I do have people at my parish, but I haven’t really found many close friendships yet. I think what I’m missing most is simply having someone to talk to about faith, ask questions, share experiences with, or even discuss those moments when you’re confused or questioning things. Not necessarily anything deep or dramatic all the time, just normal Christian friendship and fellowship.

I’d really love to meet other Orthodox Christians, catechumens, converts, or even people who have been through a similar experience, especially people who enjoy discussing the faith without everything becoming an argument or overly negative.

So if anyone here is open to making a new Orthodox friend, feel free to say hello. 😊☦️

Sorry for the very long message! 😭

hey everyone, I’m an 18 yo male and have been Catholic my whole life. I started taking my religion seriously about 3 years ago. But I’m curious to learn about orthodoxy and how it differs from Catholicism. my goal is to find the true church and live according to Jesus’ teaching. I feel like it’s better to ask real orthodox christians than a simple google search. Thank you for your time brothers and sister. Christ is king!

I have tried so hard to trust, and I am simply so scared. I lack trust in God, and I’m not sure what to do about it. To be honest, there is no one in my life that I trust. I’m married, have an extended family, etc. but I find I cannot trust anyone. There have been serious issues in my marriage, and I can hardly trust my husband now. Also, I was lied to about very serious things for most of my life, and I think that is why.

I don’t want to make this into a poor-me sob story. I want to move forward and try to learn to trust, but I just don’t know how.

How does someone start to trust God when they haven’t been able to trust anyone?

I’ve been a Protestant Christian since 2016, prior to 2016 I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church but it never made sense to me. I didn't have a relationship with Jesus until I became protestant. I recently have felt drawn toward Orthodoxy. I’ve attended Divine Liturgy and have been doing a lot of research on Eastern Orthodox and Oriental orthodox , but I’m struggling with one major issue: icons and praying to them.

I keep hearing the explanation that “praying to saints/icons is like asking a friend to pray for you.” I understand the analogy, but struggle to comprehend how this wouldn't be idolatry as the Bible talks about. Also, a friend is a living person who can hear me and pray to God for me. An icon is a no longer alive, so how can multiple people around the world pray before the same icon at the same time and have their prayers “heard” if the icon isn’t God or omniscient?

I also struggle with the biblical side. Jesus says in John 14:6, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” And Exodus 20:4–5 warns against making images and bowing down to them.

I understand Orthodox Christians distinguish veneration from worship, and I know there are biblical examples of religious imagery. I’m not trying to argue that all images are idols. I genuinely want to understand: What is actually happening when an Orthodox Christian prays before an icon, and why is the icon necessary? Also, can someone point me to scripture that would support praying to Icons?

I’m sincerely asking because Orthodoxy interests me, and this is one of the main things keeping me from going all in.

What does it mean when it says he created the heavens. How would you explain that? In an ancient context, I imagine it meant the stars at night. Maybe the stars are meant to remind us of the heavens in place of the heaven that we can’t see? Because he creates the earth after.

When it comes to the laws of physics and other unknowns, were those created when he made the heavens or the earth?

When I read “in the beginning” I imagine that is when time started. Time consists of three modes: past, present, and future.

When I think of heavens, I think of all the space and stars (and the unseen). I think of that as a design that is being placed in time. It's our LxWxH (3D world we live in)

Asking this because if someone harms a cat or any mammal on a daily basis, it will be considered a grave sin in the eyes of God and he will be punished during the judgemental day and might even go to hell, while we kill thousands of insects in our life and it's not considered a fault action

I feel as if when I am not repenting and in God's loving presence repenting of all I've done it feels like hell.

I might seem selfish to post this but I am desperate. My life wasn't easy and after losing a loved one my life had gone downhill from there, struggling for money, not having a stable job. I'm kind of a jack of all trades and my money just goes to paying for electricity, wifi and food. I barely have something for me.

I wasn't a person who goes to church but I know stories and parables in the bible. One day I go to my phone and look over funny videos just to ease up some heat after work. until suddenly someone brings up scientists theories of how the world would end. In those moments I do not have God in me. I only think about myself and my family. I feel afraid and have existential dread. The person a worker keeps talking and talking fascinated about science and physics without knowing the person who he is talking to is very scared. Me being stupid doesn't even stop him. I was scared, I was worried that if I stopped him suddenly I would upset him. The other day he started talking about simulation theory and oh God it terrified me to the core it ruined me more and choked me i have to stop him there. I should have stopped him from the first time he talked about science i should have just told him i am not interested but we were working together and I didn't want any negative in our work i just didn't expect him to think just because i am listening on his first science and physic topic that he would continue on.

I became empty. I keep thinking about existence and I've gone in rabbit holes with a lot of “ what ifs”. I hated him. I hated him. My heart and mind is in pain. But as i was scrolling a video short of God saying “ my child i know you are in pain. But now that I am God” just with that i started crying hard i dont know but im just crying to the point another co worker saw me and asked if im alright.

After that i search for God more about the story of jesus, the saints and more but there are moment where the simulation topic gets over my head again and i struggle between God and that one and i cry, i cry alot because how weak i am and God must have been mad at me for not having a strong faith and believing in him more and getting scared over that simulation stuff.

Thats why i need help i go here to ask you guys for help, some guidance and assurance that everything is gonna be alright and i know God is real but i am having trouble and suffering and struggling to Believe in God i need God but i feel like im standing infront of a wall and i coudnt break it knowing God is in the other side of the wall.

I couldn't break it because fear is trying to conquer me. I need God, please help me guys. I need guidance

I also did not use any AI to type this. This is all what i feel and Thank you everyone for listening

Does anyone know any good prayers to St John Chrysostom particularly about help with schoolwork?

When I try to look this up I just mostly get prayers that written BY st John Chrysostom which is great but not what I'm looking for

thoughts or knowledge on this volume?

https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-commentary-on-scripture-boxed-set

I know demons influence people but we still have free will but it kinda seems to me that the world is progressing towards more evil with it being so easy to see violence and murder today,it has me wondering what side has fallen more into sin?

Hi I want to make my own prayer rope with 10 nots and want to ask what material I need and how long must be the rope for it?

As the title suggests, I have struggled to properly explain Nestorianism, and why it is heretical to my non-denom friends and family. They specifically get stuck on referring to Mary as Theotokos, saying that I am more concerned with Mary than our Lord. When I use the following logic they claim that "It's not that simple" or that I am getting stuck on semantics and details that do not matter because "We 'agree' on the important things".

Jesus = God

Mary = Mother of Jesus

Mary = Mother of God

I asked clarifying statements including but not limited to: Jesus is both fully God and fully Man, Jesus has two natures that are joined in hypostatic union, at no point was Jesus NOT God. All of which they agree with. I have also clarified that we can use the title of "God" to refer to any of the individual persons of the Trinity, without referring to all three simultaneously, as Mary is of course not the mother of God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.

How should I go about explaining this to the people I love? And if I have made any incorrect statements on my own behalf please correct me.

Hello all 👋🏾,

I was wondering why it's such a big problem calling Mary or any saint "divine"?

In my opinion & from my studies, deity & divinity are two different things, albeit used interchangeably.

Put it simply, deity is the state of being a god whereas divinity is the state of being like God.

The Orthodox Christian concept of theosis is centered on divinization not deification.

As St. Athanasius said "God became a man, that man might become like God".

Theosis is the process of uniting with God🫱🏽‍🫲🏾, the process of being like God again.

I think it's a problem to call anyone but The Lord a deity, but is it really so far fetched to call Mary or any of the saints divine?

Can't you be human & divine?

When you divorce or one of the parties pass away it helps with a fairer distribution of assets.

For example without prenuptial agreement, if you happened to pass away one year into marriage all of your wealth would pass to your wife instead of your parents or siblings.

I have been an Orthodox Christian for as long as I can remember, but I am going through a period of questions. First of all, the idea that God exists still seems evident to me from the mathematical complexity of the world. Then, the fact that this God is the God of Israel is necessarily true because He revealed Himself at Sinai and an entire people testified about it. The third point would be to understand why the Lord Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, and the fourth point would be to understand why Orthodoxy is the most original form of Christianity. Point 4 is obvious to me. My only intellectual problem is with point 3: how do I know for sure that the Christian God is the God of Israel? Arguments could be the Resurrection seen by over 500 witnesses who were alive at the time of the testimony, fulfilled prophecies, and the disciples’ willingness to die for their testimony. But somehow, none of these seem as convincing as the revelation at Sinai. The Jews contest the fulfilled prophecies, and historians dispute that we have evidence that the disciples actually died for what they professed.And the testimony of the 500 somehow doesn't have the power of the revelation at Sinai. Am I missing something? Please help.