In accordance with this sacred teaching, the Council of Carthage in the 3rd century decreed: "Whosoever should say that the Grace of God, by which a man is justified through Jesus Christ our Lord, avails only for the remission of past sins, and not for assistance against committing sins in the future, let him be anathema. For the Grace of Christ not only gives the knowledge of our duty but also inspires us with a desire that we may be able to accomplish what we know" (Canons 125, also 126 and 127)

The celebrations of Apokries (Greece's Carnival) culminate on Forgiveness or Cheesefare Sunday. It is the last day that Orthodox Christians traditionally eat dairy products and celebrated before the first day of Lent. In Greece, this day is redolent of traditions, customs, and, of course, delicious recipes that bring community and family together.

Sometimes it signifies, in general, the mercy of God; God is the God "of all Grace" (I Peter 5:10). In this, its broadest meaning, Grace is God's goodwill to men of worthy life in all ages of humanity, and particularly to the righteous ones of the Old Testament like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the Prophet Moses, and the later Prophets.

Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick..." (St. Matthew 9:12).

The Church is a Hospital

Orthodox Christians understand the Holy Church as a spiritual hospital and a place where the believer's spiritual and physical health is restored by the grace of God. The Orthodox Christian seeks to find the necessary spiritual treatment, cure, and healing of all his infirmities.

Saint Gregory the Theologian was born near Nazianzus, a town in Greater Cappadocia. His parents, Gregory and Nonna, were of noble ancestry and respected by all; however, the elder Gregory, being the child of a pagan father and a Jewish mother, was not a Christian in his younger years. He belonged to the sect of the Hypsistarii, which combined heathen and Judaic error. The blessed Nonna was the daughter of Christians and was herself an Orthodox Christian from childhood. She was reared in piety and perfectly instructed in the fear of God, which is the beginning of all wisdom. Divine Providence allowed her to be wed to an infidel (unbeliever), so that "the unbelieving husband" might be "sanctified by the believing wife" (1 Corinthians Ch. 7), as the holy Apostle says. Nonna constantly exhorted her husband to accept the True faith, and what is more, fervently prayed for him. However, her husband had a special dream in which he saw himself chanting the psalms of David. He awoke rejoicing and told Nonna everything. She understood that God was calling her husband to His Holy Church, and began with even greater fervor to teach him about the Christian faith and urge him to the path of salvation. The blessed Nonna took her husband to Bishop Leontius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who baptized him. After his Baptism, Gregory led a God-pleasing life, as befits a true Christian. He also excelled in piety and good works that he later became Bishop of Nazianzus.

mong beginners, discernment is a real self-knowledge; among those midway along the road to perfection, it is a spiritual capacity to distinguish unfailingly between what is truly good and what in nature is opposed to the good; among the perfect, it is a knowledge resulting from Divine illumination, which with its lamp can light up what is dark in others. To put the matter generally, discernment is and is recognized to be--a solid understanding of the will of God in all times, in all places, in all things; and it is found only among those who are pure in heart, in body, and in speech.