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Why George now wears his cross where no one can see it

George answers a viewer's question about whether he wears his cross. When he started his account, he wore it over his t-shirt, thinking it would help people connect with his words about Christ. As he learned more about Orthodox tradition, he came to understand that many Orthodox Christians keep the cross under their clothes, close to the heart, because it is not jewelry. He observes people wearing large crosses as fashion statements, sometimes…

George answers a viewer's question about whether he wears his cross. When he started his account, he wore it over his t-shirt, thinking it would help people connect with his words about Christ. As he learned more about Orthodox tradition, he came to understand that many Orthodox Christians keep the cross under their clothes, close to the heart, because it is not jewelry.

He observes people wearing large crosses as fashion statements, sometimes alongside a zodiac sign or the evil eye. For most Orthodox Christians, the cross is the one received at baptism and marks belonging to Christ. It is worn for the wearer, not to display one's beliefs to others.

Many kiss the cross in the morning and before sleep with a short prayer, and George says he does this sometimes as well. He now wears his cross where it cannot be seen and asks viewers how they wear theirs.

George wore his cross over his t-shirt when he started his account so viewers would connect his words with Christ.
Learning Orthodox tradition, he understood that many keep the cross under their clothes, close to the heart, because it is not jewelry.
He sees big crosses worn as fashion statements, sometimes next to a zodiac sign or the evil eye.
For most Orthodox, the cross is received at baptism and is a sign of belonging to Christ, worn for oneself rather than to show others.
Many kiss the cross morning and night with a short prayer; George now wears his where it cannot be seen.

Key moments

George says he usually did not wear his cross on top of his clothes, but when he started his account he wore it over his t-shirt so people would connect with what he says about Christ.
The more he learned about Orthodox traditions, the more he understood that many Orthodox Christians keep their cross under their clothes, close to the heart, because it is not jewelry.
He sees many people wearing the cross for the wrong reasons, as big crosses worn as a fashion statement, sometimes next to a zodiac sign or the evil eye.
For most Orthodox Christians, the cross is the one received at baptism and is a sign that they belong to Christ.
The cross is not there to show people what one believes; it is worn close to the heart to remind the wearer daily who they belong to.
Many Orthodox kiss the cross in the morning and before sleep and say a short prayer, which George says he also does sometimes.
George says he wears his cross, just not for others to see anymore, and asks viewers how they wear theirs.

Does the Orthodox Church Believe in the Evil Eye? The Speaker Answers

The speaker answers a question about whether the Orthodox Church believes in the evil eye. He explains that the church recognizes vaskania, a word drawn from envy, meaning to look at someone with jealousy. The church has a priestly prayer against vaskania that asks God to protect people from envy and evil. He warns against trusting amulets, charms or rituals, including the blue eye, saying protection comes from God rather than from an object. If…

The speaker answers a question about whether the Orthodox Church believes in the evil eye. He explains that the church recognizes vaskania, a word drawn from envy, meaning to look at someone with jealousy. The church has a priestly prayer against vaskania that asks God to protect people from envy and evil.

He warns against trusting amulets, charms or rituals, including the blue eye, saying protection comes from God rather than from an object. If someone wears something, he recommends the cross, worn not as a charm but as a sign of trust in Christ. He also cautions against blaming every headache or bad day on someone giving the eye, since that becomes superstition.

Orthodox Christians, he says, put their trust in Christ, in prayer, in the cross and in the life of the church. He closes by advising viewers to consult their priest or spiritual father rather than take his word as final authority.

The church recognizes vaskania, a word that comes from envy, looking at someone with jealousy.
A priestly prayer against vaskania asks God to protect people from envy and evil.
Orthodoxy does not teach putting faith in the blue eye, amulets or charms; protection comes from God.
If you wear something, let it be your cross, as a sign that you trust in Christ.
Do not blame every headache or bad day on the evil eye, and consult your priest or spiritual father.

Key moments

The church recognizes vaskania, a word that comes from envy, looking at someone with jealousy.
The church has a prayer against vaskania, read by a priest, asking God to protect us from envy and evil.
Orthodoxy does not teach putting faith in the blue eye, amulets, charms or rituals; protection comes from God, not an object.
If you wear something, let it be your cross, not as a charm but as a sign that you trust in Christ.
Do not live in fear thinking every headache or bad day comes from someone giving the eye; that becomes superstition.
Orthodox Christians put their trust in Christ, in prayer, in the cross and in the life of the church.
The speaker tells viewers to talk to their priest or spiritual father rather than take his word as final authority.

A grandfather's nightly sign of the cross: a Cretan village childhood and a return to Orthodoxy

The speaker marks three weeks of the account, which has grown to more than 30,000 people, and begins telling his life story. He grew up in a small village in the mountains of Crete, and his grandfather was the one who brought him close to God. Every night his grandfather made the sign of the cross over him and his sister and prayed the Our Father. The children would not go to bed until he came, and they called him to come and cross them. On…

The speaker marks three weeks of the account, which has grown to more than 30,000 people, and begins telling his life story. He grew up in a small village in the mountains of Crete, and his grandfather was the one who brought him close to God. Every night his grandfather made the sign of the cross over him and his sister and prayed the Our Father.

The children would not go to bed until he came, and they called him to come and cross them. On Sundays the children of the village met at church, helped in the liturgy, wore little church robes, and entered the altar where the priest prepares Holy Communion. As a child he believed without doubt; when he was told that paradise exists, it was as real to him as life in the village.

He left home at 16 and lost a little of his faith for many years, but he never forgot those nights with his grandfather or the time spent helping in church. He says that memory is a big part of why he returned to Orthodoxy, and he named his son Manuel after his grandfather. He closes by asking viewers whether they remember the first person who taught them to pray.

The account reached more than 30,000 people in three weeks, and the speaker begins his life story.
He grew up in a small village in the mountains of Crete; his grandfather brought him close to God.
Every night his grandfather made the sign of the cross over him and his sister and prayed the Our Father; the children waited for him before sleeping.
On Sundays the children helped in the liturgy, wore little church robes, and entered the altar where the priest prepares Holy Communion.
He left home at 16 and lost some faith for years, but returned to Orthodoxy and named his son Manuel after his grandfather.

Key moments

The speaker notes the account reached more than 30,000 people in three weeks and begins sharing his life story.
He grew up in a small village in the mountains of Crete, and his grandfather brought him close to God.
Every night his grandfather made the sign of the cross over him and his sister and prayed the Our Father; they would not go to bed until he came and they called him to come and cross them.
On Sundays the children of the village met at church, helped in the liturgy, wore little church robes, and went inside the altar where the priest prepares Holy Communion.
As a child he believed without doubt; when told paradise exists, it was as real to him as life in the village.
He left home at 16 and lost a little of his faith for many years, but never forgot the nights with his grandfather or helping in church.
That memory is a big part of why he returned to Orthodoxy and why he named his son Manuel after his grandfather.
He asks viewers: do you remember the first person who taught you to pray?

5 opinions in the discussion Yes. For me it was my uncle. As a kid I honestly hated the liturgy because it was so long and I barely understood anything (the language is Ge'ez), but afterwards he would always take me to… Read the discussion

5 opinions Read the discussion

IC̅ XC̅ NIKA ☦ Instagram 2 days ago

Eight Roots of Sin: What the Desert Fathers Prescribed for Each One

The speaker opens with a struggle many will recognize: you confess a sin, promise not to repeat it, and a week later you fall into it again. They say they have been there many times and that this cycle is human, not a sign that one person alone is failing. The help they found came from the desert fathers, who wrote 1600 years ago that almost every sin grows from eight roots: gluttony, lust, love of money, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory and…

The speaker opens with a struggle many will recognize: you confess a sin, promise not to repeat it, and a week later you fall into it again. They say they have been there many times and that this cycle is human, not a sign that one person alone is failing. The help they found came from the desert fathers, who wrote 1600 years ago that almost every sin grows from eight roots: gluttony, lust, love of money, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory and pride.

The point of this teaching is not to name sins but to find the root underneath them, because fighting the same sin over and over means the root has not been treated. For every root the fathers gave a medicine that is its opposite. The speaker lists them: fasting against gluttony, guarding your eyes against lust, giving against love of money, patience against anger, hope against sadness, staying against acedia, doing good in secret against vainglory, and humility against pride.

The speaker then turns to themselves and names their own root as pride, which they say they still fight every day. They close by inviting viewers to identify which of the eight roots is theirs, framing the question as a way to start working on the root rather than only the sin that keeps returning. The post is addressed to anyone caught in the cycle of repeated confession and repeated falls, offering the fathers' list as a practical map: find your root, find its opposite, and treat the cause instead of the symptom.

The speaker describes the cycle of confessing a sin, promising to stop, and falling again a week later, calling it human and common.
The desert fathers taught 1600 years ago that almost every sin grows from eight roots: gluttony, lust, love of money, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory and pride.
Each root has an opposite as its medicine: fasting, guarding the eyes, giving, patience, hope, staying, doing good in secret, and humility.
The speaker names pride as their own root and says they still fight it every day.
Viewers are asked which of the eight roots is theirs.

Key moments

The speaker describes the recurring sin you keep falling into even after confessing it and promising not to repeat it, saying they have been there many times and it is human.
The desert fathers wrote 1600 years ago that almost every sin grows from eight roots: gluttony, lust, love of money, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory and pride.
For every root there is a medicine that is its opposite: fasting for gluttony, guarding your eyes for lust, giving for love of money, patience for anger, hope for sadness, staying for acedia, doing good in secret for vainglory, and humility for pride.
The speaker says their own root is pride, which they still fight every day, and asks viewers which one is theirs.

Receiving Communion Properly: Common Mistakes and Step-by-Step Guidance

The speaker says most Orthodox Christians receive communion incorrectly, a habit carried over from childhood, and admits he made the same mistakes himself. The errors he lists include approaching the chalice with lipstick on, crossing oneself right next to the chalice, pulling the head away too fast after receiving, rushing to kiss the icons afterward, and dropping crumbs of blessed bread on the floor. He grounds the instruction in Saint Paul's…

The speaker says most Orthodox Christians receive communion incorrectly, a habit carried over from childhood, and admits he made the same mistakes himself. The errors he lists include approaching the chalice with lipstick on, crossing oneself right next to the chalice, pulling the head away too fast after receiving, rushing to kiss the icons afterward, and dropping crumbs of blessed bread on the floor.

He grounds the instruction in Saint Paul's words that a man must examine himself before receiving, because communion is not a symbol but Christ himself. The practical guidance begins before the chalice: prepare with prayer, fasting and confession as your spiritual father directs, wipe off lipstick, and pray the thief's prayer on the way up: 'I will not give you a kiss like Judas, but like the thief, I confess you.

Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.' At the chalice, cross yourself before reaching it, not next to it, so you do not knock it. Hold the red cloth under your chin, say your baptismal name, open your mouth, and receive without pulling away quickly. Afterward, wipe your lips with the cloth and do not rush to kiss the icons, since you have just received the one every icon points to.

Eat every crumb of the antidoron because it is blessed bread, and go home quietly to thank God.

Common mistakes: lipstick at the chalice, crossing next to it, pulling away too fast, rushing to kiss icons, dropping crumbs of blessed bread.
Saint Paul says to examine yourself before receiving, because communion is not a symbol but Christ himself.
Prepare with prayer, fasting and confession as your spiritual father directs, and pray the thief's prayer on the way up.
Cross yourself before reaching the chalice, hold the red cloth under your chin, say your baptismal name, and receive without pulling away fast.
Wipe your lips with the cloth, eat every crumb of the antidoron, and go home quietly to thank God.

Key moments

Most Orthodox receive communion the wrong way since childhood; common mistakes include lipstick, crossing next to the chalice, pulling away too fast, rushing to kiss icons, and dropping crumbs of blessed bread.
Saint Paul says to examine yourself before receiving, because communion is not a symbol but Christ himself.
Prepare beforehand with prayer, fasting and confession, exactly as your spiritual father tells you.
Wipe off lipstick and pray on the way up: 'I will not give you a kiss like Judas, but like the thief, I confess you. Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.'
Make the sign of the cross before reaching the chalice, not next to it, so you do not knock it.
Hold the red cloth under your chin, say your baptismal name, open your mouth, receive, and do not pull away fast.
Wipe your lips with the cloth and do not rush to kiss the icons, since you just received the one every icon points to.
Eat every crumb of the antidoron because it is blessed bread, then go home quietly and thank God.

25 opinions in the discussion A priest told me not to touch the red cloth when I was actually receiving communion. Read the discussion

25 opinions Read the discussion