Sunday

1 Timonthy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Focus:
On February 6 St Photius is commemorated. There are numerous things that could be said about him but this condemnation of the Western Frankish addition to the Creed (saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the son, changing the Nicene Creed) is noteworthy. It was basically a line in the sand that stated that Christian theology and dogma cannot be changed and that it is unchanging. The chaos in the West that eventually followed is proof of his wisdom. The church is build on the unchanging Rock of Christ not on the ever changing sands of the thoughts of men.

Monday

** from the ‘Morning Offering’ devotional of Abbot Tryphon

Our life must be lived as a whole, for we dare not live out this life as merely fractured moments in time. If we wish to be transformed by our encounter with God, every aspect of our life must flow as one river, ever moving closer to Christ. If we live a compartmentalized and splintered life, we will prevent a unified transformation of our whole person, and will remain in a quagmire of our own making. Our work, our recreation, our family time, and every other aspect of our life, must flow together as a whole. Only then will it be possible for us to become complete persons, transformed into the likeness of God.

Tuesday

The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood, but one of darkness and evil. The survival of humankind is not dependent on the number of people who accept or reject the true faith, but rather that those who do, activate the fermentation, for just as yeast acts as a starter for bread, so faith in Christ can transform the world, and the entire cosmos. Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, “Save yourself, and a thousand around you will be saved”.

As members of the Body of Christ, we Orthodox Christians must be fully engaged in this warfare that would bring down the Church. Just as liberators of peoples suppressed by evil dictators, we must introduce into this fallen world the hope that comes only through the Son of Righteousness, Jesus Christ. The Liberator of Souls is the disperser of the darkness and evil that would rip us away from our loving God.

It is a comfort, knowing as we do, that the Church Triumphant, made up of the saints in heaven, is united in this battle with the Church Militant, and good will ultimately win this battle. The resurrection of Christ from the dead ended the permanency of death, and darkness and evil will ultimately be defeated.

Wednesday

Transformation is not something that happens in an instant, but is a journey towards holiness, and as long as we look to the future with hope, transformation of the heart continues, and our past becomes but a fading memory.

There are many people who cling to memories of past sins [or past wrongs done the them, real or unreal, by others], holding on to guilt and shame, reliving things long ago confessed, as though they happened yesterday. They struggle with regrets, often revisiting shame as though they were archeologists, digging for historical artifacts that must be preserved.

Such is not the case with God, for His interest is not in our past, but in our future. Confessed sins are counted as nothing, for God looks with interest on the transformed heart that has been made anew, with contrition. God looks to our future, for His loving mercy is upon the man who has confessed his sin, and that sin is counted as nothing. God is interested in what we are doing with our future, and as a loving Father takes pleasure in the steps we take in our journey towards Him.

Thursday

Upon Christ’s Second Coming, everyone who has ever lived will see Him in His uncreated light, forever. For “those who worked good deeds in their lifetime will go towards the resurrection of life, while those who worked evil in their lifetime will go towards the resurrection of judgment (John.5:29)”. All will be separated at the moment of the final judgement, with the good experiencing paradise as exceedingly good, and radiant, while those who have rejected His love, and whose lives ended without repentance, will look upon Christ as hell, the “all-consuming fire” spoken of in Hebrews 12:29.

It is from Christ’s Second Coming that the river of fire will flow forth. For the saints this river of fire will be a golden light, encompassing them as an eternal joy. Whereas, for the demons and the unrepentant, it will be as a burning hell fire. For this is the very reason we read in Luke 2:34, that Christ is “as the fall and the resurrection of many”.

For those who reject the healing that has been offered, Christ will be their hell, their separation from the eternal bliss. For the saints, Christ will be their resurrection into eternal life. This is why Saint John of the Ladder wrote that the uncreated light of Christ is “an all-consuming fire and an illuminating light”. This is why we say heaven and hell are not about location, they are about relationship. Heaven and Hell are within the same realm, which is in the presence of God.

Friday

The devil, warring against us, would have us believe the grass IS greener elsewhere, but we must always remember Satan is “The Great Deceiver”. Allowing ourselves to run away from the pain, or give up hope and surrender to despair, must never be an option.

Saint Anatoly of Optina said, “Without winter there would be no spring, and without spring there would be no summer. So it is also in the spiritual life: a little consolation, and then a little grief—and thus little by little we work out our salvation. Let us accept everything from the hand of God. If He comforts us, let us thank Him. And if He doesn’t comfort us—let us thank Him.”

We must always live with the knowledge that God loves us, and that whatever pain or sorrow He allows to come our way, is always for our salvation. Knowing this to be true, we must live in joyfulness of heart, comforted with the knowledge that we are loved by God, and that whatever suffering we have in this present moment of time, is but a temporary deviation from the joyful life we will have in the coming Kingdom.

Saturday

We all need a good dose of silent prayer each and every day. Finding that perfect place in your home that can become your cave, or prayer closet, will afford you that sacred space where you can go deep into the heart and connect with God. That place where you can close off your family, your worries, your job, your distractions, and go deep into your heart where you will find the peace that comes from Christ.

The Jesus Prayer is the perfect prayer, for it is a prayer of adoration and praise, and a prayer that proclaims that Jesus is Lord, and, as God, can grant mercy upon you. The simple prayer which invokes the Holy Name of Jesus can transform your life, and take you into the very Heart of God. This prayer is known as the Prayer of the Heart for the very reason that it is of the heart.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Said with the aid of a Prayer Rope (thus bringing your body into the action of the prayer), this prayer accomplishes Saint Paul’s admonition that we should “pray always”. It is a prayer that takes you out of yourself and into communion with Christ. It is a prayer that can change your life because through this prayer you can taste the presence of Christ within you.