Sunday
*Lent  with St Theophan cont…

The parable about the talents offers the thought that life is a time for trading. That means that it is necessary to hasten to use this time as a person would hurry to a market to bargain for what he can. Even if one has only brought bast shoes, or only bast,[1] he does not sit with his arms folded, but contrives to call over buyers to sell what he has and then buy for himself what he needs. No one who has received life from the Lord can say that he does not have a single talent—everyone has something, and not just one thing; everyone, therefore, has something with which to trade and make a profit. Do not look around and calculate what others have received, but take a good look at yourself and determine more precisely what lies in you and what you can gain for that which you have, and then act according to this plan without laziness.  At the Judgment you will not be asked why you did not gain ten talents if you had only one, and you will not even be asked why you gained only one talent on your one, but you will be told that you gained a talent, half a talent or a tenth of its worth. And the reward will not be because you received the talents, but because you gained. There will be nothing with which to justify yourself—not with nobleness, nor poverty, nor lack of education. When this is not given, there will be no question about it. But you had hands and feet. You will be asked, what did you gain with them? You had a tongue, what did you gain with it? In this way will the inequalities of earthly states be levelled out at God’s judgment.

 

Prayer:  We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee, for by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Monday

The sinful woman, upon hearing that the Saviour was in the house of Simon, came there with an alabaster box of ointment. Moving toward the feet of the Lord from behind Him, she started to cry and washed His feet with her tears, then wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with myrrh (cf. Luke 7:36–39). She did not say anything; she only acted, and through her actions revealed a most tender love for the Lord. Because of this it was spoken of her: Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much (Luke 7:47). Oh, when will we talk less and act more, and through our actions witness our love for the Lord? You might say, “If He were here I would be ready now to do all for Him.” But He is here, invisible in His person, but visible in all Christians, most of all in the needy. Anoint the invisible Lord with loving prayer of the heart and mind; and, for His sake, do everything possible for the needy, and you will be doing this for God.

Prayer:

O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talking give me not.

 

Tuesday

A sin is committed in the soul and directly makes it sick; but since the life of the body comes from the soul, then the life coming from a sick soul is of course not healthy. The mere fact that sin brings darkness and sorrow must unfavourably act on the blood, in which lies the basis of bodily health. But when you remember that it separates man from God, the Source of life, and places man in disharmony with all laws acting in himself and in nature, then one must marvel how a sinner remains alive after sinning. This is the mercy of God, Who awaits repentance and conversion. Consequently, a sick person must rush first of all to be cleansed of sins and make peace with God in his conscience. This paves the way for the beneficial action of medicine. They say that there was one distinguished doctor who would not begin treatment until the patient had confessed and received the holy Mysteries; and the more serious the disease, the more urgently he insisted upon this.

Prayer:

But rather a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love bestow upon me Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Wednesday

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Prov. 15:3). Oh, if only rational creatures would always keep this in mind! Then not only would they not dare to commit excesses openly and to give themselves over to dissoluteness of the flesh, but also inwardly, in their thoughts, and in the movements of their heart, they would not allow anything unpleasing to God. They would stand then like soldiers at the front before the king, with all attention and strictness toward themselves, that they not be found ignorant of their orders, and not be subject to the king’s wrath and punishment. The orders given to rational creatures are the commandments of God, which determine the proper form of their thoughts, and how their feelings and dispositions ought to be; they would then be quite well-ordered.

Prayer:

Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

 

Thursday
Man has two opposing forces inside, but one consciousness—the human being. The characteristics of this being are determined by his inclinations. If he sides with the Spirit, he is spiritual; if he sides with the flesh, he is fleshly. The spirit does not disappear altogether even from the fleshly, but it is enslaved, and has no voice. It becomes yoked, and serves the flesh like a slave serves its mistress, inventing all sorts of pleasures for it. Similarly, the flesh does not disappear from the spiritual, but it submits to the spirit and serves it. It loses its natural rights for food through fasting, its rights for sleep through vigil, for rest through continuous labour and weariness, for pleasing the feelings through seclusion and silence. Where the flesh reigns, God does not abide; for His organ of communication with man is the spirit, which is not given its due priority in the flesh. God’s approach is felt for the first time when the spirit begins to claim its own through the operation of the fear of God and one’s conscience. When consciousness and freedom also come to help, then God communicates with man and begins to dwell in him. From that moment on begins the inspiration of the soul, the flesh and of the entire inner and outer man, while God becomes all in all in him. By becoming spiritual, man is made divine. What a marvellous benefit, and how little it is remembered, valued and sought after!

 

Prayer:  O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Friday

 If help is needed, ask. “I asked,” you say, “and it was not given.” But then how is it given to others? With the Lord there is no respect of persons; to give to one, and not to give to another without any reason. He is ready to give to all—for He loves to be giving. If He does not give to someone, the reason is not in Him, but in the one asking help. Among such reasons can be some that we cannot even guess. But there exist known reasons, visible to anyone. One of these reasons (and is it not the chief reason?) Saint John points out to be the absence of confidence, and the absence of confidence comes from the condemnation of the heart or the conscience. Beloved, he says, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (I John 3:21). There is nothing more to add to these words. Everything is clear in and of itself. What master will help an unfaithful servant, a squanderer and profligate? Will the Lord really indulge us when we do not want to please Him and fulfil His commandments; if we only start praying when an extreme need arises?

Prayer:  Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)

Saturday
Do not reason, just give your heart away to the Lord, and He Himself will establish of it a church for Himself—but give it unsparingly. If there are parts which are not given, then from the heart a whole church cannot be established, for one thing will be decayed, another broken—and what will come out, if anything comes out, is a church with holes or without a roof, or without doors. It is not possible to live in such a church: the Lord will not be in it. It will only seem that it is a church, but in reality will be a conglomerate mass.

 

Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have Mercy on me a sinner.