Sunday
\n*Quote from Orthodox Elders this week<\/p>\n
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi+ on Rewards of Struggle…
\n\u201cOur Lord promises to those who wish to follow Him with the appropriate self denial, a hundredfold reward in this life and His eternal kingdom in the afterlife. By \u2018hundredfold\u2019 reward He does not mean the physical goods or peoples\u2019 appreciation, but the spiritual gifts which freshen the soul, and the supernatural contemplations which render us capable of communicating with the divine mysteries. Since \u201cthe kingdom of God is within us\u201d ( Luke 17, 21) it does not hide its mysteries from the one who heeds its precepts, but responds to the silent exhalations of his heart in a motherly way, and reveals to him what is in store in the future for him. It also shows him those who lived before him and how they are now participating in the divine glory to the measure of their adequacy. The fruits of the Holy Spirit, the divine gifts which are the strength of the Church, are shared amongst the god-loving and hard-working fighters. It is in this way that those who live insignificant and despised lives during the period of their struggle become honest and respected later because they offer support and comfort to the faithful since they have been \u201cinstructed by God\u201d and \u201cbring out of their storeroom new treasures as well as old\u201d ( Matthew 13, 52).”<\/p>\n
Prayer:
\nWe adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee for by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.<\/p>\n
Monday
\nElder Arsenie Papacioc on Love…<\/p>\n
“We need to love much! For Christ is commanding us! Lets be attentive, love is the criteria of [the last] judgment! When Christ asked us to love, He also gave us the strength to do it. We should love our pain [sorrow] and those that caused it. You are free and have the possibility to climb [grow], if you do not hate. Our hearts must always be free for Christ. This world is not evil; we are at fault for we do not know to love. The hate of your neighbor is the most devilish work.”<\/p>\n
Prayer:
\nLet the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tuesday
\nFr. Seraphim Rose+ on Active Faith…
\n“[Some] Protestants have a simple and warm Christian faith without much of the sectarian narrowness that characterizes many Protestant groups. They don’t believe, like some Protestants, that they are “saved” and don’t need to do any more; they believe in the idea of spiritual struggle and training the soul. They force themselves to forgive each other and not to hold grudges. They take in bums and hippies off the streets and have a special farm for rehabilitating them and teaching them a sense of responsibility. In other words, they take Christianity seriously as the most important thing in life; it’s not the fullness of Christianity that we Orthodox have, but it’s good as far as it goes, and these people are warm, loving people who obviously love Christ. In this way they are an example of what we should be, only more so.
\nWhether they attain salvation by their practice of Christianity is for God to judge, for some of their views and actions are far from the true Christianity of Orthodoxy handed down to us from Christ and His Apostles; but at least an awareness of their existence should help us to be aware of what we already have.”<\/p>\n
Prayer:
\nO Lord come to my assistance, O Lord make haste to help me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wednesday
\nElder Joseph the Hesychast on Starting Early in the Holy Life\u2026
\n\u201cSo if you don\u2019t struggle and labor now when you are young, you won\u2019t reap the benefit when you\u2019re old; you won\u2019t have anything in your \u2018retirement fund.\u2019 So, my child, you too should work hard now so that when the years have passed and you\u2019re old, you will find these things. Just as our forefathers used to say: \u2018Work when you\u2019re young to have something when you\u2019re old\u2019 Gero-Arsenios and I wore ourselves out when we were young, and now God has come to reward us. Now that we are old and leaving this life, we are experiencing these things within us. I\u2019m telling you all this so that you will remember it. You\u2019re young and later this will be useful for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prayer:<\/p>\n
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
\nThursday
\nElder St Paisios on the Final Moments of Life\u2026
\n\u201cWhen a soul is well prepared and ascending to Heaven, the demons can\u2019t assault it. If it isn\u2019t prepared, it is tormented by the demons. Sometimes, God may allow a soul with unpaid debts at the time of his death to see the tollgates, so that we, who will continue to live, struggle to repay our debts here. Do you remember reading about the event with Theodora? In other words, God provides that some people see certain things to help others repent. In the life of Saint Euphrosynos, for example, we read that after the vision he experienced, the Abbot found himself with the apples in his hand for the others to see and be helped in their spiritual life. Sometimes God will provide for a soul to have a dialogue at the time of death, so that the person himself may repent even at the last minute, or for the benefit of those who are listening. You see, God has many ways to save people. Sometimes He helps with Angels, other times with trials and tribulations, and still at other times through various signs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prayer:
\nHoly, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with Thy Glory.<\/p>\n
Friday
\nElder Ephraim of Arizona on Longsuffering in Theosis\u2026
\n\u201cThe struggle is not small; it does not last for only one day, but until our last breath. Therefore, let us arm ourselves with the sweetest name of our Jesus, so that the devil finds no room in our heart. But to acquire the memory of our Jesus, much diligence, forcefulness, faith, hope, perseverance, patience, and time are needed. Place your hope in our Christ and do not fear the threats of the demons, but establish yourself beside Him and say, \u201cBy my God shall I leap over a wall;\u201d that is, I shall pass over the barriers of demonic temptations with the power of my God. Try to make a good start, for then you will have an excellent end. How you begin is how you will continue to walk. Do not disregard your small imperfections and say, \u201cThis is nothing.\u201d No. Small things will become large and will give birth to other evils as well. He who does not pay attention to small vices will fall into great ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prayer:<\/p>\n
Christ with me, Christ before me,
\nChrist behind me, Christ in me,
\nChrist beneath me, Christ above me,
\nChrist on my right, Christ on my left,
\nChrist when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
\nChrist when I arise,
\nChrist in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
\nChrist in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
\nChrist in every eye that sees me,
\nChrist in every ear that hears me.
\n(St. Patrick\u2019s Breastplate prayer excerpt)
\nSaturday
\nElder Anthimos+ on Confession…
\n\u201cIf we don\u2019t confess our thoughts, they will become snakes and beasts and will eat us up. The farmer who found a frozen snake and put it next to his breast was unfortunate. As soon as it warmed up, it cast off its sleep and bit him. Thus, if we don\u2019t confess our thoughts, they will become acts and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:15).\u201d<\/p>\n
Prayer:<\/p>\n
O Come let us worship and fall down before Christ, O Son of God, Who didst rise from the dead, save us who chant unto Thee, Alleluia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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