| 35: 10. LXX), and where gladness and continual joy flourish. 47 . True inward faith begets fear of God. Fear of God teaches us to keep the commandments. For where there is fear, it is said, there the commandments are kept. The keeping of the commandments establishes practical virtue, the precursor of contemplative virtue. Of these the fruit is dispassion. Through dispassion, love is born in us. Concerning love the beloved disciple said, ‘God is love, and he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him’ (1 John 4: 16). 48 . The monk’s way oflife is truly full ofbeauty and excellence, provided it accords with the rules and laws laid down by its founders and directors, taught as they were by the Holy Spirit. The warrior of Christ must be above material things and detached from all worldly thoughts and deeds; for, as St Paul says: ‘In order to please the leader who has chosen him, the soldier going to war does not entangle himself in the affairs of this life’ ( 2Tim. 2: 4 ). 49 . The monk, therefore, must be detached from material things, must be dispassionate, free from all evil desires, not given to soft living, not a tippler, not slothful, not indolent, not a lover of wealth, pleasure or praise. Unless he raises himself above all these things, he will fail to achieve the angelic way of life. For those who do achieve it, the yoke is easy and the burden is light ( cf . Matt. 11: 30), divine hope sustaining them in all things. This life and its activities are full of delight, and the lot of the soul that has attained it is blessed and ‘cannot be taken away’ (Luke 10: 42). 50 . If you have renounced worldly cares and undertaken the ascetic struggle you should not desire to have wealth for distribution to the poor. For this is another trick of the devil who arouses selfesteem in you so as to fill your intellect with worry and restlessness. Even if you have only bread or water, with these you can still meet the dues of hospitality. Even if you do not have these, but simply make the stranger welcome and offer him a word of encouragement, you will not be failing in hospitality. |
| 3. At the end of the hymn to the Theotokos at the Anaphora: “It is truly meet,” or its substitute (Zadostoinik—the irmos of the ninth ode in the canon to the feast). 4. When the chalice is brought out by the deacon or priest, and he says, “With the fear of God and with faith, draw nigh.” The clergy do not prostrate at this time, because they do this earlier in the Altar, before they commune. 5. When the chalice is shown to the people for the last time, and the priest or bishop says “Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” The common practices, however, is that those who have received communion do not make a prostration at this point, and so the clergy likewise do not make a prostration. It is also a common practice in some local traditions to make a prostration when we sing the “Our Father.” However, according to Archbishop Peter, St. John of Shanghai taught that this was incorrect, because, as we say just before we sing this prayer at the Liturgy, we are asking that God would enable us “with boldness and without condemnation to dare to call upon [him] the heavenly God as Father...” And a son does not prostrate himself before his father, when he has such boldness and is not under condemnation. Fr. John Whiteford 18 октября 2016 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Комментарии Castrese Tipaldi 20 октября 2016, 14:00 Father, bless! At my parish in Riga, the custom is to kneel even on Sundays when the chalice is brought out, listening in that position to the prayer recited by the priest and finally making a prostration when it is over. I am aware that the canons forbid to kneel and prostrate on Sunday, so that at the beginning I did not follow them, but then I " ve decided it was better to stop being the only one standing in that moment, to avoid temptations (I judging them or they judging me). Therefore, I do the same now; after all, it " s hard to reproach someone because he " s bowing down to the Lord, even if made on the Day of Resurrection. Anyway, I wonder if it " s the correct behaviour. What should someone do in such a circumstance? |
| 508) Do not have any partiality, not only either for food and drink, for dress, for a spacious and richly decorated dwelling, for the luxurious furniture of your house, but not even for your health, do not even have the least partiality for your life, give up all your life to the Will of the Lord, saying: «for, to me to live--is Christ and to die--is gain.» 427 «He that hates his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.» 428 Attachment to the temporary life, to onés own health, leads to many deviations from God " s Commandments, to the indulgence of the flesh, to breaking the fasts, to evading the conscientious fulfillment of the duties connected with our service, to despondency, impatience, irritability. Never sleep before saying evening-prayers, lest your heart should become gross from ill-timed sleep, and lest the enemy should hinder it by a stony insensibility during prayer. «Be sober, be vigilant.» 429 «Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation.» 430 «Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.» 431 «Watch therefore: for you know not when the master of the house will come, at noon, or at midnight, or at the rooster-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly He finds you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.» 432 509) Pray, my brethren, to the Mother of God when the storm of enmity and malice bursts forth in your house. She, Who is all-merciful and all-powerful, can easily pacify the hearts of men. Peace and love proceed from the one God, as from their Source, and the Holy Theotokos–in God, as the Mother of Christ the Peace, is zealous, and prays for the peace of the whole world, and above all–of all Christians. She has the all-merciful power of driving away from us at Her sign the sub-celestial spirits of evil–those ever-vigilant and ardent sowers of enmity and malice among men, while to all who have recourse with faith and love to Her powerful protection, She soon speedily gives both peace and love. Be zealous yourselves also in preserving faith and love in your hearts; for if you do not care for this, then you will be unworthy of the intercession for you–of the Mother of God; be also most fervent and most reverent worshipers of the Mother of the Almighty Lord; for it is truly meet to bless Her–the ever-blessed; the entirely spotless Mother of our God, the highest of all creatures, the Intercessor for the whole race of mankind. Strive to train yourself in the spirit of humility, for She Herself was more humble than any mortal, and only looks lovingly upon the humble.» He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden» (said She to Elisabeth), of «God, Her Savior.» 433 |
| 50 . Let there be in him faith and ripeness of character, not one without the other, but let both meet together in one with good works and deeds. For which reason the Apostle Paul wishes that we should be imitators of them, who, as he says, “by faith and patience” 3795 possess the promises made to Abraham, who by patience was found worthy to receive and to possess the grace of the blessing promised to him. David the prophet warns us that we should be imitators of holy Aaron, and has set him amongst the Saints of God to be imitated by us, saying: “Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those that call upon His Name.” 3796 51 . A man clearly worthy to be proposed that all should follow him was he, for when a terrible death on account of the rebels was spreading over the people, he offered himself between the dead and the living, that he might arrest death, and that no more should perish. 3797 A man truly of priestly mind and soul, who as a good shepherd with pious affection offered himself for the Lord’s flock. And so he broke the sting of death, restrained its violence, refused it further course. Affection aided his deserts, for he offered himself for those who were resisting him. 52 . Let those then who dissent learn to fear to rouse up the Lord, and to appease His priests. What! did not the earthquake swallow up Dathan, Abiron, and Korah because of their dissension? 3798 For when Korah, Dathan, and Abiron had stirred up two hundred and fifty men against Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from them, they rose up against them and said: “Let it suffice you that all the congregation are holy, every one, and the Lord is amongst them.” 3799 53 . Whereupon the Lord was angry and spoke to the whole congregation. The Lord considered and knew those that were His, and drew His saints to Himself; and those whom He chose not, He did not draw to Himself. And the Lord commanded that Korah and all those who had risen up with him against Moses and Aaron the priests of the Lord should take to themselves censers, and put on incense, 3800 that he who was chosen of the Lord might be established as holy among the Levites of the Lord. |
| 5:24). God will not receive our weeping for our sins, if every one of us does not forgive our brother his trespasses from our hearts (cf. Mt. 18:35, 6:14-15). But worse still will it be for those who were already invited to the Heavenly Bridegroom’s wedding feast, but, disregarding it, went to their field or to trade (cf. Mt. 22:5). Such truly have exchanged their souls for mammon, making their “house of prayer” into a “house of merchandise.” The barren fig tree is not to blame that it had no fruit in early spring (cf. Mk. 11:13). But it’s instantaneous withering at the word of the Lord is a lesson for us. The lush, green external appearance of the fig tree promised fruit, but it had nothing but some leaves. Thus, Lord can wither those who have only the external appearance of fulfilling the Law, but bear no fruits of faith, in the blink of an eye. May these examples, dear fathers, brothers, and sisters, of the cursing of the fig tree and the driving out of the moneychangers from the Temple be a warning for us. To those who do not preserve their baptismal garments white, who are pious only in appearance, but bring forth no fruits of faith, it is useless to repeat the words, “The Temple of the Lord is here.” It’s not worth it to blame others and the clergy and to say that you don’t like to pray in this or that church. God hears our prayers and lamentations for our sins from the depths of our heart in every place. But if someone, going to the “house of God,” harbors a grudge against his neighbor, he has already made his soul a “den of thieves.” Therefore, let us be watchful over our souls and pray, stock up on the oil of virtues, put a wick in the lampadas of faith and go to meet the Bridegroom in the Bridechamber. Let us echo in the house of prayer of our souls the hymn of Holy Week: “Thy bridal chamber I see adorned, O my Savior, but I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me.” 4 Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky) Translated by Jesse Dominick 10 апреля 2017 г. |
| 5. Christ is born: glorify Him. Christ comes from heaven: go out to meet Him. Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high. Saint Basil the Great († January 379): 1. When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor. 2. I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness toward all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ. 3. I have learned from Jesus Christ Himself what charity is, and how we ought to practise it; for He says: “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye love one another.” Never can I, therefore, please myself in the hope that I may obtain the name of a servant of Christ if I possess not a true and unfeigned charity within me. 4. … if, to me, to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21), truly my words ought to be about Christ, my every thought and deed ought to depend upon His commandments, and my soul to be fashioned after His. 5. A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. Saint John Chrysostom († September 14, 407): 1. If you wish to leave much wealth to your children, leave them in God’s care. Do not leave them riches, but virtue and skill. For if they learn to expect riches, they will not mind anything besides, and their abundant riches shall give them the means of screening the wickedness of their ways. 2. The rich man is not one who is in possession of much, but one who gives much. 3. If the Lord should give you power to raise the dead, He would give much less than He does when he bestows suffering. By miracles you would make yourself debtor to Him, while by suffering He may become debtor to you. And even if sufferings had no other reward than being able to bear something for that God who loves you, is not this a great reward and a sufficient remuneration? Whoever loves, understands what I say. |
| (5) Give your heart to God “My son, give me thine heart” (Prov 23:26). This is what God requires of us, He wants our love freely given. He will not settle for second place. If there is a person or thing or ambition in our life that we may value above our relationship with God, it must be abandoned. This is what Christ meant when He said that whoever would come after Him must abandon all and follow Him. Yet He also added that whoever did this would receive a hundredfold in return. When we receive this hundredfold back, however, it no longer means as much to us. Christ is the main focus of our lives. Any other main focus can become a form of idolatry. (6) Avoid negativite “It’ll never work.” “Oh, what’s the use?” “Everyone else is doing it.” This sort of negativity can drag us down, and even become addictive. It will ruin our desire to be creative, courageous and energetic. It will encourage us to live by lower ideals and lower standards. Stamp out negativity from the start, don’t give it a chance, and don’t feed it. (7) Keep a journal It is a good practice and one followed by many Saints to keep a notebook in which we write down things that inspire us, things people say, things that happen in our lives that reveal God’s providence and care for us. In the future we can then look back and be edified again. (8) Do not neglect the Sacraments Last, but certainly not least, do not be absent from the Divine Liturgy, make every effort to attend Vespers on Saturday nights and feastdays, and receive the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion as often as you can. These Sacraments are a “forgotten medicine” today. They have a power not only to unshackle us, but to fill us with joy and strength. Holy Communion especially, when taken with due preparation, can center and strengthen our whole life in Christ. It is where we are united with Christ, who said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Life is a great potential, a vast horizon of endless possibilities. Each one of us has a path, a calling, a purpose in God’s plan, and this purpose will bring us fulfillment and joy. But to follow this path takes struggle, work, and even sacrifice. It is a “narrow way” in the words of Christ. Follow Christ, and follow your path, the path God sets for you. Do not follow the path that the world sets for you, nor others who may not have your best interest in mind. As a contemporary saying states, “Life is short, pray hard.” To be truly happy, to meet our goals, to spend our time on earth with those who would bring us the most joy and love, means that we are seeking to follow Christ with our whole heart and being. It is only God who gives every gift, and He does so without measure to those who love and follow Him. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Does It Matter if Jesus is God or Not? Source: Ramblings of a Redneck Priest The problem is that while I believe in Jesus as God and man, I am still Arius. If I truly honored Jesus as God, I wouldn’t do half of the things I do and I would do more than what I do. Archpriest John Moses (+2019) 14 May 2021 Does it really matter if Jesus is God or not? Couldn’t God have just picked a man and made him a savior or a messiah? He did it before with Moses and the Prophets. Could he not have accomplished the same if he had made Jesus a great spiritual guide like Buddha, or a man of peace and action like Gandhi? I know it sounds like a shocking question coming from an Orthodox priest, but I am not the first to ask it. Among the first to ask this kind of question was a man named Arius. To Arius, it seemed absurd to think that God who is eternal, invisible, inexpressible, and unattainable would appear on earth as a man. So, Arius held that God created Jesus and so Jesus, being a creature, was not God or equal to the Father in anyway. Of course, the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council understood that the divinity of Jesus absolutely mattered. The life of Jesus revealed something about God that we did not know before, something that is a great mystery-God is One, but He is also One in Three Persons. This revelation of the Trinity was so profound that the Fathers knew that it was crucial to our salvation. What Arius proposed broke this unity of God and separated the persons of the Godhead. They labored in the Creed to say that Jesus was fully human, but also fully divine. Jesus was two persons in one without confusion. So, the doctrine of the Trinity was preserved. Why did the Fathers think this was essential for our salvation? First, when I meet Jesus, I need to know that he is human. I need to know that he has experienced the struggles and the temptations of life. The Ascension of Jesus tells me something that no other religion has proposed –that a human being went to God, to sit on his right hand. In doing so, he bore in his body the marks of his crucifixion. The struggles of humanity sit next to God! Remarkable!!! |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation The Culture of Theological Thought as a Part of Educational Universum I enter into the walls of a new for me educational institution on average about two to three times a week. And, of course, not seldom I find myself in a situation where the hall looks on me like I was Lenin facing his hated bourgeoisie,” We have an academic center, and here a priest has come to us! Well, what can he say to us?” I already have a prepared greeting designed to open a dialogue even with the most hostile young auditorium. I recall the secret wisdom of our court: the best way to meet is to fight. Bishop Alexander (Mileant) 05 July 2006 Interview by Peter Korolev Translated by fr. Savatii Lewis. Do you know how to read? Just as in past times, so today there is in Russia a kind of unpleasant uniqueness among the family of European countries. Russia is among them the as only country where theological studies are not part of the curriculum of higher education. And so before us is the question, in general what forms is the presence of Orthodox theology possible in the framework of the secular university? But first, it is necessary to say a few words about what is contemporary theology. The meaning of the word “theology” has seriously changed over the ages of its existence, and even church figures have not always paid attention to this. If it is possible to believe father Alexander Shmemann, the very word “theology” meant “to sing”, “to sing to the Lord”. Later, Abba Evagrius said the famous phrase, “he who prays truly is a true theologian”. However, since the time of Abba Evagrius hundreds of years have passed, and over that time theology became more of a science then the simple experience of a spiritual life. Today it is very important to remember that when we knock on the doors of the secular education institution, whether it be a school or a university, we do not go there with the formula of Abba Evagrius, and not so that school children and students learn true Orthodox prayer. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Welcomed or rejected by people, Christ continues to knock patiently at the door of our hearts, Bishop Varlaam says Source: Basilica.ro Aurelian Iftimiu 20 July 2022 Photography courtesy of the Basilica.ro Files In his sermon on Sunday at the Patriarchal Cathedral, the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploieti contrasted the expulsion of the Saviour from Gadara with His warm welcome in Sychar and detailed how these two ways of relating to God have persisted in history until today. “The city of Gadara came out to meet Jesus in its entirety, unfortunately, not to express gratitude for the healing of the two fellow citizens so badly afflicted, nor to express gratitude that from then on they would be able to walk without fear since the two demoniacs were quiet and with their clothes on. They came to ask Jesus to leave their city because the damage He had done by drowning the two thousand pigs was too great,” said the patriarchal auxiliary bishop referring to the day’s gospel reading. “We see the contrast between the citizens of Gadara and the Samaritans of Sychar, who, having been told by the woman with whom Jesus spoke at Jacob’s well, went out, the whole city, and called on Jesus to stay in their city. Although Jesus knew about the Samaritans’ hostility against the Jews, He stayed in Sychar for three days, and many of the city inhabitants believed in his divinity and received Him into their lives.” “Here are two different attitudes: the Gadarenes, who out of greed and the joy of gain and the great loss they suffered drove Jesus out of their borders, and these Samaritans, heretics and full of enmity against the Jews, who nevertheless gladly received Him, obeyed Him, believed and understood that He is truly the Son of God.” “Often in history, the same thing has happened,” Bishop Varlaam continued. |
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