31 May 2020

Holy Spirit, River of Grace

So, then, the Holy Spirit is the River, and the abundant River, which according to the Hebrews flowed from Jesus in the lands, as we have received it prophesied by the mouth of Isaiah. This is the great River which flows always and never fails. And not only a river, but also one of copious stream and overflowing greatness, as also David said: "The stream of the river makes glad the city of God." For neither is that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, watered by the channel of any earthly river, but that Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Fount of Life, by a short draught of Whom we are satiated, seems to flow more abundantly among those celestial Thrones, Dominions and Powers, Angels and Archangels, rushing in the full course of the seven virtues of the Spirit. For if a river rising above its banks overflows, how much more does the Spirit, rising above every creature, when He touches the as it were low-lying fields of our minds, make glad that heavenly nature of the creatures with the larger fertility of His sanctification. And let it not trouble you that either here it is said "rivers," or elsewhere "seven Spirits," for by the sanctification of these seven gifts of the Spirit, as Isaiah said, is signified the fulness of all virtue; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and the Spirit of the fear of God. One, then, is the River, but many the channels of the gifts of the Spirit. This River, then, goes forth from the Fount of Life. And here, again, you must not turn aside your thoughts to lower things, because there seems to be some difference between a Fount and a River, and yet the divine Scripture has provided that the weakness of human understanding should not be injured by the lowliness of the language. Set before yourself any river, it springs from its fount, but is of one nature, of one brightness and beauty. And do you assert rightly that the Holy Spirit is of one substance, brightness, and glory with the Son of God and with God the Father. I will sum up all in the oneness of the qualities, and shall not be afraid of any question as to difference of greatness. For in this point also Scripture has provided for us; for the Son of God says: "He that shall drink of the water which I will give him, it shall become in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." This well is clearly the grace of the Spirit, a stream proceeding from the living Fount. The Holy Spirit, then, is also the Fount of eternal life. . . . Good, then, is this water, even the grace of the Spirit. Who will give this Fount to my breast? Let it spring up in me, let that which gives eternal life flow upon me. Let that Fount overflow upon us, and not flow away. For Wisdom says: "Drink water out of thine own vessels, and from the founts of thine own wells, and let thy waters flow abroad in thy streets." How shall I keep this water that it flow not forth, that it glide not away? How shall I preserve my vessel, lest any crack of sin penetrating it, should let the water of eternal life exude? Teach us, Lord Jesus, teach us as Thou didst teach Thine apostles, saying: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where rust and moth destroy, and where thieves break through and steal."

                                     St. Ambrose of Milan

30 May 2020

On the Waters of Baptism

A more subtle attempt to diminish this water comes of embarrassment at its utterly unspectacular lowliness: someone is dipped in water with a few words. That should get him to eternity! [...] Lowly simplicity is characteristic of God's way of doing things. "A carnal act with spiritual effect."

                         Norman Nagel

29 May 2020

Virtue of Hope

Those who have hope must live different lives! (cf. “Spe Salvi,” 2). By your prayers, by the witness of your faith, by the fruitfulness of your charity, may you point the way toward that vast horizon of hope which God is even now opening up to his church and indeed to all humanity: the vision of a world reconciled and renewed in Christ Jesus, our Savior. To him be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

                         Pope Benedict XVI 

28 May 2020

On Anger

Are you angry? Be angry at your sins, beat your soul, afflict your conscience, but strict in judgment and a terrible punisher of your own sins. This is the benefit of anger, wherefore God placed it in us.

                         St. John Chrysostom

27 May 2020

True Peace and Reconciliation

Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid. (John 14:17).

26 May 2020

Christ Had Come Out of Mercy

The flood of temporal things draws us after itself, but in this flood there is, as it were, a full- grown tree: our Lord Jesus Christ. He took flesh, died, and ascended to heaven. It is as if He agreed to be in the flood of the temporal. Is this stream dragging you headlong? Hold on to Christ. He became temporal for you, so that you might become eternal, for He became temporal in such a way that He remained eternal. What difference is there between two men in a prison when one of them is a convict and the other a visitor! Sometimes a man comes to visit his friend, and it seems that both are in prison, but there is a great difference between them. One of them is held there because of guilt, while the other has come out of love for mankind. Thus it is with our mortality: guilt holds us here, but Christ had come out of mercy. He came freely into bondage, and not as a convict.

                            St. Augustine of Hippo

25 May 2020

Desert Fathers Sayings …

He who sits alone and is quite has escaped from three wars: hearing, speaking, seeing: but there is one thing against which he must continually fight: that is his own heart.

                     St. Antony the Great

24 May 2020

On Love

Cleanse your mind from anger, remembrance of evil, and shameful thoughts, and then you will find out how Christ dwells in you.

                       St. Maximus the Confessor

23 May 2020

On Vocation

No matter who you are, what kind of work you do, give an account of yourself as to how you have performed your work: as a Christian, or as a heathen (that is, motivated by self-love and worldly pleasure). A Christian must remember that every deed, even the smallest, has a moral principle. A Christian, who remembers the teaching of Jesus Christ, should perform every deed so that it will be of use toward the spreading of the grace of God and the Kingdom of Heaven among men.

                                St. Gabriel of Imereti

22 May 2020

On the Sacred Liturgy and Communion

This kiss is of the same character with those given in public by common friends. It is not such: but this kiss blends souls one with another, and courts entire forgiveness for them. The kiss therefore is the sign that our souls are mingled together, and banish all remembrance of wrongs.

                              St. Cyril of Jerusalem

21 May 2020

On Christ’s Ascension

IV. Christ's ascension has given us greater privileges and joys than the devil had taken from us

Accordingly, dearly-beloved, throughout this time which elapsed between the Lord's Resurrection and Ascension, God's Providence had this in view, to teach and impress upon both the eyes and hearts of His own people that the Lord Jesus Christ might be acknowledged to have as truly risen, as He was truly born, suffered, and died. And hence the most blessed Apostles and all the disciples, who had been both bewildered at His death on the cross and backward in believing His Resurrection, were so strengthened by the clearness of the truth that when the Lord entered the heights of heaven, not only were they affected with no sadness, but were even filled with great joy. And truly great and unspeakable was their cause for joy, when in the sight of the holy multitude, above the dignity of all heavenly creatures, the Nature of mankind went up, to pass above the angels' ranks and to rise beyond the archangels' heights, and to have Its uplifting limited by no elevation until, received to sit with the Eternal Father, It should be associated on the throne with His glory, to Whose Nature It was united in the Son. Since then Christ's Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised, whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult, dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of thanks. For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven, and have gained still greater things through Christ's unspeakable grace than we had lost through the devil's malice. For us, whom our virulent enemy had driven out from the bliss of our first abode, the Son of God has made members of Himself and placed at the right hand of the Father, with Whom He lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

                                        Leo the Great, Sermon 73

20 May 2020

Paschal Vesper

Come, let us worship the Word of God
begotten of the Father before all ages,
and incarnate of the Virgin Mary!
Having endured the Cross, He was buried as He himself desired.
And having risen from the dead, He saved me, an erring man.

Christ our Savior nailed to the Cross the bond against us,
He voided it and destroyed the dominion of death.
We fall down before His Resurrection on the third day.

With the Archangels let us praise the Resurrection of Christ!
He is our Savior, our Redeemer.
He is coming with awesome glory and mighty power
to judge the world which He made.

The Angel proclaimed Thee as the crucified and buried Master.
He told the women: “Come, see the place where He lay!
He is risen as He said, for He is almighty.”
We worship Thee, O only immortal One.
Have mercy on us, O Christ, the Giver of life! 

By Thy Cross, Thou didst destroy the curse of the tree.
By Thy burial Thou didst slay the dominion of death.
By Thy rising, Thou didst enlighten the race of man.
O Benefactor, Christ our God, glory to Thee!

Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior,
has enlightened the whole universe,
calling back Thy creation.
Glory to Thee, O almighty Lord!

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

19 May 2020

On Delusion of the Mind

A lie is a delusion of the mind, while evil is a delusion of the will. The sign by which one is distinguished from the other is the judgment of God Himself ... that which he teaches a man: Truth is that which leads a man to will the good. But whatever contradicts this is entirely false, entirely evil.

                              St. Nicholas Cabasilas

18 May 2020

On Asceticism

As God illumines all people equally with the light of the sun, so do those who desire to imitate God let shine an equal ray of love on all people. For wherever love disappears, hatred immediately appears in its place. And if God is love, then hatred is the devil. Therefore as one who has love has God within himself, so he who has hatred within himself nurtures the devil within himself.

                              St. Basil the Great

17 May 2020

Our Will and God’s Will

The Lord has given the Holy Spirit upon the earth, and in whomsoever He dwells, that one feels paradise within himself. You might say: why hasn't this happened to me? Because you have not given yourself over to the will of God, but you live according to yourself. Look at the one who loves his own will. He never has peace in himself and is always displeased with something. But whoever has given himself over to God's will perfectly has pure prayer. His soul loves the Lord, and everything is acceptable and good to him.

                        St. Silouan the Athonite

16 May 2020

On Baptism

We must not expect baptism to free us from the temptations our persecutor. The body that concealed him made even the Word of God a target for the enemy; his assumption of a visible form made even the Invisible Light an object of attack. Nevertheless, since we have no fear of the struggle. Flaunt in his face the water and the Spirit!

                            St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Forth Century

15 May 2020

Let Us Pray to the Lord

For the agencies and institutions through which we love our neighbor and provide for those in need, for the destitute and homeless, and for everyone who suffers unemployment and underemployment, that we may aid them in their needs and assist them to find honorable labor to supply all their needs, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the lonely who suffer the burdens of life without friendship or family, for those depressed or weary of pandemic measures, and for the fellowship of the Church, that we may bear one another’s burdens and live in community with Christ as our head, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the nation, for those who lead our nation, for the end of the pandemic, for peace among nations, and for an end to terror and violence, that we may work for the common good so that justice may prevail, life be protected and truth abound, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Hear us on behalf of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who even now stands before You on our behalf, pleading our cause with His own blood, until that day when we are delivered from the changes and chances of this mortal life and stand before You in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

14 May 2020

Coram Deo

Many People today want to know how to be a Christian. What they are really asking is how to live like Christ. The response: "Be like Christ who lives in you!" But they will ask: What does that mean?" The answer comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6): Love your enemies, be merciful and compassionate, forgive and do works of charity."

              Rev Dr Arthur Just, Heaven On Earth, p.14

13 May 2020

On Love

Love for Christ overflows into love for one's neighbor, love for truth, love for holiness, for the world, for purity, for everything divine, for everything deathless and eternal ... All these forms of love are natural manifestations of love for Christ. Christ is the God-man, and love for Him always means love for God and for man. When we love Christ God, we also love all that is divine, immortal and Christ-like in people. We can't truly love people if we do not love them for the sake of these causes. Any other love is pseudo-love, which is easily changed into lovelessness and hatredness toward people. True love for man comes from love for God, and love for God grows in accordance with the keeping of His commandments.

                                    St. Justin Popovich

12 May 2020

On Prayer

In times of affliction, unceasingly call out to the merciful God in prayer. The unceasing invocation of the name of God in prayer is a treatment for the soul which kills not only the passions, but even their very operation. As a doctor finds the necessary medicine, and it works in such a way that the sick person does not understand, in just the same way the name of God, when you call upon it, kills all the passions, although we don't know how this happens.

                                   St. Barsanuphius the Great

10 May 2020

Knowing God

It is an indubitable truth that the highest Divine Providence arranges all of creation. God considers all things beforehand and takes care for all things. This is the Divine fatherly care of which the blessed apostle Peter speaks: "Cast all of your cares upon Him, because He is concerned for you" (I Pet. 5:7).

                            St. Elias Minjatios

9 May 2020

Knowing God

When the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit, then he clearly feels that the Lord is our own Father, the closest, dearest Father, the best. And there is not greater happiness that to love God with all the mind and heart, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, then all things bring joy to the soul.

                               St. Silouan the Athonite

8 May 2020

The Struggle with Passions

When a man is given over to the passions, he does not see them in himself and does not fight against them, because he lives in them and by them. But when the grace of God becomes active in him, he begins to discern the passionate and sinful in himself, acknowledge them, and to repent and decide to guard against them. A struggle begins. At first, the struggle begins with deeds, but when is released from shameful deeds, then the struggle begins with shameful thoughts and feelings. And here the struggle encounters many steps ... The struggle continues. The passions increasingly are torn out of the heart. It even happens that they are entirely torn out ... The sign that the passions are torn out of the heart is that the soul begins to feel repulsion and hatred for the passions.

                                                St. Theophan the Recluse

7 May 2020

A Life of Reception

Our whole life as the children of God is a life of reception. We have been justified by the grace of God the Father, so we now live by faith in His grace. Because we believe in Him we now receive every spiritual gift from Him. We receive grace upon grace from the fullness of the incarnate Christ.

                                 John W. Kleing, Grace Upon Grace, p. 10

6 May 2020

On Holy Scripture

The Holy Scriptures lead us to God and open the path to the knowledge of God.

                                                 St. John Chrysostom

5 May 2020

On Sin and Evil

Food is not evil, but gluttony is. Childbearing is not evil, but fornication is. Money is not evil, but avarice is. Glory is not evil, but vainglory is. Indeed, there is no evil in existing things, but only in their misuse.

                                 St. Maximus the Confessor

4 May 2020

On Prayer

If you become proud when you receive what you ask in prayer, then it is obvious that your prayer was not to God, and you did not receive help from Him, but the demons were working with you in order to exalt your heart; For when help is given from God, the soul is not exalted, but is all the more humbled, and she is amazed at the great mercy of God, how merciful He is to sinners.

                                 St. Barsanuphius the Great

3 May 2020

On the Fear of God

The fear of God illumines the soul, annihilates evil, weakens the passions, drives darkness from the soul and makes it pure. The fear of God is the summit of wisdom. Where it is not you will find nothing good. Whoever does not have the fear of God is open to diabolical falls.

                                    St. Ephraim Syrian

2 May 2020

Communion with God

God gives His communion to all who love Him. Communion with God is life and light and sweetness with all the good things that He has. But those who of their own will forsake him he rewards with separation from Him, which they themselves have chosen. As separation from light is darkness, so also alienation from God is deprivation of all good things which He has. But the good things of God are eternal and without end, so that the loss of them is eternal and without end. Thus sinners shall be the cause of their own torments, just as the blind do not see the light, although it is shining on them.

                   St. Irenaeus of Lyons

1 May 2020

Regarding Passion of Christ for Our Sake

I earnestly admonish you, therefore, my brothers, to look after your spiritual well-being with judicious concern. Death is certain; life is short and vanishes like smoke. Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity.

                                                
                                        St. Francis of Paola