tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88678564272889889032012-01-09T22:29:17.956-08:00Our hearts should only have entrances and no exits. Whoever enters remains. Whatever anyone may do to you, we love them the same as we loved them when they first entered into our hearts.Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.comBlogger2711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-67462145438400926372012-01-09T22:29:00.000-08:002012-01-09T22:29:17.964-08:00

... A disciple of Christ must follow Him. This means that in all deeds and actions we must try to be like our Lord Jesus Christ in His virtues. We must strive to live and act as He lived and acted. For example, Jesus Christ always thanked His Heavenly Father and constantly prayed to Him. Thus we also should constantly thank God and pray to Him in all circumstances, whether successful or

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-4874112822316548602011-11-03T20:13:00.000-07:002011-11-03T20:26:30.341-07:00

Truth is simple, and without confusion or contradictions. Truth is absolute, and not subject to change. There is no such thing as relative truth (relativism): God is the Truth:The Truth is not an abstract idea or thought. The Truth is a Person. I am the Truth,Christ announced. He did not say,"I came to tell you a few nice things about truth to help you along" He said; I am the Way & the Truth &

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- by Monk Moses the Athonite In todays pursuits there is a strong demonology, antichristology and eschatology, which unfortunately is established on a false foundation. Extremism, setting dates for the end of the world, reports about the birth of the Antichrist and so on, create terror and fear in the souls of Christians, which is improper and undesirable. Some talk more about the Antichrist

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-85965542793161361602011-09-20T05:03:00.000-07:002011-09-20T05:04:24.901-07:00

This site belongs to my friend Julia Bridget Hayes. She lives in Athens of Greece and paints icons for a living. I hope you enjoy her collection. http://ikonographics.blogspot.com/ http://www.ikonographics.net/ http://julia-hayes.fineartamerica.com/

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-34364285117413470542011-09-09T15:27:00.000-07:002011-09-09T15:27:45.705-07:00

Δεν Σου ζητώ Παναγιά μου, να σηκώσεις κανένα βάρος από τους ώμους μου ... Σου ζητώ μονάχα να με στηρίξεις και να με κρατήσεις γερά να μην λυγίσω, υπό το όποιο βάρος αποφασίσει ο Υιός Σου να εναποθέσει στους ώμους μου ... και να με αφήσεις να Σε κρατώ απ΄ Τον Άγιο Χιτώνα Σου , για να παραμείνω κοντά Σου, υπό την Άγια Σκέπη Σου, σε όλη την πορεία της ζωής μου. AMHN

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-87731225077173561182011-09-09T03:57:00.000-07:002011-09-09T03:57:07.306-07:00

A Little Bird In alien lands devoutly clinging To age-old rites of Russian earth, I let a captive bird go winging To greet the radiant spring's rebirth. My heart grew lighter then: why mutter Against God's providence, and rage, When I was free to set aflutter But one poor captive from his cage!

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-84341653582756997022011-09-06T23:11:00.000-07:002011-09-06T23:18:56.077-07:00

On Reading the Holy Fathers by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov Conversation and association with one's neighbors very much affects a person. Conversation and acquaintance with a learned man communicates much knowledge; with a poet, many exalted thoughts and feelings; with a traveler, much information about countries, about the characters and customs of peoples. It is obvious that conversation and

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-68628450050761099912011-09-04T18:18:00.000-07:002011-09-04T18:18:35.085-07:00

The Apostolic reading for today is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 8:7-15: Brothers and sisters, as you excel in everything in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this ... gracious work also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-63395982088018523562011-09-02T22:55:00.001-07:002011-09-02T22:55:24.420-07:00

One day a soldier asked an elder whether God grants pardon to sinners. The elder answered, "Tell me, my good friend, if your cloak is torn , do you throw it away?" The soldier replied, "No, I mend it and continue to use it." The elder concluded, "If you take good care of your cloak, will not God be merciful to his own image?" - Sayings of the Desert Fathers (In T. Merton, p. 113)

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-91355141559546759282011-08-28T01:40:00.000-07:002011-08-28T01:45:47.666-07:00

How sweet the yoke that joins two of the faithful in the same hope, the same law, the same service! Both are brethren in the service of the same Lord. They are truly two in one and the same flesh.And where the flesh is one, the spirit is one. Together they pray ... instructing, encouraging and supporting each other in turn. They are equal in the Church of God, equal at God's banquet, they share

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-68491570005134389332011-08-28T00:26:00.000-07:002011-08-28T00:26:04.686-07:00

See! The Lord is our mirror: open your eyes, look into it,learn what your faces are like!

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-55739881437479496472011-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:002011-08-26T21:30:22.007-07:00

Spiritual progress has no other test or expression than our ability to love: Unselfish; Founded on respect; a service; Disinterested affection that does not ask to be paid in return. but most of all a sympathy, an empathy, that takes us out of ourselves. This empathy enabling us to "feel with" the other person and indeed to feel him or her. Love gives us the ability to discover in

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-5948910396971650532011-08-23T19:53:00.000-07:002011-08-23T19:53:49.828-07:00

THE SAINT is a medicine because he is an antidote. Indeed that is why the saint... is often a martyr; he is mistaken for a poison because he is an antidote. He will generally be found restoring the world to sanity by exaggerating whatever the world neglects, which is by no means always the same in every age. Yet each generation seeks its saint by instinct; and he is not what the people want,

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-8023781020268732312011-08-23T13:04:00.000-07:002011-08-23T13:04:16.183-07:00

Ένα παιδί, μοναχοπαίδι αγόρι, αγάπησε μιας μάγισσας την κόρη. -Δεν αγαπώ εγώ, του λέει, παιδία, μ’ αν θέλεις να σου δώσω το φιλί μου, της μανας σου να φέρης την καρδιά να ρίξω να την φάη το σκυλί μουΤρέχει ο νειός, την μάνα του σκοτώνει και την καρδιά τραβά και ξεριζώνει και τρέχει να την πάη μα σκοντάφτει και πέφτει ο νειός κατάχαμα με δαύτη.Κυλάει ο γυιός και η καρδιά κυλάει και την ακούει να

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-20437419281171222902011-08-20T16:23:00.000-07:002011-08-20T16:26:27.655-07:00

Orthodoxy is Buddhist (Enlightened - hence Christians means Enlightened Ones), but not Eastern occult Buddhism. Orthodoxy is Islam (Islam means Submission to God) but not Mohammadean/Muslim. Orthodoxy is Jehova's Witnesses/Martyric, but not false witnesses and false 'profit$$$'; Orthodoxy is Charismatic, but not Pentecostal and pseudo-charismatic. Orthodoxy is Evangelical but not Protestant; 

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-9332098468386790832011-08-16T18:18:00.000-07:002011-08-16T18:18:12.230-07:00

An ascetic prayed to God to reveal to him many mysteries. Leaving his cell to go to another village, he met an angel on the way, but he didn't recognize him. He thought the angel was a human being. On the way they came upon a dead horse. The ascetic held his nose, the angel did not. They went on further and they passed a dead cow which stunk. Again the ascetic held his nose, the angel did not.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-48931845807271490562011-08-16T04:02:00.000-07:002011-08-16T04:02:22.284-07:00

A friend on Facebook shared this wonderful quote by Saint Augustine that was too good to not share on this blog. ‎"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have been so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you shouldever part. Because this is what love is. Love

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-66858349040821846932011-08-10T18:07:00.000-07:002011-08-10T18:07:48.082-07:00

One day an angel of the Lord told our father Pachomius to teach a brother about his salvation. This brother was engaging in great practices and a harsh ascesis, but he was doing so not for God but for vainglory. * * * Our father Pachomius took him aside and told him, "It is written, 'I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me.' Now obey me: when

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-87202388069499996222011-08-09T23:28:00.000-07:002011-08-09T23:32:05.396-07:00

Saint Peter of Damascus, emphasizes this concept of our free will, of our freedom to choose God’s way, or, in contrast, the way of fallen mankind: “We do not all receive blessings in the same way. Some, on receiving the fire of the Lord, that is, His word, put it into practice and so become softer of heart, like wax, while others through laziness become harder than clay and altogether

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-59888641814419639242011-08-09T15:49:00.000-07:002011-08-09T15:49:27.036-07:00

He is with me, He who left the world behind. He is present in me, He who left His nature. He dwells in me, He who denied Himself. He is wholly for me, He who lost His life for me. ~ St. Ambrose.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-22608551895789166392011-08-09T00:06:00.000-07:002011-08-09T00:33:36.230-07:00

I spoke to her of you, Silently, she listened to me. I told her of your pain. For the love you so longed for. For the loved one you never enjoyed. I told her of your broken heart. For the tenderness you never felt. For the embrace you reminisce. So many things, that were never felt, Withdrawn. I told her of your unhappy soul. That your joy and love is lost; somewhere and you are seeking them.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-26955850770355780952011-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:002011-08-07T18:20:05.675-07:00

O Cross, ineffable love of God and glory of heaven!O Cross, eternal salvation! O Cross, terror of the reprobate! O Cross, support of the just, light of Christians! For you, God became a slave in the flesh, here on earth; by your means, man in God is crowned king in heaven; from you streams the true light, victorious over accursed night. You gave believers power to make the pantheon of the

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-53715243003672003962011-08-07T05:49:00.000-07:002011-08-07T05:49:37.508-07:00

Joy of all who sorrowby Peter Mavrommatis on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 9:58pm Many things happen in our lives that take away a most valuable gift, that of happiness. For this reason, contrary to the beliefs and perversions of those who put on airs of mourning and sadness, as if these are 'virtues', we request from the All-Holy Theotokos in the Supplicatory Canon (Παράκλησις), and through

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-52365727426890932262011-08-06T04:50:00.000-07:002011-08-06T04:52:49.982-07:00

"Christ in the heartof every one who thinks of me.Christ in the mouthof every one who speaks of me.Christ in every eyethat sees me.Christ in every earthat hears me..."+Ayios Patrikios

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-75544258388973236332011-07-23T06:53:00.000-07:002011-07-23T06:58:04.757-07:00

Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice. - Woodrow T. Wilson. Has everyone in this world forsaken you? Then remember Apostle Paul in prison (Acts 5:41) and understand that to be alone is not to be forsaken ... then you will consider worldly beauty to be ugly. Think of his face streaming with tears; day and night for three years he never ceased to

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-17580284383241392622011-03-10T12:56:00.000-08:002011-03-10T12:56:25.922-08:00

Let me bless almighty God,whose power extends over sea and land,whose angels watch over all. Let me study sacred books to calm my soul:I pray for peace,kneeling at heaven's gates. Let me do my daily work,gathering seaweed, catching fish,giving food to the poor. Let me say my daily prayers,sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet,always thanking God. Delightful it is to live on a peaceful isle, in a

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-27018183306979288782011-03-04T15:59:00.000-08:002011-03-04T15:59:19.339-08:00

I am taking a small interuption to share this wonderful little anecdote. Know where you are going in this life. As we enter into the Great Sarakosti for 2011 may we all move that extra step forward in humility and love and repentance: +++ An American tourist while visiting a tiny Greek village complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-55988887265650314192011-02-14T00:34:00.000-08:002011-02-14T00:38:45.951-08:00

How should we conduct ourselves in the morning? Cont .. 6. Because of our long familiarity with them, prayers learned by heart or read from a book are sometimes said without due attention to their contents, and we therefore are actually not praying, but just dreaming that we are praying. For this reason we may pray at times using words other than those of the prayers that are prepared and

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-10731462167089919872011-02-04T05:01:00.000-08:002011-02-04T05:02:44.542-08:00

How should we conduct ourselves in the morning? Cont .. 5. After having washed and dressed, stand before the holy icons and say those morning prayers as specified and in the order specified by the Holy Church, the interpreter and guardian of the path to salvation. So that you may pray unimpeded, especially if you do not know how to read, learn by heart at least the beginning morning prayers.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-82131313341713550292011-02-01T03:03:00.000-08:002011-02-01T03:03:40.161-08:00

How should we conduct ourselves in the morning? In the morning, conduct yourself in the following manner: 1. Upon awakening, try first of all to direct your thoughts to the Lord God. Directing your thoughts to the Lord God should be our most natural activity at every other time of the day as well, because there is absolutely no one who could be so necessary for us, so dear and precious for us

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-39358694837141637452011-01-29T22:28:00.000-08:002011-01-29T22:38:57.807-08:00

The Christian must be such as was Jesus Christ. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, said the Holy Apostle Paul (Phil 2:5). Are you the kind of person that Jesus Christ was? Do you behave as He did? Do you live by His teaching, or Gospel, that He gave us as a rule of life? A Christian must not love the world (I John 2:15). But many are completely bound to the world, so that it

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-71559845847739275892011-01-29T01:32:00.000-08:002011-01-29T22:38:39.300-08:00

Do you call yourself a Christian? Are you a Christian in actual fact? Do you live as a Christian should live - that is, do you fervently desire and earnestly seek after that which a true Christian desires and seeks after? The blessings that the Lord promises the true Christian in the future life are to be highly desired. And inexpressibly horrible is the misfortune into which sin plunges us, if

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-67919570242146806712010-12-06T03:06:00.000-08:002010-12-06T03:10:51.335-08:00

Beyond the "bower" stretches the "outside" world, the world - a world certainly of God, filled with parents, brothers and sisters. Two worlds, seamlessly interwoven ... The Holy Mountain is the place the Athonite rejoices ...The Holy Mountain is a garden of graces ...The Holy Mountain of the Saints gives the soul comfort ... The soul lives as a rich man and its eyes "is filled with bread".The

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-2158639990784844202010-12-04T12:19:00.000-08:002010-12-04T12:19:23.625-08:00

Ο Αληθινός φίλος . . .  (Α) λλοιώνει το θυμό σου (Β) οηθάει όποτε και όταν τον χρειαστείς (Γ) αληνεύει τις ταραχές σου (Δ) ωρίζει ακατάπαυστα πράγματα και συναισθήματα (Ε) λευθερώνει αισθήματα αγάπης και χαράς (Ζ) ωντανεύει την ζωή σου (Ή) λιος είναι σε περιόδους θλίψεων (Θ) υσίες κάνει για να σ΄έχει στο πλευρό του (Ι) λαρότητα εκπέμπει όταν σε κοιτάει (Κ) ολυμπάει στις τρικυμίες της ζωής μαζί

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-22909270950232956582010-11-21T04:39:00.000-08:002010-11-21T05:17:11.260-08:00

The prophet Daniel had a vision in Daniel 7:10: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Christ does not need us, for He has thousands of angels who serve Him impeccably. In addition, by a word He is able to create thousands more of these

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-1766585380120699542010-11-20T05:22:00.000-08:002010-11-20T05:22:50.209-08:00

Blessed is he who, dwelling amidst many people, does not          turn towardsthe many, but directs his whole heart to God.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-89749572656760967812010-11-19T00:36:00.000-08:002010-11-19T00:39:19.148-08:00

Your luxury somehow gets in the way of your senses. But I am sorrowful even on minor things. For sin is an estrangement from God. How should I bear God, in a state of loss? For you, sleep is satisfying, and you lay down on both sides. Sweet are the dreams that mirror the day's events. You drink, you dice, you clutch, you flirt, you laugh. For me, the greater part of life is sleepless. For

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-79975912428584483972010-11-18T04:12:00.000-08:002010-11-18T04:14:52.796-08:00

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery'. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." -Mt 5:27-28 + + + The Holy Fathers have referred to adulterous passion as death. When the adulterer is saved from an adulterous passion it is as though he resurrected from the dead. For those who live in the world the passion

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-42708645219518171582010-11-16T05:25:00.000-08:002010-11-17T00:37:43.602-08:00

Have you ever wondered what the basics are to protect yourself from heresy? a) Study the Holy Bible b) Have contact with the Church c) Follow Orthodox Study Groups of the Holy Bible d) Do not accept heretics into your home e) Do not read heretical material f) Enlighten your fellow man a) Study the Holy Bible Col 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-37985757662361590472010-11-15T00:56:00.000-08:002010-11-17T00:38:04.635-08:00

In the Old Testament: " ... and they fasted that day, ..." 1 Sam 7:6 " ... and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening." 2 Sam 1:12 " ... and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." 2 Chron 20:3 " ... Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava." Ezra 8:21 " ... I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven." Nehem 1:4 " ... the children of Israel were assembled with

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-20858842445379596102010-11-13T03:38:00.000-08:002010-11-19T00:43:19.647-08:00

As we all enter into the Christmas fast this Monday, let us remember that the children of Israel, needed to wander the Egyptian desert for forty days before seeing the Promised Land. Let us too, wander through the desert for forty days awaiting the arrival of Our Promised Land - Christ the New Born: + + + O Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of their righteous

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-16530661830315695102010-08-28T00:21:00.001-07:002010-08-28T00:35:49.303-07:00

One must by every means strive to preserve peace of soul and not be disturbed by offenses from others; for this one must in every way strive to restrain anger and by means of attentiveness to keep the mind and heart from improper feelings. And therefore we must bear offenses from others with equanimity and accustom ourselves to such a disposition of spirit that these offenses seem to concern not

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-21868373742403426792010-08-28T00:09:00.000-07:002010-08-28T00:21:24.332-07:00

Do not look for status or glory on this earth, but seek only the good opinion of God himself. Desire God alone, that He may desire you, and so guide you into His eternal Kingdom. Listen to me not because I am your chosen pastor, but because as someone who is shortly to die I have no reason to deceive you: as death approaches, the truth is all that matters.Patience, forgiveness and joy are the

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-87423404854747724892010-08-24T11:43:00.000-07:002010-08-24T11:43:42.932-07:00

Saint Chrysanthus counsels Daria: O virgin, forsake the lie And do not venerate the idols as gods; Neither seek, you, truth from the world. The truth is in the One God, The One Triune God Who created the heavenly armies Of angels and heavenly powers; Who created the whole universe, And of the universe, man, the crown. The only One, immortal and living, He, out of the earth, creates wrappings

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-61107926011256280452010-08-23T06:41:00.000-07:002010-08-23T06:41:41.625-07:00

For all the sins of men I repent before You, Most Merciful Lord. Indeed, the seed of all sins flows in my blood! With my effort and Your mercy I choke this wicked crop of weeds day and night, so that no tare may sprout in the field of the Lord, but only pure wheat.I repent for all those who are worried, who stagger under a burden of worries and do not know that they should put all their worries

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-6491912045247311092010-08-19T07:40:00.000-07:002010-08-19T07:40:53.362-07:00

The following photograph was taken of the Patriarch, 15 August 2010 just prior to descending 64 stairs to the Church of Panagia in Soumela (of Pontus). In the following picture, we see a local Pontian man playing the "kementze" which is the traditional organ of the Pontians. This fulfills a prophecy made by St Kosmas the Aetolian many hundreds of years ago - which warns that the Greek people do

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-44452096250570683842010-08-13T20:51:00.000-07:002010-08-13T20:51:14.311-07:00

In honour of the Dormition this August 15, I offer you an old photo from a Church that was destroyed by the Communists in 1983. The Church was dedicated to the Assumption and was located in Bucharest. This photo was taken in December, 1977 from archives found in a certain Hermitage in that area. 

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-88273051668707032492010-08-13T20:20:00.000-07:002010-08-13T20:24:30.933-07:00

"When the stars were made, all my Angels praised Me with a loud voice" said the Lord to Job (Job 38.7) We have all heard about Angels ... from the very beginning of man they have been there. God placed a Cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the entrance of Paradise (Gen 3:24); Jacob saw Angels in his vision (Gen 23:12); Genesis 32:1-2; Psalms 148:2; Psalms 90:11; the Prophet Isiah saw Seraphim

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-80997114966239010082010-08-11T06:31:00.000-07:002010-08-11T06:31:44.388-07:00

Calm me, O Lord, as You stilled the storm;Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.Let all the tumult within me cease. Enfold me, Lord, in Your peace;And may the peace of all peace be mine this day:In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.Amen (prayer from Compline)

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-81417223216089090692010-08-11T01:38:00.000-07:002010-08-11T01:40:08.235-07:00

One needs to distinguish a sinner from a penitent. If you have taken upon yourself the role to rebuke the sinner, guard yourself well, that you do not rebuke the penitent also. How dear the repentant sinner is to God; call to mind the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Therefore, let it be very dear for you, he who has become dear to God. At one time it happened that a monk succumbed to sin for

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-57776060314024774732010-08-10T15:49:00.001-07:002010-08-10T15:55:10.010-07:00

"Tremble with awe, O men! The insults God suffered for the sake of our salvation you too must endure! God is slapped on the face by the basest of slaves (Jn. 18:22). He gives you an example of victory, yet do you refuse to undergo this at the hands of a man of like passions as yourself? You are ashamed of becoming an imitator of God (Eph. 5:1), how then will you reign with Him and share in His

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-92053361709415049112010-08-09T19:08:00.000-07:002010-08-09T19:08:21.188-07:00

Once Father Herman was invited to dine aboard the frigate which had arrived from St. Petersburg, with Captain G., who had been sent, on Imperial instructions, to inspect all the colonies. Captain G. was a very intelligent and educated man. At his table there were some 25 officers, chosen from the best in the fleet, all well educated and learned. And in such a company of educated men, together at

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-34421407285076474842010-08-09T04:43:00.000-07:002010-08-09T04:44:17.186-07:00

From the height of the heavenly sky, I could see below me a most magnificent sight - an enormous city of unfathomable size ...everything shimmered and shone from the unusual heavenly dazzle of light. My attention was attracted by two huge rivers which flowed slowly through the city; in one of them flowed a yellow liquid and in the other a white one. This puzzled me and my Angel understood, so he

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-85814955264669893892010-08-07T15:08:00.001-07:002010-08-07T15:08:53.704-07:00

From St. John of Kronstadt (My Life in Christ; Holy Trinity Monastery pg. 12): "Our requests are necessary expressly to strengthen our faith, through which alone we can be saved. 'By grace are we saved through faith' (Eph. 2:8). 'O woman, great is your faith' (Mt. 15:28). For this reason the Lord made the woman pray earnestly, in order to awaken her faith and to strengthen it." * * * Once I

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-38696434371959025032010-08-05T20:34:00.000-07:002010-08-05T20:34:03.825-07:00

Eulogy on the Transfiguration of the Holy One-equal-to-God's Leading People to the Truth We all adore Thee! O Saviour! Thou art the Holy One equal to God! Thou art merciful as the Father, the true God Himself! Thy raiment is like the Precious Gem glorified in the Radiance of the Sun and the brightness of the Moon! Thy virtues, lofty and majestic, ever excel those of all the Saints and Sages.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-4712729507802828732010-08-05T03:17:00.000-07:002010-08-05T03:18:40.208-07:00

Words supportand words can hitWords resemble walking sticks Words surrenderWords betrayWords give hope and love away Words compeland words deceiveYour words comfort and yet you leave Words give alland words still lackBitter words behind your back Words confirmand yet denySlay your soul with vicious knives Words to cureWords to lureWords through clenched teeth – nothing new Words of loveand words

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-46741035116037771742010-08-03T05:10:00.000-07:002010-08-03T05:10:04.250-07:00

The Making of a Saint ... Tyler Neitzel of Warner Bros "300" introduces the two hour feature documentary The Making of a Saint. This documentary, focuses on the canonization process of Blessed Elder Archimandrite Philotheos Zervakos of Longovarda (1884-1980) within the Greek Orthodox Church. It traces the true story of a Greek-American family and the healing miracles associated with Saint

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-2438426303211095652010-08-03T04:59:00.000-07:002010-08-03T04:59:22.593-07:00

Do not stand at my grave and weep,I am not there, I do not sleep. I am in a thousand winds that blow,I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain,I am the fields of ripening grain. I am in the morning hush,I am in the graceful rushOf beautiful birds in circling flight,I am the starshine of the night. I am in the flowers that bloom,I am in a quiet room. I am in the birds that sing

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-28150279414687751902010-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:002010-08-02T17:50:13.933-07:00

A prayer of St. Silouan the Athonite: O holy Virgin Mary, tell us, thy children, of thy love on earth for thy Son and God. Tell us how thy spirit rejoiced in God thy Savior, Tell us of how thou didst look upon His fair countenance, and reflect that this was He Whom all the heavenly hosts wait upon in awe and love. Tell us what thy soul felt when thou didst bear the wondrous Babe in thine arms.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-25901845184417691962010-08-02T05:02:00.001-07:002010-08-02T05:02:42.720-07:00

From St. Seraphim of Sarov (Little Russian Philokalia Vol. 1; St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood pg. 94) to me:"... the people who, in spite of the bonds of sin which fetter them and hinder them (by constraint and by inciting them to new sins), come to Him, our Savior, with perfect repentance for tormenting Him, who despise all the strength of the fetters of sin and force themselves to break their

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-16036370301125717052010-07-24T05:20:00.000-07:002010-07-24T05:20:05.429-07:00

Soft breeses, mild sunshine, spring is still young. The sudden change to light apparel brightened my spirit. But upon awakening from slumber, I felt the cilly air; The plum flower withered in my hair. Where can I call my native land? Forget - I can not, except in wine when I drown my care. Incense was lighted when I went to sleep; Though the embers are now cold, the warmth of wine still holds.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-2645472464931730282010-07-23T04:40:00.000-07:002010-07-23T04:40:10.882-07:00

A small poem I came across scribbled in one of my diaries from 2005: I have only just a minute, Only 60 seconds in it, Forced upon me - cant refuse it, Didn't seek it, didn't choose it, But it's up to me to use it - Give account if I abuse it: Just a tiny minute - But eternity is in it.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-25208216790974983352010-07-20T04:58:00.001-07:002010-07-20T04:58:46.756-07:00

I fall in adoration at Your feet, Lord!I thank You, God of goodness;God of holiness, I invoke You,on my knees, in Your sightFor me, an unworthy sinner,You have willed to undergo the death of the Cross,setting me free from the bonds of evil. What shall I offer You in return for Your generosity? Glory to You, friend of man!Glory to You, most merciful!Glory to You, most patient!Glory to You, Who

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-11083539287821420562010-07-18T06:29:00.000-07:002010-07-18T06:29:20.602-07:00

Night light for wayfarerswhich distinguishes night from nightthe dawn bird now sings aloudcalling up the light of the sun.Sailors gain strength as he appears,and sea’s waves are calm;Jesus, look upon those who waver;and looking, help us to be firm;Under Your care shame fades awayand You wipe out the stain of sin. O light, shine now within our soulsand torpor fly from every mind;And at the dawn

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-15073941826748783942010-07-18T02:00:00.000-07:002010-07-18T02:00:12.559-07:00

Blessed is a man who has a living hope in God; he shows faith, trust, glory, and honor to Him. God is then obliged to keep him in His providence, and the saying of the holy Gospel applies: "As you have believed, so let it be done for you." (Mt.8:13). But unfortunately, temptations come to us, creating great spiritual confusion, and the bright sun of sweet hope is covered by deep darkness. Then we

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-4285400078246850112010-07-18T01:35:00.000-07:002010-07-18T01:38:04.395-07:00

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.  Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the LORD. LORD, when Your hand is lifted up,

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-54433654757621791752010-07-15T04:34:00.000-07:002010-07-15T04:51:32.083-07:00

"Care for the poor;  lighten everyone’s burden; comfort the suffering." I saw a stranger yestreen; I put food in the eating place,  drink in the drinking place,  music in the listening place, and in the name of the Triune he blessed myself and my house, my cattle and my dear ones, and the lark said in her song often, goes the Christ in the stranger's guise. - The Irish Rune of

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-63146934502201861112010-07-13T04:56:00.000-07:002010-07-13T04:57:23.287-07:00

A certain member of what was then considered the circle of the wise once approached the just Anthony and asked him: "How do you ever manage to carry on, Father, deprived as you are of the consolation of books?" His reply: "My book, sir philosopher, is the nature of created things, and it is always at hand when I wish to read the works of God."

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-38628671064805329142010-07-11T01:02:00.001-07:002010-07-11T01:02:29.979-07:00

"Open, O doors and bolts of my heart, that Christ the King of Glory may enter! Enter, O my Light, and enlighten my darkness; enter, O my Life, and resurrect my deadness; enter, O my Physician, and heal my wounds; enter, O Divine Fire, and burn up the thorns of my sins; ignite my inward parts and my heart with the flame of Thy love; enter, O my King, and destroy in me the kingdom of sin; sit on

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-67042327342053345912010-07-07T00:42:00.000-07:002010-07-07T00:42:30.310-07:00

Δίψα Θεού - Αγίου Σιλουανού Διψά η ψυχή μου τον Κύριον Και μετά δακρύων ζητώ Αυτόν Πως να μη Σε ζητώ, Συ πρώτος με εζήτησες Και έδωκας εις εμέ να γευτώ της γλυκύτητος του Πνεύματος Του Αγίου Και η ψυχή μου Σε ηγάπησεν έως τέλους Τον πρώτον χρόνον της ζωής μου εις το μοναστήριον Η ψυχή μου εγνώρισε Τον Κύριον Και τούτο έμαθον από το Άγιον Πνεύμα Ότι πολύ αγαπά ημάς ο Κύριος Τώρα εγήρασα και

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-17511854280188438042010-07-03T22:01:00.000-07:002010-07-15T05:25:41.134-07:00

"Power goes out from Christ, not traveling from one location to another, but rather imparted to others while remaining in Christ undiminished. It is the same with teachings, which remain with those who teach, and yet are imparted to those who learn." - Blessed Theophylact. * * * Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid." (Jn 14:27). My children, trust that God will not let us be

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-79782062316348034092010-07-02T01:09:00.000-07:002010-07-02T01:09:26.685-07:00

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearance of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7). Brethren, our faith is tried more often than is the reed rocked by the winds. Trials are like the winds: a weak faith they will uproot and a strong faith will be strengthened even more.

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-54389548897540344102010-07-01T03:58:00.001-07:002010-07-01T03:59:44.975-07:00

O brethren, what joy awaits us!  O brethren, how small a price does our Lord ask of us to purchase this joy in which the angels bathe and in which the righteous swim! Only to fulfill a few of His short commandments that is the entire price! O Lord Jesus, the all-miraculous source of our joy, our boast and our pleasure, our glory and our thanks, place Your finger on our mouths and do not allow a

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-71430785144344083062010-06-30T01:07:00.000-07:002010-06-30T01:07:35.715-07:00

Intimacy in our union with Christ As God's loving-kindness is ineffable and His love for our race surpasses human speech and reason, so too it belongs to the divine goodness alone, for this is "the peace of God which passes all understanding" (Phil. 4:7). Likewise it follows that His union with those whom He loves surpasses every union of which one might conceive, and cannot be compared with any

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-50354739143124454922010-06-30T00:38:00.001-07:002010-06-30T00:38:52.177-07:00

Please help sister Nektaria's work in India. As you know the financial situation in Greece prevent the flowing the donations from Greece to India . the Greeks in Greece used to be a main donor for this philanthropic effort in India. Now the donation is so scarce she really need help and support form american orthodox christians. Please share the following website with your family & friends and

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-40724686863104546602010-06-29T04:48:00.000-07:002010-06-29T04:48:31.713-07:00

Consists of Union with him. In short, it is this world which is in travail with that new inner man which is "created after the likeness of God" (Eph 4:24). When he has been shaped and formed here he is thus born into that perfect world which grows not old. As nature prepares the foetus, while it is in its dark and fluid life, for that life which is in the light, and shapes it, as though

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-84154750044545292442010-06-27T21:12:00.000-07:002010-06-27T21:12:14.378-07:00

"We shall not care what people think of us, or how they treat us. We shall cease to be afraid of falling out of favor. We shall love our fellow men without thought of whether they love us. Christ gave us the commandment to love others but did not make it a condition of salvation that they should love us. Indeed, we may positively be disliked for independence of spirit.  It is essential in these

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-14584666368816283692010-06-27T05:06:00.000-07:002010-06-27T05:06:10.154-07:00

Repent of your ways, inhabitants of the earth. Behold, the eye of the Master of the world is keeping watch deep within you. Do not trust your seducible eyes, let the Eye illumine your way. Your eyes are curtains over the Eye of God. Repentance is admission of the way of sin. Repentance opens up a new way. The penitent's eyes are open to two ways: to the way which he is going, and to the way he

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-67998943561661362242010-06-27T03:23:00.001-07:002010-06-27T03:23:15.777-07:00

Whatever you may be seeking, seek it with all your strength, but do not expect your own search and efforts to bear fruit of themselves. Put your trust in the Lord, ascribing nothing to yourself, and He will give you your heart's desire. St. Theophan the Recluse

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-89898422059407660642010-06-26T05:51:00.000-07:002010-06-26T05:51:17.657-07:00

Τι είναι αγάπη; Δεν είναι συμπόνοια μήτε καλοσύνη. Στη συμπόνοια είναι δύο, αυτός που πονά κι αυτός που συμπονάει. Στην καλοσύνη είναι δύο, αυτός που δίνει κι αυτός που δέχεται. Μα στην αγάπη είναι ένα. Σμίγουν οι δύο και γίνονται ένα. Δεν ξεχωρίζουν. Το εγώ και εσύ αφανίζονται. Αγαπώ θα πει ΧΑΝΟΜΑΙ. ~ Ν. Καζαντζάκης

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-21591804246208137412010-06-20T03:05:00.000-07:002010-06-20T03:05:28.895-07:00

... AND RESURRECTED ON THE THIRD DAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES... Christ is risen, chosen people! The earth cannot harm Him, nor can the tomb restrain Him. Let your souls arise, you who are filled with the grace of Christ! Let the image of God within you shine, cleansed of earth and saved from mortal decay! Rejoice and be glad, for your Messiah, the One and Only, has con quered death,

Gentle hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04648907101932928740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867856427288988903.post-3714025740716457452010-06-18T06:11:00.001-07:002010-06-18T06:11:42.644-07:00

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, He suffered and was buried... The flame of divine love in eternity blazes constantly in the hearth of God's fatherhood and God's son-ship. The winds of time never reach there. Capricious changes never touch that flame, nor do they bend it, expand it or diminish it. For this reason divine love is unaging life, untroubled joy, unlimited power. With this

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Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became man. Just as a mother bends down and leans over a tear-stained baby in a crib, so does the descent of the Creator of men into this temporal and visible world correspond to His miraculous existence in eternity. We men and our salvation were the reason for His descent,

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. . . Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made. Both a prophet and a visionary looked into eternity and saw that it had no sun or moon or stars, but nevertheless had a certain ineffable light, which penetrated and illuminated everything (cf. Isaiah 60:19 and Rev. 21:23). Do you know, O chosen people, what sort of

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What could be equal to the affection of Christ? Can a mother be so tender with her love? What father has love his children so much? What has a man ever loved so greatly? Who has ever been seized by such "mania" for anything beautiful and then because of it willingly allowed himself to be wounded by the object of his love without swerving from his affection towards the ungrateful one, but even

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And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. A new light has fallen upon you, O chosen people, who bear the image of God in yourselves. Through the curtain, slightly parted by the hand of the Most High, a new shaft of light has fallen upon you, and you are illuminated like sons of God. This light shows you the mystical, eternal, joyful

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This post is so simple and probably known to many readers but for me a memory I wish to capture at this point in my life, a valuable lesson. This story sounds very similar to the miraculous icon of Panagia Paramythea of Mount Athos: "In the writings of St. Dimitri of Rostov there is an instructive narrative about a certain sinner who unexpectedly experienced the joy of repentance before an icon

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… The Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of everything visible and invisible. With fear and trembling let us peer through the slightly parted curtain of eternity. The feeble hand of man has not parted this curtain. It has been parted by Him - the One, Living, and True God. Who else could have parted it, if not He? All the minds of men together with all the powers under heaven could

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All who stand for good must wage a constant battle with the forces of evil. For the demons still have power in the world until Christ comes again in glory. "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of all the fiery darts of the wicked

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“Who is going to speak about your struggle, blessed Fathers;  Who is going to praise worthily the deeds of your asceticism?  Who is going to praise the temperance of your mind?  your unceasing prayer  your sufferings to gain virtue,  the wearing out of the body, the struggle against passions,  the all–night assemblies for prayer,  the unceasing tears,  the humility of spirit,  the victories

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“Come young athlete of God, keep close to me, keep full of zeal, bend low your neck in complete obedience, humble yourself, dead to your own will, telling all the thoughts of heart and mind you are already in the arena, have no fear of desert, have no fear of the pillar, nor of any other order in the race that is before us, the race to know God you are the first according to Holy Scripture; you

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To the "lovers" of God: "Blessed are those who are clothed in light, for they are wearing the wedding garment. Their hands and feet shall not be bound, nor shall they be thrown into everlasting fire. Blessed are those who have kindled the light in their hearts, who keep it unquenched, for as they joyfully depart from this life, they will meet the bridegroom, torch in hand, as he leads them into

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What do you believe? So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. - (Genesis 1:28). Who sows good seed on a field that has not been cleared? A logical man does not do it. A logical man will act in accordance with the Word of God. He will first clear the field of weeds, and then will sow good seed. The field is the human soul, the weeds-polytheism, the good seed -

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My child, just do your duty. If the others do not obey, leave it to God and be at peace. It is due to the devil's jealousy, my child. Will the devil go out perhaps to the mountains to create temptations? He goes wherever people are struggling for their salvation. And since we, too, are seeking our salvation, he jumbles us up without our realizing it. Carry the burden of the brethren. God

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Sarah wrote:I would say the song is about two people who love each other. But, if they act on their feelings, they will destroy each other (as in shooting each other with a gun). They are saying that it is better to give their gun/love away (it is better to not act on their feelings) than it is to destroy each other. "It's the wrong time For somebody new."She cannot start a relationship."It's

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Romance with Gilbert Keith Chesteron The Modern Liberal, in Chesterton's work Orthodoxy (not about Orthodox Christianity) The new rebel is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral

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... A word born of righteous activity (praxis) is one thing, and a beautiful speech is another. Even without experience, wisdom is clever at imparting beauty to her words, at speaking the truth without really knowing it, and at making declarations on virtue while the man himself never makes trial of it in his deeds. Speech that comes from righteous activity is a treasury of hope, but wisdom not

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... is a screen, a curtain and covering, and is a sort of dwelling place and fortress. The hand could cover the eye, but before the hand came, the eye would have already have been obscured. But now the eyelid lies close by, placed above; at once it perceives the harm and puts forward the covering. Because of this the pupil also, placed under a covering, is not continually open to attack. The eye,

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"May such calm of soul be mine, so as to meet the force of circumstances"-- Aescylus (circa 525-456 BC) gaze at the winter trees They may look sad without their leaves.But look beyond the bare branches.They signal nature's comforting cycles.They represent the sure sign of regrowth.They will blossom and bear fruit. We all have our seasons.

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The Claddagh ring (Irish: fáinne Chladaigh) is a traditional Irish ring given as a token of love or worn as a wedding ring. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the city of Galway. The ring was first produced in the 17th century during the reign of Queen Mary II, though elements of the design are much older. Claddaghs

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