Thursday, January 14, 2010
Prayer of St Ephraim
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of laziness, meddling, ambition, and vain talk. But give me a spirit of prudence, humility, patience, and love. Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and faults and not judge my brother. For You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.
The Lord guards his people
You who dwell in the heavens, take pity on us.
To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.
Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.
Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
You who dwell in the heavens take pity on us.
--- Psalm 122 (123)
To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.
Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.
Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
You who dwell in the heavens take pity on us.
--- Psalm 122 (123)Tuesday, January 12, 2010
From me to you ...
Peace blossoms from a wise innate will,
into a flower of encompassing trust.
Regardless of external circumstances,
the sense of serenity is still;
a personal choice in the midst of chaos.
Surround me with your love and light,
and inspire me with your gentleness;
so that I may overcome all my unrest.
+++
I am waiting for you
I am waiting for you ...
by trusting in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I am waiting for you …
I know that one day you will come.
I am waiting for you ...
I pray that you will know that I exist.
I am waiting for you ...
And then we will live what Christ has reserved for us …
I am waiting ...
I know that He has dedicated you,
With affection, for me.
I am waiting.
into a flower of encompassing trust.
Regardless of external circumstances,
the sense of serenity is still;
a personal choice in the midst of chaos.
Surround me with your love and light,
and inspire me with your gentleness;
so that I may overcome all my unrest.
+++
I am waiting for you
I am waiting for you ...
by trusting in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I am waiting for you …
I know that one day you will come.
I am waiting for you ...
I pray that you will know that I exist.
I am waiting for you ...
And then we will live what Christ has reserved for us …
I am waiting ...
I know that He has dedicated you,
With affection, for me.
I am waiting.
My most merciful and all-loving God, Lord Jesus Christ,
Through Your great love You came down and took flesh to save all.
And again, O Saviour, save me by Your grace, I pray You, For if You should save me for my works, this would not be grace or a gift, but rather a duty.
Indeed, in Your infinite compassion and unspeakable mercy, You O my Christ have said:
Whoever believes in Me shall live and never see death.
If faith in You saves the desperate, save me, for You are my God and Creator. Impute my faith instead of deeds, O my God, for You will find no deeds which could justify me, but may my faith suffice for all my deeds.
May it answer for and acquit me, and may it make me a partaker of Your eternal glory. And may satan not seize me, O Word, and boast that he has torn me from Your hand and fold. O Christ, my Saviour, whether I will or not, save me.
Make haste, quick, quick, for I perish. You are my God from my mother's womb.
Grant me, O Lord, to love You now as once I loved sin, and also to work for You without idleness, as I worked before for deceptive satan.
But supremely shall I work for You, my Lord and God, Jesus.
+ + +
Monday, January 11, 2010
I was born in the past.
And I was raised in a present which is now past.
But I am going to die in the Future.
So Future is my Homeland.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The beauty of people ...
"Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we can contribute nothing to him. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong, what is ugly, what is distorted. Christ looked at everyone he met, at the prostitute, at the thief, and saw the beauty hidden there. Perhaps it was distorted, perhaps damaged, but it was beauty none the less, and what he did was to call out this beauty." ~ Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh of blessed memory.
Brethren, let us endeavor every day and every moment to sharpen our heart that the heart could always distinguish good and evil. For everything that happens to us, the question is posed: What is good and what is evil? Precisely everything that happens to us, happens to us so that we could realize what is good and to follow after good. We place ourselves in such temptations even a hundred times a day. He who has eyes to see, let him see.
O Lord, Lover of mankind, warm our hearts with good which is from You. Make us wise, O Lord, to be able to distinguish good from evil. O Master, strengthen us that we should always embrace good and discard evil for the sake of Your glory, O Lover of mankind, and for the sake of our salvation.
Brethren, let us endeavor every day and every moment to sharpen our heart that the heart could always distinguish good and evil. For everything that happens to us, the question is posed: What is good and what is evil? Precisely everything that happens to us, happens to us so that we could realize what is good and to follow after good. We place ourselves in such temptations even a hundred times a day. He who has eyes to see, let him see.
O Lord, Lover of mankind, warm our hearts with good which is from You. Make us wise, O Lord, to be able to distinguish good from evil. O Master, strengthen us that we should always embrace good and discard evil for the sake of Your glory, O Lover of mankind, and for the sake of our salvation.
On insults and inner peace ...
Various Excerpts from Dorotheos of Gaza :
Let us examine as to why a person sometimes gets annoyed when he hears an insult, and other times he endures it without getting agitated. What is the reason for this contrast? And is there one reason or are there several? There are several reasons, although they are all born from a main one. Sometimes it happens that after praying or completing a benevolent exercise, the person finds himself in a kind spiritual disposition and therefore, is amenable to his brother and doesn’t get annoyed over his words. It also happens that a person is partial to another, and as a consequence, endures without any annoyance, everything that the individual inflicts upon him. It also happens that a person may despise the individual who wants to insult him, and therefore ignores him.
+ + +
I will relate the following event. There was a novice living in the cloister with me and whom I have never seen annoyed or angry, even though he was plagued and insulted by many. This youth endured everything as though it wasn’t happening. Once I asked him to disclose to me the thought that he retains in his heart that makes him so patient. He responded with great contempt: "Why should I accept insults from them as I would from humans? After all — they are barking curs." Upon hearing this, I staggered away and thought: "Some path this brother had found!" Crossing myself, I departed, entreating God so that He would preserve him and me from such thoughts. And so it happens that one doesn’t get annoyed because he despises the insulter, and this is obvious perdition.
+ + +
People usually get annoyed either because they are in a bad mood, or they are nurturing unpleasant thoughts about another. However, the main reason for our annoyance is that we don’t reproach ourselves: this incurs spiritual disturbance and loss of inner peace. The true and genuine path toward a calm disposition is continual self-reproach. Even if a person had accomplished many good deeds yet doesn’t hold fast to the path of self-reproach, he will never cease being annoyed and insulting others, thereby losing the fruits of his good labor. In contrast, what joy and tranquility that person acquires who reproaches himself! Wherever he goes and whatever unpleasantness happens, or whatever insults he hears; he has convinced himself beforehand that he deserves all types of sorrows. That’s why when something unpleasant does happen, he doesn’t get annoyed. What more sorrowless condition can there be?
Let us examine as to why a person sometimes gets annoyed when he hears an insult, and other times he endures it without getting agitated. What is the reason for this contrast? And is there one reason or are there several? There are several reasons, although they are all born from a main one. Sometimes it happens that after praying or completing a benevolent exercise, the person finds himself in a kind spiritual disposition and therefore, is amenable to his brother and doesn’t get annoyed over his words. It also happens that a person is partial to another, and as a consequence, endures without any annoyance, everything that the individual inflicts upon him. It also happens that a person may despise the individual who wants to insult him, and therefore ignores him.
+ + +
I will relate the following event. There was a novice living in the cloister with me and whom I have never seen annoyed or angry, even though he was plagued and insulted by many. This youth endured everything as though it wasn’t happening. Once I asked him to disclose to me the thought that he retains in his heart that makes him so patient. He responded with great contempt: "Why should I accept insults from them as I would from humans? After all — they are barking curs." Upon hearing this, I staggered away and thought: "Some path this brother had found!" Crossing myself, I departed, entreating God so that He would preserve him and me from such thoughts. And so it happens that one doesn’t get annoyed because he despises the insulter, and this is obvious perdition.
+ + +
People usually get annoyed either because they are in a bad mood, or they are nurturing unpleasant thoughts about another. However, the main reason for our annoyance is that we don’t reproach ourselves: this incurs spiritual disturbance and loss of inner peace. The true and genuine path toward a calm disposition is continual self-reproach. Even if a person had accomplished many good deeds yet doesn’t hold fast to the path of self-reproach, he will never cease being annoyed and insulting others, thereby losing the fruits of his good labor. In contrast, what joy and tranquility that person acquires who reproaches himself! Wherever he goes and whatever unpleasantness happens, or whatever insults he hears; he has convinced himself beforehand that he deserves all types of sorrows. That’s why when something unpleasant does happen, he doesn’t get annoyed. What more sorrowless condition can there be?
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