Christ is in every poor man

"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 Hospitality

"It is in the name of Christ that I feed the poor, 

for Christ is in the body of every poor man. -St. Brigid

Do what you can, for who you can, with what you have, and where you are. 

The best gifts to give:

To your friend, loyalty;
To your enemy, forgiveness;
To your boss, service;
To a child, a good example;
To your parents, gratitude and devotion;
To your spouse, love and faithfulness;
To all men and women, charity; 
and To God, your life.


“…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me....”

--- Christ

the consolation of books

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."

Ignite my heart, my Lord

"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 the throne of my heart and reign in me alone, O Thou, my King and my Lord” 

- Prayer of St. Dimitry of Rostov

My soul thirst the Lord - St Silouan

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 ετοιμάζομαι δια τον θάνατον
Και χάρην του λαού γράφω την αλήθειαν
Ωω..., αδελφοί μου
Πίπτω εις τα γόνατα και παρακαλώ υμάς
Πιστεύετε εις Τον Θεόν
Πιστεύετε ότι υπάρχει Το Άγιον Πνεύμα
Αυτό μαρτυρεί περί Του Θεού
Εις όλας τας εκκλησίας ημών
Και εις την ψυχήν μου

Είμαι μεγάλος αμαρτωλός
Και όμως είδα την άμετρον αγάπη και το έλεος του Κυρίου επ' εμέ

Το ιλαρόν και πράον βλέμμα του Κυρίου
έθελξε την ψυχήν μου

Ωω..., η αγάπη Του Κυρίου
Δεν έχω δυνάμεις να περιγράψω αυτήν
Διότι είναι απείρως μεγάλη και θαυμαστή
Δεν δύναμαι να Σε λησμονήσω
Σε νοσταλγεί η ψυχή μου Κύριε
Και με δάκρυα Σε ζητώ.


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"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 tempted beyond our strength; along with the temptation will come the help of God. Our Christ tells us that if they hated Me they will also hate you (Jn 15:18); if they persecuted and blasphemed and cursed Me, they will also persecute and blaspheme and curse you. And they will do these things to you because they do not know God and "they know not what they do (Lk 23:43)."

We, my children, know God, and because we love Him and are His, the world hates us, since it does not agree with Him. Therefore have courage, my children; we are followers of the One Who was crucified by them; so we too will be crucified by trials and temptations. Just as He was resurrected, we too will be resurrected and glorified together with Him unto the ages of ages.

The devil has raised a storm, but it will die down because God is all-powerful, and nothing can happen without His divine will. God is with us. Christ reigns within us, within as many of us as were baptized into Christ, and we are not afraid. Perhaps we shall enter into temptations, but our Deliverer is near, for He said, "I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33). Therefore, we will also be victorious, even if the sea surges threateningly for the moment. Do not be afraid of anyone; fear only God Who is able to cast us into the fire of hell, if we are not careful.

So, "blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:10) Do not forget what the Christians of the past suffered in order to keep their faith in our Christ; they hid within the catacombs; they were persecuted and afflicted. We also are blessed, who are persecuted because of our desire to worship God and to guard our chastity.

We shall go through much. But in the end, the crucified Jesus will be victorious; for the Cross is our glorious banner. 

So do not fear; God is with us. 

The trial of Our faith ...

"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. Trials are also like the flame in which straw is burned and gold is purified.

Man's intellectual pursuits and suppositions also try our faith. These are very strong and bitter winds. But we can overcome them if we are willing to adhere to the words of God and if, in opposition to those intellectual pursuits, we are able to emphasize the teachings of the Faith of Christ.

Our faith is further tried by fear and shame: fear of men who persecute the Faith and shame of men who arrogantly despise the Faith. These also are strong winds which we must resist if we wish to remain alive. How will we resist them? By the fear of God which should always be greater in our soul than the fear of men and of shame before the apostles, saints and martyrs who were not ashamed of their faith before emperors, princes and sages of this world.

Our faith is further tried by suffering and misery. This is the fire in which our faith either has to be burned like straw or to be tempered as pure gold. We will resist these trials if we would but remember Christ crucified on the Cross for us and so many thousands of martyrs for the Faith who, in their patience, conquered all and emerged from the flames as gold and who for centuries glow among the angels and among men.

Our faith is also tried by death, the death of our relatives and friends and the death of mankind in general. This is the bitter fire in which the faith of many have been burned. Is death the end of everything? It is not, but rather believe that it is the beginning of everything; it is the beginning of a new and just life. Believe in the Resurrection of Christ, believe in life beyond the grave and believe in the general resurrection and the Dreadful Judgment.

O Good Lord, strengthen the faith in us and have mercy on us. To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.

What joy awaits us!

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 drop of muddy sorrow and temptations to poison us.

To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.