“God is everywhere. There is no place God is not…You cry out to Him, ‘Where art Thou, my God?’ And He answers, “I am present, my child! I am always beside you.’ Both inside and outside, above and below, wherever you turn, everything shouts, ‘God!’ In Him we live and move. We breathe God, we eat God, we clothe ourselves with God. Everything praises and blesses God. All of creation shouts His praise. Everything animate and inanimate speaks wondrously and glorifies the Creator. Let every breath praise the Lord!”
St. Joseph The Hesychast (Aug 16)
St. Joseph The Hesychast (Aug 16)
Of his mother, St Nonna (Aug 5/ Aug 18), St Gregory the Theologian wrote lovingly: “What time and place of prayer ever eluded her? She was drawn to this each day before anything else, and she had complete faith that her prayers would be answered.” Through his mother’s wonder-working prayers, St Nonna’s husband Gregory the elder had a dream vision in his sleep in which, says the younger Gregory, “it seemed as though he was singing the following verse of David: I was glad when they said of me, let us go into the house of the Lord (Ps. 121: 1).” In the singing of the psalm was itself was was the actual desire to do so!” St Gregory’s conversion was no doubt the result of St Nonna’s fervent prayers.
The elder Gregory went to the First Council at Nicea, where he made known his conversion to Christ and was ordained presbyter and then bishop of Nazianzus. After he reposed at age one hundred, St Nonna almost never emerged from the church, departing this life while at prayer in the temple in 374.
The elder Gregory went to the First Council at Nicea, where he made known his conversion to Christ and was ordained presbyter and then bishop of Nazianzus. After he reposed at age one hundred, St Nonna almost never emerged from the church, departing this life while at prayer in the temple in 374.
“Dear Ones, don't wait until you feel strong and worthy to come to Holy Orthodoxy.”
The Orthodox Church doesn't expect you to be in good shape when you arrive -- especially when you first arrive. Good thing, too! I first came to Saint John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church in 2005, for Vespers -- as it happened -- for Saint John Chrysostom. I was just out of detox. In fact, I was shaking like a leaf throughout the service. Nevertheless, I knew in my heart of hearts that the Church was exactly where I was supposed to be. Following Vespers, Father David Lubliner sat by me, held my trembling hand, and heard my story -- without judgement; no, with overflowing kindness. He told me that I was welcome there at any time, and essentially took me under his wing from that moment. There followed a hard road, with several alcoholic relapses, and much pastoral counseling. Eleven years ago, Father David and I shared the great joy of my Baptism and Chrismation into the Church. [1/2]
The Orthodox Church doesn't expect you to be in good shape when you arrive -- especially when you first arrive. Good thing, too! I first came to Saint John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church in 2005, for Vespers -- as it happened -- for Saint John Chrysostom. I was just out of detox. In fact, I was shaking like a leaf throughout the service. Nevertheless, I knew in my heart of hearts that the Church was exactly where I was supposed to be. Following Vespers, Father David Lubliner sat by me, held my trembling hand, and heard my story -- without judgement; no, with overflowing kindness. He told me that I was welcome there at any time, and essentially took me under his wing from that moment. There followed a hard road, with several alcoholic relapses, and much pastoral counseling. Eleven years ago, Father David and I shared the great joy of my Baptism and Chrismation into the Church. [1/2]
[2/2] Dear Ones, don't wait until you feel strong and worthy to come to Holy Orthodoxy. Come now, with all your sins and human weaknesses. Come Home to the Orthodox Church, a place of healing, of forgiveness, and of love -- the very doorstep of our everlasting Home in Heaven. Come now.
—Nikolai Harris
—Nikolai Harris
Salvation is nothing less than the Sonship and Theosis (Divinization) of mankind. This is the message of St Irenaeus (130-202) (Aug 23), the third link in an unbroken chain of the Apostolic Succession. The second link was Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. The first link was the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.
Saint Gregory of Tours credits the preaching of St Irenaeus for transforming all of Lugdunum (Lyons) into a Christian city.
"By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error,
you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Irenaeus, entreat Christ God to save our souls."
Saint Gregory of Tours credits the preaching of St Irenaeus for transforming all of Lugdunum (Lyons) into a Christian city.
"By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error,
you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Irenaeus, entreat Christ God to save our souls."
"Eve was seduced by the word of the [fallen] angel and transgressed God's word, so that she fled from him. In the same way, [Mary] was evangelized by the word of an angel and obeyed God's word, so that she carried him [within her].
And while the former was seduced into disobeying God, the latter was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary became the advocate (advocata) of the virgin Eve." + St Irenaeus of Lyons (Aug 23)
And while the former was seduced into disobeying God, the latter was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary became the advocate (advocata) of the virgin Eve." + St Irenaeus of Lyons (Aug 23)
A monk on Mount Athos was once asked: “What do you actually do in church?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?
“Yes, we do nothing.”
“Then why do you go to church?”
“Does a child do anything while it lies in its mother’s womb? It simply dwells there, is nourished, and grows until the time comes to be born. We do the same. We remain in the Church and pray; in the Church, we are nourished through the Holy Mysteries and, with the help of God’s grace, we grow and develop until the time comes to be born into eternal life.”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?
“Yes, we do nothing.”
“Then why do you go to church?”
“Does a child do anything while it lies in its mother’s womb? It simply dwells there, is nourished, and grows until the time comes to be born. We do the same. We remain in the Church and pray; in the Church, we are nourished through the Holy Mysteries and, with the help of God’s grace, we grow and develop until the time comes to be born into eternal life.”
September 1 marks the beginning of the Church Year, when, according to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue to proclaim (quoting Isaiah 61:1-2):
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” (Luke 4:16-22)
Let us resolve this new year holy and acceptable to the Lord!
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” (Luke 4:16-22)
Let us resolve this new year holy and acceptable to the Lord!
Do you understand why the rules of the Church impose strict penalties on those who do not go to Church on Sunday? Because every church service, every dedication of Sunday to God, is a rung on the ladder, which brings us up to bring us closer to Christ. If you do not climb it because you give more importance to something else, then where will you end up when your life ends?
☦️ St. John Chrysostom
☦️ St. John Chrysostom
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; and as wax melts from the presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross and say with gladness: Hail, most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, for Thou drivest away the demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ Who was crucified on thee, went down to hell and trampled on the power of the devil, and gave us thee, His honorable Cross, for driving away all enemies. O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me with our holy Lady, the Virgin Theotokos, and with all the Saints throughout the ages. Amen.