“When during prayer the enemy suggests within you a craving for food, despise this material, nervous irritation, strengthen your heart more powerfully by prayer, inflame it by faith and love, and say to the tempter the following words of the Lord: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Prayer is my best food, fortifying and enlightening both the soul and the body.”
St.John of Kronstadt
St.John of Kronstadt
🙏☦️💫 St Elizabeth was the elder sister of St Alexandra Romanova, and was married to the Grand Duke Sergey, the governor of Moscow. She converted to Orthodoxy from Protestantism of her own free will, and organized women from all levels of society
to help the soldiers at the front and in the hospitals.
Grand Duke Sergey was killed by an assassin’s bomb in 1905, just as St Elizabeth was leaving for her workshops. Remarkably, she visited her husband’s killer in prison and urged him to repent.
After this, she began to withdraw from her former social life. She devoted herself to the Convent of Sts Martha and Mary, a community of nuns which focused on worshiping God and also helping the poor. She moved out of the palace into a building she purchased on Ordinka. Women from the nobility, and also from the common people, were attracted to the convent.
Saint Elizabeth nursed sick and wounded soldiers in the hospitals and on the battle front. On Pascha of 1918, the Communists ordered her to leave Moscow, and join the royal family near Ekaterinburg. She left with a novice, Sister Varvara, and an escort of Latvian guards.
After arriving in Ekaterinburg, Saint Elizabeth was denied access to the Tsar’s family. She was placed in a convent, where she was warmly received by the sisters.
At the end of May Saint Elizabeth was moved to nearby Alopaevsk with the Grand Dukes Sergey, John, and Constantine, and the young Count Vladimir Paley. They were all housed in a schoolhouse on the edge of town. Saint Elizabeth was under guard, but was permitted to go to church and work in the garden.
On the night of July 5, they were all taken to a place twelve miles from Alopaevsk, and executed. The Grand Duke Sergey was shot, but the others were thrown down a mineshaft, then grenades were tossed after them. Saint Elizabeth lived for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns.
The bodies of Sts Elizabeth and Varvara were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of St Mary Magdalene.
Sts Elizabeth and Varvara, pray for us!
Grand Duke Sergey was killed by an assassin’s bomb in 1905, just as St Elizabeth was leaving for her workshops. Remarkably, she visited her husband’s killer in prison and urged him to repent.
After this, she began to withdraw from her former social life. She devoted herself to the Convent of Sts Martha and Mary, a community of nuns which focused on worshiping God and also helping the poor. She moved out of the palace into a building she purchased on Ordinka. Women from the nobility, and also from the common people, were attracted to the convent.
Saint Elizabeth nursed sick and wounded soldiers in the hospitals and on the battle front. On Pascha of 1918, the Communists ordered her to leave Moscow, and join the royal family near Ekaterinburg. She left with a novice, Sister Varvara, and an escort of Latvian guards.
After arriving in Ekaterinburg, Saint Elizabeth was denied access to the Tsar’s family. She was placed in a convent, where she was warmly received by the sisters.
At the end of May Saint Elizabeth was moved to nearby Alopaevsk with the Grand Dukes Sergey, John, and Constantine, and the young Count Vladimir Paley. They were all housed in a schoolhouse on the edge of town. Saint Elizabeth was under guard, but was permitted to go to church and work in the garden.
On the night of July 5, they were all taken to a place twelve miles from Alopaevsk, and executed. The Grand Duke Sergey was shot, but the others were thrown down a mineshaft, then grenades were tossed after them. Saint Elizabeth lived for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns.
The bodies of Sts Elizabeth and Varvara were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of St Mary Magdalene.
Sts Elizabeth and Varvara, pray for us!
☦️🙏 Outward prayer is often performed at the expense of inward prayer, and inward at the expense of outward; that is, when I pray with my lips or read, then many words do not penetrate into the heart, I become double minded and hypocritical; with my lips I say one thing, whilst in my heart I feel another. The lips speak truth, whilst the disposition of the heart does not agree with the words of the prayer. But if I pray inwardly, heartily, then, without paying attention to the pronunciation of the words, I concentrate it upon their contents, their power, gradually accustoming my heart to the truth, and thus entering into the same disposition of spirit in which the words of the prayer were written. In this way I accustom myself, little by little, to pray in spirit and truth in accordance with the words of the Eternal Truth: "They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
St John of Kronstadt
St John of Kronstadt
From Directions of St. Anthony the Great.
“the grace of the Holy Spirit most readily fills those who undertake spiritual work wholeheartedly and determine from the very beginning to stand firm and never to give ground to the enemy in no matter what battle, until they conquer him”.
Then the Holy Spirit leads one step by step. Making things easy at first (“to sweeten the beginning of the work of repentance”), later He shows the way in full truth, helping in all things, … “until He brings them to complete conversion to God, their Creator”.
“ For this purpose He constantly urges them to give exertion to body and soul in order that both alike, being equally sanctified, should equally become worthy heirs of eternal life ;
to exert the body in constant fasting, work and frequent vigils,
and the soul, in spiritual exercises and diligence in all forms of service (and obediences) performed through the body.
This should be zealously observed in all work done with the body, if we wish it to bear fruit. ”
“the grace of the Holy Spirit most readily fills those who undertake spiritual work wholeheartedly and determine from the very beginning to stand firm and never to give ground to the enemy in no matter what battle, until they conquer him”.
Then the Holy Spirit leads one step by step. Making things easy at first (“to sweeten the beginning of the work of repentance”), later He shows the way in full truth, helping in all things, … “until He brings them to complete conversion to God, their Creator”.
“ For this purpose He constantly urges them to give exertion to body and soul in order that both alike, being equally sanctified, should equally become worthy heirs of eternal life ;
to exert the body in constant fasting, work and frequent vigils,
and the soul, in spiritual exercises and diligence in all forms of service (and obediences) performed through the body.
This should be zealously observed in all work done with the body, if we wish it to bear fruit. ”
🌟🙏 A historical church in Zaryad'ye park, in the very center of Moscow. Most people think that in Russia such places just exist, but it's so far from reality. The government undertook a gigantic project of cleaning of this area, removed all (non-historical) buildings and organized that outstanding park. Orthodox churches are set into it like pearls.
“If you are constantly angry and complaining, it is indicative of a proud soul. Humble yourself, reproach yourself, and the Lord is powerful to give you comfort and a helping hand.”
St. Anatoly of Optina
If you started to notice yourself grumbling about this or that, it’s time to stop, think and pray. When we grumble we separate ourselves from God. When we grumble we are not likely to show love to our neighbours. Grumbling and complaining may reduce all other virtues eventually. We are called for patience in difficulties, not complaining.
St. Anatoly of Optina
If you started to notice yourself grumbling about this or that, it’s time to stop, think and pray. When we grumble we separate ourselves from God. When we grumble we are not likely to show love to our neighbours. Grumbling and complaining may reduce all other virtues eventually. We are called for patience in difficulties, not complaining.
"Be most careful not to break the least of God’s commandments; such a violation would destroy your likeness to God, and would bring you near to the likeness of the Devil. The more you transgress God’s commandments, the more you will grow like unto the Devil.”
St. John of Kronstadt
The receiving from God the Ten Commandments is the most significant event of the Old Testament. It has intention to regulate both religious and civil life. These Commandments contain fundamental principles for human society. The first four express man's duties in relation to God, the next five define relationships between people, the last calls for purity of thoughts and desires. Unfortunately human nature was corrupted after the fall, so these commandments represent the very minimum to help our inner voice of conscience to regulate our behavior.
St. John of Kronstadt
The receiving from God the Ten Commandments is the most significant event of the Old Testament. It has intention to regulate both religious and civil life. These Commandments contain fundamental principles for human society. The first four express man's duties in relation to God, the next five define relationships between people, the last calls for purity of thoughts and desires. Unfortunately human nature was corrupted after the fall, so these commandments represent the very minimum to help our inner voice of conscience to regulate our behavior.
Not any picture of a Saint is an icon. “In calling to mind the saints and their struggles, an Icon does not simply represent the saint as he appeared upon the earth. No, the Icon depicts his inner spiritual struggle; it portrays how he attained to that state where he is now considered an angel on earth, a heavenly man.
However, it is far worse when everything is correct in the physical, bodily sense, but the saint appears as an ordinary man, as if he had been photographed, completely devoid of the spiritual. When this is the case, the depiction cannot be considered an Icon.
An Icon is an image which leads us to a holy, God-pleasing person, or raises us up to Heaven, or evokes a feeling of repentance, of compunction, of prayer, a feeling that one must bow down before this image”.
Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco
However, it is far worse when everything is correct in the physical, bodily sense, but the saint appears as an ordinary man, as if he had been photographed, completely devoid of the spiritual. When this is the case, the depiction cannot be considered an Icon.
An Icon is an image which leads us to a holy, God-pleasing person, or raises us up to Heaven, or evokes a feeling of repentance, of compunction, of prayer, a feeling that one must bow down before this image”.
Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco
☦️🔥 "Mighty servants of the Only Omnipotent", Angels (in St. Ephraim writings). They're strong in their fiery nature and deep mind. But their sharply hate sin. When we sin, it causes aversion in them. When the person insults God too much, the Angel goes away, it leaves the poor human in hands of demons. It's called the fall, typically associated with mortal sins. The fear of God must awake with human mind in the very second of awakening in the morning. Even a little amount of carelessness leads to death, the fathers teach.
Saint Justin Popovich about significance of the lives of the Saints.
“What are the "Lives of the Saints"? They are nothing else but a certain kind of continuation of the "Acts of the Apostles." In them is found the same Gospel, the same life, the same truth, the same righteousness, the same love, the same faith, the same eternity, the same "power from on high," the same God and Lord. For "the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb. 13: 8): the same for all people of all times, distributing the same gifts and the same Divine energies to all who believe in Him. This continuation of all life-creating Divine energies in the Church of Christ from ages to ages and from generation to generation indeed constitutes living Holy Tradition. This Holy Tradition is continued without interruption as the life of Grace in all Christians, in whom through the holy mysteries and the holy virtues, Jesus Christ lives by His Grace.”
From Introduction to the Lives of the Saints by Saint Justin Popovich
“What are the "Lives of the Saints"? They are nothing else but a certain kind of continuation of the "Acts of the Apostles." In them is found the same Gospel, the same life, the same truth, the same righteousness, the same love, the same faith, the same eternity, the same "power from on high," the same God and Lord. For "the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb. 13: 8): the same for all people of all times, distributing the same gifts and the same Divine energies to all who believe in Him. This continuation of all life-creating Divine energies in the Church of Christ from ages to ages and from generation to generation indeed constitutes living Holy Tradition. This Holy Tradition is continued without interruption as the life of Grace in all Christians, in whom through the holy mysteries and the holy virtues, Jesus Christ lives by His Grace.”
From Introduction to the Lives of the Saints by Saint Justin Popovich