March 2012
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On sins
If someone falls into any sin and is not sincerely grieved about it, it is easy for him to fall into the same thing again.
- St. Mark the Ascetic
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On living simply
…We recognize that the houses in which we live serve only as hostels on the road to eternal life. We do not seek peace or security from the material walls around us or the roof above our heads. Rather, we want to surround ourselves with a wall of divine grace; and we look upward to heaven as our roof. And the furniture of our lives should be good works, performed in a spirit of love.
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awkwardbutaccurate said: “In theory, what would be the difference between venerating an icon and venerating a statue? Why would that make you uncomfortable? They’re merely two different types of artistic representations of a saint/Christ. Just curious.”
Hello :)
I am just not used to venerate statues, that’s why we both felt uncomfortable. Apart from that, statues are not...
Anonymous asked: Catholics don't venerate statues!
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When we are in trouble
A child cries when his mother washes him, and those of little faith murmur at God when they are in trouble, which cleanses the soul like water cleanses the face.
- St. Symeon of Daibabe
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When we endure the afflictions...
When we bravely and quietly endure the afflictions sent to us, we participate a little, albeit not fully, in the sufferings of Christ.
-St. Macarius of Optina, Letters
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If we were not passionately inclined to money...
If we were not passionately inclined to money or to vainglory, then we would not fear death or poverty. We would not know enmity or hatred, and we would not suffer from the sorrows of ourselves or others.
-St. John Chrysostom,
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Anonymous asked: Have you ever visited a Catholic church? What's your opinion on Catholic sacred art?
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Today is the Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy...
The Akathist to Theotokos is one of the most well-loved services of devotion in the Orthodox Church. The four previous Fridays we read the 4 Stasis of the Akathist, one at a time. Today the whole Akathist will be read. The four sections into which the Akathist is divided correspond to the themes of theAnnunciation,Nativity,Christ, and theTheotokos herself.
It will last more than 4 hours, and we...
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A corresponding echo in the heart
During prayer it is necessary that your heart should sincerely desire that which you ask for, should feel the truth of what you are saying, and this comes naturally to a pure heart.
That is why it is capable of praying even rapidly, and at the same time agreeably, to God, as the rapidity in this case does not injure the truth (sincerity) of the prayer.
But for those who have not attained the...
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Emptiness of the soul
How horrible is the emptiness of soul brought on by a sinful life!
Unbearable is the torment from passionate, sinful thoughts and feelings, when they roil like worms in the soul, when they tear at the soul that has submitted to them, the soul that has been violated by them!
- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov
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Happy birthday dear Andrei!
Our good friend Andrei today has his birthday!
Let’s all send him our wishes and pray for his success in the Priesthood Capacity exam in September. He wants to be an Orthodox priest since he was young.
Have a blessed Birthday day Andrei and may God help you be a good priest!
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We make Him sad
God’s pleasure lies in our being pure in the purity of our first creation. We make Him sad when we alter the image in which we were created, for the soul was created in the pure image of God. We have exhanged this purity for its opposite, for when the soul was first created it was able to look upon God in intimacy, but we have now strayed away from him and have worshiped the lusts of the world...
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On charities
Do not say that you are collecting money for the poor; with two mites the Kingdom was purchased.
- Saint John of the Ladder
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Anonymous asked: Know any good miracle stories?
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Ask God to forgive you
Ask God to forgive you. Always entreat the Creator to forgive you. He knows all the hidden deeds and thoughts which people do not confess, perhaps from shame, from lack of strength to tell the truth.
- Modern Orthodox Saints Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene of Lesvos., by Constantine Cavarnos.
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To call on God
To call on God is to invite him into your heart: but will you dare to invite so great a Father when you have no dwelling fit for him? Your heart is full of evil desires, and yet you invite him in.
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
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The most beautiful comment I have ever received
I stumbled upon your blog , and started reading the quotes . Such simple words,yet so much more. Also the photos go so well with them. “Thats right Dude, the beauty of this is its simplicity’
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Dear friend,
thank you so much! Simple words, yet profound. Simple words, simple people, simple elders, simple...
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Our inhuman enemy...
Our inhuman enemy [the devil, in drawing a Christian to defilement] inspires the thought that God loves mankind, and that He quickly forgives this sin. But when we observe the guile of demons, then we see that after the commission of the sin, they suggest to us that God is a righteous and implacable Judge. The first they say in order to lead us to sin, the second, in order to weigh us down in...
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Pascha is not an earthly feast
Repentance leads us to resurrection. It is the fifth week of Great Lent, and soon it will be the Resurrection of Christ, Pascha. Pascha is not an earthly feast, it is a heavenly feast – and it is in heavenly fashion, through repentance, that we should prepare for it.
- Archpriest Dmitri Dutko
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Communion with God is life and light
God gives His communion to all who love Him. Communion with God is life and light and sweetness with all the good things that He has. But those who of their own will forsake him he rewards with separation from Him, which they themselves have chosen. As separation from light is darkness, so also alienation from God is deprivation of all good things which He has. But the good things of God are...
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Anonymous asked: Hi, I have a question about the Orthodox Church of America. I've gathered that they are doctrinally unified with the other churches, but that there is some controversy about them being a self-governing body. I have become interested in the Orthodox Church, as opposed to protestantism or Catholicism. I am also of German descent, and this does not leave me a clear choice in terms of a church....
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The one who wrongs us is our benefactor
When someone is wronged in this life either by men or by demons, God does not worry, because the soul benefits as a result. Many times, however, we say that we are wronged, while in reality we are the ones causing the harm. We must be careful to distinguish the two.
- Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos
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God sees you...
My children, think about the fact that God sees you, even though you don’t see Him. Keep this thought in mind, and you will always walk before the eyes of God.
-Saint Silouan of Mount Athos
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Anonymous asked: Is is true that in Russian Orthodox faith a woman that gave birth is not allowed to enter the church before forty days?
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The Lord loves all people
The Lord loves all people, but He loves those who seek Him even more. To his chosen ones the Lord gives such great grace that for love they forsake the whole earth, the whole world, and their souls burn with desire that all people might be saved and see the glory of the Lord.
- St. Silouan the Athonite
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The soul that loves God
The soul that loves God has its rest in God and in God alone. In all the paths that men walk in in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God.
- St. Isaac the Syrian
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Patriarch Kirill's Advice To Orthodox Bloggers →
cuppboard:
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia advises Orthodox bloggers to direct their “enhanced energy” to real work. “It’s enough to follow the discussions in blogs of believers, both laity and clerics. After reading them, you often think: if only they could use this energy for good purposes!” the Patriarch said at a session of the Coordination Committee on Promoting Social,...
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Blessed be God!
I lost my husband. Blessed be God! My eldest son fell with his weapon in his hands. Blessed be God! My second and only son, 14 years old, fought with the Greeks and eventually found a glorious death. Blessed be God! Under the sign of the Cross my blood will also flow. Blessed be God! We will conquer or die with the living, but we will have the consolation that in the world we did not leave...
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Another tumblr member will be soon received in the...
… namely James! He will be Chrismated at Pentecost and fully received into the Orthodox Church and he will be under his all holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.
I have been reading to his blog since the day I came to tumblr, and his journey to Orthodoxy inspired me and touched me very much.
I am very happy every time someone is...
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Pride and humility
When we say that somebody is “sensitive”, this means he suffers because his ego is hurt and because he is proud. The same happens with children, who as soon as somebody scolds them or opposes them, immediately start crying. This is not permissible for a person of God. The saints didn’t have pride, and whatever people did to them they accepted it because they had humility and...
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Strive to preserve peace of soul
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...
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We should remember God
It is more important that we should remember God than that we should breathe: indeed, if one may say so, we should do nothing else besides.
- St. Gregory Nazianzus
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When you are depressed...
When you are depressed, bear in mind the Lord’s command to Peter to forgive a sinner seventy times seven (cf. Mt. 18:22). And you may be sure that He Who gave this command to another will Himself do very much more.
- St. John Climacus (The Ladder of Divine Ascent; Paulist Press pg. 250)
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Seek the simplest in all things
Seek the simplest in all things, in food, clothing, without being ashamed of poverty. For a great part of the world lives in poverty. Do not say, “I am the son of a rich man. It is shameful for me to be in poverty.” Christ, your Heavenly Father, Who gave birth to you in the baptistery, is not in worldly riches. Rather he walked in poverty and had nowhere to lay His head.
- St....
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Always have God before your eyes...
Whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.
- St. Anthony the Great
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Lenten Orthodox Recipes (Part 1)
Like Christmas fasting period, I will make a series of posts with Lenten recipes! It’s not only for Orthodox Christians, but also for Catholics, Protestants and other denominations that want to abstain totally from meat and dairies for 40 days (21 days left for Easter!).
So.. today’s recipe is “Spiced Biscotti”!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time:...
