July 2012
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On Confession
The longer we remain without confessing, the worse it is for us, the more entangled we become in the bonds of sin, and therefore the more difficult it is to give an account.
- St. John of Kronstadt
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Today, we commemorate St. Marina the Greatmartyr!
This Martyr lived during the reign of Claudius II (268-270). She was from Pisidia of Cilicia and was the only daughter of a certain priest of the idols. On being orphaned by her mother, she was handed over to a certain woman who instructed her in the Faith of Christ. When she was fifteen years old, she was apprehended by the ruler of Olmbrius, and when asked her name, homeland, and faith, she...
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Prayer Toward the Unknown
O Lord, You who steadied the hand of Peter as he began to sink on the stormy sea, if you are with me, no one is against me. Grant to me the shield of faith and the mighty armor of the Holy Spirit to protect me and guide me to do Your will. The future I put into Your hands, O Lord, and I follow You to a life in Christ. Amen.
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When you are ill...
When you are ill, say “Blessed are those who discover the purpose set by God in the things that God brings upon us for our advantage. God is bringing this sickness for the sake of the soul’s good health.”
- The Wisdom of St Isaac of Syria, 17; ed. S. Brock, pp. 2, 3.
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The Human Suffering
Christ did not come to explain human suffering, or to eliminate it. Rather, He came to fill human suffering with His presence.
- Fr. George Calciu
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On genuine prayer
Until we have acquired genuine prayer we are like people teaching children to begin to walk…
- Saint John Climacus
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Every single second...
Repeat to yourself every day and as often as you can: ‘O Lord, have mercy on all those who will appear before You today.’ For every hour, every second, thousands of men leave this world and their souls appear before the Lord, and no one knows how many of them leave this earth in isolation, sadness, and anguish, with no one to take pity on them or even care whether they live or die. And so your...
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Good works
Attend tirelessly to good works. If, before going to sleep at night, you remember something you have not done, rise at once and do it.
- Elder Zosima, from Dostoevsky’s “Brothers Karamazov”
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Oil and water
We should arrange to live in the world like the oil and the water in a vigil lamp, which do not mix and thus are in and for God. In the world, but not of the world.
- Mother Gabriel
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Humility of heart
Self-accusation before God is something that is very necessary for us; and humility of heart is extremely advantageous in our lives, above all at the time of prayer. For prayer requires great attention and needs a proper awareness, otherwise it will turn out to be unacceptable and rejected, and `it will be turned back empty’ to our bosom.
- Martyrius of Edessa
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What toil we must endure...
What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to climb hills and the summits of mountains! What, that we may ascend to heaven! If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.
- St. Cyprian
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On the Holy Trinity
Father is the Father, and unbegotten; Son is the Son, begotten and not unbegotten, for He is from the Father; Holy Ghost, not begotten but proceeding, for He is from the Father.
-Saint John of Damascus
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We only accept the teachings we like
We accept only those teachings that nourish our self-love and ego and help us follow our own way, the way of sin. We fight against anything that comes in contrast with our goals, anything that rebukes the futility of our erroneous path. We fight truth because we follow the teachings that we ourselves have created or that we have heard from others; the ones that are in agreement with our desire,...
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Get up again!
A young monk said to Abba Sisoes: “Abba, what should I do? I fell.” The elder answered: “Get up!” The monk said: “I got up and I fell again!” The elder replied: “Get up again!” But the young monk asked: “For how long should I get up when I fall?” “Until your death,” answered Abba Sisoes. “For a man heads to his judgment either fallen or getting back up again.”
- From Saint Sisoes to a fallen...
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Saints keep repenting...
Saints keep repenting because they keep comparing themselves to the infinite holiness of God. The holier we become, the more sinful we feel.
- Fr. Vassilios Papavassiliou
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Only a few minutes...
Sometimes during a lengthy prayer only a few minutes are really pleasing to God, and constitute true prayer, true service to Him. The chief thing in prayer is the nearness of the heart to God.
- Saint John of Kronstadt
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True spiritual life
Don’t worry too much about how spiritually poor you are, God sees that, but for you it is expected to trust in God and pray to Him as best you can, never to fall into despair and to struggle according to your strength. If you ever begin to think you are spiritually “well off” then you can know for sure that you aren’t! True spiritual life, even on the most elementary...
