For the people of God, there is no such thing as distance, even if they be thousands of miles apart. However far away our fellow human beings may be, we must stand by them… When Christ unites us, distances don’t exist. When I leave this life it will be better. I’ll be closer to you.
- Elder Porphyrios
He who lives according to God’s will has no worries. When he needs something, he simply prays for it. If he does not receive that which he asked for, he is joyful as though he had received it. A soul that has given itself over to God has no fear of anything, not even robbers, sickness, or death. Whatever happens, such a soul always cries, ‘It was the will of God’.
- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love (Psalm 51:1)
A man went into the forest to choose a tree from which to make roof beams. And he saw two trees, one beside the other. One was smooth and tall, but had rotted away inside, and the other was rough on the outside and ugly, but its core was healthy. The man sighed, and said to himself: “What use is this smooth, tall tree to me if it is rotten inside and useless for beams? The other one, even if it is rough and ugly, is at least healthy on the inside and so, if I put a bit more effort into it, I can use it for roof beams for my house.” And without thinking any more about it, he chose that tree. So will God choose between two men for His house, and will choose not the one who appears outwardly righteous, but the one whose heart is filled with God’s healthy righteousness.
- Saint Nikolai of Zhicha, “Homily on The Gospel of True and False Prayer”“ (Lk. 18:10-14)
If we have true love with sympathy and patient labor, we shall not go about scrutinizing our neighbor’s shortcomings. As it is said, ‘Love covers up a multitude of sins’, and again, ‘Love thinks not evil… hides everything’, etc. As I said, if we have true love, that very love should screen anything of this kind, as did the saints when they saw the shortcomings of men. Were they blind? Not at all! But they simply would not let their eyes dwell on sin.
- Abba Dorotheos of Gaza
…The Greatness stands in this moment, in this new day. I will either join my voice with the eternal chorus of witnessing cloud, or disappear in the soundless mumble of a heart growing numb. I choose to light the candle and begin the day surrounded by icons who announce to new day, and with them lift my no longer orphaned voice. “Blessed is our God, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages.”
-Father Stephen
The great vitures are three: humility, obedience, and love.
When there is no love and obedience to the local bishop, everything is ruined.
No one can hold two watermelons under one arm. That is, no one can seek offices and be humble at the same time. Which one of those bishops that Church or the Start clare anti canonical goes to become a male nurse in a hospital? No one, because they don’t have humility and obedience. But if some bishop would do just that, then all the people would admire him and readily believe that our Orthodox faith is a faith of works. Let then all the preachers of the world come together and go preach everywhere. They won’t have such an effect as the example of that bishop, since works are superior to any preaching.
We cannot have boldness before God when we are not obedient, humble. Our heart must be simple in order to receive the word of God. No selfishness or hard-heartedness. Simplicity of heart makes us similar to God and to the saints. Everything is simple. The simple man is neither wicked nor can he think something wicked. He is resettles. He is like a child. His prayer is readily received. He prays for the others and for his sins.
How can you not weep when you see how much you’ve grieved God, the Angels and the Saints, who wait for you in Heaven and benefit you while on earth?
-Father Dimitrios Gagastathis
“Whoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. That’s what it is! You must suffer. You must love and suffer—suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the loved one. She runs all through the night; she stays awake; she stains her feet with blood in order to meet her beloved. She makes sacrifices and disregards all impediments, threats, and difficulties for the sake of the loved one. Love towards Christ is something even higher, infinitely higher.
And when we say ‘love’, we don’t mean the virtues that we will acquire, but the heart that is pervaded by love towards Christ and others. We need to turn everything in this direction. Do we see a mother with her child in her arms and bending to give the child a kiss, her heart overflowing with emotion? Do we notice how her face lights up as she holds her little angel? These things do not escape a person with love of God. He sees them and is impressed by them and he says, ‘If only I had those emotions towards my God, towards my Holy Lady and our saints!’ Look, that’s how we must love Christ our God. You desire it, you want it, and with the grace of God you acquire it.”
Today I wanted to ask you your opinion about Good Friday Lementations. This video is in Greek because I couldn’t find so nice a version in eglish. If you are not Orthodox and you haven’t listened it please do it and describe your feelings. Do you feel something different?
Personally when I listen to it, even it is not Easter I am crying. Every Good Friday you’ll see people in Church crying when they hear it. I believe that Good Wednesday and Good Friday are the most moving days.
So what’s your opinion? Do you feel more peacefull?
PS. Here you can find out more about Orthodox Easter: http://lent.goarch.org/holy_friday/learn/
