Two Dangerous Extremes in the Orthodox Church- By: Elder Paisius the Athonite

Elder Paisius the Athonite

The two extremes always weary Mother Church, as well as those who hold to them, because the two extremes as a rule stab one another… . In other words, it is as if the one extreme is held by a possessed man who is spiritually insolent (and feels contempt for everything), and the other extreme is held by a madman who is childishly zealous with narrow-mindedness. God forbid — these two ends could strike at one another continually and “an end to it all” no one will find.

Those who will be able to bend these two extremes and make them unite, will be crowned by Christ with two imperishable crowns.

We should neither create problems in the Church nor magnify the minor human disorders that occur, so as not to create greater evil and the wicked one rejoice.

Pray to God Unceasingly & With Attention- By: St. Macarius the Great

St. Macarius the Great

We ought to pray, not according to any bodily habit nor with a habit of loud noise nor out of a custom of silence or on bended knees. But we ought soberly to have an attentive mind, waiting expectantly on God until He comes and visits the soul by means of all of its openings and its paths and senses. And so we should be silent when we ought, and to pray with a cry, just as long as the mind is concentrated on God. For as when the body does any task, it is completely occupied with the word and all its members help one another, so also the soul should be totally concentrated on asking and on a loving movement toward the Lord, not wandering and dispersed by its thoughts but with concentration waiting expectantly for Christ.

And thus He will enlighten, teaching on how to ask, giving pure prayer that is spiritual and worthy of God and bestowing the gift of worship “in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:24).

Except taken from the book: Pseudo-Macarius: the fifty spiritual homilies and the great letter.

Carrying Your Cross- By: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

Everyone has a cross to carry. Why? Since the leader of our faith endured the cross, we will also endure it. On one hand, the cross is sweet and light, but, on the other, it can also be bitter and heavy. It depends on our will. If you bear Christ’s cross with love then it will be very light; like a sponge or a cork. But if you have a negative attitude, it becomes heavy; too heavy to lift.

Taken from the book: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

Trust In God During Tribulations- By: Archimandrite Sophronius Sakharov

Fr. Sophronius Sakharov

No one on this earth can avoid affliction; and although the afflictions which the Lord sends are not great men imagine them beyond their strength and are crushed by them. This is because they will not humble their souls and commit themselves to the will of God. But the Lord Himself guides with His grace those who are given over to God’s will, and they bear all things with fortitude for the sake of God Whom they have so loved and with Whom they are glorified for ever. It is impossible to escape tribulation in this world but the man who is giver over to the will of God bears tribulation easily, seeing it but putting his trust in the Lord, and so his tribulations pass.

The Origin and Meaning of the Paschal Greeting

St. Mary Magdalene

In accordance with the rite established by the Church, we exchange a Paschal kiss during Matins on the first day of Holy Pascha. The rite is both important and comforting.

Ordinarily, when we exchange that kiss, we say, “Christ is Risen!” and are answered with the words “Truly He is Risen!” In so doing, we emulate the earliest of the Lord’s disciples and students, who after His Resurrection discussed the Resurrection among themselves, and said: the Lord is Risen indeed (Luke 24: 14-35). Moreover, in pronouncing that greeting, we clearly and concisely express to one another the history of today’s Feast.

On the other hand, the greeting fills our soul with inexpressible joy. When you say, or hear someone say, the sweet words “Christ is Risen!” “Truly He is Risen!” you feel particularly happy. Thus, one might say that another reason for [those words of greeting] to have come into general practice is that they produce joy in the soul. They produce joy because they contain that sweet hope in our own coming resurrection. The Apostle Paul states, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept…” (I Corinthians 15: 20). It follows that, if Jesus Christ was resurrected, we shall be as well. This is something of great comfort to all of us, especially to those whose path in this life is sown with weeds and tares. Indeed, it is terrible to live a life of want, and then become a victim of death for all eternity. But to live in want here, and then to finally move into a blessed eternity, and together with your resurrected body to enjoy blessed happiness…. Can anything be more longed for than this? That is the reason both for our pleasure in hearing the words “Christ is Risen!” “Truly He is Risen!” and for their general usage in our greetings to one another.

Moreover, in greeting one another in this way, we also exchange a kiss. What is the meaning of that kiss? In ordinary life, a kiss is considered a sign of sincere mutual love. It has the same meaning in this Paschal rite. As St. John Chrysostom said, “The Feast of Pascha is a pledge of peace, a fountain of reconciliation, the destruction of death, the devil’s ruin. Today people have become one with the angels…”

On the Resurrection of the soul-By: St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Christ is Risen!

Christ was Risen, and so we too must be resurrected with Christ, in order to ascend with Him. Our Resurrection is two-fold: in body and in spirit. Our bodily Resurrection will take place on the Last Day. We speak of this when we recite the Creed, the Symbol of Faith: “I look for the Resurrection of the dead.” To be resurrected spiritually is to depart from our sins, to turn away from the vanities of this world, and to abide in true repentance and faith; to take up the struggle against any sin, to do the will of our Heavenly Father, to live His truth, and to follow Christ, the Son of God, with humility, love, meekness, and patience. This the new creation of which the Holy Apostle speaks when he says, “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature….” (II Corinthians 5, 17); a new person, renewed through repentance and faith, a true Christian, a living member of Christ and an heir to the Kingdom of God.

Holy Hierarch St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Source

A Father’s Reflection on Fasting

A boy once approached his father, ‘Old man, why do you fast?’ The father stood silent, bringing heart and mind together, and then:

‘Beloved boy, I fast to know what it is I lack.

For day by day I sit in abundance, and

all is well before me;

I want not, I suffer not, and I

lack but that for which I invent a need.

But my heart is empty of true joy,

filled, yet overflowing with dry waters.

There is no room left for love.

I have no needs, and so my needs are never met,

no longings, and so my desires are never fulfilled.

Where all the fruits of the earth could dwell, I have

filled the house with dust and clouds;

It is full, so I am content—

But it is empty, and so I weep.

Do Good to All People: Elder Zosima

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Quoting the words of the starets Zosima from the book ‘The Brothers Karamazov.’ This is what he said on his deathbed to those surrounding him:

Do not hate atheists, teachers of evil, materialists, even the evil ones, for some of them are truly kind, especially in our day. Love the people of God. Believe and hold high the standard of faith. Do good to all people and help them bear their suffering. Meanwhile, your life is spent in hatred and anger. Each man has the time to rethink his life and to correct it, and you do too.

Except taken from by book “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Everything in Life is A Miracle- Father Arseny 1893-1973

A response to when a Hieromonk named Arseny was asked about miracles that happened to him. He said:

Miraculous? Miracles? No, nothing ever happened to me that could be called a miracle. Every priest-hearing the confessions of so many people, giving communion and acompanying the dying, guiding his spiritual children-every priest has remarkable spiritual experiences. The same things can happen to lay people, to any believer, but very often we cannot see the magnitude of what is happening and do not see the will of God, His hand, His providence, His leadership. Yes, what happened to me and what I saw around me shook me up*, made me tremble so that I clearly saw the will of God. I didn’t stop to think whether it was a miracle or simply the result of amazing coincidences in my life. I have always believed and I still firmly believe that God brings us to everything that happens and therefore whatever way we take, we must recognize only His will in everything.

The Loneliness of Christ & our Loneliness- By: Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev

Christ in Gethsemane

by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev

During the last days of His earthly life Jesus Christ was left alone to face those who hated Him, endure sufferings and death. He drank to the bottom the cup of suffering that was prepared for Him and underwent the most horrible thing that a person could experience: a profound loneliness and feeling of being abandoned by God.

He was alone in Gethsemane, for His disciples were fast asleep. He was alone at the court of the high priests, alone during His interrogation by Herod, alone at the tribunal of Pilate, for His disciples had fled. He was alone when He went to Golgotha, and a passer-by, and not His beloved disciple, helped Him to carry His cross. He was alone on the cross and died alone, having been abandoned by all.

While on the cross Jesus cried to His Father: “My God, My God! Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27:46). The pain of all mankind and every person was contained in this cry, the pain of everybody who feels alone and abandoned by God.

It is painful to be abandoned by one’s friends and close ones, but there is something still more horrible – when it seems that God has left you, when an insurmountable wall has been raised between you and God and He neither hears, nor sees, nor notices you.

If you suffer from loneliness, remember how lonely the Saviour was during the last days of His life.