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Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:34:00 GMT

...It is especially necessary for Christians to have a pure heart, so that they may be able to see God with the eyes of the heart, as He is, with His love to us and with all His perfections, as well as to be able to contemplate the beauty of the angels, all the glory of the Holy Virgin, the beauty of Her soul and Her greatness as the Mother of God, and the beauty of the souls of God’s saints, and their love to us; we must see them as they are in themselves, we must contemplate the truth of the Christian faith, with all its sacraments, and feel their greatness; we must see the state of our own souls, and especially sins.

An impure heart – that is a heart occupied with earthly passions – feeds itself on the carnal desires of the eyes and worldly pride; it can not see any of the things we have indicated...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:32:00 GMT

...Sometimes in his heart a man draws near to God, sometimes he goes far from God, and therefore he experiences either peace and joy, or fear, disturbance and oppression. The first one is life, the other is spiritual death.

We draw near to God mostly in times of affliction, from which no one can save us but God, to Whom we then turn with our whole heart, and thus approach Him sincerely; whilst we go far from God in times of ease and abundance of earthly blessings, which make the old carnal man proud of himself, and -especially when he thirsts for riches, glory and distinction, and has attained all these – he loses faith from his heart and forgets God, his Judge and Recompenser, forgets the immortality of his soul, and his duty to love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:32:00 GMT

...Is it possible to pray rapidly without injuring the effect of the prayer? It is possible for those who have learned to pray inwardly with a pure heart.

During prayer it is necessary that your heart should sincere 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 agreeable, to God, as the rapidly in this case does not injure the truth (sincerity) of the prayer.

But for those who have not attained the capability of praying sincerely it is necessary to pray slowly, waiting for a corresponding echo in the heart to each word of the prayer. And this is not always soon given to men unaccustomed to prayerful contemplation. Therefore, for such men, it must be laid down as an absolute rule to pronounce the words of the prayer slowly, and with pauses. Wait until every word gives back its corresponding echo in your heart...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:41:00 GMT

...Sometimes in the affliction of your soul you wish to die. It is easy to die; but are you prepared for death? Remember that after death the judgment of your whole lofe will follow.

You are not prepared for death, and if it were to come to you, you would shudder all over. Therefore do not waste words in vain. Do not say: “It is better for me to die”, but rather say. “How can I prepare for death in a Christian manner?” By means of faith, by means of good works, and by bravely bearing the miseries and sorrows that happen to you, so as to be able to meet death fearlessly, peacefully, and without shame, not a rigorous law of nature, but as a fatherly call of the eternal, heavenly, holy, and blessed Father unto the everlasting Kingdom.

Remember the old man who, being weary of his heavy burden, called for death. When it came, he did not wish to die, and preferred to go on carrying his heavy burden...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:39:00 GMT

...The only means by which you can spend the day in perfect holiness, peace, and without sin, is the most sincere, fervent prayer as soon as you rise from sleep in the morning. It will bring Christ into your heart, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and will thus strengthen and fortify your soul against any evil; but still it will be necessary for you to carefully guard your heart....

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:42:00 GMT

...Do not spare yourself, but pray earnestly, even if you have been toiling all day. Do not be negligent in holy prayer; say it to God unto the end from your whole heart, for it is a duty you owe to God. Having put your hand to the plough do not look back.

If you allow yourself to pray carelessly, and not from your heart, you will not fall asleep (if you pray at night) until you have wiped out by tears your sin before God. This is not so with everybody, however, but only with the more perfect. Take care, then, not to put your flesh before God, and disdain, for His sake, bodily repose. If you have made a rule to read so many prayers (whether they be long or short, fulfill the reading of all of them well), read the prayers with all conscientiousness, and do not do God’s work with your heart divided in two, so that only one half belongs to Him and the remaining half to your own flesh. God is a jealous God, and will not suffer your duplicity, your self-pity.

He will deliver you up to the Devil, and the Devil will not let your heart rest for your neglect of God, Who is the true peace of your heart, and Who will always do that which is for your own good, so as to keep your heart near Him; for every insincere prayer removes your heart from God and sets it in opposition to you yourself, whilst every earnest prayer draws your heart nearer to God and makes it perpetually godly. Thus, be assured, if you hurry over your prayers, to give rest to your body, you will loose both spiritual and bodily rest.

Oh! By what labor, sweat, and tears is the approach of our heart to God gained! It is possible that we should again make our very prayers (when careless) the means of our estrangement from God, and that God should not be jealous of this? For He pities us and our former labors, and He desires that we should again unfailingly turn to Him with our whole hearts. He wishes that we should always belong to Him...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 21:45:36 GMT

...During prayer there sometimes occur moments of deadly darkness and spiritual anguish arising from unbelief of the heart (for unbelief is darkness). Do not let your heart fail you at such moments, but remember that if the divine light has been sent off in you, it always shines in all its splendor and greatness in God Himself, in God’s church, in heaven and on earth, and in the material world in which “His eternal power and Godhead are visible”.

Do not think that truth has failed, because truth is God Himself, and everything that exists has its foundation and reason in Him. Only your own weak, sinful and darkened heart can fail in the truth, for it can not always bear the strength of the light of truth, and it is not always capable of containing its purity, but only it is being or has been purified from its sins, as the first cause of spiritual darkness. The proof of this you may find in yourself. When the light of faith or God’s truth dwells in your heart, only then it is tranquil, firm, strong, and living; but when this is cut off, then your heart becomes uneasy, weak as a reed shaken by the wind, and lifeless. Do not pay any attention to this darkness of Satan. Drive it away from your heart by making the sign of the life-giving Cross!...

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt.

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:56:00 GMT

...The inner man, amidst worldly vanity, amidst the darkness of his flesh, is not so bound by the temptations by the evil one, and looks out more freely early in the mornings, just after waking up, like a fish, which sometimes throws itself up playfully on the surface of the water. All the remaining time he is enveloped in almost inpenetratable darkness, his eyes are covered by a bandage, which conceals from him the true state of things spiritual and physical. Take advantage of these morning hours, which are the hours of new life, or of a life renewed by temporary sleep. They show us in part that state in which we shall be when we shall rise up renewed on that great and universal morning of the nightless day of resurrection, or when we shall rid ourselves of this mortal body...

St.John of Kronstadt

The Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:01:00 GMT

The Meeting of the Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

In the summer of 1395, an event occurred which left a deep mark in the spiritual and historical life of the Russian people, and which became an eternal example of faith and hope in the Providence of God, and in the intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God.

The news reached Moscow that moving from the south to the city was Tamerlane's army—the army of an invincible and cruel conqueror. He was literally invincible—throughout his long life, he never suffered a single defeat. Tamerlane had conquered Persia, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mesopotamia, Georgia, India, and Syria. By the end of his life in 1405, his territory stretched east to west from the Black sea to the banks of the Ganges, and north to south from the Aral Sea to the Arabian Sea.

In 1395, this terrible conqueror of nearly all of Asia Minor and the Caucasus was advancing upon Russia, had reached the borders of Riazan, razed the town of Yelets, and turned towards Moscow, nearing the upper Don River. Grand Prince Vasily Dimitrievich courageously went out with his Muscovite army to Kolomna to meet the enemy, but everyone knew that their forces were not equal.

At that great and decisive moment in history, not only was the continued existence of Moscow under question, but also of the entire Russia nation. Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev and All Russia, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, understood this better than anyone did. After blessing Prince Vasily to go to war, he called all the Muscovites to repentance, fervent prayer, and fasting. Then, by divine inspiration, he sent ambassadors—priests and boyars to Vladimir for the greatest sacred shrine of Russia—the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God.

The icon was carried to Moscow in a grandiose procession that lasted ten days. During the entire way, the icon was surrounded by a huge crowd of people, who knelt before it with continual cries of "Mother of God, save the Russian land!" The people of Moscow with the Metropolitan at the head, the entire family of the Grand Prince, clergy and boyars met the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on Kuchkova field.

Today that road upon which the procession came from Vladimir is called Sretensky, (from the Slavonic word meaning "meeting"), and the gates that were erected later on the site of Kuchkova field were called the Sretensky Gates.

All of Russia prayed during those days before the icon of the Mother of God to be saved from inevitable destruction.

And a miracle happened.

Tamerlane reached the town of Yelets, and for a reason unknown to historians did not go further to Moscow, although a nearly unprotected city lay before him—easy loot and military glory. This happened on August 26, 1395.

The Chronicles, however, explain this strange move thus: in the same hour that the inhabitants of Moscow met the icon and prayed before it, Tamerlane was dozing in his tent. Suddenly in a dream, a Majestic Lady appeared surrounded by a radiant light, who threateningly told him to leave the threshold of Muscovy. Awakening in terror, Tamerlane called his advisors and inquired what this vision meant. They answered him that the Majestic Lady is the Mother of God, the great intercessor for Christians. That is why, according to the Chronicles, the frightened Tamerlane turned toward the south the next day.

On the place of the meeting of the Vladimir Mother of God, Metropolitan Cyprian founded the Sretensky Monastery, and on August 26 (September 8 according to the civil calendar), this event is still celebrated as the day that Moscow and Russia were saved from Tamerlane.

This dramatic event is well known to the Orthodox, but the rest of the story is less known, although the outcome was also the result of the people's prayers, and amazingly influenced the whole course of Russian history. Turning from Moscow to the south, Tamerlane began his grandiose crushing of the Golden Horde. All the cities of the steppe, at enmity with Russia at the time, were looted and destroyed over the course of the year. Khan Tokhtamysh in 1382 had burned Moscow out of revenge for his defeat at Kulikovo, and run off to Lithuania. After their total defeat the Golden Horde in fact cease to exist as a steppe civilization and united nation. For Russia, these events were of colossal significance.

From pravoslavie.ru

A Quest for Truth on the Path of Reason. Igumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:42:00 GMT

Igumen Nikon (Vorobev)

It is impossible that man should never be troubled, if only for fleeting moments in his life, by these questions: Why do I live? What is the meaning of all existence? Where does everything end up? What is truth? For many, these questions have been questions of life and death.

It was for one twentieth-century ascetic of piety, Igumen (Abbot) Nikon (Vorobiev, †1963).^{^[1]} His thirst for answers to these questions was so great that when he was a student he would spend his last dime, literally going hungry, in order to buy books. He was able to read only at night. At first he immersed himself entirely in science. He followed all of its latest achievements. He yearned for the moment when science would give the final word, and all truth would be revealed. But alas, the more he learned, the more disappointed he became in the ability of science to explain anything about the meaning of life. He found that science was not at all interested in this question.

He turned to philosophy. At one time he became particularly interested in Henri Bergson.^{^[2]} He studied the French and German languages. Thanks to his astounding intellectual stamina and talent, he attained such success in philosophy that even his teachers would sometimes come to him for consultation. Even so, his immersion in philosophy never brought him the desired results.

“The study of philosophy,” he said at the end of his life,

Showed me that each philosopher considered he had found the truth. How many philosophers have there been? But there is only one truth. My soul yearned for something else. Philosophy is but a surrogate; it is like chewing gum instead of bread. Can chewing gum satisfy your hunger? I understood that just as science says nothing about God or the future life, neither does philosophy. It became perfectly clear to me that it was necessary to turn to religion.^{^[3]}

In 1914 he graduated brilliantly from realschule [secondary school emphasizing hard sciences —Trans.] and made a final attempt to find meaning in life without God, without the Church, entering the Petrograd Psychoneurological Institute. But there he met with no less disappointment. “I saw that psychology does not study man at all, only his ‘packaging’—the speed of mental processes, perception, memory.… Such nonsense; it was just as repugnant.” He left the institute after the first year. Soon he experienced a serious spiritual crisis. He began to have thoughts of suicide.

Then one day in the summer of 1915, in the town of Vyshny Volochok, when he suddenly felt a particular sense of total despair, a thought struck him like lightning about his childhood faith: What if God really does exist—shouldn’t He reveal Himself? But he was not a believer! From the depth of his soul, in his desperate state, he cried, “Lord, if You exist, reveal Yourself to me. I am not seeking You out of some earthly desire. I only need to know one thing—do You exist, or not?” And the Lord revealed Himself! He revealed Himself [so convincingly], that he said, “‘Lord, let anything happen to me, any sorrows, any tortures, only do not turn me away, do not deprive me of eternal life.’ With my whole soul, completely consciously, I said, ‘I don’t need anything, not family life, or anything else; only make it so that I should never fall away from You, that I should always be with You.’”

“It is impossible to relate,” said Fr. Nikon,

That action of grace which convinces a person of the existence of God with the power of something obvious, that leaves no room for the slightest doubt. The Lord reveals Himself as, for example, a bright ray of sun suddenly shines after dark clouds. You no longer doubt: was it the sun, or did someone shine a light? The Lord revealed Himself to me in such a way, that I fell to the ground with the words, “Lord, glory to Thee, I thank Thee. Grant me to serve Thee all my life. May all the sorrows and suffering on earth come upon me, only don’t let me fall away from Thee, or lose Thee.”

Then I heard the ringing of a large church bell. At first I paid it no attention. Then, when I saw that it was already almost three o’clock in the morning and the ringing continued, I remembered my mother’s words when she told me about the old people who would visit them and say that spiritual people sometimes hear bells ringing from heaven.

He was very unsure about this bell ringing, worried that it might have been a hallucination. He was reassured when he read the autobiography of Sergei Bulgakov, who related concerning his conversion experience that, “Not in vain did I hear the ringing of bells from heaven all that summer.” “Then,” remembers Fr. Nikon, “I also recalled Turgenev’s story ‘Living Relics,’ in which Lukeria also said that she heard ringing ‘from above,’ not daring to say, ‘from heaven.’” From this, Fr. Nikon came to the conclusion that “together with this spiritual experience, the Lord also allowed me to perceive my communion with heaven in a sensory way.” The Lord reveals Himself to some people in an internal way and at the same time, through special outward signs to assure and support them.

A radical change in world view happened in just one moment; it seems a miracle clearly occurred. Just the same, this miracle was the natural, logical completion of his search for truth on the path of reason. The Lord revealed the meaning of life to him, let him taste and see that the Lord is good, and let him know the Truth. This is what Fr. Nikon said about his first experiences after conversion:

After this, the Lord begins to lead a person along a complicated path, a very complicated path. I was amazed when I entered a church after this Divine revelation. I used to go to church earlier—out of compulsion; we were taken to church during high school also. But what did we do there? I would stand there like a pillar, without any interest, thinking my own thoughts.

But after my conversion my heart opened up a little, and the first thing I remembered when I entered the church was the story about Prince Vladimir’s ambassadors [to Constantinople], who upon entering the Greek Church did not know where they were—on heaven, or on earth. So the first perception in the church after experiencing such a state is that you are not on the earth. The Church is not the earth—it is a little piece of heaven. What joy it was to hear, “Lord have mercy!” This had an amazing effect on my heart; all the Services, continual remembrance of the name of God in various forms, the singing, the readings. It evoked a sort of ecstasy, joy; it filled me.…

When a person comes and falls down before the Lord, saying, “Lord, do as Thou wilt; I know nothing (and truly, what do we know?), do as Thou wilt, only save me,” then the Lord Himself begins to lead that person.

That young man really didn’t know anything about the spiritual path at that time, but he fell down with tears to God, and the Lord Himself led him. “He led me in such a way after this; I lived two years in Volochok, read books, and prayed at home.” This was the period of his “burning” heart,” as Fr. Nikon recalls. He did not see or hear what was happening around him. At that time he was renting half of a private house in Sosnovitsy (near Vyshny Volochok). He was twenty-two years old. On the other side of a thin dividing wall were dancing, song, laughter, and youthful games; they were having fun. They tried to invite him, too, for he was an interesting person—intelligent, attractive, and educated. But he had lost his taste for the world.

The next two years of his life were a time of unceasing spiritual labors, true asceticism. He was acquainting himself for the first time with the writings of the Holy Fathers, and reading the Gospels for essentially the first time. This is what he said about this period when he had reached the end of his life:

It was only in the Holy Fathers and the Gospels that I found something truly valuable. When a person begins to struggle with himself, when he tries to travel the path of the Gospels, then the Holy Fathers become something he needs, they become his family. A Holy Father becomes his closest teacher, who speaks to the soul; and the soul receives it with joy and is consoled. Those philosophers and various disgusting sectarian teachings evoked boredom, depression, and nausea; but I came to the Fathers as to my own mother. They soothed me, gave me wisdom, and fed me.… Then the Lord gave me the thought to enter the Moscow Theological Academy (in 1917). This meant very much to me.

From Chapter 3:2 of The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason, by Alexei Osipov (Pokrov Press/Sretensky Monastery, 2009)

A Biography of Abbot Nikon

Abbot Nikon (in the world, Nikolai Nikolaevitch Vorobiev) was born in 1894 into a large peasant family, in the village of Mikshino, Tver Province. Ever since childhood, he excelled in seriousness, impeccable honesty, remarkable warmth, concern for everyone, and an unquenchable thirst for ultimate truth, a thirst to comprehend the purpose of human existence.

Like most ordinary people of that time, he was brought up with only external, traditional religiosity, with no firm spiritual foundation or clear understanding of the essence of Christianity. Such an upbringing could at best instill in one only a healthy sense of morality; the future spiritual struggler very quickly lost his childish faith. With true zeal, he immersed himself in the study first of science, then philosophy, in the naive belief that truth was hidden therein. He quickly came to understand that that was not the case. Later he confessed "I came to understand that, just as science tells [us] nothing of God, of the life to come, neither will philosophy give us anything. The conclusion became absolutely clear: I had to turn to religion." His education at the Petrograd Institute of Psycho-Neurology brought him nothing but disillusionment: "I saw that psychology studies not [the whole] man, but only his "skin" - the rate of processes, perception, memory ... It was such nonsense, that it was repugnant to me." After tortured searching, and already with a feeling of total hopelessness, the 20-year old suddenly remembered the faith of his youth and, from the depths of his being, began to call out, almost in despair, "O Lord, if You exist, show Yourself! I am not seeking You for some mercenary reason. I need [to know] but one thing: do You exist, or not?" The Lord mysteriously showed Himself, and from that moment on, everything in Nikolai Vorobiev's life radically changed: Years of constant spiritual struggle and true asceticism followed. Cautiously and carefully, he used the Sacred Scriptures, which had become a source of real joy and comfort for him, to guide him in his spiritual life.

At the age of 36, after most serious testing of his powers, Nikolai Nikolaevitch Vorobiev accepted monastic tonsure, taking the name Nikon. One year later, Nikon became first a Hierodeacon, and soon thereafter, a Hieromonk. On March 23, 1933 (the anniversary of his tonsure) he was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in a Siberian camp. For several years after his release, deprived of the possibility of continuing to serve as a priest, Fr. Nikon worked as a physician's assistant in Vyshnyaya Volotchka. During World War II, many church buildings were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and it once again became possible for him to serve as a priest. In 1944 Hieromonk Nikon was appointed rector of the Annunciation Church in Kozelsk, where he served until 1948. Thereafter, he was transferred, first to Belev, then to the town of Efremov, then to Smolensk, and finally, in what he considered to be exile, to a then impoverished and run-down parish in the town of Gzhatsk.

At his new post, he at first had to endure incredible social and material difficulties. Almost immediately after receiving any money, batiushka would distribute it [to the needy], so he never had any money at all. His only possessions beyond the barest essentials consisted of books, primarily the writings of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church.

In the last years of his life, when already an Abbot, Nikon was afflicted with a multitude of sorrows, secular difficulties, and vanities. Before his death, he said "That vanity allowed me to see that we ourselves alone are incapable of doing anything good." By his own admission, during that period he came to understand and to experience the beginnings of Christian humility, to experience what shows us "…that in and of ourselves, we are nothing; we are merely God's creation. Thus, of what do we have to be proud, and what do we have to compare with God?"

Before his death, Nikon endured one final trial, that of severe illness. For over three months prior to his death he was unable to ingest any food other than milk. Yet, he uttered no complaint, remained ever calm and focused, and most of the time had a little smile on his face. Right up to his death, he remained fully conscious and lucid, and expended all his energies on instructing those around him. He adjured them to preserve the faith by keeping the commandments and repenting; follow in all ways possible the teachings of Bishop Ignaty Biranchaninov; and take special care to avoid the vanities, that utterly desolate the soul and draw it away from God. To the mourners around his bed he would say: "There is no reason to feel sorry for me. Thanks be to God that I have already completed my earthly path. I never wanted to live; I did not see anything interesting in this life, and I was always amazed that others would find something in it and cling to it with all of their might. Although I have done nothing good in my life, I have always sincerely striven [to move] toward God. Therefore, with all my soul, I place my hope in God's mercy. The Lord cannot spurn one who always did as much as possible to strive toward Him. I feel sorry for you. What else are you to face? The living will envy the dead."

Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev)'s peaceful end came on September 7, 1963. He was buried in the town of Gzhatsk (now called Gagarin).

In the minds of those contemporary Orthodox Christians who sincerely seek after salvation, Abbot Nikon has deservedly become one of the great teachers of repentance in recent history. "Here, as I am dying, is my last will: Repent, think of yourselves as that publican, as sinners, implore God for His mercy and take pity on one another."

From pravoslavie.ru

Quote of the Day. St.John of Kronstadt

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:44:00 GMT

Do not forget yourself in looking upon the beauty of the human face, but look upon the soul; do not look upon the men’s garment (the body being his temporary garment), but look upon him who is clothed in it.

Do not admire the magnificence of the mansion, but look upon the dweller who lives in it and what he is – otherwise, you will offend the image of God in the man, will dishonor the King by worshiping His servant and not rendering unto Him even the least of the honor due to Him.

Also – do not look upon the beauty of the printing of a book, but look upon the spirit of the book; otherwise you will depreciate the spirit and exalt the flesh; for the letters are flesh, and the contents of the book is the spirit.

Do not be allured by the melodious sounds of an instrument or a voice, but by their effect upon the soul, or by the words of the song, consider what their spirit is: if the sounds produce upon your soul tranquil, chaste, holy feelings, then listen to them and feed your soul with them; whilst, if they give rise in your soul to passions, then leave off listening to them, and throw aside both the flesh and the spirit of the music.

St.John of Kronstadt

Day-by-Day. September 14th (1st)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:33:12 GMT

Life is a Gift from God

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought
under the sun is grievous unto me. (Eccl.2, 17)

There’s not one man on the face of the Earth that has not been tempted to repeat these words of Solomon, realizing at the same time how wrong and sinful they are. This is a true temptation. Evil spirit casts his deadly light upon every dirt and disgust that we come across in our lives, and when seeing it we experience disgust to the whole world and then ask ourselves: is it really worth living and what for? Only to join the voice the screaming society that is boiling in this abyss of sin and temptation?

As Christians we should not hate life. While realizing how imperfect it is, dull and sometimes cruel, we still must love it as the greatest gift from God and know that anyone, who desires so, can learn a lot from it. Life is a battlefield, where we fight for truth against lie and for good against evil. This is a treasure that often gets wasted by people; we must make the best of it and, when the time comes, give it back into the Hands of God, from Whom we received it in the first place. Life is a soil, which suffers a lot from storms and bad weather, but also gets nourished by rains of grace. And finally, this is a gift from God, and how can I hate this gift and condemn what God had blessed?

To be able to love life we should not be searching for what it can give us, but for what we can bring into it instead. If you want to love your life – see what good can you do to others? Can’t you really find a single soul that could benefit from your love, to whom you could bring consolation, support and lead him to God? When enlightened by the works of love, our whole life will change and bloom in the light of this love.

Someone said: “Every day try to do something to decrease the mountain of human suffering and increase the pile of human joy”. Don’t love your life for the sake of self-love, but love it for God, because this is a battlefield where you can stand up for Christ against the sin. And remember, your real life will begin only when you surrender it to the One, Who gave it to you.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest” (1905), author unknown)

Day-by-Day. June 3rd (May 21st)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:48:52 GMT

The Right Way

To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not
grievous, but for you it is safe. (Phil.3, 1)

Apostle Paul does not mind to repeat same instructions over and over again. He is sure that this repetition is useful for those, who it is directed to. People love and seek all new. In vain the old people offer same books that they learned from to the young people. Youth is not satisfied with them and that’s why the upbringing becomes difficult. A child gets tired of repetition; not having remembered the alphabet he tries to learn the science that is beyond him yet.

We see the same in the spiritual world. We have heard many times that parishioners complain of hearing same over and over in the sermons. But would it be right to leave off something important in lieu of something new, the only unchangeable and eternal?

Truth is one, like God is One and Redemption is one. That is why it should not be boring for a Christian to read the Word of God over and over again. By reading the Holy Scripture over and over again he will get amazed by something that remained unnoticed last time. Isn’t our unwillingness to read same over and over again is a sign of our indifference towards the truth, which tells us about salvation and promises eternal bliss? The desire for something new is usually followed by wondering on your own paths.

A man gets detached from the root and he gets disoriented. And soon, not having found the ground, he drags himself into emptiness and gets disappointed in everything and falls into depression. Only one path was laid for the man from the beginning of times, the path, where all His blessings are concentrated at, which goes with Him and leads directly to Him. This is an old path, but at the same time it is “a new and living way” (Heb.10, 20) This is a firm path, because its beginning and the end is the Word of God; at the same time this is a path where different experiences and wondrous discoveries happen, life-giving springs and everlasting light are everywhere. It is easy to find it, if we find the right door leading to it. Jesus said: “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved“ (Jn.10, 9)

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”(1905), author unknown)

Day-by-Day. April 30th (17th)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:23:00 GMT

You are Free

                                                                                I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou
                                                                                shall enlarge my heart. And I will walk at liberty:
                                                                                for I seek Thy precepts. (Ps.118, 32, 45)

When our heart is open and enlarged, then it is much easier to obey the Law of God. And when you are being obedient, then your heart is getting enlarged. There’s no controversy in this and everyone can prove it by their own experience. When fulfilling the Will of God, you will learn the truth, and the truth will set you free. When you follow His commandments, you’ll abide in His love, and by abiding in Him, you shall bring forth much fruit (Jh.15, 8)

It is good when the heart is open, instead of being locked up and suffering by fruitless regrets, isn’t it? When your heart is open, you breathe freely, walk straight and fast, not feeling tired and clearly seeing your goal. But not a single man in the world can open up my heart, even if he is able to make me a ruler of a large kingdom. No matter how often I repeat to myself: “I am free”, my heart will be in a lock up and enslaved to sin until the Lord opens it up and frees me from sin and temptation.

We are slaves by nature, but the Lord, in His mercy, gave us freedom. He bought us with His Blood, He told us to touch in faith the redeeming Cross of Jesus Christ and said: “You are free”. Have you heard this voice? Have you felt how heavy chains fell off your feet and your heart got enlarged? You were not able to move, but now you can and should follow your internal calling. Obedience became possible for you, it became effortless and joyful. Huge space is opened up before you and you feel strong and able to walk through it, because you feel free and saved. You can do anything because God did His work in you and you experienced the truthfulness of these words: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (Jn.8, 36)

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)

A Picture of Evil

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:44:00 GMT

Once upon a time, there was a king. This king wished that his people know what evil was, so that his people could learn to recognize and flee from it. He issued a summons, that, in a year, all of his artists should come to him with one picture, to show what was evil. The best picture would be displayed to the people.

In a year, they all appeared at the king's palace. There were very few artists in the kingdom, but those who were there were very skillful, and worked as they had never worked before. Each brought a picture beneath a shroud.

The king turned to the first artist who had come. "Jesse, unveil your picture, and tell us its interpretation."

Jesse lifted the cloth. Against a background of blackened skulls was a dark green serpent, the color of venom and poison, with eyes that glowed red. "Your Majesty, it was the Serpent whose treacherous venom deceived man to eat of the forbidden fruit. The eye is the lamp of the body, and the Serpent's eye burns with the fires of Hell. You see that beyond the Serpent are skulls. Evil ensnares unto death and outer darkness."

The court murmured its approval. The picture was striking, and spoke its lesson well. The king, also, approved. "Well done, Jesse. If another picture is chosen, it will not be because you have done poorly. Now, Gallio, please show us your work."

Gallio unveiled his painting. In it was a man, his face red and veins bulging from hate. In his hand, he held a curved dagger. He was slowly advancing towards a woman, cowering in fear. "Your Majesty, man is created in the image of God, and human life is sacred. Thus the way we are to love God is often by loving our neighbor. There are few blasphemies more unholy than murder. You have asked me for a picture to show what evil is, that your subjects may flee from it. This is evil to flee from."

The court again murmured its approval, and the king began to shift slightly. It was not, as some supposed, because of the repellent nature of the pictures, but because he had secretly hoped that there would be only one good picture. Now, it was evident that the decision would not be so simple. "Gallio, you have also done well. And Simon, your picture?"

Simon unveiled his picture, and people later swore that they could smell a stench. There, in the picture, was the most hideous and misshapen beast they had ever seen. Its proportions were distorted, and its colors were ghastly. The left eye was green, and taller than it was wide. The right eye was even larger than the left, red, bloodshot, and flowing with blood; where there should have been a pupil, a claw grotesquely protruded. It was covered with claws, teeth, fur, scales, blood, slime, tentacles, and bits of rotted flesh; several members of the court excused themselves. "However it may be disguised, evil is that which is sick, distorted, and ugly."

There was a long silence. Finally, the king spoke again. "I see that there are three powerful pictures of evil, any one of which is easily a masterpiece and well fit to show to the people. Barak, I know that you have been given artistic genius, and that perhaps your picture will help me with this difficult decision. Unveil your picture."

Barak unveiled his picture, and an awestruck hush fell over the court. There, unveiled, was the most beautiful picture they had ever seen. Read more...

Day-by-Day. April 27th (14th)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:54:00 GMT

Christ is Risen!

God’s Help

I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears (Is.38, 5)

The Lord, in His mercy, said these words to the sick unto death Hezekiah, despite that his sorrow was of earthly, even self-loving, nature: the tears of Hezekiah were caused by the fear of death and desire to live. Nevertheless Lord told him: “I …have seen thy tears”.

It might seem like there is an abyss that divides human weakness from the Devine Greatness. When I cry and suffer under a burden of a burning but earthly sorrow, wouldn’t Lord, in His compassion, see my tears? People’s wisdom says “no”, by Lord in His endless mercy proves to me, that He sees and listens to my tears. And I know that His word is true. People’s help is always limited; people can not learn and comprehend the whole depth and sorrow and need of their neighbor, end even if they could, they would not have neither resources nor time to bring a real help. But Lord, Who sees my tears and knows their cause, conform to my needs and by His great mercy, is always ready to help and comfort me. The comforts of God are mighty and wondrous. They don’t always correspond to the will of my heart, not always heal the cause; but they provide incomparably more than that – they put my soul in peace with everything what has been sent to me. They make it ready to willingly deny everything, what it is deprived of, and moreover, - “passing through the valley of Baca make it a well“ and my soul goes “from strength to strength”, - glorifying God even for the sufferings, seeing His love in everything. Apostle Paul calls us, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known unto God”, not to expect to immediately receive everything we are asking for, but for “the peace of God”, which is always sent to us after we pour our soul out, to fill our whole being. It is said, “Peace of God, which passeth all understanding”. Incomprehensible, unshakable, it comes directly from God, not just for a minute, but to keep both our sorrowful hearts and troublesome thoughts in Jesus Christ. (Phil.4, 6-7)

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)

Day-by-Day. April 25th (12th)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:24:00 GMT

What Does One Need

But one thing is needful (Lk.10, 42)

Our heart often searches very hard where to put itself into. It knocks at one or another earthly door, searching for shelter, but it gets beat up here, and laughed at there, and at the end only emptiness and bitterness are the only things left. And suddenly it hears the words: “But the only thing is needful”. And Heavenly Heart-Watcher suddenly stands before it, Who, knowing a man through out, knowing his dreams and desires, so positively states that only one thing is needful. Man needs connection with God, Who created him for Himself. He needs to accept the Savior, Who came for him to earth so that the man was not orphaned. He needs that power of Spirit, which can turn a hard and defiled heart into a clean heart, revived by God, the one that has the will of God engraved on it. The one, who has obtained that, says that this truly is the only thing that is needful.

Lord, You are saying: “One thing is needful”, - and I respond with my whole heart: “I am content in Your grace, and I do not need anything else!”

There’s not a single Christian, who would not bring praises to the Lord, because it is so good to live with Him; so good that it is better to part with everything and suffer anything that part with Him.

Christ said that the one, who believes in Him, will not hunger: his soul will be completely nourished and will not turn back to the world begging. The truth of these words can be experienced by anyone. “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Is.12, 3)

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)

Day-by-Day. April 22nd (9th)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:50:00 GMT

Bring Forth Spiritual Fruits

Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit (Jn.15, 8)

God can be glorified not only in martyrdom and missionary zeal, but that “we bear much fruit”. God is especially glorified in abundance of spiritual fruits. We won’t have a higher goal; therefore let us reach for it with our prayers and all of desires of our soul. The fruits, that are expected from us, are stated in Galatians 5, 22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance”. What a treasure! Do I posses even one of them? When year after year, the Lord of the vineyard, comes to search for fruit on my branches, does He ever find any?

Therefore, the stronger our faith is, the stronger is our love; the more joy and peace we have, the more longsuffering we are; if we are gentle with our neighbors, then our Heavenly Father is glorified within us.

Spiritual fruit is being brought only by a plant that He planted and which abides in Him. “He that abideth in Me, and I in him; the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (Jn.15, 5)

In a wondrous vision of the prophet Ezekiel about a field, covered with dead and dry bones, the whole mankind is compared with them and it is said that the reason for that is that they broke off the root, started to get dry and died at the end. Soul, which does not have a divine root, can not but to dry out and no fruit can be expected off of it. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being“ (Acts 17, 28). This is the only and necessary condition to be able to bring forth a fruit.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)

Day-by-Day. April 21st (8th)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:47:00 GMT

Come Unto Him

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest (Mt.11, 28)

These words have brought encouragement and consolation to many already, and they are directed to all of us, without exception, because there’s not a person in this world, who wouldn’t need them sooner or later. But there are times, when these words attain a special meaning for us. Earthly happiness, rapturous dreams and flaming hope are too soon replaced with disappointment and despair, when we sort of share the sorrow of the whole world.

Aren’t we in this state of spirit right now? Don’t we feel sometimes, after plenty of worry and tribulations, that we come to a complete spiritual lull, complete indifference to everything?

This condition is understandable for an non-believer, but for us, who are happier in the learning of truth and light, - us, for whom the heaven is open, it should not be possible to fall into despair and repeat all the time that we are tired of this life. Haven’t we heard the words: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor…”?

But, you’ll say, that those that labor and are heavy laden have no strength left to make a step towards Christ. However if Jesus requires this effort from me, if He is calling me and wants me to respond to His calling, then by His words He already gives me this strength. When He says: “Come unto me” – He is already pulling us towards Himself, and His words, full of love, full of mercy, give us strength on this path. When He says: “Ye that labor and are heavy laden”, - we sense a great compassion to our weaknesses and such a great desire to help us, that, awaking from our heavy sleep, we rise up, go toward Him and in Him we find eternal rest for our souls.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)

Day-by-Day. April 15th (2st)

Tatiana_Myrrhbearers.com — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:23:00 GMT

Fame

He must increase, but I must decrease (Jn.3, 30)

One of the greatest trials for man is recognition of his insignificance before the moral greatness of the other being. One needs a great deal of humility to give place to the coming luminary recognizing that everything old will be replaced with new powers and new views.

The increasing power of the Savior did not bring even a shade of envy in John the Baptist. Being a strong and influencive person by character, he could have entered into a competition with Christ, he could have lead the easy-influenced crowd after himself and become a founder of a new teaching. But this idea was very far from John the Baptist. Instead he was constantly and humbly directing people’s attention towards Christ. Considering himself a fore-runner of the Savior, he was satisfied with the news of His coming and disappeared at the first view of Christ, like a morning start before the dawn. He immediately recognized the greatness of the coming Savior; and since that moment everything personal disappeared within him and he fell to the feet of Christ, saying: “He must increase, but I must decrease”.

Let us learn this complete humility from John the Forerunner and forget about ourselves in a common deal, being always ready to give place to the other. Let us always keep in mind the common goal that we are trying to reach and don’t get into details, which often slow down the process. What kind of greater results we could have achieved if we did not have to deal with personal feelings and such matters, which often kill the purpose!

Let us, like the Forerunner, be always ready to remain in the shadow, rejoicing for the success of the others and not worry about our own fame. Let us never give place to the evil spirit of jealousy in our hearts and let us pray for the spirit of self-denial and self-rejection. Let us also remember that the main purpose of John the Forerunner was to point out to Christ and his main confession was: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn.1, 29) He was pointing out to Christ, he was sending people to Him, he was rejoicing about Him and solemnly proclaimed: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand” (Jn.3, 35)

And let our hearts repeat this with him. Let us glorify Christ with our lips and deeds, so that “in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col.1, 18), so that we would decrease and He could increase.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)