Comments on: The Feeding of the 5000 St Elijah the Tishbite 8th Sunday after Pentecost http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2009/08/02/the-feeding-of-the-5000-st-elijah-the-tishbite-8th-sunday-after-pentecost/ McKinney TX Homilies, scripture commentary, spiritual reflections Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:35:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: Natalia Arzhantseva http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2009/08/02/the-feeding-of-the-5000-st-elijah-the-tishbite-8th-sunday-after-pentecost/comment-page-1/#comment-2097 Natalia Arzhantseva Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:59:05 +0000 http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/?p=1022#comment-2097 For me the example of active repentance is Tsar David. And Psalm 37 is noteworthy in this respect. It is seemingly clear, understandable, and is read so often in church that we get accustomed to it & take it for granted (as practically any treasure, incl.spiritual one, that is available for us on a daily basis). But if we looked into this Psalm with deeper attention, living through every line, - it is so depictive, it reflects the state of the soul of repentance. Every line contains so many deep senses! The realisation of it came to me since recent time. Since recent time I saw David as alive man, a living creature. He showed real, geniune repentance, with its fruits. His soul suffered oppression, sorrow, his son prosecuted him, then the unknown person cried out terrible things in his face. David did not make any step to stop it all, no resistance...He admits that he is worthy of the circumstances that surrownd him, he fully relies on the saving God's providence. His life is a great reproach for me. As I am far from acting this way. He actually in his behaviuor & movements of his soul is the New Testament, as he exceeds the Old Testament... I don't know why the image of Tsar David became so vidid for me after I read this your post, Father. But I see a very clear association, and an uninterrupted thread in all this. Bless, Natalia For me the example of active repentance is Tsar David. And Psalm 37 is noteworthy in this respect. It is seemingly clear, understandable, and is read so often in church that we get accustomed to it & take it for granted (as practically any treasure, incl.spiritual one, that is available for us on a daily basis). But if we looked into this Psalm with deeper attention, living through every line, – it is so depictive, it reflects the state of the soul of repentance. Every line contains so many deep senses! The realisation of it came to me since recent time. Since recent time I saw David as alive man, a living creature. He showed real, geniune repentance, with its fruits. His soul suffered oppression, sorrow, his son prosecuted him, then the unknown person cried out terrible things in his face. David did not make any step to stop it all, no resistance…He admits that he is worthy of the circumstances that surrownd him, he fully relies on the saving God’s providence. His life is a great reproach for me. As I am far from acting this way. He actually in his behaviuor & movements of his soul is the New Testament, as he exceeds the Old Testament…

I don’t know why the image of Tsar David became so vidid for me after I read this your post, Father. But I see a very clear association, and an uninterrupted thread in all this.

Bless,

Natalia

]]> By: Deborah http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2009/08/02/the-feeding-of-the-5000-st-elijah-the-tishbite-8th-sunday-after-pentecost/comment-page-1/#comment-2093 Deborah Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:33:19 +0000 http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/?p=1022#comment-2093 It is terrible when we succumb to weakness and fall into sin. But the amazing thing is that even our failures, sins and mistakes are used by God to highlight His mercy, power and grace in the stories He is telling through each of our lives. If we did not read of these weaknesses and failures in the lives of these great saints we would have great difficulty believing that we, lowly sinners, could ever attain the mercy, power and grace that they received. It is especially helpful to see that many of these great men sinned and showed weakness even AFTER having experienced the power and grace of God--and to see God lift them up from the dust of their failure and restore them to grace and power once more. The Lord's strength in us is indeed "perfected in weakness" and our sins and failures are being used much as corrupt, decaying things are used in a compost heap--they are being broken down and by the power of His Grace transformed into the soil in which New Life is sown. It is terrible when we succumb to weakness and fall into sin. But the amazing thing is that even our failures, sins and mistakes are used by God to highlight His mercy, power and grace in the stories He is telling through each of our lives. If we did not read of these weaknesses and failures in the lives of these great saints we would have great difficulty believing that we, lowly sinners, could ever attain the mercy, power and grace that they received. It is especially helpful to see that many of these great men sinned and showed weakness even AFTER having experienced the power and grace of God–and to see God lift them up from the dust of their failure and restore them to grace and power once more.

The Lord’s strength in us is indeed “perfected in weakness” and our sins and failures are being used much as corrupt, decaying things are used in a compost heap–they are being broken down and by the power of His Grace transformed into the soil in which New Life is sown.

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