Comments for Redeeming the Time

Comment on A sword shall pierce through thy own soul by Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:28 +0000

Not meaning this as an excuse, by any means, but just as an examination and confession of my own problem with stony insensibility: Unless and until I become holy I cannot bear to look at the suffering Lord, or the suffering of others, full in the face. Because of the burden of my many sins and a heart that has been hardened through years of attempting to protect itself from pain, I continue to turn away, to hide my face from the suffering of my loved ones and to attempt to run from my own suffering.

Fortunately, the Lord, in His mercy, pursues me–and He runs faster than I can. Gently, but firmly, He continually brings me back to my cross so that, through the process of crucifixion, my heart of stone can be transformed into one that can truly feel and bear the burden of suffering for others and can truly appreciate His sacrifice for me. Without a pure heart, who can look upon such suffering and bear it? Without a pure heart, who can look upon His face and live?

Comment on A sword shall pierce through thy own soul by seraphimholland

seraphimholland — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:54:37 +0000

I very much agree - unless the Holy Spirit comforts us, we could not endure the suffering.

I also was trying to get out of my head and onto the page my inner conviction that we do not suffer enough, because we are not holy. We cannot comprehend the sacrifice of our Lord because we are not holy. The holy have finely attuned senses - ours are coarse and we suffer from "stony insensibility" because of our sins. The "dialogues" of the Theotokos in the Stavrotheotokia, are I think, and example, of, to make up a word: "anti-insensibility".

Comment on A sword shall pierce through thy own soul by Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:48:46 +0000

Father, Bless,

Not only must we take up our cross in order to follow Him, but like the Theotokos, we must also watch and pray as our dear loved suffer upon their crosses. Of course, this is part of our own crucifixion–to share in their sufferings–to suffer with them and for them.

Such suffering would be unbearable were it not for the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the rest of the story….

Comment on A golden ring in a swine’s snout, a woman fair and foolish. by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:48:01 +0000

>"…this proverb is not only a warning to the pigs…"

Making this a bit more personal, I should have written "this proverb is not only a warning to me to not behave (and thus become) like a swine…" but also a warning for me to be wary in my admiration (or coveting) of the gifts of others.

Comment on A golden ring in a swine’s snout, a woman fair and foolish. by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:41:19 +0000

Not only is there the foolishness of vanity over things which are gifts from God, but there is the foolishness of sin, in general. Giving the gift of beauty (or intellect, wit, wealth, intelligence or talent) to a woman–or man, who uses these gifts selfishly, pridefully and foolishly, without discretion, is like putting a beautiful piece of jewelry on a pig. The pig isn't made more attractive and it doesn't benefit from having a ring in its nose. In fact, it is hampered by it. (I read that rings are put on the snouts of pigs to keep them from being able to forage deeply and tear up turf.) And the pig certainly doesn't appreciate the significance and value of a gold nose ring.

In a culture addicted to the vain pursuit of beauty, wealth, celebrity and attention, this proverb is not only a warning to the pigs but to all those who are attracted to bright, shiny objects attached to unclean and dangerous animals.

Comment on Pictures of primed church, main doors, parking lot by Natalia Hawthorne

Natalia Hawthorne — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:20:41 +0000

Looks good!

Comment on Pictures of primed church, main doors, parking lot by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:41:32 +0000

"Everything is possible for him who believes"
(Mark 9:23)
In all the corners of the world the Creator shows that the ones who are devoted to Him, who truly seek salvation, will never be defeated. And will succeed in their labors for His Holy Name.

Comment on Pictures of primed church, main doors, parking lot by Annie

Annie — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:37:52 +0000

Looks very very nice!

Comment on Pictures of primed church, main doors, parking lot by Shawn L

Shawn L — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:44:52 +0000

Very very encouraging.

Comment on Joyful celebration of the fast. 3rd Week of Great Lent – Wednesday Matins by Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:57:34 +0000

Father, Bless,

I confess that I have mixed emotions during the Fast. I know it is a great blessing and a joy and there are moments when I can feel this in my heart, as well as simply know it in my mind. Unfortunately, too much of my time is spent mindlessly, busily moving through it, forgetting that this time is different from any other. However, there are times of deep concentration on the Fast that are neither mindless nor entirely joyful. For me, at times, the Fast is also a personal Gesthemane–a time of great sorrow and struggle. Unlike the Lord who had only His will to surrender to the Father, I have a heavy burden of sins. And although I do not have the strength and holiness to sweat blood, at times I sweat and groan over the seemingly impossible and often painful task that is before me. Unlike the Lord, I waver between "Thy will be done" and "My will be done", often struggling to see His face and the Joy that is set before me:
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2

Comment on With the fire of abstinence… by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:35:31 +0000

I don't remember who said this: "Let us fast willingly, so that we'll not have to fast necessarily…".
I think we even do not know, and cannot suspect, how useful fasting is, even the mere abstinence from food (which for me is far from being a minor restriction - I mean certain kinds of food that are required for my organism), so for me this abstinence is not only the matter of preferences or food abuse). But the effect of it we may see, for example, right before the Lent starts - as I see bad dreams, become frustrated often, I have bad thoughts…I think this as well is the evidence of how demons are afraid of the Fast, how they try to influence a person to divert us from the salvific course of the Fast. When we restrict ourselves in something for the sake of our salvation, when we do at least a minor thing for God, we cast a challenge to the dark forces, and they are irritated & try to chagrin us in many ways.
It may seem that there is nothing special in our small limitations, that these are just a routine "adventure", some process that we should accept as many other children of the Church, that it was once set up by spiritual people & we then should follow the tradition…But we can be convinced that it is not so…just when we break the fast. Just in something seemingly very minor. What a pain! We feel huge pangs of remorse. We cannot forget it for a long time. I have been in the Church for quite a time already, but I still very vividly remember when I did it. It still burns me. I feel guilty. As I could do it, and did not. I felt as if I am thrown away so far…As we often in our lives can appreciate something only when we lose it.
If we want, we will always find out the reasons to break the fast - in gastonomical or any other way. But it'll take us time & many prayers to return even to the state where we were before it. Saint Elders said that when a monk leaves his cell, he will not return to it in the state he was before he left it. So it is the same when we decline from our way in any way. Even a small deviation from our route, a small step aside - and we'll spend much time to find the way back.
Some people seek ways, some people seek reasons.
I pray God for being among those who seek ways. A way of salvation.

Bless.

Comment on With the fire of abstinence… by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:20:38 +0000

Father, Bless,
One of the main helps I have found from fasting is that abstinence from food is a metaphor for, and exercise in, abstinence from sin. I find that if I am sloppy with my fasting from food, it is a reflection of my sloppy approach to abstaining from sin. If I mindlessly break the fast, eating meat without thinking, then it is an indication that I am likely mindlessly sinning in other areas. If I can rationalize breaking the fast for any and every reason then I am probably becoming more adept at rationalizing my sins. If I am not willing to practice discipline and self control in this area of my life, I am likely not practicing it in other, more important areas. Fasting gives me an external, visible, physical indication of my internal, subconscious state of mind and soul.

Saying no to certain foods is a lot easier than saying no to sin. If I can become adept at controlling my appetite for food, which is like learning the 'ABC's' , the kindergarten class of self control, then I stand a much greater chance of becoming more adept at the much more challenging, higher goal of controlling the passions. Without control of the passions, I cannot achieve a pure heart. Without a pure heart, I cannot see God.

Comment on The Holy Eucharist and hearing the voice of God - Isaiah 6:1-12 by Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0000

The Isaiah Institute Translation of verse 7 points even more directly to Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sins:
"Touching it to my mouth, he said, See, this has touched your lips: your sins are taken away, your transgressions atoned for."

Comment on The Holy Eucharist and hearing the voice of God - Isaiah 6:1-12 by Deborah

Deborah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:38:56 +0000

Just wanted to add that the mystery to me is that these words were written by blessed St. Paul and they, along with his declaration, "I am the chief of sinners" are written in the present tense, seeming to indicate that he was still struggling in, and sometimes even losing, battles against sin ("For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do".Romans 7:19 ) I also once read a story of the death of a very holy monk. Even as his brothers saw the glow of uncreated light appear around his dying body, he prayed to the Lord for more time to repent of his sins. So it has made me wonder: Are even holy saints ever truly entirely rid of their sins in this lifetime--or is that they simply have peace and power in the process of being continually rid of them?

Comment on The Holy Eucharist and hearing the voice of God - Isaiah 6:1-12 by Deborah

Deborah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:13:55 +0000

Father, Bless,

Thank you, Father. Now that I know the context of the words, "Behold, this has touched thy lips…." it will give them new meaning and potency when I hear them.
This is the question that has troubled me: Will we, should we, ever, in this life, cease to confess the same sins over and over again? I know we should be making progress, changing, growing. But my experience has been that the more I confess, the more I see that I need to confess. This has, at times, been disconcerting and discouraging—like my housework. The more I clean, the more I find that needs cleaning. (i.e. I have to uncover the clutter on the counters to discover how dirty they are underneath.)

The only peace I have found in this dilemma has come from the metaphor of the body–that as long as I live I will have to eat food to live and eliminate the toxins and wastes. I understand that if I am doing the same thing over and over again, something needs to change (Insanity being defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time.) But I find that when I am rid of one expression of pride, lust, fear, etc…it simply morphs and appears in another form in some other area of my life. So I continue to confess the same sins over and over–and it seems that I am in for a lifetime job of chasing after these sins to seek them out, find and destroy them.
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:22-24
and

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:25 (or rather, I should) every time I receive His precious Body and Blood.

Comment on Evil Jealousy and false pretence. Cain kills Abel. by Deborah

Deborah — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:34:26 +0000

Father, Bless,

What is frightening to me is the fact that Cain could very well have been hiding his murderous feelings even from himself. His invitation to his brother to "go out into the plain" may have been merely to talk things out, to 'vent'. We know he was sorrowful and upset over the rejection of his sacrifices. Oftentimes depression is anger turned inward–and now it was time to let those harbored feelings out.
Who knows what (if any) words were exchanged, what discussion preceded the blows? Perhaps Cain did not even intend to kill his brother, but as they argued, then struggled, all Cain's pent up rage burst forth and increased the ferocity of his attack against his brother. It would be like opening the door to a burning house where the sudden rush of oxygen fuels the fire and causes the flames to explode in deadly fury. In moments of rage, we don't even see the objects of our wrath as human, much less recognize that it is our brother that we are beating to a bloody pulp (physically or verbally).
I must be constantly examining my conscience. The fruits of jealousy and bitterness do not spring from me full grown. They come from a seed that must be nurtured deep underground, hidden in darkness, in the soil of my heart, before it can germinate, grow and produce fruits of hatred, wrath and violence.
Those seeds are sown in me, daily. If I am to be saved, my life, my soul, depends on constant vigilance and examination. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" Hebrews 12:14-15
My hope and prayer is that one day these seeds will find no place to even begin to grow in my heart–but until that day, at the very least, I can watch for any root of bitterness that begins to show itself and quickly pluck it out.
"Prove me, O God, and know my heart; examine me, and know my paths; and see if [there is any] way of iniquity in me, and lead me in an everlasting way." Psalm 138:23-24

Comment on Evil Jealousy and false pretence. Cain kills Abel. by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:13:37 +0000

It's like what happens with our soul: constant struggle between evil & good. Who will win? What will be our final step? What will decide our fate & our destiny in the Eternaty?! Will we allow our internal Cain conquer all the best that we have been granted by God? Will envy, hypocrisy, our sins & passions kill us?
This battle will continue to our very end…

Comment on St. John of the Ladder on Corporate Prayer by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:26:03 +0000

Father, thank you!
Common prayer teaches us to stick to each other, appreciate each other, see the image of God in each other. Though the meaning & the importance of the common prayer is achieved by one not immediately (maybe not always, but I see how it goes with me).
It is also invaluable - to come to pray together, to come to the church together, to take the Holy Communion together - with our beloved ones, with families, with friends. This is very uniting. And helps us to stick to God. And how joyful it is to see God's blessings in one another, to share the joy of being in His house, praying together or doing something together for God's glory!
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools" - was said by Martin Luther King Jr.
Our power is in our unity.
Orthodox Christianity needs strength & unity nowadays.

Comment on Lenten Epistle of Hilarion, Metropolitan Of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch Of The Russian Church Abroad by Micah

Micah — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:11:17 +0000

Wonderful reminders, thank you! Christ is in our midst!

Comment on The First and most deadly sin of Cain. 2nd Monday of Great Lent. by Micah

Micah — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:02:47 +0000

This is a wonderful meditation, thank you so much. I was driving my father to a Catholic funeral today, (of an ex- government minister related to my family through marriage on my mother's side). I took the opportunity to say something that I could not have shared in any other circumstance -- namely that to my mind, there is little that is visibly congruent between the Western and Eastern Church. This is not an indictment of the Western Church, only of the way I have received her wisdom and truth -- I speak for myself not of the Western Church per se. Another way of saying this is that the hidden pearl of Orthodoxy is precisely that part which complements and brings to fruition the catholicity that Christ speaks of. Clearly, many things have been hidden out of plain sight. In our pride we think we can see but we are born blind. Who could have known that to many of the holy Tzadiks and Rabbis, our Jesus is Yeshua the Son? Who could have known that the conversation between the early church fathers and the rabbis was (and remains) so vibrant? Christ is in our midst!

Comment on Triumph Of Orthodoxy. Pleasures Of Sin For A Season. Audio homily 2010. by Gerasimos Ioannis Kambites M.Div, M.D.

Gerasimos Ioannis Kambites M.Div, M.D. — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:57:04 +0000

Well Glory to God for some true words spoken. Father Seraphim is correct in his critic of the above comment. However, much of our presented Orthodoxy is wrapped in culture worship, festivals that are secular, language foolishness where people sing in tongues that are not understandable. So we have to pay attention to that. At the same time our salvation does not come from blanket attacks and criticism, but rather in putting on Christ,and that is only through humility so that we acquire the humble heart which God shall not despise.
with love in our Saviour
gerasimos+

Comment on The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete. Explanation, themes, texts, biography by Diane Pappas

Diane Pappas — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:51:17 +0000

Thank you for this wonderful resource. I always thought that except for a few mentioned sins in the canon that I was praying the canon with a false humility and false repentence because, as far as I knew, I hadn't done or thought many of those sins… I had done others equally bad or worse but not those in the canon and not to that degree, definitely. Then somewhere I read that we chant it and confess those sins as identification with all human beings of all time because we share a common humanity, and it is in the heart of each of us to do these sins in one form or another as we share a common propensity to sin, any sin and all sins. Since then, God in His grace and mercy has opened my eyes to so many of my past sins and sinful attitudes that have been hidden from even me. Now I can enter into the praying of the canon sincerely, from my heart, as I identify with my brothers and sisters who have lived throughout the Old Testament times because I know we share in the same flesh and blood, the same sin nature and I either would have participated in the sin mentioned or have participated in that sin in some manifestation in my own life. So thank you for the opportunity to enter more fully into the prayers of the canon through your guidance.

Comment on Triumph Of Orthodoxy. Pleasures Of Sin For A Season. Audio homily 2010. by seraphimholland

seraphimholland — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:29:41 +0000

I will allow this comment because of its positve qualities, but the blanket criticism of Orthodoxy is unwarranted (and I am sure, will upset some innocent people who are being tarred with a big brush in a clumsy way)

This is not an appropriate statement: "Can anything good come from Orthodoxy?" You are questioning if the church is good! Of course it is. One could argue (I would) that your very question is sinful, on multiple levels.

Try to refrain from blanket criticism of others.

I am Orthodox, and do not stick my head in the sand. What an idea! I am sure there are those who do, because fear is a human failing, and Orthodox Christians are human, but comments such yours are argumentative and not productive.

You want to find vibrant Christianity? Pray and fast, and attend the services and give alms and care for your soul with humility (this is obviously not an inclusive list!) . you will then find it - in your heart.

Comment on Triumph Of Orthodoxy. Pleasures Of Sin For A Season. Audio homily 2010. by Vegas

Vegas — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:19:04 +0000

I SOO love this passage - we taught it at Sunday School yesterday! I love the fact that our Savior is no fraud and respects honesty like what He got from Nathan. The kids came up with "Nazareth? Only Hood Rats come from Nazareth!" and then Jesus called him out for it - and for being right and honest. So much of Orthodoxy is of the ostrich-sticking-its-head in the-sand ilk where we have failed churches and ethnic clicks instead of vibrant, living bodies of Christ! Today one would be more likely to hear "Can anything good come from Orthodoxy?" than Nazareth…thank God for an awesome honest God!
Vegas

Comment on The Word “Anathema” and it’s meaning by Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e107v1

Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e107v1 — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:08:12 +0000

[...] posts on anathema, here and [...]

Comment on What is an Anathema? Bishop Theophan the Recluse by Monday Highlights | Pseudo-Polymath

Monday Highlights | Pseudo-Polymath — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:21:36 +0000

[...] Two posts on anathema, here and here. [...]

Comment on Havana Black Beans from Abby. by seraphimholland

seraphimholland — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:44:00 +0000

Fasting from olive oil and using other oils is the custom of some. It is not my custom, unless somebody else is cooking. There is, like most things, a “strict interpretation”.

I have the attitude that if I can do something, I should, because the things that I can do that I do help me to do the things I cannot do. I can abstain from oil when cooking onions, but I cannot stop from being angry, or other sins. The oil is a small thing, but the anger is a big thing. The additional (small amount) of effort to avoid oil will help me to conquer big things.

Not everybody agrees with me, an that is all right. My own household does not agree with me, and when somebody else cooks with some kind of non-olive oil, I will eat, unless they used margarine, which is just gross!

Comment on The First and most deadly sin of Cain. 2nd Monday of Great Lent. by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:24:49 +0000

My mind wanders, my eyes wander, my feet wander….
Mindlessness drags my thoughts to Hell
Apart from the mercy of God, body and soul will follow.

Lord, have mercy!

Comment on Havana Black Beans from Abby. by M. Woerl

M. Woerl — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:54:35 +0000

Just read over Orthodox Church fasting rules for Great Lent, which sad it was perfectly alright to use other types of oils, as the fasting rules forbid only olive oil. So, one would not have to “saute in water,” and would not be “breaking the oil fast.” Isn’t that good news!

Comment on First Sunday Of Great Lent Sunday Of Orthodoxy – The Triumph of Orthodoxy by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:15:42 +0000

Father, Bless!
At this remarkable day for the Church we think of the past Christians, martyrs, and all Christians who cherished Orthodoxy more than their lives, and regarded it as the treasure worth dying for. And they gave their lives for it. For them there was no other grief than losing Orthodoxy.
In tough periods of our lives this is felt with especially enormous strength.
What a treasure God granted us!
After the October revolution, true believers wished each other mainly only one thing - not to lose Orthodoxy.
Let us remember this appeal nowadays, as we have many temptations & weaknesses.
There are actually two great gifts (along with many others) in our lives - our birth & Orthodoxy. God put us on the right way, but will we cherish it enough to pass through it with the dignity of a Christian? What response will we give our Creator when we knew the right way & averted from it by our own will?!
We are also responsible for other people, to whom we should serve as a candle on their road. How we should work on ourselves to be able to do it! How much effort we should make to preserve Orthodoxy!
This is what I think about today, looking forward to the Day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

Comment on Wisdom is a person. Proverbs: Trusting in ourselves. Clean Thursday. by Deborah

Deborah — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:08:26 +0000

To be exalted in my own wisdom is to mistake my perceptions of reality for the wisdom of God which is actual Reality–Truth. Jesus Christ is the Way and the Truth. To become acquainted with Christ is to become acquainted with Truth. He does not merely show us the way, He is the Way.
I accept this as truth (or at least I think I do, I try to) but it is so much easier to say I accept this truth than to live by it. I am so used to believing what my eyes, ears and mind tell me—or rather what they perceive. It seems to me that most of the information I receive from my senses and my own understanding of things is correct–but how would I know, otherwise?
"There is a way which seems to be right with men, but the ends of it reach to the depths of hell." Prov. 14:12
It was in a powerful moment of profound realization of the limits of my ability to perceive truth on my own, that I turned to the Church.

Comment on Just received from our Diocesan secretary regarding donations to Haiti. by The Clergymen of the Haitian Orthodox Mission send a Letter of Gratitude « Redeeming the Time

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:07:17 +0000

[...] Just received from our Diocesan secretary regarding donations to Haiti. [...]

Comment on Christian Life Skills: Praying for others. Praying for enemies. The Jesus Prayer. by NB: Just one resolution for Great Lent. Fasting and prayer « Redeeming the Time

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:01:32 +0000

[...] for each person. This blog has written at length about intercessory prayer for others: here: “ Christian Life Skills: Praying for others. Praying for enemies. The Jesus Prayer. [...]

Comment on O Lord and Master of my life. The Prayer of St Ephrem explained by NB: Just one resolution for Great Lent. Fasting and prayer « Redeeming the Time

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:01:17 +0000

[...] has rarely fasted, but there are more pressing things. It would be better if a person prayed the Prayer of St Ephrem [1] with attention in the morning and the evening. How many think about fasting, and even buy cool [...]

Comment on Why be righteous? It can be so hard sometimes. Clean Wednesday. Sixth Hour by Dn Nicholas

Dn Nicholas — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:45:33 +0000

Also, being righteous is what we are made for. Man alone among all creation was given the great gift of being created to be like God — created in the Image of the Righteous and Loving God. And man alone among all of the material creation has failed to live up to his calling… How pitiful this is! How lamentable that we should choose what is ugly and disfigured - hate, selfishness, and so forth - rather than the beauty that was given to us. And we have dragged the whole creation down with us. All evil in the world, all suffering, is the result of our fall… Glory to God that He has given us a path back, a way to return to righteousness.

Comment on Why be righteous? It can be so hard sometimes. Clean Wednesday. Sixth Hour by Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:10:52 +0000

Father, Bless,

Another strong motivation for righteousness is so that I will be able to help those I love and give comfort and aid to those the Lord puts in my path. St. James says that the prayers of a righteous man “availeth much” and the Lord tells me that I cannot help my brother with the mote in his eye while there is a beam in my own. I cannot carry the burdens of others as I am told to do by St. Paul if I am weighed down by the burden of my own sins.

The love of God that creates the longing to see His face also generates love for others that longs to help them see His face, as well. Not too long ago I ran across a quote that said something to the effect that we cannot know if we truly love God but we can know if we love our neighbor and that we love God in proportion to our love for neighbor. The love of our neighbor, and thus our love of God, is demonstrated in our acts of compassion towards our suffering neighbors.

At times it is difficult for me to feel that I truly love God or long to see His face. But when I see the suffering of my loved ones and long to be able to help them, I know the love of God, however small, is in my heart, calling me to righteousness in order that my prayers for them might become more effective, free from selfish motives and sin. “God is far from the ungodly; but he hearkens to the prayers of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29

Bless and Pray for me,

Deborah

Comment on The First Week of Great Lent – Clean Monday. An Anthem for Great Lent and all of Life. by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:05:08 +0000

I don’t think it is so much that we are not yet sons and daughters, but hirelings, as it is more like we are sons and daughters that still think and behave like hirelings. Great Lent is the time to struggle out of our sleepy delusions, to really wake up to the fact, the Reality, that we ARE, through Christ, the adopted sons and daughters of God!

As St. Paul described it, children in the household are basically treated as underlings until they grow-up and come of age:

“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:1-7

Comment on The First Week of Great Lent – Clean Monday. An Anthem for Great Lent and all of Life. by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:14:29 +0000

“Great Lent is especially a time for careful washing”.

Indeed, it’s a time for us to prepare (each in his own spiritual measure) for appearing in front of God every moment, as we don’t know when we are going to be called. It is so evident, but we tend to forget about it in our daily life. to be more exact - prefer not to think about it, as it’s very binding, and presupposed great responsibility for all our actions & thoughts - which is very hard…

The Lent is the time when there is “no way out”, no avoiding the evident. and this is again God’s gift to us, and for us!

The Great Lent is the time when we place ourselves in front of God - all our words, actions, thoughts, intentions, all movements of our soul should be as if He is very close to us. And He really is, He looks at you and either approves, or disapproves. This is a deed - to stand, to walk in front of God, in our special consideration of Him, in our attitude to Him. Strange as it might seem - is it a heroic deed? It is happiness, the highest privilege, the execution of the most incredible dream - to be in front of Him & so close to Him! But is is fully felt by the righteous…For me it’s still difficult & too responsible…As I am not yet His son, but still a “hireling”.

The Great Lent is the time when we are given a chance to become closer to God, and to try to become closer to the state of His sons.

Asking for your blessing & prayers for me….

Comment on The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete. Explanation, themes, texts, biography by Natalia Arzhantseva

Natalia Arzhantseva — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:00:25 +0000

I always thought, and many other people do, that the Great Canon is the most significant writing of the Church compositions. It is so ample! It’s an example of what a person is, what he should be, how he should repent; an example of CONFESSION. How open & frank a person should be - and St Andrew shows that confessing in front of God in this Canon all the depths of his soul & feelings. It is a true repentance!
It also shows - to me, as I miss it - that we should read the Old Testament, as so much in the Canon is based on it, and what is so important in it for us.
It shows us how we should develop into the new being, which is impossible without a thorough, sincere repentance, analysis of our state of mind, disclosing all the hidden corners to God.

It’s an example of PRAYER.

I also think that we should read the Great Canon not only the assigned days in the Church (though in this atmosphere it produces a very deep impression on our soul, and is always felt as we hear it for the first time, as it always overwhelms us with its poetry & depth, and each year we are struck with something new - as if first discovered - because our soul develops with the course of time), but also alone in our rooms, thoughtfully, living through each phrase. As it is both the Church, synodical creation, but also refers to each individual soul, and everyone stops & dwells on something personal in it, and sometimes it takes much time.

For me the Canon is a motivation to study the Old Testament, as I know it very superficially!

Bless.

Comment on Snow in Texas. Hope in the soul. by Deborah

Deborah — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:49:13 +0000

Beautiful. Thank you, Natasha.