Thank you for this sobering wake up call. But, Father, please correct me if I am mistaken or have misunderstood–or simply missed something. Is not the fate of the souls held in torment before the Final Judgment somewhat of a mystery to us? Do we not pray for the souls of the departed in hope that through their suffering, the condition of their souls can be changed and God will have mercy on them before the Final Judgment? Is not Father Abraham’s addressing of the rich man, who is now the beggar, as ’son’, some indication that a relationship still exists and there is hope for him? Not hope for him to escape the terrible consequences of leading a life wholly and selfishly in the flesh, but hope for him to be changed through the torment and by the aid of our prayers into a redeemable soul? Any light you can give with regards to these questions will help and be greatly appreciated, as is all the teaching and information you share with us.

Thank You and
Please Forgive and Pray for,

Deborah

Thank you for this short but complete description, and beautiful icons, full of light, bright colours, full of life. It was so pleasent to look at them at our today’s gloomy rainy morning…

Bless.

As Christians should be sowers…

God gives us a wonderful inspiring (as always) promise:
- 1/4 of the good will be really blessed by God, and will be acceptable by
Him, even if many of what we do are deviations. But the good cannot be lost. Even if it does not lead to visible results directly, it will lead to the improvement of our soul, as what we do to our neighbours with pure hearts for His sake, we do for Him. And maybe the result will be - but much later, maybe even when we leave this world…God always hears us, and if He delays - it is really only for our spiritual growth & strengthening our faith. Our patience here, our dedication & persistence - are the trial of our faith, it’s affiliation, as Faith is Faith only if it goes hand-in-hand with affiliation/confession.
- 1/4 of the good will ALWAYS falls on the good ground!
This parable tells us this. Maybe we’ll fail with someone, or even many people, maybe we’ll be rejected, deceived, but someone else’s ground will be good for our seed. The wind of life will carry it & it’ll fall where it should fall, and will give harvest. We even maybe will not know this, bug our Heavenly Father will. And will pour out His blessing onto our “dry & thirsty land”.

This parable always makes me think of another of Christ’s parables–the one where the owner of a fruit tree is about to cut it down because it isn’t bearing any fruit. But his gardener asks the owner for a little more time to allow him to try and prune it, fertilize it and till around the tree and see if he can’t get it to produce. Am I the tree, the soil or the gardener? I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like the tree or the soil and that it is the prayers and work of someone beyond myself that has acted on me to deliver me from a fruitless existence. Other times I feel like the gardener who having failed to get the tree to produce, asks for more time to continue working with the soil and the tree to see if he can turn things around.

Either way, I find in these sowing and gardening metaphors both the hope and the horror that I can effect the health of not only my struggling seedling, but also the health and fruitfulness of others. How often have I failed to provide water, failed to remove weeds, or packed down with my careless feet the soil in which my loved ones struggle to exist and grow? Fortunately their fruitfulness and their lives are not entirely in my sinful and neglectful hands, but certainly I do play a part. This frightens me at times to know that I am my brother’s keeper, I am to fulfill the law of Christ and bear his burdens, forgive and intercede for him in prayer and cease to make temptation for him—because there is so much responsibility in these things and it is so hard. But the knowledge of this responsibility is also the knowledge of the opportunity and privilege to help, intercede and be a part of the salvation of those I love. This gives me even more motivation to listen to the great Husbandman of my soul as He teaches me what to do. And I am grateful beyond words for having been transplanted into the fertile soil of His precious Church when I was struggling to survive in a dry and thirsty land.

I’m not a child as per my passport age, de juro, but an “infant terrible” de facto:-) and your posts regarding the children are very interesting & touching for me. We all (many of us at least) are always children in soul…

Besides, this day, worshiping of St Longinus, is significant to me also because the first priest I confessed to (and further on), a rector of the church where I was a parishioner for many years, carried the name after this Saint. Now he is Bishop Longinus. I am very grateful to him & keep him in my prayers. Today is his name-day.

Bless.

Surely “the lips of the wise disperse knowledge” (Pov 15:7) and “every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt 13:52 NKJV).

This is so truly edifying for me. I can see that I am sick in need of Christ’s healing power, and that I should continue to struggle to do His will in all things, though I miss the mark on occasions.

“Whether I or others see the outward symptoms of my disease or not, I am diseased and whether I see it or not, I walk about shedding the virus of my sinful state continuously”. - very-very true…This is something that I constantly feel - there is much dirt inside me, and I cannot find enough words to express it & to confess it. It is deeper & much more dangerous that I feel I can shape it all in words or concrete actions, as what I feel is - that all sins, symptoms I say or even think - this is far not sufficient…Maybe it’s because I don’t see my sins, but I can feel the corruption of my soul nevertheless.

Father, Bless,
This disease model/metaphor for sin is powerful. In the early 1900’s there was a woman in New York who worked as a cook. Unknown to her was the fact that she was a symptomless carrier of typhoid fever. Several people were infected and some died in the households where she worked before the disease was traced to her. However, even after she was told that she was a carrier and that she must stop cooking for people, she refused to believe and continued infecting and killiing people. She was finally forced into permanent quarantine on an island.

I thought of this story of “Typhoid Mary” when I read your post and when a while ago I read a story of St. Moses the Black. Upon being called to help judge a fellow monk who had fallen into sin, he took a leaky jug of water and trailing water, walked into the meeting and said “My sins trail out behind me and I do not see them–and I come to judge my brother.” Whether I or others see the outward symptoms of my disease or not, I am diseased and whether I see it or not, I walk about shedding the virus of my sinful state continuously.

I have a difficulty before the confession, because I always thought I have “not enough” of this “bunch of staff”, and what I can say about what I did wrong, or, which is more probable in my case - I still cannot notice my sins. But still - when I confess this way, there is always a feeling, quite a torturing one, that something is wrong, that I enumerated the things, but did not purify my soul. It does give a feeling of repentance. As this kind of confession turns into formality, and maybe because of this I have a feeling of guilt. and still something heavy remains in my heart. This is why for me it is more useful & “healthy” to confess “what kind of person I am”, which gives much assistance to my soul. But I always thought that it is not quite right, that I should say only practical things during the confession. Having read your homily, I understood that my tendency to confess what person I am, my weaknesses, sinful inclinations is actually correct. And it was a mistake from my side to try to restrain from this, as for me it always seemed logical that we confess not the symptoms only, but the disease. It’s really a God’s blessing if a person can (at least sometimes!) see this disease in himself! The priests never objected this, but I myself - I don’t know why - considered that I should focus more on actual deeds, sins by action. Really, thoughtless enumeration without thorough analysis, without regretting about core things, without strict observation of our personal fallen nature, cannot be called repentance….Only if we realize how broken & sinful WE ARE, we’ll have a chance to understand what we do, and why we do something sinful. and - with the help of God, the priest, our efforts - maybe improve something in the core mechanism:-)

Bless.

In many other cases parents justify everything their children do, in disputable situations they blame others. They cannot let even a thought that their child can be wrong. This is like worshiping an idol, and nothing good may come of it. Neither for parents, not for children.

Nothing is that explanatory for children as personal examples of his parents. In this case their words have power, as they are reinforced by actions. If parents are merciful, humble, generous, if they love God, they have a chance to bring up a good child.

To bring up children in Christ - is a great sacrifice, a great deed. It’s close, I dare say, to Abraham’s deed - by the extent of self-denial. And it will not remain without God’s appraisal & blessing.

Here is the episode of triumth - Christ showed His power over death, as God, and also - sympathy, undrstanding, tenderness, as a Man.
His “Weep not” sounds very powerful & life-creating. I turn to this scene especially when I am in a stress, or poor state of mind, when my soul is cloudy. When I need this triumph, when I need this reseraction of myself.
One of my favourite scenes is Reseraction of Lazarus, but this scene is very much similar.

Your homily provided me with broader understanding of this episode.

I really cannot tell anyone “Weep not” when he is in such a grief, as I don’t have the moral right for that, the spiritual power, cannot bring life & light to the suffering soul. And - really - we cannot give anything that we do not have. But what I heard sometimes - from Christians - well, I am nobody, I have nothing to give, I’d better prefer not to…But I disagree with this! however we may feel useless - honestly or artificially - it’s not the pretext for shrinking our responsibility toward others, or avoiding fulfilling God’s Commandments!

We aways have something, being Christians. We just should understand what we have, and don’t “console” our souls by thinking that we have nothing at all - and due to that justify ourselves in doing nothing for our neighbors. We should try to follow Christ, and do our utmost with what we have…and maybe, as you said once, we’ll be able to do what we cannot now…For everything is possible to God.

We can give people who suffer of “sweet kissing” (thank you so much for posting this icon - I love it very much!), our compassion, offer them our help.

And we also can say “Weep not” to ourselves. As our Lord conquered death. He is also always with us when we suffer, when we lose the dearest ones. But we never lose Him, if we are faithful to Him. This episode is a great support to us in grief, in losses. To me was. I cannot endure this with dignity & firm faith. But I know Christ is somewhere hear, telling me: “Weep not. I am with you here & till the end of the times”.

He is always there for us.

I once ran across a story in which a knight was explaining to his lady love why he had to leave her to go off to battle. She felt that he was abandoning her and putting his duty above his love for her. He said “I could not love you half so much, loved I not honor more.” His sense of honor and his duty gave depth and meaning to his love for his lady. The story was used to explain how loving God is what enables us to truly love others. If we do not learn to love God, the Source of Love, above all else, we cannot truly love at all.

We drove by and took a look—looks great! It does look larger now with the walls in place.

One question though–where is the office/bookstore located?

Love the photo, Father! I don’t know if it was posted because of an anniversary but regardless–May God grant you and Matushka many, many more happy years together!