Author: seraphimholland

Heavenly things are hard to learn John 3:7-12 Bright Friday 2013

Learning holy things is hard. The mind must be changed; we do not naturally think about heavenly things or reason in spiritual ways. … Nicodemus was a good man, and very pious and learned. …Even though he was such a man, he could not understand what the Lord was telling him, and was even rebuked about it…. Many stories we read from the Gospels during the Paschal season drive home this point[4] – understanding heavenly things is hard. Let’s just flat out admit it …

“…What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?” [John 2:18] The Greatest signs are in the heart Bright Thursday 2013

“… What sign showest Thou to us, seeing that Thou doest these things?” This question the Jewish leaders asked Jesus after he routed the money changers out of the temple. It is a stupid question. They shouldn’t be asking “what sign”, instead they should be asking for forgiveness! The Lord had showed them a very personal sign, much like He would later do to the people of the Gergesenes[2]. Their greed blinded them to the blessing the Lord gave them; He exposed their sin and gave them an opportunity to repent. This was the sign! Sins blind us to the signs the Lord is continually showing us. We also look for external signs, but the truest and most reliable signs are those that the Lord reveals to the heart…

“…Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it ” [John 2:5] Bright Wednesday 2013

“… Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it”[1] [John 2:5]

This is is advice that we need to follow closely. … Our will is unreliable since it is tainted by the passions. We often get things wrong. God’s will is always GOOD. Sometimes we know and understand why God is telling us to do a certain thing such as that we should love our enemies or we should we should do good to those who do evil into us. That is the easy stuff (to understand, but not always to do!). The hard part is the following God’s will when we do not understand why or perhaps we don’t even understand exactly what it is we are to do or what the result is supposed to be…..

“Come and see” – It applies to everything. John 1:46 Bright Tuesday 2013

“And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” [John 1:46]

[Our parish is being encouraged to read the Gospel of Jon during the Pentecostarion period. If we read 1/2 chapter a day plus the remainder (about 2 chapters) the day before Ascension, we will finish in forty days. On Bright Monday, the suggested reading is John 1:1-28, on Tuesday the rest of the chapter (John 1:29-51)]

The following is a prayerful meditation on some part of the “assigned” reading. REMEMBER – read the scripture to apply it to yourself. This is all important. There may be parts you do not understand, but there will always be something that touches your heart if you read it prayerfully.

How to BECOME a child of God John 1:12-13

Meditation on “But as many as received Him, to them he gave power to become Children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were begotten not of blood, nor of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” [John 1:12-13]. How do we *become* a child of God?

Comments on the 2013 Lenten Pastoral Retreat Diocese of Chicago and Middle America ROCOR Mar 20/April 2 – Mar 22/ April 3 2013

We are a poor diocese, but we are very rich. I have been around a little, especially because of the Internet, and I do not know of a more peaceful diocese anywhere. I truly enjoy being around my brother clergy, and it is always warms my soul to see how freely and easily we interact with our chief shepherd, Bishop Peter. We are truly free to say anything, in public or private, and there is a sense in our gatherings of acceptance, support and calm….

Something always happens at some point during the Divine Liturgy, usually around the time of the Great Entrance. This is always the highlight of my trip, but talking about it cannot convey the experience. I become overwhelmed …

“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.quot; The Last Judgment story teaches us we are eternal beings & everything we do must be eternal.

SYNOPSIS: Are you a glass half full or half empty person? How do you look at the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25:31-46? Many people concentrate on the condemnation of those who go to Hell, but the story actually emphasizes that we are eternal beings (“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”), and therefore every thing we do and every work of mercy must be eternal. It teaches us how to accomplish this: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”

The healing of the woman with a spirit of infirmity 18 years teaches us that love is the highest law and HOW to love + 7 homilies on Psalm 118

Synopsis: The healing of the woman with a spirit of infirmity of 18 years warns us to not be formal in our religion. Love is the highest law; we can only obey this law if we understand something critically important about ourselves. This healing teaches us both of these things.Also 7 homilies on Psalm 118.

A way to pray for someone with the Jesus Prayer

An excellent way to pray for someone is to pray a short prayer for them, then say the Jesus prayer for the person, for a set number of times.

One may say “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on N”, or, more inclusively, “on us”.

After the Jesus prayers, one may repeat the short prayer, or use another one. Two suggested prayers are below.