Do not fear trials and temptations.

 

Do not fear trials and temptations. Without trials, you cannot acquire the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

Without temptations and struggle, you cannot draw near to God.

Elder Ieronymos of Aegina

When the Bishop celebrates the Divine Liturgy

 When the Bishop celebrates the Divine Liturgy, he frequently blesses the people with the *dikirotrikiron*—a pair of liturgical candlesticks, one holding two candles and the other three.

The two candles symbolize the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ—the God-Man—namely, the divine and the human. The three candles, naturally, symbolize the Holy Trinity.

During the chanting of the Trisagion Hymn, the Bishop offers a special prayer to the Lord, invoking a blessing from on high upon the Church and blessing both the clergy and the laity with the *dikirotrikiron*.

He refers to this body of the faithful and the clergy as the "Vine," drawing upon the imagery Christ used to liken the relationship and unity between believers and Himself to a vine (see John 15).

The act of blessing the faithful in the shape of a cross while this prayer is intoned follows the precedent of the cross-shaped blessing Jacob bestowed upon his grandsons—Joseph’s children, Ephraim and Manasseh (see Genesis 48)—which serves as an Old Testament prefiguration of the grace of the Precious Cross.

And at some point, I felt an incredible freedom within me.

 

 And at some point, I felt an incredible freedom within me.

I felt that I have no enemies—that even those who fought against me were simply sick people, just like me.

I felt that I can love you even when you do not love me, respect you even when you do not respect me, and appreciate you even when you do not appreciate me.

And then I am free; then I dance to my own rhythm and not to yours—and that is why I am free.

And I felt this, firstly as a gift from God, and secondly as a revelation of what lies hidden behind His commandments.

Freedom lies hidden there, blessing lies hidden there, joy lies hidden there...

+Pavlos, Metropolitan of Sisaniu and Siatista

If the outward person is adorned and beautiful, yet the soul within has become unsightly, physical beauty will not be long in fading.

 If the outward person is adorned and beautiful, yet the soul within has become unsightly, physical beauty will not be long in fading.

But if you acquire inner beauty, that beauty will radiate outward to the physical person as well, and thus that beauty will endure.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian

God miraculously brought the truth to light, rewarding the holy humility of the one sister while withdrawing Grace from the other. Then the Gerontissa called the other sister and asked her

 One afternoon at a women's monastery in Macedonia, the nuns had just finished their meal in the refectory.

Afterward, the nun in charge of the refectory and her assistant began clearing the tables, carrying the dishes through a hallway to the kitchen.

Suddenly, a loud crash rang out in the corridor; a tray had fallen, and all the dishes shattered against the marble floor.

The Abbess, who had not yet left the refectory, immediately went to see what was happening.

She found a single nun bent over, gathering up the broken pieces.

In a stern, severe tone, she asked:

"Did you do this?"

"Bless me," the nun replied.

And the Abbess said to her:

"Tomorrow—Sunday—you will not receive Holy Communion, and you must perform five hundred full prostrations."

"May it be blessed," the nun answered, and she continued to gather the shards and clean the area.

The next day, Sunday, the nun in question remained on her knees from the opening "Blessed is the Kingdom..." until the very end of the Divine Liturgy, while tears streamed from her eyes.

When the time for Holy Communion arrived, she bowed her head to the floor, watering it with her tears.

She remained in that position until the Divine Liturgy concluded. As the Abbess was the last to leave the church, she noticed the nun who was still standing in that same spot; she approached her and asked what was wrong.

The nun remained silent, but upon the Abbess’s insistent questioning, she answered—very hesitantly and shyly—that while the sisters were receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, she had suddenly raised her head, and a portion [of the Holy Sacrament] flew from the Holy Spoon and entered her mouth.

Then the Abbess asked her:

"Which sister was next in line to receive Communion at the moment this happened?"

She bowed her head and, very softly and hesitantly, spoke the sister's name.

"Now," said the Abbess, "in the face of this miracle that has occurred, and in the Name of the Holy God, you must tell me what happened yesterday; you must tell me the whole truth."

"As I was leaving the refectory with a tray full of dishes and passing through the connecting area, that particular sister came up and pushed me with both hands; I fell, and that is how the damage occurred."

My brethren, God miraculously brought the truth to light, rewarding the holy humility of the one sister while withdrawing Grace from the other. Then the Gerontissa called the other sister and asked her:

"Tell me, please, what did you receive at Communion today?"

And she replied:

"Nothing, Gerontissa; the Holy Spoon was empty!..."

Source: the book *Experiences During the Divine Liturgy*