Then we will bless God, who in His infinite wisdom
found pain and sorrow as means of great salvation.
Elder
Ephraim of Arizona.
We truly love when we love
without reason!
-only God knows tomorrow and
that gives us peace of mind!
-Every day that passes is a
blessing and every day that comes is one of hope.
-If we don't carry love
within us, we won't find it anywhere!
-When we have God by our
side, it doesn't matter who is against us!
-From the moment we start to
worry, we prevent God from intervening!
- We easily give advice when
someone else has the problem!
- Whoever doesn't know how
to lie thinks everyone is telling the truth!
-No soul can see beauty
unless it is itself beautiful!
Love Jesus and say the
prayer without ceasing, and it will illuminate your path.”
Saint Joseph the Hesychast
Elder Isidore
the Blind
+
Saint John of Damascus
According to John of Thessaloniki (7th century), the
humble Virgin Mary then wondered if Jesus was invisibly present, because
nature’s respect was rather directed towards Him. However, the angel assured
her that these signs came from God. He also informed her that at the time of
her death, Jesus himself would be present to accompany her soul, flanked by
armies of angels. Immediately afterwards it disappeared like a light in the
sky.
Christ is the Offerer and the Offered.
The priest does not sacrifice Christ, but Christ
sacrifices Himself.
The priest does not officiate with the help of Christ,
but Christ officiates with the help of the priest.
The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in memory of the
Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord!
First the Soul receives Communion, and then the Body….
Without Divine Communion we cannot become
dispassionate.
If someone does not receive Communion continuously and
regularly, he cannot defeat the enemies (Demons) and of course he will not be
able to progress spiritually.
I hear some say:
I have received Communion and I do not feel anything….
The changes that take place within us are slow and
secret, because our faith is small.
The first thought that we will have, immediately after
Holy Communion, will reveal what Grace we have received, and what is the fruit
of this great Gift on earth.
If the first thought that will sprout in the intellect
is humble, is the acquisition of self-reproach, is the fruit of self-knowledge,
then we have Communed well.
Otherwise, someone can Commune, but Christ can
immediately come out of him.
When we Commune, Holy Communion, that is, Christ, does
not go to the stomach, He goes to the soul.
Holy Communion, although it is bread and wine, is
transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, which is spirit, it does
not contain material ingredients, therefore it goes directly to the soul.
It nourishes the soul, which is graced, sanctified and
deified.
This Grace of the Holy Spirit is then transmitted to
all the cells of the body.
Thus, first the soul communes, and then the body.
That is, it sanctifies both the body and the soul!
+Elder Ephraim, of the Holy Skete of the Apostle
Andrew, Mount Athos.
And do you know what is the saddest thing? They call parishes and monasteries and ask us: “What time does Holy Communion come out?” What question is that, my child? What kind of person who truly loves Christ can ask this question? It is as if they were saying: “Tell me when to come, so that I may miss as much of the Divine Liturgy as possible and keep only what serves me.” If someone loves a person, he does not ask when the meeting will end, he asks when it begins, so as not to lose a single minute. But when the heart grows cold, then he always seeks the minimum. How long should I stay? When will it end? How long will it last? These are not questions of love. They are questions of a heart that has not yet tasted the sweetness of God’s presence.
From “Blessed is the Kingdom” the entrance to Heaven begins. It is not a phrase that precedes the Liturgy because it is the very beginning of the Kingdom. Saint John Chrysostom says that during the Divine Liturgy the earth becomes Heaven and the angels concelebrate with people. Saint Nicholas Kavasilas teaches that every part of the Divine Liturgy prepares the soul for union with Christ. So who dares to despise this course and only come at the end? The Divine Liturgy is not cut into pieces. We do not take only what we like. Whoever cuts the Liturgy to his own measure will slowly cut the Gospel to his own measure.
Let me tell you something that hurts. For a theatrical performance we arrive half an hour early. For a cinema we sit patiently until the credits have even finished. For a flight we are at the airport an hour or two early. Let us not lose our seat. Let us not miss the beginning. Let us not miss anything. But in front of Christ we do not have the same sensitivity. There we are content with catching the line for Holy Communion. This shows that the problem is not time. It is love. Where love is, time is also found.
Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki writes that every act of the Divine Liturgy has a theological meaning and leads man to participation in the Divine Mysteries. Nothing is superfluous. No utterance, no supplication, no “Lord, have mercy.” Everything educates the heart. Everything purifies the mind. Everything prepares man to stand before the Terrible Mystery. So when we despise the principle, in reality we despise the pedagogy of the Church. And then we risk getting used to even the most Holy things.
Let us pay attention to this. Holy Communion is not a right that we must seize. It is a gift that we must deserve. And no one deserves it because he was in the Church at the right time, but because he let the Divine Liturgy work within him from the first blessing to the last “For the sake of the Lord.” The saints did not seek the minimum. They did not ask “how much should I do?” They asked “how can I love Christ more?” That is where true Church life begins. All the rest are conveniences that comfort the conscience, but do not heal the soul.”
Monk Theoktistos of Kris
Metropolitan
Athanasios of Limassol
He is Light!
He came into the world and did not leave. He moves
with a great noise, but no one hears it! He passes by everyone constantly, but
he sets up camp where there is repentance.
Divine things are fragrant.
They bring peace, tranquility and paradise to the soul
and control for our messes. I see in the Light that God is everything and I am
nothing…”
“Oh, oh! Light! Light! Other than this light.
Angels sing. Joy, exultation, a festival. As if you
were in a blooming orchard.
The poor in
hell see the joys of the righteous and languish even more.”
These, my child, are the sweets that God gives to old
people like me so that we may turn to repentance.
May you have the blessing of the Holy Trinity, the God
of Lights, the only true God.
“The Holy Elder Galaktia of Crete”, “Theomorphou”
publications of the Holy Metropolis of Morphou.. (p. 86)(p. 134).
The proud person passes them on to others.
The humble person glorifies and thanks God for
everything!
The proud person is never happy and everything bothers
him...
When you see in your heart love, joy, peace,
gentleness, goodness, and faithfulness, these are the Holy Spirit.
You cannot see the Holy Spirit, but you will feel his
actions.
When you see someone angry, spiteful, or wicked, does
this person have the Holy Spirit?
Saint Anthimos of Chios
which friends will you choose ...
because when you find yourself in difficulties,
you will run to them!!!”
When you choose a friend..
let him be in your life as a "brother",
because you will run to him!!!"
Friendship as the result of a healthy soul is sacred,
pure, whole, faithful, stable, honest, courageous, true, eternal. Friendship is
a virtue, because it is founded on ethics and good conduct.
Friendship as a virtue, is attracted by the similar,
and rests on related virtues. It is a bond of two similar souls.
It is the result of a prudent soul and connects
friends with deep love.
Friendship has a stable and uncompromising ethic.
Friendship is a kind of moral pleasure that pleases the soul. Friendship always
endures, sympathizing and supporting. Aristotle has said: “Friendship is a soul
that dwells in two bodies.”
Friendship is stronger than kinship love, because
kinship love is a work of necessity, but friendship is based on the will.
Friendship dictates reverence for the sacred things of friends, purity in
behavior, integrity in morals, faith in character, stability in decisions,
sincerity in words, courage in saying what is right and beneficial and in
speaking the truth.
Friendship is the support for the happiness of two
good people, because only between good people can true friendship develop.
Plato says: “Friendship is unity in favor of the good and just; the will for a
common way of life, the same way of thinking and acting, a life with harmony
and good mood so that there is unity, companionship in both pleasant and
unpleasant things.”
There are three types of friendship; that which is
based on virtue, that which is founded on interest, and that which exists out
of habit. However, friendship for the sake of virtue is excellent, because it
is strengthened by the virtue of love....
(Excerpt from “TO GNOTHI SAVTON. Texts of
self-knowledge” by Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis, where he refers to and speaks
about the importance of friendship....)
