Indeed, it differs in no way from the tongue of the
martyrs; for, like them, it too is crowned—since an executioner stood over it
as well, compelling it to deny God through blasphemy.
If, then, you endure pain and give thanks to God, you
have received the crown of martyrdom.”
- Saint Isaac the Syrian
The zealous are tested so that they may increase their spiritual wealth...
The lukewarm, so that they may be compelled to guard themselves against what harms them...
The slumbering, so that they may wake up...
Those who have strayed, so that they may draw near to God once more...”
Saint Isaac the Syrian.
What a great mystery!
The thief repented; he needed water to be baptized.
He was hanging on the cross; there was no place for
him to be baptized—no spring, no lake, no rain—nor was there anyone to
administer the sacrament.
For all the disciples had fled out of fear of the
Jews.
Yet Christ did not lack life-giving waters; even while
hanging on the cross, He brought forth water.
Since it was impossible for the thief to enter the
Kingdom without baptism, the Savior offered blood and water from His pierced
side—to free the thief from the burdens he bore, and to demonstrate that His
blood became the ransom for those who place their hope in Him.
(EPE, Philokalia, Works of Theodore the Studite, 1.61)
“Byzantine ecclesiastical music is a teaching... It
softens the soul of man and gradually raises him to other spiritual realms
through his voice, which sows spiritual delight, joy, and thanksgiving, and
leads him into another spiritual world. This is how it truly is, my children.
So do not look at where you are or at what you hear them doing. When you do
this slowly, you enter into it spiritually, and you feel what you ought to do.
The chanter may be selfish, swaying and taking pride
in himself, and thus he may be hollow. Perhaps he possesses a voice that
affects others, but when the true saint chants, he carries something else. He
does not possess merely his voice; rather, together with his voice, which pours
forth in waves of melody, he also radiates grace in mysterious waves that reach
the souls of people and move them more deeply.
As for the “hollow musician”—let us call him that—he
is the selfish one who possesses pride and takes pleasure in it. But the holy
musician sends forth spiritual waves together with his voice. And this is a
very great mystery. Therefore, if you go to the Holy Mountain and hear the
monks chanting, even if your heart is frozen like a stone, as soon as you hear
them, you say: “There he is. This chanter can truly move souls...”
Saint Porphyrios once said of Saint Romanos the
Melodist: “Romanos was entirely in the grace of Christ, and everything he wrote
was perfect.”
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus
Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen!
If you are troubled by something, it means you have
not fully surrendered to God's will, even if it seems to you that you are
living according to His will.
Whoever lives according to God's will is anxious about
nothing.
And if he is in need of something, he entrusts himself
and his need to God.
And if he does not receive what he desires, he remains
calm, as if he already possessed it.
A soul surrendered to God's will fears nothing…
