🕀 APOSTLES' FAST
Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria;
Saint Columba of Iona
➽ Fast day
Saint Columba of Iona
➽ Fast day
Cyril was of noble birth and a close relative of Theophilos, Patriarch of Alexandria, after whose death he was consecrated as patriarch. During his lifetime, he led three bitter struggles: with the Novatian heretics, with the heretic Nestor and with the Jews in Alexandria. The Novatianists had their origin in Rome and were named after Novatian the presbyter and leader of the heresy. They took pride in their virtues, walked about dressed in white garments, forbade a second marriage, held that prayers should not be said for those who committed a mortal sin, nor to receive back into the Church those who, at one time, had fallen away from the Church even though they bitterly repented. Cyril defeated them and drove them out of Alexandria together with their bishop.
“Only if it is one and the same Christ who is consubstantial with the Father and with men can He save us, for the meeting ground between God and man is Flesh and Christ.” ~ Saint Cyril
Romans 4:13-25 King James Version
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Saint Matthew 7:21-23 King James Version
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
From
THE EVERGETINOS
THE EVERGETINOS
Abba Mark
ON PRAYER
He who struggles to attain to a measure of perfection ought not limit his prayer to specific hours or a specific time, but should pray ceaselessly --- Continual and unceasing prayer constitutes a commandment from the Lord, Who requires us to pray “day and night.” And a fundamental recommendation put forth by the Apostle Paul is that we pray “without ceasing” to Almighty God.
PRAYER
The faithful, through prayer, come to all good things: not only hope in God, but firm faith and love without hypocrisy, the forgetting of wrongs, love of one’s brother, self-control and patience, as well as mystical knowledge, liberation from temptation, heartfelt confession, continuous tears, the forbearing of hardships, the sincere forgiveness of the sins of one’s neighbor, a knowledge of Divine law, the discovery of God’s righteousness, formation in the Holy Spirit, and all those things in general which God has promised to give to those who are faithful, both in this life and the next. All of these things the Christian comes to attain through prayer.
PRAYER
In a word, it is not possible for the soul to show forth the “image of God” without the synergy, on the one hand, of Divine Grace and, on the other hand, of a man’s faith. For the cultivation of this synergy, there are required great humility, most fervent prayer, and the concentration and captivation of the mind, such that it is not distracted by momentary and unfitting matters.
PRAYER
Ask God to open up the eyes of your mind, that you might understand, from your own experience, the benefit of prayer and of reading. And prayer is virtue; it can even be characterized as the mother of all of the other virtues, since it gives birth to them, joining the soul to Christ. Whatever we may do that is not the product of prayer and of virtuous hope, it assuredly will be imperfect and will subsequently turn out to be destructive.
PRAYER
When the Devil sees that with our spiritual mind we pray to God from the heart, without anything distancing us from Him, he undertakes to upset the mind with traumatic assaults of evil thoughts, even if the slightest of virtues are not subject to destruction by his traumatic temptations and trials.
PRAYER
There is no stronger medium than prayer wrought by the success of cooperation between Divine Grace and human effort; and nothing more efficaciously benefits the soul in becoming worthy of the pleasure of God than prayer. It is a thing of beauty to satisfy with words those questions posed from curiosity by lovers of learning. But it is indubitably far superior to reach such a point, through virtue and prayer, that one is formed only by interior affirmation and revelation. Anyone who offers himself to God through virtue and prayer, such a one may, by the same means, help his neighbor.
PRAYER
In short, if you wish to benefit one who loves learning, turn him to prayer, correct faith, and patience with all that we confront in this life. For with these efforts, one can attain to all of the good things of God.
PRAYER
It is a good thing to apply that which is above all other commandments and not to pray for particular things needed in this life, but only, as commanded by the Lord, to seek the Kingdom of God.
PRAYER
If we have not, however, yet come to this spiritual height, wherein we are not concerned with the problems of life, then we are obliged to pray for a Godly solution to these various problems; for to him who is concerned about something and acts without prayer, nothing good comes, in terms of the success which he seeks in a matter. This is also the meaning of the affirmation of the Lord: “Without Me, ye can do nothing” (St. John 15:5).
PRAYER from a little one who is described by God as...
'...for such is the Kingdom of Heaven"
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