Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Thursday May 26/June 8 • Holy Apostle Cárpos of the Seventy; St. Augustine, Bishop of Canterbury, Enlightener of England  NO FASTING ALL WEEK > Rom. 1:28–2:9; St. Matt. 5:27–32 >> THE BLESSED STATE by Saint Symeon the New Theologian

 Holy Apostle Cárpos of the Seventy;

St Augustine, Bishop of Canterbury, Enlightener of England
NO FASTING ALL WEEK
Cárpos was one of the Seventy Apostles.

He was a follower and companion of the Apostle Paul by whom he was appointed as bishop of Varna in Thrace. He also preached the Gospel on Crete where he received St. Dionysius the Areopagite in his home. 

St. Dionysius testifies that Cárpos was a man with an exceptionally pure mind, meekness and innocence and that the Lord Jesus, with His angels, appeared to him in a vision and that he never began the Divine Liturgy that he did not have a heavenly vision beforehand. Enduring many assaults for the Name of Christ, he finally suffered at the hands of the unbelieving Jews and was killed and, with his soul, took up habitation in the kingdom of God to delight eternally gazing upon the Lord in glory.



Romans
1:28-2:9
KJV


28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

2 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;




Saint Matthew
5:27-32
KJV


27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

THE BLESSED STATE
St. Symeon the New Theologian

Inasmuch as human nature lost its blessed state through the transgression of Adam, it is essential for us to know what Adam was before the loss of the blessed state, and in what consisted this blessed state, or that good and divine condition which man had before the transgression. The Holy Fathers tell us that God became man in order that through His becoming man He might again raise up human nature into the blessed state. Therefore, we must know in what way it is that man, through the Economy of Christ’s Incarnation, may again come into the blessed state.

God, in the beginning when He created man, created Him holy, passionless, and sinless, in His own image and likeness. And man was then precisely like God Who created him; for the holy, sinless and passionless God creates also His creatures holy, passionless and sinless. But inasmuch as inalterability and unchangingness are characteristic of the Unoriginate and Uncreated Divinity alone, therefore the created man naturally was alterable and changeable, although he had the means and the possibility, with the help of God, not to be subject to alteration and change.

Thus man was holy, and as holy he had no need of any law; for the righteous need no law. What need is there of the law for one who is holy, passionless, and pure?

The law commands to do good and not to do evil. But the Scripture says that God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). And so, inasmuch as everything was good, what need was there for man to learn what was good and what was bad? Since there was nothing except what was very good, this divine man had no need of the law.


CREAM BACK WOODPECKER - CUBA

No comments:

Post a Comment