Monday July 23 / August 5 ns 2024
Translation of the Relics
of the Holy Hieromartyr Phocás;
Holy Prophet Ezekiel;
Saint Pelagía of Tenos;
Holy Hieromartyr Apollinaris
of Ravenna
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Saint Matthew 13:54-58 KJV
54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Saint Matthew 13:54-58 KJV
54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
As a preparation for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, Aug. 6/19 ns, before attending read
A portion from
On the Transfiguration of our Lord
by Saint Ephraem the Syrian
{Pub.} The Great Transfiguration of our Lord was a gift to
the Holy Apostles Peter, James and John
and to all the apostles and to you!
Just as our Lord revealed only a portion
of His Divinity on Mt. Tabor,
which sent them to the ground on their faces,
its fullness will be revealed to each of us
one day, when we meet Him face to face.
We should be afraid. Why?
the Holy Apostles Peter, James and John
and to all the apostles and to you!
Just as our Lord revealed only a portion
of His Divinity on Mt. Tabor,
which sent them to the ground on their faces,
its fullness will be revealed to each of us
one day, when we meet Him face to face.
We should be afraid. Why?
of San Francisco and Shanghai
warns, if we have not loved Him
with all, yes all, our being, while in this life -
when we meet him we will
be filled with indignation with ourselves and it will
prevent us from approaching Him
and receiving the fullness of
His Love that is Eternal!
Let us then draw near to this land and enjoy its life-giving furrows; and let us harvest from it grapes of life, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said to his Disciples, ‘There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man coming in his glory’. ‘And after six days He took Simon Peter and James and John his brother to a very high mountain and he was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and his garments became white like light’. Men whom He said would not taste death until they saw the image of his coming, are those whom He took and led up the mountain and showed them how he was going to come on the last day in the glory of his divinity and in the body of His humanity.
He led them up the mountain to show them who the Son is and whose He is. Because when He asked them, ‘Whom do men say the Son of man is?’ They said to him, some Elias, others Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. This is why he leads them up the mountain and shows them that He is not Elias, but the God of Elias; again, that He is not Jeremias, but the one who sanctified Jeremias in His mother’s womb; not one of the Prophets, but the Lord of the Prophets, who also sent them.
And he shows them that He is the maker of heaven and earth, and that he is Lord of living and dead. For He gave orders to heaven and brought down Elias, and made a sign to the earth and raised up Moses.
He led them up the mountain to show them that He is the Son of God, born from the Father before the ages and in the last times incarnate from the Virgin, born ineffably and without seed, preserving her virginity incorrupt; for wherever God wills it, the order of nature is overcome. For God the Word dwelt in the Virgin’s womb, and the fire of his divinity did not consume the members of the Virgin’s body, but protected them carefully by its nine month presence. He dwelt in the Virgin’s womb, not abhorring the unpleasant smell of nature, and God incarnate came forth from her to save us.
He led them up the mountain to show them the glory of the godhead and to make known to them that He is the redeemer of Israel (def. "those who see God"), as He had shown through the Prophets, and they should not be scandalized in Him when they saw His voluntary sufferings, which as man He was about to suffer for us. For they knew Him as a man, but did not know that He was God. They knew Him as son of Mary, going about with them in the world, and He made known to them on the mountain that He was Son of God and God. They saw that He ate and drank, toiled and rested, dozed and slept, things which did not accord with his divine nature, but only with His humanity, and so He took them to the mountain that the Father might call him Son and show that He is truly his Son and that He is God.
He led them up the mountain and showed them His kingship before his passion, and His power before His death, and His glory before His disgrace, and His honour before His dishonor, so that, when He was arrested and crucified by the Jews, they might know that He was not crucified through weakness, but willingly by His good pleasure for the salvation of the world.
He led them up the mountain and showed the glory of His divinity before the resurrection, so that when He rose from the dead in the glory of His divine nature, they might know that it was not because of His harsh toil that He accepted glory, as if He lacked it, but it was His before the ages with the Father and together with the Father, as He said as He was coming to His voluntary passion, ‘Father, glorify me with the glory which I had with you before the world existed’.
And so on the mountain He showed His Apostles the glory of His divinity, concealed and hidden by His humanity. For they saw His face bright as lightning and his garments white as light. They saw two suns; one in the sky, as usual, and one unusually; one visible in the firmament and lighting the world, and one, His face, visible to them alone. His garments white as light showed that the glory of his divinity flooded from His whole body, and his light shone from all his members. For His flesh did not shine with splendor from without, like Moses, but the glory of His divinity flooded from him.
His light dawned and was drawn together in Him. Nor did depart somewhere else and leave Him, because it didn't come from another place and adorn Him, nor was it for His use. And He did not display the whole depth of his glory, but only as much as the limits of their eyes could encompass. ‘And there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with Him’. And the words that they said to him were such as these: they were thanking him that their words and those of all their fellow Prophets had been fulfilled by His coming. They offered Him worship for the salvation which He had wrought for the world for the human race; and that He had fulfilled in reality the mystery they had only sketched. There was joy for the Prophets and the Apostles by this ascent of the mountain. The Prophets rejoiced when they saw his humanity, which they had not known. The Apostles also rejoiced when they saw the glory of His divinity, which they had not known, and heard the voice of the Father bearing witness to his Son; and through this they recognized His incarnation, which was concealed from them. And the witness of the three was sealed by the Father’s voice and by Moses and Elias, who stood by Him like servants, and they looked to one another: the Prophets to the Apostles and the Apostles to the Prophets. There the authors of the old covenant saw the authors of the new. Righteous Moses saw Simon the sanctified; the steward of the Father saw the administrator of the Son. The former divided the sea for the people to walk in the middle of the waves; the latter raised a tent for the building of the Church. The virgin of the old covenant saw the virgin of the new: [Elias and John;] the one who mounted on the chariot of fire and the one who leaned on the breast of the flame.
And the mountain became a type of the Church, and on it Jesus united the two covenants, which the Church received, and made known to us that he is the giver of the two. The one received his mysteries; the other revealed the glory of his works. Simon said, “It is good for us to be here, Lord”. “Simon, what are you saying? If we remain here, who fulfils the word of the Prophets? Who seals the sayings of the heralds? Who brings to perfection the mysteries of the just? If we remain here, in whom are the words, ‘They dug my hands and my feet’ fulfilled?
To whom do the words, ‘They parted my garments among them, and cast lots for my clothing’ apply? To whom does, ‘They gave me gall as my food, and with vinegar they quenched my thirst’ relate? Who confirms, ‘Free among the dead?’ If we remain here, who will tear up the record of Adam’s debt? And who will pay his debt in full? And who will restore to him the garment of glory?
Have you requested time from work
to attend the Feast of the Transfiguration Aug. 6/19 ns and also the Dormition of the Theotokos Aug. 15/28 ns?
Featured Quote
When Elder Paisios
Smacked a Theology StudentBy Metropolitan Hierotheos of NafpaktosAlso in
Pages
I once visited Father Paisios with a student of theology who was at a critical stage. He asked him about his studies. The student naively told him about a work of his dealing with the creation of man. At one point he told Father Paisios: "At one point God didn't know what to do, so He formed Adam and Eve, to pass His time." I saw Father Paisios with lightning speed raise his hand and gave him a heavy smack. The student lost it, became dizzy, he stood briefly with bulging eyes trying to realize what happened, and then he began to cry, sobbing like a small child.Smacked a Theology Student
Pages
Father Paisios was looking at him, not saying anything, and let him cry. After much weeping, he said: "Blessed one, what is this that you said? Come with me." He took him by the hand, like a mother with a young child, and brought him to the sink and said: "Wash your face." Then he gave him a towel to wipe his face of the tears and brought him back to his seat. He then began with humor, tenderness and much love to indicate his error, and to say that we should not speak about God and His work with indecency. Moreover, he even wrote a graceful dedication in one of his books and gave it to him. Needless to say, I followed this entire scene speechless and ecstatic.
When I would visit him, after asking his advice on issues dealing with my personal life, I would ask him about issues I was facing with my spiritual children. I told him about a child who was very lively and reactive and asked for an opinion on how to treat him. He replied disarmingly: "Do what a mule driver does with the animal. Hold him securely by the reins and sit far away so you don't get kicked."
When I recall my memories of that holy figure, I am moved, I shed tears and I pray. May we have his holy prayers.
Paradise Now
Time?
A most pertinent quote from our
holy father Basil, wouldn't you say?
Can anyone know the hour when
he or she is called from this life?
We are in the realm of "time"
so lets make good use of it.
Consider:
The more time we spend, in obedience to Christ's Commandments, attending services and preparation for the reception of the Precious Body and Blood of our Creator, the more time we spend with Him in prayer, in reading the holy scriptures, in reading the lives and writings of the holy fathers and mothers, etc., a surprising thing happens.
Everyone knows the gifts and grace that come with with obedience but there is something else: the distance we find ourselves away from our Lord by entertaining temptation, by attachments to and chasing after transitory things, become more and more apparent and as a result, if we love God, increases our desire to spend more "time" with Him.
A test: You may rise, say your morning prayers, eat breakfast and go to work. At some point, ask yourself how often you remembered Christ since then? You may realize the hours that have passed and in that time consider how much Christ forgot you. Did He keep you breathing? Did He keep your heart beating? Did He close access sight, sound, smell, touch or taste? Where do we stop? After reflection on it, shamefully ask: How could I forget His love? Practice this and soon, your time away will grow shorter and His love and joy will be felt ceaselessly.
The more time we spend, in obedience to Christ's Commandments, attending services and preparation for the reception of the Precious Body and Blood of our Creator, the more time we spend with Him in prayer, in reading the holy scriptures, in reading the lives and writings of the holy fathers and mothers, etc., a surprising thing happens.
Everyone knows the gifts and grace that come with with obedience but there is something else: the distance we find ourselves away from our Lord by entertaining temptation, by attachments to and chasing after transitory things, become more and more apparent and as a result, if we love God, increases our desire to spend more "time" with Him.
A test: You may rise, say your morning prayers, eat breakfast and go to work. At some point, ask yourself how often you remembered Christ since then? You may realize the hours that have passed and in that time consider how much Christ forgot you. Did He keep you breathing? Did He keep your heart beating? Did He close access sight, sound, smell, touch or taste? Where do we stop? After reflection on it, shamefully ask: How could I forget His love? Practice this and soon, your time away will grow shorter and His love and joy will be felt ceaselessly.
About joy: Temporary life can be pleasant, fun and joyful, but compared to what? You may say compared to the opposites. But, there is another joy. If you don't know it, then you haven't truly repented and felt the joy that God gives when He forgives. Because when it is given, the closest description we carnal people can comprehend is that it is like water from which we never thirst again, because it takes us into the realm infinitely beyond ecstasy - a realm that cannot be spoken of but can be given.
Love - Experienced but Undefined
Anyone who has fallen in love knows that once it happens, it needs no reminding, no prompting, no reasoning, no examination because it is unfathomably simple and constantly experienced/treasured and, without any doubt, inexplicable by anyone. You wake in it, you sleep in it, it never wavers. And in many cases, it is mutual.
Such it is with Christ. However, when we seek with all our heart to love Him, it turns to the ecstasy of worship and is always mutual.
If and again if desired, a taste is given and one is on the way. (Anon)
T H E
PARAGON
What is the Paragon? It is a Signpost
As a signpost, what direction does it give? It indicates: "This way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
What are the directions? Read the Paragon and find out. Until then, know that it points the way through the Epistles, Prophecies and Gospels taken from the Holy Bible; it provides accounts of the lives and deeds of those who through renunciation of this temporal life for Him, by breath or by blood, and thereby the Father is revealed by the Son so they have come to "know" and become one with Him (Theosis); it contains detailed assistance, provided by God Himself, directly to the tongues and pens of His true followers.
I often don't understand the readings! If you believe God, then you know He is omniscient and you therefore trust Him. He knew we would disfigure His image in us before He created us, hence He instructs the soul directly according to its needs required for salvation. And when the soul responds with genuine love and sincere desire for healing, it is enlightened and brought out of the darkness of a disfigured mind. Reflect, contemplate and pray to know more clearly who He is speaking to when He makes the command: "Physician, heal thyself" Isn't the conscience the small Christ within us, warming our hearts?
Does the Paragon provide anything else? Yes, encouragement to trust that one can transcend from "belief" to "knowing" {Theosis}. If one forsakes all loves for the love of God, denies his or her very self, takes up the Cross and follows, Christ may be pleased to reveal the Father, Who is Everlasting Life.
Be Still and Know that I am God
A cashier, puzzled by Atheism and the existence of God,
says to an Orthodox priest who is at the register:
I don't really believe in God but may I ask you a question?
Priest: Certainly! responds the priest.
Why does God speak to you only ?
Priest: God speaks to everyone!
Aha! says the cashier! Then why can't I hear him?
Priest: If you cannot hear Him it's because you have
3 voices in your head. Two are loud but our Lord's voice is like Him,
meek and lowly.
St. Matthew 11:29 KJV Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find restunto your souls.
St. Matthew 11:29 KJV Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
So listen to the psalmist that you may hear and obey Christ.
"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
Ha! And what are the other two?
Your self-centered voice and Satan's tempting you relentlessly.
Two Questions
Beloved of God, why is the second of commandments so great? And, what words can describe the experience of having love for all? The answer is simple and answers both questions.Saint Matthew 22:37-40 KJV
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The answer is simple and answers both questions. You may read it but to hear it, you must pray.
Answer: Because it is like the first.
No comments:
Post a Comment