Saint Charíton
the Confessor
Holy Prophet Baruch
Holy Royal Martyr Wenceslaus,
Prince of the Czechs
Prince of the Czechs
~ FAST DAY ~
Charíton was a distinguished and devout citizen of the city of Iconium. Imbued with the spirit of his compatriot, St. Thecla, Chariton openly confessed the name of Christ. When a bitter persecution of Christians began during the reign of Emperor Aurelian, Chariton was immediately brought to trial before the eparch. The judge ordered him to worship the gods, but Chariton replied: "All your gods are demons, and were cast from the heavens into the nethermost hell.''
Chariton clearly proclaimed his faith in the One Living God, the Creator of all, and the Lord Jesus, the Savior of mankind. The eparch ordered that he be tortured and beaten, until his whole body was like one great wound. When Aurelian's evil deeds caught up with him and he died an evil death, Chariton was freed from torture and prison. He then set out for Jerusalem. On the way he was seized by robbers, but escaped from them by God's providence.
Chariton, not wanting to return to Iconium again, withdrew to the wilderness of Pharan, where he founded a monastery and gathered monks. He established a rule for the monastery and then, to avoid the praise of men, withdrew to another wilderness near Jericho. There he founded another monastery called the Monastery of Chariton. Finally, he founded a third monastery, Souka, which the Greeks called the Old Lavra.
Chariton died at a great old age, and took up his abode in the glory of his Lord on September 28, 350. His relics repose in his first monastery. The composition of the rite of monastic tonsure is attributed to St. Chariton.
Ephesians 1:7-17 KJV
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
Saint Luke 6:17-23 KJV
17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Eroticism
from "Know Thyself"
by St. Nektarios of Pentapolis
Eroticism is a passion of an idle soul, born out of the curiosity of sight. Eroticism manifests itself as an excess of some irrational desire, which is quickly born in the soul, but very slowly extinguished.
Eroticism lights up like a flame all at once and ignites the heart, but it is not easily quenched because it's flames are fanned by the imagination. Then the fantasy of a desired face is constantly represented and reshaped into the imagination.
When Eroticism takes position of the whole soul, an individual does not even care about food. When Eroticism finds the soul unguarded, it completely enslaves it, and while persuading it to despise everything else, it preoccupies the entire heart with its own prompting.
Eroticism maneuvers irrational souls towards mania and madness. For their restrained imagination fans the flame that corrupts the mind. Eroticism, when it touches a reasonable soul, is extinguished before it can corrupt the mind because that soul is the master of itself and does not permit itself to be drawn away by the enticement of the imagination.
Eroticism takes over souls that are empty of Divine love and are aching in their loneliness. The heart having been created to fall in love, cannot remain dispassionate toward worldly heroes unless it has first been wounded and subdued by Divine Eros (Love). Worldly heroes can conquer anything except for hearts wound by Divine Eros, for Divine Love fulfills every desire and leaves nothing in the heart empty and unfulfilled.
Plutarch says of Eroticism: it is a beast that tears the heart to shreds, since it has claws and fangs, that is, suspicion and jealousy.
CROSS BEARERS!
(anon)
IF you hadn't been created, you could not make any choices.
IF you hadn't been created, you could do neither good nor evil.
IF you hadn't been created, you could not have been granted Eternal Paradise.
IF you hadn't been created, you could never be.
St. Matthew 16:24 KJV "....woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
No comments:
Post a Comment