GUARD YOUR HEART
Our Savior quickens your heart,
but YOU must guard it.
WHO IS IN YOUR HEART?
Scroll down and know for sure
Tuesday September 24
October 7 ns
2025
2025
"The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Of the Myrtle Tree" (Myrtidiótissa) is in the monastery church of Myrtides on the Greek island of Kythera. It derives its name from the fact that it was found in a myrtle bush in the fourteenth century.
At that time, a shepherd was tending his sheep in a deserted valley which was filled with myrtle bushes. On September 24, forty days after the Dormition, the Mother of God appeared to him and told him to seek her icon which had been brought to that place many years before.
The shepherd fell to the ground in amazement, praying to the Theotokos. As soon as he got up and turned around, he saw the icon in the branches of a myrtle bush. Weeping for joy, he brought the icon home and told his friends and relatives about how he had found it.
When he awoke the next morning, the shepherd found the icon missing, and thought that perhaps someone had stolen it during the night. With a heavy heart, he led his sheep back to the spot where he had found the icon. To his amazement, he saw the icon once again in the branches of the myrtle bush. Glorifying God, the man took the icon home with him once more. The next morning, it had disappeared just as it had before. When this happened a third time, the shepherd realized that the Mother of God wanted her icon to remain where it had first appeared.
The Ascetic Struggler
St. Myrtidiótissa of Klissoura (1886–1974)
Holy Protomartyr Thecla,
Equal-to-the-Apostles
EQUAL-TO-THE-APOSTLES
The Holy Protomartyr Thecla was born in Iconium of eminent but pagan parents. As a girl of eighteen, she was betrothed to a young man at the same time that the Apostle Paul arrived in Iconium with Barnabas to preach the Gospel. Hearing Paul's testimony for three days and nights, Thecla converted to the Christian Faith, and vowed to live in virginity. Her mother, seeing that she was now ignoring her betrothed and no longer thought of marriage, tried to dissuade her, and then beat her and tortured her by starvation. Finally, this wicked mother turned Thecla over to the judge and demanded that Thecla be burned. The judge threw her into the fire, but God preserved her unharmed.
Thecla then followed the Apostle Paul, and went to Antioch with him. Attracted by Thecla's external beauty, a certain elder of the city wanted to take her for himself by force, but Thecla escaped his grasp. The pagan elder accused her to the eparch as a Christian who disdained marriage. The eparch condemned her to death, and had her thrown to wild beasts, but the wild beasts did not touch the body of this holy virgin. Amazed by this, the eparch asked her: "Who are you and what kind of power is in you, that nothing can harm you?'' Thecla replied: "I am a servant of the Living God.'' The eparch then released her, and she departed to preach the Gospel.
Thecla succeeded in converting many to the true Faith, among whom was Tryphena, a prominent and honorable widow. Then, having received the blessing of the Apostle Paul to do so, Thecla withdrew to a secluded place near Seleucia. There she lived a life of asceticism and, by healing the sick with wonderworking power, she converted many to Christianity. The doctors and soothsayers in Seleucia were envious of her, and sent some young men to defile her, hoping that the loss of her virginity would also mean the loss of her miraculous power. Thecla fled from these arrogant young men, but as they were about to catch her, she prayed to God for help. A large rock opened up and hid this holy virgin and bride of Christ.
This rock was her refuge and her tomb. St. John Chrysostomos says of this wonderful Christian heroine and saint:
"It seems to me that as I see this blessed virgin, in one hand she offers Christ's virginity, and in the other hand, martyrdom.''
She was treasured as one of their own by all the children.
She was not without honor except among her own kin.
With a handful of devoted women, she worked tirelessly
for St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church.
Memory Eternal
2 Saint Timothy 3:10-15 KJV
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Saint Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28 KJV
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
11:27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
GUARD YOUR HEART
Saint John the Wonder-worker
of Shanghai and San Francisco
"With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
In the heart is the will, in the heart is love, in the heart is understanding, in the heart is the face of the All-holy and Divine Trinity. The heart is the home of the Father, the altar of the Son and the workshop of the Holy Spirit. God wants the heart: "My Son, give me your heart" (Proverbs: 23:26).
Let the mountains be overturned, let the seas dry up, let your friends abandon you, let your wealth fail you, let your body be consumed by worms, let the world pour upon you all the ridicule which it has but be not afraid; only guard your heart, guard and affix it to the Lord and give it to the Lord. From the heart comes life; from where does life in the heart come if the breath of the Lord and Source of Life, God, does not dwell in it?
Extended Inclusions
INTELLIGENCE
~ Saint Anthony the Great ~
“Men are often called intelligent wrongly. Intelligent men are not those who are erudite in the sayings and books of the wise men of old, but those who have an intelligent soul and can discriminate between good and evil. They avoid what is sinful and harms the soul; and with deep gratitude to God they resolutely adhere by dint of practice to what is good and benefits the soul. These men alone should truly be called intelligent.”
“The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and to conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.”
NO NEED TO PROSELYTIZE
~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica ~
He who has the Kingdom of God within himself
will imperceptibly pass it on to others.
The atmosphere of Heaven will radiate from us
even when we keep silence or talk about
ordinary things.
GOD IS EVERYWHERE
~ St. John Chrysostomos ~
God is everywhere
you decide whether you
are close to Him or not.
OVERCOME PRIDE
~ St. Seraphim of Sarov ~
It seems to me that pride is
unobscured and only clearly
seen within one's self as it is
overcome by humility.
And once true humility is
acqured, we come to
KNOW the Father
as REVEALED by Christ.
WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST
FLESH AND BLOOD
~ St. Paisios of Athos ~
Don't believe your thoughts; neither
when they tell you that you are terrible,
nor when they tell you that you are a saint.
EVERYONE HAS A CONSCIENCE
~ St. John of Kronstadt ~
Do not be irritated with those who sin or those
who offend; do not have a passion for noticing
every sin in your neighbor and judging him, which
we are in the habit of doing. Everyone will give an
answer to God for himself. Everyone has a conscience;
everyone hears God's Word and knows God's Will, either
from books or from conversations with other people.
Especially do not look with evil intention upon the sins
of your elders, which do not regard you.
"To his own master he standeth or falleth."
Correct your own sins, amend your own life
MADE OF THE SAME STUFF
~ St. Nikolai Velimirovich ~
Be humble, for the worst thing inthe world is of the same stuff as
you; be confident, for the stars are
of the same stuff as you.
The soul of all peoples always felt
To believe that God exists is one thing;
WHY AFFLICTIONS
~ St. Silouan of Athos
The Lord loves mankind but He
sends affliction that we may perceive
our weakness and humble ourselves
and for this humility, we receive the
Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit all
things are good, all things are joyful,
all things are well.
HOW THE TRUE FAITH HAS
COME DOWN TO US
COME DOWN TO US
~ St. Silouan of Athos ~
The soul of all peoples always felt
that God exists, even though they
didn't know enough to worship the
true God. The Holy Spirit, however,
taught the Prophets first, then the
Apostles, after them the Holy Fathers
and our bishops and so the true faith
has come down to us. We knew the Lord
through the Holy Spirit. And once
we knew him, our soul became fixed in him.
Know, you peoples, that we were made
in order to glorify God in heaven, and
don't attach yourselves to the earth.
Because God is our Father and He loves
us, His greatly desired children. People
who don't know grace, don't seek it.
People have become attached to the earth
and this is why most of them don't know
that there's nothing earthly which can
compare with the sweetness of the
Holy Spirit.
TO KNOW THE FATHER
~ St. Silouan of Athos ~
To believe that God exists is one thing;
To know God is another.
The soul that comes to know God fully,
no longer desires anything else.
Nor does it attach itself
to anything on the earth;
and if you put before it a Kingdom,
it would not desire it. For the love
of God gives such sweetness and joy
to the soul that even the life of a king
can no longer give it any sweetness.
Anecdote
When prayer comes from love in the heart, a connection is made.
And when you pray to Christ, you pray to and for ALL MANKIND, in heaven and on earth. Don't wonder at these words but instead ask yourself, is He not the new Adam? Is He not the Son of Man?
And when you pray to Christ, you pray to and for ALL MANKIND, in heaven and on earth. Don't wonder at these words but instead ask yourself, is He not the new Adam? Is He not the Son of Man?
Did He not say that if we receive the least among us,
we receive Him?
And when a connection is made in prayer, you will love it more than all things due to the presence of Divinity. And when occupied at times with worldly things, you will yearn to leave what you are doing and go to Him in prayer because you know He is there with Treasure for you.
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