Essential to a spiritual life, preparation should always be made before initiating daily prayer with reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture, the lives and the writings of the saints and thereby creating a proper climate for the full enrichment of mind, heart and soul.
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the PARAGON was created.
Friday
June 27 /July 10 ns
2026
H O L Y
A P O S T L E S'
F A S T
Sunday June 29 / July 12 ns
Today we honor
St. Sampson the Hospitable
Sampson was born of wealthy and eminent parents in old Rome where he studied all the secular sciences of that time and dedicated himself particularly to the science of medicine. Sampson was compassionate and an unmercenary and administered cures to the sick, both body and soul, counseling everyone to fulfill the requirements of the Christian Faith.
Afterward he moved to Constantinople where he lived in a small house from which he dispensed alms, comfort, counsel, hope and medicine to all just as the sun disperses its rays of light and, in general, gave help to the helpless, both spiritually and physically. The patriarch heard of the great virtues of this man and ordained him a priest. At that time, Emperor Justinian the Great became ill and his illness, according to the conviction of all physicians, was incurable. The emperor prayed to God with great fervency and God revealed in a dream to him that Sampson would heal him. And indeed, when the emperor learned of Sampson, he invited him to his court and just as the elder placed his hand on the ailing place, the emperor recovered.
When the emperor offered him enormous wealth for this, Sampson thanked him and did not want to accept anything saying to him: "O Emperor, even I had gold and silver and other goods, but I left all for the sake of Christ in order to gain eternal heavenly goods." But when the emperor insisted on doing something for him, Holy Sampson implored the emperor to build him a hospice for the poor where Sampson served the poor as a parent serves his children.
Mercy toward the poor and the helpless was natural to him. Finally, this saintly man, completely filled with heavenly power and goodness, reposed peacefully on June 27, 530 A.D. and was interred in the Church of his relative, the Holy Martyr Mókios. After his death, Sampson appeared many times to those who called upon him for assistance.
1 Corinthians 4:5-8 KJV
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.R
Saint Matthew 13:44-54 KJV
K44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
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?
by St. Peter of Damaskos
Let him who wants to act rightly entreat God in prayer, and at once knowledge and power will be given him. In this way it will be evident that the grace bestowed by God was justly given; for it was given after prayer, although it could have been given without prayer. No praise, however, is due to the man who accepts the air by means of which he lives, knowing that without it life is impossible; rather he himself owes thanks to his Creator, who has given him a nose and the health to breathe and live. Similarly, we also should rather thank God because in His grace He has created our prayer, our knowledge, our strength, our virtue, all our circumstances and our very selves. And not only has He done all this, but He ceaselessly does whatever He can to overcome our wickedness and that of our enemies, the demons.
"If we love God very much, prayer will say itself." St. Porphyrios
THE TRADE?
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. St. Matt 16:25 KJV
How many are willing to devote an entire life, everything in it and about it, to God? And how many ask: if that is what God wants, why give us this life to begin with?
To put it in childish terms, imagine your father or mother giving you a toy and telling you that when the time comes, he or she will ask for it back and sometime thereafter will replace it with a sports car or its equivalent? And, in order to strengthen you against doubt about the promise, he or she shows you a sports car.
But wait, all of us are familiar with the scenario above, so set it aside and consider that which is easy for a child to miss.
In the childish mind, the toy is here and now, (not simply words of promise). Besides the difference is incomprehensible to a childish mind. But you are no longer a child to think in a childish way. So consider the following aspect, aware, at least to some degree, the inexpressible, incomparable promise of Paradise Forever by its Creator. And now contrast that with what God is asking for in trade. First off, the life He is asking for, this life, has a termination date! But in addition, it is and always has been abundant with arrogance, hatred, jealousy, greed, war, murder, thievery, frailty, ignorance, and with dependencies on air, food, shelter, income, etc., etc., etc., etc., yet so many of us are glued to it. Worse yet, we are so, so, so, disfigured that we don’t give a moments notice to the fact that our attachment to the crumb (in comparison) of beauty, love, joy, in Paradise Forever, would lead us to not only believe in the Truth but to come to KNOW Who speaks it and that in doing as He asks, He is trading infinite gold for our wooden nickel.
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