VISION THAT BECKONS

VISION THAT BECKONS


...the Holy Spirit of God has been at work in the whole creation from its very inception, and is still at work, not just in the Church, but in the whole universe, bringing it to fulfilment according to God’s plans; that I can trust the Triune God to fulfill the created order according to His plans, despite many apparent failures and regressions I am privileged to be initiated, by baptism-chrismation into the great mystery of the universe as God guides it to its destiny.

The vision that beckons defies human word and concept. The mind cannot envision what God has set in store for creation. The destiny is good without mitigation, pure joy in love, peace in community with all, ecstasy without triumph, sweeter than anything our mind and senses can now enjoy. The human mind can neither conceive of nor imagine what God has set in store for us and for all creation. Our fantasy and our imagination cannot soar so high. Even when we finally experience it, it will beyond all language and concept.

It is the Spirit that assures me of this. And the Spirit leads me there. That Spirit, we have a foretaste. The reality will surpass all present hope and human expectation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit one true God, for ever and ever. Amen.


from the autobiography:
Love's Freedom, The Grand Mystery
by Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios
source: http://www.geocities.com/gregorianstudycircle/My_Vision.html
050109

SUPPLICATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

SUPPLICATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
A Syriac Prayer

O Thou Divine Comforter and Advocate, Spirit of Truth, Treasure-house of Goodness, and Fountain of Life. Thou who dost apportion gifts and give talents from above; come and dwell in us, and cleanse us thoroughly, O Lord.

Create a clean heart in us and renew a right spirit within us, even the spirit of temperance and purity, of righteousness and true holiness; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, even the spirit of strength and firm purpose; the spirit of knowledge and the awe of God.

Be with us and be our guide and leader, strengthening us and aiding us at all times. O Spirit of Holiness, full of mercy and goodness, grant our tears to flow and cleanse our hearts.

Do Thou take up Thy dwelling within us.

Touch our hearts with the fire of Thy love, O God, and refresh and revive us in all good works that we may live in Thee forever and ever.

Amen.


from The Golden Key to Divine Worship
by Mar Severius Ephrem Barsoum
Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church, 1961
042909

KNOWING GOD'S WILL

KNOWING GOD'S WILL

If you want to know what is meant by "God's will", this is one way to get a good idea of it. "God's will" is certainly found in anything that is required of us in order that we may be united with one another in love. ...Everything that is demanded of me, in order that I may treat every other person effectively as a human being, "is willed for me by God under the natural law." ...I must learn to share with others their joys, their sufferings, their ideas, their needs, their desires. I must learn to do this not only in the cases of those who are of the same class, the same profession, the same race, the same nation as myself, but when those who suffer belong to other groups, even to groups that are regarded as hostile. If I do this, I obey God. If I refuse to do it, I disobey Him. It is not therefore a matter left open to subjective caprice.


Thomas Merton
New Seeds of Contemplation
New York: New Directions Press, 1961; p 76-77
(with appreciation to Jim Forest, Orthodox Peace Fellowship)
042209

BENEFITS OF STRUGGLING

BENEFITS OF STRUGGLING
A Story

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.


Author unknown (as retold by Fr. William)
041909

Lessons from Alexander the Great

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way,
he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his
face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword
and all his wealth were of no consequence. He now longed to reach home to
see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the
fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant
homeland.

So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to
breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this
world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail."

With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their
king's last wishes.

"My first desire is that", said Alexander, "my physicians alone must carry
my coffin."

After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is
being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with
gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury."

The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and
continued.

"My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my
coffin."

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But
no one dared bring the question to their lips.. Alexander's favorite general
kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we assure you that
your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange
wishes?"

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: "I would like the world to
know of the three lessons I have learned...

1. "I want my physicians to carry my coffin because, people should realize
that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save
a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for
granted.

2. "The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to
the graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold will come
with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with
me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

3. "And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I
wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty
handed I go out of this world".

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him
and breathed his last.

From: M. Nawaz
Source: apocryphal

Abba Macarius Defeats the Devil

When Abba Macarius was passing one time through the wadi to his cell, carrying some palm branches, the devil met him on the path with a scythe.  He tried to strike Abba Macarius but was unable to, and said to him, "You are powerful, Macarius! I can't do anything against you! Look - what you can do, I can do too: you fast and I don't eat anything at all; you keep vigil and I don't sleep at all. There is only one thing are which you're better than me."

 

Abba Macarius said to him, "What is that?"

 

The devil said to him, "It's your humility. On account of your humility, there is nothing I can do to you."

 

And when the saint stretched out his hands, the demon disappeared and Abba Macarius continued on his way, giving glory to God.

 

from

St Macarius the Spiritbearer

Coptic Texts Relating to Saint Macarius the Great

Translated by Tim Vivian

SVS Press 2004

Explaining Our Relationship with God

Posted: 05/22/11 11:23 AM ET

Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD

Transpersonal and positive psychologist

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-r-rad-ma-psyd/can-psychology-explain-go_b_863589.html

 

Can psychology explain God?

The need to know a higher being that some of us call God has been a long lasting one. It does not seem to go away but only gets more profound. What we call this higher being -- God, Allah, the all-powerful, the first being, the wholeness or the lord -- is not the concern but, instead, how we define and relate to it.

Going back to the concept of God and how psychology might explain it -- It does not seem that psychologists can claim to have or will be able to explain God entirely. They need other areas of science and research to come together with wisdom to be able to give us a concept that we can grasp and practice. A concept that diminishes the sense of uncertainty about the truth. All scientists, whether physicists, astronomers, statisticians or biologists, can each act as a piece of the puzzle to bring more understanding by providing information. Psychologists can add to this information and encourage people to apply it by encouraging them to self reflect, become self-aware and self-develop. This being needs a totalistic explanation that only comes with collaboration.

The process of knowing and connecting with a God or spirituality seems to be a type of schooling which has distinct stages. As we move forward with these stages, our definition of what it means to be spiritual or religious redefines itself and expands. These spiritual stages are similar to Maslow's stages of self-growth but are also a more transparent form of Maslow's hierarchy.

One stage is not better than the other -- we all can get to the top by going through the bottom, and it is just the matter of being aware that there is a top and then by moving forward by making a conscious choice. Here are the stages of spirituality or religiousness:

1) A God that helps with physiological needs: At this basic stage we need a God to help us with our basic needs mostly physiological ones for survival. We pray to gain rewards of having enough food and water. There is usually a basic concept of heaven and hell attached which is a reflection of our motivating force in life (to have enough to survive). Heaven being a good place with plenty of food and drink and hell being a place of deprivation. So, we need God to make sure our basic needs are met through the eternity. At this stage, there is likely to be an anxious attachment to God which may be based on a sense of fear rather than love.

2) A God that makes us feel safe: At this stage people have a need for a God to feel safe and secure. If they have enough food and drink and those basic needs are taken care of, then safety becomes important. People want to feel like they are safe and something is protecting them personally, financially and health wise. They want to feel safe against accidents in life, here and eternally.

3) A God that gives us a sense of love and belonging: At this stage, after basic survival and safety needs are met, comes a need to have a God that gives us love and a feeling of belonging to something beyond this limited humanness. Humans have a need to feel like they belong to something bigger, that they are internally accepted, and to feel like they are loved. They do not want to feel lonely and they want reassurance that even after they die, there is something to which they can be attached.

4) A God that helps with self esteem needs: At this stage, humans feel content with their basic survival, safety, and belonging needs and now find a need to be unconditionally valued. They feel like they need to make some changes to get some higher being's recognition by contributing something good to the society. The reward for them is a feeling that something higher than them is recognizing them as being valuable.

5) A desire for God because of self-actualization: At this stage, the process of getting to know God becomes more personal and is based on a sense of individuality. At this stage, people do not want to be followers but to learn from their environment, gather information and knowledge based on facts and apply those to their uniqueness to get to a place of contentment. The person at this stage may become creative, a sense of creativity that brings something positive to this world and is meaningful. Also, people have peak experiences of connecting to something bigger, have a composed present, have a more efficient perception of reality and are comfortable with how it is unfolding rather than resisting it. They can accept good and bad, high and low, and are aware of the difference; they are accepting of self, others and connect to nature; they take responsibility for their actions; are moderately spontaneous and like simple things; have an evolved rational side and a fully functioning intuitive side. These individuals pause and then respond to their emotions, try not to hurt others intentionally; are honest; productive; and work to alleviate problems. It seems that in this era, about 1-2 percent of the population are getting to this stage, even though we all have the potential to do so but somehow get stuck at the lower ones.

6) A natural God inside and out because of self-transcendence: This is the final stage of a true spirituality. This is when the person feels like he is connected with a whole being and is living his life from a deeper place of being. A place including all but not limited to one aspect of life. This is more of a global soul and beyond. Many of who we consider prophets were highly evolved beings who reached this stage. It seems that in this era of life, less than 1 percent of the population gets here. Some of the characteristics of this stage are: continues peak experiences which create a sense of peace with life with all its ups and downs, speaking more easily and the language of poetry and mysticism becomes more easily comprehensible. People who reach this stage can find the positive in everything, are meta-motivated internally, are into wholeness, truth, beauty, goodness and unity as their source of motivation; they seem to recognize each other and connect flawlessly; they are more responsive to inner and outer beauty and see it in all; they function more globally; they are innovators; are composed, and are post conventional (having gone through all of Kohlberg's moral development stages), have a healthy and balanced life style, and are connectors.

At the end, it is important to remember that the higher stages include all the lower ones and going back and forth is natural.

* * * *

Author: Roya Rohani Rad, MA, PsyD
Self Knowledge Base & Foundation
A non profit dedicated to public education
www.SelfKnowledgebase.com

Idol Thoughts on a Summer Day

Idol Thoughts on a Summer Day

by Rev. Fr. John-Brian Paprock
Holy Transfiguration Mission, Madison, Wisconsin USA - Summer 2004

In Holy Orthodoxy, salvation (theosis) is a process. It is not automatic. It is not magical. It is something we work out in cooperation with God through our free will. By choosing the process, we enter into a struggle.

According to the Fathers of the Church, there are two aspects to the process
of theosis/salvation:

- Cleansing of passions – putting off the old (lower) man
- Winning of virtues – putting on the new (higher) man
- St. Paul talks of “dying to self, that Christ may live in us.” (Also Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:22-24)

So then, what is the main obstacle in our way of spiritual progress?

Sin! Not just the big moral stuff, but all of it; anything that takes us from being with God, from working out of our salvation with fear and trembling.

In the ten commandments, the very first is: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. It is the first because the most prevalent sins come from breaking this commandment. This is the travesty of idolatry. Most assume it is the worshipping false gods or idols, particularly those of statues, made from the materials of the earth. It is this, but much more than this. Anything we place in front of God, before our worship of Him, must be seen as an idol. Our maintenance of these "priorities" "distractions"
"pleasures" (or whatever we wish to call them) above the maintenance of a Godward life is the same as idolatry. Idolatry is a distortion of the proper relationship with the Triune Godhead.

The prevalent list of "seven deadly" sins can be seen in this light:
1. Pride – idolatry of self, distortion of self-esteem
2. Envy – idolatry of others, distortion of discernment and admiration
3. Coveting – idolatry of things, distortion of temporal ownership
4. Greed – idolatry of wealth/money, distortion of generosity
5. Lust – idolatry of sexual expression/passion, distortion of fruitfulness
6. Gluttony – idolatry of food, distortion of healthy consumption,
temperance
7. Sloth – Idolatry of leisure - distortion of needful rest

We need to get things into proper perspective. We need to be actively honest, searching for the truth, proving all things. We need to dispense with the works of evil in our lives - and then put off the old again until it stays off. We need to keep putting on the new given us from Holy Baptism until it stays on. Christ will be our guide and guardian. If we ask for His help and angels will rush to our side.

It may be helpful to examine the proper nature of self so that we do not bear the sin of pride; the proper manner of admiration so that do not envy. We need to examine our property, our wealth, and our attachment to it, realizing from whence it came and where it will end. We need to understand the fullness of healthy relations and family fruitfulness. We need to care for our bodies properly with healthy foods, exercise and rest.

We need to know the proper ways of being in this world so that we do not withhold the love that Christ has already been given to us. Often we think that sin is related to harming others and when we sin we withhold God's love from them - this is Truth! But the greatest commandment testifies that we must love God with all our minds, heart and souls and our neighbor as ourselves. So, when we sin, we withhold God's love from ourselves and then we cannot love others in the true way - this is how we truly harm others by harming ourselves.

Let us move from sinful ways continually. Let us embrace holy, virtuous and loving acts instead. We know that cannot do this without divine intervention. So, we must ask Christ for His love and mercy through confession and repentance. In this action of request, this humility of honest reflection and intention, we defeat the devil and we embark upon the journey of salvation, the process of theosis, the way of Christ.

And when we fall again, let us ask again for His love and mercy and let us rise from the dead, putting off the lower man and putting on the higher - until that day when we have not only worked out our own purification, but have saved thousands around us by our example along the way. We do not need to know how we may be reaching them or who among those that we encounter will be touched by our efforts - only that God will recognize their inner movement toward Him because of us.

Without this two-fold effort of putting off sin and embracing Godliness, we are left in the quagmire and whirlpools of earthly life that will lead to only one conclusion - death. Too dramatic for your case? If you believe it is not that bad - do you wish to be in such dire straits at a later date? How much further do you think you can go before you are stuck? How far from God does one have to be in order to be separated from Him?

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

If you wish to leave the idols of your life and embrace the True Way of the New Life in Christ, contact your local church. Have courage, for Christ has overcome the world and, once we have begun the process, started on the Way, He will never leave nor forsake us - no matter how many times we turn our backs on Him. We need only turn back again (repent) to live!

 

If you liked this, several pastoral books by Fr John Brian are available: http://stores.lulu.com/transfiguration

 

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swap anger for joy

Sinit Ghebrehiwet sent this:

 

You've probably heard the old saying, "Don't get mad, get even." Well, here's some good advice for you: Don't do either. Anger robs people of the joy of the Christian life. On the other hand, being quick to forgive will help you defeat those angry feelings. Ask GOD for His strength to swap your anger for His joy.

 

Holy Bible Verses: " My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that GOD desires." James 1:19-20

 

"Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself." Proverbs 22:24-25

 

Life Lesson: For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)✝✝✝

THE WORLD AS SACRAMENT

In its foremost symbol, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Orthodox
Church confesses "one God, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things
visible and invisible." From this fundamental principle and declaration of
faith, the Orthodox Church articulates the concept of cosmic
transfiguration, especially through its hymnography.

The Feast of Christ's Transfiguration on August 6th highlights the integral
connection between metamorphosis and theophany, extending the divine light
and transformative power to all creation:
"Today, on Mt. Tabor, in the manifestation of your light, O Lord, You were
unaltered from the light of the unbegotten Father. We have seen the Father
as light, and the Spirit as light, guiding with light the entire creation."

And the Feast of our Lord's Baptism on January 6th proclaims:
"The nature of waters is sanctified, the earth is blessed, and the heavens
are enlightened . so that by the elements of creation, and by angels, and by
human beings, by things both visible and invisible, God's most holy name may
be glorified."

The breadth and depth of the Orthodox cosmic vision implies that humanity is
a part of a "theophany," which is always greater than any single individual.
As St. Maximus states: "Human beings are not isolated from the rest of
creation. They are bound by their very nature to the whole of creation."
Thus, in The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky urges:
"Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love
every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants,
love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine
mystery in things."
[...]

On the sixth day of creation, God created man and woman in His divine image
and likeness. Yet, what most people overlook is that the sixth day is not
dedicated to the formation of Adam alone. That sixth day was shared with
"living creatures of every kind; cattle and creeping things and wild animals
of the earth." (Gen. 1.24) This close connection between humanity and the
rest of creation is a powerful reminder of our intimate relationship with
the environment. While there is undoubtedly something unique about our
creation in God's image, there is more that unites us than separates us, not
only as human beings but also with creation. It is a lesson we have learned
the hard way in recent decades.

The saints of our Church understood this well. They knew that a person with
a pure heart was able to sense the connection with the rest of creation,
including the animal world. The connection is not merely emotional; it is
profoundly spiritual, providing a sense of continuity and community as well
as an expression of identity and compassion with all of creation. One may
recall St. Seraphim of Sarov feeding the bear in the forests of the north.

As Abba Isaac of Nineveh observed:
"A merciful heart burns with love for all creation: for human beings, birds,
beasts, even demons - for all God's creatures. When it recalls these
creatures, it is filled with tears. An overwhelming compassion makes the
heart grow small and weak, and it cannot endure to hear or see any
suffering, even the slightest pain, inflicted upon any creature."

Patriarch Bartholomew
THE WORLD AS SACRAMENT
The Theological and Spiritual Vision of Creation
May 26, 2010
http://www.mospat.ru/en/2010/05/26/news19252/

10 Spiritually Transmitted Diseases

10 Spiritually Transmitted Diseases

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mariana-caplan-phd/spiritual-living-10-spiri_b_609248.html

Mariana Caplan, Ph.D. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mariana-caplan-phd
Author, Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path
Posted: June 15, 2010

It is a jungle out there, and it is no less true about spiritual life than any other aspect of life. Do we really think that just because someone has been meditating for five years, or doing 10 years of yoga practice, that they will be any less neurotic than the next person? At best, perhaps they will be a little bit more aware of it. A little bit.

It is for this reason that I spent the last 15 years of my life researching and writing books on cultivating discernment on the spiritual path in all the gritty areas--power, sex, enlightenment, gurus, scandals, psychology, neurosis -- as well as earnest, but just plain confused and unconscious, motivations on the path. My partner (author and teacher Marc Gafni) and I are developing a new series of books, courses and practices to bring further clarification to these issues.

Several years ago, I spent a summer living and working in South Africa. Upon my arrival I was instantly confronted by the visceral reality that I was in the country with the highest murder rate in the world, where rape was common and more than half the population was HIV-positive -- men and women, gays and straights alike.

As I have come to know hundreds of spiritual teachers and thousands of spiritual practitioners through my work and travels, I have been struck by the way in which our spiritual views, perspectives and experiences become similarly "infected" by "conceptual contaminants" -- comprising a confused and immature relationship to complex spiritual principles can seem as invisible and insidious as a sexually transmitted disease.

The following 10 categorizations are not intended to be definitive but are offered as a tool for becoming aware of some of the most common spiritually transmitted diseases.

1. Fast-Food Spirituality: Mix spirituality with a culture that celebrates speed, multitasking and instant gratification and the result is likely to be fast-food spirituality. Fast-food spirituality is a product of the common and understandable fantasy that relief from the suffering of our human condition can be quick and easy. One thing is clear, however: spiritual transformation cannot be had in a quick fix.

2. Faux Spirituality: Faux spirituality is the tendency to talk, dress and act as we imagine a spiritual person would. It is a kind of imitation spirituality that mimics spiritual realization in the way that leopard-skin fabric imitates the genuine skin of a leopard.

3. Confused Motivations: Although our desire to grow is genuine and pure, it often gets mixed with lesser motivations, including the wish to be loved, the desire to belong, the need to fill our internal emptiness, the belief that the spiritual path will remove our suffering and spiritual ambition, the wish to be special, to be better than, to be "the one."

4. Identifying with Spiritual Experiences: In this disease, the ego identifies with our spiritual experience and takes it as its own, and we begin to believe that we are embodying insights that have arisen within us at certain times. In most cases, it does not last indefinitely, although it tends to endure for longer periods of time in those who believe themselves to be enlightened and/or who function as spiritual teachers.

5. The Spiritualized Ego: This disease occurs when the very structure of the egoic personality becomes deeply embedded with spiritual concepts and ideas. The result is an egoic structure that is "bullet-proof." When the ego becomes spiritualized, we are invulnerable to help, new input, or constructive feedback. We become impenetrable human beings and are stunted in our spiritual growth, all in the name of spirituality.

6. Mass Production of Spiritual Teachers: There are a number of current trendy spiritual traditions that produce people who believe themselves to be at a level of spiritual enlightenment, or mastery, that is far beyond their actual level. This disease functions like a spiritual conveyor belt: put on this glow, get that insight, and -- bam! -- you're enlightened and ready to enlighten others in similar fashion. The problem is not that such teachers instruct but that they represent themselves as having achieved spiritual mastery.

7. Spiritual Pride: Spiritual pride arises when the practitioner, through years of labored effort, has actually attained a certain level of wisdom and uses that attainment to justify shutting down to further experience. A feeling of "spiritual superiority" is another symptom of this spiritually transmitted disease. It manifests as a subtle feeling that "I am better, more wise and above others because I am spiritual."

8. Group Mind: Also described as groupthink, cultic mentality or ashram disease, group mind is an insidious virus that contains many elements of traditional co-dependence. A spiritual group makes subtle and unconscious agreements regarding the correct ways to think, talk, dress, and act. Individuals and groups infected with "group mind" reject individuals, attitudes, and circumstances that do not conform to the often unwritten rules of the group.

9. The Chosen-People Complex: The chosen people complex is not limited to Jews. It is the belief that "Our group is more spiritually evolved, powerful, enlightened and, simply put, better than any other group." There is an important distinction between the recognition that one has found the right path, teacher or community for themselves, and having found The One.

10. The Deadly Virus: "I Have Arrived": This disease is so potent that it has the capacity to be terminal and deadly to our spiritual evolution. This is the belief that "I have arrived" at the final goal of the spiritual path. Our spiritual progress ends at the point where this belief becomes crystallized in our psyche, for the moment we begin to believe that we have reached the end of the path, further growth ceases.

"The essence of love is perception," according to the teachings of Marc Gafni, "Therefore the essence of self love is self perception. You can only fall in love with someone you can see clearly--including yourself. To love is to have eyes to see. It is only when you see yourself clearly that you can begin to love yourself."

It is in the spirit of Marc's teaching that I believe that a critical part of learning discernment on the spiritual path is discovering the pervasive illnesses of ego and self-deception that are in all of us. That is when we need a sense of humor and the support of real spiritual friends. As we face our obstacles to spiritual growth, there are times when it is easy to fall into a sense of despair and self-diminishment and lose our confidence on the path. We must keep the faith, in ourselves and in others, in order to really make a difference in this world.

Adapted from Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path (Sounds True)

Orthdox Prayers for the Sick

Troparion Tone 4

O Christ, Who alone art quick to help, show from on high a speedy visitation to Thy suffering servant.  Deliver him from all illnesses and bitter pains, and raise him up to praise and glorify Thee unceasingly, through the intercessions of the Mother of God, O only Lover of men.

+ + +

O Physician of souls and bodies, with compunction and contrite hearts we fall down before Thee, and we groan and cry to Thee: Heal the diseases, cure the passions of the souls and bodies of Thy servants. Forgive them in Thy loving kindness all their sins voluntary and involuntary, and quickly raise them from the bed of sickness, we pray Thee, hear us and have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

+ + +

Thee alone I follow, Lord Jesus, Who heals my wounds.  For what shall separate me from the love of God, which is in Thee?  Shall tribulation, or disease, or famine?  I am held fast as though by nails, and fettered by the bonds of charity.  Remove from me, O Lord Jesus, with Thy potent sword, the corruption of my sins. Secure me in the bonds of Thy love; cut away what is corrupt in me. Come quickly and make an end of my many, hidden and secret afflictions.  Open the wound lest the evil humour spread. With Thy new washing, cleanse in me all that is stained. Hear me, you earthly men, who in your sins bring forth drunken thoughts: I have found the Physician. He dwells in Heaven and distributes His healing on earth. He alone can heal my pains Who Himself has none.  He alone, Who knows what is hidden, can take away the grief of my heart, the fear of my soul.  Jesus Christ.  Christ is grace, Christ is life, Christ is Resurrection!  Amen.

Prayer of St. Ambrose who attributed this prayer to Apostle Matthew.

Inward Sign of the Cross

Throughout its history the sign of the cross has been seen as a mark of Christian identity. From this perspective it is performed so that the sign may be seen by others. This was the case especially in earlier Christian centuries, as well as during times when Christianity became threatened.

According to the sign's other meaning, which has become more prominent in the last twelve centuries, the gesture of the cross is also a self-blessing, a gesture that imitates and reflects the sacramental blessing of the priest.

As both interpretations suggest, it is not directed towards God - unlike the gesture of the outstretched arms. In the first case, as the mark of Christian identity, it is directed at someone else. And in the second case, as a gesture of blessing, the sign is turned toward the self. In both cases, since it is traced over the body, its conceptual start is the most graspable sense of the self, which is the body. Where the gesture of the outstretched arms formed an invocation, the inward direction of the sign of the cross creates a gesture of profession of and acceptance of the faith. Both the sign of the cross and the gesture of the outstretched arms signify prayer, but the direction, and therefore the meaning of the prayer formed by the gesture, is different in each case.

Lifting the hands is something we do when we address God in heaven. This form of address works similarly to the way we communicate among oursleves. We speak, and our words are sent, offered toward and heard by the other person. Tracing the sign of the cross over one's body is different. We gesture the sign of the cross when we invite God to talk to us, to accept and clean our body and our entire being, so that our body becomes a temple for God to dwell in. This kind of prayer is more contemplative in nature. It starts with the self and is directed to God in heaven through an inward journey.


Andreas Andreopoulos
The Sign of the Cross: The Gesture, The Mystery, The History
Paraclete Press, 2006
pp 72-73

What Worship in Spirit and Truth really means

> respected father Brian,
> When/if you get time, would you explain what worship in Spirit and Truth really means?
>
> Susan Eapen
> Thiruvananthapuram
>




Dearest Susan,


This is a good question and worthy of our attention. However, I can only give what I have been given know of this, which may be incomplete and anemic in an attempt to answer fully.

Bishop John, a bihsop of my youth to whom I asked many questions (probably to the point of annoyance), once responded to one of my questions by saying something like:

"I could answer this for you, but I am sure you will find it insuffecient for your curiousity. There may not be a full and true answer anywhere in this world. Then again your curiousity may be bigger than your willingness to understand the truth. In Holy Orthodoxy we accept that there will always be mystery since we cannot comprehend the fullness and the entirety of the Godhead. So, you may be asking something that is intended to be a mystery. Nevertheless, I will take your question with the intent that you have a God-given reason in your heart for this knowledge."

But he did not answer. Whem I asked him again, he said, "Let me pray about this some more. I will ask you to pray for the naswer as well, maybe in our lifetime God will answer the question for our understanding and spiritual development." (Yes, talked like that even if I am not quoting directly.)

So, to your request for an explanation of "worship in Spirit and in Truth" - I have prayed about it and will ask that you say a prayer at this moment (before you read further) that He will enlighten all of us in spiritual knowledge.

{May the Lord guide me to the doing of His will}

To worship is to dedicate and sanctify our human time and energy to the fullness of who and what we have been created to be. In our worship, we let go of the worldly conditions and seek to align ourselves with the spiritual conditions of eternity, that is to say eternal life. This means to purify our physical bodies, our minds and our hearts so that we can be more like that reflected image in which we were created. This requires honesty, clarifying and microscopic honesty, that engages our conscience to the release of anything that prevents us from being one with God. So to say we worship in Spirit and in Truth - is also t say that we do NOT worship in materialism and in deception - even more, that we CAN NOT worship except in Spirit and in Truth.

{Amen.}

Hope this has helped.
Forgive me anything I may have done knowingly or unknowingly.
Pray for me, a servant

Fr John Brian

On Those Who Accuse the Clergy

Elder Paisios: On Those Who Accuse the Clergy
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/03/elder-paisios-on-those-who-accuse.html

 

We once asked Father Paisios:

 

Father, you constantly tell us to have positive thinking. We would like you to give us some advice on how to deal with the following problem:

 

Often people come to us to tell us that some priests charge a lot of money for performing the Holy Sacraments; they say that they smoke, or hang around coffee shops; they even say that some priests are involved in immoral acts, and in general, make strong accusations against them and present evidence to justify them. What answers can we give to people who accuse the clergy?

 

The Elder started telling us:

 

I know from experience that in this life people are divided in two categories. A third category does not exist; people either belong to one or the other. The first one resembles the fly. The main characteristic of the fly is that it is attracted by dirt. For example, when a fly is found in a garden full of flowers with beautiful fragrances, it will ignore them and will go sit on top of some dirt found on the ground. It will start messing around with it and feel comfortable with the bad smell. If the fly could talk, and you asked it to show you a rose in the garden, it would answer: "I don't even know what a rose looks like. I only know where to find garbage, toilets and dirt." There are some people who resemble the fly. People belonging to this category have learned to think negatively and always look for the bad things in life, ignoring and refusing the presence of good.

 

The other category is like the bee whose main characteristic is to always look for something sweet and nice to sit on. When a bee is found in a room full of dirt and there is a small piece of sweet in a corner, it will ignore the dirt and will go to sit on top of the sweet. Now, if we ask the bee to show us where the garbage is, it will answer: "I don't know. I can only tell you where to find flowers, sweets, honey and sugar; it only knows the good things in life and is ignorant of all evil." This is the second category of people who have a positive thinking and see only the good side of things. They always try to cover up the evil in order to protect their fellow men; on the contrary, people in the first category try to expose the evil and bring it to the surface.

 

When someone comes to me and starts accusing other people and puts me in a difficult situation, I tell him the above example. Then, I ask him to decide to which category he wishes to belong, so he may find people of the same kind to socialize with.

 

From Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Priestmonk Christodoulos (1998), pp. 43-44.

 

From: Jason H.

An Assurance of God's Love

Dear Ones,

 

I want to be more capable and more demonstrative of the love I have for you, but it seems that I have been too busy, too distracted, too distant, too limited to tell you over and over again (as many times as you need to hear it): You are LOVED.

 

Please be assured, or reassured, that you are loved; that God loves you and that I love you.

 

God loves you completely and absolutely and He is never too busy, too distracted, too distant, too limited. 

 

He loves you as He sees you - the way He created you: whole and perfect; unique and human; complete and yet becoming.

 

He loves you beyond and above any love we are humanly capable of giving.  I can assure of this because I have known His love and I have seen the power of its benevolent force in tragedy, pain, suffering and death.  I bear witness to that love in the created world around us and in the creativity of humanity.

 

And I, and unworthy recipient of this great love, have been given a gift beyond expectation - I can share this same love with you; with anyone; with everyone; with all of creation.  I say "unworthy" because I cannot claim to have done any deed worthy of so great a love as the Lord has bestowed upon me. I have failed at some of the simplest of requests made of me and my life - yet God still loves me in fullness, or rather, beyond fullness as there seems to be an endless amount to share with you.

 

So, if I have known you or only know your name; or if we have been comrades in this life in the travails of human pain or heroic moments of human triumph; or if we have only met through the electronic media afforded us in this time; whether you are near or on the other side of the planet - I say without doubt, You are LOVED!

 

Please, just breath that Truth in with your next few breaths - the very spirit of life is full of love. It can be seen in all created things. It can be heard in every sound. It can be felt in the fullness of your chest as you breath...

 

God created  you for this time and this place. The entire universe has made space for your existence. God loves you so much that He demonstrates His love by giving free will in your uniqueness, in your time, in your space. He, who is everywhere and at all times, has given you this gift of love.

 

If you have fallen from the wondrous purpose of your life, love will restore you.  If you have been injured by the bantering of wills, love will heal you.  If you have fallen prey to devilish deceptions or misguided manipulations, love will give you clarity and show you how to get untangled  from  the destructive forces of the evil one. 

 

This inner healing and restoration and clarity does not come directly from some outward and superficial miracle. It is through the love of God that you share that these miracles will begin to appear in your life, in your family and among your loved ones.  As you give love to others, you will become another witness to the abundance of all good things - not because you manipulated the universe by giving love and getting what you think you want - but because God is good.

 

The goodness of God is abundantly surrounding us continually.  It is not what is happening to you, but how you are dealing with it - with love or without love. Love makes all the difference. Breath it in with every breath. Seek to participate in it rather than separate yourself from it.  God loves YOU!

 

Perhaps you think cannot bring yourself to love because you have been hurt or maybe even worse than that has happened to you at the hands of trusted ones who were not deserving of trust and did not show love towards you.  Then you will need to start by loving God with all your heart. Open your heart first to God above, let Him fill you with the healing light of love. Do not be concerned about others - their time will come.  Once you have known God's love as I have (and as one who has known hurtful and selfish untrustworthy people I can say this truthfully), there will be more than enough love for everyone else - because God already loves you abundantly and He will continue to love you. Sometimes I'll admit, I am afraid of being rejected. Probably you are, too.  It is risky to love, to heal, to be with God.  I have grown to understand that those that reject a spiritual and healthy love incur the greater loss. 

 

I wish I could give you a hug, letting you know that one human can love another without selfishness, without intrigue, without an agenda.  I can't though, because my arms are too short. But God, who as an infant was held by loving arms  that nurtured and protected Him, knows how important it is for us to be held in loving arms.

 

And, my dear ones, God always has room for you to be held.  And He will hold you until the sobbing ebbs; until the empty spaces are filled; until the pain and suffering no longer torment you.  He will send His angels to guard you under their wings if you will dwell with Him in His love.  

 

God loves YOU!  and, in my weak human existence filled with the wondrous love of God, I love you, too. 

 

 

 

pray for me, a servant

 

Fr John Brian

 

Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Parish

621 N Sherman Avenue,  Suite B3, Madison, Wisconsin

Sundays 9:30 am ~ 608.242.4244

Mission: http://maruroopa.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Reflections: http://frjohbrian.blogspot.com/

A Little Spiritual Help: http://littlespiritualhelp.blogspot.com/ 

The Cross of the East: http://easterncross.blogspot.com/

Moving Pictures: http://spiritfilm.blogspot.com/

Art & Photography: http://paprock.blogspot.com/

Light Along the Way: http://mypathlight.blogspot.com/

o HEALING LIFE o DEEPENING FAITH

o ENRICHING PRACTICE o REFRESHING SPIRIT

 

Conquer evil men by your gentlekindness

"You ... have not been appointed to decree vengeance upon men’s deeds and works, but rather to ask for mercy for the world, to keep vigil for salvation of all, and to partake in every man’s suffering, both the just and sinner. Rather than be an avenger, be a deliverer. Instead of being a faultfinder, be a soother. Instead of being a betrayer, be a martyr. Instead of being a chider, be a defender. Beseech God in behalf of sinners that they receive mercy, and pray to Him for the righteous that they be preserved. Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of justice to shame by your compassion. Remember that the sins of all men go before them to the judgment seat."

-- St Isaac the Syrian (+700)
The Ascetical Homilies, pp 313-314

Sounds of the Eternal - Prayer

Sounds of the Eternal - Prayer

by J. Philip Newell

 

At the ending of the day,

in the darkness of the night

I seek an inner assurance of your presence.

My body is still

and my soul is silent

as I listen for the renewing springs of your Spirit

deep in the ground of my being

and in earth's quietness all around me.

Guide me to the wellsprings of health

in the landscape of my soul

and to the hidden reservoirs of strength

in the people and places of my life

that I may be made well this night,

that I may be made well.

 

We need meaningful mysticism

By Diarmuid O'Murchu

Created Dec 15, 2010

by Diarmuid O'Murchu [1] on Dec. 15, 2010

http://ncronline.org/print/21805

We are severely damaged by the absence of meaningful mysticism. I believe that only such deep spirituality can give us the wisdom, courage, heart and great souls needed to confront and turn around the government, religions and business institutions that work together now to destroy our world. How else do we engender hope and vitality in the face of these destructive forces?

The human spirit was never meant to live with so much fear and helplessness. So mysticism – the idea that we can directly access the divine in our human experience, in our everyday living – haunts our imagination. I would define meaningful mysticism or spirituality as a capacity for mystery, together with a longing for the infinite.

This mysticism is not elitist or esoteric. It happens in real ways, grounded in real life. Whenever the values of the Gospel are lived out in real ways, that’s mysticism. Denuded of our capacity for mystery and the infinite, we atrophy, shrivel and end up turning to all sorts of compensations to feed our deep desires, creating a culture awash in consumerism and addictions. Mysticism is an enduring resource that delivers liberating hope and creative possibility.

This meaningful mysticism is directly connected to the story science is telling us about how the universe evolved and how we humans emerged from it.

There’s a cosmic dimension to our lives, elegantly illustrated in the fact that stardust is essential to our existence and all sources of our nourishment ultimately belong to light from a nearby star.

Our own existence derives from an amazingly creative story of some 6 million years, yet our human origins and history for hundreds of thousands of years are often dismissed by academics as primitive and barbaric.

Without this wider point of view, there is a tendency in religion to alienate people from the planetary and cosmic web of life. The dualism of sacred versus secular truncates nature’s invitation to live in a convivial, cooperative relationship with the Earth and its living systems. The experience of being human in an integrated planetary and cosmic way is largely unknown to people of our time.

Healthy efforts are underway to re-imagine these Earth-human relationships in, for example, the bioregional movement.

Meaningful mysticism seeks the sacred in the ordinary, not in the extraordinary, salvation in the goodness of the now, not in the ultimate triumph of a hereafter. It takes incarnation seriously, thereby inviting further commitment to and engagement with the transformation God desires for all embodied life from cosmos to individuals. The deeper we reach into creation itself the more we encounter that which we yearn for transcendentally.

We come to realize God is not so much a ruler from on high as a catalyst who reveals meaning from within the creation. The great Mystery is illuminated particularly through the paradoxes in life that often baffle and confuse us.

I recently heard Green activist Paul Hawken describe the present convergence of the environment and social justice movements as the largest social movement in history, comprising over one million organizations in every country in the world. He documents the efforts of these groups. In the church I notice that 60 percent of all theologians are now lay people. This lay generation is solidly grounded in environmental and human rights.

There is a worldwide ferment that generates hope, and it’s found among elders mostly. The young can’t afford to pay attention in a very competitive society. Elders need to carry the responsibility.

Today we are inundated with information while knowledge has become the province of academia, but that knowledge tends to be dry, heady and often not very useful. We need wisdom, not just information and knowledge.

How do we learn to live wisely? A key formulation of wise living can be found in the Green adage to think globally, then act locally. That keeps us grounded in the real while our ideal side as creatures of the cosmos, as planetary dwellers, is satisfied as well. There are places around the world where people are coming together to find ways to live wisely. I teach every year at the Sophia Center in Oakland, Calif., which is one such place, but there are many others.

I like this quote from Margaret Wheatley: “It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships and how well we know and trust one another.”

The Effects Of Spirituality On Alcohol Dependence

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 December 2010, 00:29 CST

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1966640/the_effects_of_spirituality_in_alcoholics_anonymous_on_alcohol_dependence/index.html?source=r_health

New research shows that attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may increase spirituality and help decrease frequency and intensity of alcohol use

    * Alcoholics Anonymous is a widely known 12-step program that can help individuals control their dependence on alcohol, and spirituality is a large part
    * A new study shows that spirituality does increase over time, which can lead to better alcohol outcomes and an improved rate of recovery
    * These results indicate that spirituality is an important factor in the multi-faceted recovery from an alcohol-use disorder

Addictions, whether it is to drugs or alcohol, are a very difficult hurdle for individuals to overcome. But, there are ways to help people with their recovery through 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Many of these organizations, including AA, highlight spirituality as a very important factor, but the data surrounding its effectiveness have often been contested.

However, new research shows that as attendance of AA meetings increase, so do the participants spiritual beliefs, especially in those individuals who had low spirituality at the beginning of the study.

The results will be published in the March 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

John F. Kelly, lead author of the study, Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that while spirituality is an important aspect of AA recovery, it is not the only way they can help individuals.

"I've heard it said that AA is too spiritual, and I've also heard it said that AA is not spiritual enough for some people. Although this is not the only way that AA helps individuals recover, I think these findings support the notion that AA works in part by enhancing spiritual practices," Kelly said.

The researchers assessed more than 1,500 adults throughout their recovery process, with data being gathered at three, six, nine, 12, and 15 months. The study utilized data on their attendance to AA meetings, their individual spirituality/religiosity practices and overall alcohol-use outcomes to determine if spirituality is indeed a mechanism of behavior change.

The results indicated that there was a robust association between an increase in attendance to AA meetings with increased spirituality and a decrease in the frequency and intensity of alcohol use over time. One of the most interesting aspects of the research was that the same amount of recovery was seen in both agnostics and atheists, which indicates that while spirituality is an important mechanism of behavioral change for AA, it is not the only method used.

"Many people will be surprised that alcoholic patients with little or no interest in spirituality attended AA and seemed to change even more than did those who had a pre-existing, strong sense of spirituality," said Keith Humphreys, a Career Research Scientist with the Veterans Health Administration and Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University. "AA is thus much more broad in its appeal than is commonly recognized."

The researchers also noted that while spirituality is an important aspect of recovery, it is still not known how these beliefs work in complement or competition with other recovery methods, as there are multiple.

"We have also found that AA participation leads to recovery by helping members change their social network and by enhancing individuals' recovery coping skills, motivation for continued abstinence, and by reducing depression and increasing psychological well-being," said Kelly.

"Down the road it will be important to conduct more qualitative research as well as further quantitative replication of our findings in order to understand more about how exactly spiritual practices and beliefs influence coping and behavioral change in recovery from addiction"

Spirituality: Laughter can reduce stress and improve health

Spirituality: Laughter can reduce stress and improve health

November 23, 2010

This month, I went to the Laity Lodge in the Texas hill country to speak to
mental health chaplains
about methods to relieve stress in their lives.

One of the talks I gave was about the numerous studies on the benefits of
laughter to reduce stress.
For instance, there are physical benefits of laughter that include boosting
the immune system,
circulation and improving cardiovascular health.

To get these benefits, it is sometimes necessary to force the laughter. I
started our retreat by asking six
chaplains to give their best Santa Claus laugh. We made a contest of it, and
a few of their laughs made
you feel you were in Santa's workshop.

So, with the pump of frivolity fully primed, I shared with them some of the
stories I've shared with you in
previous columns.

I told them how humor helped me in the midst of a difficult deployment to
the Middle East. The humor
came at my expense when I dropped my Air Force officer's cap into a toilet.

Since it carried my name and a Christian cross, I was obliged to retrieve
the soiled cap. The funniest part
came, however, when I went to requisition a new hat from our senior chaplain
assistant.

As I stood explaining my predicament, the master sergeant bent over,
slapping both his knees.

"Give me one good reason," he said, "that I should get you a new hat after
you made such a dumb
mistake."

Well, I explained, "There are a few bad officers who carry a hat full of
crap, but it takes a really good
officer to admit it."

With that remark, the sergeant fell prostrate, hysterically beating the
floor with his fist.

"I give up, chaplain," he declared. "You got your new hat."

When I wrote that column, I got a hand-written letter from a reader who
asked me not to share that kind
of bathroom humor. I'm sorry I offended her, but I have to say in my own
defense I'm sure Jesus would
have laughed hysterically over that one.

Finally, I reminded my chaplain audience of the emotional benefits of
laughter by telling them it
reduces stress, anger and anxiety. It improves mood, optimism and emotional
intelligence. But the
best thing about laughter is it can get you off your backside and unstuck.

The point is well-made in the humorous poem that I read to myself whenever I
need a little encouragement to stop feeling sorry for myself and move
forward.

The poem is a parody of the famous poem, "Footprints in the Sand" by Mary
Stevenson (Zangare) that describes the promise of God to "never leave
you."

The parody is called, "Buttprints in the Sand," author
unknown.

"One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there was seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some strange prints appeared

And I asked the Lord, 'What have we here?'

Those prints are large and round and neat,

'But Lord, they are too big for feet.'

'My child,' he said in somber tones,

'For miles I carried you along.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused and made me wait.'

'You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith, you would not know,

So I got tired, I got fed up,

And there I dropped you on your butt.'

'Because in life, there comes a time,

When one must fight, and one must climb,

When one must rise and take a stand,

Or leave their buttprints in the sand.'"
- Norris Burkes is a former civilian hospital chaplain and an Air National
Guard chaplain. Write
norris@thechaplain.net or visit thechaplain.net. You can also follow him on
Twitter - user name is
"chaplain" - or on Facebook at facebook.com/norrisburkes

http://www.news-press.com/article/20101123/HEALTH/11230310/1051/RSS05

Father Alexander Schmemann Final words

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann Final words
http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/thankyoulord.html

Father Alexander Schmemann celebrated the divine liturgy for the last time
on Thanksgiving Day. This was particularly appropriate since Father
Alexander had devoted his whole life to teaching, writing and preaching
about the Eucharist; for the word Eucharist in Greek means thanksgiving. At
the conclusion of the liturgy, Father Alexander took from his pocket a short
written sermon, in the form of a prayer, which he proceeded to read. This
was a strange occurrence since Father never wrote his liturgical homilies,
but delivered them extemporaneously. These were his words, which proved to
be the last ever spoken by him from the ambo in Church.

Thank You, O Lord!

Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy.

Thank You, O Lord, for having accepted this Eucharist, which we offered to
the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and which filled our hearts
with the joy, peace and righteousness of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for having revealed Yourself unto us and given us the
foretaste of Your Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having united us to one another in serving You and
Your Holy Church.

Thank You, O Lord, for having helped us to overcome all difficulties,
tensions, passions, temptations and restored peace, mutual love and joy in
sharing the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for the sufferings You bestowed upon us, for they are
purifying us from selfishness and reminding us of the "one thing needed;"
Your eternal Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having given us this country where we are free to
Worship You.

Thank You, O Lord, for this school, where the name of God is proclaimed.

Thank You, O Lord, for our families: husbands, wives and, especially,
children who teach us how to celebrate Your holy Name in joy, movement and
holy noise.

Thank You, O Lord, for everyone and everything.

Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your deeds, and no word is
sufficient to celebrate Your miracles.

Lord, it is good to be here! Amen.

The Orthodox Church, Vol. 20, No. 2, February 1984, p. 1:1

Seven Marks of a Spiritual Man - by A.W. Tozer

rec'd from FB friend this morning

 

 

True spirituality manifests itself in certain dominant desires. These are ever-present, deep-settled wants sufficiently powerful to motivate and control the life. For convenience let me number them, though I make no effort to decide the order of their importance.

 

 

 

1. First is the desire to be holy rather than happy. The yearning after happiness found so widely among Christians professing a superior degree of sanctity is sufficient proof that such sanctity is not indeed present. The truly spiritual man knows that God will give abundance of joy after we have become able to receive it without injury to our souls, but he does not demand it at once. John Wesley said of the members of one of the earliest Methodist societies that he doubted that they had been made perfect in love because they came to church to enjoy religion instead of to learn how they could become holy.

 

 

 

2. A man may be considered spiritual when he wants to see the honor of God advanced through his life even if it means that he himself must suffer temporary dishonor or loss. Such a man prays Hallowed be Thy name, and silently adds, at any cost to me, Lord. He lives for God’s honor by a kind of spiritual reflex. Every choice involving the glory of God is for him already made before it presents itself. He does not need to debate the matter with his own heart; there is nothing to debate. The glory of God is necessary to him; he gasps for it as a suffocating man gasps for air.

 

 

 

3. The spiritual man wants to carry his cross. Many Christians accept adversity or tribulation with a sigh and call it their cross, forgetting that such things come alike to saint and sinner. The cross is that extra adversity that comes to us as a result of our obedience to Christ. This cross is not forced upon us; we voluntarily take it up with full knowledge of the consequences. We choose to obey Christ and by so doing choose to carry the cross. Carrying a cross means to be attached to the Person of Christ, committed to the Lordship of Christ and obedient to the commandments of Christ. The man who is so attached, so committed, so obedient is a spiritual man.

 

 

 

4. Again, a Christian is spiritual when he sees everything from God’s viewpoint. The ability to weigh all things in the divine scale and place the same value upon them as God does is the mark of a Spirit-filled life. God looks at and through at the same time. His gaze does not rest on the surface but penetrates to the true meaning of things. The carnal Christian looks at an object or a situation, but because he does not see through it he is elated or cast down by what he sees. The spiritual man is able to look through things as God looks and think of them as God thinks. He insists on seeing all things as God sees them even if it humbles him and exposes his ignorance to the point of real pain.

 

 

 

5. Another desire of the spiritual man is to die right rather than to live wrong. A sure mark of the mature man of God is his nonchalance about living. The earth-loving, body-conscious Christian looks upon death with numb terror in his heart; but as he goes on to live in the Spirit he becomes increasingly indifferent to the number of his years here below, and at the same time increasingly careful of the kind of life he lives while he is here. He will not purchase a few extra days of life at the cost of compromise or failure. He wants most of all to be right, and he is happy to let God decide how long he shall live. He knows that he can afford to die now that he is in Christ, but he knows that he cannot afford to do wrong, and this knowledge becomes a gyroscope to stabilize his thinking and his acting.

 

 

 

6. The desire to see others advance at his expense is another mark of the spiritual man. He wants to see other Christians above him and is happy when they are promoted and he is overlooked. There is no envy in his heart; when his brethren are honored he is pleased because such is the will of God and that will is his earthly heaven. If God is pleased, he is pleased for that reason, and if it pleases God to exalt another above him he is content to have it so.

 

 

 

7. The spiritual man habitually makes eternity-judgments instead of time-judgments. By faith he rises above the tug of earth and the flow of time and learns to think and feel as one who has already left the world and gone to join the innumerable company of angels and the general assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in heaven. Such a man would rather be useful than famous and would rather serve than be served. And all this must be by the operation of the Holy Spirit within him. No man can become spiritual by himself. Only the free Spirit can make a man spiritual.

 

 

 

A.W. Tozer. The Incredible Christian – Chapter 34: Marks of the Spiritual Man

 

 

The Gossip

The Gossip
 by Anonymous

 

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.

 

"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road."

 

Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.

 

The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."

 

The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.

 

"You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

THE KINGDOM OF GOD- Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

From: Bill Samsonoff

 

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
1972
----

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

I should like to begin with a short reading from the book of
Revelation, chapters 21 and 22: «I heard a great voice from the throne
saying, 'Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them;
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain any more,
for the former things have passed away.' And He who sat upon the
throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Also He said, 'Write
this, for these words are truthworthy and true... He who conquers
shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my
son...' 'I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you with this testimony for
the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright
morning star.' The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'. And let him who
hears say 'Come'. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires
take the water of life without price. ... He who testifies to these
things says, 'Surely, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The
grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen».

This is the great expectation, but this is not only expectation. The
Kingdom of God which is to come has also come with power. He has come
in many places, into many hearts, into many families, in an almost
unnoticeable way, surreptitiously, like a thief at the dead of night.
The Kingdom has come into human relationships with a new recognition
of men, with a new dimension of love, the sacrificial love of the
living God. So the Kingdom is within us, and the Kingdom is in our
midst. All things are on their way into our hearts, into our minds,
into our lives, into our will, conquering everything in us. So
embodied God is at work. He conquers, and He shall conquer.

But if we are His own people, if we are the people of God, we are
called not only to be the objects of salvation, not only to be the
recipients of grace, not only to be conquered, but we have the
privilege of being the elect of God, the chosen of God who may serve
His purpose. We are the people of God whom He can trust because we
know Him, because we worship Him in reverence and in faithfulness, to
whom He can say «Go» and who shall go; «Die», and who shall die;
«Live», and who shall live.

And at the heart of this mission of ours there are words which we have
heard twice in the course of this week at two eucharistic
celebrations: «Do this in remembrance of me». And doing this in the
context of our Sacred Liturgies, in the dividedness of the historical
Christendom, we have been painfully aware of separation while we were
amazingly aware of closeness. Is there a point where within these very
words, «Do this in remembrance of me», we can be even closer than we
imagine, even if we do not break the bread together nor share the same
cup? May I venture to say that I believe we are a great deal closer
than we imagine.

When we apply these words to the bread broken and to the cup shared,
we think in liturgical terms; and we forget that at the Last Supper
these words and this gesture stood for more than an act of fellowship,
more than for a ritual. The bread broken was an image of the Body of
Christ broken for the salvation of the world. The cup shared was an
image of the Blood of Christ spent for the life of the world. Both
stood for divine love that has become incarnate in order to
participate in all the tragedy of mankind in an act of perfect and
crucifying solidarity that mankind may be saved. And this means all
men, beginning with the faithful, as St. Paul says.

Beyond the boundaries of the liturgical action there is the
existential doing, all the things for which the breaking of bread and
the sharing of the cup stand. They stand for the act of Incarnation in
which God unites Himself to man, and indeed to the whole cosmos,
taking upon Himself all the destiny of mankind, identifying Himself
not only with His creature but with His fallen creature, and all the
conditions of man, not only to the point of life and preaching and
ministering, not only to the point of physical death but to the point
of sharing with men the only basic tragedy of mankind: the loss of God
- «My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?» - that loss of God
which is the beginning of mortality, that loss of God that kills and
that killed. The Son of God became the Son of Man in His humanity.
They stand for that solidarity of God with us which is expressed in
the anguish of the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ was facing death -
a death which had nothing to do with Him because He was life, a death
which could not be inflicted on Him because He says Himself that the
prince of this world will find nothing in Him that belongs to him, a
death which was a free gift of His life, a death which is all death
accepted and shared by Him who could not die. They stand for the
Crucifixion, the physical experience of the immortal sharing the death
of His creature, of Him who was the Son of God, in an act of
incredible solidarity, losing the sense of His oneness with the Father
and dying of it. That is what this breaking of the bread and this
sharing of the cup stand for.

This, indeed, we can do in remembrance of Him together, without any
separateness, in the historical Christian body. This we can do; we can
be incarnate, take on the flesh of this tragic world upon us, and
carry its sin as a cross. We can identify with the death of the dying
and the suffering of the sufferer, as Christ on the Mount of Olives
facing an alien death in His own flesh in an act of compassion in the
strongest sense of the word, of solidarity that goes to the point of
identification and substitution. We can face together living and dying
- dying physically, dying in health but also dying in that act of love
which is a final, total, ultimate renunciation to all that is for the
sake of the other.

And we hear the word addressed to us: «Do this in remembrance of me.»
Even if we cannot share liturgically the bread and the wine, we can
share fully and completely what it stands for and be inseparable in
the mystery of faith. The Lamb of God is broken and distributed, which
though ever broken, never is divided, says the Orthodox liturgy. This
we can achieve beyond all separations through such union, oneness with
Christ, in one body broken, in one blood shed for the salvation of the
world.

How wonderful it is to discover this! And this is truly and actually a
liturgical action because the priest is defined by the offering he
brings, and all universal priesthood is defined by the offering we
bring of our souls and our bodies, of ourselves and our lives, of
those whom we love - to be an act comparable and identifiable, indeed,
with this act of divine incarnation, of divine life, of divine
sacrifice. Sacrifice means both shedding of blood and becoming wholly
God's own, sharing His life because we will have shared His death in
our hearts, in our bodies.

So let us both grieve at the fact that our unity cannot be expressed
to the full because we are not yet mature in love, we are not mature
in understanding. But let us rejoice and thank God that we cannot be
separated either from Him or from one another in the mystery which is
defined by these wholly tragic and victorious conquering liturgical
words, «Do this in remembrance of me».

Let us pray.

Oh Christ, who didst bind Thy Apostles in a union of love, unite us
likewise, Thy sinful but trusting servants, and bind us forever to
thee and to one another. Give us bearing and strength to fulfil Thy
commandments and truly to love one another. Oh Christ, our God,
through the Father and the Holy Spirit, who livest and reignest, one
God, world without end. Amen.

----

* All texts are copyright: Estate of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh Library
http://www.mitras.ru/eng/

__._,_.___

Having a bad day

Having a bad day

 

I really hate it when I'm grumpy, angry, resentful, irritable, self-doubting, overly-protective, compulsive, disappointed, defensive, speak improperly, call someone a name, yell, mumble under my breath, push back with the same intensity, back-bite, gossip, feel betrayed, feel threatened, feel  insecure, feel hurt, feel bullied, feel unwelcome, feel worthless, feel like no one in the world really cares about me. I really hate that and when I see the ugliness in me, I want to cry because I couldn't or didn't stop it and there it was - it's image haunts me - all I want to do is cry and be loved despite my prickliness, my grumpiness, my weakness, my unworthiness.  I always hope it will be someone who will just seem to know I need a hug, a reassuring smile, a word of encouragement.  Sometimes I have to feel bad for a while before I see another way, before I ask for a hug, before I talk to God about how poorly I have treated His image in others and in myself.  And then feel His mercy and the comfort of angel's wings.

 

Lord, have mercy.

 

pray for me, a servant

Fr John Brian

 

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