From the creation, learn to admire the Lord! Indeed the magnitude and beauty of creation display a God who is artificer of the universe. He has made the mode of creation to be our best teacher. ~ St. John Chrysostom
If we lose our sense of wonder before the beauty of nature… this suggests that we have at the same time lost our sense of God’s grace. ~ Metropolitan Kallistos Ware
That green leaf on the tree which you needlessly plucked – it was not wrong, only rather a pity for the little leaf. The heart that has learned to love feels sorry for every created thing. ~ St. Silouan
“Happy New You” is what my grandchild used to chirp joyfully to others on New Year’s Day!
Children have such a way with words!
Standing on the threshold of another New Year, I’d like to share these precious pictures from my friend Irena – regarding a school’s “Random Prayers Bulletin Board”.
Thank you dear children who wrote those beautiful, wise words that tug the heartstrings!
May God indeed help us “be more jentle towards others” and to become New You’s – by sharing His Truth and Beauty.
Let us be as little children thanking our Heavenly Father – for all our blessings! For everything He has ever given us… and to say plainly, and simply to Him, “I love you so much. Amen.”
Beauty calls to each of us, and sometimes we find truth and beauty where and when we least expect it.
May you have a most blessed, beautiful, and fruitful New Year!
Today we celebrate the Old TestamentProphet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths, who put their faith, hope, and love in God. The youths, refusing to worship a golden idol, were thrown as punishment into the midst of a fiery furnace. (Daniel 3: 1-30) Miraculously remaining unscathed, they sang hymns of praise from within the flames.
…for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. ~ Daniel 9:18
Don’t let anything deprive you of hope. ~ St. Nektarios of Aegina
Here are two versions of an ancient hymn, rejoicing in hope and glory – For God is with us!
God is With Us(One of the Traditional Melodies)
God is With Us (Appalachian-Style Melody)
We who are given the fullness of true Christianity are obliged to be working on ourselves, to be watching the signs of the times, and to be extremely joyful, as St. Paul is constantly saying: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: Rejoice!’ (Phil. 4:4). We rejoice because we have something which all the death and corruption of this world cannot take away, that is, the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ. ~ Fr. Seraphim Rose
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. ~ Romans 5:1-5
The Spanish name and word for HopeisEsperanza, and the word forWaiting is Espera… which contains the positive context of both Hope and Expectation.
And so, during the continued pandemic, as we wearily experience waves of inconvenience and distressing changes to our lives, we can wait patiently withhope and expectation.
This is just for now.
Life continues, regardless. It’s what we make of it, and what we do with the time we’re given.
The journey is as important as the destination.
Let us continue with God’s help and due diligence, to do what’s needed, with brotherly love… keeping both our neighbours and ourselves safe.
Below is a refreshing, edifying video by Fr. Serafim (Isle of Mull Monastery in Scotland), on how to “wait” during these times.
He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven.He shall say unto the Lord: Thou art my helper and my refuge. He is my God, and I will hope in him.For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters and from every troubling word.With his shoulders shall he overshadow thee, and under his wings shalt thou have hope. With a shield will his truth encompass thee; thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the thing that walketh in darkness, nor for the mishap and demon of noonday.A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but unto thee shall it not come nigh. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and thou shalt see the rewards of sinners.For Thou, O Lord, art my hope. Thou madest the Most High thy refuge; No evils shall come nigh unto thee, and no scourge shall draw nigh unto thy dwelling.For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.On their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.Upon the asp and basilisk shalt thou tread, and thou shalt trample upon the lion and dragon.For he hath set his hope on me, and I will deliver him; I will shelter him because he hath known my name.He shall cry unto me, and I will hearken unto him. I am with him in affliction, and I will rescue him and glorify him.With length of days will I satisfy him, and I will show him my salvation.
Thanks for reminding us of this wonderful Psalm, Vera!
Whether it’s a mirror or a cover from a tin can, unless the rays of the sun fall upon it, it won’t shine. The Saints were enlightened by the rays of the Grace of God, just as the stars receive the light from the sun. ~ St. Paisios of Mt. Athos (Spiritual Counsels, Volume II, Spiritual Awakening)
As the Holy Trinity, our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so, likewise, we ourselves must be one. As our God is indivisible, we also must be indivisible, as though we were one man, one mind, one will, one heart, one goodness, without the smallest admixture of malice – in a word, one pure love, as God is Love. “That they may be one, even as We are One.” (St. John 17:22) ~ St. John of Kronstadt.
…we shall begin… by applying identical expressions to the Three. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ (St. John 1:9) – yes, the Father. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ -yes, the Son. ‘He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world’ -yes, the Comforter. These are the three subjects and three verbs – He was and He was and He was. But a single reality was. There are three predicates – light and light and light. But the light is one, God is one. This is the beginning of David’s prophetic vision: ‘In Your light shall we see light’ (Psalm 36:9). We receive the Son’s light from the Father’s light in the light of the Spirit: that is what we ourselves have seen and what we now proclaim – it is the plain and simple explanation of the Trinity. ~St. Gregory Nazianzus (On Christ and God, Oration 31:3)
The three-leafed shamrock on a single stem, was used by 5th century St. Patrick to illustrate the Holy Trinity – our One God in Three Persons. St. Patrick wrote many hymns. Here is a short excerpt from a longer, beautiful hymn. “I bind unto myself today, the Strong Name of the Trinity! By Invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three!”
…They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If a man has something, he gives freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a stranger, Christians take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit of God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail, or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs. If it is possible, they bail him out. If one of them is poor and there isn’t enough food to go around, they fast for several days to give him the food he needs. This is really a new kind of person. There is something divine in them… ~ Excerpt from Section XV , TheApology of St. Aristides from around the year 125, when Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) visited Athens, and was seeking justification to outlaw Christianity
Faithfully fixing our eyes on the Joyous, Inspiring Destination ahead, we trim our wicks as it were, and proceed with continued efforts (that, speaking personally… may feel huge, but in reality are mostly quite small) to greet the Shining Feast of The Nativity of Christ.
Beginning with this month’s earlier Feast Day of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, the Katavasia Christ is Born is sung encouragingly at all vigil services… combining aspects of both the Journey and the upcoming Festal Destination. The hymns brim with Old Testament prophecies and exude mysterious prefigurements of His coming.
The Heavenly Babe calls each one of us to come to Him, with childlike faith… and fasting is a spiritual aid to do this. While there are also many celebratory fast-free periods throughout the church calendar year, half the church year is literally spent in fasting together.
Besides the Church’s usual weekly Wednesdays and Friday fast days, there are other Lenten times during the church calendar year. The most lengthy and strictest fast is the Great Lent before Pascha. Depending on the individual of course, practical health considerations (such as age, pregnancy, diabetes, etc.) may exclude full physical fasting… but there are countless other ways to spiritually fast.
Fasting of the body is food for the soul… Do you fast? Then feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned, have pity on the tortured, comfort those who grieve and who weep, be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic, forgiving, reverent, truthful and pious, so that God might accept your fasting and might plentifully grant you the fruits of repentance. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Because we did not fast, we were chased out of Paradise; let us fast now, so that some day we return there. ~ St. Basil the Great
Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to carry one’s cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many! ~ St. Anthony of Optina
Christ comes from heaven, meet ye Him! And so, like little children… let our souls fly and cling to the Heavenly Babe, and praise Him, for He is a God is Love. Let us spiritually reap the rays of His Light that illumines the world’s darkness… For He is the Sun of Righteousness, which knows no rising or setting, and He Shines ceaselessly!
Happy Feast and many years to all celebrating St. Barbara and St. Juliana today!
St. Barbara Icon seen above, in Hosios Loukas Monastery Church, Distomo, Greece – 2004. Reflections of the church’s ceiling arches above, are visible on the icon.
11th Century St. Barbara’s Church, Carved in Rock – Cappadocia, 2004
Great-Martyr Barbara and St. Juliana on Wall Fresco, Interior of 11th Century Church, Cappadocia – 2004
Interior of 11th Century St. Barbara’s Church, Cappadocia – 2004
Great-Martyr Barbara Troparion, Tone 8
Let us honour the holy Barbara; for the most honoured one broke the snares of the enemy// and was delivered from them like a bird, with the help and aid of the Cross.
St. Barbara is called upon for protection against sudden death, lightening, fire, and to aid soldiers, and firefighters.
St. Barbara was born in the Greek city of Heliopolis in Syria, now called Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon. St. Barbara’s feast day is known as Eid il-Burbara to Christians in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and there is a special St. Barbara’s Day dessert made to celebrate. Although the dish is traditionally prepared from boiled wheat hulls, rose water, cinnamon, anise and nuts, I like to use Cream of Wheat. This aromatic sweet recalls the tradition that freshly planted wheat fields miraculously sprung up behind St. Barbara covering her initial escape path to the mountains.
