Category: Inspiration
His Loving Kindness
Mystras, Greece – 2017
Sunflower Sense
A friend shared this wonderful quote by St. John of Tobolsk.
O Christian! Remember this once and for all: even on cloudy days the sunflower continues to follow the sun in its focused love, even though it cannot see the sun. The Sun that illumines our life’s path is the will of God. It does not always shine on us without clouds, often, clear days are followed by overcast days when rains, winds, and storms arise, No Christian is safe from these phenomena, these changes in spiritual weather. May our love for the Sun, the will of God, be as strong as the sunflower’s, so that even in days of hardship and sorrow, we will continue to sail unerringly along the sea of life, following the directions of the barometer and compass of God’s will that leads us to the safe haven of eternity. ~ St. John of Tobolsk from The Sunflower
Give Good Gifts
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.~ James 1:17
Wholehearted gratitude helps our spirits flourish, and it behooves (such a delightful word!) us to do good things with the good gifts we are given!
It’s a Christian privilege and duty to be generous and kind to others. Even if all we have for someone is a smile… besides prayer, it could well be the most important gift to someone at that particular moment. It can lift their soul up.
A smile says I care about you. It says I see you, I respect you, I see our Lord in you.
When we have sincere compassion for others, God notices and surprises us with many blessings, sometimes more than what we deserve.
…It is more blessed to give than to receive. ~ Acts 20:35
A beautiful 19th century hymn – Give Good Gifts comes to mind. Our youth choir has sung this “anytime” song throughout the year at different events.
Give good gifts, one to another,
Peace, joy and comfort, gladly bestow,
Harbour no ill ‘gainst sister or brother,
Smooth life’s journey as you onward go!
(Repeat)
♥
Broad as the sunshine, free as the showers,
So shed an influence, blessing to prove;
Give for the noblest of efforts your pow’rs;
Blest and be blest is the law of love.
(Repeat)
Mt. Lebanon N.Y.
Blessed Silence
We recently received this beautiful, unusual icon of Jesus Christ. It is known in Russia as Spas Blagoe Molchanie – Saviour of Blessed Silence.
Here we see Christ, young, beardless, the Eternal existing Word and Wisdom of God, also depicted as The Angel of Great Counsel.
He wears an eight-pointed glory (slava) crown, known in iconography as the star of the Ancient of Days. This symbolises the six days of creation, with the seventh day of rest and the eighth day of eternity.
With His precious hands crossed over His chest (as we do receiving the Holy Sacrament of Communion), our Lord and Saviour silently invites us to inner prayer.
He waits patiently.
Happy Holy Spirit Day
Hospitality of Abraham Icon St. Sophia Orthodox Church, Canada
Happy Holy Spirit Day!
Over the years I’ve noticed that on Pentecost and the following day (Holy Spirit Day), it seems breezier than usual. The trees, flowers and grasses sway and dance in the gentle winds. The Breath of the Holy Spirit encircles all. Today the sun shines brighter. More golden. Today the birds sing sweeter. Today a wordless song of gratitude bubbles up within me – a fountain of joy… Thanking God, for everything. (Even my sore foot!)
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ~ Psalm 100:2
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ~ Isaiah 55:12
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… ~Galatians 5:22-23
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, … but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord… ~ Ephesians 5: 9, 18, 19
The closer we approach God, the closer we approach each other, just as the closer rays of light are to each other, the closer they are to the Sun. In the coming Kingdom of God there will be unity, mutual love and concord. The Holy Trinity remains eternally unchanging, all-perfect, united in essence and indivisible. ~ St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco
The One, Indivisible Trinity ever remains the Trinity. The Father always remains the Father, the Son remains the Son, the Holy Spirit remains the Holy Spirit. Besides Their personal Properties, They all share all in common and in unity. That is why the Holy Trinity is One God. ~ St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco
The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who fills the whole universe, passes through all believing, meek, humble, good, and simple human souls, dwelling in them, vivifying and strengthening them. He becomes one spirit with them and everything to them – light, strength, peace, joy, success in their undertakings, especially in a pious life, and everything good – “going through all understanding, pure and most subtle spirits” … filled with the Spirit of God similarly as a sponge is filled with water. ~ St. John of Kronstadt.
Greetings on Pentecost
O Heavenly King,Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art in all places and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of Life: Come and take up Thy abode in us and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… ~ Galations 5:22
Excerpts from the Beautiful Kneeling Prayers at Pentecost Vespers
The Holy Spirit is life and life, the noetic Source of life – the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, good upright, noetic, possessing dominion, cleansing transgressions: God and deifying, Fire and transcending fire, speaking, acting, distributing gifts, by Whom all the prophets and divine apostles and martyrs have been crowned. Strange is the report, strange is the sight – fire distributed in the bestowal of gifts.
The Holy Spirit has always been, is now and ever shall be, having neither beginning nor end, but one with the Father and the Son: life and life giving; goodness itself and source of goodness, through Whom the Father is made known and the Son is glorified, and is known by all: one power, one unity, one worship, of the Holy Trinity.
Come, all peoples, let us worship the Godhead in three persons: the Son in the Father, with the Holy Spirit. For the Father begat the Son before all ages, co-eternal and equal in majesty, and the Holy Spirit was in the Father, glorified with the Son: a single power, a single essence, one Godhead, which we all worship saying, “Holy is God, Who created all things with the Son, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. Holy and mighty, through Whom we have known the Father and the Holy Spirit came into the world. Holy immortal, the Paraclete Spirit, which proceeds from the Father and abides in the Son: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.”
Greetings on the Feast, with great and resplendent joy!
Rock-Solid
When we establish ourselves in God’s love, wisdom and salvation, it is through the Church that we acquire a rock-solid foundation.
St. John Chrysostom (4th century) reminds us: The Church is an enclosure, if you are within, the wolf cannot enter, but if you stray outside the wild beasts will get you… Do not wander from the Church; there is nothing more impregnable than the Church. She is your hope and your salvation. She is higher than the heavens, firmer than rock, wider than the world; she never grows old, but is forever renewing her youth.
The Church is holy. It is not of this world, but is in this world for its salvation. It is not divided by time or space. The Church is Alive with those who live right now with God, from all the ages – Past and Present… The Angels, Saints, and the Righteous.
Enfolded within the Church, we are what we were created to be, by growing – in Communion with God.
Beautiful Rock and Stone Scriptures
There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. ~ 1 Samuel 2:2
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. ~ Psalm 40:2
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? ~ Matthew 21:42
…like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. ~ Luke 6:48
The Name of the Lord is to Be Praised
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. ~Psalm 84:11
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised. ~Psalm 113:3
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.~ Psalm 118:24
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. ~ Psalm 148:3-5
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. ~ Revelation 22:5
From Earth to Heaven!
Christ has Ascended! From earth to heaven with glory! Happy Ascension Day!
Thou wast taken up on a cloud of light and saved the world… ~ Troparia Ode 7, Ascension
…And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. ~ Acts 1:10-11
Dazzling rainbow-coloured clouds appeared in the sunny sky today- keeping with the situation. There were pinks, golds, and greens. One of the clouds seemed to resemble the Greek letter “Omega.”
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. ~ Revelation 1:8
Thank you Irena for sharing the pictures.
Troparion:
Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God,
and gladdened Thy disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit;
and they were assured by the blessing that Thou art the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.
Kontakion:
When Thou hadst fulfilled Thy dispensation for our sakes, uniting things on earth with the Heavens,
Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God,
departing not hence but remaining inseparable from us, and crying until them that love Thee:
I am with you and no one can be against you.