The Present

Let us bless the Lord day and night for His Gifts to us. ~ St. Gavrilia

When we open our Daily Gifts from the Lord, we might sometimes find a mysterious surprise!

And, while we may not quite know why we’ve received a particular present, we still keep it close… a mear heart’s breath away… knowing it will be useful.

What can we give Him for all the daily Blessings He’s lovingly bestowed on us?

At the dawn of each fresh and brand new day… what are the two greatest gifts we can give back to God?

Our gratitude.

Our self.

Closer Than Our Own Heart

Local sunset, on paddle board – photo shared by Katherine

Such, then, is our God: unknowable in his essence, yet known in his energies; beyond and above all that we can think or express, yet closer to us than our own heart. ~ Kallistos Ware

If I do not feel a sense of joy in God’s creation, if I forget to offer the world back to God with thankfulness, I have advanced very little upon the Way. I have not yet learnt to be truly human. For it is only through thanksgiving that I can become myself. ~ Kallistos Ware

We know that prayer in itself cannot and of itself cannot save us, but carrying it before God can. For when the Lord’s eyes are upon un, He sanctifies us, as the sun warms everything upon which it shines. ~ St. Gregory Palamas

Prayer is spiritual breathing; when we pray we breathe in the Holy Spirit; “praying in the Holy Spirit“. Thus, all church prayers are the breathing of the Holy Spirit; as it were spiritual air and also light, spiritual fire, spiritual food and spiritual raiment. ~ St. John of Kronstadt

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