Sunrise Over Lavender Fields
Image by Mouse23 from Pixabay
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun… ~ Ecclesiastes 11:7
Tag: Eyes
Truly He is Risen
Truly He is risen!
and were He not,
we should not have met
like cells of an enormous, incomprehensible fabric
our eyes are slowly opened
to the miracle which binds us together
May the Lord continue to bless us
~ by an Anonymous Friend
I initially posted this with my friend’s permission and name, but he has since requested that “anon would do nicely” and gave me this humble reason…
The words that I write
Are rarely my own
But are more seeds of light
That some Angel has sown
They take root and flower
And raising their heads
By some mystical power
They rise in their beds
And sing the praise of their Sower.
Truly the Light is Sweet
Kaua’i Sunrise 2016
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: ~ Ecclesiastes 11:7
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. ~ Proverbs 4:18
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: ~ Numbers 6:25
Let My Prayer Arise
Image by Matthias Grießhammer
The beautiful Lenten hymn below is from Psalm 141, and sung only at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
By opening the noetic eyes and ears of our hearts during these special services, we are imbued with the timeless, heavenly beauty of the Presanctified Liturgy.
May your Lenten Journey be peaceful and fruitful.
Pearls of Compunction
Photo Shared by Alec
Let each one of us keep in mind the benefit of fasting… For this healer of our souls is effective, in the case of one to quieten the fevers and impulses of the flesh, in another to assuage bad temper, in yet another to drive away sleep, in another to stir up zeal, and in yet another to restore purity of mind and to set him free from evil thoughts. In one it will control his unbridled tongue and, as it were by a bit, restrain it by the fear of God and prevent it from uttering idle and corrupt words. In another it will invisibly guard his eyes and fix them on high instead of allowing them to roam hither and thither, and thus cause him to look on himself and teach him to be mindful of his own faults and shortcomings. Fasting gradually disperses and drives away spiritual darkness and the veil of sin that lies on the soul, just as the sun dispels the mist. Fasting enables us spiritually to see that spiritual air in which Christ, the Sun who knows no setting, does not rise, but shines without ceasing. Fasting, aided by vigil, penetrates and softens hardness of heart… it causes fountains of compunction to spring forth… it is not possible for these things to come about in one day or one week! They will take much time, labour, and pain, in accordance with each man’s attitude and willingness, according to the measure of faith and one’s contempt for the objects of sight and thought. In addition, it is also in accordance with the fervour of his ceaseless penitence and its constant working in the secret chamber of his heart that this is accomplished more quickly or more slowly by the gift and grace of God. But without fasting no one was ever able to achieve any of these virtues or any others, for fasting is the beginning and foundation of every spiritual activity. ~ St. Symeon the New Theologian
With the Choicest Fruits of the Sun
Before the Blessing – Zoe’s Transfiguration Fruit Basket with beautiful handwoven cloth (08-19-2021)
…with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness… ~ Deuteronomy 33:14 – 16
The Light of the Lord’s Transfiguration does not come into being or cease to be, nor is it circumscribed or perceptible to the senses, even though for a short time on the narrow mountain top it was seen by human eyes. Rather, at that moment the initiated disciples of the Lord ‘passed’, as we have been taught, ‘from flesh to spirit’ by the transformation of their senses, which the Spirit wrought in them, and so they saw that ineffable light, when and as much as the Holy Spirit’s power granted them to do so. ~ St. Gregory Palamas
Memory Eternal, Nathalia on your Name Day! One of her many wise quotes… “We must be practical my dear, and accept what God gives us.”
Wings of Prayer
Faith in God is the wings of prayer. ~ St. Isaac the Syrian
As it is not possible to walk without feet or fly without wings, so it is impossible to attain the Kingdom of Heaven without the fulfillment of the commandments. ~ St. Theophan the Recluse
A Christian needs two wings for flying and walking into heaven: humility and love. ~ St. Paisios
…For the bees do not visit every flower in the same manner, neither does the honeybee attempt to fly off bearing the burden of the entire flower. Rather, once it derives that which is needful from the flower, it leaves the rest behind and takes flight. ~ St. Basil the Great
Gracious words are like an honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. ~ Proverbs 16:24
We all receive God’s blessings equally. But some of us, receiving God’s fire, that is, His word, become soft like beeswax, while the others like clay become hard as stone. And if we do not want Him, He does not force any of us, but like the sun He sends His rays and illuminates the whole world, and he who wants to see Him, sees Him, whereas the one who does not want to see, is not forced by Him. And no one is responsible for this privation of light except the one who does not want to have it. God created the sun and the eye. Man is free to receive the sun’s light or not. The same is true here. God sends the light of knowledge like rays to all, but He also gave us faith like an eye. The one who wants to receive knowledge through faith, keeps it by his works, and so God gives him more willingness, knowledge, and power. ~ St. Peter the Damascene, 8th century
Eye Hath Not Seen
Outdoor Mosaic, St. Sophia Orthodox Church, Canada
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 2: 9-12
The soul leaves all surface appearances, not only those that can be grasped by the senses but also those which the mind itself seems to see, and it keeps going deeper until by the operation of the spirit it penetrates the invisible and incomprehensible, and it is there that it sees God. The true vision and the true knowledge of what we seek consists precisely in not seeing, in an awareness that our goal transcends all knowledge… ~ St. Gregory of Nyssa
Soul Refreshment
Christ is Risen!
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes… More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ~ Psalm 19:7,8,10
Truly He is Risen!
Focus Forward
We slip.
We fall.
We pull ourselves up again.
We persevere.
We keep walking toward God.
We focus forward.
We don’t look back.
May your path today be fruitful, peaceful, hopeful and joyful!
What has happened has happened, it is in the past. Just keep on going, all the while asking for help from God. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica