Image by Barbara Jackson from Pixabay
…How can we not?
Tag: Nature
Rejoicing in His Creatures
Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
When God, who is absolute fullness, brought creatures into existence, it was not done to fulfill any need but so that His creatures should be happy to share His likeness, and so that He himself might rejoice in the joy of His creatures as they draw inexhaustibly upon the Inexhaustible. ~ St. Maximus the Confessor
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. ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
I will never laugh at anyone for grieving over a loved beast. I think God wants us to love Him more, not to love creatures (even animals) less. We love everything in one way too much (i.e., at the expense of our love for Him), but in another way we love everything too little. No person, animal, flower, or even pebble has ever been loved too much – i.e., more than every one of God’s works deserves. ~ C. S. Lewis
Take delight in all things that surround us. All things teach us and lead us to God. All things around us are droplets of the love of God – both things animate and inanimate, the plants and the animals, the birds and the mountains, the sea and the sunset and the starry sky. They are little loves through which we attain to the great Love that is Christ. Flowers, for example, have their own grace; they teach us with their fragrance and with their magnificence. They speak to us of the love of God. They scatter their fragrance and their beauty on sinners and on the righteous. ~ Elder Porphyrios
…Animals can instinctively sense if you love them. The animals in Paradise felt the fragrance of Grace and served Adam. Since the transgression, nature groans together with man… My mind tells me that even the animals are better than me; so, I humble myself and obey them. Very early this morning, being tired from praying all night and exhausted because of my illness, I lay down to rest. After a while, I heard a kitten meowing outside my cell as if she needed something. I really wanted to rest, but I humbled myself and went against my own will. I obeyed the kitten and replied to her calling. I went to open the door. It had started to rain and I let her in so she wouldn’t get wet. What do you think then? Should I obey the animals or not? My thoughts tell me I should. ~ St. Paisios
With love and gratitude to my past creatures (dogs, rabbit, goldfish, birds and cats), who’ve made my life richer… Such a blessing to have been their human for a time!
Oh… and last but not least, cheers to the current grand-cat-by-default… who deigns to allow me to feed her treats.
Divine Choreography
A Gardener’s Delight!
Final Encore of one diverse Floral Troupe’s whirling, spinning, Petal Pirouette [Pronounced pee-roo–et]! ~ photo shared by Melania
Christ is Risen!
Celestial Music
Out of Eternity
Music was heard,
And into Infinity
Straightaway flowed,
All chaos along with it
Taking away.
In the chasm like a whirlwind
The stars began swirling,
Their every ray singing
Like musical strings,
And life, being stirred
By this Divine Vibration,
Shows only to him
Its true inspiration,
Who is sometimes attune
To this music celestial,
Whose mind is wide open,
Whose heart is aflame.
~ Y.P. Polonsky
In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the godparent holds or follows the newly-illumined (depending on their age) behind the priest, three times around the Baptismal Font, clasping a baptismal candle which symbolizes the Divine Light of Christ. The Procession is like a joyful dance as we embark upon the first few steps of our new life in Christ, while the clergy and choir sing, “As many as have been baptised into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia!”
In the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the Priest leads the couple in a Procession around the stand on which the Holy Gospel and Blessing Cross have been placed. Here too, the choir sings as the husband and wife take their first steps of holy wedlock together, and the Church (symbolized by the Priest leading the way) will help guide them in the way they should step. This part of the ceremony is sometimes called the Dance of Isaiah or the Dance of Life.
Let all the trees of the forest dance and sing, let all the trees clap their hands. ~ Sunday of the Cross
Whether with people or in nature, there is a Divine Choreography and it’s on us (of free will) to learn the Qualities of Movement to Life’s Dance of Truth. Through practice, we can move gracefully to any new melody. If we inadvertently have our own toes painfully trod upon during the Great Dance of Life, there is St. Paisios’ dynamic quote: So in every test, let us say: “Thank you, my God, because this was needed for my salvation.” Remembering this helps reset our internal rhythm… it enables us to glide forward… it inspires us to kick up our heels again with joy… attuned anew… to the Divine Vibration!
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. ~ Isaiah 40:8
Let Us Rejoice!
Crow Rejoicing in Sakura Blossoms~ Photo shared by Veronika S.
Christ is Risen! Happy Bright Saturday!
2023 – MP3 of Parish Youth Choir Singing Paschal Tropar:
Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing Life!
2017 – Parish Youth and Adults Sing Christ is Risen
More Musical Easter Eggs!
Paschal Poem by St. Nikolai Velimirovich
(As Serbian Orthodox Song YouTube)
Rejoice O ye people, all nations listen:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Dance all ye stars, O sing hills and mountains:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Whisper ye forests and blow all ye breezes:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Roar all ye beasts, proclaim all ye oceans:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Buzz all ye bees, sing all ye birds:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
O little lambs, exult and be merry!
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Nightingales joyous, singeth their praises:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Ring O ye church bells, everyone listen:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
All angels join us, singing this chorus:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Come down O ye heavens sing with us on earth:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Glory to Thee, O Lord God, Almighty!
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Glory, to Thee O God in the Highest:
Christ God is Risen, let us rejoice!
Hristros Voskrese Radost Donese
For God is With Us (Appalachian)
Paschal Stichera (Virtual recording during pandemic)
Songs of Joy
Recent Sunset Stroll Scene
Christ is the True Light
Who Illumines the whole world,
He is Glorious!
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. ~ Psalm 65:8
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ~ Psalm 28:7
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ~ Psalm 19:1
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! ~ Psalm 96:9
From the rising of the sun to its going down, the name of the Lord is to be praised. ~ Psalm 113:3
…Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! ~ Nehemiah 8:10
…let not the sun go down upon your wrath…~ Ephesians 4:26
What a wonderful day the Lord has provided! Let our eyes and hearts rejoice in His Gifts of Nature and for His Beauteous, Gladsome Light that shines upon us all!
Grace, a Gift Divine
Image by Couleur from Pixabay
Grace is not something
Earned or deserved, grace through faith
Is a Divine Gift.
Salvific blessings
Flow through the doors of our hearts
When we let Him in.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ~ Ephesians 2:8
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ~ Matthew 7:7-8
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. ~Revelation 3:20
Sufficient to Suffice
Image by Amy Spielmaker from Pixabay
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… Christianity is more than a theory about the universe, more than teachings written down on paper; it is a path along which we journey – in the deepest and richest sense, the way of life… Joyful thanksgiving, so far from being escapist or sentimental, is on the contrary entirely realistic – but with the realism of one who sees the world in God, as the divine creation. ~ Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (The Orthodox Way)
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
As we journey life’s path we sense God’s Presence in the most unexpected places! Numinous Viewpoints pop up everywhere. When our spiritual eyes glimpse the Extraordinary within the so-called ordinary, we perceive that the Little Things in life are in fact – Exceptional!
God satiates our souls with joy and wonder!
He is MORE than Sufficient to Suffice!
Greeting you all today with Love and Gratitude in Christ.
Autumnal Reflection
Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay
Whoever plants a tree, plants hope, peace, and love and has the blessings of God. ~ Elder Amphilochios of Patmos
A subscriber inspired today’s post and most of the following is in her words. She shared that autumn is her favourite time of year, and when walking in the nearby woods, she can’t resist picking up leaves to take home and photograph – there’s so many beautiful colours! They’re a good reminder of how things are on this side… being beautiful for a time, but then fading and ending up on the compost heap sooner or later. Those brilliant, glowing leaves, give us a glimpse of a beauty that is eternal, and what awaits us on the other side.
Thank you M. in Denmark!
Beauty of the Lord
Gold Tesserae Awaiting Placement in Parish Mosaic
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple. ~ Psalm 27:4
Sanctify those that love the beauty of Thy house. Glorify them in return by Thy divine power. ~ Prayer behind the Ambo
…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8
Numinous beauty is found in the physical and spiritual splendour surrounding us!
We perceive God’s grace through the noetic beauty of nature. Our souls sense it when we throw open the doors of our heart and gaze upon the holy icons at Church. We smell it in the sweet fragrance of pure beeswax candles, the bouquets of flowers, and the clouds of billowing incense. We hear it in the joyful voices singing hymns and psalms of praise. We taste it in the Holy Mysteries, the antidoron and prosphora. We experience His Mercy of Peace through the powerful permeation of communal prayer at Divine Liturgy.
Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote: Beauty will save the world.
True Beauty points to God… Who exudes and transcends Inexpressible Beauty in everything, through the Glorious, Gladsome Light of His Divinity!
Look Up!
Image by mamkaklass from Pixabay
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. ~ Psalm 123:1
To repent is not to look downwards at my own shortcomings, but upwards at God’s love, it is not to look backwards with self-reproach but forward with trustfulness, it is to see not what I have failed to be, but what by the grace of Christ I might yet become. ~ St. John Climacus
It’s been said that sorrow looks back… worry looks around… but Faith looks up!
Let’s keep looking up… there’s Sonshine above those clouds!