Tag: Scripture Art

Dry Spells

Sometimes we are tested by pleasure, sometimes by distress or by physical suffering. By means of His prescriptions the Physician of souls administers the remedy according to the cause of the passions lying hidden in the soul. ~ St. Maximus the Confessor

We know God is with us, but sometimes there may be struggles to feel His Presence and Love, or even pray. Yet, there is a consolation!

During times of spiritual dryness, faithful perseverance in prayer is the sweetest of all our prayers to God. By clinging tenaciously to Christ’s love with prayer, regardless of circumstances, we are blessed.

4th Century St. Macarius the Great reminds: One must force himself to prayer when he has not spiritual prayer, and God, beholding him thus striving, and compelling himself by force, in spite of an unwilling heart, gives him the true prayer of the Spirit.

The Holy Apostle Paul writes the rewards of perseverance in prayer: And we also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces experience, and experience produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. God gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5

Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov encourages: Do not grieve, do not be sad: Again will come a time to be glad; patiently wait, patiently endure, to those who wait will come their reward!

Everything that has a beginning has an end… Except for God, Who is beginningless.

This is just for now!

Our Daily Bread

My husband bakes two tartine loaves per week. Pulled from a searing oven, they crackle, hiss, and fill the entire house with the song of bread. A single whiff of its aroma can make one weak in the knees.

Be that as it may, tartine bread is a luxury and not a necessity. One can thrive without treats. In fact one can live longer (and have it seem much, much longer) without treats.

Moving along to some small thoughts regarding our Real Daily Bread, and how we can’t Live without It –

Initially, the Lord’s Prayer seems simple and straightforward. However, the more one ponders, the more profound and spiritually sumptuous it becomes.

The first two words alone, Our Father are warm, loving, powerful and mind-boggling. Calling the Creator our Father? One can only reflect in amazement!

Then, further along, and as trustingly as a child, we are taught to entreat God to give us this day our daily bread… our spiritual and physical sustenance needed according to our salvation.

Although God knows exactly what we need, we are shown throughout this prayer the importance of reaching out, regardless. This draws us closer to our Heavenly Father. By casting cares and anxiety aside, and by praying, we bring He Who Is… our Daily Bread… into ourselves, under the roof of our soul… Especially when receiving the Sacrament and Gift of Holy Communion.

God loves us.

God provides for us – today, tomorrow and always.

He is our Blessed, Heavenly Bread and our Cup of Life.

He is our Benediction.

Walk Carefully

Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)… Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  making the best use of the time… ~ Ephesians 5:9, 15, 16

Marble Floor Mosaic in the 4th Century Basilica of San Giovanni (St. John) in Laterano in Rome, Italy.

Thy Will Be Done

I had a heart-warming conversation with a friend regarding God’s Will. 

Asking her the result of a job interview, she grinned saying, “I haven’t heard anything back yet… but that’s okay, because it’s in God’s Hands. If I’m meant to get it, I will.”

Empowered Faith joyfully anticipates Providence’s decision come what may… knowing things will work out for the best regardless, because it’s God’s Will.

From feeble past experience when my personal agenda didn’t align with God’s will, I sometimes struggled (putting it mildly). By second and third-guessing myself, it never felt peaceful (big clue something wasn’t right). Sometimes, I would sort of acknowledge His Will… up to a point, not fully accepting it… and still doing what I thought best in spite of – (Much to my Guardian Angel’s chagrin).

This has made for more than one heck of a bumpy ride on occasion, me speeding nowhere… at a mindless Mach 10. When relinquishing the Driver’s Seat back to God, we’re freed from useless detours and snarled traffic jams along this mortal coil’s stretch of highway.

God’s Will is for us to keep His commandments and to give thanks for all things.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

With thankfulness and gratitude for my faithful friend, who’s a breath of fresh air…

May God grant us all strength and help to overcome the limitations of our own will… even if the path ahead seems unclear. May we allow Him to help us accept what appears difficult, or unbearable, or impossible according to our own will, by remembering that God loves us. That He knows and wants what’s best for us, and that He answers our petitions according to what’s best for our salvation.

Lord! Thou knowest all things. Do with me as Thou willest! ~St. Theophan the Recluse

Sweetest Name

The book of St. Paul to the Philippians is full of spiritual yum yums and this is one of my favourite verses. His epistle describes daily hurdles Christians may experience and the victorious joy in overcoming these difficulties.

When life throws a kitchen sink in our path, duck, cover and carry on… knowing we have God’s help.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on (fill in the blank)!

Here’s a wonderful quote from St. Anthony of Optina: “No matter what misfortune might befall you, no matter what unpleasantness might occur, say ‘I will endure this for Jesus Christ’s sake!’ Just say that, and you will feel better, for the Name of Jesus Christ is powerful… Before It, all difficulties abate, and demons disappear. Your annoyance and faintness of heart will abate when you repeat His most sweet Name…” 

Sharing this powerful prayer from a friend, whose priest gave it to them to use when anxiety over a constant painful situation would rear its ugly head:

“O Lord, Thou lovest (name) more than I do,
And Thou canst help (name) better than I,
And Thou knowest better than I what is profitable for (him)(her).
So do for (name) what is best- only save (him)(her).” 

This prayer is so helpful.

Glory to God for all things!

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.
 

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

 

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