Christ is Risen!
The wilderness of the soul blossoms like a lily at the coming of the Lord into the heart. Oh, why do we not turn our hearts oftener towards the Lord? How much peace and comfort ever lie concealed in Him for us! Oh, how great is the multitude of Thy sweetness, which Thou hast hidden for them that fear Thee! ~ St. John of Kronstadt
Truly He is Risen!
Christ is Risen!
Those that go down to the sea in ships that do work in many waters, these have seen the works of the LORD and his wonders in the deep. For he commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves. They mount up to the heavens; they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and all of their knowledge is of no avail. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivers them out of their afflictions. He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are at rest; so he brings them into the haven of his will. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his mercy and for his wonderful works unto the sons of Adam! ~ Psalm 107:23-31
Truly He is Risen!
Man seeks joy and happiness in heaven. He seeks what is eternal far from everyone and everything. He seeks to find joy in God. God is a mystery. He is silence. He is infinite. He is everything. Everyone possesses this inclination of the soul for heaven. All people seek something heavenly. All beings turn toward Him, albeit unconsciously. Turn your mind towards Him continually. Learn to love prayer, familiar converse with the Lord… Become worthy of Christ’s love… Turn on the switch of prayer so that divine love may flood your soul. Christ will appear in the depths of your being. There, in the deepest and most inward part, is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within you (St. Luke 17:21). ~St. Porphyrios “Wounded by Love”
Behind the Royal Doors St. Sophia Orthodox Church – Canada
Christ often comes and knocks at your door and you invite him to sit in the living-room of your soul. Then, absorbed in your own business you forget the Great Visitor. He waits for you to appear and when you are too long in returning, he gets up and leaves. At other times, you are so busy that you answer him from the window. You don’t even have time to open the door. ~ St. Amphilochios of Patmos
Love is the passport with which man passes through all the heavenly doors without obstacle. ~ St. John. Chrysostom
Thus, my brother, if you love peace of heart, strive to enter it by the door of humility, for no other door but humility leads therein. ~ Unseen Warfare
Front of the Royal Doors – The Beautiful Gate
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
Hawaiian Beach Sunrise over Lava Rocks, 2014
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ~Genesis 1:3
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ~ Genesis 1:4
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised. ~ Psalm 113:3
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ~ Psalm 119:105
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. ~ St. John 8:12
It seems that we do not understand one thing: it is not good when we return the love of those who love us, yet hate those who hate us. We are not on the right path if we do this. We are the sons of light and love, the sons of God, his children. As such we must have His qualities and His attributes of love, peace, and kindness towards all. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Thy bridal chamber I see adorned, O my Savior, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me. ~Exapostilarion of Bridegroom Matins
Wild Bee Busy in Spring Heath
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting 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. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ~ Psalm 19: 7-10
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. ~ Psalm 16:4
…the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or hyacinth is. As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought. ~ St. Paisios of Mt. Athos
Camel rock in Goreme, Cappadocia, near St. Basil the Great’s carved rock monasteries and cave churches. ~2006
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ~ Genesis 2:7
…for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. ~Genesis 3:19
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. ~ Psalm 103:14
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill… ~ Psalm 113:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. ~ Ecclesiastes 12:7
St. Lazarus (the Four Days Dead) of Bethany – was 30 years old when he first reposed and was raised again by Christ (St. John 11:1-45). He lived for another 30 years and became the first Bishop of Kition in Cyprus. An ancient tradition records that because of what St. Lazarus had seen in Hades before Christ raised him, St. Lazarus never smiled – except once… when he saw someone stealing a clay pot. With an amused expression, he observed, “The clay steals the clay.”
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. ~ St. John 9:1-9
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. ~1 Corinthians 15:39-49
The beauty of today’s Feast of the Annunciation, surpasses these Fawn Lilies blooming in a local woodland.
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. ~ Isaiah 35:2
Venerable Bede (7th century), likened the Virgin Mary to a white lily… symbolizing her purity, innocence and virginity. The floral centre of yellow anthers, are as the golden radiance of her soul.
The Archangel Gabriel is often depicted in scenes of the Annunciation as giving the Virgin Mary a lily. In August, around the time of the Dormition, blooming hostas are called Assumption Lilies.
Lilies, were also called the white-robed apostles of hope. Their colour symbolizes the sinless Christ. The shape of the Easter lily represents a trumpet, resounding the message that Christ is risen. The nature in which lilies grow is also symbolic of the Resurrection.
IC XC ~ Jesus Christ (Abbreviated Greek for Jesus Christ. The lines above the letters indicate the words are abbreviated)
NIKA ~ Conquers
IC XC and NIKA (Greek) refer to Jesus Christ’s conquest of Hades and His victory over death and sin by His glorious Resurrection. IC XC and NIKA is stamped on Prosphora.
It’s a pious custom to keep holy bread and holy water in one’s icon corner. These are consumed upon breaking the previous night’s fast, along with morning prayers.
O Lord my God, may Thy holy gift and Thy Holy Water be unto forgiveness of my sins, unto enlightenment of my mind, unto strengthening of my spiritual and bodily powers, unto health of my soul and body, unto vanquishing of my passions and weaknesses, by Thy boundless merciful kindness, through the prayers of Thy Most-pure Mother and all Thy Saints. Amen. ~ Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist
Prayer is food for the soul. Do not starve the soul, it is better to let the body go hungry… ~ St. Joseph of Optina
You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. ~C. S. Lewis
Through greed we underwent the first stripping, overcome by the bitter tasting of the fruit, and we became exiles from God. But let us turn back to repentance and, fasting from the food that gives us pleasure, let us cleanse our senses on which the enemy makes war. Let us strengthen our hearts with the hope of grace, and not with foods which brought no benefit to those who trusted in them. Our food shall be the Lamb of God, on the holy and radiant night of His Awakening: the Victim offered for us, given in communion to the disciples on the evening of the Mystery, who disperses the darkness of ignorance by the Light of His Resurrection. ~ Aposticha, Vespers – evening of Sunday of the Last Judgement
Do that which is good, and no evil shall touch you. Prayer is good with fasting and alms and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold: For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life: But they that sin are enemies to their own life. ~ Archangel Raphael, Tobit 12:7-10
One should not think about the doings of God when one’s stomach is full; on a full stomach there can be no vision of the Divine mysteries. ~St. Seraphim of Sarov
It is necessary for a Christian to fast, in order to clear his mind, to rouse and develop his feelings, and to stimulate his will to useful activity. These three human capabilities we darken and stifle above all by ‘surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life’ (Lk. 21:34). ~ St. John of Kronstadt
Many human activities, good in themselves, are not good because of the motive for which they are done. For example, fasting and vigils, prayer and psalmody, acts of charity and hospitality are by nature good, but when performed for the sake of self-esteem they are not good. ~ St. Maximos the Confessor
Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkenness and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels. ~ St. Athanasius the Great
Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbour. ~St. John Chrysostom
