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WE SHOULD MAKE A DAILY EFFORT IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE SO THAT WE DON'T FALL INTO SLOTH OR LAZINESS.
OUR SALVATION DEPENDS ON IT AND THOSE AROUND US!
THIS IS SPIRITUAL DESPONDENCY AND WE NEED TO AVOID IT AND FIGHT IT DAILY.👈🏽
OUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT ⏰
"A Christian is he who imitates the life of Christ according to the strength of his human abilities, and covers what he cannot fulfil with repentance and humility—the virtues of spiritual work.
Whenever the holy fathers were perplexed or tempted, they set themselves before the life of Jesus Christ, condemning themselves. When Elder Ephraim of Katounakia returned from Jerusalem, we were waiting for him to tell us his impression of Golgotha, of the place of the Crucifixion. How surprised we were when he told us that he was very moved by the cave in Bethlehem. When he beheld this meek, humble cave, which so touched him, he said to himself: “Before visiting the Bethlehem cave, living on Mt. Athos in the rocky, inaccessible Katounakia desert, in a modest cell that could barely fit even the most necessary things, I had the thought that I was something. Now, having seen the place where God Himself, Jesus Christ was born, I feel all of my nothingness, for I see how God humbled Himself, being born in such a small cave—a pen for animals, where barely any place could be found for Him.”
Christ, born in a den, persecuted and despised by all, thereby accomplished the greatest event in the history of mankind; His Incarnation took place in absolute silence, in humility and obscurity, and of all mankind, but a few Persian magi and simple shepherds were informed of the coming of God Himself into the world. Oh the extreme poverty and humility!
If we truly want a correct view of ourselves and a true judgement of our conscience, then every time that life starts to torment us with worldly desires and demands, we must place ourselves before this humble Bethlehem cave, before the event of the Incarnation, and reflect upon what we are doing and whether our life and our deeds correspond to the life of Christ and what He did for us, becoming incarnate. We can thus judge our entire life.
Wheresoever we do not have the strength to imitate Him, let us cover with repentance and humility."
Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol on Christ’s Nativity and Man's Judgement of Himself.
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I am convinced that between a saint and those who pray to him a close connection is formed, and often many of the saint’s qualities, if you have a close spiritual connection with him, appear in you also.
Pray to the saint whose name you bear, and they will help you. Turn to them in times of sorrow and sickness; in difficult circumstances and in moments of joy: 'St. ____, my protector, pray to God for me, a sinner!'
Pray to them and they will hear your prayer! They are your advocate before God, the advocate of all those who bear their name. They bring our prayer before God and intercedes for us.
At the end of life, when we depart for the other world, our patron saint will be standing next to us. If we venerated them and prayed to them, they will stand next to our guardian angel to protect us from satan’s accusations.
This is because at the personal judgement the devil pulls out all our sins, even those we don’t remember, exhibits them for everyone to see, and throws them on the scales. And we must have an advocate to defend us, who will make all our good deeds known.
Therefore I ask you to remember the saints whose names you bear, and pray that they would protect you, protect your families, your nation, and all people."
-- Fr. George Calciu, of Blessed Memory. ☦️
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Towards the eternity we step, my brethren. Another year has passed.
We welcome a new year.
What will it bring us? We do not know.
We do not know if we will live tomorrow. Unceasingly one has to wait his departure, especially us elders, but also the young. We do not know “What the present moment will offer". I wonder next year, in a day like this, how many of us will still be here living? And what events await our people in this New Year? What will it bring in the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the world? … Are you imagining dreams and envision an endless life? But eternity is approaching my dear; the biggest moment is waiting to rise.
What should I wish you, my dear? Wealth, glory, honors, delights, pleasures? … How meaningless is everything. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity“. Only one thing remains: your belief in Christ. There is no other name that can give us joy and hope during this coming year, Whom us children praise and exalt into the ages of ages. Amen!
-- Fragment of a Homily delivered in 1974 by Metropolitan Augustine of Florina,
during the New Year's Eve services.💒
