Wednesday, July 16, 2014
REPENT. Eldress Myrtidiotisssa of Klissoura
The Mother of God says: REPENT! The world will end if people do not repent!
St John the Baptist said: REPENT! For the Kingdom of God is near!
Christ also started his preaching with repentance…
Repentance is the beginning of a Christian life.
Here is a person who became a saint in the 20th century.
We all have the potential to become saints, if we repent!
Repentance is a personal effort - it is a change of life, a change of mind…
It is the beginning of acquiring the mind of Christ!
The Divine law has become obscured. The modern man who does not believe in God, cannot accept that God exists and that God has revealed His law to mankind. The fallen society tells man that all his base desires and actions are good, and that if he follows his impulses, he is “realising himself”.
In past times, shame told man what was sinful. Society told him what was sinful, and should be avoided. Today, man must read the writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church to learn. He must live in the Church, fully participate in Her life, in Her Mysteries, and Her services, in order to understand. He must fast, humble himself, and pray in order to learn who he is himself, and how far he is from Christian perfection. The Church is a school of repentance. A school which teaches the way to the Kingdom
God will give repentance to the man who forces himself to learn to repent!
The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force!
(Mt 11:12)
Let us repent, brothers and sisters!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Interview with Vladika Nikon and Hieromonk Roman
Vladika Nikon of Ishim and Siberia speaks of the Christian duty to transcend political and worldly considerations, and attain a truly spiritual, Orthodox world-view. He also speaks of the humility with which modern Christians must approach life, understanding that we are all only beginners in the faith compared the generations of Christians that came before us.
Father Roman was recently tonsured into monasticism by Vladika Agafangel. He speaks about his work as a priest in the Holy Land, and about how he, an Arab by birth, came to serve in the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Feast of All Saints
All Saints - examples for all Christians
To become a saint of God, the Christian must take up his Cross and follow Christ. He must endure many troubles and sorrows, and much ridicule, even from his closest ones. This situation is a necessity for those who follow God. For Christ says that the one who loves his mother of father more than Christ, is not worthy of Christ…. The Christian is in some cases called even to reject his parents….reject the well-meaning, but unprofitable urgings of his close ones when these are in conflict with the Christian’s Cross-bearing mission. Neither should he love his children more than Christ - but rather, because of Christ and through Christ. The Christian must force himself to leave behind all his worldly pursuits and all the pride of his achievements to find riches in Christ only.
The calling of a Christian is great, and the struggle very difficult - but Sainthood is open to every one of us.
