In the following beautiful passage, Saint Gregory the Theologian summarizes many of the various blessings of marriage: In our living together we are one another’s hands, ears, and feet. Marriage redoubles our strength, rejoices our friends, and causes grief to our enemies. A common concern makes trials bearable. Common joys are all the happier, and accord makes riches more pleasant; it is even more delightful than riches for those without wealth. Marriage is the key of moderation and the harmony of the desires, the seal of a deep friendship, …the unique drink from a fountain enclosed, inaccessible to those without. United in the flesh, one in spirit, they urge each other on by the goad of their mutual love. For marriage does not remove from God, but brings all the closer to Him, for it is God Himself who draws us to it. 7
a quotation from a wedding sermon preached by Saint Tikhon of Moscow in San Francisco in 1902, while he was bishop of the Church in America. We know of no more wonderful description of the creation of Eve to be Adam’s helpmate than we find in this sermon: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helpmeet for him”(Gen. 2: 18), said God Himself, when our forefather Adam was still in Paradise. Without a helpmate the very bliss of Paradise was not complete for Adam. Endowed with the ability to think, speak, and love, the first man in his thoughts is seeking another being who is able to think. His speech sounds sorrowfully in the air, and only a lifeless echo serves as an answer to him. And his heart, full of love, is looking for another heart that is close and equal to his. His entire being desires another being similar to him, but there is no such being. The creatures of the visible world around him are lower than he is and cannot be helpmates appropriate for him; and the beings of the invisible, spiritual world are higher than he is.
Then the All-Merciful God, who cares about the bliss of man, fulfills his need and creates for him a helpmate appropriate for him –a wife.
Then the All-Merciful God, who cares about the bliss of man, fulfills his need and creates for him a helpmate appropriate for him –a wife.
Belinda Emmett
I've been guilty of disliking celebrities.
Probably because they are exalted up, and not for virtues and Holiness and righteousness and love, but because of this I have been guilty of rejecting them.
I think it does us all good to remember we are all equal, we are all human and have human feelings.
I suppose this video has brought back a love to me as celebrities as people, who need just as much love, comfort, and spirituality as we all do.
Maybe it's hard for them being loved for being celebrities, and not for being people.
I also like this song by Belinda Emmett
Probably because they are exalted up, and not for virtues and Holiness and righteousness and love, but because of this I have been guilty of rejecting them.
I think it does us all good to remember we are all equal, we are all human and have human feelings.
I suppose this video has brought back a love to me as celebrities as people, who need just as much love, comfort, and spirituality as we all do.
Maybe it's hard for them being loved for being celebrities, and not for being people.
I also like this song by Belinda Emmett
'God wants us to be whole-hearted participants in his work, though he obviously doesn't need our help to do anything.
Perhaps this is like a mom having her children help her make cookies, though she could do it a lot more efficiently alone, God loves us. He wants us to participate in his work, because he wants to be in communion with us.'
- Frederica Mathewes-Green
Have you experienced the joy of giving? I do not want you to give to me from your abundance. I never allow people to have fund-raisers for me. I don't want that. I want you to give of yourself. The love you put into the giving is the most important thing. I don't want people donating just to get rid of something. Giving is something different. It is sharing.
~ Mother Teresa
~ Mother Teresa
OCMC missionary Lynette Hoppe died of cancer on August 27, 2006. Just 2 weeks before she died, she delivered a talk to a group of young Albanian girls about what she was facing. This inspiring talk is now available for download by clicking HERE.
http://www.prayforlynette.org/
http://www.prayforlynette.org/
"being here"
A beautiful clip from the film the switch - the true story of Larry McAfee, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Angry and frustrated with a system that drains him of his insurance money and leaves him in one nursing home after another, he sues for the right to have a switch installed on his ventilator that will allow him to turn the machine off.
This clip shows him after he has won this legal right and then living in an independent living centre
I believe being here for one another is one of the greatest meanings and purpose of life.
'As one grows in prayer one grows also in the knowledge of oneself and if not in one's sinfulness, then certainly in potential sinfulness. It brings about a real understanding of what St Phillip Neri said, "There go I, but for the grace of God". And, as time goes on, it's much easier to accept the weakness of others because deep down there is at least the potential for sinfulness in oneself because we are all human, we all have the same human weakness.'
- Sister Kateri
- Sister Kateri
O Lord and Master of my life,
take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency,
lust of power, and idle talk;
But grant rather
the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love
to thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions,
and not to judge my brother;
for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
- Saint Ephrem of Syria
take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency,
lust of power, and idle talk;
But grant rather
the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love
to thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions,
and not to judge my brother;
for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
- Saint Ephrem of Syria
IT were indeed meet for us not at all to require the aid of the written Word, but to exhibit a life so pure, that the grace of the Spirit should be instead of books to our souls, and that as these are inscribed with ink, even so should our hearts be with the Spirit. But, since we have utterly put away from us this grace, come, let us at any rate embrace the second best course.
For that the former was better, God hath made manifest,both by His words, and by His doings. Since unto Noah, and unto Abraham, and unto his offspring, and unto Job, and unto Moses too, He discoursed not by writings, but Himself by Himself, finding their mind pure. But after the whole people of the Hebrews had fallen into the very pit of wickedness, then and thereafter was a written word, and tables, and the admonition which is given by these.
And this one may perceive was the case, not of the saints in the Old Testament only, but also of those in the New. For neither to the apostles did God give anything in writing, but instead of written words He promised that He would give them the grace of the Spirit: for "He," saith our Lord, "shall bring all things to your remembrance." And that thou mayest learn that this was far better, hear what He saith by the Prophet: "I will make a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their mind, and in their heart I will write them," and, "they shall be all taught of God." And Paul too, pointing out the same superiority, said, that they had received a law "not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."
But since in process of time they made shipwreck, some with regard to doctrines, others as to life and manners, there was again need that they should be put in remembrance by the written word.
- Saint John Chrysostom
For that the former was better, God hath made manifest,both by His words, and by His doings. Since unto Noah, and unto Abraham, and unto his offspring, and unto Job, and unto Moses too, He discoursed not by writings, but Himself by Himself, finding their mind pure. But after the whole people of the Hebrews had fallen into the very pit of wickedness, then and thereafter was a written word, and tables, and the admonition which is given by these.
And this one may perceive was the case, not of the saints in the Old Testament only, but also of those in the New. For neither to the apostles did God give anything in writing, but instead of written words He promised that He would give them the grace of the Spirit: for "He," saith our Lord, "shall bring all things to your remembrance." And that thou mayest learn that this was far better, hear what He saith by the Prophet: "I will make a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their mind, and in their heart I will write them," and, "they shall be all taught of God." And Paul too, pointing out the same superiority, said, that they had received a law "not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."
But since in process of time they made shipwreck, some with regard to doctrines, others as to life and manners, there was again need that they should be put in remembrance by the written word.
- Saint John Chrysostom
whosever shall be having the substance of the world and shall be seeing his brother having need and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the love of God abide in Him?
My little children, let us not be loving in word nor in the tongue, _but_ in deed and in truth!
And by this we know that we are of the truth, and we will assure our hearts before Him,
- first epistle of Saint John
My little children, let us not be loving in word nor in the tongue, _but_ in deed and in truth!
And by this we know that we are of the truth, and we will assure our hearts before Him,
- first epistle of Saint John
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)