Tag: Christianity

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Holy Land, Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting on Friday, Oct. 27.

At the end of his general audience on Oct. 18, Pope Francis said the 27th will be “a day of penance to which I invite sisters and brothers of the various Christian denominations, those belonging to other religions, and all those who have at heart the cause of peace in the world, to join in as they see fit.”

A prayer vigil will take place at 6 p.m. in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful will join the pope to participate in “an hour of prayer in a spirit of penance to implore peace in our time, peace in this world.”

“I ask all the particular Churches to participate by arranging similar activities involving the people of God,” the pope said.

Here are several ways to take part:

Attend Mass

If your local parish is already planning to have a Mass for this day of prayer for the Holy Land, consider attending. Some archdioceses have already announced Masses taking place, such as those of Detroit and Philadelphia. However, if you’re unable to make it or your parish is not having a Mass specifically for this day, you can also attend a daily Mass.

Make a Holy Hour

The tradition of a Holy Hour goes back to 1674 when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and instructed her to spend an hour every Thursday meditating on his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Typically, a Holy Hour is done in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament; however, a Holy Hour can be done at any time and anywhere — in your home, in a church, or even outside in nature. During a Holy Hour you can read Scripture, listen to worship music, journal, spend time in contemplation, or simply sit and talk with God.

Pray the rosary

As many of the saints have said, the rosary is a powerful weapon. Dedicate a rosary for peace in Israel and Palestine. If you don’t have time to say a rosary all at once, break it up throughout the day by saying a decade when you can.

Fast

When fasting, the Church allows people to eat one full meal as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. However, food isn’t the only way one can fast. Staying off social media for the day, not having your morning coffee, turning off your music in the car and instead spending some time in prayer, or giving up anything you consider important in your day are all ways you can fast.

Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Similar to the rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is a powerful prayer. Given by Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, the chaplet is prayed with a rosary and only takes a couple of minutes. Many Catholics recite the chaplet at 3 p.m. because it is known as the “hour of great mercy” as we remember Christ’s death on the cross at 3 p.m. on Good Friday.

Read the Bible

Spending time with the word of God is just as important as prayer. Try to start your day by reading a Gospel passage or just open your Bible and read whatever page it opens to and spend time thinking of what God is trying to tell you. If you’re not sure what to read, the Psalms are always a great option.

Give alms

If you are in a position to help those suffering in the Middle East financially, there are several organizations accepting donations in order to help with critical relief. Catholic Relief Services is working to provide families with assistance in the Holy Land and Palestine. Others include Aid to the Church in Need, Caritas International, and World Central Kitchen.

Dallas, October 26, 2023

Photo: pravoslavie.ru     

His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth, Auxiliary Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the South, joined Fr. Thomas Soroka on his Ancient Faith Today Live podcast yesterday to talk about Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), who is greatly beloved throughout the Orthodox world.

Bp. Gerasim personally knew Fr. Seraphim during the last two years of his life. He became a monastic under the influence of Fr. Seraphim and lived under his guidance as a novice.

In yesterday’s show, he spoke with Fr. Thomas about reading Fr. Seraphim in context. Bp. Gerasim addresses several issues, including the availability of Orthodox material and Divine services in English in Fr. Seraphim’s time, ROCOR’s and Fr. Seraphim’s view of the OCA, including Fr. Alexander Schmemann, the teaching of the toll houses, Fr. Seraphim’s popularity throughout Eastern Europe, and more.

Watch the discussion with Bp. Gerasim:

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Fr. John Whiteford and his wife with their daughter Catherine, and son-in-law Benjamin Dixon     

The following sermon was given on May 7, 2023, at the wedding of my daughter Catherine Whiteford and my son-in-law Benjamin Dixon, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Marriage was established by God in Creation. Although many people get confused as to what marriage is these days, I can guarantee you 100 percent of the people here have a male father and a female mother and only one of each. That’s the basis for all human life. God made it the very root and foundation of society, and in a healthy society most people would be born from parents married to each other and live in a stable home. The more that ceases to be the norm, the more unstable society becomes.

That’s why it’s all the more important for us as Christians to be committed to marriage, because each marriage is like one thread in a big, woven cloth. You might pull one string out without messing up the whole garment, but if you keep pulling out strings, one after and another, pretty soon the whole thing unravels. Marriage is that important.

Christian marriage is something in addition to that. In the Gospel reading, we heard about how Christ took natural water–which is good in of itself and made by God at the time of Creation–and how, when He blessed it, He turned that water into wine. God takes what He already blesses from Creation in terms of natural marriage and makes it into something else. It’s not just an avenue through which life comes forth and we produce future generations, nor just the basis of society. It’s also the path by which you can save your souls.

A husband and a wife in a Christian home are to be committed to each other in such a way that when one person is weak, the other one is strong. If you have to drag the other person across the finish line of life into heaven, you do that, because you are that committed to the relationship.

It’s not just important for you, but also important for your children. It’s difficult for children to see parents who don’t get along, particularly if it was those parents who taught them the Faith. They can reasonably ask, “if my parents taught me the Faith but they couldn’t keep the marriage together, then what good is it?”

We as parents need to be good models of what it means to be Christian parents, even if it’s difficult. The thing is, there are always going to be times that are difficult. There will always be times in your marriage when you think, “I made a big mistake, I don’t know about this, this is not going well.” But the thing is, if you remain committed to it–and both of you remain committed to it–you will be able to stand firm.

How do you get that kind of blessing from God? You do what the Virgin Mary said to the servants in the Gospel reading: “Do whatever He tells you.” And then they took that water to Christ and He blessed it, turning it into wine. If you do whatever Christ tells you to do, then you will have no problems between each other, your children will be blessed, and society around you will be blessed because they can look to you as an example of a Christian man and woman.

May God bless you.

A former Jesuit priest dismissed by the order for sexual abuse has apparently been incardinated in a diocese in his native Slovenia, according to multiple media reports.

Father Marko Ivan Rupnik — a renowned mosaic artist who was expelled from the Society of Jesus in June for refusing to comply with ministry restrictions after credible abuse accusations — has been accepted into the Diocese of Koper, which is headed by Bishop Jurij Bizjak.

The news was first reported Oct. 25 in Italian and German media reports, and confirmed to media in a statement from diocesan vicar general Msgr. Slavko Rebec.

Father Rupnik has been accused of sexually, spiritually or psychologically abusing some 2 dozen women and at least one man over a 40-year period.

He had been briefly excommunicated in 2020 for granting absolution to a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual relations. Among his accusers were several members of a women’s religious community in Slovenia, whose case was dismissed by the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith because the statute of limitations had expired.

Father Rupnik, who remained a priest after his dismissal from the Jesuits, was received into the Diocese of Koper at the end of August in response to his request, according to Msgr. Rebec’s statement.

The approval was issued based on both the decree stipulating his dismissal from the order and on “the fact that no judicial sentence had been passed on Rupnik,” said the statement.

Father Rupnik remains on the staff of Centro Aletti, a scholarly and artistic center in Rome that promotes the coexistence of Orthodox, Eastern and Latin-rite Catholics, according to the center’s website. His mosaics have been installed in numerous churches and religious sites throughout the world, including the Vatican.

In July, Jesuit Father Johan Verschueren — the order’s delegate for Interprovincial Roman Houses and Works, and Father Rupnik’s immediate superior — wrote an open letter addressing why the priest’s dismissal from the order did not result in the loss of his clerical status.

“I would like to remind you here that this is not in itself the responsibility of the Society of Jesus, but of the Holy See,” wrote Father Verschueren. “I have always wanted as a Major Superior, in the different circumstances of these long and complex events, to be able to start a process that could guarantee the judicial verification of the facts, the right to defense and the consequent sanctions (or possible acquittal), but for different reasons, including the current limits of regulations relating to similar situations, did not allow this.”

The Diocese of Koper includes the town of Zadlog (about an hour west of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana), where Father Rupnik was born in 1954. As of 2021, the diocese had just under 175,000 Catholics and some 100 parishes.

OSV News is awaiting a response to its request for comment from Msgr. Rebec.

The following homily was given by the well-known and respected Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov; November 28, 1916–November 15, 2000), who began his monastic life in 1950 at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, but was forced to leave it by the soviet authorities in 1971. He continued his monastic labors in the Caucasus Mountains, and then in the Carpathian Mountains, later returning to Moscow. He spiritual instructions and letters are valued to this day.

    

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Beloved brothers and sisters! We are walking the path of our life, and before us are as if closed doors, the locked gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, locked from the time that we consciously began to sin and offend God’s justice. But by God’s mercy these terrible and shining gates of paradisal habitations can open for us, as they opened to the good thief, as they opened to all the righteous, redeemed by the feat on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord calls all of us to His Kingdom, He leads us all there and deprives no one of his reward. But something terrible can happen my dear ones, something irreversible, if when we come to these closed doors, they do not open for us, they do not let us in or even cast us out like the unprofitable servant who had no wedding garment.

For us who are so lazy, so incorrigible, there would never be any hope of entering this heavenly Jerusalem, if at the gates had not stood our Gatekeeper.

Gatekeepers can be cruel or ferocious, but She endlessly pities us and wants all to be saved. Can we hope that She will help us, have pity on us, and let us through the desired gates of the heavenly chamber? She is ready to let us all in, for all She does is seek our salvation; but there is one thing that does not allow, that hinders Her help: this is our incorrigibility. The most terrible, most ruinous thing for us is that we poorly correct ourselves, we just cannot abandon our sins. We repent and the Lord forgives us, but we need to remember our sins and weep for them all our lives. No matter what virtues we acquire, no matter what ascetic labors we perform, they are small in comparison with our sins. Oh, if we were always to admit to ourselves: I am a great sinner! This would help us to correct ourselves, this would preserve us from judging others, from all arrogance and pride.

But how can we not remember our sins, my beloved? The holy fathers teach that we don’t need to remember the details of our falls, that we mustn’t linger in thought on old temptations, so that we would not become our own slanderers, not be lured again, and so that passionate movements would not come alive again in our hearts. We only need to remember and recognize that we are criminals before God, that we are dust—sinful and unclean at that. Isn’t that so?

Well what can we boast of, how can we justify ourselves before God our Creator, Lord, and Judge—we who are weak, sinful, and mortal people! How? But the Lord is so merciful that He does not remember our sins if we ourselves do not remember them, if only this would bring us to a state of sincere and constant repentance and deep humility. Repentance and humility are two wings upon which the soul rises from its destructive insensitivity, is freed from the bonds of sin, and flies straight up to heaven. But it sometimes happens, my beloved, that with our inattentive, distracted lives we become completely entangled, sink into sins, and do not sense the whole danger of our situation. We want to rise, but we can’t do it; we don’t know how to begin, how to place a beginning to our repentance. And it is all because we do not clearly see our current sins, while we’ve forgotten the old ones. In this case, beloved, I say to you: Ask Her, the Mother of God. Ask her insistently, boldly. She is the “faithful intercessor of sinners who begin to repent.” She is the “strong awakener of sleeping consciences.”

She will help us to remember all our sins, perhaps the old and completely forgotten sins of our childhood and youth. She will remind us of everything, reveal everything. She will help us repent and set foot upon the path of correction.

Let us remember, my dears, remember constantly the closed doors of the beautiful chamber. Let us remember the terrible lot of the foolish virgins who were late to the wedding feast of the Bridegroom. Let us remember and correct ourselves, so that we might not be late and be deprived of eternal delight in paradise.

Let us with faith ask the Mother of God, the All-Good Gatekeeper: “Open to us the doors of thy lovingkindness…” She will open to us the saving doors of repentance and divine mercy; She will open to us also the radiant gates of the heavenly chamber—where all of us, by God’s mercy, will be vouchsafed eternal joy and blessedness with all the saints and the righteous.

“Rejoice, good Gatekeeper, who opens the doors of paradise to the faithful.” Amen

From: Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov). Life. Sermons. Letters (Sergiev Posad: ТСЛ. 2008).

One of the hallmarks of modern entertainment is the lionization of ambiguity. That can be a blessing or a curse. The days of heroes on horseback riding over the hill to save the day are relics of the past. The anti-hero and complicated protagonists are the new normal.

The ambiguity phenomenon rears its literary head in the new film “Mother Teresa and Me.” The title sounds like a feel-good film. Instead, what viewers get is a “think good” movie about two vastly different women. One is fictional, the other a real flesh-and-blood saint; both are complicated. Though separated by time and space, their shared emotional distress drives the plot and makes for a thought-provoking film.

It begins by telling Mother Teresa’s origin story, starting from her petitioning to be released from her position at a private girl’s school in Calcutta. She felt called by Jesus to care for the poor and the dying abandoned by their families to perish alone in the streets. Abandonment is the central theme of this film, as we find out when the film gets to Mother Teresa’s documented struggle with devastating feelings of being abandoned by Jesus.  

The film’s characterization of Mother Teresa’s public and private life is one of holiness. While watching Mother Teresa in the throes of doubt, we meet her fictional counterpoint, Kavita (played by Banita Sandhu). Born in India and raised in early 21st-century London, she is in every sense the modern woman. She is fiercely independent, pursues a career in music, and rejects the wishes of her traditional parents — arranged marriage included. 

She has two reasons to reject her parents’ matrimonial plan. She is absolute in her claim of personal autonomy, and she has just found out she is pregnant. Despite her proclamations of “pro-choice” feminist independence, something deep inside Kavita makes her run from the clinic where abortion is suggested as the remedy to her problem. When her boyfriend disappears like a puff of smoke on a windy day, Kativa’s own sense of abandonment spurs her to return to her birthplace of Calcutta and to the emotional support of a family friend.

This friend, it turns out, knows Mother Teresa through volunteer work with the Missionaries of Charity. When she brings the broken Kavita along with her to work, she is at first repulsed by what she sees. But her demeanor begins to change, especially when she is shown a Missionaries-run nursery that serves both as a House of the Dying and a Home for Life. The twin story arcs now begin to intertwine.

Most people who would struggle with doubt the way Mother Teresa did would have given up. She never did. The filmmakers do not have an answer to that — and why should they? That is God’s domain, and we are not privy to how Mother Teresa regained her spiritual equilibrium. The film chooses ambiguity as its answer, both in Mother Teresa’s dark night of the soul and with what Kavita will do when it comes to the child growing in her womb.

This is a film that was never going to end with an angelic choir singing in celestial harmony with the protagonists walking toward a pulsating white light. Either intentional or unintentional, the film still provides plenty of positive contemplation on the mystery of faith.

For the ordinary viewer, the topic of Mother Teresa’s prolonged, interior dark night of the soul may be the hardest to fathom. This experience of abandonment — revealed to the world when her personal letters were made public to the world a few years after her death — becomes the central point of the narrative of “Mother Teresa and Me.”

Last month, it generated some pushback from an important figure: the postulator of the nun’s sainthood cause. In a statement sent to media, Father Brian Kolodiecjchuk took issue with the film’s characterization of the saint in full, including the choice of actress Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz to play her. The priest believes and has centuries of Catholic mysticism to support the claim that Mother Teresa’s doubt was really a process of sainthood.

If the human nature of Jesus can cry out “My God, my God why have You abandoned me…” then who are we to suggest St. Teresa of Calcutta’s anguish was not part of her journey toward sanctity?

For the faithful, especially those of us who grew up with Mother Teresa, reopening the wound of Mother Teresa’s doubt hurts. “Mother Teresa and Me” will not erase that pain. But its honest portrayal of how selflessly she served the poor her entire life and how her saintly example can continue to impact the lives of 21st-century men and women makes this a film worth watching.

Chișinău, Moldova, October 26, 2023

Photo: Facebook The Holy Synod of the Moldovan Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) met in Chișinău yesterday under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir.

In addition to a number of administrative matters, the Synod also established two feasts, according to the Synodal report.

First, the hierarchs established the Churchwide feast of Venerable Makary of Saharna Monastery (†1969). Met. Vladimir presented a report on the matter, noting that St. Makary had been locally canonized in December 1994, but with yesterday’s Synodal decision, he will be entered into the Synaxarion for the whole of the Moldovan Church. The text of the hagiography for St. Makary was also approved.

The matter of more broadly canonizing St. Makary was first raised Moldovan Church to recommend Venerable Makary of Saharna for canonization, establishes new sketeThe official report states that, having heard a report from Met. Vladimir on the submission of materials on Venerable Makary to the Commission for Canonization, the Holy Synod decided “To instruct the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Orthodox Church of Moldova to investigate all materials on the life and podvig of Venerable Makary of Saharna, to be sent for examination to the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the ROC and the canonization of the mentioned ascetic among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

“>in 2019.

The Synod also approved the local veneration of the wonderworking Zloţi Icon of the Mother of God, to be celebrated on July 24/August 6.

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Concerning the wonderworking icon, the monks of Zloţi Monastery write:

Through this holy icon, new help was sent to us, the monks, to build such a beautiful monastery. People from the entire Republic of Moldova come to her for help. She is called the wonderworker—the Mother of God for all those in distress. Throughout this period from 1995 to the present, many Christians have received various healings, both spiritual and physical.

Every day, in front of this holy icon, the Paraklesis and the Akathist to the Mother of God are read, and hundreds of names of Christians who have various difficulties in this life are mentioned. Most Christians come to Zloţi Monastery to venerate this holy icon and to be recorded to be remembered in the holy prayers to the Mother of God.

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The relics of St. Makary of Saharna. Photo: manastirea-saharna.md     

Venerable Makary was born into a pious family in 1888. It is said that his mother received a revelation before his birth, though she never revealed its contents to anyone, only bearing the seal of the revelation upon her face.

Even as a boy, he always had a sense of respect for God and loved to sing the hymns he heard in church. One time when his father scolded him and slapped him, he responded: “You will see how you will kiss my hand.”

He loved to visit Saharna Monastery and often traveled there on foot. He was struck and deeply moved by everything he found there” the high hills, the cold spring, the hermitage with its rock church, the beautifully painted churches, and the melodious songs of the monks.

At the age of 12, he convinced his parents to let him join the monastery. He was initially refused due to his age, but he eventually convinced Abbot Joseph to receive him, having impressed him with his wisdom. From the very beginning, he joyfully fulfilled all the obediences entrusted to him. Later, having received the monastic tonsure, he multiplied his virtues, demonstrating his boundless love and patience to all, and he was soon ordained as a deacon and then priest. He dedicated himself wholly to preaching the word of God with love.

The monks and local faithful soon began to seek him out for a salvific word, and he was appointed the spiritual father of the monastery. The door to his cell was ever open to all. It was during this time that he began to read prayers for those afflicted by demons, and miracles and healing began to flow, which, out of humility, he did not realize were happening thanks to his prayers. He was later decorated with the title of “igumen” thanks to his many virtues, grounded in love of the Lord.

The monastery later become a convent and the fathers left for other monasteries. But missing his native monastery, Fr. Makary received a blessing to return and serve as spiritual father for the nuns.

The monastery was closed in 1964 and transformed into a psychiatric hospital. He spent another 2 years in a dug-out shelter on the edge of the village, where the people remained close to him. There, in his shelter, he baptized and married the faithful and taught the people the word of Truth.

“Father climbed Golgotha’s hill with Christ daily, suffering along with Him and enjoying this fellowship with the Savior of the world.” Although he was old, the Soviets forced him to work with the others, removing stones from quarries, building roads, and other difficult tasks. However, he was eventually allowed to retire to his native village due to his weakness and illnesses.

On the night of April 22-23, 1969, Fr. Makary, surrounded by friends and spiritual children, peacefully gave his soul into the hands of God, saying humbly, “Glory to Thee, O Lord…”

After his death, he continued to live in the hearts of those who knew him and turned to him in prayer, and countless miracles and healings were worked by his prayers.

Saharna Monastery was reopened in 1991. The brotherhood learned of the holy life of Venerable Makary from the pious villagers, and burning with desire to have the protection of a saint over the reviving monastery, they entreated Met. Vladimir to exhume his relics and bring them to the monastery. Having received the blessing, his relics were found to be incorrupt. The process of canonization began, and he was locally canonized on December 21, 1995. His feast was established as May 13/26.

St. Makary is the first locally-canonized saint in the Orthodox Church of post-soviet Moldova.

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St. Evaristus was the sixth pope of the Catholic Church, succeeding St. Anacletus. Not much is documented about his life, but several sources say he was the Greek son of a Jew from Bethlehem.

He became pope during the third year of Emperor Trajan’s reign, although historians cannot agree how long his papacy lasted. It is held that he lived long enough to see the beginning of the Antonine dynasty. 

Early scholars credit Evaristus with dividing the city of Rome into parishes, and ordaining bishops, priests, and deacons to oversee them. In his first epistle, St. Evaristus wrote that seven deacons should monitor the preaching of each bishop, to ensure the truth was being taught. In his second epistle, he compared the bond between husband and wife to the relationship between a bishop and his diocese. 

Church tradition holds that Evaristus died as a martyr and was buried on Vatican Hill near St. Peter. He is typically depicted with a sword, because he was decapitated, or with a crib, because he is said to be from Bethlehem. 

On October 21, 2016, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Chosen By God: Life of Abbess Arsenia of Ust-MedveditsThe amazing purity of heart that God gave Anna from birth was preserved in her until the end of her life, and therefore the path of her life was clear and straight.

“>St. Arsenia of Ust-Medvedits as a locally venerated saint of the Volgograd Metropolis.

Abbess Arsenia (1833-1905) came from a notable family of the Don region. At the age of seventeen, Anna Mikhailova entered the Ust-Medvedits Monastery of her own accord. The monastery reached its highest peak in the forty years of her abbacy, from 1864 until her repose on August 3, 1905.

Besides her educational and charitable activities, the main fruits of Venerable Arsenia’s labors were the Kazan Cathedral, which was erected from 1785 to 1885, and the famous caves, dug in the image of the Kiev Caves. Today the monastery’s main shrine is there—the miraculous stone slab with hand and knee imprints of people kneeling in prayer, where the faithful come to beseech St. Arsenia for healings, the good arrangement of worldly affairs, and prosperous family lives.

In addition to her holy life, St. Arsenia left us valuable writings on the spiritual life, which we present in honor of the anniversary of her canonization.

What Does it Mean to Believe in God?In addition to her holy life, St. Arsenia left us valuable writings on the spiritual life, which we present in honor of the anniversary of her canonization.

“>Part 1

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Ust-Medvedits Monastery     

Self-knowledge

In the soil of Humility is a Nameless GraceHumility is so rich and so perfect that it can’t be limited by one definition or name. And it is grace, inasmuch as it’s given by the Holy Spirit, and can be designated only by those who have experienced it.

“>humility good fruits grow. In the awareness of its sinfulness, the soul comes to know the Lord by faith. But in Egotism Kills Us, But Humility Gives Us LifeFrom my humble spiritual experience I have learned that it is much easier to lead a spiritual life with humility, and that grace is given to the humble.”>egotism—what will it see or know how to save itself? And your “I,” no matter how good and adorned with goodness it is—what can it give? Neither light nor life. There is a terrible power in it, fighting against all the commandments of God, against others, against God Himself; a power that kills the soul itself, depriving it of goodness, life, God. In moments of peace, it’s difficult to see what kind of spirit drives all human actions, even the good ones, even the desire for salvation, for goodness, for God. But during temptations, things are revealed that were before unclear. If the Lord ruled the soul, then the time of temptations would be a time of victories and crowns for the soul, a time of great prosperity. If the ego controlled a man’s actions, then during temptations its power turns on—and torments the poor soul, as a prisoner, leading it to the very depths of hell.

But still, these moments are better than imaginary peace. In these moments, the soul can truly understand its state, not deceiving itself by its imaginary goodness, and doesn’t consider the concepts of the mind as its own possessions. At this time, if the soul only relates to everything in this blessed moment correctly, the soul can descend very low. And if it agrees to love its own baseness, its utter poverty, if it gives preference to its neighbor and the Lord—it will rejoice that He alone is exalted and that there are parts of my nature that draw near to Him, then it will taste consolation from the good that’s not created by the ego, but rather effects it’s mortification.

The state of the human soul

The state of a fallen sinner’s soul fully corresponds to the words of the Lord: Thorns also and thistles shall [the earth] bring forth to thee (Gen. 3:18). And the earth of our heart constantly grows passions and sins. The activity of a soul not overshadowed by the grace of God, directed toward the purification of the heart, is always difficult, heavy, and powerless. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread (Gen. 3:19). The passions are uprooted like thorns from the ground with great difficulty and prolonged struggle and again, with a little negligence, during enticing moments, they’re ready to be reborn, and will be born, and grow in the heart, choking out the seed of the word of God that hasn’t had time to take root and grow stronger in it. Then it will not only bear fruit but also to nourish the soul. As soon as the source—our mind—is cleansed with great difficulty, the streams of impure thoughts will disturb it again, fill it with impurity, and not allow the thirsting soul to drink the pure water of Divine revelations. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.

The soul labors and must labor with bloody sweat so as not to starve to death, so that by this constant heavy work it might not allow the thorns of its passions to grow within itself, so it might not turn into a wilderness, so that by constant purification, by cutting them off, the soul could feed on the daily bread that the Great Sower sows on its ground. The Lord doesn’t leave a man’s labors without recompense. When it overshadows a soul, the grace of God burns the thorns of the passions and brings forth fruit itself. Whoso eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life… And out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (Jn. 6:54, 7:38). It is in this state alone that the soul no longer craves to drink from earthly springs. Our work also consists in gradually cleaning these earthly springs, to at least drink pure water from them drop by drop, and not draw up frogs and all kinds of filth from muddy water. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until the Bread that has come down from Heaven feeds you.

The punishments of the Lord

“The proud man’s punishment is his fall,” said St. John of the Ladder (Climacus)It is known from St. John’s life that he ate what was allowed by the rule of fasting, but within measure. He did not go without sleep at night, although he never slept more than was needed to support his strength for ceaseless vigilance, and so as not to negatively affect his mind. ”I did not fast beyond measure,” he said of himself, ”and I did not conduct intensified night vigil, nor did I sleep on the ground; but I humbled myself…, and the Lord speedily saved me.

“>St. John Climacus. The Lord wisely uses this punishment as a cure for pride. But all the actions of God’s providence and His punitive allowances are for a man’s good only when he strives to achieve unearthly goals. If he has set the salvation of the One God as the only goal of his life, then everything that happens to him serves for his success. When deprived of all earthly goods, when enduring and accepting blows to all his senses, when enduring dishonor and more—where the strongest soul would be crushed—but having set some earthly good as the goal of his searches, there the God-loving soul receives strength, wisdom, and freedom. And if it loses anything in these sorrows that occur, it loses only that connection with the passions that bound it which it could not break by its own will alone, but because of the passions is only destroyed by the work of God. . It’s a great blessing not to be enslaved to anything earthly, even in the soul’s aspirations. Then every action of God, directed towards salvation, acts beneficially.

The soul that renounces the passions receives a sense of virtues. Having renounced sensuality, it will come to experience humility, and so on. Having renounced its desires, its sin-loving will, its reasonings, it is led into the knowledge of the will of God. In the active fulfillment of the will of God, which is revealed to it for the salvific benefit of another, it’s enlightened by Divine revelations. And once enlightened by them, it enters not only into purity, but also into passionlessness.

On different spiritual states

There can be no proper view of our sinfulness in a state of deadness. A dead man has no eyes with which to see, no tongue with which to entreat. In this state there can be only faith—not living, but firm and unshakeable—that the Creator can recreate again, if it pleases His goodness and His all-holy will, which arranges everything for the salvation of man. When the eyes begin to open, then the vision of one’s sinfulness isn’t forced, but is the natural state of the soul; and the soul’s constant cry of mercy is also natural. But the transition from one state to another can’t be self-willed. You can, of course, come to this vision yourself, because the mind, enriched by reading the word of God, can enter into any spiritual state with the imagination, can stir the senses, move them for a while, and find comfort in this, but this is not the right path, and this labor is fruitless. What you take yourself, you yourself must keep and will surely lose at the slightest collision with life, with reality, because the state was false, dreamy, imaginary. And that which comes from the Lord, that state into which the soul is led by the Lord Himself, is eternal, unchanging. It’s not an action taken by the soul, but its condition. It can lose it only if it completely deviates from the correct spiritual path; and external conflicts, even its own infirmities and passions, will not take from it what has become its eternal inheritance.

The one thing needful

The only thing necessary, the one thing needful, the only thing that gives salvation and life to the spirit, the only goal that all souls and all angelic spirits strive for is the Lord. But it requires comprehensive work for everything to come to this single goal, for everything in the soul to unite in the One being sought, so the soul might seek the Lord in everything, seek the good that leads to Him, and renounce itself and the evil that alienates it from the Lord and gives growth to the ego.

On asceticism

What should our asceticism be like? And what is its goal? Our asceticism should consist in sobering up the body from drowsiness, from laziness, so it would attentively stand in church; in helping the body recover from despondency, the mind from vain thoughts, the heart from passionate feelings, so the inner man might completely stand before the Lord. This is the goal of all asceticism. But will the Lord lead us to achieve this desired goal?

Again, it’s not for us to reason about this, but it would be sinful to give up our asceticism; and only despondency, reinforced by unbelief, based on pleasure, can neglect it, having made it its goal to satisfy its passionate desires.

The asceticism of repentance

This asceticism is difficult and long-lasting, but great and true. And if it’s true, then it’s possible with the help of the grace of God. Indeed, this path is the only true one. We must bring forth fruits of repentance; we must labor where we sinned, arise where we fell, amend that which was ruined, save that which we lost by our own negligence, by our own passions. Salvation is possible in every place and in every affair; it need not be sought outside of us; everything can be found in our souls—both Heaven and Hell. If we find Hell there, then by the grace of God, laboring over ourselves, we can also find Heaven. There is one condition under which flight and a decisive change of life are permissible. This is when our own infirmity has extended to the farthest limits; when the soul lacks the strength not only to labor, but even to endure—when there is a corresponding physical infirmity.

Human sins

Transgressing the commandments of God, we sin both before God and man, and before our own conscience, and we come not only under the judgment of God, but also the judgment of man. By offending the Lord, dishonoring His glory within ourselves, we constantly do harm to others—tempting them, drawing them into sin, setting an example of a sinful life, not helping them on the path to salvation, and we are justifiably given over to the judgment of men. This judgment, manifests as condemnation, obloquy, slander, hatred, and all the deeds that ensue from such a view of us: persecution, torment, death, must be accepted as a worthy recompense; we must always feel indebted to others.

Passions

The passions have such power and authority over a man that having surrendered to them once, we become their prisoners, they shackle us, and give us no opportunity to get free.

They blind our minds and prevent us from seeing ourselves and our path clearly. Beware of giving free rein to your passions, but rather give yourself to working on the commandments of God so as to be a servant of God.

On sorrows

By inducing sorrows, the enemy is strengthened in destroying the soul, inclining it towards despondency, towards grumbling, towards a lack of love for others; and the Lord, allowing these sorrows, wants to save the soul, giving it the chance to fight for courage patience, spiritual reason, and finally, humility, when these very sorrows exceed our strength. Amidst these paths stands the soul, and wherever it inclines, that path will accept it and lead it to its goal.

Remembrance of death

It’s good to have the remembrance of death, but with reason.

Then it serves for renunciation, for contrition, for a broken spirit, for humility. If it produces despondency, then the remembrance of death itself will not lead to salvation, but to destruction.

In times of despondency, it’s better to remember the mercy of God, His goodness, the gifts He sends us, the salvation He gives us, and the circumstances of life and our falls.

Everything is good in its own time, but even the best thing can cause harm if at the wrong time. But there’s one work for which it’s always the proper time—humility of spirit, which is best of all.

On spiritual confusion

The Holy Fathers always advise never to make any decisions during a time of spiritual confusion. When we are perplexed in spirit, we can’t reason correctly and sensibly, and even less can we come to know the will of God with a clear conscience and peaceful heart.

Both the heart and the spirit are confused, and the soul is unable to see the sun of Truth.

To be continued…

The Georgia Supreme Court Oct. 24 rejected a lower court’s ruling, allowing a Georgia law restricting abortion after six weeks gestation to remain in effect amid ongoing legal challenges.

The law, a so-called “heartbeat” ban, called the LIFE Act prohibits with some exceptions abortion after fetal cardiac activity can be detected. Critics of such laws argue many women do not yet know they are pregnant at six weeks.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney called the law “unequivocally unconstitutional” last year because it was enacted in 2019, while Roe v. Wade was still in place.

But the Georgia Supreme Court rejected McBurney’s ruling in a 6-1 decision.

“When the United States Supreme Court overrules its own precedent interpreting the United States Constitution, we are then obligated to apply the Court’s new interpretation of the Constitution’s meaning on matters of federal constitutional law,” Justice Verda Colvin wrote in a majority opinion.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Georgia Supreme Court “upheld a devastating abortion ban that has stripped away the reproductive freedom of millions of women in Georgia and threatened physicians with jail time for providing care.”

“Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen the dangerous impact bans like this have had on women across the country,” Jean-Pierre said, arguing, “Women have been denied the medical care they desperately need to preserve their health, including being turned away from emergency rooms, forced to travel hundreds of miles for care, and faced complications that make it more difficult to have children in the future.”

While Republican elected officials “are doubling down and calling for a national abortion ban that would criminalize reproductive health care in every state,” she said, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “won’t stop fighting until the protections of Roe v. Wade are restored in federal law.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement that “we are pleased with the court’s decision and will continue to defend the constitutionality of Georgia’s LIFE Act.” “LIFE” stands for “Living Infants Fairness and Equality.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said, “Today’s Georgia Supreme Court decision ensures that tens of thousands of children with beating hearts will continue to be protected from brutal abortions.”

Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, indicated opponents of the law will continue their challenge.

“Today’s ruling is not the end of this fight for women’s healthcare,” Young said in a statement. “Be clear, the right to abortion is on the ballot in 2024. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia legislature acted to take away our rights. The Georgia legislature can restore our rights and we must organize to elect a pro-choice legislature.”

But in her statement, Dannenfelser called the ruling “the latest vindication of the will of Georgians, who have compassion for both babies and mothers, along with lawmakers like Governor Kemp and many others who heard them and acted.”

“Twenty-five states — half the country — have pro-life protections in their law in the new Dobbs era. The majority of these states protect unborn children at least when their heartbeat can be detected, a point when science shows they have more than a 90% chance of surviving to birth,” she said. “We congratulate Governor Kemp, Attorney General Carr, all our local allies, and the people of Georgia on a long and well-fought battle. Life is winning in hearts and minds nationwide. When you lead and stand boldly for life, Americans will stand with you.”