Blessings

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Whether a church building is as aesthetically grand as this cathedral in Serbia, or much humbler, still, achieving beauty in Orthodox Christian worship is of paramount importance. God's specific instruction to Ancient Israel was to use precious metals, ornate carvings and textiles in the context of worship. See Exodus 35-40.

Jesus's refusal to scold the woman who anointed Him with costly perfume, even when it could have been sold to benefit the poor, supports the notion that extravagance of beauty, when it comes to worshipping God, is not wasteful but is to be sought after. Why? Because God is the ultimate source of Beauty. And surrounding ourselves with beauty when we worship God reinforces the truth that He is Beauty.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Well said...

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

GOSPEL READING: Eighth Sunday of Luke

The Reading is from Luke 10:25-37

At that time, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'

Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

I get asked pretty often about the Orthodox view of animals (especially beloved pets) in the afterlife. So far, I’ve only been able to say that reason applied to our tradition of the relationship between God, man, and the cosmos, and applied to the nature of our own loving relationships with animals, indicates to me that there could be no happiness or fulfillment of creation without the existence of animals in eternity. Met. Kallistos Ware has at least expressed hope in this regard.

But I’ve recently come across a rather strong Saintly confirmation of this by Saint Luke the Surgeon of Simferopol:
“Does man only possess immortality? The great words: ‘Behold, I make all things new’ are certainly related not to man only, but to all creation, to every creature. We have already said that the spirit of animals, even the smallest part of it, cannot be mortal, for it is from the Holy Spirit….In the new Jerusalem, the new universe, there will be a place for the animals, too….Eternal life for [non-human] creatures will be only quiet happiness and enjoyment of the new radiant nature full of light, in communication with man, who will no longer torture and exterminate it.” (*Spirit, Soul, and Body*, pp. 120-121)

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

~ Matthew 16:24-26

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

GOSPEL READING: Ninth Sunday of Luke

The Reading is from Luke 12:16-21

The Lord said this parable: "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." As he said these things, he cried out:
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

“A strange illness has appeared in our days – the passion for distractions. Never before was there such a desire for distractions; people have forgotten how to lead a serious life for the good of others; they have no spiritual life and are bored. They exchange the profound content of a spiritual life for distractions!

What madness!

It is here that pastors must deploy their strength: they must re-introduce into life its lost meaning and give back to the people the knowledge of the true purpose of life.”

- St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

offers a reminder that every celebration of the Eucharist is, by definition, Thanksgiving.

“It is proper and right to hymn You,
to bless You,
to praise You,
to give thanks to You,
and to worship You
in every place of Your dominion.
For You, O God, are ineffable,
inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible,
existing forever, forever the same,
You and Your only-begotten Son and Your Holy Spirit.
You brought us out of nothing into being,
and when we had fallen away,
You raised us up again.
You left nothing undone
until You had led us up to heaven
and granted us Your Kingdom, which is to come.
For all these things,
we thank You and Your only-begotten Son and Your
Holy Spirit:
for all things we know and do not know,
for blessings manifest and hidden
that have been bestowed on us.
We thank You also for this Liturgy,
which You have deigned to receive from our hands,
even though thousands of archangels
and tens of thousands of angels stand around You,
the Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed,
soaring aloft upon their wings,
singing the triumphal hymn,
exclaiming, proclaiming, and saying,
'Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth,
heaven and earth are filled with Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.'"
- from the anaphora (offertory prayer) of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
Image: The Hospitality of Abraham (mid-6th century mosaic, detail), Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

GOSPEL READING: Thirteenth Sunday of Luke

The Reading is from Luke 18:18-27

At that time, a ruler came to Jesus and asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments:
'Do not commit adultery,
Do not kill,
Do not steal,
Do not bear false witness,
Honor your father and mother.'
" And he said, "All these I have observed from my youth." And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich.

Jesus looking at him said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Living Only For Today
The Temptation Of Living Only For Today

The almost universal temptation of our time is to be living only for the present moment. We want to enjoy ourselves now, relax and be comfortable now, have it all now. Our focus is, consequently, on a tiny slice of eternity. By focusing on such a narrow moment in time, we forget the importance of preparing for eternity.
Medical science has proven that teenagers often act without forethought for the consequences of reckless behavior, because their brains have not yet fully developed. They are not simply being defiant of the rules of driving, or taking chances with dangerous behavior, but have an inability to process the consequences of their actions. In other words, they don't recognize the possible finality of their behavior, and for many of them, even death does not seem final.
When we focus only on the here and now, we are in reality acting like these teenagers. Our inner sense of the importance of preparing for eternity is shut down, and we don't even think of the spiritual consequences of our short term focus. We treat eternity as though it were a myth, and place all our energies on getting what we think we need in the now.
By placing all our time and energy on the acquisition of things, and on being comfortable and fulfilled in this life, we forget the importance of spiritual preparation for what will be eternity. This life was not gifted to us by God, for pleasure and the acquisition of things, but as a time for us to draw ourselves closer to the Creator God Who loves us, and desires that we commune with Him for all eternity. Like the high school students who are preparing for their life by studying in school, this life is, for us, a time of preparation.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Important questions that St. Nektarios (1846-1920) believed we must ask ourselves as Christians...

"Christians, have we understood the great responsibility that we have taken on before God through baptism? Have we come to know that we must conduct ourselves as children of God, that we must align our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, that we must love God with all our hearts and always patiently await union with Him? Have we thought about the fact that our heart should be so filled with love that it should overflow to our neighbor? Do we have the feeling that we must become holy and perfect, children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven?

We must struggle for this, so that we may not be shown unworthy and rejected. Let none of us lose our boldness, nor neglect our duties, nor be afraid of the difficulties of spiritual struggle. For we have God as a helper, who strengthens us in the difficult path of virtue.”

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

GOSPEL READING: Fourteenth Sunday of Luke

The Reading is from Luke 18:35-43

At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging;
and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent;
but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight."
And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова