St. Nikon of Optina Quotes

“In order to fulfill the commandments of Christ, you must know them! Read the Holy Gospel, penetrate its spirit and make it the rule of your life.”  ~ ~ ~ St. Nikon of Optina

"Do not forget prayer; it is the life of the soul."  ~ ~ ~ St. Nikon of Optina

“Most of our sins happen because we forget the commandments of God.” ~ ~ ~ St. Nikon of Optina

“We must consider all evil things, even the passions which war against us, to be not our own, but of our enemy the devil. This is very important. You can only conquer a passion when you do not consider it as part of you.” ~ ~ ~ St. Nikon of Optina

Zwingli and Holy Communion

When it comes to the ordinance or sacrament of Holy Communion, a number of Protestant churches (through one of which I am ordained) often state that they hold to the "Zwinglian view of Communion." Usually this means that they believe Communion is simply a memorial only, focusing on Jesus' words, "Do this in remembrance of Me." What many fail to realize is what Zwingli* actually said and believed about Communion. Here are his words:

 "We believe that Christ is truly present in the Lord’s Supper; yea, that there is no communion without such presence ... We believe that the true body of Christ is eaten in the communion, not in a gross and carnal manner, but in a sacramental and spiritual manner by the religious, believing and pious heart." (In his 1531 "Confessions to King Francis 1.")

Zwingli, at least in his later years, did not believe Holy Communion was merely a memorial, but that Christ was truly present. 

* Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss reformer (1484-1531)

HOLY SATURDAY

Pain

Sorrow

Sadness

Tears

Fears

Confusion

Hopelessness

Emptiness

Disillusionment

Darkness

Defeat

Despair

Discouragement . . .

but what a difference a Day can make!

What Happened on the Cross

By nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low:

•       The sin of our first parent destroyed,

•       hell plundered,

•       resurrection bestowed,

•       the power given us to despise the things of this world,

•       even death itself,

•       the road back to the former blessedness made smooth,

•       the gates of paradise opened, 

•       our nature seated at the right hand of God,

•       and we made children and heirs of God.

By the cross all these things have been set aright:

•       It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us,

•       a raising up of those who lie fallen,

•       a support for those who stand,

•       a staff for the infirm,

•       a crook for the shepherded,

•       a guide for the wandering,

•       a perfecting of the advanced,

•       salvation for soul and body,

•       a deflector of all evils,

•       a cause of all goods,

•       a destruction of sin,

•       a plant of resurrection,

•       and a tree of eternal life

- John of Damascus (675-749 a.d.)

Not as I will, but as Thou wilt

"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." - Matthew 26:39

Oh, Jesus, in deepest night and agony You spoke these words of trust and surrender to God the Father in Gethsemane. In love and gratitude I want to say in times of fear and distress, "My Father, I do not understand You, but I trust you."

This stone plaque is located just outside the Church of All Nations, which is officially named the Basilica of the Agony. It is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem next to the Garden of Gethsemane.

About Fools, Wiser Than The World

“We are fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians 4:10).

Thus speaks the great Apostle Paul who in the beginning was guided by worldly wisdom, which is against Christ, until he recognizes the falsehood and decay of the wisdom of the world and the light and stability of the wisdom of Christ. Then, the holy apostle did not become angry with the world because they called him “a fool for Christ’s sake” neither did he, in defiance of the world, hesitate to be called by this name.

It is not of any value to us how the world is going to regard or call us. However, it is important, and extremely important, how the holy angels in the heavens will regard and call us when, after death, we meet with them. This is of crucial importance and everything else is nothing.

Either we are fools for the world because of Christ or we are fools for Christ because of the world. O how short-lived is the sound of a word of the world! If the world would say to us “fool,” the world will die and its word will die! What then is the value of its word? But if the heavenly, immortal ones say to us “fool,” that will neither die nor is it removed from us as eternal condemnation.

Whoever does not believe in the Living God, nor in eternal life, nor in the Incarnation of the Lord Christ, nor in Christ’s Resurrection nor in the truth of the Gospel nor in God’s eternal mercy and justice – is it any wonder if he considers that one a fool who does believes in all of this?

O, may every one of us who cross ourselves with the Sign of the Cross not only find it easy to endure but with satisfaction receive the name “fool” for Christ’s sake! Let us rejoice and be glad if the non-believers call us such, for that means that we are close to Christ and far away from the non-believers. Let us rejoice and be glad and repeat with a powerful echo in the ears of the world: yes, yes, indeed we are fools for Christ’s sake!

O Lord Most-wise, strengthen us by Your power that we not fear the non-believing world neither when they lash us with whips nor when they insult us with words for Your sake.\

— St. Nikolai Velimirovich

The Message of the Donkey

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."

- Zechariah 9:9

On Palm Sunday we commemorate Christ's "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. There was great celebration and jubilation as Jesus entered that city, just a few days before the One being proclaimed as king would be put to death. Notice that he came, however, riding on a donkey and not a horse. This is significant. The Bible mentions horses some 185 times, always in some sort of military context. When a king or general who was bent on war would enter a city, he would come riding in on a horse - a war horse, if you will, but when he was on a mission of peace, he would ride in on a donkey. Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem was as the Prince of Peace, not as a military general nor as a warrior king. May we, like our King, be people of peace.

"Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" - John 12:13

A Perspective on Prayer

Our Father,

Thy name;

Thy kingdom ;

Thy will;

(our stuff)

Thy kingdom;

Thy power;

Thy glory;

Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit,

that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me O Holy Spirit, 

that my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart O Holy Spirit,

that I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, 

to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, 

that I always may be holy. Amen.

 

~ ~ ~ St. Augustine (Algeria/354-430)

Prayer Against the Fear of the Unknown

O Lord, we beseech thee to deliver us from the fear of the unknown future; from fear of failure; from fear of poverty; from fear of bereavement;

from fear of loneliness; 

from fear of sickness and pain; 

from fear of age; 

from fear of death.

Help us, O Father, by thy grace to love and fear thee only, fill our hearts with cheerful courage and loving trust in thee; through our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

~ ~ ~ Akanu Ibaim (Nigeria/1906-1995)

Saint Patrick's Prayer

May the Strength of God pilot us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world.
 
May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Salvation, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.

Prayer to Do Good

"Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of the world. Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and kindly help where I had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of human happiness." ~ ~ ~ F.B.Meyer (England, 1847-1929)