Monk cartoons to make you smile

Just a couple of cartoons I ran across in my clippings.

THE SHIP OF LIFE PRAYER

“Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.” ~ ~ ~ St. Basil of Caesarea.

Prayer for Trust in Jesus

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.
- Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)

A Prayer of Ambrose of Milan

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee,
a heart to delight in thee,
to follow and to enjoy thee,
for Christ's sake.
 ~ ~ ~ Ambrose of Milan (340-397 a.d.)

In the Cross

"In the Cross is salvation;
in the Cross is life;
in the Cross is protection against our enemies;
in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness;
in the Cross is strength of mind;
in the Cross is joy of spirit;
in the Cross is excellence of virtue;
in the Cross is perfection of holiness.
There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. Take up the Cross, therefore, and follow Jesus, and go forward into eternal life." ~ ~ ~ Thomas  à Kempis (1380-1471)

On the Simplicity of Jesus

The Lord ate from a common bowl, and asked the disciples to sit on the grass. He washed their feet, with a towel wrapped around His waist – He, who is the Lord of the universe! He drank water from a jug of earthenware, with the Samaritan woman. Christ made use His aim, not extravagance.
 ~ ~ ~ Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215 a.d.)

PRAYER FOR THE HUMAN FAMILY

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion  to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
                     ~ ~  ~ Book of Common Prayer

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.