gentle and humble = victory

"Jesus said, 'I am gentle and humble.' Those are the two characteristics that always cause us to walk in victory, because they’re the two characteristics the enemy can never possess." - Graham Cooke

make yourself worthy of being visited by God

If you put something fragrant on to burning coals, you motivate those who approach to come back again and to stay near, but if instead you put on something with an unpleasant, oppressive smell, you repel them and drive them away. It is the same with the mind. If your attention is occupied with what is holy, you make yourself worthy of being visited by God, since this is the sweet savour which God catches scent of. On the other hand, if you nurture evil, foul and earthly thoughts within you, you remove yourself from God’s supervision and unfortunately make yourself worthy of His aversion.

- St. Gregory Palamas, Homily Nineteen para. 9, The Homilies Vol. 1; St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press pg. 243

keep thy mind calm and even

"Keep thy mind calm and even (Mark 10:49), and prepare thyself for bearing still more. All is not lost if thou feel thyself often afflicted, or grievously tempted. Thou art man and not a god; thou art flesh, and not an angel. How canst thou think to continue ever in the same state of virtue, when this was not found in the angels of heaven, nor in the first man in paradise? I am He who raise up and saves those who mourn; and those who know their own infirmity I advance to My divinity."

- from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

with fasting I gladden my hope in You, my Lord

I read this on Molly Sabourin's blog and was encouraged by this beautiful reflection on fasting.
 

XLI 

 With fasting I gladden my hope in You, my Lord, Who are to come again.

 Fasting hastens my preparation for Your coming, the sole expectation of my days and nights.

 Fasting makes my body thinner, so that what remains can more easily shine with the spirit.

 While waiting for You, I wish neither to nourish myself with blood nor to take life--so that the animals may sense the joy of my expectation.

 But truly, abstaining from food will not save me. Even if I were to eat only the sand from the lake, You would not come to me, unless the fasting penetrated deeper into my soul.

 I have come to know through my prayer, that bodily fasting is more a symbol of true fasting, very beneficial for someone who has only just begun to hope in You, and nevertheless very difficult for someone who merely practices it.

 Therefore I have brought fasting into my soul to purge her of many impudent fiancé's and to prepare her for You like a virgin.

 And I have brought fasting into my mind, to expel from it all daydreams about worldly matters and to demolish all the air castles, fabricated from those daydreams.

 I have brought fasting into my mind, so that it might jettison the world and prepare to receive Your Wisdom.

 And I have brought fasting into my heart, so that by means of it my heart might quell all passions and worldly selfishness.

 I have brought fasting into my heart, so that heavenly peace might ineffably reign over my heart, when Your stormy Spirit encounters it.

 I prescribe fasting for my tongue, to break itself of the habit of idle chatter and to speak reservedly only those words that clear the way for You to come.

 And I have imposed fasting on my worries so that it may blow them all away before itself like the wind that blows away the mist, lest they stand like dense fog between me and You, and lest they turn my gaze back to the world.

 And fasting has brought into my soul tranquility in the face of uncreated and created realms, and humility towards men and creatures. And it has instilled in me courage, the likes of which I never knew when I was armed with every sort of worldly weapon.

 What was my hope before I began to fast except merely another story told by others, which passed from mouth to mouth?

 The story told by others about salvation through prayer and fasting became my own.

 False fasting accompanies false hope, just as no fasting accompanies hopelessness.

 But just as a wheel follows behind a wheel, so true fasting follows true hope.

Help me to fast joyfully and to hope joyously, for You, my Most Joyful Feast, are drawing near to me with Your radiant smile.

when the period of warfare comes

"When the period of warfare comes, we are overwhelmed by thoughts and cares of all sorts. This is when we must turn to the Lord in our hearts and keep silence. If we cannot abandon the thought that is bothering us immediately then we must keep silence. We should not think about anything. It is not ours to think. The Lord knows what we can take and what we cannot. Then, when we are in silence and our mind is quiet, we should give it something to do so that it will not wander. We should pray. Let the mind pray from the heart. Thus, gradually we will become accustomed to prayer, and prayer will become a habit to us, just like any task that we learn to perform. Pray in this manner, without words, and when the Lord sees our endeavors, when He sees that we seek Him and wish to be with Him in all eternity, then He will give us strength, and the heart then will dwell in constant prayer. Then we will do our work while listening to the prayer in us."

- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica from Our Thoughts Determine our Lives

the choice-driven life

This is the story of a Linda Couri. She used to work for Planned Parenthood, and in this talk, she shares the story of how she became pro-life. This is a beautiful story of hope and grace.

Click here to listen.

we should keep silent.

When we are among a large number of people, say at our workplace, people often argue there, especially at large meetings.  It is always best to keep silent at large gatherings.  Let the others bring out their suggestions.  We should keep silent.  If you absolutely must say something, then say it so as not to offend anyone’s dignity.  It is better not to become involved.  Mind your own business and try to keep your peace.

- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

silence is better

Silence is better.

upon those in the tombs, bestowing life

Oh, how timely it was for me to read this!

"Have you ever been or are you now caught in some sin or old habit or old way of thinking from which you have not yet escaped? Some anxiety or troubling behavior? ...[T]hese troubles can feel like tombs. They are things into which we have fallen, and we have never been able to pry the door loose. There are all sorts of tombs into which a person can fall long before we are physically dead. During the Lenten season, for example, many Christians pray a prayer that mentions four such tombs. 'Oh Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.'

...Especially in our day and age, tombs are everywhere. Substance addiction, behavioral addiction, a desperate need for approval, a feeling of never doing enough, a fixation on the shape of one’s body, lack of self-discipline, money troubles, lustful thoughts or actions, eating disorders, lingering resentments, judging others, feeling judged, excessive internet usage, peer pressure, an irritable spirit, a lingering illness, and the list goes on. Every one of these is a tomb that drains the life out of us....For us, our own tomb is any crippling behavior over which we feel powerless...


There is a song, quite popular in Orthodox churches this time of year, springtime. “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life.” There is a hope that flows from the resurrection of Christ and that hope pours as much into the tombs in which we have fallen now as it does into the tombs in which we will be placed within after our last bodily breath. When we sing this hopeful song, we have in mind not only the graves then that swallow the dead, but the tombs now that swallow the living. Imagine: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death-by-death and upon those in the tombs of laziness, upon those in the tombs of craving approval, upon those in the tombs of depression, of physical pain, of anger toward God, of 'fill in the blank.' Upon those in these tombs bestowing life. The hope of resurrection is as much present as it is future, as much now as it is then...


From this hopeful truth flow key questions asked by that face in the mirror. What are your tombs? What are the sins, behaviors, habits that are draining the life out of you? Can you name them? Can you admit that the temptations are stronger than your own strength to resist them? Can you refuse to lay blame for them on anyone or anywhere but yourself? Do you trust God to raise you, finally, from the deadness of these tombs? Are you willing to cooperate with him, to do your part to be delivered, to do your own soul work? Can you imagine a day when you love freedom more than you love what is keeping you from being free?...

What a hopeful truth. Sin disfigures a person, but grace makes him beautiful. Sin disfigures a person, but grace makes her beautiful. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death-by-death and upon wherever you feel most lost in your life right now, there, bestowing love."

- Fr. John Oliver, from the Hearts and Minds podcast

You can listen to the full podcast here. I highly recommend it.

bear patiently

"Until God ordains otherwise, a man ought to bear patiently whatever he cannot correct in himself and in others. Consider it better thus--perhaps to try your patience and to test you, for without such patience and trial your merits are of little account. Nevertheless, under such difficulties you should pray that God will consent to help you bear them calmly. If, after being admonished once or twice, a person does not amend, do not argue with him but commit the whole matter to God that His will and honor may be furthered in all His servants, for God knows well how to turn evil to good. Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault which others must endure...."

[Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ]

I do not know what to ask of You

O Lord, I do not know what to ask of You.
You alone know my true needs.
You love me more than I myself know how to love.
Help me to see my real needs which are concealed from me.
I do not dare to ask either for a cross or for consolation.
I can only wait on You. My heart is open to You.
Visit me and help me; cast me down and raise me up.
I worship in silence Your holy will and Your unsearchable ways.
I offer myself as a sacrifice to You.
I have no desire than to fulfill Your will.
Teach me to pray. Pray, You Yourself in me. Amen.

- St. Philaret of Moscow

Educated for the skies.

"Think of God working in the solitary things, for the grass does not merely grow around our populous cities, and where men take care of it, but up there on the side of the bleak Alp, where no traveller has ever passed. Where only the eye of the wild bird has beheld their lonely verdure, the moss and the grass come to perfection, and display all their beauty, for God's works are fair to other eyes than those of mortals. And you, solitary child of God, dwelling far away from any friend, unknown and obscure, in a remote hamlet; or you in the midst of London, hiding away in your little garret, unknown to fame, and forsaken by friendship, you are not forgotten by the love of heaven. He maketh the grass to grow all alone, and shall not he make you flourish in loneliness? He can bring forth your graces, and educate you for the skies, in solitude and neglect."

- Charles Spurgeon, "Solitary Saints"

Wise Advice from a Good Friend

Wise Advice from a Good Friend:

"Don't let [Satan] steal your anticipation to see what God is going to do, or where you will eventually 'find' God. Keep asking God where he is, in the sense that he wants to lead you somewhere, not in the sense that he is not with you." - Dori

Turn within.

I was looking through my Moleskine book and stumbled upon my notes from Sunday School.

"Never forget that you're a child. Turn within to Jesus Christ. Our life is hidden in Christ, so look within your heart. Be available to God. Give your heart to God moment by moment. Remember you're a child. Our minds are full of thoughts, and sometimes the spiritual part of our lives is diminished in our thoughts. We are to pray without ceasing, but this means to be available to God's grace, being available to say, 'God, I can't do this.' There is to be a deeper experience of Christ at hand NO matter what your circumstances. God requires your heart above all else. Endless discussion breeds confusion. All you need is to turn to Jesus within you."

"Just as you couldn't contribute to your initial salvation, so you cannot now. Jesus would have us use our past sins as a basis for humility. Don't look at others as 2nd-rate; you yourself are 2nd-rate. There but for the grace of God go I. Take forgiveness seriously. He is there to forgive you. So, in your failures, Christ is preparing us for future tests in which we will be faithful."

"Don't look to your own resources. In His mercy, He tells us we are nothing. Be unmixed. In the fire, there is life in Christ. All good things are eternal. The fire is God's mercy. God understands the tension; he knows our tension. He is shaping me in my pain. Pain is a vessel. God is bringing pain in to make us pure and unmixed. After the fire what remains is eternal."