In ignorance, many people labor more to avoid suffering in old age and terminal illness than to avoid the torments of hell in the life after old age and death.

Such was the case of an unmarried and avaricious man who, from year to year, and with ever greater passion, amassed for himself unnecessary wealth. When asked why he strove so much to pile up excess wealth he replied:

“I am gathering it for my old age. This wealth will heal and feed me in old age and sickness.”

And indeed, his foreboding came true. In old age, a grave and long-lasting illness befell him. He distributed his accumulated wealth to physicians so they would heal him, and to servants so they would care for him and feed him. His wealth was soon spent, and the illness continued. The physicians and servants abandoned him, and he fell into despair. His neighbors brought him bread until his death, and he was buried at the expense of the community. He had used his wealth for that which he had intended it.

God had even done for him according to the man’s will. God had sent him the illness that he had, in a sense, desired, and for which he had prepared great wealth. Nevertheless, all his wealth was unable to alleviate his sufferings in this world – so with what would he be able to alleviate his sufferings in the other world? Nothing, if he took with him neither faith, nor hope, nor charitable deeds, nor prayers, nor repentance!

Someone saw a departed man in the great glory of Paradise, and asked him how he had become worthy of that glory. The man replied:

“In my earthly life I was the hireling of an evil-doer who never paid me. But I endured all and served him to the end, with hope in God.”

Then the onlooker saw another man in even greater glory, and when he asked him, that one replied:

“I was a leper, and to the very end I offered gratitude to God for that.”

But no one saw in the glory of Paradise the man who had amassed money for illness in old age.

Source: St. George Church of Prescott

© 2011, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.

“But the saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” Daniel 7:18

Abased and oppressed in the kingdoms of the world, the saints will reign eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The last on earth, they will rejoice as the first in heaven.

Hungry, thirsty, barefoot and naked in the transitory kingdoms, they will be like king’s sons, satisfied and clothed in royal raiment in the enduring Kingdom.

Strangers in the kingdoms of decay, they will be lords in their Kingdom, the Kingdom of Incorruption.

This is the final Kingdom; in truth, the only kingdom that can be called a kingdom. All others are transitory, temporary schools of deceit and vanity. For the Eternal Kingdom, the saints were recruited on earth from the citizens of all earthly kingdoms through the ages. They are the sons and daughters of Christ the Savior, the children of the Living God. They are those who have passed from this life to the other life and who now reign. But all the splendor and all the majesty of their reign has not yet been revealed. This will be displayed after the Second Coming of Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead. Then will all the splendor and all the majesty of the Kingdom of the saints be shown.

This is the Eternal Kingdom of Christ our God. Of this Kingdom there will be neither change nor end for ever, even for ever and ever.

O Lord Jesus, the Builder of the Kingdom of the saints, have mercy on us sinners and prepare us for the Eternal Kingdom of Thy saints. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

Source

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

Abba John the Short asked the monks:

“Who sold Joseph?” [Genesis 37-50]

One monk replied:

“His brothers.”

To that, the elder replied:

“No brethren, rather his humility. Joseph could have said that he is their brother and could have protested to being sold but he remained silent. His humility, therefore, sold him. Afterward, this same humility made him master over Egypt.”

In surrendering ourselves to the will of God, we defend ourselves too much from external unpleasantness, that is why we lose the good fruits which is harvested at the end of unpleasantness endured with humility.

Abba Pimen wisely spoke:

“We have abandoned the easy yoke, i.e., self-reproach and we have burdened ourselves with a heavy yoke, i.e., self-justification.”

The Christian accepts every unpleasantness as deserving of their present or their past sins; seeking in all the will of God with faith and awaiting the end with hope.

Source

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

“Brethren, see to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

Brethren, do not let philosophy enslave us, which by conjecture, says that there is no eternal life nor resurrection from the dead. For we do not arrive at the Truth through the conjecture of man, but by God’s revelation. That which we know about the truth we know from Truth Itself which was revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ and which was communicated to us through the faithful and wise witnesses of the Truth: the apostles and the saints. If we, because of our sins, were to reject these witnesses and accept the conjecture of humans, we will fall into the dark and bitter slavery of nature, of the body, to sin and to death.

Brethren, let us not be deceived by the empty myths of men, from men and according to men as though another world does not exist or if another world does exist, we, so to speak, do not know anything about it. Behold, we know with confidence that another world does exist. We know this not from conjecturers or deceivers but from the Lord Jesus Himself Who, on Mount Tabor, appeared to His disciples with Moses and Elijah who long ago departed this world and Who Himself, appeared to many of His followers after His death. We also know about this from the apostles, saints and numerous discerners to whom, because of their chastity and sanctity, God revealed the ultimate Truth about the other world. If, because of our sins, we do not believe these holy and the truthful witnesses, we will then have to believe those unholy and false men and we will be slaves to darkness, sin and death.

Brethren, let us not be led astray by worldly teaching, which examines animals, plants and stones and say it has not found God among these things and, from that, arrogantly attest that there is no God. Behold, we know that the Creator cannot be, as a thing among things, rather He is above all things and different from all things. We know this, as much by spiritual understanding and conscience, as well as by the obvious revelation of the Lord Jesus Himself, Who appeared in the body of a man as the Lord of all created things, as well as through the witness of the apostles, many other saints and discerning men.

Rather, let us glorify the Lord Jesus resurrected from the dead.

Source

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

Our father among the saints, Nikolai Velimirovich, was a gifted theologian combining a high level of erudition with the simplicity of a soul steeped in Christ-like love and humility, is often referred to as the “new Chrysostom” for his inspired preaching.

As a spiritual father of the Serbian people, he constantly exhorted them to fulfill their calling as a nation: to serve Christ.

During WW II he was imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp.

He later served as a hierarch here in America, where he died.

“My Lord and my God” (John 20:28)

When the Apostle Thomas felt the wounds of the Lord Jesus, he cried out: “My Lord and my God!”

When Mary Magdalene heard the voice of the resurrected One in her soul, she cried out: “My Lord and my God!”

When Saul saw the light and heard the words of the resurrected One, he acknowledged: “My Lord and my God!”

When the pagans, in amazement, observed how the countless numbers of martyrs joyfully undergo pains and asked them: “Who is this Christ?” All of them replied: “My Lord and my God!”

When the scoffers ridiculed the army of ascetics and asked them: “Who is He, for Whom they took upon themselves the awesome burden of mortification? They all had one answer: “My Lord and my God!”

When the scorners derided the virgins who vowed their virginity and asked them: “Who is He for Whom they renounced marriage?” They all had one answer: “My Lord and my God!”

When the avaricious in astonishment asked the very wealthy: “Who is He for Whom they distribute their wealth and become beggarly?” All of them replied, one and the same: “My Lord and my God!”

Some have seen Him and have said: “My Lord and my God!” Some have only heard Him and said: “My Lord and my God!” Some have only felt Him and said: “My Lord and my God!” Some have only observed Him in the fabric of events and in the destinies of peoples and said: “My Lord and my God!” Some have felt His presence in their lives and cried out: “My Lord and my God!” Some have recognized Him by some sign, on themselves or on others, and cried out: “My Lord and my God!”

Still some have only heard about Him from others and believed and cried out: “My Lord and my God!” Truly, these last ones are the most blessed!

Let us also exclaim, with all our hearts, regardless of how we have come to recognize Him or how we have come to learn about Him:

“My Lord and my God!”

Source

© 2011, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.

by St Nikolai Velimirovich

As much as the saints were so compassionate and lenient toward human weakness, so were they terribly unyielding and unbending in regard to the confession of the true dogmas of the Faith.

Thus, St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia struck Arius with his fist at the First Ecumenical Council [Nicaea, 325 A.D.].

St. Anthony left his desert to come to Alexandria to publicly unmask Arius.

St. Euthymius, being greatly pressured by the Empress Eudocia and the pseudo-Patriarch Theodosius and being unable to debate rationally with them, left the monastery and hid in the desert.

All other distinguished monks followed his example. Euthymius remained in the desert until the pseudo-patriarch was ousted and Orthodoxy strengthened. When, in Jerusalem, the greatest agitation surfaced in the name of the emperor against the Fourth Ecumenical Council [Chalcedon, 451 A.D.] and when the entire population was frightened by the heretics, then St. Theodosius the Great already burdened with old age, as a fearless soldier of Christ, came to Jerusalem, entered the Great Church, ascended the stairs, waved his hands and said to the people,

“If anyone does not respect the Fourth Ecumenical Council as he does the four evangelists, let him be anathema.”

(Until this time, only four Ecumenical Councils had been convened). All of those listeners were frightened by those words and none of the heretics dared to say anything contrary to those words.

Source

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

God does not punish sinners because it gives Him gratification to destroy men. If that gave Him gratification, He would not have created man out of nothing.

He punishes man out of more important constructive reasons, of which two are most apparent to us: First, that by punishment He corrects them and leads him on the true path of salvation; second, to frighten others from sinning.

St. Isaac also thinks this when he says,

“The just wise man is similar to God, for he punishes man, not to reproach him for his sin but either to correct man or to instill fear in others.”

One recalcitrant young man, who ridiculed God and his parents, suddenly went insane. The entire city in which this young man lived saw, in this, the punishment of God and were terrified with the fear of God. The young man was held bound and isolated for three years. His mother wept bitterly and prayed to God for her son. One year, during the Feast of Pentecost, the mother brought her insane son to the monastery of St. Basil in Ostrog. After prayers, the insane youth was cured and became himself again. After that, he became an exemplary person and a true Christian.

Source: Mystagogy

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).

A chosen man, a great wonderworker, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ in his miracles, a victor in Egypt, a victor in the wilderness, the leader of a people – how could he not be proud? But if he had become proud, Moses would not have been all that he was.

They become proud who think that they do their own works and not God’s in this world, and who think that they work by their own power and not by God’s power. But the great Moses knew that he was the doer of God’s works, and that the power with which He did them was God’s power and not his. That is why he did not become proud because of the awesome miracles he performed, or the great victories he obtained, or the wise laws that he gave to the people.

“The Lord is my strength and my song” (Exodus 15:2),

said Moses. Of the entire assembly of the Israelites in the wilderness, no one felt his own particular weakness as much as he, the greatest one of that assembly. In every task, in every place and in every moment, he expected help only from God. “What shall I do?” he cried to God, and he ceaselessly listened for God’s reply and sought God’s power.

“Meek above all men on earth.”

For all the others considered themselves as being something, trusted themselves as being something, but he – nothing. He was completely absorbed in God, completely humbled before God. If the people needed to be fed and given drink, he turned to God; if it was necessary to do battle with his enemies, he raised his hands to heaven; if it was necessary to calm an uprising among the people, he cried to God. The meek, the all-meek Moses! And God rewarded his faithful servant with great glory and made him worthy to appear on Mount Tabor with Elias alongside the Lord Savior.

O Lord, the God of the meek, the Good Shepherd, make us also meek like Moses and the apostles. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

Our father among the saints, Nikolai Velimirovich, was a gifted theologian combining a high level of erudition with the simplicity of a soul steeped in Christ-like love and humility, is often referred to as the “new Chrysostom” for his inspired preaching. As a spiritual father of the Serbian people, he constantly exhorted them to fulfill their calling as a nation: to serve Christ. During WW II he was imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp. He later served as a hierarch here in America, where he died.

“The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away” (Job 1:21).

Brethren, let the righteous one fear nothing; all shall be well with him. The whole of Sacred Scripture shows us that God will never forsake the righteous. The example of Job shows us this as clearly as the sun. Job had seven sons and three daughters; he had riches, respect among the people, and friends. And he lost all of this in one day. He did not grumble against God but fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said,

“Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither” (Job 1:20-21).

Then Job lost his health, the last of what he had, and his entire body, from the top of his head to the heels of his feet, was covered with sores and pus. And Job sat in ashes and lifted up praise to God. His wife tried to persuade him to renounce his God, but righteous Job said to her:

“Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).

His friends reproached him, saying that he was sinful and proud in his understanding and righteousness before them, but Job humbly prayed to God and patiently endured all his wounds and misfortunes.

It happens today, as it did then, that when some misfortune befalls us, our neighbors consider themselves to be more intelligent and more righteous than we are. But the most wise God permitted all these misfortunes to fall on Job in order to test not only Job His servant but also his kinsmen and his friends. When each of them had shown what kind of person he was, when each of them had been tested before God, then God, with His almighty right hand, restored Job to health, returned twice as much wealth as He had taken away, and gave him again seven sons and three daughters.

He who has strong faith, brethren, has clear spiritual sight, so that he can see the finger of God in his prosperity as well as in his suffering. He who has strong faith also has great patience in suffering. When God gives to him, he gives thanks, and when God takes away, he blesses:

“Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

O Lord, the God of the long-suffering and patient Job, teach us to bless Thy name in our sufferings. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

Source

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Christians do not believe in kismet, fate or destiny.

Even if God determines the chief lines of our life, He, according to our prayers and merits, can change them.

Thus, He prolonged King Hezekiah’s life for fifteen years:

“Go and say to Hezekiah, thus said the Lord, the God of David Your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold I will add unto your days fifteen years” (Isaiah 38:5),

and to the Venerable Dius (July 19) he likewise prolonged his life for fifteen years. God extended the life of St. Basil the Great, according to the prayer of the saint, for one day until he baptized the Jew, Joseph, his physician.

But, as God can, by prayer, prolong life, so He can shorten it because of sin. Emperor Anastasius adhered to the Severian heresy, so called the Acephalites (the headless ones), who spread the foolishness that the Church does not need bishops and priests but rather that everyone unto himself is a bishop and a priest and that everyone has the right, in his own way, to interpret Holy Scripture and to teach others as he understands and believes. In vain did St. John the Patriarch counsel the emperor to return to the truth of Orthodoxy, and not only did the emperor not accept the counsel but rather ill-treated the patriarch in various ways and contemplated to have him banished. One night, the emperor saw in a dream an awesome man on an exalted throne, who held a book in his hand. This man opened the book, found the name of Emperor Anastasius and said:

“I have wanted to permit you to live for a while longer but, because of your heresy, behold, I am erasing fourteen years from your life.”

And he erased something from the book. Terrified, the emperor jumped up from his dream and related his dream to his followers. After a few days, thunder struck the emperor’s place and killed Emperor Anastasius.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved.