Prayer on the First Day of Lent (Igumen Tihon)

All-Merciful and Long-Suffering Lord, I now enter upon holy Lent to cleanse my soul from the bonds of sin and draw closer to You. Do not reject me, a sinner, but grant me the strength and wisdom to walk this path with repentance, humility, and love.
Cleanse my heart from judgment, pride, and vanity. Grant me true fasting—not only physical abstinence, but also abstinence from evil thoughts, words, and deeds. May my fast not be hypocritical, but pleasing to You, O God!
Enlighten my mind with the light of Your truth, so that my prayer is not empty, but becomes a living communion with You. Fill my soul with love for my neighbors, so that by forgiving and humbling myself, I may inherit Your grace.
Help me remember eternity, not to become attached to earthly things, but to seek first Your Kingdom. May this fast be a step toward purity, peace, and joy in You, Lord, for You are the Light and the Truth, and to You be glory forever and ever.
Amen.

Life of Saint Charalampus (+202)

During the reign of the impious Roman Emperor Severus , with the spread of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, the worship of demons began to decline and idolatry itself ceased. At this time, in the city of Magnesia , lived the holy Bishop Charalampus. He guided people on the path to salvation and taught them the word of God. He said: "My Emperor Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, sent apostles and prophets so that people, enlightened by their holy preaching, would steadfastly follow the path of truth. Your Emperor Severus, however, forces people through cruel torments to offer sacrifices to soulless idols and thereby consigns their souls to eternal death." Jesus Christ, my King, through the prophets and apostles, has given us the words of heavenly life—and through this preaching, our enemy is cast out, the serpent is trampled, unbelief is transformed into faith, demonic teaching perishes, and all enemy power falls in its cruel fall. Therefore, it is better to believe the words that guide us onto the path to eternal life than to stand for a cause that brings eternal destruction."

Two stories of forgiveness from the lives of the saints

 

1. St Martyr Nikephoros ☦️

In the great city of Syrian Antioch, there lived a certain priest named Sapricius and a simple citizen named Nicephorus. They loved each other so much and were so close that some considered them brothers.

After many years of such friendship, the devil, who hated everything good, became envious of them and sowed such weeds of enmity in them that they did not even want to meet each other on the road: so they hated each other; and as much as love and friendship had previously reigned between them, so much later, through the action of Satan, hatred and enmity boiled up between them.

Forgiveness Sunday

 

Blessed Forgiveness Sunday and approaching Great Lent to all brothers and sisters!

May God forgive us all!

Forgive me and I also forgive you!

Prayer for Travelers

"Lord Jesus Christ our God, the true and living path, who deigned to wander into Egypt with your supposed father Joseph and your Most Pure Virgin Mother, and who journeyed to Emmaus with Luke and Cleopas! We humbly pray to you, Most Holy Master, that you now also, with your grace, accompany these servants of yours (names) , and, as with your servant Tobias, send them a guardian angel and guide, who would preserve and deliver them from every evil danger, from visible and invisible enemies, guide them to the fulfillment of your commandments, accompany them in well-being and good health, and bring them back safe and sound. And grant them to successfully fulfill their good intentions for your pleasing and for your glory. For it is in Your power to have mercy and save us, and we send up glory to You with Your Beginningless Father and with Your Most Holy, All-Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

Source: https://azbyka.ru/.../Feofan.../trebnik-na-russkom-jazyke/54

How can we become humble (Hieromonk Savvas Aghioreitis)

 

I remember a contemporary Elder on Mount Athos whom I once asked:

 — How can we become humble?

And he told me this:

— When we accuse ourselves.

With which “universal church” are they teaching us to unite? (against the Pope). (Averky Taushev)

 

"The Pope is a divine man and a human God. Therefore, no one can judge him or about him. The Pope has divine authority, and his authority is unlimited. He can do on earth the same thing as God can do in heaven. What the Pope does is the same as what God has done. His commandments must be fulfilled as the commandments of God. Only God alone is like the Pope; the Pope commands heavenly and earthly things. The Pope is in the world what God is in the world, or what the soul is in the body. The authority of the Pope is higher than any created authority, for it in some way extends to things in heaven, earth, and the underworld, so that the words of Scripture may be justified in him: 'You have put all things under his foot.' Everything is given over to the power and will of the Pope, and no one and nothing can resist him. If the Pope were to drag millions of people into hell with him, none of them would have the right to ask him: 'Holy Father, why are you doing this?'

An Analysis of the Roman Error about the Primacy and Infallibility of the Pope (Bishop Mitrofan Abramov)

 

The primacy of the pope

The cornerstone of all the errors of the Catholic Church is the doctrine of papal primacy. The essence of this doctrine is as follows: the Roman Pontiff, Catholics teach, is the supreme ruler of the entire Church founded by the Savior; he is God's vicar on earth and the head of all believers. As such, the Pope is superior to the Ecumenical Councils, which receive their confirmation and sanction from the Pope.

On what do Catholics base this anti-Christian teaching about the visible primacy of the Roman Pontiff in the Church?

On the Worship of God in Spirit and Truth (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

“The true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeks such as these, who will worship him” ( John 4:23 ).

Beloved brethren! We have now heard in the Gospel that true servants of the true God worship Him in Spirit and Truth, that God seeks , that is, desires, such worshipers. If God desires such worshipers, then it is clear that only such worshipers and servants He accepts, only such worshipers and servants are pleasing to Him. This teaching was proclaimed to us by the Son of God Himself. We believe the teaching of Christ! With all love, we accept the all-holy teaching of Christ! To follow Him faithfully, let us consider what it means to worship God the Father in Spirit and Truth.

Why did the Japanese accept Orthodoxy and reject Catholicism and Protestantism (Saint Nicholas of Japan)

 

The Japanese seem to be showing an inclination toward Orthodoxy. They dislike, and such a sophisticated and inquisitive people cannot dislike, the oppression of Catholicism, which, while preaching Christianity, does not allow the teachings of Christ to be read in the original, thereby arousing mistrust and doubt about the authenticity of what is preached. The Japanese attitude toward Catholicism is quite characteristically expressed by the following circumstance: Catholic missionaries, try as they might, were unable to establish their own seminary in Japan. No sooner had they gathered students, surrounded them with strict rules, and seemingly the most reliable barriers to contact with the outside world, than a ray of light would quickly penetrate the school, and the students would scatter. So, finally, the missionaries conceived the idea of ​​founding a Japanese seminary in China, in Fuchau, where they send their young proselytes as soon as possible after winning them, and from which, undoubtedly, escape is impossible.

The Japanese also dislike Protestantism. They are exhausted by their own religious confusion and emptiness, and Protestantism, which places only the Bible in their hands but allows everyone to interpret it as they please—that is, the same as paganism—leaving people in matters of religion to be guided by human views, without clearly and definitely pointing out Divine truth, naturally cannot satisfy or reassure them. Characteristic of Protestantism in Japan is that the best of the Protestant proselytes, who for many years were devoted Protestants and preachers of Protestantism, even suffering persecution for it, without any outside influence, voluntarily abandon it and become bitter enemies and vilifiers of it and, in their ignorance, of all Christianity. This means that they have passed through a narrow and meager teaching and once again found themselves in emptiness, with a religious thirst as unsatisfied as before.

What a difference all this makes with Orthodoxy , which is all light and depth, which, giving the word of God into everyone’s hands, itself commands in the words of Scripture to “test the Scriptures,” and to those who test and question, in Holy Tradition, it allows them to hear the living voice of the universal Mother Church, clarifying everything and reliably guiding them in everything!

It is also characteristic of Orthodoxy in Japan that the Orthodox mission, which has existed for only 8 years, with two permanent missionaries during this time, without any specific material resources, is already twice as strong in number of Christians as the Catholic and all Protestant missions taken together, despite the fact that the Catholic and Protestant missions have been founded in Japan for more than 20 years, that they have hundreds of missionaries, both men and women, and inexhaustible material resources.

Apparently, the time is not far off when the question of which religion will be dominant in Japan will be resolved. In Russia, Prince Vladimir, in view of the extraordinary importance of this issue for Russia, once took every measure to ensure its best resolution—he personally listened to all missionaries of different faiths, consulted with nobles, and sent a special embassy abroad to study the faiths and select the best of all. May God grant that the Japanese government, with all prudence and wisdom, resolve this question for Japan, both in the interests of truth itself and in view of the spiritual and material benefits of its people! This question is of immeasurable importance. The enlightenment of other Mongolian peoples will depend greatly on the enlightenment of Japan with Christianity.

Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Nikolaj_Japonskij/izbrannye-uchenye-trudy-svjatitelja-nikolaja-arhiepiskopa-japonskogo/#0_5