Akathist to the Theotokos

Blessed 1400 Anniversary of the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos to all brothers and sisters!

On Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent, the Holy Church solemnly proclaims the Akathist , or thanksgiving praise to the Most Holy Theotokos. Consequently, the feast itself is called "Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos"

The Akathist to the Theotokos is believed to have originated after 626, when Constantinople was besieged by the Persians. During the siege, the people sought refuge in the churches of God, day and night imploring the fervent Intercessor to save their city, and Patriarch Sergius carried an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos [1] in his arms along the city walls. After the city's miraculous deliverance, this hymn glorifying the Theotokos was composed.

On egoism (Fr Savvas Agioreitis)

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit speaks through the Prophet Jeremiah, saying:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the Lord” (Jer. 17:5).

Teaching on the One and Only Foundation of Salvation (Saint Nicholas of Serbia)

For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor. 3:11 )

The Jews say, "Moses is the foundation." The Muslims say, "Mohammed is the foundation." Short-sighted naturalists say, "Nature is the foundation." But we ask, "Did Moses rise from the grave? Did Mohammed ascend to heaven? Does nature provide the Holy Spirit, the Comforter?" Moses did not rise; Mohammed did not ascend to heaven; and nature not only does not provide the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to man, but breathes malice toward him, growls at him, and shows its claws.

How to find inner peace? (Saint Macarius of Optina)

Peace comes from humility and meekness

When you want to find true peace of mind, listen to the Lord, who commanded us: "Learn from Me , for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" ( Matt. 11:29 ). You see what the Lord commands us to learn most—humility and meekness, which alone can bring us peace. But this knowledge is not acquired once, or in a single day or year, but over time, through self-forcing and the help of God (V, 363, 491).

…When you humble yourself, you will receive peace and tranquility… (III, 18, 70).

Each One of Us is Potentially a Judas (A sermon given by St. Seraphim Rose during Great Lent, 1982)

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as he sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, "To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall be also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you." And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Matthew 26:6-16

Conversations on Selected Passages from the Works of Saint John Climacus (Saint Valentine Sventitsky)

 

CONVERSATION ONE

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

The Lord said to His disciples: “Enter ye through the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are there that go in through it: because narrow is the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few are there that find it” ( Matthew 7:13–14 ).

When the disciples were horrified by the difficulty of the path to salvation and asked the Lord, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God” ( Mark 10:26–27 ).

I am afraid that reading St. John's Ladder will cause this fear, this confusion, "Who can climb this Ladder?" - my spiritual children will think.

“For men this is impossible, but not for God, for all things are possible for God . ”

Life of Saint John Climacus (+649)

St John Climacus is venerated by the Holy Church as one of the outstanding co-founders of monasticism.

The estimated period of his life is estimated to be between the sixth and seventh centuries. Despite the widespread veneration of this ascetic among believers, and especially among monastics, biographical details of his life have not reached us.

He is known to a wide circle of Christians, first and foremost, as the author of the authoritative and highly popular work of ascetic literature, "The Ladder of Asceticism." It would not be an exaggeration to say that this work was a reference book for many renowned ascetics.

On the Jesus Prayer (Excerpted from the book ''A Secret Teaching about Our Salvation: On the Jesus Prayer'' By St Valentine Sventitsky)

Bishop Theophan (the Recluse):

Note: The word ''mental'' refers to noetic, from nous that is the psychosomatic center of the human that receives the revelation from God.

"Performing mental prayer to the Lord Savior consists of the following: become mentally and attentively present in your heart, and, having established the conviction that the Lord is near and attentive, cry out to Him tenderly: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And do this unceasingly—in church, at home, on the road, at work, at table, and in bed—in a word, from the moment you open your eyes until the moment you close them . "

What is mental prayer? It is the constant turning of the mind to the Lord in the heart, or the constant standing before the Lord, with or without appeals to Him, with only feelings of devotion and a contrite prostration before Him in the heart. To develop skill in this self-compulsive labor, experienced prayer warriors have chosen one prayer to the Lord and Savior and established rules for its performance, so that with its help they can develop their own personal prayer. It is simple: stand with your mind in your heart before the Lord and pray to Him: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! This is how to do it at home before prayer, during intervals of prayer, and at the end, as well as in church, and throughout the day, so that every moment of the day is filled with prayer .

The grain of love (St Basil of Kineshma)

 

Two forces in the world

There are two categories of forces in the world: positive, creative, and negative, destructive. Destructive forces are characterized by a turbulent, spectacular nature, and therefore their effects are particularly noticeable, creating a strong impression of elemental power and irresistibility. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, typhoons, and tornadoes—all these formidable natural phenomena strike the viewer's imagination with their magical force. But in reality, this impression is usually exaggerated, and when the storm passes, it almost always turns out that the results of its destructive action are not as great as one might expect from its noisy effect. Moreover, all destructive forces act briefly, and the balance of nature they disrupt is quickly restored. Alongside these destructive forces, there are positive, creative forces. They are quiet, silent, almost unnoticeable, yet irresistible in their action. All the greatest forces of nature—gravity, the power of solar heat and light, the force of organic growth, and so on—act silently, without apparent sudden effects, but continuously, relentlessly, invincibly. In clashes with destructive forces, they always prevail.

The same thing happens in the spiritual world. Here, too, the destructive forces are more turbulent and spectacular in their manifestations, and at times it seems as if they are triumphing over good. But this dominance is only temporary, and the quiet, calm forces of goodness—meekness, humility, love, patience—acting unnoticed, yet continually and faithfully, will ultimately emerge victorious in the life of this world. This is why such quiet forces are valued in Christianity as the greatest virtues, for they lead to the victory of the Christian ideal of goodness.

It is necessary for all who love the Truth to observe the signs of the times! (St Theophan of Poltava)

Honorable friend!

Have you noticed what's happening in the world right now? The ministers of all the world's nations are currently doing nothing but talking about world peace. The ministers of France and its allied powers, moreover, are insistently talking about security guarantees as the most essential condition of this "peace." One can't help but recall the words of the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Thessalonians: "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For while they shall say, Peace and safety (!), then shall sudden destruction come upon them (that is, upon those who have no love for the truth— 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ) , as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 ).

All who love the truth must not only observe the signs of the times, but also draw appropriate conclusions from these observations.

Regarding church life, the Savior's words indicate to us, as one of the most astounding phenomena of the end times, that then "the stars will fall from heaven" ( Matthew 24:29 ). According to the Savior Himself, the "stars" are the angels of the Church, that is, the bishops ( Rev. 1:20 ). The religious and moral fall of the bishops is thus one of the most characteristic signs of the end times. The fall of bishops is especially terrible when they fall away from the dogmas of faith or, as the Apostle expresses it, when they want to “pervert the gospel of Christ” ( Gal. 1:7 ). The Apostle commands such people to pronounce “anathema”: “If anyone preaches a gospel other than the one we preached, let him be accursed” ( Gal. 1:9 ). And there is no need to hesitate here, he continues: “A heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that such a one is perverse and sins , condemning himself” ( Titus 3:10-11 ). Otherwise, that is, for indifference to apostasy from the truth, you may be subject to God’s judgment: since “you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot , I will vomit you out of My mouth” ( Rev. 3:15-16 ).

Clouds are gathering on the global horizon. God's judgment on the nations and hypocritical Christians is approaching, beginning with the heretical and lukewarm hierarchs.

Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Feofan_Bystrov/pisma/#0_82