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[St. Symeon the New Theologian]

Parish Bulletin

Week of March 8, 2010

 

 

 


[Courtesy of US News & World Report | www.usnews.com/]
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Quotes from past bulletins are now available online!


There can be no 'dialogue of love' without the dialogue of truth...

People live in Christ, 'speaking the truth in love: because only in this way 'we must grow up in every way into Him Who is the Head, into Christ' (Eph. 4:15). This is always realized 'with all the saints' (Eph. 3:18), always in the Church and through the Church, because a person cannot grow in Him 'Who is the Head' of the Body of the Church, in others in Christ, in any other way. Let us not fool ourselves. There is also 'the dialogue of falsehood,' when those who discourse together consciously or unconsciously lie to one another. This kind of dialogue is customary when the 'father of lies,' the devil, presides, 'for he is a liar, and the father of lies' (John 8:44). It is also usual for his unconscious and conscious co-workers to reach their 'truth' with the help of falsehoods when they want to accomplish their good through evil. There can be no 'dialogue of love' without the dialogue of truth. "

- St. Justin Popovich of Serbia

A Faith of Conviction

"The future, for Orthodox Christians in the West, as the present and the past, is in the Tradition of the Church, in the fullness of Orthodoxy, in the Saints... There is now the common sense realization that the Orthodox Faith is neither a religion of blood (the ethnic heresy), nor a religion of convenience (the modernist heresy), but simply a faith of conviction. The consumer society may be the ultimate achievement of the Western world, but its values do not apply to the Church. We do not 'pick and mix' from the Faith of the Church, but accept the Tradition in its wholeness. To become half-Orthodox or to become fully Orthodox? The answer seems obvious. "

- Fr. Andrew Phillips, England

A Good Disposition of the Will

"The principle and source of the virtues is a good disposition of the will, that is to say, an aspiration for goodness and beauty. God is the source and ground of all supernal goodness. Thus the principle of goodness and beauty is faith or, rather, it is Christ, the rock of faith, who is principle and foundation of all virtues. On this rock we stand and on this foundation we build every good thing (cf. I Cor. 3:11). "

- St. Gregory of Sinai

In Any Conflict

"In any conflict with unbelievers or heretics, we should stop after we have twice reproved them (cf. Titus 3:10). But where we are dealing with those who are eager to learn the truth, we should never grow tired of doing the right thing (cf. Gal. 6:9). And we should use both situations to test our own steadfastness. "

- St. John Climacus

Homily - On How We Must Become Like Children in Order to be Sons of God

"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. " (Matthew 18:3)

"Thus speaks the Lord and His word is holy and true. What kind of advantage do children have over adults? They have three advantages: in faith, in obedience and in forgiveness. The child asks the parent about everything and whatever the parent replies, the child believes its parent. The child is obedient to its parent and easily subordinates its will to the will of the parent. The child is forgiving even though he provokes easily, but the child forgives quickly. Our Lord requires these three from ail men i.e., Faith, Obedience and Forgiveness. He seeks that men believe in Him unconditionally, as a child believes in its parent. To be unconditionally obedient to Him as a child is to its parent and to be forgiving in relation to one anther, not to remember evil and not to render evil for evil.
Faith, Obedience and Forgiveness are the three main characteristics of a child's soul. In addition to that, comes purity and joy. A child is not greedy; a child is not lustful; and a child is not vain glorious. The child has an eye unspoiled by vices and a joy unspoiled by worries. 0 brethren, who can make us over again into children? No one, except the one Christ. He can make us over into children and help us to be born again and, that by His example, by His teaching and by the power of His Holy Spirit.
0 Lord Jesus, perfect in obedience and meekness, Eternal Child of the Heavenly Father help us to become as infants by faith in Thee, by obedience towards Thee and by forgiveness towards one another. "

- St. Nikolai, from the Prologue

An Approach to Prayer

"There was a time when I read with great faithfulness all the prayers which the Church offers us in the morning, in the evening and on other occasions. But I could not always identify with them. They were prayers which were strange to me. I had not grown to that measure of faith or to that measure of love for my neighbor. There were passages in the prayers which I could say sincerely; but there were passages which I could not say; partly because they went against my experience, my feeling, partly because I had not grown to that measure of faith and spiritual experience.
My spiritual father gave me advice on that. He said to me, 'For a year I forbid you to use any of the prayers of the books of prayer. Before you go to bed, make the sign of the Cross and then lie down and say, "Lord, at the prayers of those who love me, save me," and begin to ask yourself who are those who love you — who love you so much, so deeply, so truly, that you don't need even to pray, because their prayers are your shield and you way?'
I tried it. One name after the other came. And every time a name floated up, I stopped one moment and said. 'How wonderful! He loves me, she loves me! Oh God, bless him, bless her, for the love she can give me as a present.' "

- Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of London

Repentance

Repentance is given to man as grace after grace, for repentance is a second regeneration by God. That of which we have received in earnest by Baptism, we receive as a gift by means of repentance. Repentance is the door of mercy, opened to those who seek it. By way of this door we enter into the mercy of God, and apart from this entrance we shall not find mercy. 'For all have sinned,' according to divine Scripture, 'being justified freely by His grace.' Repentance is the second grace and is begotten in the heart by faith and fear. Fear is the paternal rod which guides our way until we reach the spiritual paradise of good things. When we have attained thereto, it leaves us and turns back. "

- St. Isaac of Syria




Two Thoughts from St. Justin Popovich on Being Orthodox

"To be Orthodox means to have the God-man Christ constantly in your soul, to live in Him, think in Him, feel in Him, act in Him. In other words, to be Orthodox means to be a Christ-bearer and a Spirit-bearer."


"All truths of Orthodoxy emerge from the one Truth and converge on one Truth, infinite and eternal. That Truth is the God-man Christ. If you experience any truth of Orthodoxy to its limit, you will inevitably discover that its kernel is the God-man Christ. In fact, all truths of Orthodoxy are nothing other than different aspects of the one Truth - the God-man Jesus Christ."

On Why God Hides Encouraging Signs From Us

"A disciple once asked St. Leonid of Optina why after years of struggle he found himself worse instead of better, ie., more inconsiderate, colder of heart, etc. St. Leonid's response is very enlightening:

Very few have flown up in a short time on the wings of faith and virtue into the spiritual heaven or have sensed in themselves the undying pledge of hope and the betrothal of future glory.... There are others who will never sense this during their whole life on earth; they will not sense it according to the dispensation of our heavenly Protector, God, who always provides what is best for us. For we, infants in our understanding of the judgments of Him that directs the world, often ask of Him such tools which in their own right and power are for our salvation, but we would put them to entirely detrimental use because of our inexperience. Therefore, the loving Father of lights hides from certain pious people the gifts which are for the salvation of some, but to others bring perdition. What would happen in God, Who knows all things, completely fulfilled our every wish? I think, but I'm not saying for certain, that everyone in the world would perish. Even though He does not reject the prayers of His chosen ones, God still does not at all times fulfill their desires. And this only in order to arrange everything in a better way, in keeping with His divine intent.... Just because you see yourself making no progress does not mean that you are not making any progress at all. Such feelings can plant sincere humility in your heart. And when you have the genuine awareness that you are deprived of spiritual fruit, then make an unfailing effort to force your striving for God.... When we have had no success in the virtues, there is no closer means for salvation than humbleness of mind. Haughtiness even when joined to the virtues is offensive to God; but a meek thought will not be forgotten before God."

- St. Counsels of St. Leonid of Optina

 

The Precious Pearl

"The enjoyment of this present life, though it seems to give delight and sweetness, is well thrust from us. At the very moment of its being it ceases to be, and for our joy repays us with sorrow sevenfold. Its happiness and its sorrow more frail than a shadow, and, like the traces of a ship passing over the sea, or a bird flying through the air, quickly disappear. But the hope of the life to come which the Christians preach is certain and quite sure; howbeit in this world it has tribulation, whereas our pleasures now are short-lived, and in the beyond they only win us correction and everlasting punishment without release. For the pleasures of life are temporary, but its pain eternal; while the Christians labors are temporary but their pleasure and gain immortal. Therefore, right it is to exchange the corruptible for the incorruptible."

- St. John of Damascus

On Inward Peace

"There is nothing better than peace in Christ, for it brings victory over all the evil spirits on earth and in the air. When peace dwells in a man's heart it enables him to contemplate the grace of the Holy Spirit from within. He who dwells in peace collects spiritual gifts as it were with a scoop, and he sheds the light of knowledge on others. All our thoughts, all our desires, all our efforts, and all our actions should make us say constantly with the Church: "O Lord, give us peace!" When a man lives in peace, God reveals mysteries to him.."

- St. Seraphim of Sarov