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After every storm
After every storm, if you don’t give up, you may see your whole struggle bearing fruit. Indeed! Yes, you get to see the fruit if you take the right stance, of course, if you stand humbly before God having trust and patience, without being scandalized.
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Let us stop searching all over the place
Holy St. Nectarios pray for us “Christians, have we understood the great responsibility that we have taken on before God through baptism? Have we come to know that we must conduct ourselves as children of God, that we must align our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, that we must love God with all our hearts and always patiently await union with Him?
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Orthodoxy in Kauai Part 2
It looks like our trip to Kauai made the news in Russia. Read part one. here The video of the panikhida starts at about the 42 minute mark:
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Preparation for Prayer
St. Porphyrios To pray, you need to create for yourself the proper “climate” then the Lord Himself will teach us how to pray. An Elder used to say that in order to have light in your house you need to install the right hardware - Some preparatory prayers Ask the Lord to have tears Burning Incense Lighting a candle Silence No Worrying Some prior Study (especially reading of the saints) Removal of your self from everyone and everything Burning of an oil lamp Desire to be happy Complete dependance of God Complete letting go of yourself to God.
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Modern Saints: Abbess Thaisia
Abbess Thaisia was born in 1840 to a noble family in Novgorod. She was named Maria in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos who had granted Maria’s parents the safe arrival of their baby after two previous children reposed at birth. Little Maria was enrolled in the Pavolovsky Institute for young women in St. Petersburg
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Quotes From Elder Symeon
The problem isn’t simply that we are sinners, or that the sin exists inside us. The problem is we do not deal with the whole matter as we should. Why are you afraid of admitting that you’re a sinner, that you have sin inside?
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An Interview with Elder Sophrony
St. Silouan… he was one of them. And if I take those to my right, or those to my left, it’s the same. In fact, this past Monday I encouraged my brethren to describe in a better way the path of battling against passionate thoughts.
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Map of Destroyed Churches in Kosovo
Over 110 Churches have been destroyed in the name of ethnic cleansing. Here is a before and after picture of a monastery from the 14th century. This ins’t just about the destruction of historical sites, but it is also about the destroyed lives of the people in Serbia.
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A Man of God: Elder Symeon
It is with some trepidation that I set pen to paper to record -what? What can one write about a personality whose holiness and spiritual wisdom stretched over many decades, who was shepherd to thousands of souls, saving them from destruction and bringing them into ‘a place of verdure'
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God's providence and Pain
When in pain, try not to rebel and try not to complain, not at all. Don’t let grumbling be your reaction. If the whole world harms you, not even then, should you say: “they did me wrong.” Nothing occurs against you, if God does not allow it. God allows it because you need pain.