"Fast from criticism, feast on praise.
Fast from self-pity, feast on joy.
Fast from ill-temper, feast on peace.
Fast from resentment, feast on contentment.
Fast from jealousy, feast on humility.
Fast from selfishness, feast on service.
Fast from fear, feast on faith.
Fast from bitterness, feast on forgiveness.
Fast from discontent, feast on gratitude."
--Fr John Bakas

"As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him." + Matt. 9:9

The primary affirmation of the Gospel account written by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew (Nov 16) is that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. There would not be another. (Matt.11:3).

"Divinely eloquent Matthew, we honour your precious memory!
Entreat merciful God that He may grant our souls remission of transgressions.

You proclaimed the word of truth and roused the souls of the slothful by writing of the hour of Judgment. #StMatthew

"If you wish, you can be a slave of passions, and if you wish, you can remain free and not submit to their yoke; God has created you with this power." ☦️ Elder Ephraim

For Ioan Ianolide, life without Christ “seemed unthinkable, because God filled his soul.” His involvement with the Romanian student movement, Brotherhood of the Cross, brought him the maximum prison term: twenty-five years of forced labour. The tortures had begun even before his sentence and would endure them for many years to come.

The Life of Ioan Ianolide, Who Spent Twenty-Three Years in Prison for Christ https://orthochristian.com/149415.html

Teach your children this lesson. The rewards of evil are temporary. The rewards of godliness are eternal.
☦️ St. Cyprian of Carthage

“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” Luke 1:46-49

At the Entrance (Presentation) of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (Nov 21/Dec 4), the Virgin is clearly made manifest. The Feast foretells God’s blessing for the human race, the preaching of salvation, and the promise of the coming of Christ.

When the righteous Joachim and Anna bring their child Mary to the temple, the era of the temple comes to an end. With Mary’s entrance the "preview of the good will of God" is shown forth. On the Feast of the Presentation (Nov 21) we celebrate that we too are the house and tabernacle of the Lord.

☦️”Marriage is not between two but three, the husband, the wife and God. And for it to be successful the three must perfectly cooperate and become a Holy Trinity.”

—Fr Demosthenes Nicolaou

The purpose of temptations is to reveal hidden passions and to battle against them, and this is in order to heal the soul. They are examples of divine mercy. Therefore, leave yourself in God’s hands with confidence and ask for His help, so that He will strengthen you in your struggle.

☦️ St Nectarios of Pentapolis (Nov 22 / Nov 9)

Into Your hands, O Lord Jesus Christ my God, I commend my spirit: bless me, have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.

We have deep-rooted infirmities, passions, flaws, many of which are hereditary. All this is not cut short by a single sudden movement, nor by anxiety and severe distress, but by patience and perseverance. ☦️ St Nectarios of Aegina

As a soldier-prince who died a monk, St Alexander Nevsky (Nov 23) prevented a general insurrection, thus saving the nation of Russia. Veneration of St Alexander began at his burial, after an incident which caused onlookers to stumble back in fear from his tomb.

The steward Sebastian and Metropolitan Cyril wanted to take the saint's hand, in order to put in it the customary document of absolution. The holy prince, as though alive, reached out his hand and took the document from the hand of the Metropolitan.

I advise you to convince yourself to prayer and every good action, even if you do not feel the desire for it. God seeing such labour and application will give you goodwill and zeal. Such good will and a certain attraction to prayer is often a result of habit. ☦️ St Tikhon of Zadonsk

St Clement of Ohrid, Equal to the Apostles and Bishop of Greater Macedonia (Nov 25) is hymned as “planter of faith and pruner of heresies.” He was brought to trial under the authority of Roman Pope Stephen VI for defending Orthodoxy and the use of Slavonic in church. Even under intense torture, St Clement did not relent, continuing to preach and write in the Slavonic language.

St Clement also continued the translation work begun by Sts Cyril and Methodius and left behind his own works, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. For these activities, St Clement gained the title Enlightener of the Bulgarians.