We must not avoid communion because we deem ourselves to be sinful. We must approach it more often for the healing of the soul and the purification of the spirit, but with such humility and faith that considering ourselves unworthy ... we would desire even more the medicine for our wounds. It is impossible to receive communion once a year, as certain people do ... for when they receive, they think themselves worthy. It is much better if, in humility of heart, knowing that we are never worthy of the Holy Mysteries we would receive Them every Sunday for the healing of our diseases, rather than, blinded by pride, think that after one year we become worthy of receiving Them! + St John Cassian (360 - 435)

"Divine Communion", by Markogiannakis Evangelos, 1934

“LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy wrath”
Monday Vespers, Kathisma 6

http://bit.ly/kathisma6

Fr. Josiah Trenham on the proper context of sexuality

Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/724NScxXKjE

"The Lord is not tired of hearing us complain all the time. He is tired of our sins, not our turning to Him for help. He wants us to call upon Him all the time and to pour out our hearts to Him." ✝️ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

One should always endure any trial for the sake of God with gratitude. Our life is a single minute in comparison with eternity; and therefore, according to the Apostle, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18).

☦️ St Seraphim of Sarov

“Lord, have mercy on me,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” is the breath of his soul, and like body cannot stand without air, the soul of a Christian should not be able to stand without - “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.”
Archpriest Theodore Gignadze

St Joseph the Hesychast

St Irenaeus (Aug 23/ Sept 5) was a lion in his refutation of the gnostic heresy. Salvation is through the Incarnation. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind.

“Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God; by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood. Hieromartyr Irenaeus, entreat Christ God to save our souls.”

"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

New Miracle of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze)

A young woman coming out of a coma tells her mother, who had been praying to the Georgian saint for her healing: “I saw this same priest [Elder Gabriel] but I couldn’t wake up or come to. He came to me and said that love is above everything in the world. And today he came to my bed and shouted: ‘Enough sleeping! Let’s go hang out!’

I froze in place, and tears began pouring from my eyes again. Do you know what date it was? August 26—the birthday of Elder Gabriel! On his birthday, our beloved Elder Gabriel gave my daughter a new lease on life!”

https://orthochristian.com/155845.html

St Nikon of Optina

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

“I was born blind! And I glorify the Panagia because that way I commit fewer sins! At some point, the Panagia gave me my sight, but when I saw that it didn't help me, I asked her to take it back... And she listened to me!”

+ Elder Isidoros the Blind Monk of Philotheou Monastery, of Blessed Memory +

Elder Isidoros, devout spiritual child of the Blessed Geronda Ephraim of Arizona, reposed on Sunday November 27, 2022 at the Athonite Monastery of Philotheou at the age of 87.

Twice a year, when the humble elder would come out of Mount Athos, many souls were blessed by his wisdom and many miracles.

“Salvation consists in the restoration of our communion with God.

Unhappy is he who is satisfied with his own human righteousness, for he does not need Christ, Who says of Himself: I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mt. 9:13).”

☦️ St Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807-1867), Bishop of the Caucasus and the Black Sea:

“For a man it is necessary to observe three primary rules: to fear God, to pray often and to do good for people". "Malice in turn never wipes out malice. If someone doeth thee bad, do them good, and thine good will conquer their bad".

✝️ The Monk Poemen the Great (450) (Aug 27/ Sept 9)

A Story of St Moses the Black (St Moses the Ethiopian) Aug 28/ Sept 10

A brother at Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to say to him, ‘Come, for everyone is waiting for you.’ So he got up and went. He took a leaking jug, filled it with water and carried it with him. (Some versions of the story say he carried a leaking bag of sand.) The others came out to meet him and said to him, ‘What is this, Father?’ The old man said to them, ‘My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another.’ When they heard that they said no more to the brother but forgave him.

He proclaimed the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He proclaimed Him without regard to the consequences, for this life is fleeting in the Light of Eternity.

#StJohntheForerunner
Aug 29/ Sept 11

St Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov noted that “in only rare instances, for some special purpose of God, do holy angels appear to sinful men.”Typically, demons appear as angels of light. Demons, “in appearing to men, usually assume the appearance of bright angels in order to deceive the more easily.”

“A general rule for all men is by no means to trust spirits when they appear in sensuous form, not to enter into conversation with them, not to pay any attention to them, to acknowledge their appearance as a great and most dangerous temptation. At the time of this temptation one should direct one's mind and heart to God with a prayer for mercy and for deliverance from temptation. The desire to see spirits, curiosity to find out anything about them and from them, is a sign of the greatest foolishness and total ignorance of the Orthodox greatest edge of spirits is acquired quite differently than is supposed by communion with spirits for the inexperienced is the greatest foolishness and total ignorance of the Orthodox Church's traditions concerning moral and active life. Knowledge of spirits is acquired quite differently than is supposed by the inexperienced and careless experimenter. Open communion with spirits for the inexperienced is the greatest misfortune, or serves as a source of the greatest misfortunes.”
☦️ St Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Collected Works”