St. Blath of Kildare (January 29) was a 6th-century nun who served her obedience as cook at Saint Brigid's Convent in Kildare. Bread and bacon at her table were declared better than a banquet elsewhere.

St. Blath is a model of one who undertook the most basic of daily tasks with devotion to Christ, and in doing so, created something extraordinary.

It is said that once a an almost empty dearth of milk in lasted well beyond what it should have after Blath continued to dip cup after cup of milk for the poor.

“O Lord and Master of my life...", the familiar prayer said during Great Lent, comes to us from the Monk Ephrem the Syrian (Jan 28/ Feb 10) a most humble teacher of repentance of the 4th century. He was an ardent student and sought-after teacher of Holy Scripture as well as composer of many prayers and hymns which have enriched Church's Divine-services.
Saint Ephrem accepted only the dignity of deacon, in which he remained until death.” Saint Basil the Great “once invited the Monk Ephrem to accept the cathedra-chair of a bishop, but the saint feigned folly to avoid for himself this honour, in humility reckoning himself unworthy of it.”

Because the Lord “gave him a gift of teaching … people began to come to him, wanting to hear his guidances, which produced a particular effect upon the soul, since he began with self-accusation. The monk both verbally and in writing instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which during those times was disrupting Christian society. And pagans likewise, listening to the preaching of the monk, were converted to Christianity.”
—quotes are from the Synaxarion

Bishop admonishes young souls to turn off the Internet and turn to quiet, humble labours

When a “young soul abandons the prayer book for a laptop”, engaging in online culture wars and pursuing “blogging in place of prayer, he “places himself in great peril”, says Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth.

“A young man that turned to the Orthodox Faith without proper mentoring and instruction, without strong, positive role models before his eyes, is in grave danger of becoming the equivalent of a monster. An Orthodox monster. An Orthodox Bolshevik… ready to take either a cudgel, or a cross to beat his neighbor over the head because this neighbor does not agree with his …concept of orthodox tradition…”

The Bishop warns “there is no substitute for what Father Seraphim (Rose) called ‘quiet and humble labours’.”

When threatened by the state with despoliation, exile, martyrdom, and death for his Orthodox faith, St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea responded, "Is that all?"

Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are hymned as “Torch-bearers of the triune Godhead, sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom” but which of them is the greatest?

The Synaxis of Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (Jan 30/ Feb 12) arose from the controversy over who was the greatest among them.

The three hierarchs appeared to St John, the Bishop of Euchaita in 1084, declaring their equality before God. They told him that all disputes should stop and that their common commemoration should be celebrated on a single day. “There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another.”

Holy Hierarchs Basil, Gregory and John, ceaselessly intercede for us before the Holy Trinity!

I don’t know anything more wretched than the soul which refuses to honor priests. That soul is full of demonic frenzy.

☦️ Saint John Chrysostom

"Christ is the salvation that comes, and Zacchaeus is the house to which He comes. Each of us, my brethren, is a house in which sin dwells while Christ is afar off, and to which salvation comes as Christ draws near. Whether Christ is able or not to draw near to my house and yours depends on us. You see that He did not force an entry into Zacchaeus' house, but came as a warmly invited guest. Little Zacchaeus had climbed up into a tree, to see the Lord Jesus with his own eyes. He had sought Him, desired Him. And we must seek Him in order to find Him, and desire that He draw near to us, and climb up high in spirit to meet His glance. Then He will visit our house as He visited the house of Zacchaeus, and bring salvation with Him.

Draw near to us, O Lord, draw near, and bring us Your eternal salvation!" #Zaccheaus

☦ St Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic

At the Meeting of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the Temple, the Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess (Synaxsis of Ss. Symeon and Anna Feb 3/ Feb 16) was there, giving thanks and bearing witness of Him "to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

"Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. " +Luke 2:36-38

"Enlightened by the Spirit, your pure heart became the dwelling place of most splendid prophecy; for you saw things far off as if they were near. Therefore, we honour you, blessed and glorious Prophetess Anna."

One day a monk from the monastery of Saint Elias sinned. So they threw him out of the monastery, and he went over the mountain to Saint Antony. After a while Antony sent him back to the monastery. When the monks saw him they threw him out again, and so he went back to Saint Antony crying, “Father, they will not take me back!” Then Antony sent a message to them saying, “A ship lost its cargo being shipwrecked at sea and after much struggle it reached the shore, so why do you want to throw it back into the sea?” When the monks realised Saint Antony had sent back the monk, they took him back again. #StAnthony

✝️ Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Born into nobility but joyfully declaring herself a slave of Christ, the virgin-martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily (Feb 5/ Feb 18) was a model of courage even in the midst of the cruelest tortures. “Corn does not reach the granary until it is threshed, and my soul cannot attain eternal blessedness until it is separated by sufferings from my body.”

Holy Agatha, pray for us, that we may overcome our weakness, and be numbered with the Righteous.

Wise men gladly bear sufferings, aware that they have no cause other than their own sin. But when the fool, ignorant of the supreme wisdom of God’s providence, sins and is corrected, he regards either God or men as responsible for the hardships he suffers. ✝️ St. Maximos the Confessor

"Heaven will not receive those who are self-willed. God has a Divine plan for each one of us, and we must submit to His plan. We must accept life as it is given to us, without asking, "Why me?" We must know that nothing ever happens without God's permission." ✝️ Elder Thaddeus

Have mercy, O Lord, on the Orthodox clergy and and all Orthodox Christians, suffering violence and threats from the Ukrainian regime and their schismatic co-conspirators.

We need to live life not only for ourselves. Pray quietly for everyone. Do not reject or humiliate anyone. Our thoughts and words have a powerful impact on the world around us. Pray with tears for everyone, for the sick, the weak, for the sinners. Pray for those who have no one to pray for them. —Elder Nikolay Guryanov

✝️ St. Porphyrios

"We run eagerly to dances and amusements. We listen with pleasure to the foolishness of singers. We enjoy the foul words of actors for hours without getting bored. And yet when God speaks we yawn, we scratch ourselves and feel dizzy."

✝️ St John Chrysostom

Image: "Pâques"- Eduard Panov

Blessed are those who do not like news and are not curious to learn about the affairs of other people. He will soon heal his spiritual wounds and reach into the love of God.

—Hieroschemamonk Jerome (Solomentsov)