It is no small thing for the ruler of a nation to abandon earthly power to live the struggle of the monastic life. St. Symeon the Myrrhbearer of Serbia (Feb 13/ Feb 26) is one of those special saints.
“Loving the angelic life on this earth, thou didst abandon the world and worldly dominion and didst follow It is no small thing for the ruler of a nation to abandon earthly power to live the struggle of the monastic life. St. Symeon the Myrrhbearer of Serbia (Feb 13/ Feb 26) is one of them.
“Loving the angelic life on this earth, thou didst abandon the world and worldly dominion and didst follow Christ by fasting, O Symeon. In an apostolic manner, thou didst guide unto Christ them that loved thee and didst cry: Love ye the Lord even as He hath loved you.” by fasting, O Symeon. In an apostolic manner, thou didst guide unto Christ them that loved thee and didst cry: Love ye the Lord even as He hath loved you.”
“Loving the angelic life on this earth, thou didst abandon the world and worldly dominion and didst follow It is no small thing for the ruler of a nation to abandon earthly power to live the struggle of the monastic life. St. Symeon the Myrrhbearer of Serbia (Feb 13/ Feb 26) is one of them.
“Loving the angelic life on this earth, thou didst abandon the world and worldly dominion and didst follow Christ by fasting, O Symeon. In an apostolic manner, thou didst guide unto Christ them that loved thee and didst cry: Love ye the Lord even as He hath loved you.” by fasting, O Symeon. In an apostolic manner, thou didst guide unto Christ them that loved thee and didst cry: Love ye the Lord even as He hath loved you.”
Prayer Upon Entering a Church
I rejoiced with those who told me: in the house of the Lord I shall go. (Ps. 131:1) In the greatness of Your mercy, O Lord, I will enter Your house; I will worship in Your holy Church, O Lord.
In Your righteousness guide me, because of my enemies make Your way straight before me, so that with a clear mind I may glorify You: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen!
I rejoiced with those who told me: in the house of the Lord I shall go. (Ps. 131:1) In the greatness of Your mercy, O Lord, I will enter Your house; I will worship in Your holy Church, O Lord.
In Your righteousness guide me, because of my enemies make Your way straight before me, so that with a clear mind I may glorify You: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen!
☦️ A Prayer of St. John of Damascus.
I stand before the doors of Your temple and I do not forsake my wicked thoughts. But, O Christ my God, as You justified the tax-collector and had mercy on the woman of Canaan and opened the gates of paradise to the thief, open to me the interior depths
of Your love for mankind and receive me as I come and repent before You. Receive me as You received the sinful woman and the woman with the flow of blood. For the first embraced Your most pure feet and received the forgiveness of her sins and the second just touched the hem of Your garment and received healing. But I who am lost, daring to receive Your whole Body, may I not be burned, but receive me as You received them and enlighten my spiritual senses, burning up my spiritual faults by the prayers of her who gave birth to You without human seed and of the heavenly angelic powers, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
I stand before the doors of Your temple and I do not forsake my wicked thoughts. But, O Christ my God, as You justified the tax-collector and had mercy on the woman of Canaan and opened the gates of paradise to the thief, open to me the interior depths
of Your love for mankind and receive me as I come and repent before You. Receive me as You received the sinful woman and the woman with the flow of blood. For the first embraced Your most pure feet and received the forgiveness of her sins and the second just touched the hem of Your garment and received healing. But I who am lost, daring to receive Your whole Body, may I not be burned, but receive me as You received them and enlighten my spiritual senses, burning up my spiritual faults by the prayers of her who gave birth to You without human seed and of the heavenly angelic powers, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
Those forces that are preparing the appearance of Antichrist will have a leading significance in public life. Antichrist will be a man and not the devil incarnate. … That man wants to be in place of Christ, to occupy His place and possess that which Christ ought to possess. He wants to possess the same attraction and authority over the whole world.
And he will receive that authority before his own destruction and that of the whole world. He will have a helper, a Magus, who, by the power of false miracles, will fulfill his will and kill those that do not recognize the authority of Antichrist.
— from “The Antichrist and the Signs of the End of the World, a Homily on the Last Judgement” ☦️ St John Maximovitch
And he will receive that authority before his own destruction and that of the whole world. He will have a helper, a Magus, who, by the power of false miracles, will fulfill his will and kill those that do not recognize the authority of Antichrist.
— from “The Antichrist and the Signs of the End of the World, a Homily on the Last Judgement” ☦️ St John Maximovitch
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day…”
Psalm 90 describes the intensity of the spiritual warfare the Church wages against the devil and his angels.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Psalm 90 describes the intensity of the spiritual warfare the Church wages against the devil and his angels.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” This Psalm is traditionally read at the Sixth Hour of each day, along with Psalms 53 and 54. It is also read in Great Compline and in the funeral service.
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Many of our Orthodox Saints are Saints because they remained faithful to Christ and His Church by choosing to disobey leaders who promoted false teachings. Blind obedience is not Orthodox practice! Father Peter Heers:
"We can keep guard over the whole world by keeping guard over the atmosphere of heaven within us, for if we lose the Kingdom of Heaven, we will save neither ourselves nor others. He who has the Kingdom of God in himself will imperceptibly pass it on to others. People will be attracted by the peace and warmth in us; they will want to be near us, and the atmosphere of heaven will gradually pass on to them. It is not even necessary to speak to people about this. The atmosphere of heaven will radiate from us even when we keep silence or talk about ordinary things. It will radiate from us even though we may not be aware of it."
✝️ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
✝️ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“Hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian” ✝️ Hieromartyr St. Polycarp of Smyrna (23 Feb/ 8 Mar), disciple of John the Evangelist
“Through godly virtues, thou broughtest forth for the Lord God much spiritual fruit, O thou most blessed Hierarch, and so didst prove worthy of God thy Lord, O wise Polycarp. Wherefore, on this day we who have all been enlightened through thy holy words extol thy praiseworthy memory and glorify Christ the Lord.”
“Through godly virtues, thou broughtest forth for the Lord God much spiritual fruit, O thou most blessed Hierarch, and so didst prove worthy of God thy Lord, O wise Polycarp. Wherefore, on this day we who have all been enlightened through thy holy words extol thy praiseworthy memory and glorify Christ the Lord.”
“God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of a three-week period before the start of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent. It is a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity.
“Let us flee from the pride of the Pharisee! And learn humility from the Publican’s tears! Let us cry to our Savior, have mercy on us, only merciful One!”
—Kontakion, Tone 4
The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of a three-week period before the start of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent. It is a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity.
“Let us flee from the pride of the Pharisee! And learn humility from the Publican’s tears! Let us cry to our Savior, have mercy on us, only merciful One!”
—Kontakion, Tone 4
O Prophet of God and Forerunner of Grace, your head has blossomed from the earth as a sacred rose. We are ever being healed, for as of old, You preach repentance to the world. Kontakion (Tone 3), First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John (Feb 24/ Mar 9)
O Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of all, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction (John 1:29). It is time for repentance. I draw near to Thee, my Creator. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction.
Photo: Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Pskov-Caves Monastery
Photo: Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Pskov-Caves Monastery