Saints.

One day a little girl went with her School class to visit a huge church.  The little girl was in awe of all the beautiful stained glass windows with the sunlight shining through them.  At one point, she asked her teacher who the people were that she saw pictured there in the windows.  The teacher told her that those were saints.  Later, when the little girl got home, she told her family about all she had seen.  And she said: "Today, I learned who the saints are.  They're the people who let the light shine through them."

Rock of ages!

1	Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
let me hide myself in thee; 
let the water and the blood, 
from thy wounded side which flowed, 
be of sin the double cure; 
save from wrath and make me pure. 
2	Not the labors of my hands 
can fulfill thy law's demands; 
could my zeal no respite know, 
could my tears forever flow, 
all for sin could not atone; 
thou must save, and thou alone. 
3	Nothing in my hand I bring, 
simply to the cross I cling; 
naked, come to thee for dress; 
helpless, look to thee for grace; 
foul, I to the fountain fly; 
wash me, Savior, or I die. 
4	While I draw this fleeting breath, 
when mine eyes shall close in death, 
when I soar to worlds unknown, 
see thee on thy judgment throne, 
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
let me hide myself in thee. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RexG0czdp3k

Peace

it is to be vulnerable.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” CS Lewis

ENVY

ON ENVY: A SERMON BY ST. BASIL

Condensed & Edited by Phyllis Graham

Saint Basil the Great, born in Asia Minor, became the father of the monastic life in the East and was chosen Bishop of Caesarea. His commanding character, his firmness and energy, his learning and eloquence, and not less his humility and the exceeding austerity of his life, made him a model for bishops. St. Basil's whole life was one of suffering. He lived amid jealousies and misunderstandings and seeming disappointments. But he sowed the seed which bore good fruit in the next generation, and was God's instrument in beating back the Arian and other heretics in the East and restoring the spirit of discipline and fervor in the Church. He is venerated as a Doctor of the Church.

Nothing more destructive springs up in the souls of men than the passion of envy, which, while it does no harm to others, is the dominant and peculiar evil of the soul that harbors it. As rust consumes iron, so does envy wholly consume the soul that it dwells in.

Envy is the pain that arises from another's good fortune. And because of this the envious man is never without pain, never without grief of mind. Does his neighbor's house abound in good things? Is its owner without care, and wanting for nothing? All this but feeds his affliction; an increase of pain to the envious. So much so that in nothing does he differ from a man stripped naked and wounded by all men. Is someone brave and manly, in good health? Such things are like a wound to the envious. Is another more pleasing in appearance? This is like a blow to the envious. Is another endowed with many gifts of soul? Is he respected and admired because of his wisdom, his eloquence? Is another man rich, generous of his wealth to the poor, honored for his benevolence? All these things are like so many wounds and blows that strike the envious to the heart.

And the worst of the sickness of soul is that the sufferer cannot make it known; but with bowed head and downcast eyes he suffers torment, he grieves, he perishes of his affliction. Asked of what he is suffering, he is ashamed to reveal his disease and confess, "I am envious and bitter: the gifts of my friends are a torment to me. I grieve at my brother's happiness, I cannot endure the sight of another's good fortune." For this is what he must say if he would tell the truth. But unwilling to speak out, he conceals in the depths of his mind the sickness that smoulders within, consuming him.

And so, he neither seeks the help of a physician for his disease, nor finds a remedy to drive out his sickness, though the Scriptures are filled with such remedies. He looks for but one remedy for his affliction: to see one of those he envies fall into misfortune. This is the goal of his hate: to see someone he envies miserable instead of happy, to see one who is admired pitied. Then he is at peace. And when he sees him weeping, when he sees him in affliction, he is his friend. He does not rejoice with them that rejoice, but he weeps with them that weep (Rom. x.15). He pities him in his changed circumstances, not however from human tenderness, or from sympathy; with kind words for his former state, but so that he may make his present circumstances seem worse.

What would be more deadly than this disease, which is a corruption of life, a defilement of our nature, a hatred of the things God has given us, a contradiction of God? What urged the devil, the beginner of evil, to wage fierce war against man? Was it not envy? It was through envy he came to war openly against God; enraged against Him because of His bountifulness to man, but avenging himself on man because he is powerless against God. We see these very qualities revealed in Cain, the first disciple of the devil, who taught him envy and murder. What was it Cain did? He saw another honored by God, and burned with envy. He killed the one who was honored, that he might insult Him Who honored him. Since he could not attack God, he turned his hatred to the murder of his own brother.

Let us fly from this wickedness of soul that would teach us to war against God. Why must you show enmity to those who enjoy good things, while taking nothing that is yours? Should you be enraged because someone does you a kindness, are you not then an enemy of your own profit?

Envy is the most implacable form of hatred. To show kindness to the envious only provokes him the more. And the more he receives, the more aggrieved and embittered he becomes. He is more enraged by the worth of his benefactor, than thankful for his gifts. Dogs will become gentle when you feed them, lions when their wounds are treated, but the envious become more savage should you once do them a favor.

Turn now in your mind to the greatest envy, that which burst forth from the rage of the Jews against Christ. For what cause was He envied? Because of His miracles! And what were these miracles: the healing of those in need—the hungry were fed, and they attacked the One Who fed them; the dead were raised again to life, and they envied the One Who recalled them to life; demons were cast out, and they made snares for the One Who had commanded them to go out; lepers were made clean, the lame walked again, the deaf heard, the blind saw, and He Who had done all this they persecuted and then scourged and delivered to death.

So do the evils of envy reach to all things. From the beginning until the end of time, the Devil, the Destroyer of life, by means of this sole weapon, envy, wounds and strikes down all men. He who fell himself through envy is preparing the same path for us by means of this same vice! Wise indeed is he who forbade us sit at the table with an envious man (Prov. xxiii. 6), warning us against all association with him. For we cannot be caught by the snares of envy unless we approach to familiarity with it. In the words of Solomon: "Envy is from a man's neighbor" (Eccles. iv. 4, Sept.). For it is! Among people of the same nation, those not known are not envied, but those with whom we are familiar; and it arises between persons of the same age, the same kinship, among brothers. As red blight is a pest in the growing wheat, so is envy a pest among friends.

In this evil there is one thing can be praised: that the more it is aroused, the more bitter it is to the one it masters. As a javelin shot with great force, should it strike a resisting object, will fly back at the thrower, so does the thrust of envy, leaving the one envied un-wounded but becoming the wound of the one envying. The envious consumes himself, pining away through grief. The demons, haters of whatever is good, where they find natures akin to their own, they use them in every kind of way for their own evil purposes. Do you not shrink in horror from being the tool of an evil demon?

This insupportable vice is the teaching of the serpent, an invention of demons, a pledge of torment to come, a barrier to the love of God, the loss of the kingdom of heaven. Just as vultures in their flight will pass over fields and meadows which are sweet and pleasant, drawn by the odors of corruption, and just as flies pass over what is healthy in order to swarm upon what is prurient, so the envious have no eyes for the splendors of life, for the grandeur of virtue, but only for what is decayed and rotten. Should someone stumble, as will happen to men, they make it public (they will strive to make men known by their falls); a man who is courageous, they will say is reckless; a temperate man, unfeeling; a just man, harsh; a prudent man, cunning. They speak of a man of great generosity as vulgar, of a liberal man as prodigal, while a careful man is mean, and in general whatever virtue a man may possess, they will give it a name taken from its opposite vice!

What then are we to do to avoid contracting this sickness? Or, should it attack us, how can we be cured?

The first step is that we should not look upon anything in the affairs of men as either great or impressive; neither their wealth nor their perishable glory nor their health of body—these are fleeting things and are only the instruments of virtue to those who use them well. They do not contain happiness in themselves. Again, a man may be noted for his prudence and held in honor through the word of God because he is a teacher of divine truth. Be not envious of such a man and never wish that as a teacher of Holy Scripture he should be silent when he is praised by those who hear him. For the good he does is yours also! It is sent to you by means of his gift of teaching. No one blocks up a gushing fountain or closes his eyes to the sunlight! So when the spiritual word is welling forth in the Church, or when some pious heart gushes forth like a fountain from the gift of the Spirit, why not give ear with joy? Why not receive these graces with thankfulness? Does the applause of those who listen pierce you? Would you that no one might receive profit and no one receive praise? What excuse can there be for such things in the presence of the Judge of our hearts?

If you are eager for glory and wish to shine above others, so that you cannot endure second place, then direct your ambition as though it were a stream of water towards the cultivation of virtue. Be just and temperate and prudent and courageous and patient in all that you suffer in serving God, for it is in this way that you will save your soul; and, the greater your virtues, the more you shall shine above others! For virtue can be acquired by our loving efforts. However, it cannot be born in the soul unless the soul is free of all violence of feeling, and free above all of envy.

Let us comply with the counsel of the Apostle, and let us not be desirous of vainglory, "provoking one another, envying one another" (Gal. v. 26), but let us rather "be kind to one another"; let us be "merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you" (Eph. iv. 32) in Christ Jesus Our Lord, with Whom be there glory to the Father and to the Holy Ghost, throughout all ages and ages. Amen

Peace

Snow

Snow — the bible speaks of it often, likening it to that which is pure, clean, and righteous. Truly, the crystal formations of snowflakes are beautiful. There are many different shapes and sizes of snowflakes; amazingly, each and every one is unique. 

But despite their uniqueness, snowflakes have one common thing: dirt at the core. Oddly enough, snowflakes start as tiny dust particles, which serve as the center of the snowflake. 

Like snowflakes, we have been beautifully created by God. We are the greatest of all God’s creation. We are his pride, and his joy; and like snowflakes we are all created uniquely. Yet, like snowflakes, we too have dirty hearts. We’re all marked by sin; we’re all stained at the core of our being; we’re all dirty in the middle. But through Jesus Christ, we can all be made clean. The dirt at the core of our being can be washed way, and we can be made pure in Christ Jesus

Peace 

The Ladder of Divine Ascent

The Ladder of Divine Ascent is an ascetical [practice of self-denial (i.e., control of one's passions and base impulses) for the sake of the Kingdom] Icon on avoiding vice and practicing virtue so that at the end, salvation can be obtained. Written by Saint John Climacus initially for monastics, it has become one of the most highly influential and important works used by the Church as far as guiding the faithful to a God-centered life, second only to Holy Scripture.

The icon depicts monks ascending the ladder towards Jesus in Heaven, at the top right of the image with John Climacus at the top of the ladder, being welcomed by Jesus. The ladder has 30 rungs representing the 30 stages of ascetic life.

The steps are:

1. On renunciation of the world
2. On detachment
3. On exile or pilgrimage; concerning dreams that beginners have
4. On blessed and ever-memorable obedience (in addition to episodes involving many individuals)
5. On painstaking and true repentance which constitutes the life of the holy convicts; and about the Prison
6. On remembrance of death
7. On joy-making mourning
8. On freedom from anger and on meekness
9. On remembrance of wrongs
10. On slander or calumny
11. On talkativeness and silence
12. On lying
13. On despondency
14. On that clamorous mistress, the stomach
15. On incorruptible purity and chastity, to which the corruptible attain by toil and sweat
16. On love of money, or avarice
17. On non-possessiveness (that hastens one Heavenwards)
18. On insensibility, that is, deadening of the soul and the death of the mind before the death of the body
19. On sleep, prayer, and psalmody with the brotherhood
20. On bodily vigil and how to use it to attain spiritual vigil, and how to practise it
21. On unmanly and puerile cowardice
22. On the many forms of vainglory
23. On mad pride and (in the same Step) on unclean blasphemous thoughts; concerning unmentionable blasphemous thoughts
24. On meekness, simplicity, and guilelessness which come not from nature but from conscious effort, and about guile
25. On the destroyer of the passions, most sublime humility, which is rooted in spiritual perception
26. On discernment of thoughts, passions and virtues; on expert discernment; brief summary of all aforementioned
27. On holy stillness of body and soul; different aspects of stillness and how to distinguish them
28. On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer
29. Concerning Heaven on earth, or Godlike dispassion and perfection, and the resurrection of the soul before the general resurrection
30. Concerning the linking together of the supreme trinity among the virtues; a brief exhortation summarizing all that has said at length in this book

Peace

The Pearl

Said one oyster to a neighbouring oyster, “I have a very great pain within me. It is heavy and round and I am in distress.”

And the other oyster replied with haughty complacence, “Praise be to the heavens and to the sea, I have no pain within me. I am well and whole both within and without.”

At that moment a crab was passing by and heard the two oysters, and he said to the one who was well and whole both within and without, “Yes, you are well and whole; but the pain that your neighbour bears is a pearl of exceeding beauty.”

Peace

The refiner and purifier

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness - Malachi 3:3

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Peace

The winged living figures

The winged living figures, symbols of the evangelists, which are most frequently met with, and which have ever been most in favour with Early Christian artists, appear to have been used at a very early date. They are taken from the vision of Ezekiel and the Revelation of St. John. "The writings of St. Jerome," says Audsley, "in the beginning of the fifth century gave to artists authority for the appropriation of the four creatures to the evangelists," and for reasons which are there given at length.

St. Matthew: Winged Man, Incarnation.—To St. Matthew was given the creature in human likeness, because he commences his gospel with the human generation of Christ, and because in his writings the human nature of Our Lord is more dwelt upon than the divine.

St. Mark: Winged Lion, The Resurrection.—The Lion was the symbol of St. Mark, who opens his gospel with the mission of John the Baptist, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." He also sets forth the royal dignity of Christ and dwells upon His power manifested in the resurrection from the dead. The lion was accepted in early times as a symbol of the resurrection because the young lion was believed always to be born dead, but was awakened to vitality by the breath, the tongue, and roaring of its sire.

St. Luke: Winged Ox, Passion.—The form of the ox, the beast of sacrifice, fitly sets forth the sacred office, and also the atonement for sin by blood, on which, in his gospel, he particularly dwells.

St. John: The Eagle, Ascension.—The eagle was allotted to St. John because, as the eagle soars towards heaven, he soared in spirit upwards to the heaven of heavens to bring back to earth revelation of sublime and awful mysteries.

Independently of their reference to the four evangelists these figures sometimes refer to the Incarnation, the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension.

Sedulius, a priest and poet of the fifth century, says much the same in the following verse:

Hoc Matthæus agens, Hominem generaliter implet:

Marcus ut alta fremit vox per deserta Leonis:

Jura sacerdotis Lucas tenet ore Jubenci:

More volens Aquilæ verbo petit Johannes.

Peace

Wake up and smell the coffee

A woman filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil. In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. 

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

She felt the carrots and noted that they were soft. She then took an egg and broke it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she took a sip of the coffee and tasted its rich aroma.

These objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened! The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

The bean actually changed the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.

Peace

Bless the Lord!

Psalm 103:20-22

Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Peace 

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Peace

True peace

"True peace - we know this well - is not a balance of opposing forces. It is not a lovely 'facade' which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, but making peace is an art, starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ."

- Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi 2013

Peace

A message from eternity.

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place,  and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Have a Blessed 2014

Peace

The 4th Gift

Though there are still many questions about the Magi that may be left unanswered, we can determine that they brought a fourth gift that is often forgotten by many. After they laid their treasures down before Mary and Joseph, they worshiped Jesus. (This is the 4th Gift –the Worship of the King of Kings) These wise men from afar came not just to court favor but to proclaim that they believed Him to be the King of kings. The greatest gift that we can offer to Jesus  is our praise and worship."

Peace

Family

"To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others." Pope John Paul II

Peace

Sharpen your axe!

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”

Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

As an adult Jesus was busy. Jesus was very busy; yet he would say this to his friends: “Come with me … to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

Jesus is on His way. He’s coming! Sharpen your axe!

Peace

The Blind Men and the Elephant

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: "God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a WALL!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, "Ho, what have we here, So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a SPEAR!"

The Third approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a SNAKE!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,  And felt about the knee "What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain," quoth he: "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a TREE!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a FAN!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a ROPE!"

And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!

Imagine if someone with perfect sight were to come along and discover those blind men arguing about what an elephant looks like. That person could tell them what an elephant really looks like. They might not believe him, but if they listened, his description would make sense out of their different experiences and perspectives.

That's what God's Word does for us. He tells us what things are right and what things are wrong. And he can do that, of course, because (unlike us) he sees everything clearly and knows everything completely. We may choose not to believe him, but if we will listen to him and obey what he says, we'll discover that we can trust God's view of right and wrong-because it's right!

Peace

People get ready!

People get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord

People get ready for the trai

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n to Jordan
It's picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all among those loved the most.

There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne

So people get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x29lbh2HZls

​Peace​

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