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On Pentecost
Pentecost
Acts 2
1 Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...
Commentary from St. Gregory of Nazianzus. Fifth Theological Oration, 26,26,27,28,29. B#7, pp.210-211.
So that by gradual increase and progress from glory to glory, the light of the Trinity might shine upon the more illuminated ... for this reason it was, I think, that He gradually came to dwell in His disciples. He measured Himself out to them according to their capacity to receive Him: at the beginning of the gospel, after the Passion, after the Ascension, making perfect their powers, being breathed upon them, and appearing in fiery tongues.... You see lights breaking upon us gradually, and knowledge of such order of theology, as is better for us to maintain, neither proclaiming things too suddenly nor yet keeping them hidden to the end.... He said that all things should be taught us by the Spirit Himself, made clear at a later time, when such knowledge would be seasonable and capable of being received after our Saviour's restoration; when it would no longer be received with incredulity because of its marvelous character. For what greater thing than this did either He promise, or the Spirit teach.... If He is not to be worshipped, how can He deify me by baptism?...
On the Ascension of Our Lord - from St. Leo the Great
When Thou hadst fulfilled for us Thy dispensation, and united the things in earth with the things in Heaven, Thou, O Christ our God, didst ascend into glory, in no wise being parted from those that love Thee, but Thou didst remain with them inseparably and proclaim to them: I am with you always, no one can be against you - Kontakion of the Feast
But after the Resurrection of the Lord - which was in truth the resurrection of a real body, for no other person was raised again than He who had been crucified and had died - what else was accomplished during the interval of forty days than to make our faith entire and clear of all darkness? For a while He conversed with His disciples, and dwelt with them, and ate with them, and allowed Himself to be handled with careful and inquisitive touch by those who were under the influence of doubt; and this was His purpose in entering in to them when the doors were shut, and by His breath giving them the Holy Spirit and opening the secrets of Holy Scripture after bestowing on them the light of intelligence, and again in His selfsame person showing to them the wound in His side, the prints of the nails and all the fresh tokens of the Passion, saying, 'Behold My hands and feet that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have;' that the properties of the divine and human nature might be acknowledged to remain in Him without causing a division, and that we might in such sort know that the
But after the Resurrection of the Lord - which was in truth the resurrection of a real body, for no other person was raised again than He who had been crucified and had died - what else was accomplished during the interval of forty days than to make our faith entire and clear of all darkness? For a while He conversed with His disciples, and dwelt with them, and ate with them, and allowed Himself to be handled with careful and inquisitive touch by those who were under the influence of doubt; and this was His purpose in entering in to them when the doors were shut, and by His breath giving them the Holy Spirit and opening the secrets of Holy Scripture after bestowing on them the light of intelligence, and again in His selfsame person showing to them the wound in His side, the prints of the nails and all the fresh tokens of the Passion, saying, 'Behold My hands and feet that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have;' that the properties of the divine and human nature might be acknowledged to remain in Him without causing a division, and that we might in such sort know that the
Spiritual Counsel to an Orthodox Christian
SPIRITUAL COUNSEL TO AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
Metropolitan Filaret (Voznesensky) ROCA, 1981
Metropolitan Filaret (Voznesensky) ROCA, 1981
Remember: you are a son (daughter) of the Orthodox Church. These are not empty words. Remember to what this obligates you.
Life on earth passes by quickly. You will not notice how swiftly it will pass by. But, it will decide your eternal destiny. Do not forget this for one minute. Try to live a pious life. Pray to God in Church, pray to God at home with reverence, with faith, with a devotion to the will of God. Fulfill the holy and saving precepts of the Church, Her rules and commandments. Outside the Church and outside obedience to Her – there is no salvation.
The gift of the word is a great gift from God. It ennobles a person, it elevates him immeasurably above all other earthly creatures. But how does today's depraved humanity abuse it. Guard this gift and know how to use it in a Christian manner. Do not judge, do not speak aimlessly. Beware of cursing and tempting speech like a fire. Do not forget the words of the Lord, the Savior: "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned..." (Mat. 12:37). Do not allow lies. The Holy Scripture sternly warns that: "The Lord will destroy all them which speak a lie..." (Psalm 5:4). Love your neighbor as yourself according to the Lord's commandment. Without love there is no Christianity. Remember: Christian love is self-sacrificing, and is not egotistical. Do not miss an opportunity to do the works of love and mercy.
Homily on the birth of the Lord, the Son of God - the Prologue from Ochrid
The only begotten Son of God, my brethren, begotten in eternity of the Father without a mother, was born in time of a Mother without a father. That first begetting is an unfathomable mystery of the Holy Trinity in eternity, and this second birth is an unfathomable mystery of God's power and love for mankind in time. The greatest mystery in time corresponds to the greatest mystery in eternity. Without probing with the light of our small understanding into this greatest of mysteries, let us be content, my brethren, with the discovery that our salvation has its origins not from men nor from the earth but from the greatest heights of the invisible, divine world. Such is God's mercy and such is man's greatness, that God the Son Himself came down from eternity into time, from heaven to earth, from the throne of glory to the shepherd's cave, solely to save man, to cleanse him from sin and to lead him back to Paradise. I came forth from the Father, where He had everything, and am come into the world, that could give Him nothing. The Lord was born in a cave, to show that the whole world is a dark cave that only He can illumine. The Lord was born in Bethlehem (the old Hebrew name bêth lehem, meaning house of bread) - the House of Bread- to show that He is the only Bread of life worthy of true men.
O Lord Jesus, the pre-eternal Son of the living God, enlighten us and nourish us with Thyself. To Thee be glory and praise forever, Amen. (Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic)
The Protecting Veil of the Mother of God 1 October/14 October
The Protecting Veil of the Most Holy Mother of God
The Church has always glorified the most holy Mother of God as the Protectress and Defender of the Christian people, entreating, by her intercession, God's loving-kindness towards us sinners. The Mother of God's aid has been clearly shown times without number, both to individuals and to peoples, both in peace and in war, both in monastic deserts and in crowded cities. The event that the Church commemorates and celebrates on the Feast of the Protection is this constant protection of the Christian people by the Mother of God. On October 1st, 911, in the time of the Emperor Leo the Wise (or the Philosopher), there was an all-night vigil at the Blachernae church of the Mother of God in Constantinople. The church was crowded. St Andrew the Fool for Christ was standing at the back of the church with his disciple Epiphanius. At four o'clock in the morning, the most holy Mother of God appeared above the people with a veil spread over her outstretched hands, as though to protect them with this covering. She was clad in gold-encrusted purple and shone with an unspeakable radiance, surrounded by apostles, saints, martyrs and virgins. Seeing this vision, St Andrew gestured towards it and asked Epiphanius: 'Do you see how the Queen and Lady of all is praying for the whole world?' Epiphanius replied: 'Yes, Father; I see it and stand in dread.' As a result, this commemoration was instituted to remind us both of this event and of the Mother of God's constant protection whenever we prayerfully seek that protection, that shelter, in distress. - The Prologue from Ochrid
Word of St. John of Kronstadt on St. Thomas Sunday
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (John 20, 25).
Beloved! Saint Apostle Thomas, with his unbelief and with the most sincere faith in the resurrected Lord which followed it, teaches sincere faith in Jesus Christ to all those of little faith and to all unbelievers. In particular, he teaches faith to the Christians of our times, who are extremely and excessively cautious in questions of faith and are very afraid lest they believe what, as they think, does not really exist, and do not believe many of those things which do exist in reality.
Sermon on the Adoration of the Life Giving Cross
The Word of Saint John of Kronstadt on the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross
My beloved in Christ brethren! We celebrate today the feast of Elevation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. When the Patriarch Macarius, one and a half thousand years ago elevated, in the presence of the empress Helene and a multitude of people, the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, the same Cross, which had been recovered by the empress, then the empress and all the people, looking at it with devotion and as though seeing the Savior, hanging from it covered with blood, and in inexpressible sufferings living the last hours of his life, full of suffering for our sake, would fall down with fear and love and cry out in one voice: Lord, have mercy!
Lenten Sermons by St. John of Kronstadt, Week of Orthodoxy
Word of Saint John of Kronstadt on the first week of the Great Lent, Week of Orthodoxy
Hereafter ye shall see heaven open. (John 1, 51)
Lenten Sermons by St. John of Kronstadt, Cheesefare Week
Sermon of Saint John of Kronstadt on Cheesefare Week
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses, says the Lord (Matt. 6, 14-15).