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NINTH WEEK AFTER PENTECOST |
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Descent of the Holy Spirit |
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Sunday, July 18, 2010 8th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Sunday of the Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils; SS. Hyacinth and Aemilian (Martyrs)
1 Cor. 1:10-18 Matthew 14:14-22 Heb. 13:7-16 John 17:1-13
Monday, July 19, 2010 St. Macrina, Sister of St. Basil the Great (Venerable) Tuesday, July 20, 2010 St. Elijah (Great Prophet) James 5:10-20 Luke 4:22-30 Wednesday, July 21, 2010
1 Cor. 13:4-14:5 Matthew 20:1-16 1 Cor. 14:6-19 Matthew 20:17-28
Friday, July 23, 2010 1 Cor. 14:26-40 Matthew 21:12-14, 17-20 Due to some time constraints, for the
next few weeks we will hear what some of the Fathers have to tell us.
Discipline of the soul makes it humble and purifies it from the
impressions that push it in a material direction.
Discipline effects the transition from the emotions of passion to
the activity of contemplation, or, better, it raises the soul above all
terrestrial objects and feeds it on contemplation. The spirit is then
turned towards God by means of the vision of His ineffable glory, and it
derives joy from the hope of its future state.
Discipline of the soul is a
painful commitment of the heart to reach purity.
Between purity of mind and purity of heart there is the same
difference as there is between a particular limb and the whole body. The
heart is the central organ of the senses, it gives meaning to the senses,
it is in fact their root.
-
Isaac of
From the Philocalia “O Lord, compassionate and loving,
long-suffering and most merciful, hear our prayer and listen to the voice
of our supplication. Make a favorable covenant with us, guide us along
Your ways that we may live in Your truth, gladden our hearts that we may
fear Your holy name; for You are great and You perform wondrous deeds. You
are the only God and none other is like You, O Lord. You are great in
mercy and able, in Your power, to assist, support, and save all those who
place their hope in Your holy name; and to You, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, is due all honor, and adoration, now and for ever and ever.
Amen.” – First Prayer in
Light of the Daily Office of Vespers Rom. 8:28-39 John 15:17-16:2
“In accordance with the words of the apostle, always maintain an
attitude of thankfulness: ‘Give
thanks for all things.’ (1
Thess. 5:18)
For tribulations, sufferings, anguish, illness, physical pain, for
everything that happens to you give thanks to God. Indeed, ‘Through
many tribulations we must enter the
Have no doubt, never be discouraged. Remember Paul’s teaching: ‘Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being
renewed every day.’ (2 Cor.
4:16) Only
by accepting suffering will you be able to share in the Cross of Christ.
As long as the ship is far out to sea, it remains exposed to danger
at the mercy of the winds. But when it reaches harbor there is no longer
anything to threaten its safety, its tranquility, its peace.
The same thing happens to you. During this life,
you must expect pain and suffering and attack by spiritual storms. But
when you arrive in harbor, you will have nothing else to fear.”
-
Barsanuphius
From Letters “O Lord, in Your indignation do not
rebuke us; in Your wrath do not chastise us; but deal with us according to
Your loving kindness. O Physician and Healer of our souls, guide us to the
harbor of Your will; enlighten the eyes of our mind that we may know Your
truth. Grant that the remainder of this day and all the days of our life
may be peaceful and without sin, through the prayers of the holy Mother of
God and through the prayers of all the saints; for Yours is the might, and
Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” - Second
Prayer of Light in the Daily Office of Vespers
Sunday, July 25, 2010 9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Dormition of St. Anna (Mother of the Theotokos)
1 Cor. 3:9-17 Matthew 14:22-34
“The perfect person does not try to avoid evil. Nor does he do
good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope
of a promised reward.
The perfect person does good through love.
His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he
does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has
realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in
all that he does.
He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or
divine reward.
The rule of life for a
perfect person is to be the image and likeness of God.”
- Clement of
From Miscellaneous
Studies “O Lord, our God, be mindful of us
sinners, Your unworthy servants, as we call upon Your holy name, and put
us not to shame for having placed our hope in Your mercy. Graciously grant
us, O Lord, all the means of salvation; make us worthy to love and fear
You with all our heart and to accomplish Your will in all things. For You
are a gracious Lord and You love mankind; and we give glory to You,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” -
Third Prayer of Light in
the Daily Office of Vespers
TENTH WEEK AFTER PENTECOST
Monday, July 26, 2010 1 Cor. 15:12-19
Matthew 21:18-22
“Some monks came to see abba Lucius and they said to him, ‘We do not work with our hands; we obey Paul’s command and pray
without ceasing.’ The old man said, ‘Do
you not eat or sleep?’ They said, ‘Yes,
we do.’ He said, ‘Who prays
for you while you are asleep?’ . . . Excuse me, brothers, but you do not
practice what you claim. I will show you how I pray without ceasing,
though I work with my hands.’
‘With God’s help, I collect a few palm-leaves and sit down and
weave them, saying, “Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great
goodness; according to the multitude of Thy mercies do away with mine
offences.”’ He said to them,
‘is this prayer or not?’ They
said, ‘Yes, it is.’
And he continued, ‘When
I have worked and prayed in my heart all day, I make about sixteen pence.
Two of these I put outside my door and with the rest I buy food. And he
who finds the two coins outside the door prays for me while I eat and
sleep. And so by the help of God I pray without ceasing.’”
“A brother said to a father, ‘If
I accidentally oversleep and am late beginning my prayers, I am ashamed
and in case the others hear me beginning to pray late. I become very
reluctant to begin to pray at all.’ The old man said to him, ‘If
ever you oversleep in the early morning, get up the moment you wake, shut
the door and the windows and begin the prayers as usual. For
it is written, “The day is Thine and the night is Thine.” God is
glorified whatever time it is.’
- From the Desert Fathers
From Daily “O Lord, You are praised by the holy powers in hymns which are never silent, and in doxologies which never cease. Fill our mouths with Your praise that we may exalt Your holy name. Through the prayers of the holy Mother of God and the intercession of all Your saints, give us a part and an inheritance with those who fear You in truth and who keep Your commandments. For to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is due all glory, honor, and adoration, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” - Fourth Prayer of Light in the Daily Office of Vespers
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 1 Cor. 15:29-38
Matthew 21:23-27
“It is the task of the hands to find food for the body’s
necessities, and the task of the mouth to give service to the word. This
particular organ is ours so that we can emit sounds, and we have another
organ to receive them. The two activities are not muddled up, every organ
carries out its own specific function without disturbing the one next to
it. Hence the ear does not have to speak, nor does the tongue have to
listen.
Imagine a big city welcoming its visitors by many different gates.
Not everyone goes to the same part. Some go to the market, some to their
homes, some to the public halls, some to wide streets, some to narrow
alley ways, and some to the theater, each according to his preference.
Something similar takes place in the city of the spirit, the city
within us.
The doors of the various senses are filled with many things. The
spirit examines these, it distinguishes between them and sorts them out,
sending each one to the place where it will be dealt with appropriately.
This is what happens in the
crossroads of the spirit.” [In
the Crossroads where God’s Spirit meets our human spirit within us, we
are guided to follow the will of God as His particular instrument of
creation living in the world to serve Him.]
- Gregory of Nyssa
From the Creation of Man “Blessed are You, O Lord, almighty God. You know the mind of each person; You know what each needs even before they ask or are aware of it. Now, O King, Who loves mankind and Who is gracious in everything, in Your great mercy allow us to call upon Your holy name with an unashamed conscience. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One; and in Your providence grant all that is beneficial to us. For to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is due all glory, honor, and adoration, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” - Fifth Prayer of Light in the Daily Office of Vespers
Wednesday, July, 28, 2010 SS. Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas
(Apostles) 1 Cor. 16:4-12
Matthew 21:28-32
“The tree of life represents the Holy Spirit dwelling in the
hearts of the faithful, as
The tree of knowledge of
good and evil represents our senses which produce contrasting fruits:
pleasure and pain.
Each of these is again divided into two: there is pleasure arising
from natural needs, and there is pleasure resulting from debauchery; then
there is pain consisting of fear and sorrow, and there is pain coming as a
consequence of struggle and spiritual burdens. The fruits are good if we
pluck them, keeping close to nature at the right season.
God planted this tree in our hearts, this sense of good and evil,
for a good purpose: to test us, to make trial of our obedience, to give us
the opportunity to live in accordance with nature or not, as we choose,
and to follow what leads to perfection or what leads to imperfection.” - Niceta Stethatus
From The Spiritual “O Lord, O Lord, You hold all things together in Your spotless hands; You are long-suffering toward us all; You grieve at our wickedness. Remember Your compassion and mercy, and visit us in Your goodness. Grant that for the rest of this day we may escape from the manifold deceits of the Evil One; and keep our life free from any assault of the enemy, through the grace of Your all-holy Spirit. Grant this through the mercies and love for mankind of Your only-begotten Son with whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, gracious, and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” – Sixth Prayer of Light in the Daily Office of Vespers
Thursday, July 29, 2010 2 Cor. 1:1-6
Matthew 21:43-46
“God created Adam in the beginning, not because He needs the
human race, but so that He might have a recipient of His generosity.
Moreover, God commanded us to follow Christ, not because He has any
need of our service, but because He wants to give us salvation. To follow
the Savior is to share in salvation, just as to follow the light is to
gain the light.
People who are in the light do not themselves provide the light but
are illuminated and made bright by it; they do not contribute anything to
it but, by being illuminated, they receive the benefit of the light.
Similarly, to serve God does not mean giving Him any gift, nor has
God any need of our service. On the contrary, it is He Who gives to those
who serve Him life, immortality and eternal glory. He rewards those who
serve Him without deriving any benefit Himself from their service: He is
rich, He is perfect, He has no needs.
God requests human obedience so that His love and His pity may have
an opportunity of doing good to those who serve Him diligently. The less
God has need of anything, the more human beings need to be united with
Him. Consequently, a human
being’s true glory is to persevere in the service of God.” - Irenaeus
From
Against Heresies Friday, July 30, 2010 2 Cor. 1:12-30
Matthew 22:23-33
“The soul is a marvelous divine invention and it deserves our
admiration. When He made it, God put no vice in its nature, but created it
in the image of the virtues of His Spirit. He gave it knowledge,
discernment, wisdom, faith, love and all the virtues.
So long as the soul keeps knowledge, love and faith, it reveals the
nature of the Lord.
He also put in it intelligence and free will, and He included in
its nature another great subtlety. He made it extremely mobile, able to
travel in imagination there and back instantly, ready like a willing slave
to do the bidding of the Spirit.
God in fact created the soul in such a way as to be like a wife and
companion to Him, to be united with Him in one spirit, as
The glory that Moses bore on his face was an image of the true
glory. The Jews at that time could not bear to look at Moses’ face.
Nowadays Christians receive the light of that glory in their souls and the
powers of darkness are dazzled by it and put to flight.
The Jews were God’s chosen people and the outward sign by which
they were recognizable was circumcision. Nowadays, however, God’s
special people receive the sign of circumcision in the soul, internally.
The heavenly knife amputates any superfluous pride, the foreskin of
impurity which is sin.
With the Jews, the flesh was sanctified in baptism. With
us, the soul is sanctified by baptism of the Lord in the Spirit. (cf.
Matthew 3:11)
- Psuedo-Marcarius
From Homily 46 “O great and most high God, You alone
are immortal and You dwell in a light which is unapproachable. You created
all things in Your wisdom, dividing light from darkness, establishing the
sun to govern the day and the moon and stars to rule the night. You have
deemed us, poor sinners, worthy to reach this hour, to come into Your
presence with our thanks, and to offer You our evening praise. O Lord Who
loves mankind, let our prayers ascend to You as incense, and accept them
as a sweet fragrance. Grant that this evening and the coming night may be
spent in peace; clothe us with the armor of light; save us from the fears
of the night and from things that lurk in darkness. Grant that the sleep
You have given to refresh us from our fatigue may be free from every evil.
Yes, O Lord and Giver of all good things, grant that, having found favor
in Your sight, we may lie down to rest, remembering Your name throughout
the night; and enlightened by the practice of Your commandments, may we
rise in gladness of soul to praise Your goodness, offering prayers and
supplications for our sins and those of Your people. Look down upon us
with mercy, through the intercession of the Mother of God; for You are
gracious Lord Who loves mankind, and we glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” – Eighth Prayer of Light in the Daily Office of Vespers Saturday, July 31, 2010
“We read in the Book of Psalms: ‘Blessed
is the one who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor follows in the
way of sinners.’
Life has been called a ‘way’ because everything that has been
created is on the way to its end.
When people are on a sea voyage, they can sleep while they are
being transported without any effort of their own to their port of call.
The ship brings them closer to their goal without their even knowing it.
So we can be transported nearer to the end of our life without our
noticing it, as time flows by unceasingly. Time passes while you are
asleep. While you are awake time passes although you may not notice.
All
of us have a race to run towards our appointed end. So we are all ‘on
the way’.
This is how you should think of the ‘way’. You are a traveler
in this life. Everything goes past you and is left behind. You notice a
flower on the way, or some grass, or some stream, or something worth
looking at. You enjoy it for a moment, then pass on. Maybe you come on
stones or rocks or crags or cliffs or fences, or perhaps you meet wild
beasts or reptiles or thorn bushes or some other obstacles. You suffer
briefly then escape. That is what life is like.
Pleasures do not last, but pain is not permanent either.
The ‘way’ does not belong to you nor is the present under your
control. But as step succeeds step, enjoy each moment as it comes and then
continue on your ‘way’. - Basil the Great
From Commentary
on Psalm 1:4 “We thank You, Lord our God, for You
have wakened us from our sleep, and have filled our lips with praise that
we might worship You and call upon Your holy name. We beg of Your
compassion that You have always shown towards us, hear us now and send
help to those who stand before Your holy glory awaiting Your abundant
mercy. O Lord, grant that those who serve You in fear and love may praise
Your ineffable goodness. For to You is due all glory, honor, and worship,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” – First
Prayer of the Daily Office of Matins Sunday, August 1, 2010 Feast of the Procession of the Holy
Cross; Holy Seven Maccabees (Martyrs) 1 Cor. 4:9-16
Matthew 17:14-23
“There are two different roads, one broad and easy, the other
hard and narrow. And there are two guides vying with each other to attract
the traveller’s attention.
Now that we are grown to years of discretion we see that life is an
amalgam of vice and virtue. The soul by casting its gaze first on one and
then on the other can calculate the consequences of each.
The life of the sinner
presents all the pleasures of the present moment; the life of the
righteous points to future benefits.
The easy undisciplined way of life leads to pleasure to be enjoyed
now, not later; the way of salvation is hard in the present, but promises
a beautiful future.
The soul is confused and dithers in its calculations. It prefers
pleasure when it is looking at the present; it chooses virtue when its eye
is on eternity.”
- Basil the Great
From Commentary on
Psalm 1:5 “From the depths of night our soul
longs for You, our God, for Your commandments are a light upon the earth.
Give us understanding that we may be perfected in righteousness and
holiness in fear of You, for it is You Whom we glorify as our true God.
Turn Your ear and hear us. O Lord, remember all those present and praying
with us by their own name, and save them by Your might. Bless Your people
and sanctify Your inheritance. Give peace to Your world, to Your churches,
to the priests, and to all Your people. For blessed and glorified is Your
most honored and sublime name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for
ever and ever. Amen.” - Second
Prayer of the Daily Office of Matins
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