Words from the Saints -- December 31, 2020

"No other book so glorifies God as does the Psalter (Book of Psalms). It profits the soul; it glorifies God together with the angels." --St. Basil the Great

"It is necessary that the Holy Spirit enter our heart. Everything good that we do, that we do for Christ, is given to us by the Holy Spirit, but prayer most of all, which is always available to us." --St. Seraphim of Sarov

"Without sorrows there is no salvation. On the other hand, the Kingdom of God awaits those who have patiently endured. And all the glory of the world is nothing in comparison." --St. Seraphim of Sarov

"Seek to learn on earth those truths which will remain ever valid in Heaven." --St. Jerome

"A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ." --St. Herman of Alaska

Readings for the Week of December 27, 2020

12/27: Acts 6:8-15;7:1-5,47-60; Galatians 1:11-19; Matthew 2:13-23; 21:33-42

12/28: Hebrews 8:7-13; Mark 8:11-21

12/29: Hebrews 9:8-10, 15-23; Mark 8:22-26

12/30: Hebrews 10:1-18; Mark 8:30-34

12/31: Hebrews 10:35-11:7; Mark 9:10-16

1/1: Colossians 2:8-12; Luke 2:20-21, 40-52

1/2: 1 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Matthew 3:1-11

Words from the Saints -- December 24, 2020

"All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the cross." --St. Augustine of Hippo

"Without contrition of the heart, it is altogether impossible to rid ourselves of evil. Now the heart is made contrite by threefold self-control: in sleep, in food and in bodily relaxation. For excess of these three things leads to self-indulgence; and this in turn makes us accept evil thoughts, and is opposed to prayer and to appropriate work." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"Christian! Observe once and for all how the sunflower even on gloomy days pursues its circular course, following the sun with the unchanging love and attraction natural to it. Our sun, illuminating our path through this world, is the will of God; it does not always illuminate our path in life without clouds; often clear days are followed by gloomy ones: rain, wind, storms arise. But let our love for our Sun, the will of God, be so strong that we may continue, inseparably from it, even in days of misfortune and sorrow, like the sunflower on gloomy days, to navigate faultlessly on the sea of life, following the indications of the ‘barometer’ and ‘compass’ of the will of God, which leads us into the safe harbor of eternity." --St. John of Tobolsk

"Blessed the one whose mind the dark diabolical cloud has not been able to invade and deprive of the sweet light and joy of the just." --St. Ephraim the Syrian

"Silence is not a virtue when charity calls for speech." --St. Poemen

"We have learned to recognize as freedom that which the Lord alone confers on us when he liberates us from lusts and desires and the other passions. 'He who says, I know the Lord, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him,' says the Holy Apostle John." --St. Clement of Alexandria

Readings for the Week of December 20, 2020

12/20: Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-25

12/21: Hebrews 3:5-11, 17-19; Luke 20:27-44

12/22: Hebrews 4:1-13; Luke 21:12-19

12/23: Hebrews 5:11-6:8; Luke 21:5-7, 10-11, 20-24

12/24: Micah 5:2-4; Hebrews 1:1-12; Matthew 1:18-25; Baruch 3:36-4:4; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 2:1-20; Isaiah 7:10-16; 8:1-4, 8-10; Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 9:6-7; Hebrews 2:11-18; Matthew 2:13-23; Galatians 3:8-12; Hebrews 1:1-12; Luke 2:1-20; 13:18-29

12/25: Galatians 4:4-7; Matthew 2:1-12

12/26: Hebrews 2:11-18; Matthew 2:13-23

Words from the Saints -- December 17, 2020

"If I am to speak the truth, whatever can be expressed in human words is less than the praise given by Heaven; for Mary has been excellently preached and praised by divine and angelic heralds, foretold by prophets, foreshadowed by patriarchs, in types and figures, set forth and described by Evangelists, worthily and officially saluted by Angels." --St. Jerome

"Children, I beseech you to correct your hearts and thoughts, so that you may be pleasing to God. Consider that although we may reckon ourselves to be righteous and frequently succeed in deceiving men, we can conceal nothing from God. Let us therefore strive to preserve the holiness of our souls and to guard the purity of our bodies with all fervor. Ye are the temple of God, says the divine Apostle Paul; If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." --St. Nicholas of Myra

"Some men abstain from the passions because of human fear, others because of self-esteem, and others through self-control. Some, however, are delivered from the passions by divine providence." --St. Maximos the Confessor

"Wickedness is an intricate net; and if someone is careless when partially entangled, he gets completely enmeshed." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"There is nothing evil except that which perverts the mind and shackles the conscience." --St. Ambrose of Milan

"Accordingly, death is a harbor of peace for the just, but is believed a shipwreck for the wicked." --St. Ambrose of Milan

"Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others." --St. Augustine of Hippo

Readings for the Week of December 13, 2020

12/13: Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24

12/14: 2 Timothy 2:20-26; Luke 19:37-44

12/15: 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4; Luke 19:45-48

12/16: 2 Timothy 4:9-22; Luke 20:1-8

12/17: Titus 1:5-2:1; Luke 20:9-18

12/18: Titus 1:15-2:10; Luke 20:19-26

12/19: Galatians 3:8-12; Luke 13:18-29

Words from the Saints -- December 10, 2020

"He took what is mine in order that He might impart to me what is His. He took it not to overturn it but to fill it." --St. Ambrose of Milan

"God is nearer to us than any man at every time. He is nearer to me than my raiment, nearer than the air or light, nearer than my wife, father, mother, daughter, son, or friend. I live in Him, soul and body. I breathe in Him, think in Him, feel, consider, intend, speak, undertake, work in Him." --St. John of Kronstadt

"If then we have angels, let us be sober, as though we were in the presence of tutors; for there is a demon present also." --St. John Chrysostom

"It is an insult to the intelligence to be subject to what lacks intelligence and to concern itself with shameful desires." --St. Thalassios the Libyan

"You who judge others, at some time be also a judge of yourself, look into the recesses of your own conscience; rather, because there is no shame, indeed, in doing wrong, and sin is so committed as if pleasure came rather through sins themselves, do you who are seen clearly and nakedly by all yourself also look upon yourself." --St. Cyprian of Carthage

Prayer List for the Week of December 6, 2020

For healing: Igumen Patrick, Fr. Daniel, Fr. Nikolaos, Fr. Serhii, Matushka Myra, Matushka Katherine, Monk Meletios, Ross, Justin, Steven, Marian, Roger, Nancy, Claire, Patricia, Mark, Nikolai, Anastasia, William, Annabelle, Alice, Kathleen, Walter, Jay, Denise, Denise, Heather, Alexander, John, Karen, Pamela, Robert, Eric, Michael, Melissa, Marianne, Ryan, Joanne, Rose Mary, Marianne, Timothy, Jon, Emily, Charles, Carlos, Hank, Nicholas, Katrina, Valentine, Mary Jane, Nicholas, Alicia, Kathleen, Thomas, Mary Jo, Margaret, John, Jennifer, Clara, Joan, Sarah, Alex, Nicholas, Barbara, Margaret, Alyssa, Danielle, Nicholas, Eliakim, Christopher, Ella, Angie

For God’s protection: all captives; all persecuted Christians throughout the world

For God’s protection: all those in the military

For God’s mercy and peace: those who are in hospice care

For God’s mercy, direction and protection: those who are unemployed, poor, hungry and/or homeless

*** We pray for: those who love us; those who hate us; those who have no one to pray for them; those who have asked us to pray for them, even though we are unworthy. ***

Departed: Patriarch Irinej, Metropolitan Amfilohije, Metropolitan Maximos, Metropolitan Theodosius, Archbishop David, Bishop Lazar, Eleanor, Carol, Marie, Andrea, Leocadia, Andrew, Ana, Marguerite, Ruth, Anna, Walter, Diane

Readings for the Week of December 6, 2020

12/6: Ephesians 5:9-19; Luke 12:16-21

12/7: 1 Timothy 5:1-10; Luke 17:20-25

12/8: 1 Timothy 5:11-21; Luke 17:26-37

12/9: Galatians 4:22-31; Luke 8:16-24

12/10: 1 Timothy 6:17-20; Luke 18:31-34

12/11: 2 Timothy 1:1-2, 8-18; Luke 19:12-28

12/12: Galatians 5:22-6:2; Luke 10:19-21

Words from the Saints -- December 3, 2020

"Brethren and fathers, God, who fashioned us and brought us out of non-existence into being, has placed us in this life as in a schoolroom to learn to gospel of his kingdom." --St. Theodore the Studite

"You cannot turn me from my holy Faith by threats, nor with promises of riches and pleasures. I will obey your orders willingly, if you will leave me free to follow my religion. I would rather surrender my head to you than to change my faith. I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian." --St. John the Russian

"Let us enter into our room, and sitting there, remember our sins, and the Lord will come and help us in everything." --St. Poemen