St Lukr Orthodox Anniston 013011

St. LukeDiocese Orthodox Christian Church of the South, Orthodox Church in America The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest 1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/ basilncana@yahoo.com • (256) 235-3893 Sunday, January 30, 2011 • 36th Sunday after Pentecost Synaxis of the Three Holy Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs Sunday of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

Hieromartyr Hippolytus, priest of Rome, and with him Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Ases, the Virgin Chryse, Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Styracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius, Asnandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, the priest Maximus, the deacon Aschelaus, and the bishop Cyriacus, at Ostia (3rd c.).

St. Zeno, hermit of Antioch and disciple of St. Basil the Great (414). St. Adelgonda, foundress of Maubeuge (Neth.) (680).

St. Bathilde, queen of France (680). Martyr Theophilus the New on Cyprus (784). St. Peter, king of Bulgaria (969).

St. Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves (14th c.). New Martyr Hadji Theodore of Mytilene (Mt. Athos) (1784). New Martyr Demetrius of Sliven (1841). St. Pelagia of Diveyevo, fool-for-Christ (1884). “Tinos” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Announcements

Please note we will have Liturgy on Wednesday for the Meeting of Our Lord.

Please pray for the newly-born infant Caleb Zachary, his mother Maria and grandmother Marian, born on January 26.

The cover photo is of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki, Moscow, Russia

This Week’s Service Schedule & scripture readings James 2:14-26

Mark 10:46-52

James 3:1-10

Mark 11:11-23

Liturgy 8 a.m.

James 3:11-4:6

Mark 11:23-26

Thursday, 2/3

Matins 8 a.m.

James 4:7-5:9

Mark 11:27-33

Friday, 2/4

Matins 8 a.m.

1 Peter 1:1-2,1012,2:6-10

Mark 12:1-12

Vespers 4 p.m.

1 Thess.

5:14-23

Luke 17:3-10

Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.

1 Timothy 4:9-15

Luke 19:1-10

Monday, 1/31

No Service Vespers 4 p.m.

Tuesday, 2/1

St. Brigid of Ireland

Wednesday, 2/2

Meeting of Our Lord

Saturday, 2/5 Sunday, 2/6

Sunday of Zacchæus Afterfeast of the Meeting

Hours 9:40 a.m.

Hebrews 7:7-17

Luke 2:22-40

Hebrews 13:17-21

Luke 6:17-23

This Week’s Fasts Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

“Lord, I Call”

Great Vespers

From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in the Lord!

sunday (Tone 3)

”There is no speech, nor are there words which are

By Thy Cross, O Christ our Savior, death’s domin- not heard in their voices”, he says; for the proclamaion has been shattered; the devil’s delusion de- tion of the godly and wise teachers has gone out stroyed. The race of man, being saved by faith, al- through all the earth and the sea of creation. Therefore, through their divine precepts, great things are ways offers Thee a song. gathered and assembled into one true doctrine for The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me. the ends of the earth.

All has been enlightened by Thy Resurrection, O For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous Lord. Paradise has been opened again. All creation, redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. praising Thee, always offers Thee a song.

Let us who follow their teachings praise the instruOut of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, ments of the Holy Spirit with hymns; they are the hear my voice! trumpets of truth, the words of orators! Let us enI glorify the power of the Father and the Son. I treat them, for they are bold before the Lord, that praise the authority of the Holy Spirit. The undi- He may always grant forgiveness to us all and great vided, uncreated Godhead, the consubstantial Trin- peace to the whole world! ity which reigns forever.

Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!

Three Hierarchs (Tone 2)

Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!

We bow down in worship before Thy precious Cross, With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the O Christ, and we glorify and praise Thy Resurrecteachers? In separate bodies, they were united in spirtion. For by Thy wounds we have all been healed. it: God-bearing intercessors, equal in number to the Trinity, ministers and lights who illumine the uniThree Hierarchs (Tone 4) If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall verse, pillars of the Church, whom Christ, our mercistand? For with Thee is propitiation. ful God, crowns with wreaths of victorious glory.

Let us honor the instruments of grace worthily: For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of John, Basil and Gregory, the harps of the Spirit, the the Lord remaineth forever. resounding trumpets of preaching, awesome and With what beautiful hymns shall we crown the clear in tone, thundering from the heights to declare God-bearing and heavenly initiates? Preachers of the glory of God to the ends of the earth! the mysteries, leading theologians of the Orthodox Faith: Basil, manifest in holiness, divinely spoken Gregory, John of golden tongue, whom the Trinity, Let us worthily honor the three champions: the bul- the greatly merciful Lord, has fittingly glorified. warks of devotion, the three Apostles added to the Three Hierarchs (Tone 6) twelve, rivers overflowing with living water from Eden, flooding the face of the earth with life-bear- Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… ing and divine streams! They have formed the faith, Today let us praise the mystical trumpets of the Spirit, the God-bearing Fathers, who stand in the as the elements form creation. midst of the Church singing true theology, praising the one changeless Trinity! They laid low the errors of Arius and upheld the Orthodox Faith. They always entreat the Lord to have mercy on our souls.

For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.

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circumcise the hardness of your heart, and ye shall stiffen your neck no more. For the Lord your God, How can we not wonder at thy mystical childbear- He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great, and ing, O exalted Mother, for, without receiving the strong, and terrible God, Who doth not respect pertouch of man, thou gavest birth to a Son in the flesh, sons, nor will He by any mean accept a bribe; exutO immaculate Virgin. The Son born of the Father ing judgment for th stranger and orphan and widow, before eternity was born of thee at the fullness of and He loveth the stranger, to give him food and time, O honored Lady. He underwent no mingling, raiment. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and no change, no division, but preserved the fullness of Him only shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou each nature. Entreat Him to save the souls, O Lady cleave, and shalt swear by His Name. He is thy and Virgin and Mother, of those who confess thee boast, and He is thy God, Who hath wrought for in the Orthodox manner, to be the Theotokos. thee these great and glorious things, which thine eyes have seen.

Dogmatikon (Tone 3)

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Old Testament Readings

Three Hierarchs

Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17

Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction, but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded; for God proved them and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge nations and have dominion over people , and their Lord shall reign unto the ages. They that put their trust in Him shall understand the truth; and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him; for grace and mercy is in His Saints, and visitation among His elect.

Thus said Moses to the sons of Israel: Behold, I have delivered the land before you; go in and inherit the land, which the Lord sware to your fathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, to give it to them and to their seed after them. And I spake to you at that time, saying: I shall not be able to bear you by myself. The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold, ye are today as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord God of your fathers add to you a thousandfold more than ye are, and bless you as He hath spoken to you. So I took of you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you as rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, and instructors for your judges. And I commanded your judges at that time, saying: Hear causes between your brethren, and judge justly between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Thou Aposticha shalt not have respect to persons in judgment, thou sunday (Tone 3) shalt judge small and great equally; thou shalt not The sun was darkened

by Thy Passion, O Christ, but shrink from before the person of a man, for the all creation was enlightened by the light of Thy Resjudgment is God’s. urrection. Accept our evening song, O Lover of Deuteronomy 10:14-21 man!

Thus said Moses to the sons of Israel: Behold, the The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath he clothed heaven, and the Heaven of heaven, belong to the himself.

Lord thy God, the earth and all things that are Thy life-bearing Resurrection, O Lord, enlightened therein. Yet the Lord chose your fathers to love the whole universe, recalling Thy creation. Delivthem, and above all nations, as at this day He chose ered from Adam’s curse, we sing: “O Almighty you out of their seed after them. Therefore ye shall Lord, glory to Thee!” ~4~

Three Hierarchs (Tone 4)

For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved.

Thou art the changeless God, Who, suffering in the flesh, was changed. Creation could not endure seeing Thee on the Cross. It was filled with fear while praising Thy patience. By descending to hell and rising on the third day, Thou hast granted to the world life and great mercy.

Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days!

Thou didst endure death, O Christ, to deliver the race of man from death. Thou didst rise from the dead on the third day, raising with Thyself those who knew Thee as God and enlightening the world.

Glory to Thee!

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Let us who love their words come together and honor with hymns the three great torch-bearers of the triune Godhead: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom! These men have enlightened the world with the rays of their divine doctrines. They are sweetly flowing rivers of wisdom, filling all creation with springs of heavenly knowledge. Ceaselessly they intercede for us before the Holy Trinity.

Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion (Tone 1) Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Three Hierarchs (Tone 2)

When Gabriel announced to thee, O Virgin, “ReGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… joice,” with that word the Master of all was incarnate Today, the souls of mortals are raised up from earth- in thee, O holy Ark. As the righteous David said, thy ly things. Today, on the commemoration of the womb became more spacious than the heavens, bearsaints, they become heavenly. The gates of heaven ing thy Creator. Glory to Him Who took abode in are opened, and the words of the Master are spoken thee! Glory to Him Who came from thee! Glory to to us. Words proclaim the Word, and tongues sing Him Who freed us by being born of thee! hymns to His wonders. We cry out to the Savior: “Glory to Thee, Christ our God, for through them peace has been given to the faithful!”

Forefeast of the

Meeting (Tone 2)

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Today, Christ is carried in the sanctuary as an Infant; today, He Who gave the Law to Moses becomes subject to the Law. The armies of Angels wondered, seeing Him Who holds all things carried in the arms of an elderly man. Filled with reverence, Simeon cried out, rejoicing: “Savior, now let me depart from this fleeting life to a rest which never grows old, for I have seen Thee, and I rejoice!”

Troparia

sunday (Tone 3)

Let those in heaven be glad. Let those on earth rejoice, for the Lord hath wrought a mighty act with His arm. He hath trampled down death by death.

He is become the first born of the dead. From the bosom of hell hath He delivered us, and hath granted unto the world great mercy.

T

he bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.”

St. Basil the Great

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Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom Beatitude Verses

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

He that dwelt in the pure Virgin’s womb maketh the sunday souls of the God-bearing Saints to be His dwellingBlessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

O Christ, Thou hast cast out of Paradise Adam, the places, and through their mouths He interpreteth forefather, who had set aside Thy commandment. the mysteries that pertain to His Mother.

And in Thy compassion, Thou hast made to dwell Troparia therein the thief confessing Thee upon the cross and sunday (Tone 3) crying; Remember me, O Savior, in Thy kingdom.

Let those in heaven be glad. Let those on earth reBlessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. joice, for the Lord hath wrought a mighty act with O Giver of life and Lord, Thou hast condemned us His arm. He hath trampled down death by death. having sinned to the curse of death. And suffering in He is become the first born of the dead. From the Thy sinless body Thou hast made mortal men live bosom of hell hath He delivered us, and hath grantcrying: Remember us also in Thy kingdom. ed unto the world great mercy.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Three Hierarchs (Tone 4) O Lord, risen from the dead, Thou hast raised us from Let us who love their words come together and honpassions by Thy resurrection. And Thou hast deor with hymns the three great torch-bearers of the stroyed all the might of death. Therefore we cry with triune Godhead: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theofaith to Thee: Remember us also in Thy kingdom. logian and John Chrysostom! These men have enBlessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, lightened the world with the rays of their divine docfor theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. trines. They are sweetly flowing rivers of wisdom,

By Thy three days’ burial hast Thou, making them live, filling all creation with springs of heavenly knowlraised those lying dead in hell. And Thou as good hast edge. Ceaselessly they intercede for us before the poured forth incorruption upon us who at all times cry Holy Trinity. with faith: Remember us also in Thy kingdom.

Three Hierarchs

Kontakia

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

sunday (Tone 3)

Thou didst rise today from the grave, compassionate Let those correctors of our ways and stewards of our One, and didst lead us away from the gates of death. souls, those common saviours of all and splendid in- Today Adam danceth for joy, and Eve rejoiceth. Tostructors of life, who have shown to us the examples gether with prophets and patriarchs they unceasof their deeds and words, be splendidly acclaimed. ingly hymn the divine might of Thine authority.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Three Hierarchs (Tone 2)

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

The Spirit of God filled Basil with knowledge; GregO Lord, Thou hast taken up to eternal rest and to the ory had a tongue of fire, and breathed forth the fire of enjoyment of Thy blessings the divinely-inspired lofty speech; and the mouth of Christ spake in John. heralds, the greatest of Thy teachers, for Thou hast Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… accepted their labors and deaths as a sweet-smelling The foolishness of preaching hath clearly brought to sacrifice, for Thou alone art glorified in Thy saints. nought the wisdom of the present age, which bowed thereunto and adored it in servility; for grace hath set forth preachers and wise orators. ~6~

Steadfast Protectress (Tone 6) Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Steadfast Protectress of Christians, constant Advocate before the Creator; despise not the entreating cries of us sinners, but in thy goodness come speedily to help us who call on thee in faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for thou dost always protect those who honor thee!

Prokeimenon

burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Alleluia Verses

Sunday (Tone 3)

Sing psalms unto our God, sing psalms; sing psalms Sunday (Tone 3) unto our King, sing psalms.

Vs: In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be Vs: All ye nations, clap your hands; shout unto God put to shame! with a joyful noise!

Vs: Be Thou a God of protection for me, a house of refuge, in order to save me!

Three Hierarchs (Tone 8)

Vs: Their sound is gone forth into all the earth, and Three Hierarchs (Tone 4) their sayings to the ends of the world.

Vs: The heavens shall confess Thy wonders, O Lord, and Thy truth in the congregation of the saints!

Epistle Reading

Gospel Reading

Sunday

1 Timothy 1:15-17

My son Timothy, this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me firstJesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life ever lasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Three Hierarchs Hebrews 13:7-16

Brethren, remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.

For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are

Sunday

Matthew 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

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Three Hierarchs Matthew 5:14-19

The Lord said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Please note Holy Communion is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves beforehand.

All are welcome to receive the blessed bread and Father’s blessing after services.

D T ~8~

The Orthodox Faith > Doctrine > Sources of Christian Doctrine

Canons There are canon laws of ecumenical councils, of provincial and local councils, and of individual church fathers which have been received by the entire Orthodox Church as normative for Christian doctrine and practice. As a word canon means literally rule or norm or measure of judging. In this sense the canon laws are not positive laws in the juridical sense and cannot be easily identified with laws as understood and operative in human jurisprudence.

The canons of the Church are distinguished first between those of a dogmatic or doctrinal nature and those of a practical, ethical, or structural character. They are then further distinguished between those which may be changed and altered and those which are unchangeable and may not be altered under any conditions.

often periods of controversy over certain canons as to their applicability in given times and conditions. These factors, however, should not lead the members of the Church to dismay or to the temptation either to enforce all canons blindly with identical force and value or to dismiss all the canons as meaningless and insignificant.

The dogmatic canons are those council definitions which speak about an article of the Christian faith; for example, the nature and person of Jesus Christ. Although such canons may be explained and developed in new and different words, particularly as the Church Tradition grows and moves through time, their essential meaning remains eternal and unchanging.

In the first place, the canons are “of the Church” and therefore cannot possibly be understood as “positive laws” in a juridical sense; secondly, the canons are certainly not exhaustive, and do not cover every possible aspect of Church faith and life; thirdly, the canons were produced for the most part in response to some particular dogmatic or moral question or deviation in the Church life and so usually bear the marks of some particular controversy in history which has conditioned not merely their particular formulation, but indeed their very existence.

Some canons of a moral and ethical character also belong to those which cannot be changed. These are the moral canons whose meaning is absolute and eternal and whose violation can in no way be justified. The canons which forbid the sale of Church sacraments are of this kind.

There are, in addition, canons of a quite practical nature which may be changed and which, in fact, have been changed in the course of the life of the Church. There are also those which may be changed but which remain in force since the Church has shown the desire to retain them. An example of the former type is the canon which requires the priests of the church to be ordained to office only after reaching thirty years of age. It might be said that although this type of canon remains normative and does set a certain ideal which theoretically may still be of value, the needs of the Church have led to its violation in actual life. The canon which requires that the bishops of the Church be unmarried is of the latter type.

It is not always clear which canons express essential marks of Christian life and which do not. There are

Taken by themselves, the canon laws of the Church can be misleading and frustrating, and therefore superficial people will say “either enforce them all or discard them completely.” But taken as a whole within the wholeness of Orthodox life—theological, historical, canonical, and spiritual—these canons do assume their proper place and purpose and show themselves to be a rich source for discovering the living Truth of God in the Church. In viewing the canons of the Church, the key factors are Christian knowledge and wisdom which are borne from technical study and spiritual depth. There is no other “key” to their usage; and any other way would be according to the Orthodox faith both unorthodox and unchristian.

The series The Orthodox Faith is intended to provide basic, comprehensive information on the faith and the life of the Orthodox Church for the average reader. The author is Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary,

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Theology of Lay Ministries - Volume III, 2009

Time Management: an Orthodox Perspective

By Albert Rossi, PhD and Julia Wickes, MA Push pause To let the Lord work through us means that we give him space, and, of course, time. All too often we act reactively.

Our responses often take the form of a stimulus-response reaction. Too many times we want to say, “Yes” to all the requests that come our way, and they all may have great merit. But then, one can get so overloaded and overburdened.

However, it is not always easy to discern to what we should say “yes” or “no.” It does require growing closer to the Lord, to hear His voice and His direction. Often, we do not go in the direction to which He has pointed. However, we take comfort in the knowledge that He is the Great “GPS”. He is always ready to “recalculate” and reroute us.

One handy suggestion is to push pause as often as we can. We can pause between the stimulus and our response, thereby gaining perspective. The pause itself is usually sufficient to break the reactivity cycle. We can become aware of something else going on besides the unconscious reaction. This is a fine opportunity to try to remember that we are in the holy presence of God. A way to gain more conscious contact with God is to gently and quietly say, “Jesus.” His holy Name is an expression of belief, adoration, expectation of salvation and unity with Him and all the members of His body.

His name is sacred and is a power He asked us to use.

“Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.” ( John 16:23) We need to know that when we use His Name we are acknowledging that we are his disciples. We pause and say His Name, as an act of obedience and surrender of the present moment. We can match this with an awareness of our breathing, centering us more inside our body.

We can simply say the one word, “Jesus,” to transfigure what is in front of us, or in our minds. The name Jesus can be a filter through which our thoughts, words and deeds have to pass to be freed from their impurities. Needless to say, this is severe spiritual warfare. It requires a forgetfulness of the self, a dying to the negative thoughts the ego wants to indulge.

Conclusion Time manages us because the Lord lives within the time He gives us. So, it is He, through the reality we call measured time, who manages, leads, nourishes and strengthens us. We don’t live life. Life lives us.

Time is our friend, not our burden to endure. We need only remember that we are in the holy presence of God. We can pause and say the Name of Jesus, thereby bringing us into His very life within us. While on earth we have an opportunity to “sanctify time.”

‘This is the way we should see Christ. He is our friend, our brother; He is whatever is good and beautiful. He is everything. Yet, He is still a friend and He shouts it out, “You’re my friends, don’t you understand that?

We’re brothers. I’m not… I don’t hold hell in my hands. I am not threatening you. I love you. I want you to enjoy life together with me.”

‘Love Christ and put nothing before His Love. He is joy, He is life, He is light. Christ is Everything. He is the ultimate desire, He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ. Somebody who is Christ’s must love Christ, and when he loves Christ he is delivered from the Devil, from hell and from death.’

Elder Porphyrios (Bairaktaris) the Kapsokalyvite (1906-1991) ~10~

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The grave of the elder Paisios the Athonite at the monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki, Greece.

St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church 1415 Woodstock Ave. Anniston, AL 36207