Quotes of ST. John Chrysostom

ST. John Chrysostom  

St. John Chrysostom sayings on Christ

+ Why is He called The Lamb? Because He gave Himself as a ransom and an offer on our behalf.

+  Why is He called The Life? Because He raised us from the dead.

+ Why is He called the Word? Because He is born of The Father; 
As My word comes from me, therefore the Son is also born of The Father.

+ Why is He called The Master? Because I am a servant of His.

+ Why is He called The Way? In order for us to understand that through Him, we will meet The Father.

+ Why is He called The Rock? Because He Kept the Faith strong.

+ Why is He called The Spring? Because He is the Source of everlasting love.

+ Why is He called The Shepherd? Because He Cares for us.

+ Why is He called The Light? Because He saved us from Darkness. 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings  

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 

O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 

Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 
Psalm 25: 1, 2, 4

Fasting is a medicine. But like all medicines, though it would be very profitable to the person who knows how to use it. It frequently becomes useless and even harmful in the hands of Him who is unskilful in its use.

St. John Chrysostom


 

Train My Soul, For She Had Gone Astray!

 
From the inspiration of Daniel (4)

You have granted me abundant blessings;
I was filled and yet went astray.
Who would train me but O You who cares for my salvation?

Deprive me of some of your gifts,
but do not deprive me of You,
for You are my share and my eternal inheritance!
May You grant me humility,
for it builds my inner depths.

I have ignored your love and your abundant blessings,
for I had no control over myself!
How hard it is for me to remain humble while You are overflowing me with abundant gifts!

Let me continuously remember my weaknesses,
so that I remain humble.
Hold my hand and let me walk with You on the road of Your love!

Grant me the spirit of Daniel the prophet and servant,
so that I may desire the salvation of sinners and be compassionate toward them, but not at the expense of the divine truth.

I do not fear any king no matter how tyrant he is,
and I do not hide Your word no matter how strict it is!
Your threatening had scared Nebuchadnezzar,
but I find the sweetness of Your love in the midst of Your threatening to me.

Teach me to consecrate all my life to Your obedience.
Your threats and promises are for my edification.
My sins have made me fall under the divine chastening and made me eat the pigs' food.

But now I come back to You,
so may You carry me in the fellowship of the saints,
lift me to the heavenly life and grant me a surpassing heavenly knowledge! 



Fr. Tadros Malaty
From the Inspiration of the Book of Daniel     

 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings 

You are my hope in the day of doom.
Jeremiah 17: 17

Blessed is he, who forgot the talk of the world
by Your talk to him? As by You, his
needs are consummated!

(St. John Saba) 

 

Sins

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) 

Satan has the power to blind our minds, bind our bodies, test Saints and righteous… he even tempted Jesus on the mountain.


As sensual people we can get very attached to the world, but it is in detaching from the pleasures of the world that we find God's presence speaking to our souls and in that we find meaning and direction.


When we find ourselves bound with sins, and Satan has convinced us that there is no use.. we start to think that we have already been rejected by the Lord, that there is no hope in His mercy.


Do not give in to these evil thoughts,  start a new life with Christ by repenting and confessing your sins with deep regrets and no turning back. 

Purify your heart, ask for the Lord's guidance and mercy, and live sin free..  

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." 

Psalm 51:10
Keep your eyes on the heavenly reward,  the "Life of Eternity".
 
 

What happens to sins--when you trust Christ?
What does God do with your sins?

 
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.


+ He takes them away:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29 

+ He forgets them:
“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17 

+ He washes them away:

“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

+ He blots them out:

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 43:25 

+ He wipes them out like a cloud:
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
Isaiah 44:22

+ He pardons them:
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7


+ And He buries them in the depths of the sea:

He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19


Let's take this opportunity during Lent to be even closer to Jesus. Let's give Him everything: our pain, our worries and trust Him completely. 
Protect us O Lord in our struggle against evil.


The Slope

The Slope

A snake does not creep on with open steps; in the same way the slippery motion of falling away takes hold of the negligent man gradually. Beginning with the desire to be godlike, he ends in the likeness of a beast.

The true glory of man is the image and likeness of God, which we can only preserve in our relationship with him who created it; the less therefore one loves oneself the more closely one cleaves to God.

When a man wishes to try out his own strength, he slips down to a purely human level; then, wishing to be subject to none, he falls even lower to those things in which the beasts delight, and so learns the difference between the good he has abandoned and the evil to which he has committed himself.

Only the grace of his maker calling him to repentance and forgiving him enables him to come back.

What can an evil man do when anguish falls upon him? All external resources have failed and he has no peace in his own heart: none of this world's goods can comfort the man who has not God.

The sinner finds no rest outside himself; and, within, his conscience gives him no relief.

A man can fly from an enemy, but who can fly from himself?


     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest

The Great Lent

The Great Lent    

The real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…
The deeper the preparation the more effective and joyful the celebration will be.
The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by guiding men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.

Our Lord Jesus Christ's 40 days of fasting was a battle with the devil..
" And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals,"  Mark 1:13

So fasting is a spiritual battle and struggle with satan and his solders. The struggle makes you stronger, so do not be afraid to fight and struggle with satan. But be prepared for the good fight.

Sinning can disqualify you from your inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Place your faith in Christ and turn to God. Do not let sin on earth diminish your heavenly rewards.

Paul The Apostle was clearly concerned that if he did not keep his flesh under control, he would be disqualified from running the race of an effective Christian life, and receiving rewards in heaven.

Also ST Augustine said: "If then you love your sins and hug them to yourself you oppose Christ, and whether in the Church or out of it you are an Antichrist: a piece of chaff which the wind will blow away."

So whatever it may be in your life that is diminishing your ability to run the race, with fasting and prayers you can turn back to God. It is God's desire for you that, day by day, you would throw off the sin in your life that could keep you from winning your heavenly reward.

May the blessing of the Great Lent fill us with wisdom so that we are able to distinguish good from bad.  Guide us O Lord to Your light and preserve our souls from evil.

Joel 2:15-17

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the  children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Have a blessed Lent.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to His Heavenly Father in the Temple of Jerusalem forty days after His birth. There was a devout man in Jerusalem called Simeon, waiting in the Temple. He was blessed by the Holy Spirit, took Baby Jesus in his arms with joy.


On this presentation God received a much more glory than He had ever received in the temple from all the sacrifices of the Old Testament. On this day it is His own Son Jesus Who is offered to Him, and Who offers to the Father the unlimited honor of worship, thanksgiving and supplication.


It is from the hands of the Virgin Mary, full of grace, that this offering, so pleasing to God, is received. For Mary is perfect, filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.


Mary had given her consent to offer her Son Jesus to the Father as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she knows that her Son is "The King of Glory".


Luke 2: 21-39


21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.


22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord


23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),


24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”


 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, 
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 
   and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

Neighbours

Neighbours 

My brothers, do not think you must speak the truth to a Christian but can lie to a pagan. You are speaking to your brother, born like you from Adam and Eve: realize that each man is your neighbour even before he is a Christian; you have no idea how God sees him.

The man you mock at for adoring stones may be converted, and may worship God more fervently than you who laughed at him. Some who are not yet in the Church are near to us, and some hidden there are far away. You cannot see into the future, so let every man be your neighbour.

Suppose you saw someone walking in the dark and you knew of an open well into which he might fall and didn't warn him - you would rightly be held an enemy of his soul. And yet, if he fell in, only his body would die. If you see him falling into sin, and you chuckle over it - what then?

It is by love alone that the sons of God are distinguished from the children of the devil.  A man can baptized and so reborn but let him look into his heart and see if he loves his neighbour, and if so he can say truly, 'I am a child of God'.

But if not, though he has received the character of the sacrament, he is no better than a deserter or a vagabond. Only those who love their brethren are children of God. 


     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest
 

He Preserves

Biblical Reflection 


+ The Lord's promise to preserves those who love Him:
The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
(Ps 145:20)

+ The Lord's promise to preserves the simple and lowly:
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
(Ps 116:6)


+ The Lord's promise to preserve from all evil:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
(Ps 121:7)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve souls:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
(Ps 121:7)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve our going out and our coming in:
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
(Ps 121:8)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve me for His heavenly kingdom:
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
(2 Tim 4:18)

+ The Lord's promise to preserves the souls of saints:
You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
(Ps 97:10)

 

Quotes By HH Pope Shenouda III

HH Pope Shenouda III

Quotes and Meditations on things to REMEMBER
- By HH Pope Shenouda III:


Remember your weakness, then you will be more cautious and you will submit to the thoughts of pride and false glory which may attack you.

Remember the loving kindness of the Lord bestowed on you and you will always lead a life of thanksgiving. Faith will grow in your heart as well as trust in God's love and work. Your past experiences with God would encourage you in the life of faith.

Remember People's love and their past good experiences with you. Should you doubt their sincerity or find out they have wronged you, Their old love will intercede and your anger will fade away.

Remember death, so all wordily temptations will disappear and you feel that, " All is vanity and grasping for the wind." (Eccl. 1:14.)

Remember that you are standing before God and He is looking at you, then you cannot sin because you see Him.

Remember God's promises and you will be comforted in all your troubles. But if you forget them, say with David the Prophet, "Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life." (Ps 119:49-50)

Remember the Blood of Jesus which was shed for your sake and you will definitely know the value of your life; it becomes dear in your eyes, so you will not waste it with prodigal living, " For you were bought at a price;". 1 Cor 6:20

Remember the vows you made to God at the Baptistery with your parents undertook on your behalf to renounce the devil, all his evil deeds, all his thoughts and wiles, all his forces and power.

Remember always that you are a stranger on the earth and that you will return to your heavenly home. Then you will not put all your hopes in this world and its comforts.

Remember That the narrow gate leads to the kingdom of heaven. If you see the wide gate open before you, escape and keep away from it. As all those who went into it perished.

Remember your eternity and work for it at all times.

Remember that you are a child of God and ought to have His image. You walk as befits the Children of God, for they are apparent.

Remember that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God in you and always be on holy temple. 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings 

"There are many ways which appear good unto men: 

But the end thereof leads to the pit of hell"
(Proverbs 14:12)

 

Those who do not understand the will of God, but follow their own will. For such people, not knowing the will of God, at first receive from Satan a fervor which is like joy, but is not joy; and afterwards it turns to gloom and lays them open. But he who follows the will of God endures great labor in the beginning, but afterwards finds rest and gladness.

Ammonas
The Letters of Ammonas, successor of Saint Antony

So That I May Walk With You In The Furnace

From the inspiration of Daniel (3)

Let the fire be inflamed and the enemy roars,
but as long as You are with me,
I am not afraid!

You change the fire into dew!
Instead of groaning,
You change my life into praise!

May you be transfigured in my depths,
and glorified in my weaknesses,
You who are the God of the impossible!

Grant me the spirit of prayer with praise,
so that I may deny all the flames of tribulations and the devil and all his evil deeds!
I shall not fear,
for You grant me victory over sin!


Fr. Tadros Malaty
From the Inspiration of the Book of Daniel    

The Two Deaths

The Two Deaths

As a man you are destined to die. Put it off as long as you like, the thing so long delayed will come at last.

There is however another death, from which the Lord came to deliver us: eternal death, the death of damnation with the devil and his angels. That is the real death; the other is only a change, the leaving of the body.

Do not fear this kind, but be frightened of the other, and labour to live in such a way that after death you may live with God.

Remember that Antichrists are not only to be found among those who have gone away from us, but among many who are still in the Church. The perjurer, the adulterer, the drunkard, the trafficker in drugs, all evil-doers.

The will say, 'But he made us like this'. Our creator cries out from Heaven, 'I made the man, not the thief, the adulterer, the miser; all that moves in the sea, flies in the air, or walks on the earth is my work, and sings my praise'. But does avarice praise the Lord, or drunkenness, or impurity? Anything that does not praise him was not made by him.

If then you love your sins and hug them to yourself you oppose Christ, and whether in the Church or out of it you are an Antichrist: a piece of chaff which the wind will blow away.



     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest

Our Eternal

 Our Eternal

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16: 26

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Luke 9: 23-24

It's better to think of our Eternal Life than to think of our daily life interests. Successful in life should not lead us to lose our spiritual life.

There are many ways to lose one's soul, but there is only one way to win it. By engaging activities, needs and life interests we do not find time to think about our eternal.

But our lives was not given to us to fill it with many activities. No! But means we should benefit our time on earth to know God well and serve Him.

We should not forget that our Eternal life depends on spiritual values.

 

Good Citizen

Good Citizen

Christian is a good citizen according to the Bible's commandment.

Submit to Authorities

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Romans 13: 1

Give Everyone Their Rights
Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13: 7

Love Everyone

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13: 8

Do goodness freely for God

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 
1 Peter 2: 15

Do Righteousness

For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Romans 13: 4

Honor Officials

Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13: 7

Behave According To Law

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13: 9

Yield to Human Order

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority. 1 Peter 2:13

Verses and Fathers Sayings

 Verses and Fathers Sayings  

The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
(Matthew 12: 41)

For Jonah was a servant, but I am the Master; and he came forth from the great fish, but I rose from death. He proclaimed destruction, but I am come preaching the good tidings of the kingdom. The Ninevites indeed believed without a sign, but I have exhibited many signs. They heard nothing more than those words, but I have made it impossible to deny the truth. The Ninevites came to be ministered to, but I, the very Master and Lord of all, have come not threatening, not demanding an account, but bringing pardon. 

(St. John Chrysostom)

 

Biblical Reflection - UNDER THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS

Biblical Reflection

1.Hide me under the shadow of Your wings:
Keep me as the apple of Your eye; 

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings. 

(Ps 17:8)

2. Children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings:

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 

(Ps 36:7)

3. I Will Make my refuge in the shadow of Your wings:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! 

For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, 

Until these calamities have passed by. 

(Ps 57:1)

4. I will rejoice in the Shadow of Your Wings:
Because You have been my help, 

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 

(Ps 63:7)

5. I will trust in the shelter of Your wings:
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; 

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. 

(Ps 61:4)

THE IMPORTANCE OF REPENTANCE

 THE IMPORTANCE OF REPENTANCE
 By HH OUR LATE SAINT - POPE KYRILLOS VI


 Fasting must be accompanied by repentance, regrets and confession of sins. When the Ninevites fasted, they all put on sackcloth and they turned to God, from their evil ways and violence.  They cried mightily unto God. The Lord heard their cry, saw their repentance and showed His mercy unto them.

The importance of repentance to accompany fasting is explained for us fully in the Book of Joel, where the Lord beseeches us:

Joel 2:.12-15
12  “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
 

13  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.


14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

In the same manner Daniel the prophet behaved when he fasted: 
"So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,"  Daniel 9: 3 - 4

So did Nehemiah, Ezra and David. God desires repentance while fasting: 

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." 

Galatians 5:24

So my children, let your fasting be pure and holy, that it may be acceptable before God like the fasting of the Saints. Preserve your purity in the land of your sojourn. Live the life of repentance that is pleasing to God.
Let your fasting be accepted by confessing your sins and sharing in the sacrament of holy communion.  May you abide in the Lord and He abides in you, even as the living branches that bear fruit abide in the True Vine. 

 
  

Contemplations on Jonah the Prophet

  Contemplations on Jonah the Prophet 

 By HH Pope Shenouda III

 God Uses All

 Jonah disobeyed God's command and fled in a ship, but God who brings: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.”   Judges 14:14

God who is able to turn evil into good was also able to make use of Jonah's disobedience.  

If it was through Jonah's obedience that the people of Nineveh were to be saved, it was through his disobedience that the mariners would be saved.
When Jonah disobeyed the Lord he went down into a ship where there was people belonging to the Lord, whom the Lord loved and sought to save. The were gentiles like the people of Nineveh, and war likewise in need of salvation. Let their salvation be through Jonah's disobedience.  Jonah was an instrument in the hand of the Lord by which He conquered, with its obedience and with its disobedience.

It was as though the Lord said to Jonah: "Do you think Jonah, that you have fled from Me?!
NO, you have not.  I will send you to the mariners, not as a prophet nor as a preacher, nor as a voice crying out calling people to repentance, but as a guilty person and a sinner, and a cause of a dilemma and trouble for others, thus I will save them through you."

" In this way you will be a blessing when I send you and a blessing when you flee. You will be a blessing to the people of Nineveh when they dread you as a prophet, and a blessing to the mariners when you are cast out into the sea as a guilty person. I will carry out My purpose through you in whatever state. Even when you are in the belly of the whale, not among the Ninevits nor the mariners, but when you are on your own in the belly of the whale, I will make you a prototype of My death and resurrection so that in mentioning your story people will learn.

"Did you sail in the sea when you were fleeing from Me, O Jonah?
Then you entered also in the domain of My will, because I own the sea as I own the earth; both are the work of My hand.
 
 Anything that comes into the hands of God will surely yield something good. God saves by all possible means people, and as the apostle said: "all things work together for good to those who love God,"

We also notice in the Book of Jonah that, in the same way God use Jonah's rebellious attitude and disobedience in performing His will, He also used irrational creatures who were more obedient than the prophet.

The Road Home

The Road Home

 And So, brethren, in this life we are pilgrims; we sigh in faith for our true country which we are unsure about. Why do we not know the country whose citizens we are? Because we have wandered so far away that we have forgotten it. But the Lord Christ, the king of that land, came down to us, and drove forgetfulness from our heart. God took to himself our flesh so that he might be our way back. We go forward through his Manhood so that we may be with him for ever in his Godhead. Do not look for any path to him except himself; for if he had not vouchsafed to be the way we could never have found the path. I do not tell you to look for the way - the way has come to you: arise and walk.

 You are not walking on the lake like Peter, but on another sea, for this world is a sea: trials its waves, temptations its storms, and men devouring each other as fishes do. Don't be afraid, step out stoutly lest you sink. Peter said, 'If it is you, bid me come to you on the water'. It was, and he heard his cry and raised him as he was sinking. Gaze in faith at this miracle, and do as Peter did. When the gale blows and the waves rise, and your weakness makes you fear you will be lost, cry out, 'Lord, I am sinking', and he who bade you walk will not let you perish.


     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest

 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings


 Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord
who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name)
Jer. 33: 2


 O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess
to thee thy mercies toward me. Let my bones be bathed
in thy love, and let them say: “Lord, who is like unto thee?

(St. Augustine)