WALKING IN STRIDE WITH GOD

WALKING IN STRIDE WITH GOD
By Dan Cayaba

The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal 
the wounds of a past it cannot change.

We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds;
what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.
The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it.

Forgiving happens in three stages:
we rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us;
we surrender our right to get even;
and we wish that person well.

Forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.
Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive
is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.

Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal the pain.
Forgiving someone who breaks a trust does not mean that
we give him his job back.

Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.
Forgivers are not doormats; to forgive a person is not a signal
that we are willing to put up with what he does.
Forgiving is essential; talking about it is optional.

When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover
that the prisoner we set free is us.

When we forgive we walk in stride with the forgiving God.

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives to the death.
(Rev. 12: 11)




Peter and Paul, trampled the power of Satan,
and restored the nations, to the faith of the Trinity
Peter and our teacher Paul, with great struggle,
were in the stadium, of the apostles
.......................................................
They received glory form Christ, the King
and they rested with Him, in His eternal
kingdom, in the everlasting life.

(St. Peter & St. Paul Doxology)

Verses and Fathers sayings

Verses and Fathers sayings

"I have swept away your mistakes like a cloud, your sins like a morning mist... Sing for joy... for the Lord has done this." 
 - Isaiah 44:22-23

Spread your cloak over those who fall into sin, each and every one, and shield them. And if you cannot take the fault on yourself and accept punishment in their place, do not destroy their character." 

- Saint Isaac the Syrian
 

May You Proclaim Your Glory In The Midst Of My Sufferings!

May You Proclaim Your Glory
In The Midst Of My Sufferings!


From the inspiration of Daniel (10) 

 
Lord grant me with Daniel the spirit of praying and fasting with humility.
Let me find in You my peace and the joy of my heart.
Let me not ask for a delicious food.
Let me confess with tears my sins and the sins of my people,
For I raise the voice of my cries to the throne of Your grace!

Often I think that you have forgotten me and that You do not hear my prayers and groaning. 
Open my eyes so that I may see You working for my sake.
You hide temporarily Your works from me.
So that I may have a dialogue with You!

I fell down and I am scared.
O Holy One, let Your hand touch me.
Let me hear Your voice full of hope telling me to "Be of good courage."
Your words have dominion over my inner depths!

I see the world attacking the truth and persecuting Your church.
I see Gabriel the Archangel working with Michael the Archangel to defend Your church and Your people!
You gave free will to the evil people, but due to Your great love.

You sent the heavenly host to protect us.
You are amazing in Your justice as well as in Your love.
Declare Your glory amidst Your sufferings!


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


 

We Shall See Him As He Is

We Shall See Him As He Is

By the world, brethren, I mean those who love the world, the evil-doers who do not know the righteous as they did not know him who came into the world.

How was this? Because he confronted them with their sins; they revelled in the pleasures of sin and so were unable to see God, for he has said, 'Blessed are they pure of heart, for they shall see God.'

Beloved, we are called to see that which eye has not seen - something far beyond all the beauties of this world, for from that loveliness comes all created beauty. But you may ask, how shall we see him, what shall we be like? Listen: 'We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 'Words can tell us no more, the heart alone can understand.

'As he is.' You know of whom 'he is' was said, he who is unchangeable, eternal. Who is he? 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.' God-made-man will come again to judge the world.

The wicked will look on him whom they pierced. The will not see him as the only begotten Son, the Word equal to the Father, but they will see him as the Word made flesh and hear: 'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.'

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

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and fathers Sayings

“But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
Ezekiel  18:24

 

"'If the righteous turns away and commits iniquity, I will not remember the righteousness which he did before; in his sin he shall die.'  Learn, then, brother, that it is not he who begins well who is perfect. It is he who ends well who is approved in God's sight. Give then no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids that you may be delivered as a roe from the net and a bird from the snare'. For, behold, you are passing through the midst of snares; you are treading on the top of a high wall whence a fall is perilous to the faller; wherefore do not immediately attempt extreme discipline; above all things beware of confidence in yourself, lest you fall from a height of discipline through want of training." 

--St. Basil the Great

FEED ME WITH YOUR COMMANDMENT O YOU THE DESIRE OF MY HEART

FEED ME WITH YOUR COMMANDMENT  
O YOU THE DESIRE OF MY HEART

From the inspiration of Ezekiel (3)

Feed me with your commandment, O You, the desire of my heart!
Stretch Your hand and offer me Your commandment, a heavenly Bread.
I am a child, even a suckling; I will not accept food from someone else!
You have compassion on me, more than my own parents, O Savior of my soul!

Your commandment is difficult, O Savior of my soul.
You cross is heavy; and Your way is narrow and rough.
Yet, from Your hands, Your commandment would be bread and honey.
Your cross would be glory; and Your way a new heaven!

You sent Your prophet carrying Your word to Your rebellious people.
Grant me to carry Your commandment to every soul, however rebellious it may be!
When Your word was delivered, there was great thunder in the sky.
Let the sky thunder, and let every hardness in my heart and in theirs tremble.
Let their shaky natural earthly nature be taken away.
And let them enjoy an eternal heavenly life.

As your prophet presented Your word to the rebellious people, his soul was embittered.
Was his soul embittered, because he wished to stay on beholding Your chariot?!
Or was his soul embittered, having come to experience the rebellion of mankind.
Grant me, amid the bitterness of my soul, to behold your heavens.
Grant me amid my grief, to experience the repentance of many.
Let my heart rejoice by Your divine work in me and in them, O divine Word.

Your prophet remained seven days among the captives.
Grant me to spend all the days of my sojourn working in Your vine.
I am not counting the days like a laborer.
But, as a son, I yearn to work in my father's vine.

Teach me, O divine Word.
When shall I get alone with You, to know Your mysteries?!
When shall I work in Your vine, to minister to Your people?!
Grant me in my retreat, not to forget Your people;
And in my ministry, not to stop meditating on Your mysteries.

Guide me, O True Word.
I do not know when to keep silent, and when to speak.
How should I keep silent; and how should I speak?!
Here I am in Your hands. Be My Guide working in me.  


Fr. Tadros Malaty
From the Inspiration of The Book of Ezekiel


 

A Servant

A Servant

A young, new servant was walking with an older, more seasoned servant in the garden one day.  He was feeling a bit insecure about what God wants him to do in his service, he was inquiring of the older servant. The older servant walked up to a rosebush and handed the young servant a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.

The young servant looked in disbelief at the older servant and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. But because of his high respect for the older servant , he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact...It wasn’t long before he realized how it was impossible to do so.

Noticing the younger servant’s inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older servant began to tell the following poem...

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of GOD’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of GOD’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to Him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,
Only my heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

FOOTSTEPS IN THE SAND

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along
the beach with the Lord.


Across the dark sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed
two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the
very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life there is
only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most
you would leave me."

The Lord replied "My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints in the sand,
it was then that I carried you."