IF TWELVE MEN LEAVENED THE WORLD, HOW ABOUT YOU?

For as the leaven converts the large quantity of meal into its own quality (Mt. 13:33)  even so shall you convert the whole world. .. Let nobody reprove us, therefore, for being few. For great is the power of the Gospel and what is once leavened becomes leaven in turn for the remainder. .. Now if twelve men leavened the whole world, imagine the extent of our weakness in that we cannot, in spite of our numbers, improve what is left.

We who ought to be enough for ten thousand worlds and to become leaven to them. 'But', you object, 'they were apostles. So what! Were they not partakers with you? Were they not raised in cities? Did they not enjoy the same benefits? Did they not practice trades? What, were they angels? Did they come down from Heaven?

(in Matt. 46(47),2) 

From The Writing of

St. John Chrysostom 

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

 

About St. Moses The Black

Once the order was given at Scetis, 'Fast the week.' Now it happened that some brothers came from Egypt to visit Abba Moses and he cooked something for them. 

Seeing some smoke, the neighbors said to the ministers, 'Look, Moses has broken the commandment and has cooked something in his cell.' The ministers said, 'When he comes, we will speak to him ourselves.' 

When the Saturday came, since they knew Abba Moses' remarkable way of life, the ministers said to him in front of everyone, 'O Abba Moses, you did not keep the commandment of men, but it was so that you might keep the commandment of God.'

Lift up your hearts

It is foolish to deceive oneself: look into your hearts and acknowledge how often useless thoughts get in the way of your prayer. You want to praise God but you cannot find anything that will restrain your wandering thoughts, so that in all your prayers there is scarcely one that is really prayer.

Only remember that God is gentle and mild and bears with our wandering and waits for us to pray in such a way that he may perfect it. When he gives us that prayer he accepts it and does not remember how badly we have prayed before. If you were before a jude and in the middle of your speech you started gossiping with a friend, what would happen? Yet God puts up with prayers that are interrupted by other thoughts.

When you read, he speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to him.

If this is so, brethren, must we despair, thinking that punishment awaits anyone whose mind wanders at his prayer? No; let us say: 'Rejoice the soul of thy servant, for to thee O Lord I lift up my soul.' How shall I lift it up? As much as I can with the strength you give me; as much as I am able to keep hold of my wandering thoughts. Because you are mild and gentle you do not cast me off; strengthen me and I shall stand firm, and until then bear with me.

  DAILY READING WITH

St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest 

The Power of the Holy Fire

“The power to bear Mysteries, which the humble man has received, which makes him perfect in every virtue without toil, this is the very power which the blessed apostles received in the form of fire. For its sake the Savior commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until they should receive power from on high, that is to say, the Paraclete, which, being interpreted, is the Spirit of consolation. 

And this is the Spirit of divine visions. Concerning this it is said in divine Scripture: ‘Mysteries are revealed to the humble.’ (Ecclus 3:19) The humble are accounted worthy of receiving in themselves this Spirit of revelations Who teaches mysteries.”

St Isaac the Syrian

The Descent of the Spirit on the Son

For it is not true that Christ then descended on Jesus: nor are Christ and Jesus two distinct persons, but the Word of God, the Savior of all and the Ruler of heaven and earth, is Jesus. He took flesh; he was anointed by the Father with the Spirit and became Jesus Christ as also Isaiah says ‘there shall spring forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall come up from this root, and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding’ . . .  (Isaiah 11:1-2)

And again Isaiah, foretelling his anointing, and the end for which he was anointed, says, ‘The Spirit of God is upon me, wherefore he has anointed me, and sent me to preach good tidings to the lowly’ . . . (Isaiah 61:1)  Therefore the Spirit of God descended on him; the Spirit of him who through the prophets had promised that he would anoint him, in order that we might receive of the abundance of his unction and be saved.

God promised through the prophets to ‘pour out this Spirit upon his servants and handmaidens in the last days, that they may prophesy.’   

  

And the Spirit descended from God on the Son of God, made son of man, and with him became accustomed to dwell among the human race and to ‘rest on’ men and to dwell in God's creatures, working the Father's will in them, and renewing them from their old state into the newness of Christ.

St Irenaeus of Lyons

I SINNED! I SINNED!

Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away 

your faces from all your abominations

Ezekiel 14:6 

From the inspiration of Ezekiel  (14)
 

My God … How difficult it is for me to confess!

Expose to me my hidden depths; so that I should cry out:

I sinned! I sinned!

In the old days, the people used to cast the blame on the priests;

And the priests used to cast the blame on the people!

And every generation think that it is punished for sins of their fathers.

As for me, I confess to You:

I sinned! I sinned!

My father will not intercede on my behalf, if I neglect my salvation!

And I will not be punished for his weaknesses!

I admit to You my personal responsibility!

I sinned! Forgive me, and absolve me!

The prophet Moses interceded on behalf of his people.

And the prophet Samuel kept on praying for them.

A cloud of witnesses surrounds us,

who intercede and pray for us, and support us!

Instruct me on how to care for my salvation,

Then this cloud would become my support!

I complain about myself to You; Sin has destroyed me:

A famine for God's word has come on me!

I became like a desolate land, in which evil thoughts dwell, like wild beasts!

The sword of sin strokes my depths, destroying my talents!

By my sin, I became like a pestilence, corrupting those around me.

I confess my sin to You;

The responsibility is all mine!

Save me … Rescue me!

Fr. Tadros Malaty

From the Inspiration of The Book of Ezekiel

He Came To Restore

What is restored to life is not something other than that which dies; just as that which is lost is not something different from that which is found.

It was the sheep that was lost which the Lord came to find. What then was it which perished? Clearly it was the substance of flesh, which lost the breath of life …

The Lord came to restore this flesh to life, that 'as in Adam all die', as possessing merely sensual life, we may live 'in Christ', as having spiritual life, putting away not the handiwork of God but the lusts of the flesh, and receiving the Holy Spirit. 

St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Resurrection Destroyed Death

Christ came that He might slay sin, 

render death null and void, and give life to men. 

The Word of God was made flesh in order that 

He might destroy death and bring us to life. 

Saint Irenaeus

Salvation of The Lord

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)

Isaiah calls “poor” those who have lost heavenly riches, “broken-hearted” those who have corrupted their reason, “blind” those who do not know God and who worship creation, “prisoners” those brought into the enemy’s camp and who have lost their original freedom.

Christ did not only give to us the forgiveness of sins and free us from the tyranny of the devil and reveal to us the divine light, but He also announced the future existence and warned of the righteous judgment.

For I think that “the year of grace” means His first coming and “day of recompense” the day of judgment. To console all who mourn with the hope of the resurrection, He has tempered the despair of death.

Theodoret of Cyr