The Pharisee

Shall a Christian go and live apart from the world, so that he may not be tried by false brethren? Shall he who has progressed in a righteous life separate himself from the rest so that he need not suffer from anyone?  Perhaps people suffered from him before he was converted.  Has no one anything to put up with from you?  It would surprise me - but  if it is so, then you are stronger and thus able to endure other people's failings.

Do you propose to shut out bad men from good men's company?  If that is what you say, see if you can shut out all evil thoughts from your own heart.  Every day we fight with our own heart.

You say you will go apart with a few good men and admit no wicked brother to your society.  How do you recognize the man you wish to exclude?  Do all come to you with their hearts bare?  Those who wish to come do not know themselves, they cannot be proved unless they are tried. 

Nowhere in this life are we secure, except in God's promise - only when we have attained to it, when the gates of Jerusalem are shut behind us, shall we be perfectly safe.

Beloved, mark the apostle's words: 'Support one another in charity.'  You forsake the world of men and separate yourself from it.  Whom will you profit?  Would you have got so far if no one had profited you? 

  DAILY READING WITH

St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest

Verses And Fathers Sayings - St Mary's Feast

For He who is mighty has done great
things for me, and holy is His name.
(Luke 1: 49)


Great is the honor of Mary, above all the saints,
for she was found worthy to receive, God the Word.

The Father looked from heaven,
and found no one like you,
He sent His only begotten, who came

 and took flesh from you.

From Wednesday Theotokia

HOW GREAT IS THE SEAL OF THE SPIRIT!

From the inspiration of Ezekiel (9)

How great is the seal of Your Holy Spirit on me!
You had me sealed in the Sacrament of 'Myron.'*
And so counted m as Your possession!
Your cross on my forehead is the mark of membership in Your spiritual corps!
And on it is the sign "Holy to The Lord"!
By You I became fearful;
No enemy can destroy me as long as I am with You!

I fear that my black attire may judge me;
I fear lest I become slothful, under the cover of the priestly attire!
Guard me; I am in danger!

How awesome are You, O the Holy One;
In chastisement, You start with Your priests;
You are firm with Your disciples for the sake of their edification!
But You are the High Priest working in them.
You are sweet even in Your chastisements.
The wounds of Your chastisements are sweeter than the kisses of the enemy!
Let Your left arm chasten me, and Your right arm embrace me, O the Groom of my soul. 

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

* Myron= Chrism = A mixture of Holy Oil consecrated and used in the Orthodox Church for anointing at baptism  and also for anointing the sick.

Verses And Fathers Sayings

Henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
(Luke 1: 48)

 

Hail to you, who contained Him, Who cannot
be contained in your holy virginal womb.

(St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Trust God For Enablement

"Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" 
(Exodus 4:10-11)

It is easy to become nervous, tense, and anxious when we feel that our tasks are too big for us.  The truth is we all get the Moses syndrome from time to time and deny our ability to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.  Our problem is not so much in underestimating ourselves as it is in underestimating God.  By simply relying on God to equip us for the work He has given us, we can take the razor edge off stress.  

Fathers Sayings

When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert, he was beset by accidie, and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God, 'Lord, I want to be saved, but these thoughts will not leave me alone. What shall I do in my affliction? How can I be saved?'

A short while afterwards, when he got up to go out, Anthony saw someone like himself sitting at his work, getting up from his work to pray, then sitting down and plaiting a rope, then getting up again to prayer.

It was an angel of the Lord sent to correct and reassure him.  He heard the angel saying to him, 'Do this and you will be saved.'  At these words, Anthony was filled with  joy and courage.  He did this, and he was saved.

Believe and then you will know

We believe, not because we know but so that we may come to know.  For what we shall know no eye has seen, no ear heard, nor has man's heart imagined.  Faith is to believe what we do not yet see; truth to see what we have believed.  To follow after God is to long for happiness, to reach Him is that happiness itself. 

If we have reached the pathway of faith let us keep to it unswervingly, so that our hearts may become able to know those things which at present we do not understand. 

Bring the light of reason to bear on what you now believe firmly by faith. 

Could God hate in us that by which he has distinguished us from the beasts? Of course not: we could not in any case believe, if we had not reasonable souls. 

There are some things belonging to our salvation which we as yet cannot understand, though one day we shall.  In these matters faith should go ahead of reason, purifying the heart and making it able to receive the great light of reason. 

The prophet said, unless you believe you shall not understand; thus we may see that it is reasonable for faith to go before.  If we are persuaded of this, it is by the small amount of reason which goes before faith. 


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

St. Bishoy The Star of The Wilderness

On this day, St. Bishoy, whose memorial is honorable, the star of the desert, departed. He was born in a town called Shansa in Egypt, and he had six brothers. His mother saw an angel in a vision saying to her, "The Lord says to you, give Me one of your children to serve Me." She answered, "Lord, take whoever you want." The angel took the hand of Anba Bishoy, who was thin and his body was frail. His mother told the angel, "My Lord, take one who is strong to serve the Lord." "This is whom the Lord has chosen," answered the Angel.

Later on, St. Bishoy went to the wilderness of Shiheet and became a monk by the hand of Anba Bemwah (Bamouyah), who also ordained St. John "Yehness" the Short a monk. St. Bishoy struggled in much asceticism and many worships that made him worthy to see the Lord Christ.

Emperor Constantine appeared to him in a vision, saying, "Had I known how great is the honor of monks, I would have abandoned my kingdom and became a monk." St. Bishoy told him, "You have banished the heathen worship and exalted Christianity, and has not Christ given you anything?" Emperor Constantine answered him, "The Lord has given me many gifts, but none of them is like the honor of the monks."

During his days, an ascetic old man appeared in the mountain of Ansena, who was reputed for his righteousness and to whom many people gathered. But he deviated from the true faith and the devil lead him astray. He taught that there is no Holy Spirit, and many were deceived by his sayings. Anba Bishoy heard about him, and he went to him and he had with him a weaved basket with three ears.

When he visited the old man and his followers, they asked him about the reason for making three ears for the basket. He answered, "I have a Trinity, and everything I do, is like the Trinity." They said to him, "Then, Is there a thing called the Holy Spirit?" Then he started to explain to them from the Holy Scriptures, from the Old and New Testaments. He indicated to them that the Holy Spirit is One of the three Persons of the Trinity. He convinced them, and they returned to the true faith. Then he returned to his monastery in the wilderness of Scete (Shiheet).

When the barbarians invaded the wilderness, he left it and dwelt on Mount Ansena, where he departed. After the time of persecution had ended, they brought his body with the body of St. Paul of Tamouh to his monastery in the wilderness of Shiheet.

Coptic Synaxarium Abib 8 / July 15

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.

Our father Peter completed, his struggle
with death on the cross, in the great city of
Rome, for the name of Jesus Christ.

Paul also likewise, was beheaded in that place,
by Emperor Nero, all in one day.

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)