"Save me, God!".
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Orthodox believers can always hope for God's grace and Holy help. But when they pray, they need to surround themselves only with positive feelings and pure thoughts. After all, a prayer service will only be effective when it comes from within, from the soul itself.
You should believe in the power of the Saint whose support you are asking for. Elder Paisios wrote a lot about prayer, its essence, how to do it correctly, and how important it is in the life of an Orthodox Christian.
Paisius the Holy Mountain was baptized by Saint Arsenius of Cappadocia
Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets was born on July 25, 1925 in the small Turkish village of Farasy. His father's name was Prodromos Eznipidis.
He was engaged in smelting and had no fortune.
July 25, 1925
birthday of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets
The entire family of the saint is very pious, and mother Paisia came from the Frangopoulos family.
She is a relative of Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia.
Her name was Eulogia and she bore her husband many children, whom she raised in the Orthodox faith.
Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets (Eznipidis). Photo from the website of the Publishing House "Holy Mountain". Date of filming unknown. Saint Paisios was born into a poor pious family
At first, Paisiya's parents wanted to name him after his grandfather. Saint Arseny learned about this and decided to baptize him under his own name. He blessed the tribesman to serve the Lord and performed holy baptism with his own hands.
In this he acted on behalf of God, since he had the gift of foresight and understood that his nephew’s love for God would become the meaning of his life.
At this time, a conflict arose between Turkey and Greece. As a result, Turkish Muslims began to oppress and expel the Greeks from their inhabited places.
In order to protect Christian Greeks, Greece organized a people exchange with Turkey.
As a result, Arseny’s (Paisia) family moved permanently to Greece. Here the emigrants first settled in the port city of Piraeus.
Further, their fate brought them to the island of Kerkyra, where Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia died.
Relatives hid books from young Arseny, fearing for his health.
The refugees settled for permanent residence in the city of Cavalry. Here Arseny became familiar with prayer and humility from childhood.
He wanted to follow the path of his reverend relative and become a monk. The boy was so immersed in reading the Holy Scriptures that his family hid books from him.
They were afraid that prolonged reading could harm Arseny's health.
Saint Paisius at the age of 15. Family photo. 1940 In the photo the saint is standing on the right.
Arseny's parents sent him to school, however, although he began to study well, he did not finish. The fact is that the young man decided, following the example of Jesus Christ, to become a carpenter’s apprentice.
Having learned the carpenter's trade, he created a carpentry workshop. Here he made church utensils and coffins. At the same time, he did not charge the relatives of the deceased.
What is love?
According to Elder Paisius, salvation is achieved through love and humility. It is not necessary that a man and a woman love each other; it can be the story of a mother and a child or a person and all living things around. The monk teaches that if during life you do good deeds for the benefit of others, then God's mercy will be granted for them in heaven. The gates to heaven will open, and you will be among those saved from the Last Judgment.
Righteous faith is also a willingness to sacrifice oneself. At any moment you must feel God in your heart and be ready to repeat the path of the saints and even Christ. One person cannot destroy the shackles of evil and drive out everything unclean on earth, but in a union this becomes more real. If everyone lives in peace and harmony, then grace will come on earth.
The physical and mental healing that Paisius the Holy Mountain gives, the icon, the prayer to him, will bring joy only to those who discover a great miracle in themselves. Sacrificial love for one's neighbor and for God are equal in the eyes of holy people. It must be given in order to receive eternal grace in return - the main aspiration of a Christian’s life.
For the first time, Saint Paisius the Holy Mountain was denied his request to be accepted into monastic obedience
Already in his youth, those around Arseny noted that he was developed beyond his years and possessed wisdom.
His relatives claim that one day the Savior himself appeared to the saint. This event prompted him to contact the diocesan administration and ask to be accepted into the monastic novitiate.
The abbot who spoke with him refused the young man’s request, citing his young age.
Saint Paisios with sister Christina. Photo. Until 1945. For the first time, Arsenios Eznipidis did not become a monk because of his age and because he needed to take care of his mother and sisters
At this time, civil war began in Greece. The saint's brothers took part in it, and Arseny took care of the family.
He began to take care of his mother and sisters. Naturally, the young man had to part with thoughts about monasticism for a long time.
1945
this year Passion was drafted into the army
The monk was later drafted into the army. This happened in 1945. Here he received the qualification of a radio operator.
His unit took part in the fighting. In moments of danger, the saint prayed, and she walked around him.
Moreover, during the entire period of hostilities, Arseny never stained his hands with blood.
Paisiy Svyatogorets in the Army. At the age of 20. 1945-1950. The saint served as a radio operator in the army. During his entire service, he never once desecrated his hands with human blood.
The last circumstance is very important. The fact is that the army sometimes shot prisoners. The monk always indignantly rejected proposals to do this.
He tried to hide from his commanders during executions, and all the time he tirelessly prayed for the souls of the innocent who might be executed.
Saint Paisios, after his army service, went to Mount Athos, but he had to return home
Army service ended in 1950. After Arseny returned to the Cavalry, he immediately went to Holy Mount Athos.
Here he wanted to find an elder who would take him as a novice. He became a novice of confessor Kirill, the future abbot of the Kutlumush monastery.
He did not stay there long, as his father urgently called him to return home.
Monk of Athos Saint Paisios in Sinai. Work in a carpentry workshop. 1962 Before becoming a monk, Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets earned his living as a carpenter
The reverend had to take care of family affairs. He made his living as a carpenter. Driven by love for his neighbors, he donated part of the money he earned to the poor.
At night he prayed. He maintained approximately the same lifestyle throughout his life. People who knew him noted that he strove to live in strict asceticism.
At the same time, the work of a carpenter was highly valued, and the saint could deny himself practically nothing.
1953
this year Saint Paisios became a novice
Arseny made his next attempt to become a monk in 1953, because the saint never gave up the idea of devoting himself to God and his neighbors.
Having distributed his savings to those in need, he again went to Athos. The saint first wanted to settle in the Konstamonit monastery.
On the way, a storm broke out, and he decided not to contradict God’s Will. As a result, Arseny ended up in the Esphigmen monastery, which is distinguished by its strict way of life.
In it the monk received spiritual experience in faith and piety.
Esphigmen Monastery 1904. In 1953, Saint Paisios became a novice of the Esphigmen monastery. The monastery was distinguished by a strict treasure of monastic life
In the monastery, the saint was assigned to carry out obedience to the refectory and bakery. In addition, he also worked in carpentry.
Here the experience of working with wood, which he acquired while working as a carpenter, came in handy. The new servant also maintained cleanliness and looked after the lamps in two churches located outside the monastery fence.
Miraculous and explainable only by faith
The miraculous power of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain has been proven by life itself. Even after his death, people came to pray in the places where the saint lived. He especially helps patients with cancer, as he himself suffered from lung disease, and people with mental disorders. It is customary to turn to him in prayer if there is a road accident and there are victims. He himself often appears as a face at the sites of car accidents.
Here are just a few facts of miracles that prove that the power of faith is limitless:
- A little boy with mental retardation fell down an elevator shaft. The doctor was surprised to note that there was not a single scratch on his body. And while visiting the church, the boy showed that he was saved by Elder Paisius, whose icon was in this temple.
- The worker got a wire in his eye. It's practically an accident. While his colleagues were calling an ambulance, the image of an old man in a black cloak stood over the victim. At that moment, the metal wire fell out of the man’s eye, as if it had never been stuck there. This worker carries with him a photo of Elder Paisius, because he is sure that it was he who helped him.
- In a road accident, the car was crushed like a piece of paper. Doctors stated that after the accident the victim had only a few hours to live. But in the hospital the man said that a miracle would save him, and it really happened. Now this man is alive and well. The man realized what saved him only later, when he saw the monk who told him about the miracle in the hospital on the cover of one of the books. Having learned that it was Paisius, he went to Athos to confess and accept a righteous life.
- One woman's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Being in a critical situation, she began to ask for God's help and accidentally remembered that her friend had a Paisiya scarf. The shrine and prayers helped her. After a few weeks, the cancer grew into a benign tumor and no longer threatened the woman’s life.
Can you wrap your head around these miracles? Yes, this is really difficult to understand, but the soul of a believer knows that this is possible. She is able to accept the facts of miracles. Prayer to Paisius the Svyatogorets does great things if it comes from the heart itself.
After trials in the monastery, Arseny took monastic vows in 1954
Arseny passed the test as a novice for a year. In 1954, he took monastic vows under the name Averky.
From that moment on, those around him began to notice that miracles of insight were happening to him. So one day Averky watched the priest in the altar room.
The sacrament of the Offering took place (Proskomedia). And then the novice saw the power of God’s grace.
At that moment a vision appeared to him. He saw that the Lamb prepared from the prosphora in the center of the dikos was trembling like a living lamb.
It was the Lord who accepted the sacrificial meal and filled the space of the altar with Himself.
Saint Paisios, Athonite monk. In Sinai. 1962 Arseniy Eznipidis took monastic vows in 1954 under the name Averky
In subsequent years, the monk visited several monasteries for the purpose of pilgrimage to Christian shrines. In addition, in 1956 he was transferred to the Philotheus Monastery.
Simeon, his distant relative, served as hieromonk here. Due to poor health, Averky returned home to Konitsa.
1987
this year Saint Paisius received the minor schema
In 1987, Averky accepted the minor schema and became Paisius. A year later he moved to a new monastery, the Stoimon Monastery.
Here he attracted many lay people to the faith. In 1962, Bishop Porfiry blessed him to move to Mount Sinai and live in Sinai.
Here the elder discovered the ability to perform miracles through prayer. So, during a terrible drought, he prayed to the Lord to grant water.
The saint prayed all night, and by morning it started pouring rain, which had not been seen for several months.
Reading rules
Saint Paisius spoke a lot about faith, the awakening of the soul, love, and turning to God. His works are invaluable for those who, with humility and prayers, are ready to follow the high spiritual path. He left us advice on how to communicate with the Almighty and receive blessings:
- Paisius himself said that prayer should be done in secret. He advised us to learn to live Orthodox and modestly. Feelings must stand above words.
- For the sake of performing prayer, it would be good to observe fasting and asceticism.
- If a difficult situation arises, instead of thinking about it, it is better to delve into prayer, and the holy mind will help resolve the issue.
- An appeal to God, spoken with pure thoughts, helps to maintain a good spiritual state. A church candle and incense - nuns (censer candles), incense and others will help you get in the mood for prayer. Fragrant aromas can distract you from the mundane and tune in to higher matters.
- During prayer, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross. And start any business with God's help. That is, to entrust oneself into the hands of God. God will make better and easier what a person can spend enormous effort on. It is useful to say: “If God wills, then let it be so and so.”
- In a prayer call, you need to wish good not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones, as well as for all people on earth. For example, when praying for a sick person, you need to wish recovery for everyone. This makes prayer more heartfelt. It is advisable to ask not only for physical, but also for spiritual help.
- Any appeal to God should be filled with unconditional gratitude.
- Prayer is the highest trust in God. You need to constantly turn to the Almighty. Continuous prayer works wonders as the Divine power begins to help whenever needed in the best possible way.
Prayer helps to cleanse and soften the heart, gain health of the soul, and ignite the Divine fire. The spiritual legacy of Gerond Paisius of the Holy Mountain is invaluable for every believer and will live on for centuries.
Saint Paisios died due to an incorrect diagnosis
In 1965, the elder underwent a complex operation. As a result, he had a lung removed from his left side. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed incorrectly.
Therefore, the disease began to progress and became more complicated. The saint fought with her for another 29 years, without stopping his ministry. At that time he lived in the Panaguda cell of the Kutlumush monastery.
Here he also preached for the sake of repentance in the souls of the laity and believers.
In 1971, Saint Paisios saw Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia appear to him.
Video: Paisiy Svyatogorets (documentary film). At 4 hours 40 minutes the author talks about the last hours of the life of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets.
Saint Paisius in 1971 informed his loved ones about the miracle that had appeared to him. He saw Arsenius of Cappadocia placing his hand on his head.
The image of Arseny blessing Paisius formed the basis of his iconography. Having learned about the miraculous elder, pilgrims flocked to him.
Some of them longed for a miracle, others simply wanted to communicate with him.
Paisius did not refuse anyone and until his death he encouraged and instructed believers and laity in the path of life.
The grave of St. Paisius the Holy Mountain is the greatest shrine of the Orthodox world
Father Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets died on July 12, 1994.
This happened in the convent of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, which he founded in the village of Suroti, located on the way from Thessaloniki to Mount Athos.
July 12, 1994
death day of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets
The saint was buried behind the altar of the monastery church of St. Arsenios of Cappadocia.
His grave is recognized throughout the Orthodox world as a great shrine.
The grave of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets. St. John the Theologian Convent. Saint Paisius Svyatogorets died on July 12, 1994 after a long illness
During his lifetime, the monk became famous for his numerous miracles.
Considering this circumstance, on January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople unanimously canonized Schemamonk Paisius Agiorites (Svyatogorets).
The day of his repose is set on June 15 (June 29). Canonization by the Russian Orthodox Church took place on May 5 of the same year.
The Monk Paisios left behind books and memories
The Lord endowed the holy elder with the gift of speech. Thanks to this, the Monk Paisius wrote several books on spiritual topics. Their collection was collected by the abbot of the Pantelemon Monastery. Here the works are stored in the Athos courtyard.
Cover of the book The Spiritual Alphabet of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain. Selected tips and advice. Author Saint Paisios (Enzipidis)
Among the elder’s most famous works are the following:
- "The Elder of Mount Athos and Hadji George."
- “The Svyatogorsk Fathers and Svyatogorsk Stories.”
- "Arseny of Cappadocia."
- "Spiritual struggle."
- "Letters".
- "Passion and Virtues".
Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets is a famous writer, author of essays on spiritual topics.
In his books, the saint talks about modern problems and the attitude of Christianity towards them. He does this in the form of parables and teachings. That is why they are eagerly read by young people, for whom he is an example of a life pleasing to God.
They pray to Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets in a variety of troubles
The prayer to St. Pais the Holy Mountain is read in a variety of troubles. At the same time, cases were repeatedly noted when the prayer to Paisius the Holy Mountain allowed a miracle to happen. Very often, through prayer, the elder himself appears and protects people, leading them away from danger.
Video: Prayer service to St. Paisius the Holy Mountain. Moscow Theological Academy 03/26/2016.
It is customary to read a prayer to the monk in the following cases:
- so that peace reigns in the family with frequent quarrels between spouses;
- in illnesses for healing;
- help children;
- restore reason to the mentally ill;
- heal the bewitched, the possessed and the bewitched;
- protect from road accidents and avert misfortune from travelers.
As for the icon of the saint, it usually depicts an old man in the clothes of the Elder of Saint Athos. He holds a scroll in his hands.
In addition, there is also a widespread image in which Saint Paisius the Holy Mountain is depicted kneeling before Saint Arsenios, who blesses him.
Saint Paisius the Holy Mountain is on his knees before Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, blessing him. Icon. Athos. Nowadays
The last plot is taken from a story told by a holy elder. According to him, Saint Arsenius of Cappadocia once appeared to him and blessed him.
After this, the saint, by the will of our heavenly Father, received the gift of performing miracles. That is why he is depicted together with Saint Arsenios blessing him.
When to contact a holy elder
They pray to the Geronda, or holy elder, when help is needed. He always responds to requests, helping in different areas of our lives.
- To fill the house with grace and tranquility, an icon with the face of a saint is brought into the home. Before her they pray for home well-being.
- During his lifetime, Paisius helped Christian families with his advice and sermons. They pray to him for harmony in family life, for good relationships with children and spouses.
- People ask to heal many diseases, including cancer. They turn to the icon of the saint. But clergy warn that there is no need to refuse medical care. Sick people take procedures and medications along with prayers.
- Paisiy also mentored those who took drugs, and now he is prayerfully asked to gain strength in character and get rid of drug addiction.
- The saint helps to get rid of mental anxiety, achieve peace, and accept difficult life situations with dignity.
- Young people ask for help to find their calling and life purpose.
Several akathists were composed in honor of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets
The saint's flock, seeing his zeal in serving the Lord and knowing about the miracles he performed, composed an akathist to Paisius the Holy Mountain during his lifetime. There are several versions of it - even the text translated from English.
The Akathist to St. Paisius the Svyatogorets lists his services to the Christian Church. This is, first of all, missionary service, as well as healing the sick and admonishing the lost.
Video: Troparion to St. Paisius the Holy Mountain. The troparion is performed in a canonical way, the kind that can only be heard in church.
It must be remembered that the akathist and troparion to the saint were composed in Greece even before the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the saint.
That is why, before reading them, you need to make sure that the texts of the prayer chants are included in the canon.
It is best to order the reading of an akathist to the holy elder in a church. In this case, you will be confident that the prayer to the saint will be said correctly.
As for the original text of the akathist, it was translated from Greek in 2012 in Athens. This akathist is called: “Rejoice to Paisius the Holy Mountain.”
Its text is laconic and rhymed. He is distinguished by a sincere prayerful feeling towards the saint. Since its author is most likely Greek, the text of the akathist has a large number of lexical and syntactic deviations.
Their nature lies in the structure of the Modern Greek language.
Video: Akathist to St. Paisius the Holy Mountain. 0.00 — Prayer service begins.
6.46 - Akathist to St. Paisius the Holy Mountain.
39.03 — End of the prayer service.
In addition, researchers about akathists are characterized by the presence of semantic repetitions. Usually a professional translator into Church Slavonic tries to avoid them.
That is why the author of the akathist placed additional “Rejoice” at the end. They were not included in the original Greek text.
Paisiy Svyatogorets: 20 soul-saving instructions
The worst enemy of the devil is nothing other than humility. Let us listen to our Lord: demons are cast out “only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). If the demon offers us thoughts that are completely inappropriate for our spiritual life or something else that is against the salvation of our soul, we must resist him with the help of internal saving prayer, saying in our mind: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.* Most Holy Theotokos, help me.” .
And let our soul always thirst for knowledge of the Truth, let it thirst for forgiveness of sins, let it thirst for purity of conscience, let it thirst for heavenly joy, let it long for getting there... The best thirst is union with Jesus Christ. Let him thirst for Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Let him thirst for the acquisition of virtues. Let him long for a speedy arrival in the Kingdom of Heaven and a speedy deliverance from the vanity of this world, liberation from pain, sorrow, torment, from the evil that reigns in human hearts.
When will we be freed from our passions? And finally, may our souls long for eternal joy. Let him long for our union with all that is divine, so that we may live forever with the saints. Because how long will we live on earth?
During these times, the love of many will grow cold and there will be a lot of grief: aggressive attacks, migration of peoples, great unrest, waste, negligence, indifference to the salvation of the soul. Almost all people will be looking for feasts, dancing, fun... They will be looking for the enjoyment of earthly goods. People will love arguments and will be very lazy. They will be extremely negligent in their Christian duties. They will be happy to judge other people. Infidelity, hatred, enmity, envy, quarrels will come first in people's lives.
Let us remain in the fear of God and be attentive in the performance of our spiritual duties, practicing all virtues. Let us take care to fill our vessels with oil while our soul is still in the body. Our lamp must be lit, it must be lit throughout our entire life, it must be lit before our eyes close. Our lamp must burn constantly. Vessels are the forces of the soul in which virtues are collected. The oil that we must pour into our vessels is the practical implementation of all virtues. The burning lamp symbolizes a mind that can receive the Grace of God. The soul that becomes luminous will enter the Kingdom of Heaven together with Jesus Christ. I repeat this: “The soul that has a burning lamp, like that of the five virgins, when the hour of death comes and the lamp is lit, will enter with Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven.” Let the darkened soul that has not repented of its sinful deeds say: “Lord, forgive me!”
You need to look at all other people as saints. And only see yourself, only yourself, as a sinner and worse than everyone else, despite the fact that other people may be sinners. We have no right to see others as sinners. We have no right to condemn them. We have no right to speak against a sinner. A person should speak only when necessary. Talk as much as necessary, and speak as you should.
Believers must remain steadfast in life's trials. Believers and pious people become true Christ-bearers when they worthily partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. And God dwells within them and grants them all the blessings for their salvation. A believer and pious person has nothing to fear: neither bad people, nor difficult circumstances. Because he places his hope in the Lord, and this becomes a source of power that transforms, perfects and heals a person.
The fear of God is the beginning of all virtue. The fear of God is born from faith. The beginning of a virtuous life is the constant presence of a person’s mind in the study of the Word of God. The Word of God compels us to recognize our personal responsibilities, to take as an example His holy life and to imitate all His virtues. The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ is light! A person who wants to understand the teachings of the Lord in its entirety must believe in Jesus and must conform his life to the life of Jesus Christ. He must also sincerely repent of each of his misdeeds.
It is in vain to acquire temporary treasures for yourself; it is useless. When the soul loves God, then it finds peace in God, and not in the vanity of the world. The soul is not consoled by worldly hobbies, luxury, relaxation, fun. The soul is not consoled by all this, so we see people who have all this, but they are dissatisfied and have no joy. To find joy and consolation, our soul must love God.
In order for a person to love God, he must believe in His Gospel, in the entire Gospel, and not in part of the Gospel or parts of it. And in order for a person to believe in the entire Gospel of God, he must free himself from the material. To free oneself from material things, a person must not love them. A person united with acquisitiveness is a slave of passions. To mortify our passions, we must become merciful. A merciful person must give from what he himself has acquired through his own labor, his own sweat, and not through any untruth. Because every merciful person must be righteous. Whereas if he is unrighteous, then he is spiritually blind and does not see sin! Because you cannot deceive and steal from other people and be merciful.
A Christian must tolerate all injustice from other people. A Christian must not only joyfully endure all injustice, but also sacrifice himself for the sake of his neighbor. Then he becomes perfect, then he becomes merciful, then he becomes holy.
Venerable Paisiy Svyatogorets
I want, my dear brethren, to open my mouth and say something on the subject of humility, but I am afraid, as a man is afraid who is going to speak about God through human reasoning. Humility is the garment of the Divine. The Son and Word of God, our Jesus Christ, wore this robe when he came and lived here on earth and communicated with people. He wore the robe of humility, that was His robe. His whole life was one of humility. With humility He covered His Divinity, with humility He covered His glory.
One of the people who puts on the robe of humility becomes like Jesus. Because through humility he puts on Jesus. As we know, everyone loves a humble person. A humble person is worshiped as a saint. Everyone reveres him, even wild animals do not touch the humble one. How many examples of holy people there are! Every person, no matter what he is, especially respects humility. There is no such person who would hate a humble person. No one reproaches a humble person, no one despises him, because the Lord loves him. People find peace especially with those who love them. The Lord rests in the souls of humble people. Unfortunately, people do not like humility, they do not want to humble themselves. They do not want to humble themselves to be loved by the Lord. But people love pride and become like Satan.
We have a lot to talk about, a lot. This should be of particular concern to every Christian. He should be especially concerned about these topics that I am talking about. About God - what do most Christians know about Him? About faith - what do people believe in today? About obedience - to whom do people obey today? God or the devil? About work - where are Christians working today? In God's vineyard or the devil's?
We need to talk about thoughts. Today, where are the thoughts of every person? What are we thinking about? What is our mind doing? The mind is one of the three sources of thoughts. The first source is God, the Holy Spirit, Who puts holy and sacred thoughts into the human mind. The second source is the devil, who comes and also plants thoughts in the mind and soul of a person. It is known how these thoughts manifest themselves; often he comes like a bright angel. He finds an opportunity to sow unclean, crafty and blasphemous thoughts. And the third source is the human mind, which itself gives rise to thoughts - evil or good. So, from what source do our thoughts come? Divine, Satanic or your own? If thoughts are our own, then where do they hover? Near God and His works or in the works of Satan?
Another important theme is joy. All people desire to have joy. Everyone wants to rejoice! Many people try to find joy where there is none. Some seek it in pleasures, others in feasts, in fun, others in money, in wallets, in boasting and much more. But is there joy in all this? Is there joy in a wallet, no matter how full it is? How many people have full wallets, but no joy!
The next topic is the world of the soul. Is there peace today? Look at society: wars, grumbling, courts, riots, quarrels. In homes, in families, there are quarrels and scandals everywhere. Where is the peace?
An important topic is time. Our life is given to us by God, and, unfortunately, time passes fruitlessly and is not used for good. We still have many topics to talk about: about desires, about anger, about will, about patience, about verbosity. Unfortunately, now most of life is spent in empty, unnecessary conversations.
More about indifference, hatred, despair and silence. About prayer. Who is praying today?
About the spiritual exams that we pass. Because every day that passes, a person takes exams, sits on a bench and writes. What did you write on your paper today? Evil deeds or good deeds? One day, when time runs out, these pieces of paper on which we wrote while sitting at our desks will be collected, and they will be checked by the Teacher. Woe to us if they record something that has nothing to do with our salvation.
We must also know that God is the Creator of the Universe. That God is omnipotent, can create a new earth, a new sun with His Word, instantly, without any matter - such is the omnipotence of God. And let no one say: “Who created God?” Because God has no birth, He is Beginningless, has no beginning. Let's talk about the earth, which is in the air and rotates around its axis. The Lord could have made her fall down into chaos, forever falling. Where would she stay then? Where would you end up? Is there a limit? She would never reach the edge. Because there is no limit, no beginning. Likewise, God is the Beginningless One and resides everywhere, in all the abysses of the Universe.
Let us be prudent, for prudence is one of the greatest virtues. Every Christian, every person must be careful, because in this world we take exams so that we do not get entangled in the snares of the devil. Because our present life is temporary, but the future never ends. Let us live forever in joy, and not in darkness with demons.
I wish with all my heart that God will honor all humanity, all people, to accept with joy the words of the Gospel. Since the Gospel is written for all of us, so that all people will be saved, so that no one will be lost and we will all end up in His Heavenly Kingdom, where we will glorify Him together with the Angels and all the saints.
I sincerely wish that God will bless you, educate you and give you strength so that you never retreat back, but that you succeed in spiritual growth.
I wish that the Grace of the Holy Spirit will be with you throughout your life. Amen.
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