Enduring hardships may seem trivial, but if you maintain your love despite your suffering, you are exactly like Christ hanging on the cross, awaiting the hour of resurrection.
People today listen to the news and read newspapers because they are disturbed and seeking reassurance, but find none. Why not change this approach and read the Holy Scriptures? Our minds, filled with divine truths and the stories of the saints, will be lifted, transforming our lives from negative to sacred, imbued with a spiritual character and filled with goodness and blessings.
If troubles are stirred up around us, this means that we are on the way of the Lord, and so the evil one does not remain quiet but stirs up all his forces to destroy us. Therefore, let us rejoice and not be disturbed, for God will shine with His light to rescue us, to illumine our path, and to make us walk faithfully, truthfully, and securely toward Him.
The Lord Jesus desires that His creation come to full stature and be set ablaze, so that it may not perish. The civilizations of men say that the human being passes away; but the Lord Jesus came to proclaim that life is not here. You are here in exile, and you must regain your true state and citizenship in order to enter Paradise, for you were created to partake of God — in His beauty, in His power, and in all His glory.
Many excuse themselves because of the economic conditions and the hardship in our country and depart abroad, not realizing that they are leaving Christ — leaving behind the opportunity to die as martyrs through a simple life, with modest material means, remaining steadfast in the land where the Lord has planted them. They believe that in foreign lands they will possess and find comfort, yet they lose Christ.
The Resurrection is not merely a hymn we chant or an event of the past; it is power and living efficacy. It is not something that is repeated, but it leaps from one moment to another, making the past present: today is the Day of Resurrection.
Christ is one; we should know Him as He appeared, taught and revealed Himself, rather than inventing Him. The Bible warns against returning to idolatry: Thou shalt not make for thee any graven image or any likeness, meaning do not create and worship a deity according to your own whims or intellect.
We live in an era where we read but do not comprehend because we lack focus and the desire to understand. We do not ask questions to learn and grasp the true essence of our faith. Our attachment to orthodox faith isn't out of intolerance, but because it's our life, our stability and our foundation in Christ.
The love of the Virgin Mary for Jesus surpassed every other love. In her stillness and purity, she caused the chiefs of the Church — that is, the Apostles — to pour themselves out before her humility and her unique person, learning from her silence. From the serenity of her soul, they discerned that divine presence which filled her heart and her entire being.
Belonging to Christ doesn't mean privilege; it means walking a path of purification and hardship. Therefore, you deny yourself and dedicate all your energies in the service of Christ.
We should carry the cross every day and emulate Christ in His self-denial, endurance, love, sacrifices and preaching. This is how we walk with Him and reach the Kingdom.
In marriage, it's often the case that one dominates over the other, or one exploits the other. However, God watches over humans, rectifying their moral shortcomings and lives, so that both partners, in their turmoil amidst life's problems and child-rearing, learn the meaning of sacrifice and giving.
A couple strives for union with Christ, in a companionship of daily sacrifice and death, in a love that is devoted, one that tirelessly serves without knowing rest. In doing so, they become like angels, brother and sister, sanctified in serving these children whom God has entrusted to them.
The monk seeks union with Christ, not through marriage but in solitude, hence he is called a solitary. He neither amuses himself nor gets distracted from glorifying God, giving everything for the sake of His love.
The monk offers himself every day and bears the hardships that come from his brethren, from people, from the evil one, and from his own desires and worries that multiply and weigh on him, causing distraction.
The evil one seeks to shatter the Church, but we, on our part, do not want any harm to befall the Church. I prefer death over any harm befalling the Church. For outside the Church, there is no salvation, but within the Church, we remain one body with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us walk in humility and simplicity, preparing ourselves for the joyous end, for the meeting with our Lord Jesus Christ, for dwelling in His presence. Let us strive to cultivate the virtues that allow us to be with God, rather than seeking earthly pleasures. For earthly enjoyment here means no joy in the heavens.
Let us look toward the life to come, which makes dry bones throb with life. If we cling to Christ, we truly become life itself and rise unto eternal life. God’s good pleasure and His love enable us to persevere to the end and to reach Paradise, rejoicing with Christ, because we have loved Him, left everything, and followed Him.
