The crushing of the devil

The greatest balm that Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross gave us is the crushing of the devil.  After the Crucifixion of Christ, the devil is like a snake with no fangs—with no poison; he is like a wild dog without teeth.  All poison was removed from the devil; all teeth were removed from the wild dogs that are the demons.  So, they are now disarmed; while we are armed with the Cross.  Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos

On infrequent reception of Holy Communion

We must not avoid Communion because we deem ourselves to be sinful. We must approach it more often for the healing of the soul and the purification of the spirit, but with such humility and faith that considering ourselves unworthy we would desire even more the medicine of our wounds. … It is much better if, in humility of heart, knowing that we are never worthy of the Holy Mysteries we would receive them every Sunday for the healing of our maladies, rather than, blinded by pride, think that after one year we become worthy of them.  St. John Cassian

The Cup of Christ

by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

Two beloved disciples asked the Lord for thrones of glory-and He gave them His Cup (Matt. 20:23).

The Cup of Christ is suffering. But for those who drink from it on earth, the Cup of Christ grants participation in Christ's Kingdom It prepares for them the thrones of eternal glory in heaven. We stand in silence before the Cup of Christ, nor can any man complain about it or reject it; for He who commanded us to taste it, first drank of it Himself.

O tree of knowledge of good and evil! You killed our ancestors in Paradise, you deceived them by the delusions of sensual pleasure and the delusions of reason. Christ, the Redeemer of the fallen, brought his Cup of Salvation into this world, to the fallen and to those who are exiled from Paradise. The bitterness of this Cup cleanses the heart from forbidden, destructive and sinful pleasure; through the humility that flows from it in abundance, the pride of understanding on the carnal level is mortified. To him who drinks from the Cup with faith and patience, the eternal life which was and still is lost to him by his tasting of forbidden fruit will be restored.

I will accept the Cup of Christ, the cup of salvation. (cf. Ps. 116:13)

The Cup is accepted when the Christian bears earthly tribulation in the spirit of humility learnt from the Gospel. St. Peter turned swiftly with a naked sword to defend the God-Man, Who was surrounded by evil doers; but Jesus said to Peter: "Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). So, too, when disaster surrounds you, you should comfort and strengthen your soul, saying, "The Cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" The Cup is bitter: at first sight all human reasoning is confounded. Surmount reason by faith and drink courageously from the bitter Cup: it is the Father Who gives it to you, He who is all good and all wise. It is neither the Pharisees, nor Caiaphas, nor Judas who prepared the Cup; it is neither Pilate nor his soldiers who give it! "The cup which my Father hath given me; shall I not drink it?"

Pharisees think evil, Judas betrays, Pilate orders the unlawful killing, the soldiers of the government execute his order. Through their evil deeds all these prepared their own true perdition. Do not prepare for yourself just such a perdition by remembering evil, by longing for and dreaming of revenge, and by indignation against your enemies. The heavenly Father is almighty and all-seeing. He sees your affliction, and if He had found it necessary and profitable to withdraw the Cup from you, He would certainly have done so.

The Lord-as the Scriptures and Church history testify-has often allowed afflictions to befall His beloved, and often warded off afflictions from them, in accordance with the unfathomable ways of Providence. When you are faced with the Cup, turn your gaze from the people who gave it to you; lift up your eyes to Heaven and say: "The Cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"

"I will take the cup of salvation." I cannot reject the Cup, the promise of heavenly and eternal good. The Apostle of Christ teaches me patience when he says: ...we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). How can we reject the Cup which is the means of attaining this Kingdom and growing with it? I will accept the Cup-the gift of God. For the Cup of Christ is the gift of God. The great Paul writes to the Philippians: For unto you is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29).

You receive the Cup which seemingly comes from the hand of man. What is it to you whether the bearer of the Cup acts righteously or unrighteously? As a follower of Jesus, your concern is to act righteously; to receive the Cup with thanksgiving to God and with a living faith; and courageously to drink it to the dregs.

In receiving the Cup from the hand of man, remember it is the Cup of Him Who is not only innocent but all-holy. Thinking on this, remind yourself and other suffering sinners of the words that the blessed and enlightened thief spoke when he was crucified on the right hand of the crucified God-Man: We receive the due reward of our deeds... Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom (Luke 23:41-42). And then, turning to the people, you will say to them: Blessed are you who are instruments of righteousness and of God's mercy, blessed are you from henceforth and forever! (If they are not in a fit state to understand and receive your words, do not cast your precious pearls of humility under the feet of those who cannot value them, but say these words in thought and heart.) By this alone will you fulfill the commandment of the Gospel which says: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you... (Matt. 5:44).

Pray to the Lord on behalf of those who have insulted and outraged you that what they have done for you should be repaid by a temporal blessing and the eternal reward of salvation, and that, when they stand before Christ to be judged, it should be counted to them as if it had been an act of virtue. Although your heart does not wish to act in this way, compel it to do so: because only those who do violence to their own heart in fulfilling the commandments of the Gospel can inherit Heaven.

If you have not the will to act in this way, then you have not the will to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look deep within yourself and consider searchingly: have you not found another teacher, the teacher of hatred-the devil-and fallen under his power?

It is a terrible transgression to offend or to oppress one's neighbor: it is a most terrible transgression to commit murder. But whoever hates his oppressor, his slanderer, his betrayer, his murderer, and whoever thinks ill of them and takes revenge on them, commits a sin very near to their sin. In vain does he pretend to himself and others that he is righteous. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer of man, proclaimed St. John, the beloved disciple of Christ (I John 3:15).

A living faith in Christ teaches one to receive the Cup of Christ, and the Cup of Christ inspires hope in the heart of him who receives it; and hope in Christ gives strength and consolation to the heart. What torment, what torment of hell, to complain or to murmur against the Cup that is pre-ordained from above! Murmuring, impatience, faint-heartedness and especially despair are sins before God-they are the ugly children of sinful disbelief.

It is sinful to complain of neighbors when they are the instruments of our suffering; still more sinful is it when we cry out against the Cup that comes down to us straight from Heaven, from the right hand of God. But he who drinks the cup with thanksgiving to God and blessings on his neighbor, achieves holy serenity, the grace of the peace of Christ. It is as if already he enjoys God's spiritual Paradise.

Temporal suffering has no importance in itself: we lend it significance because of our attachment to the earth and to all corruptible things, and through our coldness towards Christ and eternity. You are prepared to bear the bitter and repellent taste of medicines: to bear the painful amputation and cauterization of your limbs; to bear the long drawn out suffering of hunger, and prolonged seclusion in your room; you are prepared to bear all this to restore lost health to your body, which after it is healed will certainly become ill again, and will certainly die and become corrupt. Bear, then, the bitterness of the Cup of Christ which brings healing and eternal beatitude to your immortal soul.

If the Cup appears to you to be unbearable, deadly, then it reveals that although you bear Christ's name, you do not belong to Christ. For the true followers of Christ, the Cup of Christ is the Cup of joy. Thus the holy apostles, after having been beaten before the gathering of the elders of the Jews, went out from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 5:40-41).

Righteous Job heard bitter news. Tiding after tiding came to pierce his steadfast heart; the last of these was the hardest-all his sons and daughters had been struck down suddenly by a cruel and violent death. In his great sorrow, he rent his clothes and covered his head with ashes. And then in submissive faith he fell down upon the ground, and worshipped the Lord saying, I myself came naked from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away: as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord.

From Orthodox America

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

St. Ignatius came from a family of landed gentry and was educated at a military engineering school in St. Petersburg. There he became convinced of the vanity of worldly sciences in the face of eternal life, and he applied himself to the study of the Holy Fathers. His decision to become a monk was cemented upon his acquaintance with Elder Leonid of Optina, and when a grave illness obliged the authorities to release him from further military service, he entered the St. Alexander of Svir monastery. In 1833 he was appointed superior of Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg, and in 1857 he was consecrated bishop. But he ruled only four years before poor health prompted his retirement to the St. Nicholas-Babayev monastery. There he reposed on April 30, 1867, a man of holy life and an accomplished practitioner of the Jesus Prayer.

Among English-language Orthodox, St. Ignatius is best known as the author of The Arena. His wealth of service to the Church include an additional six volumes of writings on asceticism, in which he skillfully adapted teachings and examples from the ancient desert fathers, making them applicable to contemporary strugglers.

Markers of our way of life

...just as insensibility, callousness and hardness of heart develop as a result of ease, soft living and self-indulgence, so from a way of life marked by self-control and renunciation come contrition of heart and compunction, expelling all bitterness and generating a gentle gladness.  St. Gregory Palamas
 

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend some videos found on YouTube that are well done and spiritually instructive.  They are dramatized stories in the Russian language with English subtitles, running 20-25 minutes each.  They teach important lessons for every Christian.  Take time to enjoy them as you are able.  Go to YouTube and look up these titles by Pankrestos:

You are Three

The visit of Christ

The prayers that are not heeded

Obedience:  a puzzling command

The wedding shirt

The little oil lamp

There are also some cartoons, two of them with English subtitles—the Archangel Michael and St. Seraphim of Sarov, many others with Greek subtitles

In almsgiving, attitude makes a difference

Helping a person in need is good in itself.  But the degree of goodness is hugely affected by the attitude with which it is done.  If you show resentment because you are helping the person out of a reluctant sense of duty, then the person may receive your help, but may feel awkward and embarrassed.  This is because he will feel beholden to you.  If, on the other hand, you help the person in a spirit of joy, then the help will be received joyfully.  The person will feel neither demeaned nor humiliated by your help, but rather will feel glad to have caused you pleasure by receiving your help.  And joy is the appropriate attitude with which to help others, because acts of generosity are a source of blessing to the giver as well as the receiver.  Indeed the receiver may only derive a material blessing, but the giver derives a spiritual blessing.  If you give gladly, even if it is only a small thing, it will seem like a fortune.  If you give resentfully, even if it is substantial, it will seem like a pittance.  St. John Chrysostom

The Precious and Life-Giving Cross

O mighty Cross of the Lord, manifest thyself: show me the divine vision of thy beauty, and grant me worthily to venerate thee. For I speak to thee and embrace thee as though thou wast alive.

Shine, Cross of the Lord, shine with the light of thy grace upon the hearts of those that honor thee. With love inspired by God, we embrace thee, O desire of all the world. Through thee our tears of sorrow have been wiped away: we have been delivered from the snares of death and have passed over to unending joy. Show us the glory of thy beauty and grant to us thy servants the reward of our abstinence, for we entreat with faith thy rich protection and great mercy. 

Hail! life-giving Cross, the fair Paradise of the Church, Tree of incorruption that brings us the enjoyment of eternal glory: through thee the hosts of demons have been driven back; and the hierarchies of angels rejoice with one accord, as the congregations of the faithful keep the feast. Thou art an invincible weapon, an unbroken stronghold; thou art the victory of kings and the glory of priests. Grant us now to draw near to the Passion of Christ and to His Resurrection. Hail! life-giving Cross, unconquerable trophy of the true faith, door to Paradise, succor of the faithful, rampart set about the Church. Through thee the curse is utterly destroyed, the power of death is swallowed up, and we are raised from earth to heaven: invincible weapon, adversary of demons, glory of martyrs, true ornament of holy monks, haven of salvation bestowing on the world great mercy. Come, Adam and Eve, our first father and mother, who fell from the choir on high through the envy of the murderer of man, when of old with bitter pleasure ye tasted from the tree in Paradise. See, the Tree of the Cross, revered by all, draws near! Run with haste and embrace it joyfully, and cry to it with faith: O precious Cross, thou art our succor; partaking of thy fruit, we have gained incorruption; we are restored once more to Eden, and we have received great mercy. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.

From Great Vespers for the third Sunday of Lent, the Adoration of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross

St. Patrick of Ireland

I have hurled myself into the hands of the all-powerful God

Who rules as Lord everywhere.  St. Patrick of Ireland

The struggle upon which we are engaged is full of hardships,

full of dangers,  for it is the struggle of man against himself.  St. Patrick of Ireland

THE LORICA OF ST. PATRICK

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the

Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession

of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,

through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial

through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,

through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim

in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels,

in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets,

in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors,

in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of Heaven:

light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendor of Fire,

speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea,

stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,

God's host to secure me:

against snares of devils, against temptations of vices,

against inclinations of nature, against everyone who

shall wish me ill, afar and near, alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils):

against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose

my body and my soul,

against incantations of false prophets,

against black laws of heathenry,

against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry,

against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul.

Christ to protect me today

against poison, against burning, against drowning,

against wounding, so that there may come abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right,

Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length,

Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the

Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the

Oneness of the Creator of creation.

Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord.

Salvation is of Christ. May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

(icon courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston)

PATRICK, called the Apostle of Ireland, was born about the year 389, of Roman and British parentage.  Blessed Martin of Tours is said to have been among his kin. But although he is usually accounted as British, the place of this birth is unknown. When Patrick was a lad he was taken prisoner by slavers and carried to Ireland, whence he escaped after six years.  Meanwhile he learned to serve God well, for whilst attending the flock of his master he would rise before the light, in snow and frost and rain, to make his prayers.

HAVING been finally raised to the priesthood, Saint Germanus of Auxierre consecrated him bishop, and sent him back to Ireland, in succession to Saint Palladius, the first Christian missionary, who, after twelve months of labor there, had gone to Scotland and then died.

Patrick travelled to every part of Ireland, converting many of the people and their chiefs by his preaching and example. And everywhere his preaching of the Word was confirmed by wonders and signs following. He washed many of the Irish folk in the laver of regeneration, ordained many bishops and clerks, and decreed rules for virgins and for widows living in continency. And he established Armagh as the primatial See of all Ireland.

BESIDES that which came upon him daily, the care of all the churches of Ireland, he never suffered his spirit to weary in constant prayer. It was said that it was his custom to repeat daily the whole Book of Psalms, together with certain other hymns and prayers, and that he took his short rest lying of a bare stone. He was a great practicer of lowliness, and after the pattern of the Apostle, always continued to work with his own hands.  At last he fell asleepin the Lord in extreme old age, according to some authorities about the year 461, glorious both in word and deed. His body was translated to the Cathedral of Down in Ulster in 1185.  From the website: "Western Orthodox" (current link unavailable).