The devil tries to spoil every good

From Abbot Nikon in Letters to Spiritual Children:

Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre...for it (is) very great? (Mark 16:3). Who rolled it away? An angel, at God's command. He will likewise roll away the stone of insensibility from our hearts, when the time is right for this. We must show faithfulness to the Lord during times of callousness, faintheartedness, doubts, coldness, times of sorrow, illness and various misfortunes. We must exert our willpower to strengthen faith in ourselves when, by God's allowance, it seems to be all but extinguished. He permits this in order that we may show again and again what it is we are striving for, where our choice lies.

There is a saying among the elders: a good deed is either preceded or followed by a temptation. A good deed, such as heartfelt prayer, or especially Holy Communion, will not pass without the devil taking revenge. He uses all his might to prevent fruitful prayer and/or communion. If unable to achieve this, he then tries to spoil everything after the fact, so that not a trace of the benefit acquired remains. This is very familiar to all those who have some experience in spiritual endeavor. For this reason it is necessary to ask the Lord, with humility and contrition of heart, that He preserve us from the snares of the devil, who acts either directly upon the soul, or indirectly, through people subject to his power.

Do not be surprised at this. This warfare is fierce. Except the Lord build the house, in vain do they labour that build it. Except the Lord guard the city, in vain doth he watch that guardeth her, (Psalm 126:1-2). We must surrender ourselves into the compassionate hands of God, acknowledging before Him our weakness and inability to guard ourselves from visible and invisible foes. Do not be afraid. The devil does not do what he would like, but only that which God allows him to do. Take a look at the book of Job.

May God's blessing always be with you. Never despair. May Christ's Cross always serve to remind you of God's boundless love toward fallen man. Is this thought not enough to inspire one to wholly give oneself over into God's hands? One must make at least a small effort to seek the Kingdom of God, and then the Lord will not leave such a person without His help and comfort. The Lord loves you! Have patience with the Lord.

This beautiful meditation comes from the book Letters to Spiritual Children published by Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society in New York in 1997.

On the 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste

A greatly known and beloved group of Holy Martyrs, the 40 who gave their lives at Sebaste are commemorated today, March 9.  One of the most beautiful and thorough pages I've seen that commemorates this group of holy martyrs is found at http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/03/holy-forty-martyrs-of-sebaste.html.

I have selected a few choice writings that refer to the blessed martyrs that I will share with you here:

O holy martyrs, you were not frightened

     By the supple sword because you took courage
In the fire of divinity, which you had put on.

     Because you had met with frost and cold
And endured lightning flashes from on high,

     You gained crowns.

Casting aside all the armor of the flesh,

     You advanced, naked, into the midst of the lake.

Tortured by cold, yet warmed by faith,

    You passed through fire and water

Worthily victorious; in the sight of God

    You gained crowns.

Holy ones who did not fear the supple sword,

    When you were willingly cast into the icy lake,

You were nobly patient under the whips of the tyrants.

    Now the powers of Heaven rejoice,

And the race of men is happy and delighted because

    You gained crowns.

 From the Kontakia of St. Romanos

What is a Christian?  What must he have?  Certainly, he must have much patience in everything.   The road that takes wayfarers to the city of Paradise is completely strewn with thorns; those who travel along it will bleed.  But the hope of enjoying Paradise overcomes everything and provides the wayfarers with patience—as the forty holy martyrs said when they were thrown into the frozen lake: ‘Winter is bitter, but Paradise is sweet; the frost is painful, but the enjoyment will be sweet.’  Elder Ephraim of the Holy Mountain (Athos)

It is my privilege to share with you this meditation on this day (which is my Name Day) as I have the feminine form of the name of one of the 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, St. Kandidos, who was a spokesman for the group.  I am known in Greek as "Kandia."  Pres. C.

Prologue from Ohrid, March 9 entry:  "But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved, " Matthew 24:13.

O Lord most wonderful, You have endured all, all to the end.  That is why You became not only blessed but the source of blessings for all men who desire good for themselves throughout the ages of ages.

The apostles endured all to the end and entered into blessed eternity.  The saints willingly endured the difficulties and sufferings to the end and were glorified, both in heaven and on earth.

The martyrs willingly endured all pains to the end and became the adopted co-inheritors of the Kingdom of Christ.

Every founder of a new organization recruits followers for himself with the promise of good fruits and many pleasures but deliberately remains silent about the hardships and labors which lead to those fruits and pleasures.  Our Lord Jesus is the only one Who spoke the whole truth to His followers, both the bitter and the sweet side of the truth.  He did not promise fruits without service, nor glory without suffering, nor ultimate rest without the thorny path, nor victory without struggle, nor pleasure without bitterness, nor the kingdom without tears and self-denial.

Although our Lord counted the many difficulties which would befall His followers, in the end He does not abandon them without comfort.  He gives meaning to their sufferings and does not leave them in darkness.  He says, "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved."  What is that blessing which awaits those who endure to the end that He Jesus fully revealed and that has been witnessed even until today and is being witnessed by many saints, who, have either appeared in glory to the faithful from the other world or who, while yet in the flesh, were uplifted in the spirit to a vision of that glory and blessedness which await the faithful, the chosen and persevering?

O Lord, You are our strength.  Help us to endure to the end with faith that You are beside us.

The highest of all arts

The skill which the rich need to use their wealth well is the highest of all arts.  Its workshop is built not on earth but in heaven, because those who are rich must communicate directly with God to acquire and practice this art. Its tools are not made of iron or brass, but of good will, because the rich will only use their wealth well if they want to do so.  Indeed good will is itself the skill.  When a rich person sincerely wants to help the poor, God will quickly show the best way. Thus while a person training to be a carpenter must learn how to control a hammer and saw and chisel, the rich person training to serve the poor must learn how to control the mind and heart and soul.  He must learn always to think good thoughts, expunging all selfish thoughts. He must learn how to feel compassion, expunging all malice and contempt.  He must learn how to desire only to obey the will of God.  That is why I say the skill of being a rich disciple of Christ is the highest of all arts; and the one who possesses it is truly a saint.  St. John Chrysostom

On God's gifts and our response

When you are generous to another person, you are not bestowing a gift, but repaying a debt.  Everything you possess materially comes from God, Who created all things.  And every spiritual and moral virtue you possess is through divine grace.  Thus, you owe everything to God.  More than that, God has given you His Son, to show you how to live: how to use your material possessions and how to grow in moral and spiritual virtue.  We may say that your material and spiritual possession cost God nothing: God created the universe in order to express His own glory.  But the gift of His Son was supremely costly, because His Son suffered and died for our sakes.  The agony of Christ on the cross is the measure of how much God loves us.  For this reason we should take none of our gifts—material or spiritual—for granted; day by day we should give thanks to God for what he has bestowed on us. Once this spiritual of gratitude infuses us, we shall see generosity for what it is.  When we help someone in need, we shall be saved from any temptation to take pride in our actions.  On the contrary, we will regard our act as no more than a small token of appreciation for all that we have received—or more precisely the repayment of a tiny fraction of God’s blessings.  St. John Chrysostom

Practical stewardship

Share what you have, lest you lose what you have.  Spend what you possess on the needs of others in order to keep what you possess.  Do not cling to what you own, lest it be taken away from you.  Do not hoard your treasures, lest they rot and become worthless.  Entrust all your wealth to God, because then it is protected against all who want to steal or destroy it.  Do you understand what these injunctions mean?  Or do they sound like nonsense to you?  To the person without faith, they mean nothing.  But to the person with faith, they make perfect sense.  Faith tells us that God alone can supply the material things on which we depend.  He gives some people more than they need, not that they can enjoy great luxury, but to make them stewards on His bounty on behalf of orphans, the sick, and the crippled.  If they are bad stewards, keeping this bounty to themselves, they will become poor in spirit, and their hearts will fill with misery.  If they are good stewards, they will become rich in spirit, their hearts filling with joy.  St. John Chrysostom

Two reasons for fasting

We are taught to fast regularly as part of our Christian discipline.  Why should we fast?  How do we serve God by going hungry?  Surely we need adequate food each day in order to work hard in God’s service.  Jesus criticized most vehemently those who drew attention to their fasting, urging us to fast in secret; so clearly fasting is not a matter for personal pride. 

There are two reasons to fast.  The first is to break our attachment to material things, of which food is the most central, and so compel us to depend on spiritual things.  When we are eating regularly, food not only sustains our bodies, but provides pleasure and satisfaction.  In itself there is nothing wrong with such pleasure.  But when we do without food, we are reminded that the only true and lasting source of joy is spiritual. The second is to express solidarity with those whose poverty forces them to go hungry.  We may fast from time to time as a discipline; but many people fast continually because they have no money to buy food.  If we are truly to show compassion to the poor, we must experience within our own bodies the consequences of poverty. Fasting is thus an incentive toward generosity. And the money saved during a fast can readily be given to relieve the enforced hunger of others.  St. John Chrysostom

On the veneration of holy icons

I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter, Who for my sake became matter, and took up His abode in matter, and by means of matter accomplished my salvation. St. John of Damascus

Since some censure us, who worship and venerate the depiction both of the Saviour and of our Lady, and, moreover, of the rest of the saints and servants of Christ, let them hear that from the beginning God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). And so, why do we bow to one another if not because we are created in the image of God. For, as the divinely-speaking [hierarch] Basil [the Great], who is powerful in the interpretation of divine subjects, says, "the honor given to the depiction passes to the Prototype". And the prototype is that whose image is imprinted, that from which the copy is obtained. St. John of Damascus

A SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR YOUTH

STORY OF THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

Since the beginning, Orthodox Christians have used icons in worship. What is an icon? An icon is a holy image. How do we use an icon? During prayer, as a reminder of the All-Holy Trinity (God), our Panagia, (the Virgin Mary, Theotokos), of holy people (Saints) or holy events, such as the twelve holy feast days of the Church.

Do we worship icons? No, we don't. We venerate icons, which means we honor them.

Back in the year 726 AD, a heresy arose in the Church. Do you know what a heresy is? A heresy is a wrong teaching. One wrong teaching that arose in the year 726 was known as "iconoclasm." That meant the destruction of icons.

Why did iconoclasm happen? Sadly, because some people thought the Christians were worshiping icons. Even some people who called themselves Christians thought it was wrong to venerate icons. However, to venerate means to respect or honor. It does not mean to worship.

The problem of iconoclasm lasted more than 100 years! Many people who were holy and correct in their thinking about icons were tortured and many died for the sake of venerating icons.

In the year 787, Empress Irene called a council to decide the Church’s teaching about icons. It was decided that the icons should be venerated by all Christians. This decision was made at the Seventh Ecumenical Council.

Some years after this decision, other emperors/empresses came to power and said icons were not to be venerated. The church leaders and the people rebelled and again, many holy people were tortured and killed for believing the right thing about venerating icons.

In the year 829, Emperor Theophilus came to power. He was married to Empress Theodora who was a true Christian woman. She secretly venerated icons. But her husband, Emperor Theophilus persecuted those who honored the icons, putting many into prison and killing others. Near the end of his reign as emperor (about 13 years later), he became very ill and was close to dying.

As her husband lay dying, Empress Theodora fell asleep and had a dream. In her dream she saw the Theotokos holding Christ as a babe in her arms and saw rows of angels whipping and cursing the Emperor. She woke up and heard the emperor crying out, “Woe is me, the wretched one! I am being whipped because of the holy images!”

At once, the Empress took an icon of the Theotokos and placed it upon the emperor and began praying to the Theotokos with tears. Even though the emperor was very ill, he saw someone near him wearing a medallion with an icon on it and he took hold of it and kissed it. At that very moment, he received relief from his suffering and fell into sleep, though before he did, he confessed it was good to honor and venerate the holy icons.

Then the Empress removed all her holy icons from her storage chests in order to kiss and honor them with all her heart and prepared the emperor for his death.

Shortly after the emperor died, Empress Theodora released those who’d been imprisoned or recalled those sent out of the country for the sake of the holy icons and ordered that they be allowed to live in safety. She also appointed a God loving leader known as a patriarch in the Church, one who honored the holy icons, to replace the patriarch her husband had appointed.

Meanwhile, the Empress Theodora and Patriarch Methodios received a visit from a very holy man named Isaiah. He told them that the Lord had a message for them, that those who dishonor the holy icons were to be stopped and that it is proper to honor the holy icons and the Cross. Immediately, the Empress held up the icon of the Mother of God that was hanging about her neck and kissed it saying, “If for love’s sake, anyone does not kiss and venerate these images in a correct manner, not worshipping them as gods, but as images of what they represent, let him be accursed!” And all the God loving Christians, rejoiced!

All the people were happy, but something troubled the Empress. She asked the holy priests to pray for the soul of her husband, Emperor Theophilus. She was worried because of all the terrible things he’d done to destroy the holy icons and to destroy the people who venerated them. So, all throughout the first week of Great Lent, the bishops, priests and people prayed all night for the soul of Emperor Theophilus.

At dawn on the first Friday of Great Lent, Empress Theodora fell asleep and had a dream. She saw men passing in her dream carrying instruments of torture. In the middle of the men, with his hands tied behind his back was Emperor Theophilus. Then she saw a man with a heavenly looking face sitting in front of the icon of Christ and Theophilus stood in front of Him. The Empress touched the man’s feet, pleading with him for the soul of her husband. Then she heard him say, “Great is your faith, woman! Know then, that for the sake of your tears and your faith and for the sake of the intercessions and prayers of my servants and my priests, I grant forgiveness to Theophilus your husband.” Then he said, “Untie him and give him back to his wife.” And she received her husband back in her dream with great happiness and then woke up.

In the meantime, Patriarch Methodius, after all the prayers and intercessions for the Emperor were finished, took a plain piece of paper and wrote the names of all the heretical emperors on it, including Emperor Theophilus. He placed the paper underneath the holy altar in the church. He, too, had a vision on Friday and in it he saw an awesome angel coming toward him at the Royal Doors of the church. The angel said, “Your prayers have been heard, and the Emperor Theophilus has been granted forgiveness. You needn’t trouble God about him any longer.” The Patriarch was amazed at this message and in order to test whether the vision had been true or not, he took the paper from under the altar table and unrolled it. And what do you think he found? The name of Emperor Theophilus was no longer there! God had removed his name from the list!

When Empress Theodora learned of this, she was exceedingly glad. Therefore, on the first Sunday of Great Lent, March 11, 843, she ordered the Patriarch to assemble in the Church all the people with candles, the holy images and precious crosses so that all the holy icons might be restored and that the miracle be made known unto all. So, they made a solemn procession with the holy images and the True Cross and the holy and divine Gospel Book. And every year since then, Orthodox Christians celebrate this holy festival with a procession of icons so that we never again fall into the same error and great sin of dishonoring the holy icons.

And this is the reason why we celebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Remember to bring your portable icon to the church that day. And remember, too, to always hold your icon carefully and with much respect.