God knows what we can bear

If the whole of your life has passed smoothly and without care, weep for yourself.  For both the Gospel and human experience assert with one voice that no one has, without great sufferings and trials, left behind him any great work on earth or been glorified in heaven.  If your earthly road has been bathed in sweat and tears for the attaining of righteousness and truth, rejoice and be glad, for your reward will indeed be great in heaven.  Never entertain the foolish thought that God has forsaken you.  God knows exactly how much you can bear, and measures your sufferings and trials accordingly.  'When men know,' says St. Nil Sorsky, 'how much weight a horse can carry, or a donkey or a camel, and load them according to their strength; when a potter knows how long to leave the clay in the kiln for it to be neither shattered nor under-cooked, how could God not know how much temptation a soul can bear to make it ready and fitted for the Kingdom of Heaven?'

 

Wisdom from St. Ambrose of Optina

If we abandon our own desires and opinions, and endeavor to fulfill God's wishes and understanding, we will save ourselves, no matter what our position, no matter what our circumstance.  But, if we cling to our own desires and opinions, neither position nor circumstance will be of help.  Even in Paradise, Eve transgressed God's commandment, and life with the Savior Himself brought the unfortunate Judas no good.  As we read in the Holy Gospels, we require patience and an inclination to pious living. 

 

A stress remedy

None of the painful things that happen to us every day will injure or distress us once we perceive and continually meditate on their purpose.   It is on account of this that St. Paul says: 'I take delight in weakness, insults and hardships,' (2 Cor. 12:10), and, 'All who seek to live a holy life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,' (2 Tim. 3:12). 

On over-sensitivity

Your only defect is that you are over-sensitive. Over-sensitivity is not good. It causes a lot of problems that are hard to be solved. It is the basic cause of all disasters. You will only harm yourself and your family if you do not try and get rid of it, or at least restrict it. No one withstands an insult with pleasure, least of all an over-sensitive person. But in everyday life, all of us can be victims of insults. And what does insult really mean? It means a moral decrease, a moral harm, or doubted prestige caused by others. Well, how is one supposed to control them? Can they be controlled? Of cause not. The right and just aim is not to insult or be insulted. It is difficult but not impossible. And just this is the aim of the Church of Christ. However, in some cases God allows a temptation to judge our endurance and our belief. And those who pass the test are very few. We must struggle to do God’s will. Only His mercy will save us. 

 

Newly glorified St. Porphyrios

Today, December 2, is his feast day--wondrous is God in His Saints!

Link below includes link to akathist in both English & Greek and paraklesis prayers in Greek:
 
http://saintjohnthewonderworker.ca/2013/11/28/elder-porphyrios-glorified-as-a-saint-yesterday/

 

Insistence on God's action

Quote from the book  Father (now St.) Porphyrios: The Discerning, the Forseeing, the Healer whose memory is celebrated December 2: 

God knows without counting them the number of needles on these pine trees. He takes care of them from the time they start to grow until the time they die. He also knows the number of hairs on your head. Therefore, if He knows these unimportant things and cares about them, is he not aware of your problems and indifference to them? Absolutely not! Consequently, what is happening? Well, listen to me. When God does not give us something that we persistently ask for, two things may happen: either He does not give it to us for our benefit or we do not know how to ask for it. Both could happen. As for the first case, nobody knows why, the will of God is unfathomable. So I keep silent. However, I can tell you a lot of things concerning the second case. First of all, when we ask something from God, we must not obstinately say, “I want this now!” This is not only unacceptable but impious towards our Creator as well. We must ask something from God in a beseeching and gentle manner for a certain period of time. If we see that God refuses to give it to us, we stop disturbing Him. The more we want something, the farther away it goes from us. And when we have forgotten it, it will come imperceptibly . God does not forget. He receives our request, and when He knows that it is time, He answers it. Therefore we must not insist on changing God’s will. We must not pursue it, but leave it in God’s hands. Wait for His answer with patience, peace and faith. Stop caring about your problem if you want God to take care of it.

December 6--St. Nicholas of Myra

I like to put this out a few days before the feast--feel free to share it with others:
The Real Santa Claus

St. Nicholas Day will soon be here (December 6). I would like to share a resource with you that a friend and I put together a few years ago for an educational purpose. It is an Orthodox presentation on the life of St. Nicholas of Myra, parked on a closed YouTube channel.

The video was produced by myself and a brother in Christ from New Zealand, Frank McDonald, while my family was yet serving the Church in Alaska. As many of you know, our family is now serving the Church in New Hampshire.  I apologize that parts of the presentation are "frozen in time" and credits unfinished.  That said, please enjoy the presentation (just under 10 minutes long). May you find it edifying.

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh74DcbSqfk

Because this is a "closed" YouTube channel, you won't find this presentation by searching on YouTube unless you have the link above.   

Please keep in mind it the presentation is only for the sake of edification and education—it gives a historical profile of the “real” Santa Claus. The presentation itself is not for replication and/or sale nor should any profit be made by sharing it with others.  

Wondrous is God in His Saints!

Pres. Candace Schefe

Icon courtesy of Uncut Mountain Supply