St. Porphyrios: When our soul is sanctified, it shines with goodness

The Adulteress saved from stoning by Christ, as He wrote the sins of those persecutors in the sand (source)

 
Man has such powers, that he can transmit good or evil to his environment. These are very delicate matters. They require great care.

We must see everything in a good manner. We should not think anything evil about others. And even a glance and a sigh can effect our fellow man. And the slightest indignation brings evil. Let us have goodness and love within out soul, let us transmit these.

Let us pray that we not be indignant towards men who hurt us. Only let us pray for them with love. Whatever our fellow man does, let us not think evil of him. Always  let us pray lovingly. Always let us think of the good.

We must never think regarding the other that God will give them some evil or punish them for their sin. This thought brings a very great evil, without us perceiving it.

Many times we are indignant, and we say to the other: "Do you not fear the righteousness of God, do you not fear that He will punish you?"

Other times we further say: "God cannot even punish you for that which you have done", or, "My God, do not do evil to that man for that which he did to me", or, "May he not suffer the same lot".

In all of these cases, we have deep within us the desire that the other be punished. Instead, however, of confessing our anger at their offense, we use another way of showing our indignation, appearing to entreat God for him. Thus, however, in reality we are cursing our brother.

And if, instead of praying, we say: "may you find it from God, that God might repay you for the evil you have done", then again we are praying for God to punish him.

Furthermore, when we say: "regardless, God sees everything", the state of our soul works in a mysterious way to bother the soul of our fellow man and he suffers evil. Do you understand, therefore, how our evil thoughts, our evil disposition bothers others? Because of these, we must find the way to purify the depth of ourselves from every evil. When our soul is sanctified, it shines with goodness. We silently sent out our love without saying words.

Christ never wants evil. Instead, He commands: "Bless those who curse you..."
 
(amateur translation of Greek text from source)
 

Christ on the Cross, Who prayed to forgive those who crucified Him (source)

 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Selected hymns for the Deposition of the Robe of the Theotokos

The Deposition of the Holy Robe of the Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae - Commemorated July 2nd (Source)

 
Selected hymns of the feast (amateur translations from the Greek text here, except the Apolytikion and Kontakion). For more information of this feast, see here.
 

Doxastikon of the Stichera in the Second Tone.

Having been purified in our senses and mind, let us celebrate together with the Angels, and joyously pour forth the song of David to the youthful Bride of the King, Christ our God, saying: Arise, O Lord, unto Your rest, You and the Ark of Your holiness. (Psalm 132:8) For as a radiant palace, you have adorned and filled this Your city, O Master. Surround it and protect it from the barbarian wars, through Your mighty strength, through her intercessions.

Doxastikon of the Aposticha in the Second Tone.

As a surpassingly-radiant crown, O All-pure Theotokos, your Holy Robe is placed before the Church of God, and she exalts, rejoicing today, and dances mystically, O Lady, crying out to you: Hail, O precious diadem and crown of His divine glory. Hail, the only glory of the firmament, and eternal rejoicing. Hail, the harbor and protection of those who flee unto you, and our salvation.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone.

Ever-Virgin Theotokos, protectress of mankind, you have given given your people a powerful legacy: the robe and sash of your most honored body, which remained incorrupt throughout your seedless childbearing; for through you time and nature are renewed! Therefore we implore you: “Grant peace to your people and to our souls great mercy!”

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone.

O Pure One, full of the grace of God, you have given your sacred robe as a garment of incorruption to all the faithful, with it you covered your holy body, O divine protection of all mankind. We celebrate its enshrinement in Blachernae with love and we cry aloud with awe: “Rejoice, O Virgin, boast of Christians.”

(source)

Oikos

The pure and true dwelling of God the Word, the spiritual cloud, and container of the Manna, the Theotokos Mariam, all those who have been saved through her birthgiving, rejoice in faith, and embrace her sacred Robe, which covered her who carried the Master as He was clothed in flesh, through which our mortal nature was lifted up to the everlasting life and the Kingdom. Therefore with joy, let us cry out with a great voice: Rejoice, O Virgin, the boast of Christians.

Synaxarion

On the second of this month, we commemorate the deposition of the Holy Robe of the Theotokos in Blachernae, under Leo the Great, and his wife Verine.

Verses

Having put on Christ your Son, the citizens

Of your city are protected by Him, through His Mother's Robe.

On the second, the Robe of the All-pure one was deposited.

Prosomoion from the Praises in the Fourth Tone.

Behold a place of glory, behold a house that is filled with light, in which is treasured the precious Robe of the Child of God, with grace. Approach, O people, and receive illumination and joy, and cry out with a thankful heart, O Panagia, we bless you, O Virgin, we who have been saved through your birthgiving.

The Deposition of the Robe of the Theotokos at Blachernae (source)

   

Most-holy Theotokos, save us!

A miracle of St. Luke and the Unmercenaries

St. Luke the Surgeon, Archbishop of Simferopol (source)

 
"My name is E. X., 37 years old, from Morphou, now a citizen of Lemesou [Cyprus]. I work as a stewardess and a teacher of Italian. On Sunday June 28th 2008, I awoke early and felt a little weak. I had a slight fever, and I decided to go to the Polyclinic, so that they might do some tests and that I might get over this fast, because I had planned a trip to St. Marina on Andros with my mother.

On Monday June 29th, I did not feel better, and I decided to go again to the Polyclinic, because the date of the trip was approaching, and I was not improving. In the Polyclinic, my doctor was also my mother's doctor. He ran some tests, but did not find anything, other than a slight fever and the weakness that I was feeling.

Thus, for precautionary reasons, he decided to keep me in the Polyclinic, despite my denial. I told him: "It's not going to happen. I'm going on our planned trip, and after I can return to the hospital."

His response was negative, even though I didn't think that I had something serious, other than some low-grade fever and weakness. The next day, June 30th, my mother in law visited me and gave me a paper icon of St. Luke [the Surgeon]. I did not know who this saint was, but I put the icon under my pillow.

Wednesday July 1st, my condition worsened. They ordered a CAT scan, which showed infection in my abdomen. At the time that they were running the test, I saw very clearly that four eyes were following me. I tried to see better, to discern a face, but I couldn't. After the test, they transferred me to the ICU, but I was fighting, because I lost the icon of St. Luke. My mother-in-law gave me another, but we found the former one on my back. Thus, I kept the two, one in each hand.

On the morning of July 2nd, 2008, the infection had spread to the lungs. Thus, on Saturday, not knowing where the infection was coming from, but also not being able to fight it despite strong antibiotics (I was made into a pin-cushion [from all the tests]), they decided to operate on me.

The septicemia had progressed rapidly, and they said that by the evening, I would die. I, however, despite my worry, felt that I would get better, and I had the little icons in my hand when I went into the operating room, and I gave them to the anesthesiologist to watch over during the operation. They took out my gallbladder, which was normal, and I had fallen into a coma for three days. My state was very grave, and all were waiting for me to die. The doctors did not give any hope to my family, because the septicemia had progressed rapidly, and the lungs were not left working to breathe. However, the miracle occurred, when everything else looked as if it were finished.

On the third day, Fr. P. came, bringing with him a small piece of the [incorrupt] heart of St. Luke. He crossed me with the heart of the Saint, and I, as he told me, at that instant, opened my eyes. From that instant, my body had begun to fight the septicemia from nowhere and to progress. Ultimately, I was totally healed. For the doctors, this was unexplainable. All those who were faithful related that this was from a miracle. The rest tried to give a medical justification, but could not give an explanation.

While I was in the hospital, they brought me and I read the book with the life of St. Luke [the Surgeon] (and my physician in this case), and I felt that he had the holy Unmercenaries Sts. Kosmas and Damian as his helpers. Then I remembered and understood why I had my CAT scan on July 1st. It was the day of their feast, and they were the right hand men to St. Luke in the operating room. My sister-in-law's aunt was on that day at the Monastery of Panagia Dobra in Veria. They served Paraklesis, and the Abbot told her that St. Luke, together with the holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian, would be with me."

   

Fr. Nektarios Antonopoulos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Sagmata: "Tachys eis voetheian..." ("Speedy to help..."), the miracles of St. Luke today, published by Akritas. Amateur translation of text from source.

   

The Holy Unmercenaries, Sts. Kosmas and Damian (source)

   

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Excerpt from St. John Maximovitch on Sts. Peter and Paul

The Embrace of the Foremost of the Apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul (source)

 

The Apostle of the Jews [i.e. St. Peter] and the Apostle of the Gentiles [i.e. St. Paul] departed to Christ on the same day, as if indicating their equal nearness to God and the oneness of the Church of Christ, in which there is neither Greek nor Jew (Col. 3:11). Therefore, the day on which the earthly labors ended for "the leaders of the Apostles, who labored more than all," who "separated in body, are together in spirit," became one of the memorable days for the whole Church.

   

    The feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul indicates the lot of the Holy Apostles here on earth and reveals the glory which followed it. To go over the earth with the preaching of the Heavenly Kingdom, in this emulating Christ by their poverty, endurance of dishonor and suffer­ings, by their love for the children of the Heavenly Father, their inward torments of childbirth over those who heeded their preaching and their grief over those who paid no heed to their words, and finally by offering themselves as a sacrifice—this was the earthly lot of the Apostles.

-St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, "Sermon of the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul"

(source)

   

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

St. Isaac the Syrian: The commandments of God are greater than all the treasures of the world

Jesus Christ, the "Pearl of Great Price" (source)

 
The commandments of God are greater than all the treasures of the world, and for whoever keeps them, God is found within them. To men, poverty is abominable, but to God, the prideful soul and the high-minded and conceited nous is more abominable. Wealth is honored by men, but God honors the humbled soul!
-St. Isaac the Syrian
   
(amateur translation of text from source)
 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

Elder Ephraim: Let us never loose hope!

Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd (source)

 
The mystery of repentance is the greatest and most blessed mystery, which prepares us perfectly beforehand for Heaven...

There is no sin on earth which is unforgivable for the person who will repent, and for the God of love Who receives him.

God is pleased and takes rest in the man who repents, no matter how great a sinner he is. Repentance is always open to every sinful person. God desires only the confession of the error. From there forward, all things are perfected. Through humility comes confession, and confession brings purification, and purification brings the vision of God.

The tears of the repenting soul purify the heart, the nous, the soul, the body, the life, the word, and purify more than every expression of man.

Let us never loose home. Even if we fall and are traumatized, let us not loose hope. As long as God grants us life, let this become an approach towards God, for He waits for us. If God were not incomparably merciful, no one would be saved. Our Christ waits for us, we should not procrastinate and put it off.
 
Amateur translation of text from the book: "Tested spiritual instructions", Elder Ephraim, former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, now Arizona, published by Orthodox Kypseli (source)
   

The repentance of the Prophet David at the rebuke of the Prophet Nathan (source)

 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

St. Paisios: When the body is tried, then the soul is sanctified

St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain (source)

 
When the body is tried, then the soul is sanctified. With sickness, our body is pained, this mud-built house of ours, but thus its tenant, our soul, will rejoice eternally in the heavenly palace which Christ will prepare for us. With this spiritual logic, which is irrational to worldly people, I rejoice and I am proud for the bodily harms which I have. The only thing that I don't think about is that I will have a heavenly reward.

I understand that I am redeemed from my thanklessness towards God, as I have not returned His great gifts and benefactions. Because in my life, everything has been a feast: I partake of monasticism and my afflictions. All are benefactions which God has wrought, and all mercies. Pray, however, that I not be satisfied with these in this life, because this would be to my woe! Christ gave me a great honor to suffer even further for His love. It is enough that He strengthens me so that I might bear it, and I don't want any reward.
 
Amateur translation of text from: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, from the book "Passions and Virtues", Volume V. (source)
 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!