DRIIIVΞR

2022-02-13 03:46:42 Pray with pain in your heart for the world. Do you know what great power such prayer has?

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos

Spiritual Counsels Vol. II Spiritual Awakening p.352 Open / Comment

2022-02-12 15:25:53 Excerpt from “The Soul After Death”

Written by Blessed Seraphim Rose, quoting Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov on man’s inability to discern the deceptions of the Spiritual Realm apart from the Grace of God Open / Comment

2022-02-12 11:03:05 "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

~C.S. Lewis Open / Comment

2022-02-12 10:59:40 Family attached a microphone to their 4 year old and these were the results.
@EnjoyTheD Open / Comment

2022-02-11 22:40:03 "Whenever you wish to make a beginning in some good work, first prepare yourself for the temptations that will come upon you, and do not doubt the truth. For it is the enemy's custom, whenever he sees a man beginning a good mode of life with fervent faith, to confront him with diverse and fearful temptations... It is not that our adversary has such power-for then no one could ever do good-but that God concedes it to him, as we have learned with the righteous Job. Therefore prepare yourself manfully to encounter temptations..."

-St. Isaac the Syrian Open / Comment

2022-02-11 22:33:00 Remember the one who has ridiculed you, who has grieved you, who has wronged you, who has done evil to you, as your physician, your healer. Christ sent him to heal you; don't remember him with anger.

-Abba Zossima Open / Comment

2022-02-11 19:35:49 Eternity
Eternity Is A Very Long Time

God reveals Himself to us if we seek Him out, and only remains invisible to us if we refuse, out of pride and self absorption, to let Him enter our lives. If you desire the knowledge that is yours for the asking, simply make it known, and God will open the way for you. Do not let the distractions of this world, and the material pleasures that are of a transitory nature, keep you from casting your eyes towards God.

It is sad how many people spend their lives in pursuit of material pleasures, job success, and entertainment, but give little thought to those things that are of eternal importance. What we do in this life does have an impact on what we will face when we stand before the Lord. When we are called to give an account for ourselves, it will not be enough to explain to God that we lived in a great house, raised good children, gave time to the charity of our choice, but did nothing to further our relationship with Him.

Eternity is a very long time, whereas, this life we have been given is a very short time. Lest we waste it, we must bring our focus back to what really matters. Dinner and a movie with friends is a tragic waste of time, if we have not given equal time to God. If you are feeling spiritually dry, you can only look to yourself to find the reason. God has done His part, you must do yours.

Love and blessings,
Abbot Tryphon

Photo: Holding the icon, painted by John Shayne Swenson, of my late spiritual father, Blessed Dimitry of Santa Rosa. Open / Comment

2022-02-11 12:50:47 Open / Comment

2022-02-11 11:43:35 “It is not possible to correct yourself rightly if you do not recognize the evil hidden in your heart and the calamities that proceed from it. An unrecognized disease remains untreated. The beginning of health is to know your disease, and the beginning of blessedness is to know your misfortune and wretchedness. For who having recognized his illness does not seek healing, and who knowing his misfortune does not seek deliverance from it?”

+ St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Open / Comment

2022-02-11 09:07:47 The Nicene Creed with Biblical Citations

The following post is a copy of The Nicene Creed with accompanying quotes from the Bible for each line pulled from the website of All Saints of North America Orthodox Church in Youngtown, Arizona.

I believe in One God, — (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29, 12:32; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 8:6)

The Father Almighty — (Genesis 17:1-8; Exodus 6:3; Matthew 6:9; Ephesians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 6:18)

Maker of heaven and earth — (Genesis 1:1; Job 38:1-30)

And of all things visible and invisible — (Colossians 1:15-16; John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:11)

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ — (John 20:28; Acts 11:17, 16:31; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:5)

The Son of God, the Only-Begotten — (Matthew 3:17, 14:33, 16:16; John 1:14, 3:16)

Begotten of the Father before all ages — (Psalm 2:7; John 1:1-2)

Light of Light — (John 1:4, 1:9, 8:12; Psalm 27:1; Matthew 17:2, 5; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 1:5)

True God of True God — (John 1:1-2, 17:1-5; 1 John 5:20)

Begotten, not made — (John 1:1-2, 16:28, 1:18)

Of one essence with the Father — (John 10:30)

By Whom all things were made — (Hebrews 1:1-2, 10; John 1:3, 1:10; Colossians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Romans 11:36)

Who for us men and for our salvation — (I Timothy 2:4-5; Matthew 1:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Colossians 1:13-14)

Came down from heaven — (John 3:13, 3:31, 6:33-35, 38)

And was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary — (Luke 1:34-35)

And became man — (John 1:14; Hebrews 2:14)

And He was crucified for us — (Mark 15:25; I Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24)

under Pontius Pilate — (Mark 15:15)

And suffered — (Mark 8: 31; Matthew 27:50)

And was buried — (Luke 23:53; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Matthew 27:59-60)

And He rose again on the third day — (Mark 9:31, 16:9; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4)

According to the Scriptures — (Luke 24:1, 45-46; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

And ascended into heaven — (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-10; Mark 16:19)

And sits at the right hand of the Father — (Mark 16:19; Acts 7:55; Luke 22:69)

And He will come again with glory — (Matthew 24:27; Mark 13:26; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:17)

To judge the living and the dead — (Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:1; Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Peter 4:5)

His kingdom shall have no end — (2 Peter 1:11; Hebrews 1:8)

And I believe in the Holy Spirit — (John 14:26; Acts 1:8)

The Lord and Giver of life — (Acts 5: 3-4; Genesis 1:2; John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:6)

Who proceeds from the Father — (John 15:26)

Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified — (Matthew 3:16-17)

Who spoke through the prophets — (I Samuel 19:20; Ezekiel 11:5; 1 Peter 1:10-11; Ephesians 3:5)

And I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church — (Matthew 16:18, 28:19; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Ephesians 1:4, 2:19-22, 4:4, 5:27; Acts 1:8, 2:42; Mark 16:15; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:17)

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins — (Ephesians 4:5; Galatians 3:27; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 2:12-13; Acts 22:16)

I look for the resurrection of the dead — (John 11:24; 1 Corinthians 15:12-49; Romans 6:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:16)

And the life of the world to come. — (Mark 10:29-30; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)

Amen. — (Psalm 106:48) Open / Comment