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by Fr. Dmitri, New Zealand
Saturday 5 February 2011 (28 Tobi; 28 Tuba)
Clement of Ancyra; Xenia of St. Petersburg.
The Lord's Wrath is upon the Nations because of their Sins
and turning their Backs on Him, putting Sexual Deviants into
a place of power and making Sport their god.
And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief: for verily
I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place,
and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
(Matt. 17:20)
The kings daughter is all glorious within: her clothing
is of wrought gold.
(Ps. 45:13)
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is
no one to help.
(Ps. 22:11)
Thou who guidest Noah over the flood waves: hear us.
Thou who with Thy word recalled Jonah from the deep:
deliver us. Thou who stretched forth Thy hand to Peter
as he sank: help us, O Christ. Son of God, who didst
marvelous things of old: be favourable in our day also.
(Early Celtic Prayer)
Even though we have the right to rebuke the one who
has wronged us, we must do this not in Passion for
having been wronged, but in the hope of correcting
a brother, according to the precept of Our Lord.
(Basil the Great)
Dionysius, the disciple of Paul the Apostle said.'The Prayers
of the saints are beneficial for the departed. If the sins of
the dead person were insignificant, they will find favour;
if they were excessive and heavy, then God closes the door,
to his helpers.'
(In a Liturgy)
And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures
to the end shall be saved.
(Mark 13:13)
And now abide, faith, hope, love, These three; but the
greatest of these is love.
(1 Cor. 13:13)
Do what you were commanded to do, before commanding
what you want.
(S. Augustine)
In the Kingdom of Grace, the dwellers breath the Spirit,
and it appeases their minds from the motions of the world.
The Spirit speaks in them of its mysteries and its greatness.
(S. John Saba)
God does not work in those who refuse to place all their
confidence and hope in Him alone. But He imparts the fullness
of His love upon those who possess a deep faith and hope.
For them He does great things.
God of power and might, let us place all our trust in You.
Strengthen our faith and deepen our hope that You may be
able to bring about wonderful things You want to do for us.
(Jerome Emiliani)
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. (Luke 16:16) Everyone believe in something. Athiests cannot prove there is no God. Panthiests cannot prove that everything is God. Nor can Agnostics prove that it is impossible to know one way or the other. Faith is unavoidable, even if we choose to believe only in ourselves.
Some have assumed that an evolutionary explanation of life would make God unnecessary. Laws of probability still show the need for a Creator. Things just do not happen. The complexity of the Universe and the order in it, shows the need of a guiding hand of a Master Craftsman.
Mankind has been described as incurably religios. Denying the existence of God does not dispel the mysteries of life. Looking at Eccles.3:14 'I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it, and God doeth it, that we should fear before Him.' So we are unwittingly drawn to something greater than ourselves.
Many who doubt the existence of God have reassured themselves with the thought 'If God wantes us to believe in Him He would appear to us.' According to the Bible that is what God has done. Not only in the Wilderness of Sin but also with Abraham on Horeb, but in the latter days in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
The Bibles says that God designs the circumstances of our lives in a way that prompts us to look for Him. (see Acts 17:26) The Psalmist says that the Heavens declare God's handiwork and His glory. Christ died to pay a price for our sins. This Plan of Redemption was mapped out at the beginning of the World.
Are we prepared to put our trust solely in God and believe in Him and accept His existence?
To Thee be glory and praise, now and ever, unto Ages of Ages. AMEN!
Evening: Psalm 68:3 & 35; Matt. 10:16-23.
Morning: Psalm 97:11-12; Mark 13: 9-13.
Liturgy: Heb. 12:3-14; 1 Peter 4:12-19; Acts 7:44-8:1.
Psalm 34:19-20; Gospel Luke 11:53-12:12
Copyright DR
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