Peter Damian: St Romuald – Summit of Perfection Wednesday, Jun 19 2013

Romuald lived in the vicinity of the city of Parenzo for three years.

In the first year he built a monastery and appointed an abbot with monks. For the next two years he remained there in seclusion.

In that setting, divine holiness transported him to such a summit of perfection that, breathed upon by the Holy Spirit, he foresaw many future events and comprehended with the rays of his intelligence hidden mysteries of the Old and New Testament.

Frequently he was seized by so great a contemplation of divinity that he would be reduced to tears with the boiling, indescribable heat of divine love.

In this condition he would cry out: Beloved Jesus, beloved, sweet honey, indescribable longing, delight of the saints, sweetness of the angels, and other things of this kind.

We are unable to express the ecstasy of these utterances, dictated by the Holy Spirit. Wherever the holy man might arrange to live, he would follow the same pattern.

First he would build an oratory with an altar in a cell; then he would shut himself in and forbid access.

Finally, after he had lived in many places, perceiving that his end was near, he returned to the monastery he had built in the valley of Castro.

While he awaited with certainty his approaching death, he ordered a cell to be constructed there with an oratory in which he might isolate himself and preserve silence until death.

Accordingly the hermitage was built, since he had made up his mind that he would die there. His body began to grow more and more oppressed by afflictions and was already failing, not so much from weakness as from the exhaustion of great age.

One day he began to feel the loss of his physical strength under all the harassment of increasingly violent afflictions. As the sun was beginning to set, he instructed two monks who were standing by to go out and close the door of the cell behind them; they were to come back to him at daybreak to celebrate matins.

They were so concerned about his end that they went out reluctantly and did not rest immediately. On the contrary, since they were worried that their master might die, they lay hidden near the cell and watched this precious treasure. For some time they continued to listen attentively until they heard neither movement nor sound.

Rightly guessing what had happened, they pushed open the door, rushed in quickly, lit a candle and found the holy man lying on his back, his blessed soul snatched up into heaven. As he lay there, he seemed like a neglected heavenly pearl that was soon to be given a place of honour in the treasury of the King of kings.

Peter Damian (c.1007-1072): Life of St Romuald, chapters 39 and 61 @ Universalis.

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Tikhon of Zadonsk: Love of God Cannot Exist Within the Heart Without Joy Tuesday, Jun 18 2013

But let us see what the signs of love for God are, so that we may not have a false dream of love instead of love itself. In nothing does a man deceive himself so much as in love.

[...] God Himself indicates this, saying, “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me” (Jn. 14:21).

For the true lover of God will preserve himself from everything that is repugnant to God, and hastens to fulfil everything that is pleasing to God. Wherefore he keeps His holy commandments.

From this it follows that those Christians that neglect the commandments have no love for God…. They love themselves and their own appetites, but not God or His holy Law.

A manifest sign of love for God is a heartfelt gladness in God, for we rejoice in what we love.

Likewise love of God cannot exist without joy, and whenever a man feels the sweetness of the love of God within his heart, he rejoices in God.

For so sweet a virtue as love cannot be felt without joy. As honey sweetens our throat when we taste of it, so the love of God makes our heart glad when we taste and see that the Lord is good (LXX Ps. 33:9).

Such joy in God is found in many places in Holy Scriptures, and is portrayed most of all in the holy Psalms. This joy is spiritual and heavenly, and is a foretaste of the sweetness of eternal life.

The true lover of God disdains the world and all that is in the world, and strives toward God, his most beloved. He counts honor, glory, riches, and all the comforts of this world which the sons of this age seek, as nothing.

For him only God, the uncreated and most beloved good, suffices. In Him alone he finds perfect honor, glory, riches and comfort. For him God alone is the pearl without price, for the sake of which he holds everything else as little. Such a one desires nothing in heaven or on earth besides God.

Such love is portrayed in the very words of the Psalter, “For what have I in heaven? And besides Thee what have I desired upon earth? My heart and my flesh have failed, O God of my heart, and God is my portion forever” (LXX Ps. 72:25).

He uses food, drink, clothing, and everything else only as needful, and not for sensual pleasure. From this it follows that whoever loves the world does not love God. According to the witness of the Apostle, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15).

Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783; Russian Orthodox): extract @ Kandylaki   from Journey to Heaven: Counsels On the Particular Duties of Every Christian by Our Father Among the Saints, Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh and Elets (Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery, 2004) .

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Gregory the Great: The Solitude of the Heart Friday, Jun 14 2013

To whom I have given a house in the solitude? (Job 30:6).

Ought we in this place to understand the solitude of the body, or the solitude of the heart?

But what avails the solitude of the body, if the solitude of the heart be wanting?

For he who lives bodily removed from the world, but yet plunges into the tumults of human conversation with the thoughts of worldly desires, is not in solitude.

But if anyone be bodily oppressed with crowds of people, and yet suffers from no tumults of worldly cares in his heart, he is not in a city.

To those therefore of good conversation solitude of mind is first granted, in order that they may keep down within the rising din of worldly desires,

that they may restrain by the grace of heavenly love the cares of the heart which bubble up from its lowest depths,

and drive away from the eyes of the mind with the hand of gravity, all the motions of trifling thoughts which importunately present themselves, as flies which are flitting around them:

and may seek for themselves some secret spot with the Lord within, there to speak with Him silently by their inward longings, when the noise is still from without.

Of this secret place of the heart it is said elsewhere; There became silence in heaven for about half an hour (Rev. 8:1).

For the Church of the Elect is called ‘heaven,’ which, as it rises to eternal and sublime truths by the elevation of contemplation, abates the tumults of thoughts which are springing up from below, and makes a kind of silence within itself for God.

[...] But it ought to be known that we do not at all reach the height of contemplation, if we cease not from the oppression of outward care.

We do not at all look into ourselves, so as to know that there is within us one rational part that rules, another animal part which is ruled, unless we are made dead to all outward disturbance by returning to the secrecy of this silence.

[...] In this silence of the heart, then, while we are awake inwardly by contemplation, we are sleeping, as it were, outwardly.

Because then men who are separated, that is who are freed from carnal desires, inhabit this silence of the heart, the Lord gave to this wild ass a house in the solitude, that he might not be oppressed with a crowd of temporal desires.

Gregory the Great (c.540-604): Reflections (Moralia) on Job, 30, 52-54 (on Job 39:6) @ Lectionary Central.

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Ephrem the Syrian: God in His Great Love Granted to Moses to See His Glory Sunday, Jun 9 2013

But what shall we say about the Lord of the Angel, Who said to Moses No man shall see Me and live?

Is it on account of the fury of His anger, that whoso shall see Him shall die?  Or on account of the splendour of His Being?

For that Being was not made and was not created:  so that eyes which have been made and created cannot look upon it.

[...] Accordingly, the Self-Existent by His vision slays them that look upon Him; but He slays, not because of harsh fury but because of His potent splendour.

Because of this He in His great love granted to Moses to see His glory; yet in the same great love He restrained him from seeing His glory.

But it was not that the glory of His majesty would have been at all diminished, but that weak eyes could not suffice to bear the overpowering billows of His glory.

Therefore God, Who in His love desired that the vision of Moses should be directed upon the goodly brightness of His glory, in His love did not desire that the vision of Moses should be blinded amidst the potent rays of His glory.

Therefore Moses saw and saw not.  He saw, that he might be exalted; he saw not, that he might not be injured.  For by that which he saw, his lowliness was exalted; and by that which he saw not, his weakness was not blinded.

As also our eyes look upon the sun and look not upon it; and by what they see are assisted; and by what they see not, are uninjured.

[...]  So then through love God hindered Moses from seeing that glory that was too hard for his eyes;  as also Moses through his love prevented the children of his people from seeing the brightness that was too strong for their eyes.

For he learned from Him Who covered him, and spread His hand, and hid from him the splendour of the glory, that it might not injure him; so that he also should spread the veil and conceal from the feeble ones the overpowering splendour, that it might not hurt them.

Now when Moses saw that the sons of perishable flesh could not gaze upon the borrowed glory that was on his face, his heart failed within him; for that he had sought to dare to gaze upon the glory of the Eternal Being,

in whose floods, those above and those below are plunged and spring forth; the depths whereof none can fathom; the shores whereof none can reach; whereof no end or limit can be found.

Ephrem the Syrian (c.306-373): Homily on Our Lord, 29.

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Laurence Justinian: The Acceptable Offering of Purification is Rendered in the Temple of the Heart Saturday, Jun 8 2013

As Mary pondered all she had learned from reading and from what she had heard and seen, how greatly did she increase in faith, advance in merit and become enlightened with wisdom!

More and more she was consumed with burning love. Drawing life and inspiration from the heavenly mysteries which were being unlocked for her, she was filled with joy.

She became alive with the Spirit, she was guided towards God and was kept humble in herself.

The effects of divine grace are such indeed that they raise one from the depths to the heights, and transform one in an ever greater degree of glory.

Entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the direction of the Spirit dwelling in her, ever obeyed the command of the Word of God in all things.

She was governed not by her own judgement or opinions, but she outwardly performed through her body whatever wisdom had indicated inwardly to her faith.

It was surely fitting that divine Wisdom, which had built the house of the Church for its abode, should use most holy Mary as its instrument, where the observance of the law, purification of the heart, the doctrine of humility and spiritual offering were concerned.

Imitate her, O faithful soul. Enter into the temple of your heart that you may be purified in spirit and cleansed of the pollution of your sins.

In everything we do God considers our disposition rather than our actions.

And so, whether we retire mentally to God in earnest contemplation and remain at rest or whether we are intent on being of service to those around us with good works and worthy undertakings, let our object be that we are motivated only by love of Christ.

So the really acceptable offering of purification of the spirit is that which is rendered not in a man-made temple but in the temple of the heart, where Christ the Lord is pleased to enter.

Laurence Justinian (1381-1456): Sermon 8, on the Purification, from the memoria of the Immaculate Heart of Mary @ Universalis.

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Benedict XVI: The Mystery of the Heart of a God Who Feels Compassion Friday, Jun 7 2013

In a little while we shall sing in the antiphon to the Magnificat: “The Lord has drawn us to his heart—Suscepit nos Dominus in sinum et cor suum”.  

God’s heart, as the expression of his will, is spoken of twenty-six times in the Old Testament.

Before God’s heart men and women stand judged.  His heartfelt pain at sins of mankind makes God decide on the flood, but then he is touched by the sight of human weakness and offers his forgiveness.

Yet another passage of the Old Testament speaks of God’s heart with absolute clarity: it is in the eleventh chapter of the book of the Prophet Hosea, whose opening lines portray the Lord’s love for Israel at the dawn of its history: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).

Israel, however, responds to God’s constant offer of love with indifference and even outright ingratitude. “The more I called them”, the Lord is forced to admit, “the more they went from me” (v. 2).

Even so, he never abandons Israel to the power of its enemies, because “my heart”—the the Creator of the universe observes—”recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender” (v. 8).

The heart of God burns with compassion!  On today’s solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus the Church presents us this mystery for our contemplation: the mystery of the heart of a God who feels compassion and who bestows all his love upon humanity.

A mysterious love, which in the texts of the New Testament is revealed to us as God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind.

God does not lose heart in the face of ingratitude or rejection by the people he has chosen; rather, with infinite mercy he sends his only-begotten Son into the world to take upon himself the fate of a shattered love, so that by defeating the power of evil and death he could restore to human beings enslaved by sin their dignity as sons and daughters.

But this took place at great cost—the only-begotten Son of the Father was sacrificed on the Cross: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (cf. John 13:1).

The symbol of this love which transcends death is his side, pierced by a spear.  The Apostle John, an eyewitness, tells us: “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (cf. Jn 19:34).

Benedict XVI (b. 1927): Homily on the Solemnity of the sacred Heart of Jesus, 2009.

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Nikolai Velimirovich: “My Son, Give Me Your Heart” Friday, Jun 7 2013

“With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

In the heart is the will, in the heart is love, in the heart is understanding, in the heart is the face of the All-holy and Divine Trinity.

The heart is the home of the Father, the altar of the Son and the workshop of the Holy Spirit.

God wants the heart: “My Son, give me your heart” (Proverbs: 23:26).

Let the mountains be overturned, let the seas dry up,

let your friends abandon you, let your wealth fail you,

let your body be consumed by worms,

let the world pour upon you all the ridicule which it has but be not afraid.

Only guard your heart, guard and affix it to the Lord and give it to the Lord.

From the heart comes life. From where does life in the heart come if the breath of the Lord and Source of Life, God, does not dwell in it?

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (St. Matthew 12:35).

These are the words of the Lord Who fills the treasury of your heart with His riches.

What is that “good man?” That is the good treasure of the heart.

What is that “evil man?” That is the evil treasure of the heart.

“For out of the heart [of an evil man] proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (St. Matthew 15:19).

And from the good heart proceeds “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Do you see how great a warehouse is the heart of man? Do you see what all can fit in the heart of man?

O brother, God the Holy Spirit Himself, when it pleases Him, can fit in the heart of man.

Not only can He, but He will. He only waits for you to prepare your heart for Him;

to convert it into a temple, for God the Holy Spirit only dwells in a temple.

Just as a serpent protects its head so you, also son, guard your heart.

Above everything that is guarded, son, guard your heart!

For in the heart enters life and from it proceeds life, life which is from the Living God.

O Life-giving Lord, help us to guard our heart for You, for You the Lord!

Nikolai Velimirovich (1880-1956; Orthodox Church): Prologue from Ohrid, June 6th.

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John Chrysostom: The Body of Christ (2) – Destroying Death Tuesday, Jun 4 2013

(Continued from here…)

Ask also Death, and say, “whence is it that thy sting hath been taken away? thy victory abolished? thy sinews cut out? and thou become the laughing-stock of girls and children, who wast before a terror even to kings and to all righteous men?”

And he will ascribe it to this Body. For when this was crucified, then were the dead raised up, then was that prison burst, and the gates of brass were broken, and the dead were loosed, and the keepers of hell-gate all cowered in fear.

And yet, had He [Christ] been one of the many, death on the contrary should have become more mighty; but it was not so. For He was not one of the many. Therefore was death dissolved.

And as they who take food which they are unable to retain, on account of that vomit up also what was before lodged in them; so also it happened unto death.

That Body, which he could not digest, he received: and therefore had to cast forth that which he had within him. Yea, he travailed in pain, whilst he held Him, and was straitened until He vomited Him up.

Wherefore saith the Apostle, “Having loosed the pains of death” (Acts 11:24.) For never woman labouring of child was so full of anguish as he [death] was torn and racked in sunder, while he held the Body of the Lord.

And that which happened to the Babylonian dragon, when, having taken the food it burst asunder in the midst, this also happened unto him.

For Christ came not forth again by the mouth of death, but having burst asunder and ripped up in the very midst, the belly of the dragon, thus from His secret chambers (Ps. 19:5) right gloriously He issued forth and flung abroad His beams not to this heaven alone, but to the very throne most high. For even thither did He carry it up.

This Body hath He given to us both to hold and to eat; a thing appropriate to intense love.

For those whom we kiss vehemently, we oft-times even bite with our teeth. Wherefore also Job, indicating the love of his servants towards him, said, that they ofttimes, out of their great affection towards him, said, “Oh! that we were filled with his flesh!” (Job 31:31).

Even so Christ hath given to us to be filled with His flesh, drawing us on to greater love.

Let us draw nigh to Him then with fervency and with inflamed love, that we may not have to endure punishment. For in proportion to the greatness of the benefits bestowed on us, so much the more exceedingly are we chastised when we show ourselves unworthy of the bountifulness.

John Chrysostom (c.347-407): Homily 24, 7 on 1 Corinthians [on 1 Cor. 10:13].

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Dorotheus of Gaza: True Love Covers All Sins Tuesday, Jun 4 2013

As I said, if we have true love, that very love would cover all sins, as did the saints when they saw the shortcomings of men.

Were they blind and did not see sins? And who hated sin more than the saints?

But they did not hate the sinners all the same time, nor condemn them, nor turn away from them, but they suffered with them, admonished them, comforted them, gave them remedies as sickly members, and did all they could to save them.

Take a fisherman: when he casts his hook into the sea and a large fish takes the bait, he perceives first that the fish struggles violently and is full of fight, so he does not try to pull it in immediately by main force for the line would break and the catch would be lost in the end.

No, he rather plays out the line and, as he says, allows the fish to run freely, but when he feels the line slacken and the first struggles have calmed down, he takes up the slack line and begins, little by little, to draw him in.

So the holy fathers, by patience and love, draw the brother and do not spurn him nor become disgusted with him.

As a mother who has an unruly son does not hate him or turn away from him but adorns him with love, and everything she does, she does for his consolation; so do the saints always cover, adorn and help the sinner, so that with time he will correct himself, and not harm anyone else, and in doing so they themselves greatly advance towards the love of Christ.

What did the blessed Ammon do when those brothers, greatly disturbed, came to him and said, “Come and see, Father, There is a young woman in Brother X’s cell.”

What great love there was in that great soul. Knowing that the brother had hidden the woman in a large barrel, he went in sat down on it, and told the others to search the whole place.

And when they found nothing he said to them, “May God forgive you!” And thus did he put them to shame, edify them and bring them great benefit by teaching them not to readily believe accusations against their neighbor.

By his consideration for his brother he not only covered him after God but corrected him when the right moment came.

Having thrown the others out, he took his hand and said, “Take a thought for you soul, brother.” Immediately the brother was ashamed and came to compunction, so swiftly did the love and compassion of the elder work upon his soul.

Dorotheos of Gaza (505-565 or 620): Conference 6 – That We Should Not Judge Our Neighbour @ Pravoslavie.

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Charles Wesley: Still, Lord, I Languish For Thy Grace Tuesday, Jun 4 2013

Still, Lord, I languish for thy grace;
Reveal the beauties of thy face,
The middle wall remove;
Appear, and banish my complaint,
Come, and supply my only want,
Fill all my soul with love.

O conquer this rebellious will!
Willing thou art and ready still,
Thy help is always nigh;
The hardness from my heart remove
And give me, Lord, O give me love,
Or at thy feet I die!

To thee I lift my mournful eye:
Why am I thus? – O tell me why
I cannot love my God!
The hindrance must be all in me
It cannot in my Saviour be,
Witness that streaming blood!

It cost thy blood my heart to, win,
To buy me from the power of sin,
And make me love again;
Come then, my Lord, thy right assert,
Take to thyself my ransomed heart,
Nor bleed, nor die in vain.

Charles Wesley (1701-1778; Church of England): Hymns, 146.

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