Wars and Rumors of Wars (Matt 24:6)
He is speaking of wars in Jerusalem…for there are many wars and calamities in the world at large, which have always been and will always be. For before this, were wars, and tumults, and fights. But, He speaks of the Jewish wars coming upon them at no great distance, for henceforth the Roman arms were a matter of anxiety. Since then these things also were sufficient to confound them, He fortells them all.
Originally posted 2006-04-17 22:48:19.
But let thine apparel be plain, not for adornment, but for necessary covering: not to minister to thy vanity, but to keep thee warm in winter, and to hide the unseemliness of the body: lest under the pretense of hiding the unseemliness, thou fall under another kind of unseemliness by thy extravagant dress.
Originally posted 2008-08-27 18:47:05.
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John 20:19-20 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had said this, He showed unto them His Hands and His Side.
On the selfsame day on which He had appeared unto Mary, and discoursed with her, He also showed Himself to the holy disciples, who dreaded the intolerable attacks of the impious Jews, and were, on that account, collected together in a certain house. For it was not likely that they who had been so instructed, and had often been bidden to make haste to escape from the wrath of their would-be murderers, would be found lacking in proper prudence. Christ miraculously appears unto them.
Originally posted 2006-04-28 11:32:15.
Isaac’s obedience (Genesis 22:1-19)
Isaac himself carries the wood for His own holocaust: this is a figure of Christ. For He bore the burden of the Cross; yet to carry the wood for the holocaust is really the duty of the priest. He is then both victim and priest.
Originally posted 2006-04-19 22:21:17.
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The word corruption has two meanings. For it signifies all the human sufferings, such as hunger, thirst, weariness, the piercing with nails, death, that is, the separation of soul and body, and so forth. In this sense we say that our Lord's body was subject to corruption.
Originally posted 2006-04-25 12:09:19.
“Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in [through the] child-bearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”
Great modesty and great propriety does the blessed Paul require of women, and that not only with respect to their dress and appearance: he proceeds even to regulate their speech. And what says he? “Let the woman learn in silence”; that is, let her not speak at all in the church; which rule he has also given in his Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says, “It is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Cor. xiv. 35.); and the reason is,
Originally posted 2006-05-02 12:06:48.
Often, doubtless, when we have not the Lord’s passion in mind and see the image of Christ’s crucifixion, His saving passion is brought back to remembrance, and we fall down and worship not the material but that which is imaged: just as we do not worship the material of which the Gospels are made, nor the material of the Cross, but that which these typify. For wherein does the cross, that typifies the Lord, differ from a cross that does not do so? It is just the same also in the case of the Mother of the Lord. For the honor which we give to her is referred to Him Who was made of her incarnate. And similarly also the brave acts of holy men stir us up to be brave and to emulate and imitate their valor and to glorify God. For as we said, the honor that is given to the best of fellow-servants is a proof of good-will towards our common Lady, and the honor rendered to the image passes over to the prototype. But this is an unwritten tradition, just as is also the worshipping towards the East and the worship of the Cross, and very many other similar things.
Originally posted 2006-04-30 13:12:44.
A brother overcome by lust went to see a great old man and besought him, saying, 'Be so good as to pray for me, for I am overcome by lust.' And the old man prayed to God for him. A second time he went to the old man and said the same thing, and once more the old man did not omit to beseech God for him, saying, 'Lord, reveal to me the manner of life of this brother and whence comes this action of the devil, for I have already besought you and he has not found peace'. Then God revealed this to him about the brother: he saw him sitting with the spirit of lust beside him and an angel, sent to his aid, was standing beside him and becoming angry with him because he did not fall down before God but, taking pleasure in his thoughts, delivered up his spirit completely to the action of the devil. So the old man knew that the cause came from the brother, and he told him, 'It is you who are consenting to your thoughts.' Then he taught him how to resist thoughts, and the brother, restored by the old man's prayer and teaching, found rest.
Originally posted 2006-04-30 13:23:03.
Divine compassion brought it about in a wonderful way that when the doubting disciple touched the wounds in his Master’s body, he cured the wounds of our unbelief. Thomas’ unbelief was of more advantage to our faith than the faith of the believing disciples because when he was led back to faith by touching Jesus, our minds were relieved of all doubt and made firm in faith. And so after His resurrection Jesus allowed His disciples to doubt. But He did not desert him in his doubt. It is much the same as when before His birth He desired that Mary have a husband, who had not yet married her. The disciple who doubted and touched became a witness to the truth of the resurrection in just the same way as the husband of His mother had been the guardian of her perfect virginity.
Originally posted 2006-04-29 17:34:37.
Created in His image and likeness
You have printed Your traits on us! You created us in Your image and according Your likeness! You made us Your currency; yet Your coins should not remain in darkness. Send the ray of Your wisdom to scatter our darkness, for Your image to shine in us…Do not think how to return the reward to Him …Reflect back on His image; He does not ask for more…He wants His coin back…Do offer Him something of yours, because when you do this, you would only offer Him sin.
Originally posted 2006-04-17 20:03:31.
There was a monk named Pambo and they said of him that he spent three years saying to God, Do not glorify me on earth. But God glorified him so that one could not gaze steadfastly at him because of the glory of his countenance.
Two brethren came to see Abba Pambo one day and the first asked him, Abba, I fast for two days, then I eat two loaves; am I saving my soul, or am I going the wrong way?? The second said, Abba, every day I get two pence from my manual work, and I keep a little for my food and give the rest in alms; shall I be saved or shall I be lost?? They remained a long time questioning him and still the old man gave them no reply. After four days they had to leave and the priests comforted them saying, Do not be troubled, brothers. God gives the reward. It is the old man’s custom not to speak readily till God inspires him.? So they went to see the old man and said to him, Abba, pray for us. He said to them, Do you want to go away?? They said, Yes. Then, giving his mind to their works and writing on the ground he said, If Pambo fasted for two days together and ate two loaves, would he become a monk that way No. And if Pambo works to get two pence and gives them in alms, would he become a monk that way? No, not that way either. He said to them, The works are good, but if you guard your conscience towards your neighbor, then you will be saved. They were satisfied and went away joyfully.
Four monks of Scetis, clothed in skins, came one day to see the great Pambo. Each one revealed the virtue of his neighbor. The first fasted a great deal; the second was poor; the third had acquired great charity; and they said of the fourth that he had lived for twenty-two years in obedience to an old man. Abba Pambo said to them, I tell you, the virtue of this last one is the greatest. Each of the others has obtained the virtue he wished to acquire; but the last one, restraining his own will, does the will of another. Now it is of such men that the martyrs are made, if they persevere to the end.
Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, of holy memory, begged Abba Pambo to come down from the desert to Alexandria. He went down, and seeing an actress he began to weep. Those who were present asked him the reason for his tears, and he said, Two things make me weep: one, the loss of this woman; and the other, that I am not so concerned to please God as she is to please wicked men.
Abba Pambo said, By the grace of God, since I left the world, I have not said one word of which I repented afterwards.
He also said, The monk should wear a garment of such a kind that he could throw it out of his cell and no-one would steal it from him for three days.
They said of Abba Pambo that as he was dying, at the very hour of his death, he said to the holy men who were standing near him, Since I came to this place of the desert and built my cell and dwelt here, I do not remember having eaten bread which was not the fruit of my hands and I have not repented of a word I have said up to the present time; and yet I am going to God as one who has not yet begun to serve him.
He was greater than many others in that if he was asked to interpret part of the Scriptures or a spiritual saying, he would not reply immediately, but he would say he did not know that saying. If he was asked again, he would say no more.
Abba Pambo said, If you have a heart, you can be saved.
The priest of Nitria asked him how the brethren ought to live. He replied, ?With much labor, guarding their consciences towards their neighbor.
They said of Abba Pambo that he was like Moses, who received the image of the glory of Adam when his face shone. His face shone like lightning and he was like a king sitting on his throne. It was the same with Abba Silvanus and Abba Sisoes.
The said of Abba Pambo that his face never smiled. So one day, wishing to make him laugh, the demons stuck wing feathers on to a lump of wood and brought it in making an uproar and saying, Go, go!? When he saw them, Abba Pambo began to laugh and the demons started to say in chorus, Ha! Ha! Pambo has laughed!? But in reply he said to them, I have not laughed, but I made fun of your powerlessness, because it takes so many of you to carry a wing.
Abba Theodore of Pherme asked Abba Pambo, Give me a word. With much difficulty he said to him, Theodore, go and have pity on all, for through pity, one finds freedom of speech before God.
Originally posted 2006-04-17 19:59:57.
And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.' My friends, consider the greatness of this solemn feast that commemorates God's coming as a guest into our hearts! If some rich and influential friend were to come to your home, you would promptly put it all in order for fear something there might offend your friend's eyes when he came in. Let all of us then who are preparing our inner homes for God cleanse them of anything our wrongdoing has brought into them.
Originally posted 2006-06-11 08:21:28.
In Lower Egypt there was an anchorite who was well-known because he dwelt in a solitary cell in the desert. Now by the power of Satan, a shameless woman who had heard of him said to some young men, "What would you give me if I could cause your anchorite to fall?" They agreed to give her something of value. In the evening she went out and came to his cell as though she had lost her way, and when she knocked the anchorite came out. When he saw her he was troubled and said, "How have you come here?" Weeping, she said, "I came here because I have lost my way." Filled with compassion, he made her come into the entry, and he returned to his cell and shut it, but the unfortunate creature began to cry out, "Abba, the wild animals are eating me." He was uneasy again, but fearing the judgment of God, he said, "What is the source of this hardness of mine?" and he opened the door and made her come inside. Then the devil attempted to attack him with his arrows. Pondering the warfare of the enemy, he said, "The ways of the enemy are darkness, whereas the Son of God is light", and he rose and lit the lamp. Burning with desire, he said, "Those who commit such acts go to the punishment; try then, and see if you can bear the everlasting fire", and put his finger into the lamp and burnt it without feeling it, so extreme was the sensual flame. he went on doing this until morning, burning all his fingers. The unfortunate woman, seeing what he was doing, was petrified with fear. In the morning the young men came to see the anchorite and said to him, "Did a woman come here last night?" He said, "Yes, she is inside, asleep." They entered and found her dead, and they said to him, "Abba, she is dead." Then uncovering his hands, he showed them to them, saying, "Look what the daughter of the devil has done to me; she has destroyed my fingers", and he told them what had happened and said, "It is written, "Do not render evil for evil", and he prayed and awoke her , and she went away an lived wisely the rest of her life."
Originally posted 2008-03-06 19:45:40.
I shall speak first about control of the stomach, the opposite to gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat. I shall say nothing on my own account, but only what I have received from the Holy Fathers. They have not given us only a single rule for fasting or a single standard and measure for eating, because not everyone has the same strength; age, illness or delicacy of body create differences. But they have given us all a single goal: to avoid over-eating and the filling of our bellies? A clear rule for self-control handed down by the Fathers is this: stop eating while still hungry and do not continue until you are satisfied.
Originally posted 2006-04-17 19:57:48.
A man may seem to be silent, but if his heart is condemning others, he is babbling ceaselessly. But there may be another who talks from morning till night and yet he is truly silent, that is, he says nothing that is not profitable.
Originally posted 2006-04-17 19:52:57.