“Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you; so also do ye to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in by the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way which leadeth to destruction; and many are they that walk in it. How small the gate and straitened the way that leadeth to life, and few they who find it! Beware of false prophets; who come to you in the garb of sheep, but internally they are rapacious wolves. And from their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes; or figs from thistles? So every good tree beareth good fruits; but a bad tree beareth bad fruits. A good tree cannot bear bad fruits; nor can a bad tree bear good fruits. Every tree that beareth not good fruits, is cut down and consigned to the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Not whoever may say to me, My Lord, my Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, My Lord, my Lord, have-we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out demons? and in thy name wrought many works of power? And then will I declare to them; I never knew you. Depart from me, ye doers of evil...”

The feast of the Uncovering of the Relics of St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco (September 29/October 12) has been added to the liturgical calendar of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Holy Synod made the relevant decision yesterday on the request of His Eminence Metroplitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reports Patriarchia.ru.

His relics were uncovered in the Holy Virgin Cathedral “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco on September 30, 1993. The joyous event was already commemorated annually in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, but now will be honored by the entire Russian Church.

ROCOR celebrated the 30th anniversary of the uncovering of his relics last fall. It will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his canonization this summer as well.

The Russian Synod also added the feast of the Uncovering of the Relics of Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo (August 11/24) to its Churchwide calendar.

"Joy of all who sorrow and intercessor of the offended, feeder of the hungry, consolation of travellers, harbor of the storm-tossed, visitation of the sick, protection and intercessor of the infirm, staff of old age.  Mother of God on High, Thou art the Immaculate; hasten, we pray, and save Thy slaves."

I'm reading "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene and wanted to share this quote with you.

"One must study the Church services and the Church statutes, because the beauty and profundity of Christian worship is higher than that of angels; it is the link between earth and heaven. It is a choir of angels and men striving toward the union of their hearts with God, and of their wills with the will of God. — Elder Zachariah of St. Sergius Lavra, Russia (†1936)"

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I'm reading "The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity" by Timothy Ware and wanted to share this quote with you.

"When an Orthodox kisses an icon or prostrates himself before it, he is not guilty of idolatry. The icon is not an idol but a symbol; the veneration shown to images is directed, not towards stone, wood and paint, but towards the person depicted.

This had been pointed out some time before the Iconoclast controversy by Leontius of Neapolis (died about 650): "We do not make obeisance to the nature of wood, but we revere and do obeisance to Him who was crucified on the Cross … When the two beams of the Cross are joined together I adore the figure because of Christ who was crucified on the Cross, but if the beams are separated, I throw them away and burn them.*"

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I'm reading "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene and wanted to share this quote with you.

"As a basic principle, of course, we must assume that scientific truth (as opposed to various opinions and prejudices) cannot contradict revealed truth, if only we understand them both correctly.” This was precisely the approach to science that the early Fathers had. Discussing the Hexaemeron of St. Basil the Great, Fr. Michael Pomazansky wrote: “St. Basil acknowledges all the scientific facts of natural science. But he does not accept the philosophical conceptions, or the interpretations of these facts, which were contemporary to him: the mechanistic theory of the origin of the world, and the like.... St. Basil knew how to raise himself above the theories contemporary to him concerning the basic principles of the world, and his Hexaemeron stands above the former theories as a bird soars above the creatures which are all to move along the earth.”"

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I'm reading "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene and wanted to share this quote with you.

"Fr. Seraphim wrote to Dr. Kalomiros concerning how one’s view of Genesis affects one’s understanding of basic doctrines of the Orthodox Church: “We hear today many Orthodox priests who tell us, ‘Our faith in Christ does not depend on how we interpret Genesis. You can believe as you wish.’ But how can it be that our negligence in understanding one part of God’s revelation (which, by the way, is indeed closely bound up with Christ, the Second Adam, Who became incarnate in order to restore us to our original state) will not lead to negligence in understanding the whole doctrine of the Orthodox Church? It is not for nothing that St. John Chrysostom closely binds together the correct and strict interpretation of Scripture (specifically Genesis) and the correct dogmas which are essential for our SALVATION. Speaking of those who interpret the book of Genesis allegorically, St. John Chrysostom says: ‘Let us not pay heed to these people, let us stop up our hearing against them, and let us believe the Divine Scripture, and following what is said in it, let us strive to preserve in our souls sound dogmas, and at the same time to lead also a right life, so that our life would both testify of the dogmas, and the dogmas would give firmness to our life.... If we live well but will be negligent over right dogmas, we can acquire nothing for our salvation. If we wish to be delivered from Gehenna and receive the Kingdom, we must be adorned both with the one and with the other — both with rightness of dogmas, and strictness of life.’”"

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I'm reading "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene and wanted to share this quote with you.

"“I believe that modern science in most cases knows more than St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ephraim, and other Fathers about the properties of fishes and such specific scientific facts; no one will deny this. But who knows more about the way in which God acts: modern science, which is not even sure that God exists, and in any case tries to explain everything without Him; or these God-bearing Holy Fathers?”"

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I'm reading "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene

"Fanaticism hinders a man’s understanding, but true faith gives it freedom." - St. Macarius of Optina

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Psalms 115:1-10 Brenton

Alleluia.

I believed, wherefore I have spoken: but I was greatly afflicted. And I said in mine amazement, Every man is a liar.

What shall I render to the Lord for all the things wherein he has rewarded me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast burst my bonds asunder. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, Jerusalem.

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"O my soul, in this life prepare yourself for the life to come, lest you be troubled. For in that place, nothing can help you, not wealth, nor power, not friends, nor powerful people; nothing, except the evidence of your works and the benevolence of our God."

https://dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/dcs.html

Chapter VII.--An exhortation to repentance.

"These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us. Wherefore let us give up vain and fruitless cares, and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy calling."

"Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the sight of Him who formed us. Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world."

"Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him."

Psa 24 Brenton

A Psalm of David

To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. O my God, I have trusted in thee: let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies laugh me to scorn. For none of them that wait on thee shall in any wise be ashamed: let them be ashamed that transgress without cause.

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; and teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art God my Saviour: and I have waited on thee all the day. Remember thy compassions, O Lord, and thy mercies, for they are from everlasting. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my sins of ignorance: remember me according to thy mercy, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his ways.

Mine eyes are continually to the Lord; for he shall draw my feet out of the snare. Look upon me, and have mercy upon me; for I am an only child and poor. The afflictions of my heart have been multiplied; deliver me from my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my trouble; and forgive all my sins.

Look upon mine enemies; for they have been multiplied; and they have hated me with unjust hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I have hoped in thee. The harmless and upright joined themselves to me: for I waited for thee, O Lord.

Deliver Israel, O God, out of all his afflictions.

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The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, Chapter 2.

"Every kind of honour and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, "My beloved did eat and drink, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked."

Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity.

So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years.

For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world."