Dear Friends, “Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.” [1 Thessalonians 5:17-22]
The Feast of the Epiphany The solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Greek: epiphaneia ortheophaneia, “appearance or manifestation of God”) is the original feast of Christ’s birth in the East. In antiquity an “epiphany” meant either a visible manifestation of a god or the solemn visit of a ruler, who was venerated as a god, to the cities of his realm.
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Nilus All-merciful Virgin Theotokos, Mother of compassions and love for mankind, my most beloved hope and aspiration!
“A love that desires to see God may not have reasonableness on its side, but it is the evidence of filial love. It gave Moses the temerity to say: If I have found favor in your eyes, show me your face. It inspired the psalmist to make the same prayer: Show me your face. Even the pagans made their images for this purpose: they wanted actually to see what they mistakenly revered.” [Saint Peter Chrysologus
Dear Friends, “He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.’” [Mark 4.26-27]
“We have to withdraw from time to time to be silent and still, to gain perspective, to look beyond this world to search for the origin and purpose of it all. Is there one with power to heal? Is there a teacher who will speak to me of truths my mind cannot discover? Where is the guide to show me the way through life’s problems and difficulties? The Christian knows there is such a one. It is he who spoke of himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life ... It is in silence that we shall hear a voice deep within us speaking to our nobler selves, calling us to high ideals and generous instincts.” [Cardinal Basil Hume OSB The Mystery of Love]
“I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” [Ephesians 4.1-3]
“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” [1 Corinthians 15.51-52]
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” [Luke 9. 48]
“Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” [John 11.25-27]
Dear Friends, “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the reality belongs to Christ.” [Colossians 2.17]
Dear Friends, “He answered, ‘An enemy has done this’. His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up? But he replied, No…’” [Matthew 13.28-29]
Dear Friends, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life… So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” [Matthew 6. 25; 34]