Good day to you all. Love and blessings be upon you and with you, today and always.
Famous birthdays for the 17th of April. ... 1671) 1620 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, Troyes France, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame (first Canadian saint) I know we dont usually have Canadians visiting this site, but so what. We shall not be put off by that, ay my brothers and sisters.
My saint for today for those of you, whom like me are in a prayerful mind is St Ephrem.
St Ephrem the Syrian is the patron saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders...
Below I have pasted on of St Ephrems prayers for us to do as we will. Me; I shall pray it and meditate on it!
“While the dying person addresses his last words to us, suddenly his tongue is at a loss, his eyes dim, his mouth falls silent, his voice paralyzed when the Lord’s troops have arrived, when His frightening armies overwhelm him, when the divine bailiffs invite the soul to be gone from the body, when the inexorable lays hold of us to drag us to the tribunal… Then the angels take the soul and go off through the air. There stand principalities, powers and leaders of the adverse troops who govern the world, merciless accusers, strict agents of an implacable tax bureau, like so many examiners that await the soul in the air, ready to demand a reckoning, to examine everything, brandishing their claims, that is to say our sins: those of youth and of old age, those intentional and those not so, those committed by actions and those by words or thoughts. Great then is the fear of the poor soul, inexpressible its anguish when it sees itself at grips with these myriads of enemies, who stop it, push and shove it, accuse it, hinder it from dwelling in the light, from entering into the land of the living. But the holy angels, taking the soul, lead it away.”
Then the faithful remnant of Christians "will flee into the
wilderness and mountains and caves--praying day and night in great
humility.., that they may be delivered from the serpent,.. And this will
be granted them from the holy God".
"For by permission of the Holy God, [Antichrist] will receive the
power to deceive the world, because impiety will have filled the earth,
and everywhere every sort of horror will be committed"
"A courageous soul will be required, that will be able to keep its
life in the midst of these temptations, For if a man is proved to be
even a little careless, he will easily be exposed to assault and will be
captured by the signs of the evil and cunning beast"
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages! Amen!
"As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach, honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord, and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and serve him, and making to them relative veneration. This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world."
Thats all for today folks. Have a good day and know that you are loved. Please pass this on. Your brother of Christ, Peter.
Famous birthdays for the 17th of April. ... 1671) 1620 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, Troyes France, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame (first Canadian saint) I know we dont usually have Canadians visiting this site, but so what. We shall not be put off by that, ay my brothers and sisters.
My saint for today for those of you, whom like me are in a prayerful mind is St Ephrem.
St Ephrem the Syrian is the patron saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders...
Below I have pasted on of St Ephrems prayers for us to do as we will. Me; I shall pray it and meditate on it!
Κύριε καὶ Δέσποτα τῆς ζωῆς μου, πνεῦμα ἀργίας, περιεργίας, φιλαρχίας, καὶ ἀργολογίας μή μοι δῷς.,In English, this is:
Πνεῦμα δὲ σωφροσύνης,[1][2] ταπεινοφροσύνης, ὑπομονῆς, καὶ ἀγάπης χάρισαί μοι τῷ σῷ δούλῳ.
Ναί, Κύριε Βασιλεῦ, δώρησαι μοι τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὰ ἐμὰ πταίσματα, καὶ μὴ κατακρίνειν τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, ὅτι εὐλογητὸς εἶ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust for power and idle talk.
But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity (integrity), humility, patience and love.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brother. For blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
St. Ephraim the Syrian: While the dying person addresses his last words to us . . .
“While the dying person addresses his last words to us, suddenly his tongue is at a loss, his eyes dim, his mouth falls silent, his voice paralyzed when the Lord’s troops have arrived, when His frightening armies overwhelm him, when the divine bailiffs invite the soul to be gone from the body, when the inexorable lays hold of us to drag us to the tribunal… Then the angels take the soul and go off through the air. There stand principalities, powers and leaders of the adverse troops who govern the world, merciless accusers, strict agents of an implacable tax bureau, like so many examiners that await the soul in the air, ready to demand a reckoning, to examine everything, brandishing their claims, that is to say our sins: those of youth and of old age, those intentional and those not so, those committed by actions and those by words or thoughts. Great then is the fear of the poor soul, inexpressible its anguish when it sees itself at grips with these myriads of enemies, who stop it, push and shove it, accuse it, hinder it from dwelling in the light, from entering into the land of the living. But the holy angels, taking the soul, lead it away.”
— St. Ephrem the Syrian, “Sur la seconde venue du Christ”, ed. Assemani, tome 3, pp. 275-276. excerpted from “Life After Death According to the Orthodox Tradition” by Jean-Claude Larchet pp. 90-91
Selected prophecies of St. Ephraim the Syrian on the Last Days
(words in quotes are from St. Ephraim, other words are from the author to give context)
St.
Ephraim says: "At the time when the serpent [the Antichrist] shall
come, there will be no calm on the earth; there will be great
affliction, consternation, disorder, death and famine unto all the ends
of the earth."
"He
will come as one humble, meek, a hater (as he will say of himself) of
unrighteousness, despising idols, giving preference to piety, good, a
lover of the poor, beautiful to an extreme degree, constant, gracious to
all... He will not accept bribes, speak with anger, show a gloomy
countenance, but with a decorous exterior he will take to deceiving the
world, until he has become king"
"When
the many classes and the people see such virtues and power, suddenly
all will conceive the same thought, and with great joy will proclaim him
king, saying among themselves: 'Can another man so good and righteous
be found?'"
"[Christ] will not leave the human race without His preaching, in order that all will be without answer at the Judgment"
[The
Antichrist] will show partiality towards Christians, "promising them
every sort of protection in return for their acknowledgment of his
leadership." "Those not comprehending Christianity will see in him a
representative and champion of the true religion and will join with him"
Those
who remain faithful to Christ will incite his wrath "and then this
serpent will become proud in his heart and vomit forth his bitterness"
Such
will be the tribulation of that time that "all men will call blessed
the dead and those already buried before this great sorrow came upon the
earth".
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages! Amen!
"As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach, honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord, and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and serve him, and making to them relative veneration. This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world."
Thats all for today folks. Have a good day and know that you are loved. Please pass this on. Your brother of Christ, Peter.
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