Why should we confess ? ( St. Paisios )

The Elder advised one visitor to go to confession. He objected:

— Gheronta, what sense is there in confessing, and then sinning again?

Then the Elder explained him:

— Look, during war, when someone is wounded, say, with a bullet in his leg, should he not first of all see the doctor to get his wound dressed? If he says: "Why should I get the wound dressed, if I shall be wounded again anyway?" Then he will die prematurely from bleeding or blood poisoning, which he could have avoided. The same thing happens with sins. That is why you go and confess, and if you fall again, confess again. And let it be so until you stop falling.

St. Paisios 

http://agapienxristou.blogspot.com/2017/01/why-should-we-confess-st-paisios.html

A CHRISTIAN OR AN ACTOR? ( Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyiannis )

"Christ is born, give glory
Christ is upon earth, be exalted ! "
In Christ's love and many blessings,
the author

NEW EDITION
A CHRISTIAN OR AN ACTOR? (128 pages)
by Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyiannis (CV)

Introduction
Our life is beautiful, but it is corrupted by passions. The greatest damage (destruction), is done by the king of passions; selfishness. In this book we will see how this passion works in our soul, but also how we will overcome it, so that we can transform our lives, by truly living with the humble Jesus, being heirs of His Kingdom. Amen

 
A chapter from the book
1. “You will be like gods”
(Gen. 3:5)

God created Adam and Eve “in His image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). With the
ability to improve their position; to come closer to Him. The devil knew this, and in order to deceive them, he told them if they eat the forbidden fruit, they “will be like gods” (Gen. 3:5). They believed and ate it, losing both God and themselves.
Coming out of Paradise, they did not forget that they had been created “in the image and likeness” of God. That they were once small gods. This has passed through their DNA, as a result all their descendants inherit it. Thus, every man is born with the illusion that he is an earthly god; that he is on top of the world, and everyone else is down below, looking and admiring him. Or, as the late Professor Nikolaos Nissiotis said, “we have the illusion that our ego is the center of the world. And everyone else is revolving around ourselves.” “Do not think, as you look at yourself, the others look at you when you are crossing crowds of people. The only thing they give attention, is to themselves”, a Priest said to a young man who suffered from agoraphobia.

As we view ourselves as god, we want the other person to think of it, and this is why we are expecting praise from that person, even if it is false. “You are great and powerful” , Queen Amalia used to say to Theodore Kolokotronis. “Do not believe her. She’s pulling your leg” Makriyiannis whispered in his ear. “I know, but I like it! ”. Take a look at this crazy fact: On the one hand, we consider ourselves to be on top of the world, seeing our fellow humans as a “footstool of our feet ” and on the other hand, we want from these trivial people, praise and applauses...!
This feeling (deception) of being earthly gods, makes us judge one another on our own merits. If you regularly wake up at seven in the morning, then, according to you, a person who wakes up at eight, wakes up late. Whereas the one who wakes up at six, according to you, he wakes up early.
A 9th grade (Middle School) student was asked: “How old is your theologian professor?” “He is old. Forty years old.” He was old, because the student who judged him, was young. “How old are you?” A 95-year-old man asked his fellow villager. “I am 85 years old.” “I see! You are young.” The 95-year-old responded, judging also (as the student) according to himself.

The struggle of a Christian is how to uproot from within himself the illusion, of being an earthly god, and gain the feeling that he is “dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27), so God may dwell within him, becoming like Him.
But most people cultivate the thought that they are earthly gods, going as far as to believe they are great and important, but may be small and trivial...! Do you see? We ourselves assemble, feed the passion of selfishness. Within us there is simply the tendency, the predisposition.

Publisher: Archangels Publications. www.ArchangelsBooks.com
E-mail: archangelsgiftshop@gmail.com

Divine Services on the Nativity of Christ

Next to Pascha, the Nativity of Christ is the most joyous festival, and may justly be called the "Winter Pascha." The celebration of the Nativity of Christ was established very early, possibly already in the first century. But until the end of the fourth century, the Nativity of Christ was celebrated with His Baptism on the 6th of January (the 19th according to the New Style) and was called Theophany. Beginning in the fourth century, the Nativity of Christ began to be celebrated on the 25th of December (on the day of the pagan festival in honor of the "Invincible Sun"). At present, this takes place on the 7th of January according to the Gregorian Calendar. The Church prepares the faithful for a worthy celebration of the Nativity of Christ by a forty-day fast, which begins on the 15 th/28th of November, on the day after the commemoration of the Apostle Philip (hence "Philip's Fast"). Orthodox Christians spend the Eve of the Nativity of Christ in strict fasting. According to the Typicon, on this day one may only eat sochivo (boiled wheat with honey), so this day is called Sochel'nik.

On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, the "Royal Hours" are performed. This divine service differs from the usual "Hours" by the reading of special "paremias" (readings from the Bible, primarily from the Old Testament) corresponding to the feast. Furthermore, the Apostol and Gospel are read.

The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is then performed with Vespers. At this Vespers, the stichera on "Lord, I have cried," depict both the inner significance and the outward picture of the Nativity of Christ. Thus, we hear how, with the Incarnation of the Son of God, the strife between God and men ceases, the fiery sword of the angel (blocking the entry to paradise) is turned back, and we receive access to paradise. We also hear of the doxology of the angels, of Herod's confusion, and of the unification of all men under the authority of the Roman emperor Augustus.

Additional paremias are read at Vespers. The first paremia (Gen. 1:1-13) speaks of the creation of man by God. The second (Num. 24:2-9, 17-18) speaks of the prophetic significance of the star out of Jacob and the birth of the Messiah, to whom all men will submit. The third (Micah 4:6-7, 5:2-4) speaks of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The fourth (Isaiah 11:1-10) speaks of the Rod (i.e., the Messiah) that would come forth from the root of Jesse and of the fact that the Spirit of God would rest upon Him. The fifth (Baruch 3:36-38; 4:1-4) speaks of the appearance of God on earth and of His life among men. The sixth (Dan. 2:31-36, 44-45) prophecies the restoration of the Heavenly Kingdom by God. After the conclusion of the Liturgy, the priests stand before the icon of the feast in the middle of the Church, and glorify Christ with the singing of the troparion and the kontakion of the feast.

In the evening, on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, a solemn All-night Vigil is served. This begins with Great Compline and the triumphant singing of the verses: God is with us, containing a prophecy of the birth of the Messiah (see Isaiah 7:14, 8:8-15 and 9:6-7). The stichera at the Litia express the triumph of heaven and earth, of angels and men, who rejoice over the descent of God to the earth and the spiritual and moral change in men that followed. The stichera for the Aposticha proclaim that a most glorious miracle has been performed: the Word is born incorruptibly from a Virgin and is not separated from the Father. After "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart," the following troparion is sung.

Troparion

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, shined the light of knowledge upon the world: for therein they that adored the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high: O Lord, glory be to Thee.

Before the reading of the Six Psalms at the beginning of Matins, the church choir joins with the heavenly choir to sing: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will among men.

In the Canon, the thought is expressed that He Who was born of the Virgin is not a simple man, but God, Who has appeared in the flesh on earth for the salvation of men, as was foretold concerning Him in the Old Testament. In the Canon, Jesus Christ is called the Benefactor Who has reconciled us with God, and the Father Who has freed us from the authority of the devil and saved us from sin, the curse and death (see the Canon of Matins below). After the sixth ode of the Canon and the Small Litany is sung the following kontakion.

Kontakion

Today the Virgin giveth birth to Him Who is beyond being, and the earth offereth a cave to Him Who is unapproachable; angels doxologize with shepherds, and Magi journey with a star; for a young Child, the pre-eternal God, is born for our sake.

On the very feast of the Nativity, at the beginning of the Liturgy, instead of the psalms "Bless the Lord, O my soul" and "Praise the Lord, O my soul," special antiphons are sung. The prokeimenon before the Apostol expresses the worship of Jesus Christ by all creation: Let all the earth worship Thee and chant unto Thee; let them chant unto Thy name, O Most High. The reading from the Apostol explains how, through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, we have become children of the Heavenly Father: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ (Gal. 4:4-7). The Gospel reading tells of the adoration by the Magi of the Lord Who had been born.

Every sin, in reality is a sin through pride ( St. Justin Popovich )

 

The third sin, which synthesizes all the sins of the world is: “the pride of life.” That is the first sin in all the worlds: the sin of Satan. The source of all sins, which always was and will forever stay as such. It can be said: pride is the ultimate sin. Every sin, through its life force, comes from it and holds to it: “the pride of life”–woven from countless multifarious prides, both great and small, both short-term and long term.

Let us remember the primary things: the pride of glory (scientific, government, in any rank or position in general), pride of beauty, pride of wealth, pride of benevolence, pride of humility (yes! of humility), pride of charity, pride of success…There is not a virtue that pride cannot convert into a vice. The pride of prayer converts the person praying into a Pharisee, and the ascetic into a self-murderer.

So, every sin, in reality is a sin through pride, because Satan in in reality Satan through pride. If it were not for pride, sin would not exist, neither in the angelic or the human world. All this “is not of the Father.” That which is of the Father is the Only Begotten Son of God. He is incarnate and personified humility before all of His divine perfections. In His Gospel, the beginning virtue, the ultimate virtue is humility (Matt. 5:3). Humility is the only medicine for pride and all other sins.

 

St. Justin Popovich

Angel Did not Write down the Names of Those Who Took Communion with Unconfessed Sins

Rufinus the Presbyter. "Living of Desert Fathers."
(translated from Russian)
We cannot pass over in silence the inhabitants of the desert adjoining the Porfenian sea and bordering the area of the city Diolk. There we saw one wonderful priest, named Piammon, who was notable for the absolute humility and meek indulgence. He was given the grace of revelation. Once bringing the Bloodless Sacrifice to the Lord, he saw an Angel of the Lord near the Altar: he was holding a book in which he wrote down the names of the monks who approached to the Holy Altar. The elder carefully noticed whose names the Angel missed. After the end of the liturgy, he summoned separately each one of the missed by the Angel and asked him whether he had some secretly committed sin in the conscience. At this confession, he revealed that each of them was guilty of a mortal sin ... Then he persuaded them to bring repentance, and casting himself down before the Lord along with them, prayed with tears day and night, as if he was involved in their sins. And he was in repentance and tears until he saw the Angel again, standing before the Altar and writing down the names of those who were taking the Holy Mysteries. Having written down the names of everyone, the Angel even started to call each one by name, inviting to come to the Altar for reconciliation with God. And the elder, seeing this, understood that their repentance was accepted and happily admitted everyone to the Altar.