spiritual springtime

When love establishes its throne in the soul, it bestows the most beautiful spiritual springtime. Everything glistens with the breeze of love’s refreshing fragrance, for it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure’s all things, thinks no evil, does not act wickedly, sees all things simply: love covers everything. For this reason it earned the crowing achievement: Love covers everything.

Elder Ephraim: Counsels from the Holy Mountain


contemplate His compassion

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May God bless us and in His good, open His sea of compassion to us, so that we may all be found united together in the eternal and blessed life, where there is “neither pain, nor sorrow nor sighing, but life unending” and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Oh what joy that can not be taken away! What a confident awareness that henceforth the torments of this toilsome life have ended!

What God is as great as our God!

He is a Father overflowing with compassion, Who does not take sins into account, as long as His repentant child says, “I have sinned against Heaven and in your sight.” Then at once the Father embraces and kisses Him and obliterates from His heart every trace of displeasure that the childs proflifacy may have occasioned!

I lose my senses when I contemplate His abyss of paternal compassion toward sinners.

Elder Ephraim : Counsels from the Holy Mountain