our whole faith

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LORD JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME

These words contain our whole faith. In saying “LORD” we believe that we are servants of God and the He is our Lord. This honors Christ, that we make Him our Lord, but it also honors us, who are servants of such a Lord Who is God. When we say “JESUS, which is the human name of God, al the earthly life of Christ, from His birth to His Ascension comes to mind. In saying “CHRIST”, which means anointed by God, King of Heaven and earth, we confess and believe that Christ is our God, who created everything, and is in heaven and will come again to judge the world. In saying “HAVE MERCY ON ME” we enteat God to send us His help and His mercy for we acknowledge that without divine help we are no able to do anything. This in brief, is the explanation of these holy words. Whoever says them experiences many things.

With my whole heart, I pray that our sweet Jesus will give you this prayer, within your soul, that you may taste the spiritual ambrosia of prayer and are replenished overall.

Elder Ephraim : Counsels from the Holy Mountain

affirmations of goodness

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Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness, for in our being grateful we affirm that there are good things in the world, and good people that are part of our lives. Our being grateful does not mean that everything in life is perfect, but it does mean that we look at life as a whole, and receive with gratitude all the goodness that is in our life. In turn, our gratitude becomes the foundation for building up those around us, for in being happy ourselves, we are more likely to bring about happiness in others.

Being happy nurtures those random acts of kindness that everyone loves to experience, and promotes goodness and kindness among even strangers. People love it when other people are good to random people. This happiness becomes like a magnet, and even strangers are drawn to us, and our list of friends proliferates. There is nothing that brings about satisfaction like being grateful for our life, for the lives of those around us, for the things in our lives, and for the love God has for us. Remember, it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.

Abbot Tryphon : the morning offering

a vessel of myrrh

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The name of Jesus, prayer of the heart, is called a vessel of myrrh by the Holy Fathers. ⠀⠀

You open it, you turn it upside down and the myrrh flows out, the place is filled with fragrance. … for each one of us is a temple of God, and when we pray we become celebrants of a great mystery.⠀⠀

This is why one of the Fathers of the Church says, very beautifully “ take a censer and cense, because Christ is in your heart from which rises the cry, “Lord Jesus Christ” and elsewhere he says, ⠀

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“when we hear the swing of the censer, let us remember that we are a temple and let us feel in our minds that we are censing Christ., Who is in each of us, and thus let us venerate this tabernacle of the Holy Spirit”⠀

elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra

our first gift from God

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Our first gift from God is our hearts.  He gives it to us free.  It is a piece of earth with stones.  You must dig each day and plow each day taking away the stones to make the earth of your heart ready to yield a crop 1000-fold.  It takes hard work every day to work the earth of your heart to give a crop of sweet grapes.  Geronta (Geronta is the Greek for Elder) and Gerontissa are the machines to break up the big boulders in your heart but to remove stones can only be done by you.  It takes a lot of hard work and labor to produce sweet grapes in the end from the rocky soil of your heart.

the blessed Gerontissa Makrina

keep your mouth like the Church

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Holy Gospel and Hyacinths

“Keep your mouth as a Church.  Keep your mouth pure with only prayer in your mouth and on your tongue.

Inside a church you find only glorification of God.

It should be the same with your mouth, keep your mouth like a pure and clean virgin as a church to only be used for the glory of God and to glorify God.

Keep your mouth like this with the Jesus Prayer.”

blessed Gerontissa Makrina

God wants us to be humble

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handmaidens of the Lord

God wants us to be humble and meek because there is a devil, who never sleeps waiting to swallow us. Stay humble with the sweet name of Jesus, Jesus’ name will soften your heart.  All the day long you will want to say only Jesus’ name. If your mouth is filled with Jesus’ name you will not be able to hurt anyone with your words.  All things that you do will be soft.  If you touch another sister it will be as soft as a sponge.  The name of Jesus will soften you to the point of tears in all things.



blessed Gerontissa Makrina

a great gift to man

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Prayer is a great gift to man. Whoever cultivates prayer will delight in it and will sense the fragrant blossoms, the sweetness and the honey of Grace. He will be worthy union with God, of becoming one with God, of having theosis in the soul, of becoming god by Grace.

blessed Gerontissa Makrina

come Lord Jesus

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The Grace of God, that comes with the sweetest name of Jesus, softens the soul. The world could be upside down, and inside a person there is meekness, self control, peace and a spiritual state of great delight.

blessed Gerontissa Makrina