The Orthodox Church conducts her missionary work quietly, with humility, and reverence –
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being conscious of the powerlessness of man and the strength of God.
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Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
roots
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It is not the place lace that produces success, but Faith and a firm will.
A tree that is often transplanted does not bear fruit.
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Saint Euthymius the Great
Such a great encouragement to “bloom where you are planted”
seek ye the Lord
To search for God means that I have already found Him, for God is already present in my searching
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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
His promises are true
The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy because the Lord bears witness to nothing other than Himself and the inner principles of His creation (Jn 5:30-32). Whatever God tells us is trustworthy, whatever He promises will come to pass. God’s testimony is so reliable, He grants wisdom even to children, since it confirms them in their faith and belief.
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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
God has not abandoned you
The truth is that afflictions are not a sign of God’s absence or abandonment but rather of His presence.
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Afflictions are like the kneading of dough in the making of bread. They are the preparations for the mystical marriage, and without them the soul is left uniformed, cold and alone.
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It is affliction alone that can tear us away from our isolated, individual existence and transform us into something much more whole and open.
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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
it never fails
For love does not seek its own, it labors, sweats, watches to build up the brother: nothing is inconvenient to love, and by the help of God it turns the impossible into the possible.
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Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
because He first loved us
We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
In the end, this is not the agony of man trying to find God, but the agony of God trying to find man; it is the pain of God running in love to those that abandoned Him, that were cut off from Him, that forgot about Him, that despised and rejected Him.
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Until the lost shall be found, until the finite be united with the Infinite, God will be in agony
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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
salvation is not a formula {repost}
“for each person, there is a unique path towards God and those who are spiritual should know this mystery and dispense for their brothers the knowledge of these unique paths.”
The Enlargement of the Heart
Archimandrite Zacharias
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“Since Christ is the power and wisdom of God the Father—the brightness of the Father’s glory (Heb 1:3), the substantial and perfect Image of the invisible God—where He is, there is the uncreated and saving grace of God. His Cross restores man to immortality and stirs up desire for the things of heaven.”
The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s World
footnotes 1 Corinthians 1:24
live in Christ
We must not look for people’s consolation,
but for God’s
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Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
we ought to love one another
The eternity of God stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of human existence. Human life is of limited duration, but the mercy of the Lord is from age to age.
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God’s love is eternal because God is eternal, and God is love.
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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
gladsomelife.com 