☦️GM

We watch the signs of the times not just so that we can see about when Antichrist is going to come. That’s rather a secondary thing. We watch the signs of the times so we can know when Christ is going to come. That is a very fundamental thing we have to keep in mind so that we do not get overwhelmed by gloom, depression, or stay to ourselves, storing up food for the great calamity. That’s not a very wise thing. We have to be, rather, all the more Christian, that is, thinking about other people, trying to help others. If we ourselves are cold and gloomy and pessimistic, we are participating in this coldness, which is a sign of the end. We have to ourselves be warm and helping each other out. That’s the sign of Christianity. ☦️Fr Seraphim Rose

☦️ GM

Friendly reminder: death is no more ☦️

Fenix ammunition accepts bitcoin.

Please understand that martyrs find their peace in the throne room of God. Make no mistake, Charlie is a martyr and is basking in the uncreated glory of God.

GM☦️

Be the Bee, Not the Fly Some people tell me that they are scandalized because they see many things wrong in the Church. I tell them that if you ask a fly, “Are there any flowers in this area?” it will say, “I don’t know about flowers, but over there in that heap of rubbish you can find all the filth you want.” And it will go on to list all the unclean things it has been to. Now, if you ask a honeybee, “Have you seen any unclean things in this area?” it will reply, “Unclean things? No, I have not seen any; the place here is full of the most fragrant flowers.” And it will go on to name all the flowers of the garden or the meadow. You see, the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or hyacinth is. As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought. ☦️ Saint Paisios of Mount Athos

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Fantastic

On deck 👀 #bookstr

"Israel isn’t a country. It just isn’t. Israel was, and has always been, a womb, an entry way, known late in the creation story as a woman named Mary, and now known as the body of believers, those who follow Christ. Israel was always the place made to accommodate the coming of God into the world. That’s what Christians believe. If you call yourself a Christian and you don’t believe this, you are a schizophrenic and I wish you the best. The people of Israel did their job. The Theotokos said yes. Christ happened. And He didn’t happen just because I call myself a Christian. He happened for everyone. I’m betting my life on it. I believe it to be true. Once Christ came and lived, and died, and resurrected, and ascended, and then sent his Holy Spirit, the place called Israel moved mystically into the font of baptism and into the soul of man. And everyone, no matter what DNA molecules you claim to have, has access to this new Israel. All of us can join the Israel club, and when you do, you enter Christ, and that place in which you live is called The Orthodox Church".

Bibi Land and Christianity

Bibi Land loves Darbyland and also... isn't this all kind of obvious?

Fr. Turbo Qualla On pain: Masochism is hatred Asceticism is love. People seek pleasure to forget themselves, and so a process begins which becomes addiction… Pain reminds us of our selves, keeps us present and so we see the mystery behind asceticsm and ultimately the Cross as life. Saint Sophrony teaches that pain brings you to yourself. When you're running from pain, you're just deluded. That's why everyone's deluded. When you're running from pain, you're running for pleasure. “I just need a break. I just need to escape. I just need to not think about it. I just need to veg out.” No. No more. Your whole life every day should be like this: “I stayed in the fire five minutes longer than yesterday.  I stayed in the fire ten minutes longer than yesterday. I stayed in the fire for an hour longer than yesterday.” That should be your whole life. Until you're engulfed in flames.  Because what is the flame? Pain. You're supposed to be fully aware of who you are at all times. Pain. What are ascetics? Ascetics have learned to embrace the way of pain. They seek it. They live it out because of the benefit it brings. Because they're sober. Because an ascetic truly is one who's integrated. The pain is what integrates you, not the other way around. Pleasure diffuses you. Even trauma can be transfigured. Everything that is eternal is birthed out of trauma. Everything that is positive has been built off of pain – pain that was accepted and pain that was given to God. Everything. Pleasure diffuses your energy. Sex is the lower and Prayer is the higher creative act.  Sex (pleasure) diffuses and prayer gathers.. It's the highest creative act. This is why Sophrony stopped painting. Sophrony stopped painting because he was seeking enlightenment through the arts.  And he came to a place where he realized his whole life had been dedicated to art, to painting, but it wasn’t enough. So he abandoned everything that he knew and loved to pray. Why did he go to Kouroulia? Because in Kouroulia there's no cenobium. There's nothing. There's nothing but prayer. You can't go to Kouroulia unless you have prayer. Prayer is everything. It's the highest expression. Embrace pain. Allow God to transfigure it. That's what this tradition does. It's not something you have to intellectualize. If you're actually praying and accepting, it will happen.

In order for the medicine of the teaching of the word of God to be of benefit, it is necessary for the life of the preacher to accord with what he preaches “so that his life witnesses to the doctrines and the doctrines render his life more credible. . . for teaching through deeds is more precise and more credible by far than teaching through words. Such a teacher is able to teach even if silent and unseen. ☦️St. John Chrysostom

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