ON THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST

St. Theophan the Recluse

Celebrating holy Theophany, we are transported in thought to the very place of this event, and we shall intelligently attend to what is happening there! There it is—Bethabara! You can see St. John standing on the shore, in clothes made of camel’s hair, with a girdle of a skin about his loins (Mk. 1:6). He is surrounded by a countless multitude of people from Jerusalem, Judea, and all the lands around the Jordan. The Baptism of the Lord has just finished, and all eyes are fixed upon the Son of man just emerged from the waters. They see nothing else. But sharpen by faith the eye of your mind, and following after John, passing over what is seen by all, turn an attentive gaze upon what is not seen by all—on the opened heavens, the dove descending, and the voice saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Mk. 1:11). Fix your gaze, and do not tear your attention away from this wondrous vision! O! Who will give power to our words, that they might worthily sing praises to God in three hypostases, revealed at the Jordan!

Saturday after the Nativity

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

Saturday. [Col. 1:3-6; Luke 16:10-15]

Ye cannot serve God and mammon. A divided thought and divided heart make a person unfit for anything; for A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). He either does nothing, or does and redoes; that is, he builds with one hand and destroys with the other. The source of a truly God-pleasing life is a firm resolution to please God in all things. This resolution directs all of a person’s thoughts, desires and feelings toward one thing, and thus uniting his inward [powers], it makes him strong to do deeds, bringing unity into all of his activities and imparting to them a single character. Such deeds are successful and fruitful, because they are full of true life. Where do inertia, immobility and fruitlessness of deeds come from? From inner lifelessness; and inner lifelessness comes from inner division. One single goal is not acknowledged or established as a law of life—deeds are performed haphazardly. Therefore one deed goes in its direction, another goes in another direction, and the edifice of one’s life is never erected. Choose a goal and devote your life to it. The true, main goal is indicated by the God-like nature of man; it is living communication with God. Direct also toward this main goal all personal, scholarly, worldly, civic, commercial, official, and governmental goals. If everyone in society held to this [principle], there would be one general tenor to society, and one spirit would fill everyone.

HOMILY ON THE MEETING OF THE LORD

St. Theophan the Recluse

What a tender scene the Meeting of the Lord shows us! The venerable elder Simeon, holding the infant God in his hands, on either side of him are the righteous Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God. Not far away is the Prophetess Anna, an eighty-year-old faster and woman of prayer. Their eyes are all directed toward the Savior. Their attention is absorbed by Him and they drink in spiritual sweetness from Him, which feeds their souls. You can judge for yourself how blessed was the state of these souls!

THE SPIRITUAL EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

St. Theophan the Recluse

From: Letters on the Spiritual Life

The Exaltation of the Lord’s Cross has arrived. Then the Cross was erected on a high place, so that the people could see it and render honor to it. Now, the cross is raised in the churches and monasteries. But this is all external. There is a spiritual exaltation of the cross in the heart. It happens when one firmly resolves to crucify himself, or to mortify his passions—something so essential in Christians that, according to the Apostle, they only are Christ’s who have crucified their flesh with its passions and lusts (cf. Gal. 5:24). Having raised this cross in themselves, Christians hold it exalted all their lives. Let every Christian soul ask himself if this is how it is, and let him hearken to the answer that his conscience gives him in his heart. Oh, may we not hear, “You only please your flesh in the passions; your cross is not exalted—it is thrown into the pit of the passions, and is rotting there in negligence and contempt!”

St. Theophan the Recluse on Mid-Pentecost

By St. Theophan the Recluse

On Mid-Pentecost we hear the call of the Lord: "Whosoever thirsteth, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37). If this is so, then let us all run to Him. Whatever you thirst for - so long as it is not contrary to the spirit of the Lord - you will find relief in Him. If you thirst for knowledge, run to the Lord, for He is the one and only light, enlightening every man. If you thirst for cleansing from sin and quenching of the flames of your conscience, run to the Lord, for He tore asunder the handwriting of our sins upon the Cross. If you thirst for peace in your heart, run to the Lord, for He is the treasury of all good, Whose abundance will teach you to forget all deprivations and despise all earthly good, so as to be filled with Him alone. If you need strength, He is almighty. If you need glory, His glory surpasses the world. If you desire freedom, He gives true freedom. He will resolve all of our doubts, loose the bonds of our passions, dispel all our troubles and difficulties, will enable us to overcome all obstacles, temptations and intrigues of the enemy, and will make smooth the path of our spiritual life. Let us all run to the Lord!