Please forgive me. It is Advent and here in the USA we are bombarded by temptations to buy, buy more, buy even more, buy even yet still more. I get antsy. There are so many hungry, naked, sick, uncared for people in this world and we Americans are so heavily encouraged to ignore them and prove to our wives that we love her by giving her diamonds and prove our love to our children by purchasing every new toy, that I just get queasy. Was reading chap 56 of the Rule of St. Benedict (… Continue

from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Isidore



(Abba Isidore) said, 'When I was younger and remained in my cell I set no limit to prayer; the night was for me as much the time of prayer as the day.'



Some thoughts:



This is interesting. When he was younger, Isidore says. He would pray at night and during the day. Did he advocate this? Or is he saying that now that he is older he can't pray like that? Or does he think that in his youth he… Continue

January 9, May 10, September 9

Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbess Ought to Be

An Abbess who is worthy to be over a monastery

should always remember what she is called,

and live up to the name of Superior.

For she is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery,

being called by a name of His,

which is taken from the words of the Apostle:

"You have received a Spirit of adoption ...,

by virtue of which we cry, 'Abba -- Father'" (Rom.… Continue

from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Isaiah



(Abba Isaiah) also said 'When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels, not bearing anything and doing its own will, he then allows it to suffer that which it does not want, in order that it may seek him again.'



Some thoughts:



God allows us to suffer, which is something we don't want. It's quite true we dislike suffering. OTOH, there are logical consequences to our choices. Some things… Continue

January 6, May 7, September 6

Prologue

So we have asked the Lord

who is to dwell in His tent,

and we have heard His commands

to anyone who would dwell there;

it remains for us to fulfill those duties.



Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies

to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands;

and let us ask God

that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace

for anything which our nature finds hardly… Continue