Homily Three on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

Homily Three on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

On the Virtue of Humility

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

"Lord and Master of my life, bestow on Your servant the spirit of humility, for You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen."

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, at the beginning of Great Lent, when we were just entering the first days of the Holy Fast, the Church offered us the instruction that while we fasted physically, we should also fast spiritually. The Church showed us that a true and pleasing fast to God "is to put away all evil, to control the tongue, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury" (Stichera for Monday of the First Week of Great Lent). Thus, if we, abstaining from food and drink, do not at the same time abstain from malice, envy, hatred, ill-will, condemnation, then, without eating bread, we devour our neighbor, and with one hand we build up, while with the other we destroy. Therefore, the Holy Church from the very beginning offered us the deeply meaningful prayer of Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, which with its repentant humble spirit awakened in us the desire to acquire virtues and turn away from vices.

April: Day 3: Venerable Niketas the Confessor

April: Day 3:
Venerable Niketas the Confessor
 
(On Consolations Amidst Persecutions for the Truth)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Niketas, celebrated today, came from the city of Caesarea in Bithynia. After serving for a short time in one church as a clergyman, he went to the Medikion Monastery, where with ardent zeal he began to labor for the Lord and for his soul in fasting and prayer. In the entire monastery there was no one more zealous than Niketas. For his lofty ascetic life, he was soon chosen as the abbot of the monastery. God rewarded him with the gift of miracles. Word of him spread far and wide. Many began to come to be saved under his guidance. 100 monks gathered.

The life of Venerable Niketas was peaceful and quiet. But during his time the iconoclastic heresy spread. Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) raised a cruel persecution against all venerators of holy icons. For venerating holy icons, people were deprived of property, positions, imprisoned, sent into exile and subjected to all kinds of torture. The turn came to Venerable Niketas. Since he did not renounce the veneration of holy icons, he was first imprisoned, and then sent to exile on the island of the Holy Martyr Glykeria, where he languished for six whole years and endured many bitter insults. But here the Lord glorified him and Niketas, by the power of God, performed many miracles.

Homily Two on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily Two on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

"Bestow on Your Servant Instead a Spirit of Chastity, Humility, Patience and Love"

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

In our previous conversation, dear brothers and sisters, we paused to reflect on the prayer of the Venerable Ephraim the Syrian and noted that this profoundly meaningful prayer is filled with a spirit of repentance and humility, and that each of its words resonates within our souls and helps us to recognize our passions, vices, and to desire virtue, without which no one can draw near to God. Last time, we discussed the first four petitions in which the Venerable Ephraim the Syrian asks the Lord not to grant him the spirit of idleness, despondency, lust for power and idle talking. And now we will continue our conversation.

April: Day 2: Venerable Titus the Wonderworker

April: Day 2:
Venerable Titus the Wonderworker
 
(Do Miracles Still Happen Today?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Our blessed and holy father Titus, whose memory is celebrated today, loved Christ from an early age, and for His sake, leaving the world, he entered the Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople as a monk. He spent his entire life in labor and prayer, distinguished by his strong faith, meekness, love for his neighbors and mercy. The Lord, in reward for his special faith and piety, granted His faithful servant the "gift of miracles." During the iconoclastic heresy, he showed himself to be a firm and unwavering defender of the truth, and departed to the Lord in peace (in the 9th century).

Homily One on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily One on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

"Give Me Not a Spirit of Idleness, Despondency, Lust for Power and Idle Talking"

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, during Great Lent we hear how at each Divine Lenten service the priest reads a short but touching prayer:

Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of idleness,
despondency, lust for power, and idle talking.
 
Bestow on Your servant instead
a spirit of chastity,
humility, patience, and love.
 
Yes, Lord King, grant me to see my own offenses,
and not to condemn my brethren,
for You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.