Oblate Daily Friday, December 19, 2014 / December 6, 2014 [East] St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia Repose of Blessed Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev New Martyr Nicholas of Caramania, at Smyrna [SB: Holy Rule] Chapter 54 - Whether a Monk Should Receive Letters or Anything Else Let it not be allowed at all for a monk to give or to receive letters, tokens, or gifts of any kind, either from parents or any other person, nor from each other, without the permission of the Abbot. But even if anything is sent him by his parents, let him not presume to accept it before it hath been make known to the Abbot. And if he order it to be accepted, let it be in the Abbots power to give it to whom he pleaseth. And let not the brother to whom perchance it was sent, become sad, that no chance be given to the devil (Eph 4:27; 1 Tm 5:14). But whosoever shall presume to act otherwise, let him fall under the discipline of the Rule. [Lectio Divina] Hebrews 13:17 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. [Daily thoughts from St. Theophan the Recluse] Readings: Titus 1:15-2:10; Luke 20:19-26 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesars, and unto God the things which be Gods (Luke 20:25). This means that each gets what is his own. In our times, instead of the things which be Caesars we should substitute the things which are worldly, and say that worldly things have their turn, while the things of God have theirs. But everyone has rushed toward earthly things alone, and they leave the godly things behind. That is why godly things not only are left out of their proper place--that is, in the first place, as they ought to be--but are completely forgotten. A consequence of this supposedly unintentional forgetfulness is that the godly is darkened in ones consciousness, and then both its content and foundation become unclear. From this come weakness of conviction and vacillation of faith. Then there is alienation from the Faith and the influence of the winds of various teachings. Everyone goes down this path when he begins to be careless about godly things; society takes this path when in its customs it begins to ignore what God requires of it. When godly things are left in the background, then emancipation from godly requirements begins to be established in society, in the intellectual, moral, and aesthetic sense. There occurs secularization (serving the spirit of the time) of politics, customs, entertainment, and then of education and all institutions. At the current time, people do not think, speak, or write about what is Gods, nor do they even keep them in mind--not in any of their undertakings. Is it surprising, given such a state of mind, that teachings contrary to the Faith find access to society and that society is inclined toward mass unbelief?
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 04:59:00 +0000
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