I had to share these - Fr. Thomas Hopko is the Dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York, and these are his 55 Maxims for basic Christian living. They are absolutely wonderful. I hope you take the time to read them and share them with others.
1. Be always with Christ.
2. Pray as you can, not as you want.
3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline.
4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times a day.
5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not occupied with other things.
6. Make some prostrations when you pray.
7. Eat good foods in moderation.
8. Keep the Church’s fasting rules.
9. Spend some time in silence every day.
10. Do acts of mercy in secret.
11. Go to liturgical services regularly.
12. Go to confession and communion regularly.
13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.
14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person.
15. Read the scriptures regularly.
16. Read good books a little at a time.
17. Cultivate communion with the saints.
18. Be an ordinary person.
19. Be polite with everyone.
20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.
21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby.
22. Exercise regularly.
23. Live a day, and a part of a day, at a time.
24. Be totally honest, first of all, with yourself.
25. Be faithful in little things.
26. Do your work, and then forget it.
27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.
28. Face reality.
29. Be grateful in all things.
30. Be cheerful.
31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.
32. Never bring attention to yourself.
33. Listen when people talk to you.
34. Be awake and be attentive.
35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary.
36. Speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly.
37. Flee imagination, analysis, figuring things out.
38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.
39. Don’t complain, mumble, murmur or whine.
40. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.
41. Don’t seek or expect praise or pity from anyone.
42. We don’t judge anyone for anything.
43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
44. Don’t defend or justify yourself.
45. Be defined and bound by God alone.
46. Accept criticism gratefully but test it critically.
47. Give advice to others only when asked or obligated to do so.
48. Do nothing for anyone that they can and should do for themselves.
49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice.
50. Be merciful with yourself and with others.
51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.
52. Focus exclusively on God and light, not on sin and darkness.
53. Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins peacefully, serenely, because you know that God’s mercy is greater than your wretchedness.
54. When you fall, get up immediately and start over.
55. Get help when you need it, without fear and without shame.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Let Us Fast with Joy
Today is the second day of Great Lent, and already I can tell a difference from how I treated last Lent to this Lent. Not to be prideful or boasting in saying this, but I think I finally have a clearer understanding of what Lent is supposed to be about.
My husband and I read the first day of Fr. Thomas Hopko's "The Lenten Spring" on what the purpose of Lent is and what it means to go through it. What struck me is that he talks over and over about fasting with JOY. Not fasting in sorrow, nor fasting with solemnity. We are to fast with JOY.
So what does this mean? I believe it to mean that Lent is not a time for grieving, but to be absorbed in learning to be strengthened in God as we willingly place ourselves within the grasp of temptation. It is a time to sharpen our swords, to arm ourselves with the skills necessary to fight off temptation in everyday life. It is a time to repent, to look inward and confess our sins, repenting of them and following Christ in all things. It is a time for falling down and getting back up again.
It is also a tithe of ourselves - if you think about it, 40 days is roughly one tenth of the 365 day year. And yes, we should be giving of ourselves at all times throughout every year, but Lent is a time for us to give the best of ourselves that we possibly can to give back to God, in a reminder to ourselves that we are His.
We are fasting with joy so that we may celebrate His resurrection with the feasting joy in our hearts! Fr. Thomas Hopko says that we should never despair - it is numbered among one of the greatest of sins, he says. Lent is not a time to be sorrowful. It is a time to fight the good fight within ourselves, to deny ourselves that which we do not depend upon to live for God. This is why we fast from not only food, but other distractions and temptations as well. Media, especially, in our day in age. Simply anything that diverts our attention from God is something to live without.
I hope you have the chance to attend as many Lenten services as you can... they are my favorite! I'm looking forward to attending the Canon of St. Andrew tonight. It will be beautiful.
May you have a very joyous and blessed Lent! May God bless you as you journey through Lent.
Here's the Quote of the Day:
"Let us begin the lenten time with delight … let us fast from passions as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit, that we may be granted to see the holy passion of Christ our God and his holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.
Thy grace has arisen upon us, O Lord, the illumination of our souls has shown forth; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the time of repentance."
~ Lenten Vesper Hymns
My husband and I read the first day of Fr. Thomas Hopko's "The Lenten Spring" on what the purpose of Lent is and what it means to go through it. What struck me is that he talks over and over about fasting with JOY. Not fasting in sorrow, nor fasting with solemnity. We are to fast with JOY.
So what does this mean? I believe it to mean that Lent is not a time for grieving, but to be absorbed in learning to be strengthened in God as we willingly place ourselves within the grasp of temptation. It is a time to sharpen our swords, to arm ourselves with the skills necessary to fight off temptation in everyday life. It is a time to repent, to look inward and confess our sins, repenting of them and following Christ in all things. It is a time for falling down and getting back up again.
It is also a tithe of ourselves - if you think about it, 40 days is roughly one tenth of the 365 day year. And yes, we should be giving of ourselves at all times throughout every year, but Lent is a time for us to give the best of ourselves that we possibly can to give back to God, in a reminder to ourselves that we are His.
We are fasting with joy so that we may celebrate His resurrection with the feasting joy in our hearts! Fr. Thomas Hopko says that we should never despair - it is numbered among one of the greatest of sins, he says. Lent is not a time to be sorrowful. It is a time to fight the good fight within ourselves, to deny ourselves that which we do not depend upon to live for God. This is why we fast from not only food, but other distractions and temptations as well. Media, especially, in our day in age. Simply anything that diverts our attention from God is something to live without.
I hope you have the chance to attend as many Lenten services as you can... they are my favorite! I'm looking forward to attending the Canon of St. Andrew tonight. It will be beautiful.
May you have a very joyous and blessed Lent! May God bless you as you journey through Lent.
Here's the Quote of the Day:
"Let us begin the lenten time with delight … let us fast from passions as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit, that we may be granted to see the holy passion of Christ our God and his holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.
Thy grace has arisen upon us, O Lord, the illumination of our souls has shown forth; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the time of repentance."
~ Lenten Vesper Hymns
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