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20525 Center Ridge Rd. #401
Rocky River, OH 44116
United States
(440) 941-4850
A Pan-Orthodox ministry that displays Christian love, mercy and compassion to the individuals, families and facilities it serves.
Giving us before Your Passion an assurance of the general resurrection, You have raised Lazarus, Christ our God. Therefore, like the children we also carry symbols of victory and cry to You, the Conqueror of Death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.
"Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence." --St. Basil the Great
"Repentance is the beginning, middle and end of the Christian way of life..." --St. Gregory Palamas
"'I have sinned' is just three syllables; and yet in these three syllables the flames of the heart's sacrifice rise up to heaven." --St Augustine of Hippo
"He who has learned the law properly fears the Lawgiver and, fearing Him, he turns away from every evil." --St. Mark the Ascetic
"Fearful afflictions await the hard of heart, for without great sufferings they cannot become pliable and responsive." --St. Thalassios the Libyan
"The knowledge of God does not reside in a body that loves comforts." --St Isaac of Syria
Savior, I have fallen into a great abyss because of my sins, and my transgressions weigh me down. Stretch out Your hand to me as You did to Peter, O Lord. Save me, O God, and have mercy on me.
My thoughts and deeds condemn me, O Savior. Give me the thought of turning back, that I may cry out to You: Save me, O God, and have mercy on me!
Another world awaits you, my soul: a Judge will soon reveal your secret and terrible thoughts and deeds! Do not linger, then, among the things that are here. Anticipate the Judgment and cry out to the Judge: Be merciful to me, O God, and save me!
Do not reject me at the testing, my Savior, though I am held fast by the laziness of sin. Arouse my thoughts to repentance; make me a proven worker of Your vineyard: grant me the wages of the eleventh hour and great mercy!
"Complete trust in God; that is what Holy humility is." --St Porphyrios
"He who attains love cannot fall." --St. Macarios the Great
"What is the human mind without Christ? It’s a suffering, tortured lamentation. What is the human soul without Christ? It’s a talking scarecrow. What is our conscience, our free will? Hopeless blindness. What is the body without Christ? A disgusting, loathsome worm. What is our will? A helpless criminal In general, what are we without Christ? A terrible, external spectacle." --St. Justin Popovich
"We must give thanks for all things to the Lord, Who has rightly given us difficulties that we may learn patience, which is more beneficial than comforts, and ennobles the soul." --St. Moses of Optina
"Prayer is food for the soul. Do not starve the soul; it is better to let the body go hungry. Do not judge anyone; forgive everyone. Consider yourself worse than everyone in the world and you will be saved. As much as possible, be more quiet." --St. Joseph of optima
"God loves us very much. He has us in mind in each and every moment and He protects us. We should know this and not be afraid of anything." --St. Porphyrios
"We must not allow Christ to be overshadowed by any regulations, any customs, any traditions, any aesthetic considerations, or even any piety." --St. Maria of Paris
Penitential Stanzas (Tone 8)
King and Master, the angels praise You without ceasing, and I fall before You crying out like the Tax-Collector: God be merciful to me and save me (Luke 18:13)!
My soul, because you are immortal, be not overwhelmed by the waves of this life. But return to sobriety and cry out to Your Benefactor: God be merciful to me and save me!
Grant me tears, O God, as You once gave them to the woman who had sinned, and count me worthy to wash Your feet which have delivered me from the path of error. As sweet-smelling ointment, let me offer You a pure life created in me through repentance. And may I also hear the words which I long to hear: Your faith have saved you, go in peace (Luke 7:37-50).
When I call to mind the many evils I have done, and I think about the fearsome day of judgement. I am seized with trembling and I flee to You for refuge, the God Who loves mankind. I beseech You Who alone are free from sin to turn not away from me. But before the end comes grant compunction to my humbled soul and save me.
"I prefer a sinful man who knows he has sinned and repents, to a man who has not sinned and considers himself to be righteous." --Abba Sarmatas
"To be Orthodox means to have the God-man Christ constantly in your soul, to live in Him, think in Him, feel in Him, act in Him. In other words, to be Orthodox means to be a Christ-bearer and a Spirit-bearer." --St. Justin Popovich
"When you want to resolve a complex problem, seek God's will in the matter, and you will find a constructive solution." --St. Mark the Ascetic
"Christians have a glory and a beauty and a heavenly wealth which is beyond words, and it is won with pains, and sweat, and trials, and many conflicts, and all by the grace of God." --St. Macarius the Great
"Prayer is a remedy against grief and depression. --St. Nilus
King and Master, the angels praise You without ceasing, and I fall before You crying out like the Tax-Collector: God be merciful to me and save me [Luke 18:13]!
My soul, because you are immortal, be not overwhelmed by the waves of this life. But return to sobriety and cry out to Your Benefactor: God be merciful to me and save me!
Grant me tears, O God, as You once gave them to the woman who had sinned, and count me worthy to wash Your feet which have delivered me from the path of error. As sweet-smelling ointment, let me offer You a pure life created in me through repentance. And may I also hear the words which I long to hear: Your faith have saved you, go in peace [Luke 7:37-50].
When I call to mind the many evils I have done, and I think about the fearsome day of judgement, I am seized with trembling and I flee to You for refuge, the God Who loves mankind. You alone are free from sin and I beseech You not to turn away from me. But before the end comes grant compunction to my humbled soul and save me.
"God wants only one thing from us--humility. Nothing else." --St. Paisios the Athonite
"The only person who is free is the one who lives for Christ." --St. John Chrysostom
"Above all let us be convinced that nothing can happen to us apart from the providence of God."
--St. Dorotheos of Gaza
"Let listening to worldly news be bitter food for you, and let the words of saintly men be as combs filled with honey." --St. Basil the Great
"Intelligent men have no need to listen to much talk, but should attend only to that which is profitable and guided by God's will." --St. Antony the Great
"Unbelievers, those who believe with difficulty, or believe in part, are those who do not show their faith through works. Apart from works the demons also believe (James 2:19) and confess Christ to be God and Master. 'We know who You are' (Mark 1:24), they say, 'You are the Son of God' (Matthew 8:29), and elsewhere, 'These men are servants of the Most High God' (Acts 16:17). Yet such faith will not benefit the demons, nor even humans. This faith is of no use, for it is dead."
--St. Symeon the New Theologian
I have no repentance and no tears. Therefore, Savior, I entreat You: Before the end comes convince me to turn back and grant me compunction, that I may be delivered from torment.
Christ, at Your fearsome Second Coming may we not hear the words: I do not know you (Matthew 25:12). For we have put our trust in You, Savior, though in our negligence we do not keep Your Commandments. Still we entreat that You save our souls.
Savior and Physician of Our Souls and Bodies: Heal the wounds of my heart inflicted on me through my many sins. For You always grant forgiveness of transgressions to those who ask. Lord, grant me tears of repentance and remission of my transgressions, and have mercy on me.
Finding me naked, stripped of virtues, the Enemy wounded me with the arrow of sin. But God, Physician of Our Souls and Bodies, heal the wounds of my soul and have mercy on me.
"Establish yourself in God and then you will be helpful to others." --St. Seraphim of Sarov
"If man remembered that it is written: 'By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned,' (Matthew 12:37) he would choose to remain silent." --St. Poemen
"When a bad or gloomy thought, fear or temptation threatens to afflict you, don’t fight it to try and get rid of it. Open your arms to Christ’s love and he will embrace you, then it will vanish by itself." --St. Porphyrios
"Do not be always wanting everything to turn out as you think it should, but rather as God pleases, then you will be undisturbed and thankful in prayer." --St. Nilus
"Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and inventive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence." --St. Philaret of Moscow
"When pride retreats from a man, humility begins to dwell in him, and the more pride is diminished, so much more does humility grow. The one gives way to the other as its opposite. Darkness departs and light appears. Pride is darkness, but humility is light." --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
"Cry out, O sinner, with all your might; for your Lord is merciful and loves those who repent. As soon as you return, your Father will come out to meet you. He will slaughter the fatted calf , clothe you in a fine robe, and rejoice in you." --St. Ephraim the Syrian
"The soul that loves God has its rest in God and in God alone. In all the paths that men walk in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God." --St. Isaac the Syrian
"Be ever more obedient to God and He will save you." --St. Pachomius
"So in every test, let us say, 'Thank you, my God, because this was needed for my salvation." --St. Paisios
"Do not forsake prayer, for just as the body becomes weak when it is deprived of food, so also the soul when it is deprived of prayer draws nigh to weakness and spiritual death." --St. Gennadius of Constantinople
"The Lord Himself commanded that we pray unceasingly, not just with the tongue to be heard by men, but rather enclosed in the cell of the heart, so that the Lord can hear and see us." --St. Nikolai Velimirovich
"What I see around me would drive me insane, if I did not know that no matter what happens, God will have the last word." --St. Paisios
"A truly humble person never behaves like a teacher; he will listen, and, whenever his opinion is requested, he responds humbly. In other words, he replies like a student. He who believes that he is capable of correcting others is filled with egotism." --St. Paisios
"'Seek' (He says) 'and you shall find': but how can we find the Lord? Consider how gold is found - with much labor…that is, just as we seek what is lost, so let us seek God. Do we not concentrate our mind thereon? Do we not enquire of every one?" --St. John Chrysostom
"The beginning on the right path is knowing and recognizing one's own inabilities." --St. Porphyrios
"As salt is needed for all kinds of food, so humility is needed for all kinds of virtues." --St. Isaac the Syrian
"Sin has reigned over us and the inventor and father of sin has lorded it over all who dwell under the sky, provoking the transgression of the divine laws. But in Christ we see human nature, enjoying freedom of access to God." --St. Cyril of Alexandria
"The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God." --St. Clement of Alexandria
"This is the mark of Christianity—however much a man toils, and however many righteousnesses he performs, to feel that he has done nothing, and in fasting to say, 'This is not fasting,' and in praying, 'This is not prayer,' and in perseverance at prayer, 'I have shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to practice and to take pains'; and even if he is righteous before God, he should say, 'I am not righteous, not I; I do not take pains, but only make a beginning every day.'" --St. Marcarius the Great
"When you are insulted by someone or humiliated, guard against angry thoughts, lest they arouse a feeling of irritation and so cut you off from love and place you in the realm of hatred." --St. Maximus the Confessor
"Do not claim to have acquired virtue unless you have suffered affliction, for without affliction virtue has not been tested." --St. Mark the Ascetic
"Let not one think, my fellow Christian, that only priests and monks need to 'pray with out ceasing' (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and not laymen No, no; every Christian without exception ought to dwell always in prayer." --St. Gregory Palamas
"Whatever you may be seeking, seek it with all your strength, but do not expect your own search and efforts to bear fruit of themselves. Put your trust in the Lord, ascribing nothing to yourself, and He will give you your heart’s desire." --St. Theophan the Recluse
Here these also are in imitation of him, who leave before the final blessing! If he had not gone, then he would not have made the betrayal; if he did not leave his co-disciples, then he would not have perished; if he had not removed himself from the flock, then the wolf would not have seized and devoured him alone; if he had separated himself from the Pastor, then he would not have made himself the prey of wild beasts. Wherefore he (Judas) was with the Jews, and those (the apostles) went out with the Lord. Dost thou see, by what manner the final prayer after the offering of the sacrifice is accomplished? We should, beloved, stand forth for this, we should ponder this, fearful of the coming judgement for this. We should approach the Holy Sacrifice with great decorum, with proper piety, so as to merit us more of God’s benevolence, to cleanse one’s soul and to receive eternal blessings, of which may we all be worthy by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and worship now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Having made mention about the Body of the Lord, I shall also say a little about this, and then the conclusion of the talk. Many now will approach the Holy Table on the occasion of the feast. But some approach not with trembling, but shoving, hitting others, blazing with anger, shouting, cursing, roughing it up with their fellows with great confusion. What, tell me, art thou troubled by, my fellow? What disturbeth thee? Do urgent affairs, for certain, summon thee? At this hour art thou particularly aware that these affairs of thine that thou particularly rememberest, that thou art situated upon the earth, and dost thou think to mix about with people? But is it not with a soul of stone naturally to think, that in such a time thou stand upon the earth, and not exult with the Angels with whom to raise up victorious song to God? For this Christ also did describe us with eagles, saying, “where the corpse is, there are the eagles gathered” (Matthew 24:28)—so that we might have risen to heaven and soared to the heights, having ascended on the wings of the spirit. But we, like snakes, crawl upon the earth and eat dirt. Having been invited to supper, thou, although satiated before others, would not dare to leave before others while others are still reclining. But here, when the sacred doings are going on, thou at the very middle would pass by everything and leave? Is it for a worthy excuse? What excuse might it be? Judas, having communed that last evening on that final night, left hastily as all the others were still reclining.
Consider, that the commandments of the law are the main point of the two denarii. Our race needed to pay this debt; but we did not pay it, and we, falling under such an accusation, were embraced by death. Christ came, and finding us afflicted by it, paid the debt, fulfilled the necessary and seized from it those who were not able to pay. Wherefore He does not say: “It is necessary for us to do this or that,” but rather “to fulfill every righteousness.” “It is for Me, being the Master,” says He, “proper to make payment for the needy.” Such was the reason for His baptism—wherefore they should see that He had fulfilled all the law—both this reason and also that, about which was spoken of before. Wherefore also the Spirit descended as a dove, because where there is reconciliation with God—there also is the dove. So also in the ark of Noah the dove brought the branch of olive—a sign of God’s love of mankind and of the cessation of the flood. And now in the form of a dove, and not in a body—this particularly deserves to be noted—the Spirit descended, announcing the universal mercy of God and showing with it, that the spiritual man needs to be gentle, simple and innocent, as Christ also says: “Except ye be converted and become as children, ye shalt not enter into the Heavenly Kingdom” (Matthew 18:3). But that ark, after the cessation of the flood, remained upon the earth; this ark, after the cessation of wrath, is taken to heaven, and now this Immaculate and Imperishable Body is situated at the right hand of the Father.
Thus, since they were kinsmen, in order that it should not seem that John would testify concerning Christ because of kinship, the grace of the Spirit organized it such, that John spent all his early years in the wilderness, so that it should not seem that John had declared his testimony out of friendship or some similar reason. But John, as he was instructed of God, thus also announced about Him, wherein also he did say: “and I knew Him not.” From whence didst thou find out? “He, having sent me that sayeth to baptize with water, [is] the One [Who] did tell me” What did He tell thee? “Over Him thou shalt see the Spirit descending, like to a dove, and abiding over Him, that One is baptized by the Holy Spirit” (John 1:32-33). Dost thou see, that the Holy Spirit did not descend as in a first time then coming down upon Him, but in order to point out that preached by His inspiration—as though by a finger—it pointed Him out to all. For this reason He came to baptism.
And there is a second reason, about which He Himself spoke. What exactly is it? When John said, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and Thou art come to me?” He answered thus: “Stay now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill every righteousness” (Matthew 3:14-15). Dost thou see the meekness of the servant? Dost thou see the humility of the Master? What does He mean, “to fulfill every righteousness?” By righteousness is meant the fulfillment of all the commandments, as is said: “both were righteous, walking faultlessly in the commandments of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). Since fulfilling this righteousness was necessary for all people—but no one of them kept it or fulfilled it—Christ came then and fulfilled this righteousness.
And what righteousness is there, someone will say, in being baptized? Obedience for a prophet was righteous. As Christ was circumcised, offered sacrifice, kept the sabbath and observed the Jewish feasts, so also He added this remaining thing, that He was obedient to having been baptized by a prophet. It was the will of God, then, that all should be baptized—about which John speaks: “He having sent me to baptize with water” (John 1:33); so also Christ: “The publicans and the people do justify God, having been baptized with the baptism of John; the Pharisees and the lawyers reject the counsel of God concerning themselves, not having been baptized by him” (Luke 7:29-30). Thus, if obedience to God constitutes righteousness, and God sent John to baptize the nation, then Christ has also fulfilled this along with all the other commandments.
Now it is necessary to say, for whom was Christ baptized and by which baptism? Neither the former, the Jewish, nor the last—ours. Whence hath He need for remission of sins, how is this possible for Him, Who hath not any sins? “Of sin,” it says in the Scriptures, “worked He not, nor was there deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). And further, “who of you convicteth Me of sin?” (John 8:46). And His flesh was privy to the Holy Spirit. How might this be possible, when it in the beginning was fashioned by the Holy Spirit? And so, if His flesh was privy to the Holy Spirit, and He was not subject to sins, then for whom was He baptized? But first of all it is necessary for us to recognize, by which baptism He was baptized, and then it will be clear for us. By which baptism indeed was He baptized? Not the Jewish, nor ours, nor John’s. For whom, since thou from thine own aspect of baptism dost perceive, that He was baptized not by reason of sin and not having need of the gift of the Spirit. Therefore, as we have demonstrated, this baptism was alien to the one and to the other. Hence it is evident, that He came to Jordan not for the forgiveness of sins and not for receiving the gifts of the Spirit, but so that some from those present then should not think that He came for repentance like others. Listen to how John precluded this: What he then spoke to the others then was, “Bear ye fruits worthy of repentance.” But listen to what he said to Him: “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and Thou art come to me?” (Matthew 3:8, 14). With these words he demonstrated, that Christ came to him not through that need with which people came, and that He was so far from the need to be baptized for this reason—so much more sublime and perfectly purer than Baptism itself. For whom was He baptized, if this was done not for repentance, nor for the remission of sins, nor for receiving the gifts of the Spirit? Through the other two reasons, of which the one the disciple speaks, and about the other He Himself spoke to John. Which reason of this baptism did John declare? Namely, that Christ should become known to the people, as Paul also mentions: “John therefore baptized with the baptism of repentance, so that through him they should believe on Him that cometh” (Acts 19:4). This was the consequence of the baptism. If John had gone to the home of each and, standing at the door, had spoken out for Christ and said: “He is the Son of God,” such a testimony would have been suspicious, and this deed would have been extremely perplexing. So too, if he in advocating that Christ had gone into the synagogues and witnessed to Him, this testimony of his might be suspiciously fabricated. But when all the people thronged out from all the cities to Jordan and remained on the banks of the river, and when He Himself came to be baptized and received the testimony of the Father by a voice from above and by the descent of the Spirit in the form of a dove, then the testimony of John about Him was made beyond all questioning. And since he said: “and I knew Him not” (John 1:31), his testimony put forth is trustworthy. They were kindred after the flesh between themselves, “wherefore Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, hath also conceived a son”—said the Angel to Mary about the mother of John (Luke 1: 36). If, however, the mothers were relatives, then obviously so also were their children.
But what does “with the Holy Spirit and with fire” mean? Call to mind that day, on which for the Apostles “there appeared disparate tongues like fire, and sat over each one of them” (Acts 2:3). That the baptism of John did not impart the Spirit and remission of sins is evident from the following [words of] Paul, [who] “found certain disciples, and said to them: received ye the Holy Spirit since ye have believed? They said to him: but furthermore whether it be of the Holy Spirit, we shall hear. He said to them: into what were ye baptized? They answered: into the baptism of John. Paul then said: John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance”—repentance, but not remission of sins; for whom did he baptize? “Having proclaimed to the people, that they should believe in the One coming after him, namely, Christ Jesus… they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus: and Paul laying his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them” (Acts 19:1-6).
Do you see, how incomplete was the baptism of John? If the one were not incomplete, would then Paul have baptized them again, and placed his hands on them? Having performed also the second, he showed the superiority of the apostolic Baptism and that the baptism of John was far less than his. Thus, from this we recognize the difference of the baptisms.
"Nothing equals the mercy of God or surpasses it. To despair is therefore to inflict death on oneself." --St. John Climacus
"The aim of prayer is that we should acquire from it love of God, for in prayer are to be found all sorts of reasons for loving God." --St. Isaac the Syrian
"Faith requires obedience, and not curiosity; and when God commands, one ought to be obedient, not curious." --St. John Chrysostom
"My God, I do not know what you will do, but I surrender myself to you completely so that you will make me into a human being." --St. Paisios
"God is not known by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to the belief that God exists, but they did not know God. It is one thing to believe that God exists and another to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound to any earthly thing." --St. Silouan of Mt. Athos
"What is it to be a fool for Christ? It is to control one's thoughts when they stray out of line. It is to make the mind empty and free..." --St. John Chrysostom
"From humility it is known that a man is a true disciple of Jesus, meek and humble of heart. If we wish to show evidence that we are true Christians, let us learn from Christ to be humble as He Himself enjoins us, 'Learn of Me; for I am meek, and lowly in heart'" (Matthew 11:29). --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
"Death is, properly speaking, separation from God, and 'the sting of death is sin.' In taking it on, Adam was banished at once from the Tree of Life, from Paradise, and from God, whereupon there followed, of necessity, the death of the body. On the other hand, life is, properly speaking, the One who says 'I am the life.' By His death He brought back to life again the one who had died." --St. Maximos the Confessor