Christ is Risen! .....and more from The Prologue

CHRIST IS RISEN!!! INDEED HE IS RISEN!!!!

I haven't posted in quite a while, and I meant to post a Paschal greeting on Pascha (April 27), but didn't have time...time has slipped away from me. Better late than never, and it's never "out of season" to say "Christ is Risen!"--St. Seraphim of Sarov used to greet everyone that came to him with that Paschal greeting, regardless of the time of year.

While I was looking for a particular passage in St. Nikolai Velimirovic's "The Prologue", I came across some really great "pearls of wisdom" from this New Chrysostom; things that I hope can be as edifying to readers as they are to me. What a priceless treasure this publication is!!! For anyone out there contemplating on purchasing it, I cannot say enough things about

The Prologue for April 19
“An elder spiritual father said: ‘Getting up in the morning, say to yourself: body, work in order to feed yourself; soul, be vigilant in order to save yourself and inherit the Kingdom!’ These are not empty words, but this was the rule of many thousands of monks throughout the centuries: their daily Rule of Life. By labors, they fed themselves, through prayer they remained vigilant. Why only for monks? Cannot this be the Rule of every follower of Christ? Did not Christ Himself give us an obvious example of that, i.e., an example of physical effort and constant vigilance in prayer?”

The Prologue for April 25
“The devil quickly finds work for idle hands and an angel quickly finds work for diligent hands. In this world of constant movement and constant change man, whether he wants to or not, must always be busy, be it either good works or evil works. The idle man, actually is not lazy. He is a diligent worker of the devil. An idle body and an idle soul is the most suitable field for the devil's plowing and sowing. St. Anthony the Great said: ‘The body needs to be subdued and immersed in prolonged labors.’ St. Ephraim the Syrian teaches: ‘Teach yourself to work, so that you will not have to learn to beg.’ All of the other Holy Fathers, without exception, speak about the necessity of work for the salvation of the soul of man. The apostles and all the saints give to us an example of continuous and concentrated spiritual and physical labor. That the idle man, by his idleness, does not extend his life on earth but shortens it, is clearly shown by the longevity of many saints, the greatest laborers among the laborers in the world.”

The Prologue for August 10
“How can we overcome the antagonism of our enemies? By renunciation, meekness and prayer—renunciation in everything, except in faith and purity of life; meekness always; and prayer always. St. Ambrose writes: ‘This is the weapon of the righteous ones: that in retreating they conquer, just as the skillful archers are able to shoot those stronger than themselves, even as they themselves retreat.’ A brother was offended by his friend, but, nevertheless, desiring peace with him, went to him to be reconciled. His friend did not even want to open the door for him and, scolding him from within, chased him away from his dwelling. The brother then complained to a spiritual elder, who said to him: ‘You were going to your friend to be reconciled; yet, all along the way there, you condemned him in your thoughts and justified yourself. Even though your friend sinned against you, I counsel you to establish the thought in yourself that you have sinned against him. Justify him and condemn yourself. In this manner, go to him again.’ Thus, the brother proceeded. And what happened? Just as the brother approached his friend’s abode, his friend opened the door wide, ran up to him, embraced him, and made peace with him.”