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(176) The human soul is a free
power, for it can become either a power for good or
evil, according to the direction which you yourself
give it. Lord, Almighty Power! strengthen mine
infirm soul in every virtue! Stablish my heart, weak
for everything good, upon the immovable rock of Thy
commandments! Lord, I daily recognize, through
experience, that without Thee I myself am nothing;
that without Thee I can do no good; without Thee
evil in its various forms is alone within me;
without Thee I am the son of perdition. O
unspeakably Good One, fill my heart with Thy
goodness! But above all, I pray Thee, grant that I
may love Thee with all my heart and my neighbor as
myself. Grant that I may be neither malicious,
proud, presumptuous, nor disobedient, but grant that
I may be gentle, humble, tenderly respectful, and
obedient. Amen.
(177) O Lord! let not Thy gifts,
both spiritual and material, lie idle in us and for
us; grant that they may be exercised salutarily and
usefully. Fulfill this in all. May the number of Thy
talents be increased by the personal activity of
each one of us.
(178) Do not suffer, Lord, that
even for an instant I may do the will of Thine and
mine enemy - the Devil, but grant that. I may
continually do Thy Will, solely the will of my God
and my King by Whom all kings reign, grant that I
may ever obey Thee, reverence Thee truly and firmly.
°'O come let us worship, and fall down and kneel
before the Lord our Maker; serve the Lord in fear
and rejoice unto Him with reverence" (cf. Psalm 95,
6; 2, 11). Lord! Grant that I may see my
transgressions, that I may not despise sinners, like
unto myself, and may not nourish any ill-feeling in
my heart against them for their sins, that I may
despise myself as I deserve, as the greatest of
sinners, and that I may ever feel an implacable
hatred of myself - mine own carnal man: "If any man
... hate not ... his own life, he cannot be My
disciple" (St. Luke 14, 26), says the Lord.
(179) O infinitely great
Benefactor, my Saviour! When I represent to myself
the infinite corruption of my nature by manifold
sins and passions, my spirit is despondent and
downcast, but as soon as I remember Thee, that Thou
camest to renew my nature,, corrupted by sin, and to
bestow upon my dishonor, upon my shame, the
nobility of the angles, and even a still higher
nobility than that of the angels, the nobility of
the Son of God Himself, through faith in Thee,
through regeneration by water and the Spirit, and
through the communion of Thy Holy Sacrament, then my
spirit instantaneously rises up from its
despondency, shakes off the infamy of the passions,
and is wholly filled with gratitude to Thee. Glory
to Thee, O infinite Mercy and Power, Son of God!
(180) Glory to Thee, all-holy,
life-giving "Spirit, proceeding from the Father and
ever resting in the Son" (Stichera on Trinity
Sunday), undivided from the Father and the Son!
Glory to Thee, Son of God, Who castest out Devils by
the Spirit of God (St. Matthew XII. 28; St. Luke XI.
20) and orderest our salvation, sanctifying,
teaching and strengthening us by the same Spirit!
Glory to Thee, Father, ever condescending to us in
the Son by the Holy Ghost! Trinity in undivided
unity, have mercy upon us!
(181) Holy Spirit, living,
personal, ruling, living bond of the Father and the
Son, have mercy upon me!
(182) Holy Spirit, giving life to
and uniting all creation, and, above all, to
reasonable. creatures - power of all creation, have
mercy upon me!
(183) Take me captive, Lord, in
the sweet captivity of Thy Holy Ghost, so that my
words may flow "as the rivers in the south" (Psalm
CXXVI. 4) to Thy glory and to the salvation of Thy
people! Grant me this sweet and powerful inward
impulse to set down upon parchment the fulness of
spiritual visions and feelings! Let "my tongue (be)
the pen of a ready writer" (Psalm XLV. 1) .. of the
All-Holy Spirit!
(184) Lord! Grant me a simple,
kind, open, believing, loving, and generous heart,
worthy of being Thy dwelling-place, O Most Gracious!
(185) I look to Thee alone, Lord,
with my spiritual vision. I believe in Thee
undoubtingly, Thou Thyself knowest how and what to
give me. Thou art - the treasury of every blessing,
Thou art - mercy, wisdom, and omnipotence abundantly
flowing upon all creatures. Thus I also look to
Thee, O Holy Virgin. "Intercede for and have mercy
upon me Thyself!"
(186) Save us, Thy race, Our
Lady! Save us! we who are of one blood with Thee!
Save us, Mother of Life and Mother of us all,
although we are not worthy to call Thee our Mother!
Cleanse, sanctify, strengthen and save us through
Thy prayers!
(187) Merciful Lady, ever
manifest and show Thy power upon me, and upon Thy
people who are God-fearing and virtuous, by
delivering us, in accordance with our prayer, from
impure, crafty and blasphemous thoughts, from all
our sins and passions, and from the snares of the
Devil, for Thou art the merciful Mother of God.
(188) The Virgin Mary is the most
merciful sovereign of all the sons and daughters of
men, as the Daughter of God the Father, Who is love;
the Mother of God the Word, of our love; the chosen
bride of the Holy Ghost, Who is love consubstantial
with the Father and the Word. How can we do
otherwise than have recourse to such a sovereign
and expect to receive all spiritual blessing from
Her?
(189) I thank Thee, my Lord, my
Master, and my Judge, for teaching me how to pray
simply to Thee, for hearing my calling upon Thee,
for saving me from my sins and sorrows, and for
rightly directing my ways. I called upon Thee (in
the sin of my wickedness) in the words of the church
prayer, "O, Lord, our God, Who grantest forgiveness
unto men through repentance.. ." And as soon as I
finished this prayer, peace and lightness
established themself in my soul (29th June, 1864).
(190) Lover of men, Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, I thank Thee from all my heart,
for having heard my prayer to love my neighbour and
despise earthly things, and for having poured into
my heart peaceful, reasonable and sweet love.
Strengthen these in me, O God, through the prayers
of Our Most Pure Lady, Thy Mother, and may I be Thy
child, O Lord, and Her truest child. 26 July, 1864.
11 o'clock, evening.
(191) Lord! Thou camest to save
us through faith in Thee; behold, I truly believe
that Thou art my Saviour - save me! Thou camest to
renew my nature, corrupted by sin - renew me, I who
have corrupted myself by passions and carnal
desires, renew me both spiritually and bodily, so
that I may be pure in heart and strong in body to
the glory of Thy Name. Thou camest to deliver us
from the works of the enemy - deliver me from the
works of the most evil, impure, and abominable
enemy, warring in my members and inclining me,
drawing me forcibly to sin. Thou camest to enlighten
us - enlighten my heart, darkened by passions. Thou
camest to gather together that which was scattered -
gather together my thoughts, scattered by the enemy.
Thou camest to strengthen us in our weakness, and
said: "For My strength is made perfect in weakness";
and Thine apostle says: "Most gladly, therefore,
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12,
9); behold I am most infirm, and without Thee can
do no good thing; without Thee I cannot think or
feel anything good, cannot wish or speak, or do
anything good. I am positively powerless for any
good without Thee; bestow Thy grace upon me, give me
light and strength to think and feel good that which
is, and to easily speak and do that which shall
please Thee. Behold, I commit all my life unto Thee,
Christ my God, my Saviour, my Regenerator, cleanse,
sanctify, and save me. "Make me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 41,
10). Help me: for without Thee my destruction is
near and speedy at every hour.
(192) A morning prayer. O, God!
Creator and Master of the World! Mercifully protect
Thy creature, adorned with Thy Godly image, in these
morning hours: Let Thine eyes, millions and
millions of times brighter than the rays of the
sun, vivify and enlighten my soul, darkened and
slain by sin. Deliver me from despondency and
slothfulness, grant me joy and vigour of soul, so
that with a glad heart I may praise Thy mercy, Thy
holiness, Thy boundless greatness, and Thy infinite
perfections, at every hour and in every place. For
Thou, Lord, art my Creator and the Master of my
life, and to Thee Thy reasonable creatures every
hour ascribe glory and praise, both now and for ever
and to ages of ages. Amen.
(193) When you are granted
recovery from any illness, render thanks to God in
the following short form of praise: - Glory to Thee,
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the
everlasting Father, Who alone art able to heal all
manner of sickness and disease in men, that Thou
hast had mercy upon me, a sinner, and hast delivered
me from my sickness, not allowing it to develop and
slay me according to my sins. Grant to me, from this
time forth, Master, strength to firmly fulfil Thy
will, to the salvation of my accursed soul, and to
Thy glory, and that of Thy everlasting Father, and
of Thy consubstantial Spirit, both now and for ever,
and to the ages of ages. Amen.
(194) Glory to Thee, Saviour,
Almighty Power! Glory to Thee, Saviour, Omnipresent
Power! Glory to Thee, Fount of mercies! Glory to
Thee, ever-open Hearing, ever-ready to hear my
prayers, accursed as I am, in order to have mercy
upon me, and to save me from my sins! Glory to Thee,
to Thy brightest Eyes, looking lovingly upon me and
penetrating into all my secrets! Glory to Thee,
Glory to Thee, Glory to Thee, sweetest Jesus, my
Saviour!
(195) Holy Virgin, our Lady!
Thou, Whose love to Christians surpasses the love of
every earthly mother, of every wife, hear our
prayers and save us! May we constantly remember
Thee! May we always pray fervently to Thee! May we
ever undoubtingly and unfailingly take refuge
beneath Thy holy protection!
(196) Thou alone knowest the
cares, labours, and sweat of Thy saints, in order to
purify themselves to please Thee, the Father of all.
Thou alone knowest Thy saints. Teach us to imitate
them in our lives, so that we too may be in union
with all through love.
(197) The Lord is so holy, so
simple in His holiness, that one single evil or
impure thought deprives us of Him, of the sweet and
most sweet, of the pure and most pure peace and
light of our souls. Hence it follows that the saints
are all light; they are all one frangrance, like the
light of the sun, like the purest air. Lord, grant
this simple holiness to me also!
(198) Lord! I am - a miracle of
Thy goodness, wisdom, and omni- potence, inasmuch as
I was brought by Thee from non-existence into
existence; inasmuch as I am preserved until now by
Thee in this existence; inasmuch as by the mercy,
bounties, and love to mankind of Thine Only begotten
Son, I shall inherit eternal life, provided I am
faithful unto Thee; inasmuch as by the mysterious
act of Thine, offering Thyself through Thy Son as a
sacrifice, I am restored from the terrible fall, I
am redeemed from eternal destruction, I glorify Thy
goodness, Thine infinite power, Thy wisdom! But
complete the miracle of Thy goodness, omnipotence,
and wisdom upon me, a miserable sinner, and by ways
known to Thee, save me, Thine unworthy servant, and
lead me into Thine eternal kingdom, make me worthy
of the life that never grows old, of the day that
has no evening.
(199) Lord I confess to Thee that
neither in the country nor in the forest are to be
found life, and health, and vigour of the spiritual
and material powers, but with Thee in the temple,
and, above all, during the Liturgy and in Thy Holy
Life-giving Mysteries! O, greatest blessedness of
the Holy Mysteries! O, Life-giving Mysteries! O,
Divine Mysteries, that are love unspeakable! O,
Divine Mysteries, that are the Lord God's constant
and wonderful Providence for saving and sanctifying
us! O, Divine Mysteries, that are the prefiguration
of eternal life!
(200) Our Lady, Most-holy Mother
of God! I prayed to Thee, before the Liturgy, that
Thou wouldst grant me grace to celebrate it with
much power, to the glory of God, for the salvation
of the world and mine own! Thou hast ordered all
things well. I thank Thee, all-gracious Helper, Thou
Who hearest us speedily, Thou Who dost not let our
trust in Thee be shamed!
(201) Lord I thank Thee from all
my heart for the blessed moving of Thy Holy Ghost
during Divine service, both public and private, for
the cleansing from sins, for peace, for devotion and
tears, for fatherly consolation, for boldness, for
power.
(202) O Lord! ever give me a meek
heart, a bright, straightforward and kind look.
Grant it, Lord! Glory to Thee for the change
accomplished in me by Thy right hand. I thank Thee
for having taken away from me the burning thorns of
my passions, my straitness, my shame, and mine
infirmities, and for having bestowed upon me a
peace, tranquility, freedom, power, and boldness.
Strengthen, then, in me that which Thou hast
accomplished in me. Glory to the power of faith, to
the power of prayer; for everything that I ask of
Thee believing in prayer I recieve in accordance
with Thy word (St. Mark XI, 24). 1 thank Thee for
raising me from the dead so many times (2
Corinthians I, 9), and for destroying the kingdom of
death and sin within me.
(203) Lord teach us to live in
mutual love, and strengthen this love in us by Thy
Holy Spirit; subdue the outbursts of the passions,
which hinder heavenly, evangelical love, and make
our hearts Thy grace, Thy peace, Thy righteousness
and holi- ness to all earthly blessings, and that I
may abide in it all the days of my life, into my
last breath.
(204) I thank Thee, Lord, for
bestowing new life upon me each time, when, with
tears of repentance and gratitude, I celebrate the
Divine Liturgy and partake of Thy most pure and
life-giving Mysteries. To Thy Holy Mysteries I owe:
the prolongation of my existence until now, the
purity of my ways, and my good report amoungst Thy
people. May Thy great Name be glorified more and
more in me and in all Thy people. May they be called
by Thy great Name, throughout the whole world; Thy
kingdom come, the kingdom of righteousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost, in all our hearts, as
Thou hast said: "I will dwell in them and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people," (2 Corinth. 6:16,18: Levit. 34:12; Jerem.
3:19) and may Thy will, Thy holy, most wise, all
good, most perfect, and most blessed will 'be done
in earth, in all Thy people, and in me, a sinner, as
it is in heaven, for our own will is erring,
short-sighted, sinful, destructive, unloving, evil,
envious, proud, slothful, luxury-loving,
moneyloving, and avaricious.
(205) Lord! grant that I may ever
pour forth my supplications to Thee for the whole
world and for the fulfilment of the requests of the
whole Church, with all comprehensive, unfeigned
love, for by Thy grace I have to pray for the sins
of all and for mine own. Grant, O Lord, God the
Father, that I may contemplate Thine unspeakable
love unto the world, manifested in giving unto us
Thy beloved, Only-begotten Son. Grant, O God, Son of
God, that I may contemplate Thine exhaustion in the
world and on the cross for the sake of our
salvation; grant, O God, the Holy Ghost, that I may
contemplate Thy grace, abundantly outpoured and
still being outpoured upon the world, for the sake
of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, and se often
filling even my sinful heart; O Holy Trinity, grant
that I may continually glorifyThee with my heart and
mouth, and above all by my deeds!
(206) O, my invisible Benefactor,
by Whom I unceasingly live! Thou Who hearest me,
Thou Who fulfillest for my good all my heart's
desires, Thou Who savest me from my sins, from the
malice of my invisible enemies, Thou Who mercifully
orderest my destiny, my enlightenment, my succour,
my glory, my power, my strengthening, when shall I
see Thee? When shall I see my Benefactor and Creator
face to face? And thou, mine enemy, thou devil, who
continually fillest my soul with sin, thou who art
crafty, flattering, evil, who continually slayest
me, darkening, weakening me, covering my face with
shame and dishonour, when shall I entirely free
myself from thee, through the grace, bounties, and
love to mankind of my Lord Jesus Christ? When will
every possibility of pouring the poison of thy
malice into my heart be taken from thee?
(207) O how bitter were my sins
to Thee, Christ, my God and my Saviour, when Thou
wast buffeted, scourged, spit upon; when Thy head
was pierced with thorns and Thou wast nailed to the
cross for my sake; when Thou didst hang on the
cross, in unspeakable torments, to save me from the
most bitter, unspeakable torments of hell! But I
ought to call to mind more frequently this, Thy
self-exhaustion, Thy sufferings, in order not to
commit sin, and to zealously fulfil all virtue in
order to love Thee with all my heart, to fulfil Thy
saving commandments. Meanwhile, I often forget this
awful sacrifice, offered for me by the Only
Begotten, unoriginate, co-eternal Son of the
Heavenly Father. Grant unto me then, Lord, a pure
heart and unchangeable repentance, leading to
salvation; grant that I may find favour in Thy sight
during the remainder of my life!
(208) Lord! I thank Thee with my
whole heart for having saved me an innumerable
multitude of times from the shamefulness, violence,
and cruelty of the passions, and for having quenched
in me the fiery arrows of the evil one, and for
having guarded my soul with peace, refreshing it
with the dew of Thy grace. Glory to Thee, most
merciful and Almighty, that by Thy grace I still
remain whole and unharmed, in spite of the
innumerable wiles of the invisible and most evil
enemies endeavouring to devour me! I believe and
know that Thou, Lord, wilt deliver and save me from
all their snares and calumnies, 'by ways known unto
Thee, and wilt grant Thy heavenly kingdom to me, and
not to me only, but to all those who live piously
and are subjected to the calumnies of the spirits of
evil; for to Thee it appertains to be merciful and
to save those who desire to be saved, and even those
who do not desire to be saved. "Save me", it is
said, "whether I wish or do not wish to be saved"
(Evening prayer of St. John Damascene).
(209) I thank Thee, my joy, Lord
of glory, for having taken my image, through the
incarnation of the Most Pure Virgin, and for having
thus honored, raised, and made mankind godly. I
thank Thee for raising me from corruption unto
incorruption; for cleansing my impurities; for
healing my infirmities and sicknesses; for turning
my sorrow into joy, the straitness of sin into the
wideness of Thy justification: for through faith and
heartfelt penitence Thou drivest away the darkness
of the passions, and bestowest Thy spiritual light.
Thou takest away disturbance and sendest down peace
from above. Thou takest away faintheartedness, and
bestowest courage and daring. Glory to Thy mercy!
(210) Grant unto me, Most Holy
Virgin, purity of heart, simple heartfelt, and
son-like trust, devotion and love to Thee, both now
and for ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
(211) Lord teach me to bestow
charity willingly, kindly, joyfully, and to believe
that 'by bestowing it I do not lose, but gain
infinitely more than that which I give. Turn my eyes
away from hard-heared people who do not sympathise
with the poor, who meet poverty with indifference,
who judge, reproach, brand it with shameful names,
and weaken my heart, so that I may not do good, so
that I, too, may harden my heart against poverty. O,
my Lord, how many such people we meet with! Lord,
amend works of charity! Lord, grant that every
charity I bestow may be profitable, and may not do
harm! Lord, accept Thyself charity in the person of
Thy poor. Lord, deign to help me to build a house
for the poor in this town, concerning which I have
already many times prayed to Thee, the All-Merciful,
Almighty, Most Wise, Wonderful! (The house was since
built.)
(212) Lord! grant that Thy temple
may communicate to all who enter into it with faith,
piety, and fear of God, the enlightenment of their
souls, the cleansing from their sins,
sanctification, peace, health, tranquility of soul -
that it may strengthen their faith, hope, and love;
that it may further the amendment of their lives,
success in all their good beginnings and works,
mutual love, pure Christian life, the softening of
their hearts, and the cessation of self-love,
hard-heartedness, covetousness, greediness, envy,
malice, gluttony, drunkenness, dissoluteness - of
these vices, which are so prejudicial to social
life, sapping its very foundation. Grant this, grant
it, Lord, to all those who love to frequent Thy
temple, and incline those also who do not love it,
to love it, and to amend their lives and works: for
the time is near and the judgment is at the door for
all, of every calling and position, of either sex
and every age, and a work of infinite importance
stands before all - to give an answer at the
terrible Judgment of Christ.
(213) My Master, Lord Jesus
Christ! my swift, most speedy Intercessor, Who never
lettest me be ashamed! I thank Thee from my whole
heart for having mercifully heard me when I called
unto Thee in my darkness, straitness, and when I was
in the flames of the enemy; for having delivered me
most speedily, mightily, and graciously from mine
enemies, and for having given unto my heart
graciousness, ease, light! O, my Lord, in what
distress I was from the snares of the enemy! how
opportunely hast Thou shown me Thy help, and how
manifestly and almightily hast Thou succoured me! I
glorify Thy mercy, Master, speedy to hear us; Hope
of despairing, I glorify Thee that Thou hast not let
my face be ashamed, but hast mercifully delivered me
from the darkness and ignominy of hell. How after
this can I ever at any time despair of Thy hearing
me and having mercy upon me a sinner? I shall
always, always call upon Thy sweetest name, my
Saviour; Thou, O incalculable Bountifulness, save me
as Thou hast ever done before in Thy immeasurable
compassion, for Thy name is Lover of men and
Saviour.
(214) How good Thou art, Lord,
and how near art Thou to us - so near that we may
always converse with Thee, be comforted by Thee,
breathe through Thee, be enlightened by Thee, find
peace in Thee, obtain spiritual breadth in Thee.
Lord! teach me simplicity of love for Thee and my
neighbour, so that I may ever be with Thee, that I
may ever find peace in Thee. Lord! grant that I may
not for a single moment have fellowship with the
most abominable, most evil enemy the Devil, neither
by malice, nor pride, nor envy, nor avarice, nor by
love of gain, nor gluttony, nor impure thoughts, nor
blasphemy, nor despondency, nor falsehood, nor by
anything sinful. Grant that I may ever be wholly
Thine.
(215) My infinite Blessedness,
Lord Jesus Christ, of what blessings hast Thou not
made me a partaker during my temporal existence! I
thank Thee, my Mercy, my Blessedness. But if earthly
'blessings are so numerous, so various, so sweet -
then what must heavenly, spiritual blessings be:
they are more truly infinite, numberless,
unimaginably sweet. Do not deprive me, then, most
merciful and most gracious Lord, of these Thy
heavenly blessings, too, which Thou hast prepared
for those who love Thee. Do not deprive others of
them either! Grant that they may all know Thee,
Lord, our Blessedness! For Thou art our Blessedness
everywhere, upon earth, too, for every blessing is
Thy work! And besides this, grant, Lord, that I may
also submissively bear the afflictions of this life:
they are necessary for my passionate flesh, for my
old man. Lover of men! teach the rest of Thy people
also to bear them submissively, and grant that they
may learn the need of them. "Patient in
tribulation." (St. John XII:33)
(216) Lord! I am Thy vessel: fill
me with the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit. Without Thee I
am void of every blessing - or, rather, full of
every sin. Lord! I am Thy ship: fill me with the
cargo of goodworks. Lord! I am Thine ark: fill me,
not with the allurement of love of money and
pleasures, but with love for Thee and Thy living
image, man.
(217) O, sweetest name, holiest
name, almighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ! My
victory, Lord, glory to Thee! Lord, we are Thy
members, we are one body, Thou art our Head! Lord,
grant that all passions, all demons may flee from
us! Lord, bestow upon us the grace of never failing
love! Lord, grant that we may show respect and love
to each other, as to Thyself, for we are made godly
by Thee.
(218) Glory to the never failing
power of Thy cross, O Lord! When the enemy oppresses
me by sinful thoughts and feelings, and I, having no
freedom in my heart, make the sign of the cross
several times with faith, then my sin suddenly
passes away from me, the straitness vanishes, and I
obtain freedom. Glory to Thee, Lord! Lord, let
nothing, nothing carnal, material, turn me away from
Thee! Let me always be with Thee! How good to be
with Thee!
(219) O Holy Trinity, our God!
incomplex Being, Who hath created our soul also
after Thine image, grant that we may have life and
peace in Thee! O Holy Trinity, our Nourisher and
Hope! grant that we may ever put our trust in Thee
alone, and ever find life and peace in Thee alone!
Thou carriest us all, like a mother, in Thine arms,
and feedest us all from Thy hands, like the most
tender mother! Thou never forgettest us, and wilt
never forget us, for Thou Thyself hast said: "Can a
woman forget her sucking child? ...... yea, they may
forget, yet will I not forget thee " (Isaiah XLIX:
15); that is, "I will not cease to feed, preserve,
protect, deliver, and save thee." Also Thou Thyself
hast said: "I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee." (Hebrews XIII: 5) Why, then, are we anxious
about our food? Why are we so greedy?
Why do we surfeit and delight ourselves with
dainties? Why do we grudge to share with our
neighbor? O impiety! O blindness! O filthy
self-love! O want of love for God and our neighbor!
For God dwells in the person of our neighbour, and
therefore we grudge His own gifts to God Himself.
Remember how generously the spirit-bearing Prophet
Elisha rewarded the Shunamite woman who received him
in her house and entertained him in the simplicity
of her heart! He implored God to give her a son,
and afterwards, when this son died, he raised him
from the dead.
(220) How long will the Holy
Mysteries, received by us, remind us that we, being
many, are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5), and how
long will there not be in us a mutual union of
hearts among ourselves as members of the Body of
Christ? How long will we make our own rules in life,
be enemies one against another, hate one another,
inflict pain and sorrow and gnaw at one another,
condemn, and abuse one another? How long will there
not be in us the Spirit of Christ, the spirit of
meekness, of humility, innocence, unhypocritical
love, self-denial, patience, chastity, temperance,
simplicity, and sincerity, a vision of the earthly,
complete striving for the heavenly? Master, Lord
Jesus Christ, enlighten our eyes; Thy Spirit is
good; lead me into the land of uprightness (Psalm
143:10). Grant us Thy Spirit!
(221) On the fifteenth of August,
on the Day of the Dormition of the Mother of God in
1898, in a dream, I had for the first time the
happiness of seeing face to face, distinctly, the
Queen of Heaven, and of hearing Her sweetest,
blessed, enheartening voice, "You, the nicest
children of the Heavenly Father," - then, as I,
realizing my own accursedness, gazed on Her Allpure
countenance with trembling and with the thought:
will the Queen of Heaven not reject me from Herself
in anger? - O, countenance most holy and good! O,
eyes blue and azure, good, humble, peaceful,
majestic, heavenly, divine. I shall not forget you,
wonderful eyes! - This vision lasted a minute.
Afterwards, unhurriedly, She went away from me and
vanished. I saw from behind the departure of the
heavenly Visitor....
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