DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 15  •  DORMITION OF THE MOST-HOLY THEOTOKOS Day and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone.             In one such......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 14  •  Holy Prophet Micah REFLECTION Beware of a parent’s curse for a parental curse is a dreadful thing. Appreciate and seek a parental blessing for it will accompany you throughout your entire life. The all-wise Sirach speaks: “For the blessing of the father establishes the houses of children but curse of the mother rooteth out foundations” (Sirach 3:9 Ecclesiasticus 3:9). The curse by which Noah cursed the descendants of Ham still follows the unfortunate Hamites today. However, to the sons of Jacob, it was the same as......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 12  •  Holy Martyr Hippolytus of Rome with his companions REFLECTION “Give thanks to the Lord but do not forget His great men, the poor and the needy, for they can accomplish much with God the Lord.” These are the words of the illustrious Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, Father Nazariah, the abbot of Valaamo Monastery. He spoke these words to the wife of a high-ranking official in Petrograd who fell into disfavor with the Tsar because of certain serious accusations. The accused official......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 12  •  Martyrs Anicletus and Photius of Nicomedia REFLECTION Learn to respect and to love the lowly and simple people. Such as these are the most on earth: such as these are the most in the Kingdom of Heaven. In them, there is no pride, i.e., the basic madness from which the souls of the rich and the powerful of this world suffer. They carry out their duty in this world perfectly and yet it appears to them amusing when someone praises them for it, while the self-seeking......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 11  •  Holy Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania REFLECTION If a man sets off on the path of righteousness let him walk only by the path of righteousness with both feet and let him not step with one foot on the righteous path and, with the other foot on the unrighteous path. For God said through the prophet about the righteous who commit unrighteousness: “All his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sins that......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 10  •  Holy Martyr and Archdeacon Lawrence of Rome REFLECTION How can we overcome the enmity of our enemies? By renunciation, meekness and prayer. Renunciation in everything, except in faith and purity of life, meekness and prayer, always and always. St. Ambrose writes: “This is the weapon of the righteous ones that in retreating they conquer, just as the skillful archers have the custom that by fleeing, they shoot those stronger than themselves.” A brother was offended by his friend but, nevertheless, desiring peace with him, went to......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 8  •  St. Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus REFLECTION Moses spoke to the sons of Israel: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life…that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). There are some decisive moments in the life of men when, indeed, it is left up to man to choose between life or death. Judas, in a decisive moment, was corrupted by silver and he chose death, i.e., the sin of avarice . When the general wanted to elevate Marinus the......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 7  •  Martyr Dometius of Persia, and two disciples REFLECTION Neither concern yourself about the righteous nor envy the sinner. Remember always that the Lord Christ, by His resurrection, conquered a shameful death and that Herod, Judas, Nero, Julian the Apostate, Valerian, Leo the Armenian and other opponents of Christ, by a shameful death mortalized forever their temporary successes and victories. Envious ones slandered St. Narcissus the Patriarch for violating his chastity. The innocent Narcissus withdrew into the wilderness and spent many years in silence and patiently waited......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 6  •  THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD REFLECTION Why did our Lord not manifest His divine glory on Tabor before all the disciples instead of before three of them? First, because He Himself gave the Law through the mouth of Moses: “At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15). Therefore, three witnesses are sufficient. These three witnesses represent three main virtues: Peter Faith, for he was the first to confess his faith in Christ as the......

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DAILY REFLECTION  •  AUGUST 5  •  Holy Martyr Eusignius of Antioch REFLECTION This is how Valerian begins the biography of his companion, St. Pontius: “Who can believe, if God does not grant it? Who can lead a life of asceticism, if the Lord does not help? Who can receive the wreath of martyrdom, if Christ does not give it?” God can do all and God wills all that is for the salvation of men, if only men pray to Him. By prayer, St. Nonna converted her husband Gregory and her son, Gregory......

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