My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
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ON AGAPE (LOVE) [Part II]
By Elder (Geronda) Joseph the Hesychast
And once such a person put off everything, he is entrusted with the responsibility to protect the people and inflicts wounds on Pharaoh-that is, he discerns and governs through Divine gifts, and conquers the demons. Then he receives the Divine Laws--not on stone tablets, as Moses did, which wear out and break, but rather in Divine engravings of the Holy Spirit which act in our hearts. And not only Ten Commandments, but as many as his nous, knowledge, and nature can contain. Afterward, he enters into "that which is within the veil" (Hebrews 6:29).
When the Divine cloud descends in a pillar of fire of love, he becomes all fire as well. He is unable to endure any longer, and the Divine action of love within him cries out to the Fountain of Love within him through human lips, "What shall separate me from Thy sweet love", O Jesus? (Romans 8:39). And when the breeze blows even more--whether within the hut or out in the open air, God knows--he who has experienced this knows only this: that has totally become fire with the fire, and shedding tears of love, he cries out in amazement and astonishment, "Stop, O sweet love, the waters of Thy grace, for the joints of my body have come apart!" As he says this, and while the wind of the Spirit is blowing upon him with His marvelous and ineffable fragrance, his senses cease, not permitting any bodily action at all. And entirely captivated and enclosed in silence, he can only marvel at the riches of the glory of God until the Divine cloud passes.
He remains as one crazy, as from wine all ecstatic. For neither his tongue nor his mind nor his heart Permits him to speak any words except these: I beg Thee, my Jesus, my love that is sweetest! My Father and Savior, O sweetest pure eros! My God and Creator and the All-Holy Spirit, O Trinity Holy in a heavenly Oneness! O life of my soul and my heart's delectation, My intellect's brightness, O love that is perfect! O fountain of love and my hope and my faith, Teach me how I must seek Thee in order to find Thee. Yet, my love that is sweetest, my Jesus and Savior; Just tell me the way, for I want nothing else. I desire to find Thee and to fall at Thy feet And to kiss with much sweetness Thy wounds and the nails; To weep without ceasing out of pain that is heartfelt, And what Thy Divine feet as Mary once did. And let not any powers or dominion detach me, Nor Belial the rival with his unholy angels, Nor temporal pleasures of this age which is passing, Nor all of the world with its fleeting enjoyments. But just as I am now, come take my poor soul there However Thou knowest, and Thy feet shall I wash then. I yearn to behold Thee and worship forever My God and Creator, my love and my Savior, Together with all of the Righteous and Prophets, Apostles and Martyrs, with the Monks and Saved Women, And all hosts of the heavens: Archangels, and Angels, With the Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, and the Powers, And Our sweetest True Mother Panagia the Ever-Virgin, The Lady of All, Our Most Pure Theotokos. Amen.
So my child, blessed is the hour in which--if we are worthy--we present Our soul clean to the Lord and rejoice together with all of those mentioned, where for all, in all, and over all reigns Jesus Christ, the sweetest Savior; God the Father; the Beloved, Holy, Good, Peaceful, Life-Giving, Life-creating Spirit--the Holy, Indivisible Trinity, now and ever, and unto the infinite ages of endless ages. Amen. [Source: Orthodox Heritage]
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George