True Christians live in this world as travelers, pilgrims, and sojourners, and they look ever toward their heavenly homeland with faith and with the eyes of the soul, and they strive to reach it. You should also be a pilgrim and sojourner in this world and constantly look toward that homeland and strive to obtain it, and so the world with its enticements and lusts will become abhorrent to you. Whoever seeks eternal blessedness and desires it and strives to reach it will despise everything temporal, lest while seeking the temporal he e deprived of the eternal.

The inward life of the Church is mystical (or sacramental). The word "mysteries" (Greek: mysteria) is the term in the Orthodox East: "sacraments" (Latin: sacramenta), the term used in the Latin West (Roman Catholic). Orthodox Christians prefer to use the Greek term. The adjectival form "mystical," used in the Orthodox Church, has of course a rather different and more inward connotation that the Western adjective "sacramental" which refers more specifically to the outward rites of the Mysteries. It does not at all coincide with the history of the Church, which shows us only the outward facts of the Church's existence, and especially its coming into conflict with the life of the world and the passions of the world. The inward life of the Church is the mystical cooperation of Christ as the Head, with the Church as His Body, in the Holy Spirit, by means of all mutually strengthening ties: "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church," instructs the holy Apostle (Ephesians 5:32).

"Then I saw another Angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water" (Revelation 14:6-7).

Christians, remember what God is, and that He looks not only on your works, but also on your very thoughts and intentions, and that you are not able to hide anywhere or anything from Him.

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:15-17).

Today begins the Apostles Fast for Orthodox Christians throughout the world. The fast of the Holy Apostles is very ancient, dating back to the first centuries of Christianity. The oldest testimony regarding the Apostles Fast is given to us by Athanasius the Great (+373 A.D.).