If I do not forgive, I cannot be forgiven. But stop! When I think of my offences against others, that I do not pray for them, that I am indifferent to their salvation, that I do not set a good example for them, that I speak empty or angry words, etc., I should ask them for forgiveness in my spirit, or sometimes even in words. I feel guilty towards the other person, and when I realize that he, the other person, has also hurt me, it’s like a triumph for me – I have a chance. Something for something!!! If I am able to forgive, I take the credit for it and, in a sense, I triumph over my neighbour. Then I can say in earnest, “Our Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Forgive us both, me and the one who hurt me. And now I forgive, and it is as if I am forgiving those who have hurt him too, and then the Lord hears such a sincere prayer of the Our Father.

The Lord shows us that the harder and deeper the fight is, the more humility and self-surrender to Jesus we need. We need to deny ourselves! Here we can no longer defend the divine truth by human means, however good they may be. There is only one rule here: to carry the cross and enter into death with Christ through the Mother of God. This is the way – the way of death towards resurrection.

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

Victory begins with the name of Jesus on our lips but cannot be achieved until the nature of Jesus Christ is in our hearts. The question is: And how can this happen and through whom? Jesus possesses two natures: one divine and the other human, and these two are united without division or separation. He assumed a human nature through the Virgin Mary, through her obedience of faith, through her “yes” to God! How did it happen? Through the Holy Spirit. And this is the answer for us too: The nature of Jesus can be rooted in us through Mary and through the Holy Spirit. We should not only receive the Holy Spirit like the Apostles on the day of Pentecost but we should also be guided by the Holy Spirit, walk in the Holy Spirit, i.e. our minds should be guided by Him so that we may have the mind of Jesus. The Holy Scripture commands: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 2:5) So the Holy Spirit will inspire us and make us think in the same way Jesus does. But we need a sound foundation, which is the foundation of humility and faith in relation to God, and this foundation is not stable in the old Eve’s heart.

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly,

I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’

and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says.“

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,

‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt

in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says.

What is human faith and what is God’s faith?

Human faith is necessary in everyday life. We have to believe people’s testimonies about Antarctica, for example, even though we have never been there ourselves. We believe that there is snow there, even though we have never seen it. This is natural faith, which can be proven materially.

What is faith in God or God’s faith? It is faith that is bound to the promises God has given us. It is faith in God’s omnipotence. By His almighty power, God created everything that exists; He created this world and cares for it. He created it for a purpose. We believe in God the Creator. We also believe in God the Saviour; we believe that the Son of God became man and died for our sins, and we also believe God’s word. Furthermore, in order to have God’s faith that works miracles, we need to receive grace so that God will show us that He wants to be glorified in this situation and that He requires us to stand in faith and not doubt. Everyone will face a test of faith, so we must overcome the doubt in our hearts. God’s faith is a gift that we must ask for.

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

Martyrs and Other Saints

+ Elijah – Tuptalo

September

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We greatly need people who pray, suffer and sacrifice everything. This is all love, and what could be more useful in this short life, where not only our own eternity is decided, but that of others too? Through faith and sacrifice, we can save immortal souls. It is wonderful that Jesus waits for our faith, through which He wants to give grace not only to us, but also to others whom we can influence through our faith and prayers to turn to God, open their hearts to Him and follow Him.

“The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.“

“The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

A group of people once asked Jesus how they could do the work of God. Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” (Jn 6:29) God desires belief and faith from us, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6).

The word of life we now repeat during our prayer stops also tells us that if we believe in the One whom the Father has sent, that is, Jesus, in a specific situation or problem, God responds to our faith by acting.

The following verses give a deeper insight into this truth related to faith.

A certain priest in the USA began to be pressed by temptations against faith – he felt like God did not know about him because He was not intervening in His life. The Lord taught him a lesson. The priest decided to go on holiday, but did not tell anyone where he was going. While staying at a motel, the receptionist called him to the phone. There was a woman on the phone who wanted to commit suicide. She thought she had called the rectory because she had written down his number from a programme about Jesus Christ that he had presented on television; she had simply dialled the number she had written down. She had no idea that she had called the motel where he was staying. The woman was saved, and the priest realized that he could not hide from God – He knew everything about him. That was a great encouragement to him.

The younger generation longs for a great ideal. There is no greater ideal than following Jesus radically. Jesus says: “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mk 9:49-50) Therefore, we must be persistent in radically following Jesus. We must have salt, the fire of zeal, within us. At the same time, our old self must be crucified in our everyday life; in other words, we must lose “our own” for the sake of Jesus. Otherwise, we will not be at peace with each other! Holiness lies in walking steadfastly in faith through life. Every day we need to be filled with the zeal of the Gospel, never ceasing to be salt, never conforming to the spirit of the world, which tries to lead us away from Jesus through trifles. Therefore, we must be vigilant and radical so that we do not fall into their traps. We cannot remove the traps, but we must guard our saltiness! Jesus says: “Be the salt. Be the light.” (cf. Mt 5:13-16)

As was the case with Abraham, every work of God must have at its core obedience of faith unto death. This is the law of the wheat grain. The devil will attack us with depression, pressure, gloom, tension, or an indefinable apathy, but there is no reason to take these feelings seriously and remain in that state. That is the wealth of vanity. We must pray with faith. God alone knows how He will resolve the matter. He wants us to have absolute faith in His omnipotence and to surrender completely! What He will do with it, we will see later or in eternity. The death of a grain of wheat always bears manifold fruit.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,

that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him,

for He cares for you.“

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,

that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him,

for He cares for you.

The Apostle Peter encourages us to humble ourselves before God. What does it bring? Above all, it brings us the light of knowledge that God gives us. Otherwise, without us even knowing, this light of knowledge is blocked by the self-centredness of our sin-infected nature, which Scripture calls the old self. Humility is truth. It liberates us from our own sense of self-importance, pride and unwillingness to admit our weaknesses and mistakes. This selfish sense of self-importance prevents God from working through us. Yet it is through humility that we would gain the greatest benefit, both spiritually and otherwise, not only for others but mainly for ourselves. Scripture says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humbling ourselves before God, from whom we derive our existence, all that is good in us and all our good works, is not humiliating. It is merely an acknowledgement of reality, that is, of the truth about ourselves. We develop this attitude of humility in interior prayer beneath Christ’s cross. Without true prayer, we will spend our lives in illusion.