“Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only,

or upon the uncircumcised also?

For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.

How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised?

Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.”

«Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.»

The Apostle asks: Does this blessedness, stemming from faith, come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? The Jews were very particular about circumcision and related it to the whole religious system of certain rites. The danger has always been that an emphasis on secondary things eliminates the essence – here the essence of salvation, which consists in personal relationship to God.

The process of putting off the old self and putting on the new self begins in our mind! Human nature, without respecting the law of the Gospel, reacts in the same way in essence: envy towards others, rivalry, envy when someone has something better, when someone has spiritual gifts, or even when someone carries a cross, and on the other hand self-pity and sulkiness (both before God and people). This all takes the subtlest forms, but it is in essence our “self” which refuses to humble itself, to live in uncertainty, to obey God and to submit to Him. It always wants to have – possess – its own thoughts, plans, feelings.

In essence, all people, with the exception of the Immaculate Virgin, are wounded by original sin which blinds us, keeps us in lies and deceit! Though we want to do good, we do evil (Rom 7:23f). To love means – to humble ourselves again and again, to accept our brother just as he is. His old self exploits us, is jealous of us, enslaves us. But the fact is that we are bound by the same bonds – chains, the only difference being that we easily see it in others but not in ourselves. This is humility: the faults and bad habits of my brother should be like a mirror to me. The old self is essentially the same in everyone, it only has different shades.

The time you spend in the place where you are is predestined by God and will never return. What you sow in faith, you and others will reap once. Sow in faith, even if you do not see any results. Sow every day by accepting the situations you face rather than by being dispirited or overwhelmed by them. Accept them in faith and in union with Jesus – learn to abide with Him!

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God,

and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works,

the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”

Here the Word of God highlights the example of Abraham. The preceding verse reads, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” And the following verse continues, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Here the meaning of righteousness is more like ‘justification’. Man does unspeakable injustice to God by sinning. The holiness of God is infinite, and so an insult to God deserves the highest punishment.

We should pray in such way as to pull down the strongholds of the forces of darkness and to lift up the mountains of demons in our territory, so that the Holy Spirit may descend, God may show His power, send His blessing, the kingdom of God may come into human souls, and a spiritual breakthrough and change may take place. When and how shall it come?! Let us leave it to the Lord; what we need to do is stand in faith and not doubt in prayer. Then on the Day of Judgment our prayers will become manifest – it will be revealed how we prayed:

What did the Prophet Elijah say when the fire of the Lord fell on Mount Carmel and consumed the burnt sacrifice? “I have done all these things at Your word.” Nothing more and nothing less. But we often want to add something, because we like it that way, or on the other hand we think that something is extreme. However, God wants us to learn obedience through small things; He teaches us to walk in the Spirit, to follow Christ. Jesus says: “Follow Me.” (Lk 5:27), and He also says: “Father, My food is to do Your will.” Whose will do I do? My own – as the mood takes me? Or the will of a spirit of jealousy, anger, revenge, mammon or an unclean spirit? Who do I serve? Myself? We should be the servants of the Most High! Our victory is with Him! And it does not matter at all whether someone kills us in the fight or withdraws us from the battle. We do not care. We only care about one thing: seeking and doing God’s will. And then… as the Apostle Paul says: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness … and not for me only…”

“…whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance

He had passed over former sins.”

Whom did God put forward? Jesus Christ, His Son.

For what purpose? As a propitiation.

How? By His blood.

For whose sake? For the sake of all who will receive it by faith.

How did God show His righteousness? By the forgiveness of sins.

Let us realize that God forgives our sins because Jesus became a propitiation.The condition on our part is the faith in Christ who is the Saviour, the Son of God, who paid the just price for my sins by His blood and obtained the forgiveness for me.

13 October 2017

This year marks the centenary of the apparition at Fatima. What preceded it and what followed it?

The 18^th century saw the rise of the Enlightenment. The continuation of the Enlightenment in the 19^th century was Modernism. It resulted in the destruction of the fundamental truths of Christianity – apostasy in the Church.

St Pius X issued an encyclical and imposed an anti-Modernist oath. Some of the bishops, priests and theologians who were Modernists consciously rejected those measures.

After the death of Pius X, the first success of the Masons was the installation of Pope Benedict XV (G. della Chiesa, 1914-1922). He enabled again the development of Modernism in the Church. In 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared several times to children at Fatima, Portugal. She called for repentance. Benedict’s successors were Popes Pius XI (1922-1939), Pius XII (1939-1958), and then John XXIII (A. G. Roncalli, 1958-1963).

(Biblical lectures for the Women’s Third Order
of the Contemplative Monastery of St. Elias the Prophet)
Part 1.1.

Part 2.1.

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

21 October 2017

At a critical moment at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the King of Poland intervened with his troops, and Europe was saved from the crescent rule!

Faced with current Islamization, the Poles turned to God for help by the prayer of the Rosary. The government subsequently quitted a credit line from the IMF and refused to implement migrant quotas! At the same time, however, Archbishop Wojciech Polak abused his pastoral authority with a gross lie and opposed the authority of God! He threatened to exclude every priest who protects the faith and the nation. Let the punishment by which he threatens fall on him. Let him be excluded!

Jesus says: “You must be ready, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man is coming.” This is the greatest wisdom – to be ready for death. For we do not know whether or not something bad will happen – we can develop cancer or have a car accident and launch into eternity. We know neither the day nor the hour. We do not know when we will meet our Lord face to face. But we must be mindful of it. We know that it will come. We must not delay our conversion. We must begin today, as God’s Word says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” To delay repentance until death is foolishness. Certainly, there have been some people who were converted in the hour of death, but this is an exception. To rely on it is a RISK! To lose eternal life is something frightful!

Christians say that they believe they will once stand before the judgment seat of God but they live as if the judgment, heaven and hell was a mere myth.