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We are what you once were.
We believe what you once believed.
We worship as you once worshiped.
If you were right
then, we are right now.
If we are wrong now, you were wrong
then.
A Canonical Orthodox Church of World
Wide Orthodox
 A Monk's Wisdom!
Peace of the simple and
the prosperity of the fools
Saint Nikolai mostwise bishop of Ochrid and
Zicha
"For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the
prosperity of fools shall destroy them" (Proverbs 1:32).
Does peace kill?
Yes, godless peace kills. Does prosperity destroy?
Yes, prosperity without God and contrary to the laws of God
can destroy. Simple are they who seek such a peace and they who run after such
prosperity are fools. For, in essence, they do not seek peace but rather the
sword and are not running after prosperity but rather after destruction. What is
the peace of the simple and what is the prosperity of fools? The peace of the
simple is physical peace and the prosperity of fools is physical feasting. King
Herod wanted such a peace and he was consumed by worms. Jezebel wanted such a
prosperity and dogs consumed her.
By what name would we call a man who,
in deciding to build a house, thinks that he will place the roof in the air
first and afterward erect walls and then lay the foundation of the house? We
would call him a simpleton and a fool. Much the same are all those who are
attempting to establish peace in the world without interior peace and to
establish exterior prosperity for men without interior prosperity. The Christian
Faith is the only one which builds from the foundation and the foundation is
Christ, a firm and indestructible rock. Thus, the Christian Faith for the peace
and prosperity of men builds on Christ. An internal, blessed and joyful peace is
built on Christ the Lord and on this peace, external peace is built. So also is
true and lasting prosperity. It is still better to say that true peace and true
prosperity is like a well-built house and external peace and prosperity are like
the external adornments of the house. However, if the adornments fall, the house
will stand but if the house is destroyed, will the adornments then hang in the
air?
O my brethren, the Christian teaching is the only reasonable
teaching about peace and prosperity. All else is madness and foolishness. For,
how could the servants build a mansion on the estate of the Master without
permission of the Master and without His help?
O Lord, the source of
eternal true peace and true prosperity, save us from the peace of the simple and
the prosperity of fools.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.
:My personal Blessing to you!
May God in His infinite love and mercy, rain down upon you compassion so that your heart is filled with the mercy of God within you.
May you in turn bestow this mercy of God that He has bestowed upon you,
upon every person that you meet in this life. May you never forget to smile
from your heart so that your smile may warm the heart of another.
In this mercy may you develop compassion and love for everyone that you
meet so that you may never in your lifetime leave anyone sorry to have
met you, but that all who meet you in this life also meet Jesus Christ
who is Himself the life emanating from your heart to theirs.
Father Michael Valentine (Sweet)
(Monk Michael).
More from Monk Michael;
You ask what in the world makes us think that we know everything, I tell
you that we/I do not know everything. But there is a resource that has
the earliest church writings for you to study.
It's your soul and your eternity, do with it what you like but the excuse
that you just simply did not know will not be accepted on that dreaded
day of judgement. Don't be one who neglects his own communion with the
Father through the blood of Jesus Christ because of the subtle pride that
has you trapped.
Study to show thyself approved, get rid of your pride and just do it. Knock
and the door shall be opened, seek and ye shall find. Ask and it will be
given unto you.
Who said these words? The person that you claim to follow, are you doing as He said? Or does your pride keep you where you are because you are the Pastor, the music director, the assistant Pastor, the youth director, the Deacon, the head of the women's committee?
Here is a resource for your re-course for a better understanding..
Early Church
Fathers
I will give you another one here, the seven Oecumenical councils that established
and shaped the church. Agreed on by the whole church before schism and
reformation. These two links; one above and one below will show the true
church to you, it is up to you to believe the truth or to believe a lie.
You'll find that the scriptures that you claim to follow will be found
here in these two links, in living color.
The Seven Oecumenical Councils.
Important Links:
Daily Scripture Reading
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Some personal thoughts from the heart of Monk Michael.
Am I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16
Jesus Christ is Risen!
Jesus the Christ is alive and well and living in the heart of all true believers. Does this include you? I certainly hope so. This month we celebrate the risen Christ, some call it Pascha, some call it Easter. Among those who celebrate, there are different dates that are recognized as the day to celebrate. There is concern over politics and who is or is not
a heretic. Over the centuries the church has grown.
In the beginning it was easy to be simple, very few believers, it was simply
enough just to get out and spread the word. It wasn't long though before
things had to change. Jesus Christ foretold the fall of Jerusalem, in A.D.
70 Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and the Jews were scattered.
The scattering of the Jews meant quite naturally that the Christian Jews
were scattered as well. That is correct, lest we forget, Christ was a Jew,
Christianity was a sect within the Jewish community. The Jewish community
rejected the Christ and so therefore made room for the rest of us.
There will be more on this at a later date, for now suffice it to be enough
that we understand that as the dispersion happened and the Savior was preached
far and wide, the church had to change, like it or not. People began to
say whatever they felt like saying and preaching, much like today, this
was not acceptable then and is not acceptable now, the Apostles had to
write things down, those that they had taught had to write things down,
correct understanding had to be expounded to combat the lies being told.
The church had to develop uniformity in teaching to combat these same lies.
This development is now used today to speak out against the church as if
there is something that is wrong with doing as Jesus Christ commanded to
do and that is to teach the truth, without this uniformity of teaching
no one on earth would know the true Christ, there would be no Bible for
people to abuse and scam the sick and poor from because there would have
been no uniform teaching because the church did not grow when it needed
to. The truth had to develop along with this growth as Jesus promised to
send the Holy spirit to teach and remind the church in all things, Christ,
just as he foretold the fall of Jerusalem, knew the church would need guidance
and the helper to teach her how to combat the lies.
If you choose not to accept this as fact even though scripture plainly
tells you so, you are looking for your own damnation. Do not allow another
time frame to go by without accepting the truth. With that I want to say
something about this second person of the Trinity:
.
I want to help you understand the concept of the Trinity if I can. Let's look at God calling Moses from a burning bush. Have you ever thought about this idea of the burning bush? The bush was burning with a fire that did not consume it, am I correct? A voice came out from the bush purportedly to be God. This voice spoke to Moses, what is this burning bush? To answer that let's take a look at a fire and see what it is:
A fire is made up of the flame which needs a fuel to burn, the fire gives
off light and heat, is this correct? When a fire is burning there is a
glow of light that surrounds it and the area where the fire is burning.
At the same time the fire also gives off heat in an area surrounding itself,
is this also true?
Think about it, if the fire goes out, you lose light and heat, correct?
So the heat and light emanate from the fire and come out from the fire
and without the fire they do not exist. Just like the sun in the sky. These
three things are inseparable, the flame can be seen plainly to the eye
but the flame is not the light or the heat is it? No, the heat cannot be
touched nor can the light but yet they are both obvious to the senses,
is this correct? You cannot separate the light from the heat nor from the
flame nor can you separate the heat from the light or the flame.
In spite of the fact that the heat and the light cannot be touched nor physically separated, they each exist separately don't they? You do not call the heat: light, nor do you call the light: heat. You call the flame the flame you do not call it light or heat yet it gives off both, they are separate yet cannot be separated and you cannot have one without the other two.
This Trinity is what Moses saw and that which spoke to Moses on the mount.
Jesus Christ is the light that lighteth the heart of every human born into
the world, He is the light of the world, He is the only be-gotten Son of
the eternal God, He is from God yet cannot be separated from God, being
in the flesh did not separate him from God, it only allowed Him to speak
to humans in the flesh and to walk with us again so that we could learn
directly from Him, from His own mouth.
St. John 14:
6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also:
and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him. 8 Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father,
and it is enough for us. 9 Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, shew us the Father? 10 Do you not believe, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The
words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth
in me, he doth the works.
This is the teaching of the church, you must believe this in order to be
a Christian, I don't know how much plainer Jesus Christ can say it, I hope
that this will help you in your understanding, there is much work to be
done while we are yet still here and we as Christians need to be doing
it together as one mind.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face to shine
upon you and be gracious unto you, may the Lord make His face to look upon
you and bring you peace: today, tomorrow and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Important Links:
Daily Scripture Reading
Write to us if you want to know more at;
monkmichael@newwarriorministries.com
or to the Metropolitan Archbishop Joseph Thaddeus who will take the time to help you for the sake of your soul, reach him at; thaddeus@apostle1.com
or Bishop Gregori of the St. John Maximovitch Theological Institute at: abouna@orthodox.com
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