Thank You, dear God

[Ana Maria]

Christ is Risen!
Thank You dear God for giving me the chance to enrich my heart with all this holy trasure this souls share on this forum.I never thought that I will find an orthodox forum,where I can meet people with such warm hearts....I read last night as much as I could from your messages,and your kind words about God,or one for the other impessed me a lot. I am nothing than a little soul,I have only twenty and my english is not good enough to expess all my heart would like to say,so please forgive me for my mistakes.I just wanted to say,that reading your messages,althought I don't really know you face to face,gives me streight in my spiritual life,because you see,sometimes I have the impression that as much I would like to change,I can't never do it....The only true moments as a Christian are when I am at Church,especially at the Liturgy...There I feel that being with God is the true sense of one's life,but, to bad that I can't keep this feeling all week long till the next Liturgy...I somehow lose myself and all the gifts God gives me because most of the time the old me wins my soul...and I do nothing about it....Sometimes I am in such a state of insensitiviness that I don't even pray to ask God to do something....
Now when I am writing ,it even crossed my mind that I shouldn't be in this forum ,cause I don't have nothing to share,my heart is too poor,to empty of all that is beautiful.If I dared to post was because I wanted to ask you to pray for me,and mybe for your prays ,God, in his huge love, will do what He wishes and knows that is better for my little soul.Once again,please forgive me.....and, actually, I want to say a Greek expresion,so loved by my heart,althought I don't know how to write it correctly,so those of you who are Greeks please forgive me for the spelling,ok?So,"Syn Harisime!",which someone told me that means "Forgive in order to be together".
God's peace be with you!
Love you in Christ,Ana Maria

[Ken McRae]

Dear Ana Maria,

Welcome to Monachos! Your presence here is not an accident, I'm sure. God has led you here by His Spirit; and I trust it is all for His glory and our mutual edification in Christ.

Your post struck "a chord" in my heart, being exercised in a similar manner by the daily trials of life. My work-place, where I must labour for my salvation, is a virtual 'hell on earth'. Rarely does a day pass there without the severest trials, and the severe vexation of my soul, both by the godlessness that reigns there and my inability to remain unstained by it all.

Many times I have prayed in my heart to be delivered from it all, but I feel, now, that this is perhaps not the right way. We must find our desert within, and keep ourselves within the holy cell of our hearts, that we may know the peace of Christ amidst all the hellishness that surrounds us everywhere. Holy Scripture teaches us to be "in" the world, but not "of" the world; which I take to mean that we must retire to the desert cell within the heart, though our body must labour for Christ's sake in the midst of the fallen world.

Let us both learn the hard lesson of giving thanks to God for all things, including the trials of our daily life, for God has a purpose even in these: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)." Without trials and temptations, we could never prove our faith and devotion to Christ. How woud we ever come to realize, without them, our true poverty of spirit and desperate need of Divine assistance? Let us continue to cultivate a true sense of spiritual poverty and utter dependence upon God from moment to moment, as this is the path of our salvation.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners, and hear the prayer of our heart(s) for the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom to enlighten us from moment to moment with the knowledge and inner strength that we need to save our souls in the midst of worldly trials and temptations. Bless your servant, Ana Maria, with the peace of Christ that passes all understanding, in Your most Holy Name, we pray! Amen.

humbly,
Theophilus

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Dear Ana Maria,
Hristos a-inviat. Adevarat a-inviat.
I would say that you have as much to teach & to offer as to be taught. In any case this is one way in which Christ's Church is so miraculously life-giving as we share Christ's grace from our hearts with each other.
In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Effie Ganatsios]

Dear Ana Maria, welcome to this forum.

My dear, don'timagine even for one minute that we are any better than you just because we are older. My spiritual life is a one step forward, two steps back affair, unfortunately.

You write : "Now when I am writing ,it even crossed my mind that I shouldn't be in this forum ,cause I don't have nothing to share,my heart is too poor,to empty of all that is beautiful."

You have already given me something, Ana-Maria. I just had a little disagreement with my husband and moodily decided that I would ignore him from now on, etc. etc. etc. I then read your message - full of innocence and faith - and was thoroughly ashamed of myself. So, I thank you and please continue posting because you do have something positive to convey.

Effie

[Ana Maria]

Christ is Risen!
Dear beloved souls in Christ,thank you for your warm words.I want to tell you something.I am sure that all of you have read St Siluan's writings and those of Father Sofronie Saharov,from Esex Monastery in England.Here in Romania this two saints of our time, althought Father Sofronie hasn't been sainted yet,are very loved by the youth.Why?Because their writings sensitize our souls,showing us that God is closer to us more than we can imagine,and that He loves us so much despite our missery.Well,there is this romanian Father,maybe some of you heard of him,Father Rafail Noica,appretince of Father Sofronie,who now lives in Romania ,solitary in the mountains.He has the same kindly as St. Siluan or Father Sofronie.This days I read in one of his books,about the power of the word.He speaks about all the meanings of a word.Christ is called the Word,and his words are creative energis.Why did people listen to Him?Because they felt that His words were alive,were containing life itself....And this Father asks himself,and us in the same time....our words,as sons of God ,do they have this power....I have to admit ,that my words most of the time don't, because I lost thier proper meaning....But, here on this forum I feel that words lastly achive the sense God gave them first.Why?Because ,and your answer proved this in my life,by the power they give me not to despond anymore,but to belive that God is here even for me,and that no matter how sinful I am, He still waits to meet me in prays,or at every Liturgy.
So thank You dear God once again ,for comforting my poor soul through this alive words of this beloved souls of yours.
I want to end my posting with a word from Saint Siluan :"Keep your mind in hell but don't be in despaire!".
With love in Christ,Ana Maria