Free Abbott Ephraim! Urgent, please sign the petition!

Abbott Ephraim of the Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi,
Mount Athos, Greece Source

A grave injustice has been committed in Greece! The beloved
Abbott of the Monastery of Vatopaidi, Geronda Ephraim, has
been arrested and imprisoned even though there is no
evidence against him. For more on this story please visit the 
Pravoslavie.ru site.

To sign the petition for the release of Abbott Ephraim please go
here. 

"God-forsakenness" according to Elder Sophrony

‘God-forsakenness’ according to Elder Sophrony
by Archimandrite Ephraim,
Abbot of the Vatopaidi Monastery
from Pemptousia




Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex

In our presentation we will touch upon an issue which may not be readily
acknowledged by those who are not initiated in the existence of divine

Grace. We would actually say that it quite ‘heavy going’ as its title 

reveals: ‘God-forsakenness’. However, it is a particularly important, 

“a crucial”, element in spiritual life. When many people, perhaps most,

will hear what we have to say they will respond: “This is a hard saying; 

who can listen to it?”(John 6, 60) However, Elder Sophrony stressed that

God wishes to see us become perfect just as He is perfect (See Elder 

Sophrony: We shall see Him as He is). The path to perfection necessarily

passes through the Calgary of God-forsakenness.

During the crucial moment of his life when man will adopt a positive stance in the face of the Lord according to His providence, the Lord will reveal Himself in a way which is beyond nature. Having devoted his entire freewill in obedience to the divine commandments, man “walks in newness of life” (Romans 6, 4) and enters a special spiritual realm in which he meets with the Lord, communicates with His Grace and experiences conditions beyond “words and meanings” which he could not previously even imagine. It is at this moment that the Christian beings to experience the spiritual “new life”, life in Christ.

In line with earlier Fathers of the Church, Elder Sophrony describes three stages in spiritual life. He writes: “The total regeneration of the fallen man into the “new” man is accomplished in three stages: The first, the initial, is the stage of the calling and inspiration towards the present battle. The second is the stage where the “perception” of Grace is withdrawn and man is experiencing God-forsakenness…And the third is where the perception of divine Grace revisits and man holds on to it” ( Elder Sophrony: On prayer).

This last stage where divine Grace revisits the faithful is a period of spiritual delight, of perception of Christ’s love and His proximity and of wonderful sentiments in the heart which are inexpressible with worldly, created words. Nevertheless, Elder Sophrony views this gift which was given according to the Lord’s pleasure as the “mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16, 9) ( Arch Sophrony: We Shall see Him as He is). The faithful is not able to assimilate divine Grace during this period so that his nature is united with it unto eternity. The faithful must enter into the second stage which is a protracted period of God-forsakenness. (Above: “We shall see Him as He is). The stronger the experience of the first visitation by divine Grace, the more powerful becomes the experience of its desertion. Even the spiritually perfect experience God-forsakenness in a perfect degree, but they recognize and accept the discipline by the Lord and do not grow weary.

In Patristic writings and especially in treatises written by Saints Ammonas, Macarius of Egypt, Diadohos Fotikis, Isaac the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, John of Karpathos and Simon the New Theologian we encounter the corresponding terms “desertion by Grace”, “loss of Grace”, “diminishing or withdrawal of Grace” or “spiritual change” as indicative of this second stage. It is a rare occasion when the Fathers use this single, strong term: “God-forsakenness”. The first to use this term was Abba Kassianos in the beginning of the 5th Century in his work “Conversations with the Fathers of the desert”. The second one, as far as we know, is Elder Sophrony sixteen centuries later; we believe that he did this in order to stress the painfulness of this condition. In his writings Elder Sophrony also uses the corresponding terms ‘departure’ or ‘loss’ of Grace. We are not able to find any systematic teachings about this stage of “the departure” of Grace in patristic writings. Elder Joseph the Hesychast, St Silouan the Athonite and then Elder Sophrony were the first to extensively describe it.

For the complete article go here.

Light or Darkness, a Choice that Must Be Made with the Heart

All the circumstances of our lives; past, present and future, are an opportunity to make the disposition of our hearts manifest. We must choose between light or darkness. This choice is not to be made merely by a decision of our reasoning brains but by the innermost movements of our hearts. How often do we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are choosing wisely because we agree that virtue is worth pursuing, but when pressed-upon by our circumstances, our hearts manifest the darkness inside and we knowingly or unknowingly embrace that darkness and act on it.

While we are still alive, there is much we can do to purify
ourselves, with God's Grace and the wise use of our free will. Therefore let us occupy ourselves with the one thing needful, to attend to the inner healing of our soul that it may lean towards the light and reject the darkness.


In the book 'The Gurus the Young Mand and Elder    Paisios', by Dionysios Farasiotis p.238-242, St Herman Press 2008, we read the most amazing description of that moment when a searching soul is presented with the terrifying choice, eternal life or eternal death.

"The Choice between Light and Darkness"
One afternoon at the beginning of Holy Week, having made a stop in Thessaloniki, I was by myself in our home there, when, suddenly, my surroundings vanished. There were no images to be seen, sounds to be heard, or objects to be touched. My five senses had ceased functioning. It was as though the light switch had been flicked and the room plunged into total darkness.
My mind turned its full attention to a spiritual realm that it found utterly riveting and captivating. In one direction, I saw a soft but intense light- brilliant yet gentle. In the other direction, I saw a thick, cavernous darkness. Initially, I turned my attention towards the awesome, yet fearful, darkness. It made my flesh crawl, but I was overcome by curiosity, the desire to understand what it was. My mind advanced towards the darkness, and I began to sense the magnitute of its negation. The deeper I went, the greater this negation became, and the thicker the darkness.
It had a vast power and, if I dare put it this way, a certain
grandeur. It represented a negative perspective on reality, unhesitatingly extending into reality as depth, even as the light stretched infinitely into reality as height. On one side, there was immense love; on the other immense hatred. The light was overflowing with unconditional altruism, while the darkness pulled away in utter self-centeredness.

Though I could not see into the darkness, I could feel the presence of souls in it, leaping about and shrieking with insane, wicked laughter as they were pulled deeper and deeper into the ocean of darkness , until the sound of their voices disappeared altogether. Frightened by this savage madness, I headed towards the light, seeking its protection. Just reaching its outskirts, I felt the relief of having being rescued from a grave danger.

Although I didn't advance very far at all into the darkness, I was able to fill the depths of its evil ocean. I could understand the very essence of the enticing power of sin to tempt, as well as its laughable powerlessness, utter dependence, and shadowy non-existence. The darkness, I saw, is fearsome when it has won you over, but it is absurd and feeble when you reject it- it can not defeat even a small child if he does not fall on his own. In the same way, I did not advance far into the light- only so to speak, skating its edge -but even there I felt confident and comforted by a fullness of life, peace, joy, and knowledge. The light loved me greatly in spite of my unworthiness and granted me its gifts, gifts I never dreamed existed.

At this point, I realized that the light created the world and
every living being. The existential space in which each person dwells is itself a creation fashioned by the light, which also fills and permeates these spaces. One being decided to stay outside of the existential space created by the light, thus creating a sort of space for itself, though only by denying the light, turning from it and driving it away. The darkness has no existence of its own, but only in that it denies the ever-existing and sovereign light....

Just as the light's love wishes to unite all things, being the source of existence and creation, so the hatred of the darkness wants to divide all things, being the source of non-existence and destruction.

Within a matter of minutes, I had received a lesson of immeasurable depth. It was not only a revelation beyond words, of subtle differences of profound meaning and great importance, but also -and even more- a test and trial of the deepest inclinations and intentions of my heart, to see whom I would follow and whom I would leave behind. Fortunately, although my heart initially moved towards the darkness, it ultimately found repose in the light, and fortunately, the light still accepted me."

Available here

Byzantium - The History

Byzantium: The Early Centuries by Lord John Julius Norwich
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1988 by
John Julius Norwich

"On 11 May AD 330, Constantine the Great renamed the old
Greek city of Byzantium in his own honor, and Constantinople
became the capital of an empire that would enthrall the world
for more than eleven centuries. But the ancient name of
Byzantium still clung to the empire, and its very name still
evokes 'visions of gold and malachite and porphyry, of stately
and solemn ceremonial, of brocades heavy with rubies and
emeralds, of sumptuous mosaics dimly glowing through halls
cloudy with incense." From the front flap.

Even though the purpose of this blog is to journal the issues and
struggles pertaining to the purification of the heart, it is important
to point out that our Church Fathers, clergy, monastics and laymen
alike, achieved their purification within the particular historical
setting in which they lived their lives. These circumstances quite
often worked against their efforts. The saints nonetheless overcame
and were crowned with the imperishable crown of glory  


To my knowledge this 3 vol. series on the history of Byzantium
is unsurpassed. Lord Norwich pays fascinating attention to detail
without losing sight of the whole picture. It is very hard to put the
books down.

This first volume covers the historical background for six Ecumenical
Councils as well as the background for the lives of such as, Sts. 
Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, 
John Chrysostom, Anthony the Great, the desert fathers, St Ephraim
the Syrian, St Jerome, St John Cassian, St Nicholas of Myra, St 
Spyridon, St Ambrose of Milan, St Benedict, St Dionysius the 
Areopagite, St Maximos the Confessor, St John Climacus and many
others.

Byzantium: The Apogee By Lord John Julius Norwich

This second volume covers the years 800 A.D. to 1081 therefore
covering two pivotal events in the history of the Church, the iconoclast

controversy and the Roman Patriarchate's schism from the Body of the

Eastern Orthodox Church. In page 320 we painfully read, "At three
o'clock in the afternoon of Saturday 16, July 1054, in the presence of

all clergy assembled for the Eucharist, the three ex-legates of Rome,

two cardinals and an archbishop, all in their full canonicals, strode into 

the Great Church of St Sophia and up to the high altar, on which they

formally laid their solemn Bull of Excommunication. This done, they

turned on their heel and marched from the building, pausing only to

shake the dust symbolically from their feet."
"Even if we ignore the fact that the legates were without any papal

authority and that the Bull itself was consequently invalid by all the 

standards of canon law, it  remains an astonishing production."

"...but it was only when the Bull had been publicly burnt and the three

legates themselves formally anathematized that peace returned." 

p.340
This volume covers the background for the Seventh Ecumenical 

council. It is during this time that Mount Athos flourishes. St John

of Damascus, St Boniface, St Theodore of Studius, St Cyrill and

Methodius and the mission to the Slavs, St Photius, St Joseph 

the Hymnographer, St Athanasius of Athos, St Symeon the New

Theologian, St Vladimir of Kiev, St Andrew the Fool for Christ, 

St Niketas Stethatos, St Anthony of Kiev, St Theophylactus of 

Bulgaria, etc.  belong to this era.

Byzantium: The Decline and Fall by Lord John Julius Norwich

Byzantium, the empire of 1,123 years, fell on Tuesday, May 29,

1453. We read, "The spellbinding account of the city's fall - the

last great epic in the history of the middle ages - provides a

climax to a story worthy of Homer himself. The Byzantines (a 

personal note- the Byzantines never called themselves as such 

but called themselves 'Roman'. They were nothing less than the

remnant of the ancient civilization of Rome), under their last

Emperor, Constantine XI, held out until, on Tuesday, May 29,
1453, the massive walls of Constantinople crumbled at last."

From the front flap."

This is the time of St Alypius the iconographer, St Symeon the

myrrh-flowing of Bulgaria, St Alexander Nevsky, St Gregory

Palamas, St Nicolas Cabasilas, St Sergius of Radonezh,

St Andrew Rublev, St Mark of Ephesus and St Ephraim the New

of Nea Makri. The futile Council of Florence took place in 1438.

With tears in our eyes we read, "The next morning the people of

Constantinople awoke to find their city shrouded in thick fog,

something quite unprecedented at the end of May; the same

night the dome of St Sophia seemed suffused with an earthly

red glow that crept slowly  up from the base to the summit and
then went out. This last phenomenon was also seen by the Turks
in Galata and at the Double Columns; Mehmet himself was greatly 

disturbed by it, and was reassured only after his astrologers had

interpreted it as a sign that the building would soon be illuminated

by the True Faith.  For the Byzantines there could be only one 

explanation; the Spirit of God itself had departed from their city."

p.429-430

Byzantium: The Lost Empire (1997) Narrated by John Romer DVD

Amazon Editorial Review:
"For more than 1,000 years, the Byzantine Empire was the eye of the
entire world – the origin of great literature, fine art and modern
government. Heir to Greece and Rome, the Byzantine Empire was
also the first Christian empire. Now, after a year of filming on three
continents, TLC unlocks this ancient civilization, spanning 11
centuries and three continents. Pass through the gates of
Constantinople, explore the magnificent mosque of Hagia Sophia
and see the looted treasures of the empire now located in St. Mark's,
Venice."

The photography of this documentary is stunning! I was particularly

moved by the view of the remains of the Monastery of Studius and

the pillar of St Simeon the Stylite.

How the Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopedi is helping people at Porto Lagos

From the blog Pemptousia
The work of the Monastery



St Nicholas Metohi at Porto Lagos
The recipient of human suffering

Human pain and the numbers of people who lack even the most basic goods have increased because of the economic crisis. Many people seek refuge in the Church. This is what people do in times of hardship. On the day of the feast of the miraculous icon of Pantanassa, Fr. T talked with Fr. Nifon, who heads the Porto Lagos Metohi,

Firstly this discussion gives some historical details and then it refers to the service which the monastery provides to ease the hardships of those who seek refuge there. “Love in real terms”… This is a story brimming with the presence of the Lord…

Fr T: Let’s start with the history of the Metohi of St Nicholas

Fr. N: The church of St Nicholas was built in order to cater for the worshiping needs of the monks since the place was a metohi. Earlier there was a church dedicated to the two Saints Theodores and its ruins have been found outside Porto Lagos. It is for this reason that there is the icon of the two saints on the Templo (icon stand) in the church. Tradition has it that St Nicholas appeared in person and said that from then on “he would be the patron saint of the metohi, since he was the patron of the seas”. Thus the church was renamed after him. The present church was built in 1904 on top of the ruins of previous churches. This is attested by the fact that the icons, which we have recently restored, date around 1850. The monks from Vatopedi would visit the metohi regularly to attend to its needs since it has been owned by the monastery since the 11th Century. On this basis we guess that the metohi was created on the small island many years ago, but the church is more recent. We have also recently built the bridge connecting the mainland with the small island which houses the chapel of the Most Holy Lady Pantanassa. Earlier people would use small boats to visit the chapel. Indeed we will need many hours to describe how many miracles were performed here not only to Christians but to Muslims too.

FR. T: Is the chapel more recently built?

Fr. N: The chapel was built eighteen years ago. Our Elder, Blessed Joseph built it and brought over from the Holy Mountain the miracle performing icon of Pantanassa. This icon has since become the consolation of the people in Thrace, not just because of the many miracles the most Holy Lady performs but because of her perceptible presence. We will need many hours to account for all those miracles. Today, a Muslim lady came and crossed the bridge kneeling instead of walking, carrying two planted pots. She said that two months ago she had pleaded for her grandson who had a tumour and now the tumour has disappeared.

Fr T: How was the metohi populated over the years?

Fr. N: Occasionally the Vatopedi monastery would send over somebody as an overseer while the monks would visit on the feast days. They would also cooperate with the local fishermen in benefiting from the pond. Many monks, who served here, like Ignatios hieronmonk, are remembered in inscriptions seen on the bell tower and the icon stand. The last fifty years however, because of the peculiar status of the monastery and the fact that it was sparsely populated, no fathers resided here. However, there was always a paid keeper in view of the political situation which prevailed in the area. During the civil war, a wonderful incident took place which was described to us by the couple who was looking after the metohi. Now that they are old came recently to see me. They stayed at the metohi as soon as they got married. However, since it was isolated and remote they had decided to send a letter to the monastery offering their resignation. They were about to send the letter the following day. On the same night they saw a priest walking on the bridge who was covered in bright light, even though it was already dark. He was holding the Gospel in one hand and had a white omophorio on his shoulders. When they went to ask who he was, he told them not to leave and that he was going to look after them. “I am the owner of the place. My name is Nicholas of Myron” he said and disappeared. It was St Nicholas and thus they took heart and stayed.

We, the brotherhood of Elder Joseph, assumed the responsibility of the Vatopedi monastery at a time when only ten elderly monks were living there. We had our hands full in trying to restore the ruined monastery and as we were only eighteen monks, had no time to deal with outside affairs. At the time there was an elderly priest living at Porto Lagos with his wife, who had subsequently left. Then another priest was appointed and was guarding the place with his family. When Vatopedi was re-established as a coenobium and regained its former glory, more monks joined the brotherhood and thus the monastery decided to deal with Porto Lagos. Elder Joseph started coming here and gained first hand experience of the desolation and poverty in the area and ached for the hardships that people faced. He then decided to revive it, since God’s providence wished to keep our presence in these lands, bordering with Turkey. Thus he built the chapel to Pantanassa and fervently wished to populate it and establish it as a tiny monastery. This happened in 2003 with the blessing of our Abbot, Elder Efrain. Thus a small brotherhood of three was sent here, which resumed the liturgical services daily. I think this is the greatest gift we could offer to people; namely, to hold the divine service daily. There is no greater value than that derived from the Divine Liturgy since the whole place is sanctified and thousands of names are being read during the paraklisis and the liturgies. We firmly believe in God’s providence and we do not lose our hope…

FR. T: We hear that ever since you came here you have been busy…



Fr N: As soon as we arrived we met with many difficulties but with God’s help we survived. We have been trying with our limited abilities and the assistance of the monastery and the blessing of our Elder Efrem, to stand by the people who suffer and share in their pain, which is overflowing.

Everyday, more and more people arrive here, wanting assistance and we have reached the point where we can not cope. With God’s help we have also started assisting people in jail. Every Saturday we hold meetings with students. On the 24th September we will start again and Elder Efrem will come and speak. Even though we are far away, the youngsters visit us every week. Every Sunday afternoon, we hold meetings open to everyone and every Wednesday night we hold a night service at the chapel of St Nektarios. This chapel was miraculously built despite the strife that was started against its establishment. They have even imposed a fine on us for building it. I do not mind that our Muslim brothers build their own mosques since they live here. But I object to the double standard imposed by the authorities. They have withdrawn the 700,000 Euro fine imposed on the Mosque which was built but they insisted that we paid our own fine. Nevertheless, we place our faith in the Lord and we are not overcome by these things. However, it is quite hard, when one is facing such temptations…


The story continues here.

"And the Glory of the Lord filled the House." 2 Chr. 7:1

Representation of the First Temple in Jerusalem (957 B.C.)
Source

In the book of the Prophet Isaiah we read about a most
astonishing event. The servant of God Isaiah was in the
temple in Jerusalem when he suddenly,
"saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and
the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the
seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face,
and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And 
one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth; the whole
earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the 
thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and
the house was filled with smoke.

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a
burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched
your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."
 Isaiah 6:1-7 NASB  

Prophet Isaiah 

I love the stories from the Old Testament. I remember that as a
child, every week, I looked forward to Sunday Bible school, so
I could listen to our teacher narrate these stories again and 

again even though quite often I already knew them by heart. It 

was wonderful! The teacher had printed drawings of the 

characters in the stories and we would compete for them by 

answering the questions at the end of each lesson. It was very

hard to choose which Bible character was more interesting. But

even then, I was especially captivated by the lives of the prophets,

in particular the Prophet Isaiah.  I used to think that, if I could travel

back in time and be allowed to witness any particular event of my

choosing, I would like to stand side by side with Prophet Isaiah at

the moment of his calling to service.

The story of the Prophet has never ceased to move me. Even now

I read, in awe, the account of his prophetic calling but it is no longer

the magnificent creatures called Seraphim what captures my

attention. It is remarkable that at the moment of the vision, Isaiah

was stricken first and foremost by the awareness of his impurity

of heart. He cried out in terror, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am

a man of unclean lips,.."

Do you realize that something just as awesome happens at every 

Divine Liturgy celebrated in every Orthodox Christian temple?
Yesterday, Saturday December 3rd, the temple of St Andrew's 

Orthodox Church in Riverside, CA  was consecrated to the Lord
followed by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. It was magnificent.
I could not see the Seraphim but I knew they were there! I could not
see my Lord but I knew He was walking among the lamp-stands on
the altar (Rev.1:12). I could not hear the cries of heavenly beings 

glorifying God but my soul joined the choirs of the Faithful and the
seraphim saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the
whole earth is full of his glory!" From the Divine Liturgy of St John 
Chrysostom

The consecration of the high altar of St Andrew's was very much
like my own baptism. The Bishop entered the sanctuary with the 
relics of the Great Martyr St Eugene and Patriarch Athanasios
of Alexandria and placed them inside the altar. 

It was then 
washed with rose water, anointed with holy chrism and dressed
in white linen. Then the altar was vested with precious materials
and all the liturgical vessels, the antimension and the book of the
Gospels were placed upon it. Then an unseen but very significant
wonder took place; a holy angel sent from God was commanded
to guard this holy altar. And he will stand watch until the second
coming of Christ.     

Fr Josiah Trenham, with a thunderous voice read from the Gospel
of Matthew and confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.” Matthew 16:16. Unlike Isaiah and the Apostle Peter, I
could not see my Lord but the Bishops and all the priests, dressed
in royal vestments did not allow me to forget that He who is "clothed
in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a
golden sash" ( Rev.1:13), was closer to me at that moment than my 
own heart.Isaiah's realization of his uncleanness  was devastating.
He thought, "I am a dead man". But the mercy of the Lord endures
forever and God made provision for the prophet's needs, "Then
one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning
coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he
touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips;
your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."  Isaiah 6:1-7 NASB

St Gregory Palamas explains,
"For Isaiah gave clear proof that they, like us, only commune

with, and touch, the intangible divine nature through her. He 

did not see the seraph taking the burning coal (the burning 

coal is a figure or type of the divine Eucharist) directly from 

the altar, but taking it by means of tongs, with which he also

touched the prophet’s lips and bestowed cleansing (Isa. 6:6-7).

The vision of the tongs is equivalent to the great vision seen 

by Moses of the burning bush which was not consumed 

(Exodus 3:2). Surely, everyone is aware that the Virgin Mother

is both that burning bush and those tongs, as she conceived

the divine fire without being consumed by fire. An archangel 

also ministered at that conception, and through her he united

Him who takes away the sins of the world with the human 

race, thoroughly cleansing us by this union.”
From St. Gregory Palamas, The Homilies p.430-431, Edited and
Translated by Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Mount Thabor Publishing 2009.

It was the pre-incarnate Person of the Word of God Whom Isaiah
saw. This very Word of God is our Lord Jesus Christ who for our
sake and for our salvation became incarnate.The Apostle John
writes that, " the Word became flesh, and dwelt (lit. tabernacled)
among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten 
from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

Like Isaiah, we are also aware of our spiritual need. We hear
a most solemn warning during the prayers of preparation for
Holy Communion, "Tremble, O man, as thou beholdest the 
deifying blood, For it is a burning coal consuming the unworthy."

Yes indeed, we tremble with dread. We dare approach Him only
because he has first invited us. "His voice is like the sound of 
many waters" Rev.1:15, "Take eat, this is My Body which is 
broken for you for the forgiveness of sins. Drink of it all of you ,
this is my Blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and
for many for the forgiveness of sins" From the Liturgy of St John
Chrysostom. 

It is indescribable. When I partake of the Holy Mysteries, Life 

enters into my very being, body and spirit. I am united with our

Lord Jesus Christ in His Humanity. My Lord dwells within the
manger of my soul. Alleluia!

I am also comforted by the words uttered by the Seraph,

"Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, 
and your sin atoned for."  Isaiah 6:1-7 NASB 

Then, a song of praise arises in my heart,

"Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform

His word, obeying the voice of His word!
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will.
Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul." Psalm 103:20-21

Note:
The Prophet Isaiah is commemorated by the Orthodox Church 
on May 9th.

The Holy Prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the birth of Christ, and was of royal lineage. Isaiah's father Amos raised his son in the fear of God and in the law of the Lord. Having attained the age of maturity, the Prophet Isaiah entered into marriage with a pious prophetess (Is 8:3) and had a son Jashub (Is 8:18).

St Isaiah was called to prophetic service during the reign of Oziah [Uzziah], king of Judea, and he prophesied for 60 years during the reign of kings Joatham, Achaz [Ahaz], Hezekiah and Manasseh. The start of his service was marked by the following vision: he beheld the Lord God, sitting in a majestic heavenly temple upon a high throne. Six-winged Seraphim encircled Him. With two wings they covered their faces, and with two wings they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew about crying out one to another, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with His glory!" The pillars of the heavenly temple shook from their shouts, and in the temple arose the smoke of incense.

The prophet cried out in terror, "Oh, an accursed man am I, granted to behold the Lord Sabaoth, and having impure lips and living amidst an impure people!" Then was sent him one of the Seraphim, having in hand a red-hot coal, which he took with tongs from the altar of the Lord. He touched it to the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah and said, "Lo, this has touched thy lips, and will take away with thine iniquities, and will cleanse thy sins." After this Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, directed towards him, "Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?" Isaiah answered, "Here am I, send me" (Is 6:1 ff). And the Lord sent him to the Jews to exhort them to turn from the ways of impiety and idol worship, and to offer repentance.

To those that repent and turn to the true God, the Lord promised mercy and forgiveness, but punishment and the judgment of God are appointed for the unrepentant. Then Isaiah asked the Lord, how long would the falling away of the Jewish nation from God continue. The Lord answered, "Until the cities be deserted, by reason of there being no people, and the land shall be made desolate. Just as when a tree be felled and from the stump come forth new shoots, so also from the destruction of the nation a holy remnant will remain, from which will emerge a new tribe."

Isaiah left behind him a book of prophecy in which he denounces the Jews for their unfaithfulness to the God of their Fathers. He predicted the captivity of the Jews and their return from captivity during the time of the emperor Cyrus, the destruction and renewal of Jerusalem and of the Temple. Together with this he predicts the historical fate also of the other nations bordering the Jews. But what is most important of all for us, the Prophet Isaiah with particular clarity and detail prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, Christ the Savior. The prophet names the Messiah as God and Man, teacher of all the nations, founder of the Kingdom of peace and love.

The prophet foretells the birth of the Messiah from a Virgin, and with particular clarity he describes the Suffering of the Messiah for the sins of the world. He foresees His Resurrection and the universal spreading of His Church. By his clear foretelling of Christ the Savior, the Prophet Isaiah deserves to be called an Old Testament Evangelist. To him belong the words, "He beareth our sins and is smitten for us.... He was wounded for our sins and tortured for our transgressions. The chastisement of our world was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed...." (Is 53:4-5. Vide Isaiah: 7:14, 11:1, 9:6, 53:4, 60:13, etc.).

The holy Prophet Isaiah had also a gift of wonderworking. And so, when during the time of a siege of Jerusalem by enemies the besieged had become exhausted with thirst, he by his prayer drew out from beneath Mount Sion a spring of water, which was called Siloam, i.e. "sent from God." It was to this spring afterwards that the Savior sent the man blind from birth to wash, and He restored his sight. By the prayer of the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord prolonged the life of Hezekiah for 15 years.

The Prophet Isaiah died a martyr's death. By order of the Jewish king Manasseh he was sawn through by a wood-saw. The prophet was buried not far from the Pool of Siloam. The relics of the holy Prophet Isaiah were afterwards transferred by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to Constantinople and installed in the church of St Laurence at Blachernae. At the present time part of the head of the Prophet Isaiah is preserved at Athos in the Hilandar monastery.

For the times and the events which occurred during the life of the Prophet Isaiah, see the 4th Book of Kings [alt. 2 Kings] (Ch 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, etc.), and likewise 2 Chr:26-32).
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