Do Not Lose Heart, There is Hope, and it is Christ

St. Ephraim the Syrian 14th c. (Panselinos) Source

"Do not lose heart, O soul, do not grieve; pronounce not over

thyself a final judgement for the multitude of thy sins; do not

commit thyself to fire; do not say: The Lord has cast me from

His face. 

Such words are not pleasing to God. Can it be that he who has

fallen cannot get up? Can it be that he who has turned away

cannot turn back again? Does thou not hear how kind the 

Father is to a prodigal?

Do not be ashamed to turn back and say boldly: I will arise and

go to my Father. Arise and go!

He will accept thee and will not reproach thee, but rather

rejoice at thy return. He awaits thee; just do not be ashamed

and do not hide from the face of God as did Adam.

It was for thy sake that Christ was crucified; so will He cast 

thee aside? He knows who oppresses us. He knows that we have

no other help but Him alone.

Christ knows that man is miserable. Do not give thyself up to

despair and apathy, assuming that thou hast been prepared for

the fire. Christ derives no consolation from thrusting us into the

fire; He gains nothing if He sends us into the abyss to be

tormented.

Imitate the prodigal son: leave the city that starves thee. Come

and beseech Him and thou shalt behold the glory of God. Thy

face shall be enlightened and thou wilt rejoice in the sweetness

of paradise. Glory to the Lord and Lover of mankind Who saves

us."

From 'A Spiritual Psalter' No. 27 p.54, excerpted by Bishop

Theophan the Recluse from the works of our Holy Father

Ephraim the Syrian, Trans. by Br. Isaac E. Lambertsen, 

The St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty TN 1997

ISBN 0-912927-40-2

 Image Source

A Spiritual Psalter is available from St John of Kronstadt Press

It has been my favorite prayer and devotional book for years.

About a Boring Job by St. Nikolai Velimirovic

St Nikolai Velimirovich Source

You complain that you are tired of your job. All other activities
seem more interesting to you, and you, and you are troubled
and anguished about not being able to find something better.

I thought about this for a long time before picking up my pen
to answer you. I tried to put my self in your place, and to play
your part. I imagined myself at your worksite, in the locomotive
car, in the midst of the roar of the machine and the pounding of
the wheels.

Sweaty, covered in soot, I cheerfully looked ahead. Behind me
was arrayed an entire little people: old people, parents and
children, nobility, diplomats, officials, peasants, workers, and
day laborers. They had all been thrown together by
circumstance, and they all depended on me. Some talked among
themselves and some were lost in thought, but each was mentally
striving to get to his final destination. 

Whether he gets to that station depends on me, and I depend only
on God. The passengers could not even imagine how much they
depended on me. They were not thinking of me - they didn't even
know me. And that is precisely what made me happy. When the
train was ready to move, no one came to look at me, or to make
my acquaintance. No one asked, "Is our engineer crazy? Is he
intoxicated? Is he blind? After all, we have entrusted him with
our lives! He is the most important person in the galloping city
of which we have become residents for a time." 

Such thoughts did not even occur to them, and that made me
immeasurably happy. It makes me happy that so many people
without even a glance entrusted their lives to me, to me, a
stranger hidden in the heart of the locomotive. Trembling with joy,
I began to thank the Lord: - O great and wondrous God! Glory and
praise to Thee, for giving me life, and intellect, and such an
important job!

You gave me a task very much like Thy work, o God. After all, Thou
O Lord, hidden, invisible and unknown, operate the machine of the
world with Thine Holy Spirit. It is enormous, Thy passengers are
without number. Thou art the [locomotive] Engineer for the entire
world. Many, many travelers do not even think about Thee, do not
consider the Mystery of Thine existence, but with trust sit down in
Thy train and go, and go. And that most gladden Thee,
immeasurably gladden Thee. Thou knowest where to grant rest to
Thy passengers, where to feed them, and whom to discharge, and
where.

Frankly, they know little about the remarkable final destination
toward which Thy marvelous train is moving, but they trustingly
enter, trustingly travel, and trustingly alight. They put their trust
in Thee, to the hidden, invisible, unknowable! I thank Thee a
thousand times and bow before Thee, my All-seeing and All-
powerful Creator and Engineer. In all of the dangers threatening
this my journey, I place my hope in Thee alone. Only Thou canst
help me bring it to its final destination without losing any of my
passengers.

My young friend, what better job are you seeking? Is there any
other better than yours? The Apostle Peter was a fisherman, and
the Apostle Paul wove mats. Consider how much more important
and interesting your job is than theirs, and thank Providence Who
entrusted you with such an occupation.

Wishing you health, and may the blessings of the Lord be upon you!

Source