Did not the faithful Sarah, long ago,before her son Isaac was born,desire to give birth, even though she was sterile?She received the Lord in human form, along with two archangels;And His word to her on this occasion was:“You, Sarah, will have a child,”Now, rejoicing, she cries to the world:The barren woman gives birth to theContinue reading “St. Romanos on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
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St. Romanos on St. Andrew
Be strong in Me;and you, too, Andrew;just as you were the first to find Me, you were found by me;so find the one who has wandered;Do not forget your first skill;from it I shall educate you for this new art.Formerly, naked into the deep sea, now naked into life;Formerly, hunting with a fishing-rod, now taughtContinue reading “St. Romanos on St. Andrew”
Let us now gaze on Christ crucified
That we may be healed from sin, let us now gaze on Christ crucified; for as Moses, says He, lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life. Just as they who looked on that serpent perished not by the serpent’s bites, so they who lookContinue reading “Let us now gaze on Christ crucified”
The Tree of my eternal salvation
This cross is the tree of my eternal salvation, nourishing and delighting me. I take root in its roots, I am extended in its branches, I am delighted by its dews, I am fertilized by its spirit as by a delightful breeze. In my tent I am shaded by its shade, and fleeing the excessiveContinue reading “The Tree of my eternal salvation”
A Holy Trunk
The Devil speaks:Now then, Hades, mourn and I join in unison with you in wailing.Let us lament as we see the tree which we plantedChanged into a holy trunk.Robbers, murderers, tax gatherers, harlots,Rest beneath it, and make nestsIn its branches in order that they might gatherThe fruit of sweetness from theContinue reading “A Holy Trunk”
A child at the Easter Vigil
When I was a child, the Easter Vigil was a profound event for me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I did know they were doing everything I liked. They were playing with fire. They were playing with water. They were singing things I didn’t understand. He was blowing on the water! HeContinue reading “A child at the Easter Vigil”
Three Days
For three days Esther fasted and Judith kept vigil, the exiles came home to Jerusalem and the Hebrews marched to the waters of Marah. For three days darkness afflicted the Egyptians, Hezekiah lay mortally ill, Jonah was entombed in the belly of a fish, and Paul waited in blindness. On the third day Abraham offeredContinue reading “Three Days”
We expect the Resurrection
We expect the Resurrection. We know that Christ’s death is no longer the hopeless, the ultimate end of everything. Baptized into His death, we partake already of His life that came out of the grave. We receive His Body and Blood which are the food of immortality. We have in ourselves the token, the anticipationContinue reading “We expect the Resurrection”
We keep vigil on this night
Dearest brothers and sisters, we keep vigil on this night, on which we recall that our Lord was buried. We ought to keep vigil during that time in which, for our sakes, he slept. Long before, he announced his passion through his prophet: “I slept,” he says, “and I rose up, because the Lord receivedContinue reading “We keep vigil on this night”
The Symbols and Foreshadowings of the Cross
Throughout history the most wonderful events have been only the symbols and foreshadowings of this cross. Consider them, if you are anxious to learn. Did not God decree that Noah should escape from drowning in the flood with his sons and their wives and every kind of animal in a tiny wooden boat? And whatContinue reading “The Symbols and Foreshadowings of the Cross”
Locus Communis 