Easter Sunday

"O the wonder of God's compassion. O the amazement of the bounty of our Creator. O the power of His almightiness. O His immeasurable kindness regarding our nature, that He also brings sinner into existence! Who can sufficiently tell His praise, who quickens the sinner and abuser who had become dust without motion [so as to participate of] a laudable, recognizing and rational mode of existence, that changes scattered dust into a being exalted above perception, that makes scattered senses a rational nature with quick motion? If the sinner is not able to [understand] His quickening power, he can be content with His grace... Come and let us wonder at the grace of our Creator. The retribution of the sinners is this, that He repays them with resurrection instead of with justice... Glory to Your immeasurable grace. Now the floods of Your grace make me silent without any emotion remaining, not even thankfulness. With what mouth shall we thank You, good king who loves our life?" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 50, 358-359).

Christ is truly Risen! Alleluia. Alleluia!
A very blessed Easter to you all!

Anastasis - Russian Icon

Holy Saturday

"Great is the power of a little discipline, if it is combined with constancy. The soft drop on account of its constancy makes a hole even in hard rocks. When the spiritual man is near to being quickened in you, death to all things will come to you, and your soul will become hot with gladness which has no equal among created beings, and your deliberations will be concentrated within you, on account of the sweetness in your heart. But when the world is quickened in you, distraction of mind will increase in you, and lack of courage without constancy" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 46, 331-332).

Anastasis - Christ's Descent into Hell
Russian Icon

Good Friday

"The cross is the gate of mysteries; here takes place the entrance of the mind unto the knowledge of the heavenly mysteries. The knowledge of the cross is hidden within the sufferings of the cross... The greater place the suffering of Christ takes in us, the greater becomes our consolation in Christ... It is not possible that our soul produce spiritual fruits, except when our heart is dead to the world. For the Father quickens the soul that has died the death of Christ" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 79, 544).

Orthodox Crucifixion Icon
by Theophanis the Cretan

Holy Thursday

"When we have found love, we eat the heavenly bread and we are sustained without labor and without weariness. Heavenly bread is that which has descended from heaven and which gives the world life; this is the food of angels. He that has found love eats Christ at all times and becomes immortal from thence onwards. For whoever eats of this bread shall not taste death in eternity. Blessed is he that has eaten from the bread of love which is Jesus. Whoever is fed with love is fed with Christ, who is the all-governing God. Witness is John who says: God is love" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 43, 316-317).

Luminous - The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

Wednesday in Holy Week

"Compel yourself to show honor to your fellow man, when you meet him... This be your aim regarding all men. And when you become angry at any one and zealous for the sake of faith, or on account of his evil works ... then be cautious. We all have a just judge in heaven. But if you are merciful and seek to turn him unto the truth, you have to suffer for him. And with tears and in love you must speak to him without being enraged against him, effacing all sign of hostility from your face. Love does not know how to be angry; it is not indignant, it does not despise so as to cause suffering. Wherever the sign of love and knowledge is present, it is profound humility rising from the inner mind" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 79.80).

Tuesday in Holy Week

"Love the sinners but reject their works. Do not despise them because of their shortcomings, lest you be tempted by the same. Remember that you share in the stink of Adam and that you are clad with his illness. To him who needs passionate prayer and soft words, do not give blame instead, lest you cause his destruction and his soul be demanded from your hand. Resemble the physician who use cold medicines against symptoms of fever" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 79).

Monday in Holy Week

"Make yourself small among men, then He will exalt you even above the heads of the people... Where humility sprouts, there glory will rise... If you are humble in your heart, He will show you His glory in your heart. Be disdained in your greatness, not great in your being disdained. Learn to be disdained, while being full of the honor of the Lord; not to be honored while being injured by ulcers within. Reject honor, then you will be honored. Do not love it, lest you be rejected. If you pursue honor, it will flee from you. If you flee from it, it will rise for you from the place where you hide yourself and it will be a herald of your humility to every one" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 76.77).

Palm Sunday

"In prosperity be near to Him and obedient, that you may have freedom of speech with Him in trouble because of you constantly being near to Him in your heart by means of your prayer. Sit before His face all your time, thinking of Him and recollecting Him in your heart, lest, seeing Him only after long you should lack freedom of speech with Him on account of bashfulness. A high degree of freedom of speech is born from constant intercourse. Constant intercourse with men is of a bodily nature; that with God is psychic meditation and offerings in prayers" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 72-73).

Jesus entering Jerusalem by Giotto
(Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padova, Italy)

Saturday of Lent Week 5

"By sufferings and distress He has caused you frequently to recall Him in your heart, and by fear of adversities He incites you to turn towards the gate of his mercy. By liberating you from these [troubles] He sows in you causes of love unto Him. And when you have found love he brings you near to the honor of the sons, He shows you the richness of His bounty and the steadfastness of His care for you. Then He will make you perceive the holiness of His honor and the hidden mysteries of the nature of His greatness. How should you have become acquainted with these things if there had not been adversities? For through these the love of God is able to increase, viz. by understanding His acts of bounty and by recalling His various acts of care. All this good is born for you from things causing grief, if you know to give thanks" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 72).

Friday of Lent Week 5

“Deem him a man of God, who constantly takes upon himself the lot of want, being moved by great compassion. He who does good to the poor finds God his provider. He who suffers want for His sake finds Him to be a great treasure. God does not need anything, only He rejoices when anyone satisfies or honors His image for His sake” (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 68).

Thursday of Lent Week 5

“If it is certain to you and you believe that God cares for you, you need not be anxious for your body nor have care concerning the guiding of yourself by means. But if you doubt this and desire to care for yourself, without God, you are more wretched than any man, and what does life mean to you? Throw your care on God, that you be strengthened against all fear. He who once has entrusted his life to God, will dwell in mental peace” (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 67).

Wednesday of Lent Week 5

"[Divine] care surrounds all men at all times, but it is not seen, save only by those who have purified themselves from sins and think of God perpetually. To these men then it is revealed clearly; for when they have been led into great temptations for the sake of truth, then they receive a faculty of perception clearly as if with the eyes of the flesh" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 64-65).

Tuesday of Lent Week 5

"When sin is still green, eradicate it, lest it cover the whole ground. He who neglects an evil thing while it is small, will find it at last a hard master and he will go in bonds before it. He who treats it severely in the beginning, will easily rule it" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 63).

Monday of Lent Week 5

"Among men riches are honored; by God a humble soul... The commandments of God are better than the treasures of the whole earth. He who acquires His laws in his heart, will find the Lord in them. He who meditates upon God in the night, will acquire Him as a housemate. He who is pliable to His will, will find the angels of heaven his teachers" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 5, 61-62).

Fifth Sunday of Lent

"There is nothing which brings the heart so near unto God as mercy... Do not make any distinction between the rich and the poor nor know who is worthy and who is not worthy. Deem all men worthy of bounty on your part. Especially because you spur them unto truth thereby. The soul can easily be drawn by corporeal things to the thought of the fear of God. Also our Lord shared his table with publicans and harlots without making any distinction between those who were worthy and those who were not, seeking to spur them on thereby unto the fear of God and to bring them, through communion in bodily things, unto spiritual communion" (from The Mystical Treatises of Isaac of Niniveh, Homily 4, 54-55).

The Raising of Lazarus (Greek Icon)