Pray for the Terrorists

Pray for the Terrorists.

Pray that their hearts may be softened and they may come to repentance.

There are those among us who pray for demons; how much more so should we pray for our fellow humanity who, bearing the likeness of God in the Incarnation, have forgotten their divine calling and have become subject to passions.

"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

As for those who have died in recent violence against their fellow man, let us pray for their souls. 

The burden they carry with them before the Throne of God Almighty is immense.

They were drunk on delusion but are now sober in despair.

Pray for the young men and women who are seduced into believing they must commit atrocities to gain favour with God. 

Wounds such as these are not healed by retribution but with forgiveness.

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

Pray for the Terrorists 

Fluctuat Nec Mergitur - Tossed [by the waves] but not sunk
Motto of City of Paris

Brace Yorselves - Advent is Coming

Luke 11:12

Don't scorpions grow from eggs?

...open the door, and where are the people?!

When browsing church websites and other promotional material, I have over the years developed methods of assessing the strength of the congregation and mission.

If a church website displays pictures of the building and no people, this means that there are no people.
If a church website displays pictures of the building full, but in black and white, this means there are no people.
If a church website displays pictures of only the ministry team and no people, this means there are no people.


Just a few handy tips.

Church of England - "A bit of a cop out"

Delight in the Fight

Temptation is a sign of spiritual health.

The greatest threat to the evil one is the love for God. 

The person who loves God is at the same time mocking the devil.

The devil envies that love because he does not understand it.

Rather than learning from the human how to love God, the devil in his abundant pride, convinces himself of his worth.

"I am an angel, superior to the human. What have I to learn from that which is beneath my rank?"
Here lies the sin of pride.

The devil, in subversion to the love of God seeks to damage that which pleases the Almighty.

The moment a person becomes an adopted child of God through the sacrament of Baptism, they are a target for the enemy.

Do not envy the easy lives of the heathen, for they have their reward now.

But pray and help them always. Abandon them not lest you imitate he that seeks to rid you of your own inheritance.

Be vigilant always, and when temptation arises, rejoice.

Rejoice because it means the treasury of your soul contains something worth stealing, namely the love of God.

“The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in god and begins to afflict them with self-assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds.” - Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos

Compassion of the Incarnation

Mother Maria of Paris

"The bodies of our fellow human beings must be treated with more care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last thirst, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are equally justifiable and necessary.

The way to God lies through love of other people, and there is no other way. At the Last Judgement I shall not be asked if I was successful in my ascetic exercises or how many prostrations I made in the course of my prayers. I shall be asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners: that is all I shall be asked." - Mother Maria of Paris