ON THE WORLD AND FAMILY

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

On the World and Family
By Elder Ephraim

The world attracts the youth like a magnet; worldly things have great power over the newly enlightened soul that just started to find its bearings and see its purpose in life and the duty calling him. "Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." The Holy Apostle James (Iakovos) writes: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" [James 4:4]. God has stored up pleasures for eternity, for both He and our soul are Eternal. There is no comparison between the pleasures of the world and the pure pleasures of God.

The pleasures of the world are obtained with toil and expenses, and after their momentary enjoyment, they are followed by various consequences, so that they are incorrectly called pleasures. The pleasures of God, however, DO NOT HAVE CONSEQUENCES, BECAUSE SPIRITUAL PLEASURES DOWN HERE ON EARTH ARE THE FIRSTFRUITS OF AN ETERNAL SERIES OF PLEASURES AND DELIGHTS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Whereas on the contrary, one who has been corrupted by the pleasures of the world is compelled to undergo Eternal Damnation along with the first instigator of corruption, the devil.

The time of our life, my child, has been given to us as a sum of money so that each of us may trade for his salvation, and depending on the trade we deal in we shall become either rich or poor. If we take advantage of the "money" of time by trading to increase OUR SPIRITUAL WEALTH, then we shall truly be skilled traders, and we shall hear the blessed voice: "WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! YOU WERE FAITHFUL OVER A FEW THINGS, I WILL MAKE YOU RULER OVER MANY THINGS. ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD" [Matthew 25:23].

At the end of our life, an exact account will be demanded of each one of us; how and where we spent the money of time, and woe to us if we have squandered it in movie theaters, in entertainments, in debauchery, in futile dreams, in carnal pleasures. Then what defense will our tied tongue be able to utter, and how will we be able to lift up our eyes and see our Christ, when He enumerates the countless benefactions which His boundless love profusely poured upon us?

Now that we have time, now that the money of time has not yet been spent completely and we still have it at our disposal, let us reflect sensibly on the vagrant world which seeks to rob us. Let us push it away like a putrid dead dog, and with that money let us run to buy precious works which, when tried by fire, will become very bright–GIFTS WORTHY OF OUR HOLY GOD, FIT TO BE USED AS A DECORATION IN THE HOLY JERUSALEM OF HEAVEN. We should not purchase chaff, that is, punishable works of darkness, for we shall go down with them into the Eternal fire and damnation, where the multitude of people who embezzled God’s gifts will reap whatever they sowed? Sow good works WITH TEARS, AND THEN IN A TIME OF VISITATION YOU WILL REAP THE SHEAVES OF ENJOYING ETERNAL LIFE!

It is from God that you are being tested, because He IS TRAINING YOU FOR BATTLE; He is drilling you, just like the soldiers who are trained through severe labors in their drills. There, first they learn the theory of warfare, and then at the sound of the trumpet in ttache real war, since they have already been trained, they rush into the battle with the inner assurance that they know how to fight, and THEY ARE READY TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THEIR CAUSE AND BELIEF.

You are also in a similar situation; since you have been called to become soldiers of Christ and to fight against His enemy, He TRAINS YOU IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN YOUR LOVE TOWARDS Him: "Who is it that loves Me but he who keeps My commandments?" [John 14:21]. Take courage, my children; REMAIN LOYAL AND DEDICATED TO HIM WHO HAS LOVED YOU WITH PERFECT LOVE.

Before a battle begins, the Generals boost the soldiers’ spirit by singing various battle hymns and relating various battle hymns and relating various stories of heroic deeds to kindle their sense of self-sacrifice. This tactic gives them great strength and bravery in the battle about to be fought.

Likewise, we too should contemplate, as the Saints did, the struggles of the Martyrs and of the holy men and women of God: how they lived ascetically, how they renounced the world and everyone, and how nothing prevented them from following the path that leads to Jesus. This CONTEMPLATION will greatly strengthen your good disposition and intention, for there have been many who were unaware of the concealed traps, with the result that their souls succumbed to temptation and thus they fell from the hope of Eternal Life.

Contemplate the love of our Jesus; the love of Jesus will overpower every other natural love. The more we renounce, the more love of God we shall enjoy. [Resource: Counsels from the Holy Mountain]

___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George