St. Stephan of Fileika
Now let us try to find a way to deliver ourselves from the captivity of sin, to overcome the evil lust hiding within us. Who hasn’t noticed within himself the struggle of the spirit with the flesh, the enmity between good and evil?
The lust of the flesh is very seductive: It easily snares the unwary and makes the soul a prisoner of the devil. According to the word of the Lord, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Mt. 5:28). That means you can defile yourself without touching anyone, through the eyes, through the imagination and the desires of the heart.
That evening, His Beatitude served the Akathist to Venerable Herman of Alaska at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak, AK. The service took place before the relics of Saint Herman.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
How then brethren can we not be merciful to our neighbors and not forgive their sins against us, when our Heavenly Father Himself loves us all? He is kind to both the ungrateful and the wicked.
St. Alexei Mechev
And for us, friends, there are many instructive lessons in this wonderful event. The Lord ascends a high mountain. Let us also learn to detach ourselves from the noise of the vanity of life and climb the mountain of solitude, theology, and prayer.