Fear-No-Grave

“Has the devil wounded you? Then take up your cross. Set your hands firmly on it, and die. You will no longer be wounded. A dead person does not walk with a limp.”
— Sts. Barsanuphius & John

"The cross and the sign of the cross are the power of God; this is why the Lord is always present in them. Similarly the icons of the Lord, of the Mother of God, of the holy angels and saints, may also possess the power of God for believers, and may accomplish miracles upon them. Why? Because, by the grace of God, the Lord, the Holy Virgin, the angels or saints, are present in them—that is, they are always as near us, and even nearer, than these images. Truly so. Experience very often confirms this.

The wonder-working icons of the Mother of God, and of other saints, teach us to look upon every icon as upon the saint himself or herself to whom we pray as living persons conversing with us, for they are as near, and still nearer to us than the icons, if only we pray to them with faith and sincerity. It is the same with the life-giving cross. Where the cross is, or the sign of the cross, there is Christ Himself, His power and His salvation only make the sign of the cross or worship the cross with faith.

Icons are a requirement of our nature. Can our nature do without an image? Can we recall to mind an absent person without representing or imagining him to ourselves. Has not God Himself given us the capacity of representation and imagination? Icons are the Church's answer to a crying necessity of our nature.

Icons in churches and houses are necessary, amongst other reasons, because they remind us of the immortality of the saints; "that they live unto Him," as the Lord said that in God they see, hear, and help us."

-St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p.413,422,430,431

"What is our life? The burning of a candle; He Who gave it has but to blow—and it goes out. What is our life? The journey of a traveller; as soon as it reaches a certain limit, the gates are opened to him, he lays aside his travelling dress (the body) and his staff, and enters into his house. What is our life? A prolonged bloody war for the possession of the true country and true freedom. When the war is over, we shall be either conquerors or conquered; we shall be called from the place of combat to the place of reward, and obtain from the Recompenser either eternal reward, eternal glory, or eternal punishment, eternal shame."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.403

"Imagery or symbols are a necessity of human nature in our present spiritually sensual condition; they explain by the vision many things belonging to the spiritual world which we could not know without images and symbols. It was for this reason that the Divine Teacher, the Personal Wisdom Who created all things, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, often taught men by means of images or parables; it is for this reason also that in our Orthodox temples it is the custom to represent many things to the gaze of the Christian by imagery: for instance, to represent the Lord Himself, the Most Pure Mother of God, the Angels and saints, on icons, in order that we may conform our lives, all our thoughts, words, and deeds, to the image of the thoughts, words, and deeds of the Lord and His saints; hence also the frequent making of the sign of the cross, the use of incense, the burning of candles and lamps, the processions in and out of the altar; hence the genuflections, the bowing of the head and the falling down upon the race (for we have fallen deeply through sin). All these remind us of various spiritual things and conditions. Imagery greatly influences the human soul, its creative or active capacity."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.395

"Unfortunate is he who immoderately loves the comforts of life, and has surrounded himself with all possible comforts. He will shun every discomfort; he will become effeminate and unaccustomed to patience; whilst the life of the Christian is all discomfort, narrow, rough way, a cross, requiring discomfort and great patience. And therefore, Christian wrestler, do not seek for all comforts in your dwelling and surroundings; do not love the comforts of this world, but love Christ, the cross-bearer. Endure discomfort, accustom yourself to discomforts: 'I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,' says the Apostle."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.382

Christ is born!
Glorify Him!

"Never pity yourself in anything, crucify yourself—your old man, nestling chiefly in the flesh—and you will strike at the root of all your passions. Bear patiently all that is unpleasant to your flesh; do not spare it, go against it, and you will become a true follower of the Christ."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.366

"Concerning hypocritical prayer. Did the Pharisees think that they prayed hypocritically? They did not think so; they considered themselves to be right in their hypocrisy itself! It had become their habit; it had become, so to say, their nature; and they thought they were serving God by their prayer. Do the Christian hypocrites of the present day think that they pray and live hypocritically? They do not think so. They pray daily perhaps long; they pray out of habit with their lips, but not with their hearts, without hearty contrition, without a firm desire for amendment, and only in order to fulfil the established rule, and "think" that they do "God service," whilst by their prayer they only incur the wrath of God. We all more or less sin in praying hypocritically, and shall be greatly censured for this. Humble yourself, consider yourself as the grass, which is nothing in comparison to the ancient oak-trees, or as a prickly thorn, which is nothing, which is worthless in comparison to the fragrant and delicate flowers; for you are indeed grass; you are indeed a prickly thorn, by reason of your passions."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.349

“Understand two thoughts, and fear them. One says, "You are a saint," the other, "You won't be saved." Both of these thoughts are from the enemy, and there is no truth in them. But think this way: I am a great sinner, but the Lord is merciful. He loves people very much, and He will forgive my sins.”

-Silouan the Athonite

In honor of St. John the Baptist, whom we remember this day ☦️

Akathist to the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, Saint John (Russian) I do not claim ownership of this material.All glory be to God!Patreon account:https://www.patreon.com/fearnograve

"How fragrant are the bones of the Saints! What a wonderful perfume the relics of God's Saints emit! What a great blessing it is to gain the sweet-smelling grace of the Holy Ghost and the life eternal! Why do we run after corruption? Why have we loved the stink of sins, of poisonous passions?"

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p.335

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Akathist to the Dormition/Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Russian) I do not claim ownership of this material.All glory be to God!Patreon account:https://www.patreon.com/fearnograve

In giving birth thou didst preserve thy virginity,/ and in thy falling asleep thou hast not forsaken the world, O Theotokos./ Thou hast been, translated to life, as thou art the Mother of Life.// And by thy supplications thou dost deliver our souls from death.

"The only place where modern man does not like to visit...is himself. He cannot hear the silence, he does not want to hear the voice of conscience. But without knowing yourself you can not know God. Modern man lives in a shadowy world of TV, the media, the internet, but the greatest reality in the world is the human soul. Inside we can open up the kingdom of heaven, in our heart God wants to be born!"
-Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov)

New video posted ☦️

Moleben and Akathist to Great Martyr George the Victorious/Молебен с акафистом Георгию Победоносцу I do not claim ownership of this material.All glory be to God!Patreon account:https://www.patreon.com/fearnograve

New video posted ☦️

Divine Liturgy - Cathedral of St Alexander Nevsky in the Novo Tikvinsky Convent (Russian) I do not claim ownership of this material.All glory be to God!Patreon account:https://www.patreon.com/fearnograve

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"Without trial, even common iron appears to be steel; tin appears to be silver, or an alloy of silver appears to be real silver; bronze appears to be gold, gold mixed with earth pure gold, and common glass a diamond. Only testing proves the real worth of these materials. So it is also with men. By their appearance many seem meek and humble, merciful, kind, simple, chaste, believing, etc., but trial often proves that they are evil, proud, hard-hearted, impure, avaricious, greedy, envious, rancorous, lazy, etc. Men are tried through privations and losses, sorrows, sicknesses, dishonor; and those who stand the trial are fit for the kingdom of God; whilst those who do not stand the trial are unfit, because a great admixture of evil remains in them."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.312

"By the Cross, as well as by the sign of the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ is ever with us, living and life-giving, and ever acts by means of various powers for our salvation, through our faith in Him, our God and Saviour. Glory for this to our Lord, who is ever present with us! 'I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'

In making the sign of the cross, believe and constantly remember that your sins are nailed to the cross. When you fall into sin, immediately judge yourself sincerely, and make the sign of the cross over yourself, saying: 'Lord, Thou Who nailest our sins to the cross, nail also my present sin to Thy cross, and have mercy upon me after Thy great goodness.' and you will be cleansed from your sin. Amen."

-St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.309,310

"For I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth;
And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God."

Job 19:25-26

O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

"You constantly notice that God does not tolerate the slightest momentary impurity in you, and that peace and God Himself leave you immediately after the admittance of any impure thought into your heart. And you become the abode of the Devil if you do not immediately renounce the sin. So that at every sinful thought, and still more at every sinful word and deed, we must say, "This is the Devil." Whilst at every holy and good thought, word, and deed, we should say, "This is God"; or, "This comes from God."...Imagine what we are: "A reed shaken with [the Devil's] wind." The Devil breathes his blasphemy into our hearts, and we are immediately shaken with it. We are disturbed, depressed, when we ought to despise all his blasphemies, or not pay any attention to them, looking upon them as an illusion."

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p.301

"𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔰 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔬𝔭𝔢 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔰, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔣𝔣 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔞𝔪𝔢, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔬𝔬𝔯, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔳𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩𝔰, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔤𝔲𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔱𝔥, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔦𝔩𝔬𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔯𝔰, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔣𝔲𝔤𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔬 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔣𝔣𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔡, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔥𝔶𝔰𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔞𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔠𝔨, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔤𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔐𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔶𝔯𝔰."

+ 𝔖𝔱. 𝔍𝔬𝔥𝔫 ℭ𝔥𝔯𝔶𝔰𝔬𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔪

"In many worldly magazines and newspapers, the number of which has so greatly increased, there breathes an earthly spirit, frequently impious, whilst the Christian, in his hope, is a citizen not only of the earth, but also of heaven, and, therefore, he ought also to meditate upon heavenly things. The heathen writings of antiquity were, it would seem, often better and purer (Cicero, for instance), higher in their foundation and motive, than some writings of Christian peoples. The Personal Word of the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, is continually and greatly offended by Christian people, who are gifted with speech, and ought to be Godlike, both in their speech and writings, whilst now their words are often wasted in vain and even to tempt the Christian, who is turned aside by worldly writings from reading the Word of God and the writings of the Holy Fathers. The editors and publishers of worldly magazines and newspapers ensnare and entice the flock of Christ by the increase of flattering words. O Word of God! What answer shall we give at Thy terrible Judgment?"

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ p.298

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Chants of Resurrection Day (Romanian)/Cântări de Ziua Învierii I do not claim ownership of this material.All glory be to God!Patreon account:https://www.patreon.com/fearnograve