Life's Events

“Events of life have a way of taking us unaware. Something catches us up and overwhelms us at the time. We reflect many times afterward on what we might have done and did not, what we should have said and were unable to utter at the moment…What is God’s attitude and our own towards the difficult events which happen to us on a daily basis?...we learn to judge the events of life not from the side we’re on now, but from the side of God…So the difficulties of this life find a response, or better, a correlation in God’s eternal kingdom. To put it another way, that’s where everything’s redeemed.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky, Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos)

“Events may throw us into a frenzy and threaten to overwhelm us, but God is with us. We have a God who can carry us through anything in this life, even death. Our worst enemies are our own fears and the whisperings of the evil one who coaxes us to tremble, to give up faith, and to trust every appealing solution – except God.” (Dynamis 4/6/2022)

“It is natural to worry about the success or failure of our work, our family life, and our every endeavor. Yet, that anxiety is unnecessary…Once we have put our intentions in God’s hands, we need not concern ourselves with the result of our plans. There is neither success nor failure when it comes to those actions and activities that we devote to God. Whether we win or lose, whether we accomplish our aims or miss our target, whether we realize our hopes or fall short of reaching them, it is all the same in God’s eyes. God is glorified as much by our losses in this world as He is by our gains…ultimately everything and every event work to fulfill God’s glory.” (Fr. Basil)

“…well worn people begin to have more and more forgiveness and mercy toward what goes wrong, because they begin to realize how much mercy and forgiveness and love have made it possible for them to live when they went wrong. Love and thanksgiving grow with age as we surrender our bodies to the effects of time and our physical vitality wears away. Our minds lose their sharpness and our eyes cloud over. Our joints ache. And in all this, the heart grows more and more acutely aware of how very, very precious is this event called life that lives itself through us by the Grace and love of God. We are a royal priesthood through whom God wants to re-member Himself. Our situation helps us recognize what St. Maximos the Confessor observed, that our very lives are on loan to us. Life was not “ours’ to begin with. We cannot hold on to it by anything we do, think, feel, say or will.” (Rev. Dn. Stephen Muse)

“Contemplate God's providence continually…for in this way the mind will be given guidance in perceiving the marvelous order in God's creation and in knowing His works. Thereby, the mind is strengthened and forms…take care to be calm in all things, free from excessive worldly concern and from commotion, which the various events of life create in the soul…” (V. Rev. Chrysostomos)

#FrVladimirBerzonsky #MetropolitanAthanasiosofLemessos #Dynamis #FrBasil #RevDnStephenMuse #VRevChrysostomos