Let me know which operating system you use. Also share your opinions about the operating system of your choice in the comments section below. What do you like and dislike the most about it?
A beautiful Orthodox Prayer
I’ve recently come across a beautiful Orthodox prayer that I’d like to share:
My most merciful and all-merciful God, O Lord Jesus Christ! In Thy great love, Thou didst come down and become flesh in order to save all. Again, I pray Thee, save me by Grace! If Thou shouldst save me because of my deeds, it would not be a gift, but merely a duty. Truly, Thou aboundest in graciousness and art inexpressibly merciful! Thou hast said, O my Christ: “He who believes in me shall live and never see death.” If faith in Thee saves the desperate, behold: I believe! Save me, for Thou art my God and my Maker. May my faith replace my deeds, O my God, for Thou wilt find no deeds to justify me. May my faith be sufficient for all. May it answer for me; may it justify me; may it make me a partaker of Thine eternal glory; and may Satan not seize me, O Word, and boast that He has torn me from Thy hand and fold. O Christ my Savior: save me whether I want it or not! Come quickly, hurry, for I perish! Thou art my God from my mother’s womb. Grant, O Lord, that I may now love Thee as I once loved sin, and that I may labor for Thee without laziness as once I labored for Satan the deceiver. Even more, I will labor for Thee, my Lord and God Jesus Christ, all the days of my life, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
What I particularly like about this prayer is the way in which it glorifies God and presents the struggles of a Christian who is convicted by The Holy Spirit for his/her sins and who wants to repents while also having to deal with the constant fight against the desires of the flesh.
The petition, “Save me whether I want it or not!” is a request that can be found in the prayers of several Orthodox Elders (priests, monks, hermits). I have heard it from an Orthodox priest in the following form: “Please save me whether I want it or not, O, God! Please help me whether I know how to pray or not, O, Lord!”.
I hope that you like this prayer just as much as I do and more, and I pray that it helps you. Share your opinions in the comments section below.
Writing prompt 7
You’ve always frowned upon missionary dating, but then again, you’ve never had a crush on a good-looking agnostic with such a strong interest in Christianity before. And to top it off, she/he seems to like you too. What does God want you to do in this situation?
Father Stephen Freeman – On Orthodox blogging
I recently came across an interview with Father Stephen Freeman, an Orthodox Archpriest, author and blogger. In the interview, Fr. Freeman discusses how he began blogging, and makes recommendations for Orthodox interested in blogging.
While I don’t agree 100% with his views about what it means to be an Orthodox blogger and about whether Orthodox laymen should venture to write about religious topics that are usually a matter of canonical interpretation, I do think that he makes some very good points. I was also taken aback by his extremely humble demeanor.
Let me know your opinions about the interview and about Father Stephen Freeman in the comments section below. Also, check out his blog, Glory To God For All Things, and subscribe to the Protecting Veil YouTube channel.
World Water Day 2019
March 22 is the annual observance of World Water Day. This year’s theme is “No One Left Behind.” According to a report from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, nearly a billion people today live without access to clean drinking water. You can help by getting involved. Learn more about it here.
Happy World Poetry Day!
World Poetry Day is held year on March 21 each year after UN body Unesco adopted the date after an agreement in Paris in 1999. In the proclamation, Unesco agreed that poetry can meet a social role as it “arouses and expresses awareness” of a range of issues. Read more about it here.
Happy World Poetry Day to everyone, and especially to those who write, read and / or appreciate poetry!
Happy International Day Of Happiness!
March 20 is the International Day of Happiness and this year’s theme is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us.
Everyone wants to be happy – and life is happier when we’re together. So let’s celebrate our common humanity. Join the community and be part of this special day by visiting DayOfHappiness.net.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on 17 March. A fifth-century Romano-British missionary and bishop in Ireland, Saint Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Irish: Pádraig; Welsh: Padrig) is known as the “Apostle of Ireland” and is the primary patron saint of Ireland. The other patron saints are Brigit of Kildare and Columba.
He is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Churches, the Old Catholic Church, and in the Eastern Orthodox Church as equal-to-the-apostles and Enlightener of Ireland. Although St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, celebrations are taking place across the world.
The feast of the Irish saint on 17 March is being celebrated from Australia to Dubai to the United States.
More than 400 landmarks in more than 50 countries are turning the appropriate color as part of Tourism Ireland’s annual Global Greening initiative. Parades and festivities are taking place across Ireland.
Find out more about St. Patrick and the holiday here: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/articles/st-patricks-day/
Writing prompt 6
You can’t remember when or how you obtained immortality. You’ve learned to constantly assume new identities, travel the world and remain as inconspicuous as you could over the millenia. You stopped making friends as you grew tired of getting attached to people only to see them age and die. It’s the year 3000, time travel has finally been invented, but the first journey back into the past severely alters the timeline. Somehow, you’re the only one who hasn’t been affected by this.
