The Catalog of Good Deeds

There was an old man who liked fine arts. He was collecting paintings his entire life, and he finally acquired a formidable collection of portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings. They were pleasing to the eye but not to the heart; that was why the old man was dreaming of a painting that would fill in that gap.

Having saved enough money, the old man ordered several artists to paint the picture. His chief request was for the painting to cause feeling of peace and tranquility and make the viewer’s heart warm and happy.

The artists set out to create the pictures. Finally, all pictures were painted, and the old connoisseur had a look on them. All the paintings were wonderful but only one of them was exceptional.

The first painting showed a magnificent and lofty northern landscape with blindingly white snow that sparkled in the sunlight, the water’s edge appearing from beneath turquoise ice, and silent seagulls high in the sky. The painting was as glorious as the Snow Queen but as cold as her.

The second painting was impressive for its resplendent colors: it showed flowers on a meadow high in the Alps, with butterflies and dragonflies on them. This bucolic landscape was shielded from all hurricanes and tempests by picturesque mountains, which propped up an incredibly blue sky.

The picture was as wonderful and as sickly-sweet as a lollipop candy.

The third artist painted mountains, too, but those mountains were rocky and gloomy. Thunderbolts were tearing up the turbulent sky, foreshadowing a thunderstorm. A mountain creek poured down a steep mountain slope, raising dust where it fell. That landscape could cause anxiety and nervousness, and the feeling of defenselessness before the forces of nature but… if you looked at it closely, you could see that there was a bush growing out of a split in the rock under a small stone ledge near the waterfall. There was a bird’s nest on that bush. It was there that the bird, undaunted by the natural forces, hatched its nestlings.

The old man spotted the little bird immediately (he was a real art lover, after all), and his heart melted from tenderness. The peaceful bird in the midst of a tempest made everyone who looked at the landscape feel protected and secure. The old man was happy because he found what he had been looking for so long. The masterpiece took up the vacant place in the center of his rich collection on that very day, and his family and guests enjoyed it for many years.

Peace doesn’t mean that everything around you is calm and quiet. Peace is in your heart.

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

"Let us lay aside all earthly cares" - from the Hymn of the Great Entrance

Three decades ago, a film came out that codified the way in which North Americans looked at Saturday nights.

Since the 1960s, the concept of a quiet and prayerful Saturday night, preparing for the Lord's Day, has been on the decline. Perhaps this is due to the disappearance in the Protestant West of the concept of keeping vigil before a Church Feast - or to be more to the point, even observing Church Feasts. Perhaps it is due to the Roman Catholic concept of multiple services - the sort of drive-through 30 minute Masses that allow a pick-your-own approach in the spiritual life of faithful people.

This is of course nothing like having to actually be together to spoil the rampant individualism we so often pursue with vigor. Spending Saturday evening - or more specifically, one part of Saturday evening - at a Vespers or Vigil Service, prepares Orthodox Christians for the central Holy Mystery of our lives: Holy Communion. It therefore makes sense that we should lay aside our own plans, our own entertainment and self-indulgence, to prepare to partake of the Holy Mystery that makes us one: one with Christ, and one with each other.

It may be fair to place the blame for the decline in the observance of Saturday Vespers by Orthodox Christians on the bat habits of the heterodox, or the fast pace of our materialistic western world.

But like all things in the spiritual life, the biggest part of the blame can only be placed on us as Orthodox Christians - each of us - who in the struggle to lay aside all earthly cares, more often than not decide that the earthly cares are the very thing we prefer to the Body and Blood of Christ, ahead of communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let us prayerfully resolve to take up this essential part of our life, for the transformation of our souls, and the renewing of our lives. Let us, with God's help, resolve to make this preparation integral to our week, every week, and take up willingly the cross of laying aside our Saturday night earthly cares, whatever they may be.

By Archpriest Geoffrey Korz

Source: http://www.asna.ca/articles/200711-01.html

This icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is located in Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos. The name of the icon is explained by the following miracle.

When Saint Cosmas of Athos was still young and lived in Zograf Monastery, he visited Vatopedi Monastery on the Annunciation Day. He spotted a beautiful and majestic Woman in the church during the service and in the refectory during a meal. Saint Cosmas was embarrassed and unable to explain how She appeared on Mount Athos where no female had ever stepped and why monks of that monastery allowed Her presence. Carried away by these thoughts, he returned to Zograf and went to his elder. The elder saw that his disciple was baffled and asked him:

“Why are you so sad and wistful?”

Cosmas told him what he had seen in Vatopedi Monastery and honestly shared with the elder all his doubts and thoughts about the Woman that he had seen among the monks of that monastery.

“What did that Woman look like? What did She wear?” the elder asked again.

Cosmas described Her appearance in detail. The elder sighed and told his disciple:

“You failed to recognize the Female that appeared to you in the monastery, didn’t you? Now, listen: she wasn’t a mere mortal woman. She was the Queen of our Holy Mountain and all creation.”

Soon afterwards, Saint Cosmas was alone in the church. He started praying fervently to the Mother of God and exclaimed:

“O Most Holy Theotokos, please pray to your Son and God so that He would lead me to the route of salvation!”

Hardly did he utter these words that he heard the voice of the Theotokos:

“O my Son and my God! Teach Thy servant how to be saved!”

Then Cosmas heard an immediate response to Her prayer:

“He must leave the monastery and live in solitude.”

Cosmas followed that revelation. Having received his abbot’s blessing, he went to a neighboring desert, dug a cave, and spent the rest of his life in that cave carrying out his monastic duties. He was rewarded by the Lord with the gift of miracles.

The icon in front of which Saint Cosmas prayed and from which he heard the voice, is called “She who is quick to hear.” It is located in a niche in the east wall of the sanctuary of the cathedral church of Zograf Monastery.

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

There was a man who accumulated a lot of wealth. He never wanted to go to church to confess or donate. He had a ten-year-old son. It happened that the wealthy man fell seriously ill, and his family members advised him to confess and do something for the salvation of his soul. He refused, “May my son be in good health. He will do everything I need for the salvation of my soul.” The man was conquered by the devil, and nothing could make him change his opinion.

There was a pious elder in that area. He shaved his beard and put on secular clothes, and then went to the rich man’s house.

“What do you want?” they asked him when he knocked at the door.

“I’m a foreigner. When I happened to come to your village, I learned that your ruler is ill. I’ve come to see him, for I’m a doctor.”

They let him in immediately. All the rich man’s family gathered around the elder.

“How is the patient right now?” the elder asked them.

“I feel awful,” was the rich man’s own answer.

“What do local doctors say?”

“They say that I’m terminally ill.”

The elder-pretending-to-be-doctor took his hand and said:

“Yes, that’s right. You’re dying. However, if you could find a certain remedy, you wouldn’t die.”

“What’s that remedy that we have to find?”

The elder ignored that question and asked:

“Do you have kids?”

“Just one boy.”

“Don’t worry, your remedy is at hand. I promise that you won’t die.”

He requested a cup of water and some flour. He mixed the water and the flour, pretended to add some other substance into the mix, and then said:

“Now, the remedy is almost ready. One last thing: your son has to come here, and I’ll prick his little finger with a needle and add three drops of his blood into the mix. You will recover as soon as you drink the remedy.”

The rich man’s son was playing in the backyard of their house. They hurried to bring him to the doctor, saying:

“Sonny, please return to the house. There’s a doctor who can make your father well again.”

The boy wasn’t happy with that but they dragged him to his father’s bed.

When the doctor saw the boy, he said:

“My boy, I’ll prick your little finger with a needle and take three blood drops to prepare a remedy for your father to get well.”

“Am I a fool to allow you to injure my little finger?”

The doctor exclaimed:

“Sonny, it’s you who can help your father to survive this illness. Can’t you see how much wealth he has accumulated to leave to you?”

“I don’t care if he lives or dies, I’m not going to give you my blood,” the young man retorted and left.

Then the doctor said to the ruler:

“I am the spiritual counselor of this land, and I set this up trying to show you that you mustn’t expect any kind of care for your soul from your child.”

The rich man rose from his bed and said:

“I neglected my soul for the sake of my son to leave him a large estate but he didn’t want to sacrifice three droplets of his blood to rescue my life? You’re right, Father.”

He tore his will into pieces and gave all his possessions to the poor, leaving his son without any inheritance. He went to the Paradise where he’s always happy.

Now you who have children, don’t lay your hopes on them saying that they are good people and that they will take care of your souls. You’ll be left in the afterlife only with what you’ve done in this life on the earth.

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

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How Should One Behave on the Day When Received Communion?

Photo Blog: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in St. Elisabeth Convent

Parable of the Day: Searching for Peace Outside and Inside

The Importance of Visiting Church on Saturday Night

The Quick to Hear: a Rare Icon of the Mother of God from Zograf Monastery

Parable of the Day: Your Salvation Depends on What You Do

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Search This Blog

featured Slider

How Should One Behave on the Day When Received Communion?

Photo Blog: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in St. Elisabeth Convent

Parable of the Day: Searching for Peace Outside and Inside

The Importance of Visiting Church on Saturday Night

The Quick to Hear: a Rare Icon of the Mother of God from Zograf Monastery

Parable of the Day: Your Salvation Depends on What You Do

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