Monday, March 25, 2013

Patient Bearing of afflictions


Mr. Husband and I were given a book recently
by Archimandrite John Krestiankin
of the Pskov-Caves Monastery in Russia
entitled
May God Give You Wisdom! 
The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin
which I have been reading over the last days...
his letters speak of many things...
one of the themes that struck me is the
 speaks of enduring under one's Cross
without murmuring
and with faith and hope in God.
*
I am enjoying these letters;
I find that I often find letters by various holy people
in the Orthodox church to be very uplifting.
You can read parts of these letters here.
*
Listening to this podcast by Fr. Thomas Hopko
today while I try to clean our home,
I found the same theme...
salvation will be found through endurance of affections.
*
Fr. John Krestiankin was, it seems, asked many times by many
people for their life path in the
traditional Orthodox paths of either
marriage or monasticism.
He spoke of both being of a Cross and
of the cutting of one's will.
*
Fr. Thomas Hopko speaks of bearing with
each other in love and being kind to everyone.
*
I found myself thinking of many of those who I love
who are married with children
and how there are a lot of every day afflictions that
we endure ~ now a lot of my friends have young children
and that has it's on challenges of exhaustion and not much
if any break from the constant effort that is called for
in the raising of children.
*
Or others who are in
increasingly difficult work situations
or are in other painful and grief-filled situations.
*
Or those who are just trying to make their way
through things and find life currently bewildering
and without clarity or focus.
*
Or those who are suffering from illnesses.
*
Or those needing work...
*
Or those who are in more than one of the above categories.
*
There are many struggles in our life...
*
This theme continues throughout this year for me ~
those who endure to the end will be saved.

2 comments:

Peacocks and Sunflowers said...

Thank you for mentioning these letters! Good Lenten reading :) But it's interesting that yet again here is repeated the 'traditional Orthodox paths of either marriage or monasticism'. These days there are plenty of us living a single life in the Church and the world, and it often seems as though both have forgotten about us. (Of course there have always been the widowed who do not remarry, but that's perhaps different? or maybe it isn't!) I have no interest in entering monastic life, not least because it means deliberately giving up the possibility of marriage and children. But those things are not part of my life either, so far. Well - you know what this is like, and I am so happy for the joyful change in your life! But I have yet to come across good advice for those living a long-term - or at least indefinite-term - single life as a Christian in the world. It is not easy. Maybe you or other readers have suggestions?

elizabeth said...

Anna - I hope my blog post was of some hope.... I have been thinking of you...will try to email you soon...