Perfection is the aim of a true Spiritual Struggler

Perfection is the aim of a true Spiritual Struggler. Perfection then is not achieved simply by allowing myself to be naked or bereft of all material goods.  Perfection is only achieved by the love which the apostle describes, and that love can only ever be found in the purity of heart that is sanctification in a heart free of all sinful disturbance, a heart free of all wasteful habits, a heart free of all self-delusion.

Abbot Moses continues:  Everything we do, our every objective must be undertaken for the sake of purity of heart.  This is why we take on loneliness, fasting, vigils, work, nakedness.

For purity of heart we must practice the reading of the Scripture, together with all of the other virtuous activities, and we do so to trap and hold our hearts from the harm of every dangerous passion and in order to rise step by step to the high point of love.

We must practice fasting, vigils, withdrawal, and the meditation of Scripture as activities that are subordinate to our main objective, purity of heart.  If purity of heart, sanctification, remains whole and unharmed within us, then nothing can do us harm.  Nor will it be of any use to have practiced all these latter, if purity of heart is missing in us.  What we gain through fasting does not compensate for what we loose through anger.

Anger, Deception, Deceit and Hate leads to actions of seeking revenge, power and control, self-image building and worse... These things, for true Orthodox, must be eradicated if one is to even consider them self a true struggler in the Orthodox Catholic Faith. For without such a pain of heart struggle, no degree of attempt to overcome those impulses will bring the individual closer to God, but on the contrary, farther from God. And therefore one cannot call them self Orthodox.

We are an educational, News-informational and research Web Site dedicated to providing such as befits those who seek those things pertinent to the Orthodox Catholic Christian Faith and life.

There are unscrupulous people on the internet these days. Some of them are not who they claim to be and in order to disrupt honest spiritual pursuits, they are known to send out e-mail under someone else's name or the name of another church or jurisdiction with attachments. Anyone can do this, if they want.

If you should ever receive an e-mail with an attachment purporting to be from anyone at "apostle1.com" - "apostle1.org" or even "apostle1.net" - - - know that our policy is to not send out e-mail from any of our domain names with an attachment. Therefore, don't open it!

Unless we know exactly from whom an e-mail comes... nothing is clicked on or opened, not even attachments! You would be surprised from whom 'hate' e-mail arrives and what attempts and extremes they go to make their e-mails "look" official when it is a lone person or persons who hate TRUTH and love lies, hate anything from being posted that involves TRUTH because they may be affected with exposure to the LIVING TRUTH of Jesus Christ's Love. They HATE some of the news, quotes, and such as to inform the general public. Some of them pose as clergy, while a few are actually clergy from various jurisdictions who have nothing to do with us, but seek to go out of their to character assassinate and disparage religious web sites who do not meet their own brand of standardization.

Remember, anything that is a HALF TRUTH is not truth but a lie! Many there are that you may know who fit those descriptives... pray for them. Pray that God will send his Spirit of Truth upon them and lead them to Salvation through tears of Repentance, conversion of their cold and calculating hearts toward seeking forgiveness from God and those whom they attempt to harm.

Those who receive e-mail from us, know who we are and from where we send mail.

If you are of another jurisdiction, you too could find that your parishioners, clergy and faithful might become subject to the same as we have recently found.

Let this be a warning to visitors so as to be safeguarded against unscrupulous e-mails which contain viruses, worms and unsavory material from person(s) organizations or institutions that are more self-serving than uplifting and informatively news worthy.

For ourselves, we have, as in the past, so once again, acquired the assistance of those who are able and capable of tracing e-mails back to their source and taking appropriate action in North America.

We have learned that the organization we subscribe to, whose members come from various legal and law enforcement backgrounds amongst other areas of society, are committed to the faith even though they may hold different theologies. Yet, in their monitoring of electronic communications of various persons or people, they do not always make haste to bring perpetrators to justice until after enough evidence has been gained in order to build a solid case. We do not always know what information they have gained, but we do know the organization, whom we've been asked not to name, has had a 97% success rate in bringing to justice and obtaining a conviction against individuals, people, and sometimes even religious organizations of a persona that gives the appearance of both secular and religious bearing but who abuse and misuse technology. The organization views those who abuse and misuse the internet and other technologies as nothing more than a form of "domestic terrorism" - - - - and, it would seem to appear that the courts are in agreement!

Those kinds of people, organizations, etc. who misuse and abuse communication technologies are no different than those who attempt to use coercive measures, and in some instance, even blackmail for the same idea is involved... to cause havoc and wreckage, to destroy the spirit and activity of those who struggle in the faith out of pain of heart for the Orthodox Church which is TRUTH. The degree that some have been known to go to, as seen by other jurisdictions, is to take advantage of questionably mentally challenged or those who have a lack of education and understanding to get them to make statements, even outright lies, in writing, in order to destroy.

Yes, our Metropolitan Archbishop, +Joseph Thaddeus, SSJt., Ph.D. strongly defends the Seals of the Confessional for such leads to true Repentance in thought, word and deed whereby the penitent is required to make amends where possible, to seek forgiveness of those harmed by his actions whether real or imagined, and to give his forgiveness to those who have harmed him before taking the Holy Body and Blood in the Eucharist. The reality of this understanding is bound in and with the findings for which cause he, himself, had been character assassinated by his detractors who claim the courts prevented him from breaking the Seals of the Confessional which is not the truth at all.... Click here to see what another bishop's findings are...

For further information about how spammers, hackers and those who are angry with you can or will attempt to do damage, we offer the following link as regards the computer - internet problem:

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Quotes from Metropolitan Archbishop +Joseph Thaddeus, SSJt., Ph.D. Continuously updated

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Irvine Community Church (Canada)

Where the Faith of the People is a living faith

as given by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Holy Apostles and Patristic Fathers.

Archbishop +David Francis (Wigley), OOFM

Liturgy: Tikhon Liturgy

An American Orthodox Church Mission to Canada and member of the Holy Synod of Bishops

of the

AMERICAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

(North American Orthodox Church, American Orthodox Catholic Church)

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Western Orthodox Church in America (WOCA)

Where the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ is bound up in His Love.

To Have the Love of Jesus Christ is to abide by His Life and Teachings.

There is no other way... The Church does not conform to the World,

The World must conform to the Church...