Why We Stand as Spiritual Sturgglers

If we do not keep our sanctification always as the *mark*, the objective, then all of our efforts would be empty, hesitant, futile, and all of our internal thoughts would be scattered and always in conflict with one another.

For a mind which lacks an abiding sense of direction veers hither and yon by the hour, and by the minute is prey to outside influences and is endlessly the slave and prisoner of whatever strikes the fancy first.

Abbot Moses continues:  This is why we see many, who have given up the greatest wealth not only in gold and silver but in splendid estates, nevertheless become distraught over a knife, or a scraper, a needle, or a pan.  Had they looked unwaveringly at their purity of heart, they would never become so involved with such trifles and they would have accepted their loss, or loaned them freely, or given them away just as they had all of their great and valuable possessions.

There are some, living a consecrated life, who have given away all of their wealth, but cannot bear to have someone else read or even touch a jealously guarded book.  They give away all their external possessions yet cling to the internal possessiveness that allows us all to accumulate material things and become enslaved to them.  They retain a heart-longing for things that do not matter and for whose sake they are willing to become angry.

Such a situation of loss or potential loss,  rather than gaining them a reward of gentleness and love, turns for them into occasions of impatience and even death.  In their frustrations, fears and anger, they are lacking the love of which the apostle spoke and in every way their lives turn fruitless and sterile.

All this was seen in spirit by the blessed apostle.

"If I give all that I have to buy food for the poor," he said, "and if I hand over my body to be burned, and yet have no love in me, then all this is for nothing." (1 Cor 13:3)

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.

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:

Keep Up-To-Date by clicking on:

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

If You have a question that you wish to ask, please feel free to submit it. However, may it be suggested that you review all previous questions for the Month and also the Archive of questions previously asked for your question may have already been answered.

Click Here For Archive Quotes

Click Here for AOC HISTORY PAGES

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)

Our Newest Member to Apostle1.com

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...