There was a young girl who had learned all Holy scripture by heart. She went to a very holy elder, a hermit, and told him this. The elder asked her, “When you are slandered, do you consider it as praise? When you are dishonored, do you consider it an honor?” “No!” she replied. “Then you have accomplished nothing,” answered the elder, “go home and real all of Holy Scriptures again!” Some of the holy father say that the most important thought is to know your own weakness. Our Lord Jesus Christ said: “when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants: we have done that with was our duty to do”. Does anyone do everything that Christ commanded? It is only through humility that we can do anything. According to St. Isaac the Syrian there are two kinds of humility: humility that comes from sin, which is coming to know oneself; and humility from righteousness. The first is quite simply personal confession of one’s sins. But no one should think that simply recognizing his sin is humility. True humility is when someone possessed all the virtues and ever works miracles, yet he considers himself dust and ashes. This true humility is attained only by the saints. Humility is a virtue that is of great importance for our salvation, for without it no once can behold Jesus Christ Who humbled Himself for our sakes. Listen to what the Holy Scripture says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. To resist the proud means that the door to the Kingdom of heaven is closed to them. Humility is greatly needed for anyone to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven - without humility, no one can be saved. In regard to this great virtue the Savior spoke of children as an example saying, “Whomsoever will humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” According to St. Isaac the Syrian, humility is “the garment of God” who humbled Himself, clothing Himself in our temporal body. This same saint of stillness also tells us what humility is specifically, saying, “Humility is a great mystery which those saints who attained perfection acquired after their lifelong struggles. This power is given only to those who attain the highest levels of perfection in their lives, through the power of grace.” - From the Counsels of Elder Cleopa -

Announcements

Birthdays: Josh M. (20th); Mike D. (21st); Moriah (21st); Macrina C. (22nd); Josef (23rd); Will S. (24th) Anniversary: Hill Namesdays: Natalia Many Years!

Services This Week: Vespers: Weds. 6p.m.

Youth Contact Dn. Gregory for Summer Activities: [email protected]

Moms: Contact Margaret Combs for summer schedule: [email protected] Ladies Study - Thursdays, 9a.m. -

Men’s Study Group - Fridays, 6:30a.m. -

“For the sake of the words of Thy lips” (Ps. 17:4) Whether we wish to or not, we are going to experience suffering. God will ask us to make many sacrifices and expect many deprivations in our life. How will we be able to endure them all? In the same way that David did, namely, “for the sake of the words of Thy lips.” Let us recall that this is the moment when David’s suffering was at its greatest. He is under tremendous physical and mental stress. He is being pursued, hunted like an animal. He could be killed at any moment, and his soul is shaken by the threat of imminent death. To be sure, his entire life has been a protracted drama, a prolonged struggle between life and death. He has tried to understand why, but there is no explanation. Everything seems irrational, without meaning or purpose. He can’t explain why it is that he suffers, or why he is being made to ensure so much. But the man of faith knows the reason: “For the sake of this words Thy lips.” It is enough for me to know, O Lord, that this is what You have asked for; that this is what You have willed of me. There is only one way to explain our difficulties: they are exactly the things that God wants us to experience and endure, and so “for the sake of the words of Thy lips I have kept ways that are hard.” Experience is of inestimable value in our spiritual life. Experiences are important because they give us the courage to continue. But woe to the person who does not have spiritual experiences. Our her experiences of God during prayer - of His presence, of communion with Him, and the spiritual joy that this gives us - herald the joy that will be ours for eternity. It is as if we were already living the resurrection to which we are journeying. And this is precisely why we have the strength to confront life’s difficulties with so much patience. Our journey is “per crucem”, that is, “through the Cross,” but “ad lucem”, “to the light”. And we make our way to the light having already tasted, having already experienced, the joy of communion with God. When faced with difficulties, our typical response is not to endure them patiently, still less to see them as an opportunity for spiritual struggle and growth. Instead, our only thought is to avoid and flee from whatever makes us uncomfortable…. Yet it’s so much better to trust in God; to feel and to know that at such moments God is with us… - Elder Amilanos: Psalms and the Life of Faith -

Holy Theophany Orthodox Church + 2770 N. Chestnut St. Colo. Springs, CO 80907 (719) 473-9238 Fr. Anthony Karbo Fr. Simeon Johnson Fr. Panayiotis Tekosis Dn. Gregory Jewett [email protected]

Prophet Samuel Aug. 20th, 2017 I Cor. 9:2-12 Matt. 18:23-35 “If you so wish, believe in Him; if not, don’t believer. In either case, He remains the Eternal King, seated upon His throne. If you so wish, offer Him your heart, for we encounter God in faith, in the spacious freedom of the heart.”