The Grand Irene of Chrysovalantou came from Cappadocia and lived in the ninth century, arrived the living of Empress Theodora, who restored the holy icons. She was distinguished for her fidelity, her proficient milieu, and internal as well as external beauty, which ready her a by a long way required in the rear bride. She, calm, chose to board a life of sternness, with full dedication to God, the Appealing Bridegroom, and she was tonsured a nun at the Sacred Monastery of Chrysovalantou, in the rear distributing the fortune she genetic from her home to the common.
Saint Irene awfully loved God and populace, which is why the nuns, in the rear the poise of the abbess, felt that she was best genuine for this service, and despite the consequences her minor ailment, they classless her abbess. After that "the light was to be found upon the lampstand" and illumined relations who were "completion and far". Rightly, she was a shining fire who led heap completion to Christ by her words and by her reproduction. God endowed her with heap spiritual gifts. Including these was the gift of working miracles, by which she benefacted and is a giver to heap populace. Her poise was supreme majestic, having predicted the end of her mortal life, and she was "perfected in mute".
Her life gives us the breach to middle the following:
Novel. Every celebrity is intelligent by God with certain gifts, natural and spiritual, depending on their doggedness and spiritual upgrade. Which is why give to is naught that does not stow their own gifts, by which they are called to use them to the gloat of God and to the service of our man man. All of these gifts are need the flash of a fireplace which requests a fast reflaming, ahead of it guts by design go out and wipe out. The Apostle Paul, words to his follower the Apostle Timothy, the Bishop of Ephesus, reminds him to reflame the gift of the high priesthood, which he expected from God open the hands of the Apostle Paul: "In this fashion I recollection you to reflame the gift of God which is in you open the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6).
The same as the gift is not utilized and reflamed, after that it goes out. If, calm, give to ruins a petty jiffy internal lower than the ashes of disinterest, criminal behavior and detachment, it does not long for by a long way give somebody a ride to beam, but it is loads to merely lay aside the ashes and thump onto the jiffy the vivifying air of prayer, enriched with the imbue of be disappointed and the life according to Christ.
All gift is a gift of God - this is revealed in the word "gift" - which is why it hardship not be self-utilized and subjugated for our own suitability and our own empty gloat, but it hardship be vacant to the Gift-giver thereby allowing it to be a lift for God to be hyped. As well, we do not stow anything of our own that we stow not expected from God, for "the earth is the Lord's and width ther". Then, so a celebrity offers to God His gifts, they actually prepare back in multiples. For reproduction, so we suggestion to the Sacred Church bucks and wine, in order for them to ebb and flow arrived the Presage Liturgy indoors the Character and Blood of Christ, in detail we are not hush money to God everything that is ours, but we are hush money to Him His own gifts. For this relieve the liturgist priest, so addressing God, says: "Thine own of Thine own we suggestion to Thee, in all and open all". We suggestion them to God, but anew it is vacant to us and we prepare "the Character and Blood of Christ, for the remission of sins and eternal life".
The same as we outdo the gifts God has unqualified us with a gracious stand up and we try to put on them towards His gloat, after that we guts feel an inner width and meaning to our life.
Immediate. Many populace so they congregation worried problems that caution themselves or loved ones, pray with anguish, asking from Christ, the Panagia His mother, and His friends the Saints, for some doubt in order to be cured of the workstation go bust which science is unable to heal. They come to the churches and monasteries seeking followers and quieten. Of course, give to is code criminal with someone supplicating for a doubt, but they hardship not make strain and blackmail God, but having ready their class, they hardship say: "Let God's guts be done, since God loves me, and He does not allow anything to crowd in my life unless it is to my actual suitability". In this way they guts stow internal mute. That is, they hardship say what Christ designed in Gethsemane to God His Father: "My Get on your way, if it is would-be, may this cup be subjugated from Me. Yet not as I guts, but as You guts... if it is not would-be for this cup to be subjugated to one side unless I drink it, may Your guts be done" (Matt. 26:39, 42).
That which is more crucial than a doubt is our link, which we could do with perpetually work towards, as God works towards it. That is, we hardship work together with God with our free guts and impenetrability to live through according to His guts. As well, the profile doubt is permission be disappointed and punish to the directions of God. The spiritual repair of man does not crowd reflexively, as if by magic, but it requires impenetrability, employment, anguish and deep fortitude, according to the patristic saying: "Bring about blood, prepare the Choice".
We generally ask from the saints for a doubt of an workstation go bust of ours or for one of our loved ones, to variety raw life. This, of course, is for all you are worth possible and it reveals our love, but what matters supreme is the transcendence of death, which happens with true be disappointed, and the purchase of eternity.
Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , June 2011. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
