Words from A Seeker of Unceasing Prayer To The Candid Tales of a Pilgrim.   Visited my spiritual father once more, with whom I had had the conversations, and said to him: Here I am actually on the road to Jerusalem! I have come to say farewell and to give thanks for the Christian love shown me, an unworthy sinner. He said to me: May God bless your path! But it's too bad that you didn't tell me anything about yourself who you are and where you come from. I have heard a great from you about your travels, and I would be interested to learn about your origins and life prior to your pilgrimage.** ( Interesting Point ) ++++    The Russian proverb is correct: man proposes, but God disposes,—I said, coming once again to see my spiritual father. I supposed that right now I would be on my way to the holy city of Jerusalem, but it has turned out otherwise  All the while God and His Holy Providence govern our deeds and intentions, as it is written: "Both the willing and the doings are God's work." Hearing this my spiritual father said:. I am sincerely glad, dearest brother, that the Lord has arranged for me to see you so soon and unexpectedly  When I finished these tales, I said to my spiritual father: Forgive me, for God's sake. I have been chattering away long enough <...> our journey for the good. With all my soul I wish, beloved brother, that the abundant loving grace of God may spread as a canopy over your path and accompany you as the angel Raphael went with Tobias!

Fr Feofan for the above 1883 version used 1881 version  The text of the Athos edition , which is close to the Optino edition, was used by Hegumen Paisii also 1881 edition,

The Grace of God

Grace is a supernatural light and strength, which God gives us, out of pure Love, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and by which we are enabled to work out our salvation. Nothing is more necessary than Grace; it is an article of faith, that without it we can do nothing to save our souls. Therefore, it is refused to no-one, and God has promised with an oath to grant it to us; but we must ask it of Him, and, above all, co-operate with it exactly, although we should always attribute the good we do more to it than to ourselves 

St. John Chrysostom when referring to the effect of divine wisdom on the apostles explained that though they might have been, “untrained, and rude, and illiterate men,” they utterly defeated, “the wise, and powerful, and the tyrants, and those who flourished in wealth and glory and all outward good things.” This was proof “that great is the power of the Cross; and that these things were done by no human strength.” Chrysostom encouraged his congregation to marvel at the divine power that caused things to occur exceedingly above “nature,” and in support of “rectitude and utility.” The apostles encountered “many perils; the opposition of peoples and kings, the striving of nature herself, length of time, the vehement resistance of inveterate custom, demons in arms, the devil in battle array and stirring up all, kings, rulers, peoples, nations, cities, barbarians, Greeks, philosophers, sophists, historians, laws, tribunals, diver’s kinds of punishments, deaths innumerable and of all sorts.” Yet, “these were confuted and gave way when the fisherman” spoke.

Known in Greek as a komboskini, and in Russian as a chotki, the prayer rope has long been a powerful weapon for the Orthodox Christian. It has a very simple design, but is filled with meaning. It is traditionally made with black wool, the color symbolizing mourning for sins, sorrow for our offense against God, and reminds us to be serious and sober in our life. The material symbolizes Christ as the sacrificial Lamb, as the one who gave His life for us. It also reminds us that we are the flock of Christ, the Good Shepherd. At the bottom is small cross, a reminder of what Christ did for us but also a symbol of hope; a device of torture and execution has become for us the gateway into eternal life. At the bottom of the cross is a tassel which is there for both a symbolic reason and a practical one: it is used to wipe away the tears which are shed while praying, and to remind us that we should be crying over our sins if we aren’t. The rope typically comes in one of three lengths, 33 knots, 50 knots, or 100 knots. The 33 knots of the shorter rope symbolize the 33 years Christ spent on earth. The making of  this particular prayer rope is attributed to Saint Pachomios in the fourth century, who created it as an aid for himself and his fellow monks so that they could each fulfill their individual prayer rule and accomplish a consistent number of prayers and prostrations. Since then it has become an aid to help monks—and laymen and women—to fulfill St. Paul's command to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Using the prayer rope begin by saying the Jesus Prayer. On each knot is said, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." .Often when reaching a bead on a prayer, some will recite the Lords Prayer others which I do recite the prayer of Fr Ephraim the Syrian,,, Saint Theophan the Recluse (+1894) recalls: "They used it as follows: they said, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner," and moved one knot with their fingers; then they said this again and moved another, and so on; between each short prayer they made a bow from the waist or a prostration, as desired, or between small knots they made a bow from the waist and at the larger knots or beads a complete prostration. The rule consisted in a set number of prayers and prostrations, interspersed with prayers in one's own words...."

Oneness does not equate to identity with the Divine; there is always a distance of creature to Creator. This sacred order is composed of wheels within wheels of triads. There is the celestial sphere of nine ranks of angels,  seraphim, cherubim and thrones.  dominions, powers and authorities, 3 principalities, archangels and angels,(a cosmological vision is beautifully depicted on the ceiling of the Watts’ Chapel in Compton, Surrey). Below the celestial sphere, and lifted up by it,

is the corresponding human sphere of bishop (hierarch),priest and deacon, who respectively engage in greater or lesser intensity in the threefold activity of purification, illumination and perfection by means of the three sacraments of baptism, syntaxis (eucharist) and anointing.  This ‘ecclesiastical hierarchy’ is itself a mean between the two poles of the ‘hierarchy of the law’

(under the Old Testament) and the celestial hierarchy, forming a total of three dispensations. Another triadic structure can be discerned in the sacraments themselves, those who understand and administer them and those who are initiated by them.

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, Metropolitan of Diokleia and hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne, has fallen asleep in the Lord today, August 24th (1934-2022) as reported by the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.

The Holy Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, “sadly announces the falling asleep of His Excellency Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia on Wednesday 24th August 2022.

A noted scholar, lecturer and author, and devout and faithful clergyman, a beloved spiritual father, His Excellency served Christ and His Church for many years. His words, spoken and written, made Orthodoxy known to the entire world, especially to his native land.

Christ Pantokrator mid sixth century. Encaustic  ( an ancient method of painting of burning the colours in or on melted wax) on board, 84.5 x 44.3 cm. Monastery of St. Catherine, Mt. Sinai .The encounter with God is never abstract or without impact on the person involved. Beholding the face of Christ, the viewer sees, as if in a mirror, his own inner division, a vision of himself outside himself, in conflict with himself. He sees the image of God within him reflected in God’s Eternal Image, and judges his own likeness poor and disfigured. At the same time, our icon embodies a message of profound hope, for Christ came not to destroy the world but to save it. And thus we are drawn, not to the eye of the dread judge, but to the side of mercy, the eye of the loving God. Spontaneously, instinctively, without thought or effort, we incline toward the right hand of blessing.

The As a faithful interpreter of the Gospel of Matthew, The writer knew that “judgment” was one with “being seen” by Christ (cf. Mt 25:45), whose “eyes are like a lame of ire” (Rev 1:14; 2:18), and pierce into the hearts of men. If the image is discomforting, this was surely intentional. he confrontation with God is always more than we expect, involves more than we think we know or understand, and often has far-ranging consequences. It is not possible to enjoy a neutral, distanced, “aesthetic” contemplation of the living Christ, which would dispense with the opposition between the holiness of God and the unholiness of the person who beholds him. he encounter with God is never abstract or without impact on the person involved.

Raphael’s , wonderful explanation behind the expressions on “The Sistine Madonna”. The painting takes its name from the church of San Sisto in Piacenza and Raphael painted it as the altarpiece for that church in 1513-1514.

The two saints that feature in the painting, St Sixtus and St Barbara are the patron saints of the Benedictine San Sisto church, hence their inclusion in Raphael's magnificent masterpiece. The Madonna holds her child as she floats on a swirling carpet of clouds, she is flanked by St Sixtus and St Barbara. At the foot of the painting are two angels (cherubs) who gaze in wistful contemplation. There has been lots of speculation about the sadness, or even petrified expressions on the face of the Virgin and the infant Jesus. Why are they so mournful and terrified? Why does St Sixtus point out of the painting at us, the viewers? The answer becomes clear when we consider the originally intended location of the work. Placed behind a choir screen, that no longer survives, the Sistine Madonna would have faced a crucifix attached to the screen. So the mystery is solved, the Virgin and infant Jesus gaze out on the crucifixion The frightened expressions are understandable, Jesus sees his own death and his mother is witness to the torture and death of her child. It is to the scene of the crucifixion that St Sixtus also points and not to the viewer.  St Sixtus points out of the painting at the scene of the crucifixion.(Wonderfully painted hands by Raphael!) St Barbara is the only figure in the grouping who wears a serene expression. She gazes down towards the cherubs at her feet. The worried expression of the Virgin is evident in this detail, as is the fear on the face of the infant Jesus

I always have a tendency to repeat the last paragraph of Psalm 84/85 depending on your relevant Bible

Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth is sprung up out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven. Yea, for the Lord will give goodness, and our land shall yield her fruit. Righteousness shall go before him and set his footsteps in the way.

 In the year 7067 (1558), in the time of Grand Princess Anastasia, of Crown Prince’s Ivan and Theodore, of the Holy Pope and Patriarch Macarius, metropolitan of All Russia, and of Poimen, archbishop of Novgorod, the Lord Czar and Grand Prince of All Russia Ivan Vasilievich sent to Constantinople, Jerusalem, Egypt [i.e. Cairo], and Mount Sinai the Novgorod archdeacon Gennadius, the merchant Basil Pozniakov, Dorotheus of Smolensk,

And we arrived at the Most Honourable Monastery of Mount Sinai. The archbishop and abbot of Sinai, the priests, and all the brethren came out with crosses to meet the patriarch half a mile outside the monastery and brought to the patriarch a silver cross upon a platter. So, he took the cross from the abbot, crossed himself, and blessed the abbot and the brethren. The abbot came to us, greeted us, kissed us, and choking with tears, said: ‘Thank God for favouring us to see the envoys of an Orthodox sovereign!’ Then the brethren started embracing us, kissing us lovingly, and shedding tears of joy. At this point we the sinners could not restrain ourselves from tears. And we saw old fathers similar unto angels. So, we entered the monastery. When the patriarch had gone inside the church, the old abbot of Mount Sinai came to him. The patriarch and the abbot kissed and embracing each other with their arms, wept for a long time. We entered the church as if it were paradise. For the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ is quite marvellous. Its floor is paved with white and blue marbles. The stones are cut small, coloured in various hues, and laid in patterns like damask cloth. We venerated the holy icons and went to the right side of the altar. The altar wall is as wide as a man’s chest. Upon this wall are placed the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine. The tomb is made of white marble, with very nice patterns cut into the tomb, and it is about half a sazhen (1 METRE) long. So we prayed to the Holy Great Martyr Catherine and covered these relics with the cloth of the Czar, Lord, and Grand Prince of All Russia Ivan Vasilievich, for he had sent a cloth of gold [i.e. gold-embroidered] velvet with various old silken velvets. In that same church behind the altar is the Chapel of the Burning Bush, where Moses saw the Mother of God with the Child standing in the flame and not consumed by it.

tbc

When She who bare Thee beheld upon the Cross Thee, The Lamb, and Shepherd, and Saviour of the world, She weeping said; the world rejoiceth, in that it hath received redemption, but My heart kindleth with yearning as I look upon Thy crucifion, which Thou sufferest for all men, O my Son and my God.

Lord have mercy (40x) 

When the thief beheld the Author of Life hanging upon the Cross; he said “ If thou wert not God incarnate, who art here crucified with us, then had the Sun not veiled its rays, neither would the earth have shaken trembling. But do thou who sufferest for all men, remember, O Lord, when thou comest into thy Kingdom. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.                                     In the midst between two thieves, was thy Cross found the balancebeam of righteousness; for while the one was lead down to hell by the burden of his blaspheming, the other was lightened of his sins, unto the knowledge of things divine. O Christ our God, glory to thee.                                                                     Now, and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen    

Often the small prayers we make during the day as when leaving or entering home, before the Icons     God be merciful to us sinners : Thou has created us, Lord have mercy on us, we have sinned immeasuraly Lord forgive us

or another common prayer,, Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on us, whilst making the sign of the cross, these small prayers set on daily perspective espeacially if one does the Jesus Prayer  within the cycle, also when beginning any small or large task begin with Lord Bless and when finished Glory to thee O Lord

Vlenevesky Skete Choir Memebers   1897    

Whenever you enter a Christian Home       Before the Icons “ God be merciful to us sinners, Thou has created us, Lord have mercy on us, We have sinned immeasurably, Lord forgive us.         Likewise when you leave

Whenever you are leaving your own Home.   Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on us as you make the sign of the cross

The Holy Fathers called Psalm singing,The great weapon, :   A Prayer, The wall.: Pure tears, a washing stand.:  A blessed obedience called, a great conversion.: Without which you cannot see God

A Vesper Hymn

O Gentle Light of the Holy glory of the immortal, Heavenly Father; blessed Jesus Christ, Son of God; Having come to the setting of the sun, having beheld the evening light, we praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: God, Meet it is for thee at times to be hymned with reverent voice, O Son of God, Giver of life to all the world, therefore the whole world doth glorify Thee

For some reason after reading this prayer although not in the structure of Vespers, I add 12 Lord, have mercy, 12 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me and finish with   Glory to thee, our God, our Hope , Glory to thee