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This is something I wrote in the can a Christian kill thread and decided to make a thread on it.. This is the story of 3 saints in the Greek Orthodox faith. And then the writings of Saint Raphael after.
Agios (Saint) Raphael and Agios (Saint) Nicolas 2 Greek orthodox Priests in the mid 1400s practising on the Island of Lesvos. Before Raphael’s death he wrote stuff, much of it about how to be a good Christian and following the Christian path. Both these priests were granted saint hood because they started to appear in dreams of to all the people in a village in Lesvos in the 1950s. Yes very mystical and unexplainable! People began to talk as the saints including a 12 year old girl Agia Irene would visit them in the dreams explaining of how they died. It became apparent that in the 1400s the Ottomans invaded the Island of Lesvos and on there rampage made it to the church the 2 priests were preaching and the girl Agia Irene was worshiping with her parents. And they asked the 2 priests to give up there priest hood and join the ottoman army. They refused and were taken into separate rooms to be tortured until they gave in, remarkably they didn't and died a horrific death. And at the same time saint Irene was forced to join the Ottomans but refused to and was burnt to death with great difficulty in a giant clay vase in front of her parents. A journalist and sceptic at the time decided to investigate and using peoples dreams he went to the so called location of where this was suppose to have happened and discovered relics including the writings of saint Raphael, bones of tortured people, clay vase with bones in etc. Of which an amazing smell of flowers came from the bones and unexplainably too heavy for him to pick up. He went temporarily blind and went into communication with the saint who told him he had no faith in the dreams and the people, till eventually he did and came around. Since then a church was built in there honour and they are probably the most healing saints in the whole of the Orthodoxy faith, there are many many reported stories of them and people all over the Greek world and healing of illness.
http://www.serfes.org/writtings/straphael.htm
Writtings of St.Raphael
SPIRITUAL COUNSELS OF ST. RAPHAEL
1.Christ and We
Only where Christ dwells is there blessedness. Where Christ blesses there is heavenly repose. Where Christ turns His benveolent gaze there is inexpressible true joy. Christ, with His unceasing love for us and His great humility, loves us and invisibly reproves us and reminds us through His miracles that there is life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. The Path of Christ
The path of Christ is somewhat difficult, but with patience, will, and humility one makes progress... It involves tribulation and suffering, without which it is not possible for one to find the path open for the benefit of his soul.
3. Repentance and Regeneration
When a person is in a state of bondage to sin and has as an obstacle sadness and cannot concentrate, it means that he is without the regeneration of our Savior Jesus Christ and is far from Him.
But when a man "comes to himself" and feels that his soul is far from God and becomes aware of his sinfulness, and with tears of repentance entreats our Heavenly Father to forgive him and bring him back to the heavenly joy of our Christ, then the regeneration of his soul takes place.
4. Care of the soul
When a Christian exercises watchful care, he heals his soul and does not allow it to be lost....Do not let your soul go astray in matter, in the corruptible things of the world. Life has no value if we do not take care of the soul. Therefore, do not let yourselves go astray and lose your soul Read carefully the Gospels, because these were written with the Grace and the glory of God, to be read by the faithful that their life might shine.
On days when a Saint is celebrated, Christians ought to pray more ardently, with contrition and love, and entreat the Saint to intercede with God for the salvation of their soul. The feast day of every Saint is for Christians a serious reminder of the great sufferings which the Saints experienced for the sake of Christ's faith. They were glorified by God and with glory they received a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us then honor the Saints and invoke their help, in order that they might strengthen us in our prayer. And we may rest assured that our prayer will be listened to by God.
A guileless spirit is one which has no badness within it. Badness is a characteristic of the evil one, who seeks by means of wickedness to divert man from the path of virtue and from God. Consequently, great carefulness and effort are needed in order that there might reign in the soul a guileless and pure spirit.
How much care do people exercise in order to save their soul? What medicines do they use in order to protect it from the microbes of sin which threaten and attact it? And yet, the Lord has indicated the medicines: love, warm prayer, and humility. They must employ all of them, seeking at the same time the help of God, through which alone can the soul be regenerated and be freed from the microbes of sin...Sin must be banished from the soul: greed, rapacity, impatience, improper imagination.
Examine your self and strive to adorn it with love, humility, compassion and hope. Seek the regeneration of your soul, enlightened by the voice of the Gospel and helped by God. With fear and love for the Heavenly Father, proceed to sow the seeds of God's word on good soil. Cultivate the talent given by Christ for the salvation of your soul.
5. We ought to obey God
In order to advance in the path of Christ, one needs besides other basic things, complete obedience to the Commandments of God.
Follow the straight path which has been charted by our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not allow yourselves to be encircled by sin...Today's path which is followed by various societies is directed towards sin. The cause of this is the development of civilization - of wrongly conceived civilization - towards which the various leaders are striving by diverse means to direct mankind, trying to create a new way of life, different from that prescribed by the Lord.
6. Love your fellow men and forgive them
Among your religious duties is that of loving your fellow men and always forgiving them. If you dod this, you will be filled with joy, and with health both of the soul and of the body.
Forgive an pray, in order to live your life serenely. And do not do to others that which you do not want them to do to you, or return the evil which they have done to you.
Good deeds and love for one's neighbor will result in a holy end for everyone who inwardly supplicates: "Save me, my Christ." Through love and prayer he will be saved.
You have and eat; give each day to someone who is poor to eat also.
7. Ask God to forgive you
Always entreat the Creator to forgive you. He knows all the hidden deeds and thoughts which people do not confess, perhaps from shame, from lack of strength to tell the truth.
8. Cultivate patience
Patience is a heavenly gift, a gift from the Heavenly Father...With patience, and love for yur fellow men, you become a victor in life's continual trials.
When there is no patience, all goodness in the soul is quickly suppressed and sin grows.
Patrience adorns the soul with diamonds which are not of the earth but belong to the Jerusalem that is Above.
Patience increases obedience to the Divine words that have been written, are being written, and will be written.
PATIENCE IS LOVE
AND OBEDIENCE.
Exercise patience out of love for your fellow man. Exercise patience in order to benefit your soul. For it you do not take yur soul into consideration, you lose your patience.
PATIENCE INCREASES WHEN
A PERSON TAKES IN ACCOUNT GOD.
Patience must grow and not diminish, because when it diminishes sin increases in the life of man, evil resutls.
Patrience is a sweet word. Patience is a sweet breath. Patience is an invincible weapon. Patience is a priceless adornment of man. Patrience is a blessing of God.
When our Lord Jesus Christ was in His earthly life and taught the crowds, if He did not have patience within Himself what would have happened? He came to earth in order to save the lost sheep and to uplift us through His patience, and then to go up to Golgotha for us who are unworthy and careless.
Patience reigns quietly and fruitfully in the lfie of the man who does not harm or endanger anyone, who is content with little and is obedient to the commandments of the Heavenly Father.
9. Have faith
Have faith that is as unshakeable as a rock, so that nothing frightens you...The person who has deep faith within himself, and fixes his attention on the good path, and seeks to improve the condition of his soul and to adapt his thought to the good is happy... The happiness of man consists in faith in God and in good acts which are done with love.
We cure those who believe in us and come to us with faith.
10. Cultivate humility
STRIVE TO ACQUIRE
DEEP
HUMILITY.
A good Christian love his fellow men, helps the poor, and is very humble.
11. Keep the ordained fasts
The Holy Fast of Forty Days (tessarakoste - "Great Lent") is the greatest fast, one which every Christian must observe without grumbling. A person who possesses bodily health must not protest about the fast; and he is inexcusable if he does not keep it.
During the forty day period of the fast, a Christian ought to attend church services regularly.
A person must also keep the fast of Wednesday and Friday.
During the great fast of the first fifteen days of August, some persons were black clothes, in order to honor the Theotokos. But if this is not accompanied by fasting and by prayer it is in vain.
12. Confess and receive Holy Communion
Confess, and receive Holy Commmunion so long as you practice love towards your fellow men and do for them all the good that lies within your power. This is therapeutic for both the soul and the body.
13. Read religious books
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?
READ RELIGIOUS BOOKS.
In all our undertakings in life we should begin with a read of the Gospel. Christians who want to show obedience to the word of God should read regularly and study carefully, word for wor, the Law of the Gospel, endeavoring to understand it fully, dwelling more on those words which of essential import. Study the Acts of the Apostles.... All the heralds of Christ, that is, the Apostles and the Saints, had wisdom which they acquired through the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit.
Read the Salutations to the Theotokos.
14. Pray
REPENT AND PRAY.
DO NOT NEGLECT
PRAYER.
PRAY
FERVENTLY.
Say these prayers:
"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
"Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit."
"We venerate Thine immaculate icon..."
"The Cross, the guardian of the whole oecumene..."
The Creed and the Lord's Prayer... "O All-Holy Lady Theotokos (the light of my darkened soul, my hope and protection)..."
And whatever other prayer you know. </I>
15. Missionary activity
The compassionate soul loves, helps, consoles, shares the suffering of an afflicted fellow human being. It works for the spreading of the Gospel, motivated by love for the sinner. We ought to feel sorrow within our souls for persons who live far from God.
The stand of the Lord towards Zacchaeus should serve as a lesson for Christians. Through His stand the Lord showed that we ought to embrace sinners with our love and not to avoid them. It shows us that we ought to seek the power of God to bring them to the rengeneration which is effected by our Savior Jesus Christ.
So let us approach sinners with love. And if in the end we do no succeed in bringing them close and fully to the path of God, let us even then not cease praying for them. Perhaps our fervent prayer will be listened to by our compassionate God and He will grant to them the regeneration of their soul. 16. Profitableness of the Christian life
Happy is the Christian who studies and follows the teaching of Christ. He is happy in this temporary life and in the life after death. Yes, he will be happy after death, because the soul does not vanish after death, is not perishable like the body, but continues to live, to exist. Through death, it is simply separated from the perishable body.
Please leave your comments as I like to see what people make about it all. Even skeptics.
Agios (Saint) Raphael and Agios (Saint) Nicolas 2 Greek orthodox Priests in the mid 1400s practising on the Island of Lesvos. Before Raphael’s death he wrote stuff, much of it about how to be a good Christian and following the Christian path. Both these priests were granted saint hood because they started to appear in dreams of to all the people in a village in Lesvos in the 1950s. Yes very mystical and unexplainable! People began to talk as the saints including a 12 year old girl Agia Irene would visit them in the dreams explaining of how they died. It became apparent that in the 1400s the Ottomans invaded the Island of Lesvos and on there rampage made it to the church the 2 priests were preaching and the girl Agia Irene was worshiping with her parents. And they asked the 2 priests to give up there priest hood and join the ottoman army. They refused and were taken into separate rooms to be tortured until they gave in, remarkably they didn't and died a horrific death. And at the same time saint Irene was forced to join the Ottomans but refused to and was burnt to death with great difficulty in a giant clay vase in front of her parents. A journalist and sceptic at the time decided to investigate and using peoples dreams he went to the so called location of where this was suppose to have happened and discovered relics including the writings of saint Raphael, bones of tortured people, clay vase with bones in etc. Of which an amazing smell of flowers came from the bones and unexplainably too heavy for him to pick up. He went temporarily blind and went into communication with the saint who told him he had no faith in the dreams and the people, till eventually he did and came around. Since then a church was built in there honour and they are probably the most healing saints in the whole of the Orthodoxy faith, there are many many reported stories of them and people all over the Greek world and healing of illness.
http://www.serfes.org/writtings/straphael.htm
Writtings of St.Raphael
SPIRITUAL COUNSELS OF ST. RAPHAEL
1.Christ and We
Only where Christ dwells is there blessedness. Where Christ blesses there is heavenly repose. Where Christ turns His benveolent gaze there is inexpressible true joy. Christ, with His unceasing love for us and His great humility, loves us and invisibly reproves us and reminds us through His miracles that there is life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. The Path of Christ
The path of Christ is somewhat difficult, but with patience, will, and humility one makes progress... It involves tribulation and suffering, without which it is not possible for one to find the path open for the benefit of his soul.
3. Repentance and Regeneration
When a person is in a state of bondage to sin and has as an obstacle sadness and cannot concentrate, it means that he is without the regeneration of our Savior Jesus Christ and is far from Him.
But when a man "comes to himself" and feels that his soul is far from God and becomes aware of his sinfulness, and with tears of repentance entreats our Heavenly Father to forgive him and bring him back to the heavenly joy of our Christ, then the regeneration of his soul takes place.
4. Care of the soul
When a Christian exercises watchful care, he heals his soul and does not allow it to be lost....Do not let your soul go astray in matter, in the corruptible things of the world. Life has no value if we do not take care of the soul. Therefore, do not let yourselves go astray and lose your soul Read carefully the Gospels, because these were written with the Grace and the glory of God, to be read by the faithful that their life might shine.
On days when a Saint is celebrated, Christians ought to pray more ardently, with contrition and love, and entreat the Saint to intercede with God for the salvation of their soul. The feast day of every Saint is for Christians a serious reminder of the great sufferings which the Saints experienced for the sake of Christ's faith. They were glorified by God and with glory they received a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us then honor the Saints and invoke their help, in order that they might strengthen us in our prayer. And we may rest assured that our prayer will be listened to by God.
A guileless spirit is one which has no badness within it. Badness is a characteristic of the evil one, who seeks by means of wickedness to divert man from the path of virtue and from God. Consequently, great carefulness and effort are needed in order that there might reign in the soul a guileless and pure spirit.
How much care do people exercise in order to save their soul? What medicines do they use in order to protect it from the microbes of sin which threaten and attact it? And yet, the Lord has indicated the medicines: love, warm prayer, and humility. They must employ all of them, seeking at the same time the help of God, through which alone can the soul be regenerated and be freed from the microbes of sin...Sin must be banished from the soul: greed, rapacity, impatience, improper imagination.
Examine your self and strive to adorn it with love, humility, compassion and hope. Seek the regeneration of your soul, enlightened by the voice of the Gospel and helped by God. With fear and love for the Heavenly Father, proceed to sow the seeds of God's word on good soil. Cultivate the talent given by Christ for the salvation of your soul.
5. We ought to obey God
In order to advance in the path of Christ, one needs besides other basic things, complete obedience to the Commandments of God.
Follow the straight path which has been charted by our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not allow yourselves to be encircled by sin...Today's path which is followed by various societies is directed towards sin. The cause of this is the development of civilization - of wrongly conceived civilization - towards which the various leaders are striving by diverse means to direct mankind, trying to create a new way of life, different from that prescribed by the Lord.
6. Love your fellow men and forgive them
Among your religious duties is that of loving your fellow men and always forgiving them. If you dod this, you will be filled with joy, and with health both of the soul and of the body.
Forgive an pray, in order to live your life serenely. And do not do to others that which you do not want them to do to you, or return the evil which they have done to you.
Good deeds and love for one's neighbor will result in a holy end for everyone who inwardly supplicates: "Save me, my Christ." Through love and prayer he will be saved.
You have and eat; give each day to someone who is poor to eat also.
7. Ask God to forgive you
Always entreat the Creator to forgive you. He knows all the hidden deeds and thoughts which people do not confess, perhaps from shame, from lack of strength to tell the truth.
8. Cultivate patience
Patience is a heavenly gift, a gift from the Heavenly Father...With patience, and love for yur fellow men, you become a victor in life's continual trials.
When there is no patience, all goodness in the soul is quickly suppressed and sin grows.
Patrience adorns the soul with diamonds which are not of the earth but belong to the Jerusalem that is Above.
Patience increases obedience to the Divine words that have been written, are being written, and will be written.
PATIENCE IS LOVE
AND OBEDIENCE.
Exercise patience out of love for your fellow man. Exercise patience in order to benefit your soul. For it you do not take yur soul into consideration, you lose your patience.
PATIENCE INCREASES WHEN
A PERSON TAKES IN ACCOUNT GOD.
Patience must grow and not diminish, because when it diminishes sin increases in the life of man, evil resutls.
Patrience is a sweet word. Patience is a sweet breath. Patience is an invincible weapon. Patience is a priceless adornment of man. Patrience is a blessing of God.
When our Lord Jesus Christ was in His earthly life and taught the crowds, if He did not have patience within Himself what would have happened? He came to earth in order to save the lost sheep and to uplift us through His patience, and then to go up to Golgotha for us who are unworthy and careless.
Patience reigns quietly and fruitfully in the lfie of the man who does not harm or endanger anyone, who is content with little and is obedient to the commandments of the Heavenly Father.
9. Have faith
Have faith that is as unshakeable as a rock, so that nothing frightens you...The person who has deep faith within himself, and fixes his attention on the good path, and seeks to improve the condition of his soul and to adapt his thought to the good is happy... The happiness of man consists in faith in God and in good acts which are done with love.
We cure those who believe in us and come to us with faith.
10. Cultivate humility
STRIVE TO ACQUIRE
DEEP
HUMILITY.
A good Christian love his fellow men, helps the poor, and is very humble.
11. Keep the ordained fasts
The Holy Fast of Forty Days (tessarakoste - "Great Lent") is the greatest fast, one which every Christian must observe without grumbling. A person who possesses bodily health must not protest about the fast; and he is inexcusable if he does not keep it.
During the forty day period of the fast, a Christian ought to attend church services regularly.
A person must also keep the fast of Wednesday and Friday.
During the great fast of the first fifteen days of August, some persons were black clothes, in order to honor the Theotokos. But if this is not accompanied by fasting and by prayer it is in vain.
12. Confess and receive Holy Communion
Confess, and receive Holy Commmunion so long as you practice love towards your fellow men and do for them all the good that lies within your power. This is therapeutic for both the soul and the body.
13. Read religious books
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?
READ RELIGIOUS BOOKS.
In all our undertakings in life we should begin with a read of the Gospel. Christians who want to show obedience to the word of God should read regularly and study carefully, word for wor, the Law of the Gospel, endeavoring to understand it fully, dwelling more on those words which of essential import. Study the Acts of the Apostles.... All the heralds of Christ, that is, the Apostles and the Saints, had wisdom which they acquired through the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit.
Read the Salutations to the Theotokos.
14. Pray
REPENT AND PRAY.
DO NOT NEGLECT
PRAYER.
PRAY
FERVENTLY.
Say these prayers:
"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
"Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit."
"We venerate Thine immaculate icon..."
"The Cross, the guardian of the whole oecumene..."
The Creed and the Lord's Prayer... "O All-Holy Lady Theotokos (the light of my darkened soul, my hope and protection)..."
And whatever other prayer you know. </I>
15. Missionary activity
The compassionate soul loves, helps, consoles, shares the suffering of an afflicted fellow human being. It works for the spreading of the Gospel, motivated by love for the sinner. We ought to feel sorrow within our souls for persons who live far from God.
The stand of the Lord towards Zacchaeus should serve as a lesson for Christians. Through His stand the Lord showed that we ought to embrace sinners with our love and not to avoid them. It shows us that we ought to seek the power of God to bring them to the rengeneration which is effected by our Savior Jesus Christ.
So let us approach sinners with love. And if in the end we do no succeed in bringing them close and fully to the path of God, let us even then not cease praying for them. Perhaps our fervent prayer will be listened to by our compassionate God and He will grant to them the regeneration of their soul. 16. Profitableness of the Christian life
Happy is the Christian who studies and follows the teaching of Christ. He is happy in this temporary life and in the life after death. Yes, he will be happy after death, because the soul does not vanish after death, is not perishable like the body, but continues to live, to exist. Through death, it is simply separated from the perishable body.
Please leave your comments as I like to see what people make about it all. Even skeptics.
