When I burned all my magic books and bought my first orthodox Bible, I shed tears while on the grass outside, I’ll never forget that. God is so great🖤☦️ if possible, please pray for me I’m having trouble wit sin an lust. Thank you so much whoever does read this. May da lord have mercy on us all ☦️🌎
Keep practicing Christ every day!!! Stay focused on the word. Pray to your Christ. He is your Savior. How to combat temptations, learning and loving the mind of God. Repentence every single time you sin. If you repent each time. You will remember not to sin, and the temptation will leave you! That is the key, Repentence! Once you start to not crave these vices, you will start to feel clean and free. Like you can breathe again! Think as an innocent child, tap into that moment. Be like as a child. To stop sin, especially lust may require patience and hardwork on your part. When you feel the pull, remember your brethren who are counting on your Holiness to help lift us up too. Together, you are never alone! Seek him in everything. When you do sin, we all do, don't run away in shame, run to Christ's waiting arms and repent on your knees and in tears. He will help you. Wear a cross, hold on to it, use a prayer rope to remind you to pray continuously, keep Christ's icon front and present throughout your home. These are practices, but it's repentence everday that will build your strength in God! ☦️☦️☦️
When i was a protestant, the message was that God always wanted us to be happy all the time and that if you sin, just say a simple prayer and try to do better next time. And now I'm an orthodox catechumen learning how to weep bitterly for my sins. The Holy Spirit is beyond amazing 😮
How to obtain tears? I have a suggestion: Close your eyes. Think of Christ hanging from the cross in agony. And then he speaks: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It moves me to tears nearly every single time I consider it.
Greay prayer father, that "i have done things worthy of tears, but have wept not". I'm surprised that you didn't mention the beautitude of blessed are those that mourn.
I’m converting to Orthodox and as I started to attend church I would weep every time I was there. I asked my priest and he said to thank God for my tears and to dedicate them to Him or if it was too much to bear ask to be delivered from them. I didn’t understand why it was a gift or something to be happy about but I thanked God for them and he blessed me with tears every time I pray. This actually helped me understand how blessed I am for my tears. So thank you Father Josiah
Tears of anguish when all the men left me led me to seek spiritual comfort in the New Age. Tears when I was meditating in a Hindu cult taught me that I wasn’t God. Tears of desperation calling out to God to save me led me to Christ. Tears of frustration that I made no progress towards holiness led me out of the Protestant heresy. Tears that I could not understand and about which I could find no writings led me out of papal Protestantism and finally tears of repentance were unleashed in Holy Orthodoxy…then I discovered the writings of St Sophrony and his book about St Silouan where tears are mentioned on many many pages. Finally St Isaac the Syrian helped me understand and embrace my tears when God decides to give them to me in prayer. They can be bitter when I’ve had a bad fall into sin, or sweet when God fills me with gratefulness. The ones that are warm and just stream down my face are the joyful sorrow when praying for the World.
OH, FATHER JOSIAH. What lovely words from you. And what amazing comments below here. We are learning to sorrow for our sins..we are learning not to harden our hearts... we are allowing ourselves to let tears of thanksgiving flow when they come. ☦
Tears. What an interesting subject. I admit that I openly wept the first time I attended liturgy, but have since made a point to "compose " myself in church. Now anytime I feel choked up during orthros/liturgy, I'll let the tears gratefully flow.
Father, about an hour and a half ago I shed tears for shame of my sin, and honestly, this was the first time I had ever cried for what I’ve done. and this was posted about around the same time or maybe half an hour earlier. miraculous timing. how strange
@@poodiepie527the downside of those videos is that they expose us unwarrantedly to those kinds of things. Ostensibly, it is to increase awareness about the problem of suicide nowadays, to make us more conscious of other people around us, to check up on them etc. You're an example how it moved you in a positive way, which is good. However, the UA-cam algorithm is still an unwanted intrusion in to our psyche in this regard, so I would discourage anyone from watching these kinds of videos, simply because they're more likely to disturb than to edify.
Thank you for your words of encouragement, Father! I often weep during vespers & liturgy. I quickly learned to stop wearing makeup to church because I’ll likely cry at some point. Ever since my first time in the Church, started weeping bitter tears of repentance & remorse & grief over a lifetime wasted without the Lord. But now I can also weep with joy & relief as the priest proclaims “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit!” And sometimes I weep tears of sorrowful joy during the Creed. I weep at the tales of the martyrdom as I listen to their ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their love for the Lord. I used to feel very ashamed of my tears. I would chastise myself for getting too emotional & being distracting, especially when I couldn’t figure out why I was crying so much. But now I’ve learned to be grateful & appreciative of them & sometimes if I make it through liturgy or vespers without so much as watery eyes, I start to worry that my heart is hardening! But perhaps those times are to help me remember the value of my tears. And I’ve also learned to appreciate the comfort & concern of those who ask. My initial reaction was to stifle my tears & apologize or just dismiss my tears as some sort of emotional glitch. Now I thank them for their concern & reassure them that nothing is wrong (usually), I just cry during church & I can’t always understand why, but I’m ok
Thank you Father. This is an interesting topic. I have only recently discovered Orthodox Christianity, and my heart is in awe. I always rebelled against anything to do with Christianity, though the teachings of Jesus beautiful. Yet something happened over a month ago, a spiritual darkness if you will, that made me drop to my knees and pray to our LORD Jesus Christ. And now I've been learning as much as I can about your way of life. The hymns are calming, and the Jesus Prayer is powerful. I ask and pray for you Dear Father, and to everyone reading this, to keep me in mind. I'm ready to become part of a Church. I need the community. Amen.
My tears are running down 🙏🏻 What perfect timing as this resonates so well with me, I’m becoming more unashamed of my sorrow. I am allowing my sorrow to wash over my being and cleanse me …creating space for joy. Thank you Lord ❤
Thank you father, I have gone through your older videos now after falling and your videos have helped me reflect on, well, a variety of things. I am a catechumen, so these videos help in more than one way, not only for helping to deepen my reflection and unlock the means of deepening my repentance, but also to help me understand orthodoxy. Self abuse is my struggle, and I just finished watching your "After a great fall" video. It resonated with me because at one point I thought I was done with sexual lust, as I was able to overcome it, through Gods grace, for three months. I became prideful, although it was a hidden pride, and stopped relying on God for help with this desire because I thought it was defeated. Several months later I am relapsing greatly and I feel ashamed, defeated, and abused because of my own actions. I have seem to forgotten how to genuinely repent and how to truly look deep and to embrace a quiet moment. I still am not sure if I even understand it still, being as this is the same night of my self abuse, but at the very least, I was able to have tears tonight. Im under the impression that these were good tears. As silly as this is, I am only now realizing that there is no way to escape struggle. There will always be thoughts that provoke my evil desires, so what you said in your other video, "If you haven't acted, you haven't sinned" from St. Nicodemus resonated with me. I'm not entirely sure what my goal was to comment this, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Thank you father for your support, please, pray for me as I am in great need of Gods mercy and grace.
Those of us who can't seem to squeeze tears from our conscience, be patient with yourself. God is softening your heart, oftentimes the world makes us hard, and insensitive especially in regards to ourselves and what we do. Be sure you abstain from violent movies/games to lighten your nous, and practice fasting; at a caloric deficit, your physical body wont be puffed up and it lets your soul actually *feel* more, and be more sensitive.... these ways can help us when we examine our conscience, the tears will come eventually.
Thank you for talking about this. I wasn't sure about the puddle often left at my feet during Mass, in contemplation and in my own moral inventory. St John Climacus guide me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.
Often a word or phrase of the prayers will be highlighted in my spirit and result in tears. Sometimes in repentance and sometimes in joy. My spiritual Father Turbo has blessed it but also encouraged me not to make much of it so as not to ever try to manufacture them, as I experienced in my former charismatic years.
Tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Tears of sorrow usually come to our eyes when pain exceeds our expectations. We not only feel the pain, but we also feel the self-dejection. In otherwords, we feel bad about ourselves, and feel we are bad for the bad thing that happened to us. Sometimes we cause the bad thing or deserve it, but sometimes we don't cause it or don't deserve it, or to that degree. It's difficult for us to not feel sorrow for the pain experienced, but feeling bad about ourselves isn't always necessary. Those with much pride feel most dejected when they incur bad things, pain, or sorrow. Tears of joy usually come to our eyes when the good we experience exceeds our expectations. We not only feel the pleasure of the good thing, but we feel overwhelmed that such a grace was bestowed on us, as if we didn't deserve it. The more humble or poor-in-spirit souls are, the more tears of gratitude they express, as the more grace they experience. In contrast, the proud in spirit or self-entitled don't recognize the grace, are ungrateful, and don't shed tears of joy when good happens to them. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Better are the patient in spirit than the proud or rich in spirit (Ecclesiastes). The proud in spirit shed fewer tears of joy and more tears of sorrow, whereas the poor in spirit shed more tears of joy and less tears of sorrow. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Whether tears of sorrow or tears of joy, the poor in spirit offer them as poured out libation offerings before the Lord. It takes faith to do so. Besides tears of personal sorrow and joy, there are tears of sympathy for others' sorrows and joys. Christ sheds them for us as we shed them for others and for him. This takes charity besides faith. When tears of sorrow cloud the eyes, we walk by faith not by sight. We can then get a glimpse of hope glimmering out of the corner of our eye. Why do we shed tears out of our eyes? Why not from another member of the body such as the nose or ears? Other members of the body are not wonderfully expressive like the eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. If the windows are shaded, the soul is dark or shady. If glass windows get dusty or dirty, they need washing. Tears shimmer like crystals when illumined by light. As faithful members of his Body, Christ will wash our souls with his Light (Spirit) if only we would wash our windows to our souls. Tears need not remain as those of sorrow. They can be transformed into tears of gratitude and joy. Both types of tears can cleanse the soul. Keep in mind when washing the windows of your home in the Spring, the first washing requires soap and water. The second washing rinses with pure water. Have you ever gotten soap in your eyes? Tears of sorrow sting more because they have soap in them. They wash. Tears of joy rinse.
I appreciate this in depth contemplation and observation, thank you for taking the time to express yourself ❤️ as I feel it’s helped me to reflect on my own tearful moments with more humility and compassion.
@@markpatterson2517 sometimes people, like myself, won’t comment because it’s so personal or hits a nerve. I’m sure your input is received by many anonymous users in a beautiful way. Personally, I had made a comment on this video about my tears of sorrow. Afterwards I was struggling to understand the differences between those feelings and ones of joy as I was quietly contemplating. You put into words the behavior and character traits, I couldn’t consciously comprehend, which correlates with these moments wonderfully and compassionately. It’s opened up my mind, added a feeling of excitement exploring these dynamics and gives me more conscious power when mitigating my own behavior.
@@bananabread888 You sound like someone who applies faith to transform your heart and soul, unlike many whose faith remains in their heads. What good is faith if it doesn't move from the head to the heart and then to the shoulders which have the strength to move the arms into action? From the head to the heart to the shoulders is the sign of the cross. When I struggle with faith when experiencing occasional troubles or pain, I'm tempted like others to ask, "God, why me? What did I do to deserve this?" But when the many more good things happen to us, do we ever ask, "God, why me? What did I do to deserve these graces?" When a bad thing happens to me, in bitterness I lament that I didn't deserve it, which may be true, but then again I did not not deserve it. In otherwords, I'm not so bad that I deserve some bad things which happen to me, but then again I'm not so good that bad things can't ever happen to me. God's sun shines on both the righteous and the unrighteous, and His rain falls on both the good and the bad. Grace isn't a question of merit. In the end, the generous vineyard owner gave all his workers who help finish his harvest the same denarius whether they worked 12 or 1 hour. I think that's best because, let's face it, none of us have been faithfully working the full 12 hours. I'm looking for the denarius or grace to appreciate the grace in the bad which inadvertently or fortuitously comes my way. Though my faith is in my head and heart, I still hate the cross I bear on my shoulders.
Sometimes I get spiritually worried when tears are not present during my prayer and repentance, sometimes I go a month, but always when I cry again it feels like a great spiritual release, I always feel closer with God in a sense during those times. Does anyone else find themselves dry or dead inside for long periods of time during prayer? This eats away at me because it feels so insincere.
Yes, dear one. I have more “dry times” than tears. My spiritual father encouraged me to persist in prayer and pray in faith. Because I have no tears I am tempted to lose faith in God’s hearing my prayers. However, I have been told to not lose faith and persist. Be faithful and wait. I have exactly the same pattern of “no tears, then some, then none” again.
😢😔💚🙏 Wish we all have true genuine good living loving Godly hearts and minds and the good connection relationship with the true loving God source Spirit Creator and Christos saviour Jesus Messiah Yeshua and Holy Spirit good character winning within and with all... true light loving life mercy forgiveness healing Joy spirit forces energies winning in all in Christ. Wish we are not selfish or in an evil way wish none of us were evil ir enemies 😢
So. If you know the enemy, by their limping, the battle is three quarters won!! There exists the danger of escalation, as you note here, and hence the danger of martyrdom...
🎵 🎶 Come lie on a bed of nails and slumber Rise up but the hands all pull you down My sunshine is wind and rain and thunder I sing but I can't make a song So if you want to know where I've been hiding all these years Follow the tears, follow the tears Don't drink from the cup of human kindness It's a strange brew and poison to the touch Don't think that they're saving you the finest part for last Or that you wanted too much So if you want to know where I've been hiding all these years Follow the tears, follow the tears Follow the tears, follow the tears We'll be there for you I believed and I can tell you it's not true Run away before they find you again The consequence of the conscience Is that you'll be left somewhere Swinging in the air So if you want to know why I've been hiding all these years You might just find the way before the signs all disappear Follow the tears, follow the tears If you want to find me, if you really care Follow the tears, they're everywhere now, now 🎶 🎵
Thank you Father for this episode and this channel. It is truly helpful beyond measure. FYI, if no one has mentioned it before, there is an annoying voice clearly audible in the background although her speech is not quite discernible. It detracts a bit from the quality of the program. Please forgive my presumption, but it may trouble others as well.
Do you have any advice for a person who greatly wants to become Orthodox but their spouse is opposed? Not wanting to join or not allowing the spouse to join on their own?
My wife three years ago: "I'll never convert to Orthodoxy, evet!!!"...and other, not so kind words, to put it kindly. I had decided to return to the Church I had been baptized into as a child after painstakingly looking into what I actually truly beleived as a Christian. She was understandably not pleased. We were married as Protestants, after all. Fast forward: my wife became a catachumen two weeks ago. What did it? Time, patience and love. Other reasons: in order to help my wife with the process, we began attending an Antiochian Orthodox Church. The service is almost entirely in english at most antiochian parishes. I do think it made her feel as less of an "outsider". Sharing the lives of the Saints I believe was also helpful. Let your faith be an example to your spouse. Gently discuss our beliefs over time, in the right time and place. They will become more interested because you are interested. Ask your spouse to come to liturgy. Be long-suffering. Imitate Christ.
Thank you father ,Mother Mary bless and help,forgive and pray at Jesus Christ for sinners and the right people.🙏Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on us sinners ,mercy Father ,as a man i've sinned as a God forgive and give us your peace and love Father don't turn your face from us ,help us ,we are soft and weak ,without knowledge ,Dear Lord give us your forgivness and help us this is my wish for Christmas,forgive us and dear ones who died to get in paradise in the name of Jesus i ask you God to forgive our sins ,to protect and help to be on the right path .God be blessed with Mother Mary all Saints and Angels and Fathers.Amen🙏💖💐💐💐May God help all kids in the world that are suffering and all old people and people who are close to die to get repetence.Amen💗🤲
Needed to hear this again today 🕊️🙏🏾 Doamne Ajuta, fr Josiah... thank you for the reminder 🌹
You've spoken to me. i'm weeping. thank you father, i will ask of the Lord for the gift of tears.
When I burned all my magic books and bought my first orthodox Bible, I shed tears while on the grass outside, I’ll never forget that. God is so great🖤☦️ if possible, please pray for me I’m having trouble wit sin an lust. Thank you so much whoever does read this. May da lord have mercy on us all ☦️🌎
ua-cam.com/users/shortsEomBtrp3Gs8?si=K4xO7RcbLhtnhAU0
Keep practicing Christ every day!!!
Stay focused on the word.
Pray to your Christ. He is your Savior.
How to combat temptations, learning and loving the mind of God.
Repentence every single time you sin. If you repent each time. You will remember not to sin, and the temptation will leave you!
That is the key, Repentence!
Once you start to not crave these vices, you will start to feel clean and free. Like you can breathe again! Think as an innocent child, tap into that moment. Be like as a child. To stop sin, especially lust may require patience and hardwork on your part. When you feel the pull, remember your brethren who are counting on your Holiness to help lift us up too. Together, you are never alone! Seek him in everything. When you do sin, we all do, don't run away in shame, run to Christ's waiting arms and repent on your knees and in tears. He will help you.
Wear a cross, hold on to it, use a prayer rope to remind you to pray continuously, keep Christ's icon front and present throughout your home. These are practices, but it's repentence everday that will build your strength in God!
☦️☦️☦️
We are all falling down and then getting back up.
Ask Our most Blessed Mother for her intercession. She will help you.
@@samcooper8422 thank ya mane amen
When i was a protestant, the message was that God always wanted us to be happy all the time and that if you sin, just say a simple prayer and try to do better next time. And now I'm an orthodox catechumen learning how to weep bitterly for my sins. The Holy Spirit is beyond amazing 😮
How to obtain tears? I have a suggestion:
Close your eyes. Think of Christ hanging from the cross in agony. And then he speaks: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
It moves me to tears nearly every single time I consider it.
This video is very comforting to me, because I cry all the time!
Greay prayer father, that "i have done things worthy of tears, but have wept not". I'm surprised that you didn't mention the beautitude of blessed are those that mourn.
I’m converting to Orthodox and as I started to attend church I would weep every time I was there. I asked my priest and he said to thank God for my tears and to dedicate them to Him or if it was too much to bear ask to be delivered from them. I didn’t understand why it was a gift or something to be happy about but I thanked God for them and he blessed me with tears every time I pray. This actually helped me understand how blessed I am for my tears. So thank you Father Josiah
Tears of anguish when all the men left me led me to seek spiritual comfort in the New Age. Tears when I was meditating in a Hindu cult taught me that I wasn’t God. Tears of desperation calling out to God to save me led me to Christ. Tears of frustration that I made no progress towards holiness led me out of the Protestant heresy. Tears that I could not understand and about which I could find no writings led me out of papal Protestantism and finally tears of repentance were unleashed in Holy Orthodoxy…then I discovered the writings of St Sophrony and his book about St Silouan where tears are mentioned on many many pages. Finally St Isaac the Syrian helped me understand and embrace my tears when God decides to give them to me in prayer. They can be bitter when I’ve had a bad fall into sin, or sweet when God fills me with gratefulness. The ones that are warm and just stream down my face are the joyful sorrow when praying for the World.
At times when my heart feels the Lord’s heart, tears fill my eyes.
We have tears of anguish, frustration, sadness. But very few have tears of repentance. 🙏🏻
Second day of the fast for me with the calendar here. It’s hard cooking for family that don’t participate, but I pray for the strength to continue.
OH, FATHER JOSIAH. What lovely words from you. And what amazing comments below here.
We are learning to sorrow for our sins..we are learning not to harden our hearts... we are allowing ourselves to let tears of thanksgiving flow when they come. ☦
Tears. What an interesting subject. I admit that I openly wept the first time I attended liturgy, but have since made a point to "compose " myself in church. Now anytime I feel choked up during orthros/liturgy, I'll let the tears gratefully flow.
Yes!
Father, about an hour and a half ago I shed tears for shame of my sin, and honestly, this was the first time I had ever cried for what I’ve done. and this was posted about around the same time or maybe half an hour earlier. miraculous timing. how strange
The same thing happened to me, our God is good
@@poodiepie527the downside of those videos is that they expose us unwarrantedly to those kinds of things. Ostensibly, it is to increase awareness about the problem of suicide nowadays, to make us more conscious of other people around us, to check up on them etc. You're an example how it moved you in a positive way, which is good. However, the UA-cam algorithm is still an unwanted intrusion in to our psyche in this regard, so I would discourage anyone from watching these kinds of videos, simply because they're more likely to disturb than to edify.
As always, your words are a blessing, Father.
Thank you for your words of encouragement, Father!
I often weep during vespers & liturgy. I quickly learned to stop wearing makeup to church because I’ll likely cry at some point.
Ever since my first time in the Church, started weeping bitter tears of repentance & remorse & grief over a lifetime wasted without the Lord. But now I can also weep with joy & relief as the priest proclaims “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit!” And sometimes I weep tears of sorrowful joy during the Creed. I weep at the tales of the martyrdom as I listen to their ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their love for the Lord.
I used to feel very ashamed of my tears. I would chastise myself for getting too emotional & being distracting, especially when I couldn’t figure out why I was crying so much. But now I’ve learned to be grateful & appreciative of them & sometimes if I make it through liturgy or vespers without so much as watery eyes, I start to worry that my heart is hardening! But perhaps those times are to help me remember the value of my tears. And I’ve also learned to appreciate the comfort & concern of those who ask. My initial reaction was to stifle my tears & apologize or just dismiss my tears as some sort of emotional glitch. Now I thank them for their concern & reassure them that nothing is wrong (usually), I just cry during church & I can’t always understand why, but I’m ok
I relate to this comment so much! I've struggled with the same. Thank you for sharing! 🙏🏻
Thank you Father. This is an interesting topic. I have only recently discovered Orthodox Christianity, and my heart is in awe. I always rebelled against anything to do with Christianity, though the teachings of Jesus beautiful. Yet something happened over a month ago, a spiritual darkness if you will, that made me drop to my knees and pray to our LORD Jesus Christ. And now I've been learning as much as I can about your way of life. The hymns are calming, and the Jesus Prayer is powerful. I ask and pray for you Dear Father, and to everyone reading this, to keep me in mind. I'm ready to become part of a Church. I need the community. Amen.
My tears are running down 🙏🏻 What perfect timing as this resonates so well with me, I’m becoming more unashamed of my sorrow. I am allowing my sorrow to wash over my being and cleanse me …creating space for joy.
Thank you Lord ❤
You are so precious dear one. Your testimony has warmed my heart
I’m so thankful for your channel. What a blessing. I’m visiting an Orthodox Church in a few weeks to learn how to begin my journey in the Church 🙏❤️🔥
I will attend my first Divine Liturgy this Sunday. My wife wants nothing to do with Orthodoxy. Please pray for us. God bless you on your journey 🙏
@@danielgaley9676 it’s like entering the kingdom of Heaven! Slowly but surely she will be exposed to the fullness of the Faith by your example 🙌
Thank you father, I have gone through your older videos now after falling and your videos have helped me reflect on, well, a variety of things. I am a catechumen, so these videos help in more than one way, not only for helping to deepen my reflection and unlock the means of deepening my repentance, but also to help me understand orthodoxy. Self abuse is my struggle, and I just finished watching your "After a great fall" video. It resonated with me because at one point I thought I was done with sexual lust, as I was able to overcome it, through Gods grace, for three months. I became prideful, although it was a hidden pride, and stopped relying on God for help with this desire because I thought it was defeated. Several months later I am relapsing greatly and I feel ashamed, defeated, and abused because of my own actions. I have seem to forgotten how to genuinely repent and how to truly look deep and to embrace a quiet moment. I still am not sure if I even understand it still, being as this is the same night of my self abuse, but at the very least, I was able to have tears tonight. Im under the impression that these were good tears. As silly as this is, I am only now realizing that there is no way to escape struggle. There will always be thoughts that provoke my evil desires, so what you said in your other video, "If you haven't acted, you haven't sinned" from St. Nicodemus resonated with me. I'm not entirely sure what my goal was to comment this, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Thank you father for your support, please, pray for me as I am in great need of Gods mercy and grace.
Those of us who can't seem to squeeze tears from our conscience, be patient with yourself. God is softening your heart, oftentimes the world makes us hard, and insensitive especially in regards to ourselves and what we do. Be sure you abstain from violent movies/games to lighten your nous, and practice fasting; at a caloric deficit, your physical body wont be puffed up and it lets your soul actually *feel* more, and be more sensitive.... these ways can help us when we examine our conscience, the tears will come eventually.
Thank you for talking about this. I wasn't sure about the puddle often left at my feet during Mass, in contemplation and in my own moral inventory.
St John Climacus guide me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.
Your Reflections are always thought-provoking, illuminating and timely. Thank you, again...
My condolences about your mom. May she be at peace. I love you brother❤
Often a word or phrase of the prayers will be highlighted in my spirit and result in tears. Sometimes in repentance and sometimes in joy. My spiritual Father Turbo has blessed it but also encouraged me not to make much of it so as not to ever try to manufacture them, as I experienced in my former charismatic years.
Amen.. the real tears come when THEY want to. When they are sent.. not on our initiative..
Cynicism and nihilism can make one numb and unable to cry. Pity the unaware they are often sought to be exploited by snakes.
Hey, Joben. Ce umblai la Mon Jardin. Hey bunic.
Thank you, Fr. Josiah 🙏🏻
Thank you for this word.
Tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
Tears of sorrow usually come to our eyes when pain exceeds our expectations. We not only feel the pain, but we also feel the self-dejection. In otherwords, we feel bad about ourselves, and feel we are bad for the bad thing that happened to us. Sometimes we cause the bad thing or deserve it, but sometimes we don't cause it or don't deserve it, or to that degree. It's difficult for us to not feel sorrow for the pain experienced, but feeling bad about ourselves isn't always necessary. Those with much pride feel most dejected when they incur bad things, pain, or sorrow.
Tears of joy usually come to our eyes when the good we experience exceeds our expectations. We not only feel the pleasure of the good thing, but we feel overwhelmed that such a grace was bestowed on us, as if we didn't deserve it. The more humble or poor-in-spirit souls are, the more tears of gratitude they express, as the more grace they experience.
In contrast, the proud in spirit or self-entitled don't recognize the grace, are ungrateful, and don't shed tears of joy when good happens to them. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Better are the patient in spirit than the proud or rich in spirit (Ecclesiastes). The proud in spirit shed fewer tears of joy and more tears of sorrow, whereas the poor in spirit shed more tears of joy and less tears of sorrow. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.
Whether tears of sorrow or tears of joy, the poor in spirit offer them as poured out libation offerings before the Lord. It takes faith to do so. Besides tears of personal sorrow and joy, there are tears of sympathy for others' sorrows and joys. Christ sheds them for us as we shed them for others and for him. This takes charity besides faith. When tears of sorrow cloud the eyes, we walk by faith not by sight. We can then get a glimpse of hope glimmering out of the corner of our eye.
Why do we shed tears out of our eyes? Why not from another member of the body such as the nose or ears? Other members of the body are not wonderfully expressive like the eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. If the windows are shaded, the soul is dark or shady. If glass windows get dusty or dirty, they need washing. Tears shimmer like crystals when illumined by light. As faithful members of his Body, Christ will wash our souls with his Light (Spirit) if only we would wash our windows to our souls.
Tears need not remain as those of sorrow. They can be transformed into tears of gratitude and joy. Both types of tears can cleanse the soul. Keep in mind when washing the windows of your home in the Spring, the first washing requires soap and water. The second washing rinses with pure water. Have you ever gotten soap in your eyes? Tears of sorrow sting more because they have soap in them. They wash. Tears of joy rinse.
I appreciate this in depth contemplation and observation, thank you for taking the time to express yourself ❤️ as I feel it’s helped me to reflect on my own tearful moments with more humility and compassion.
@@bananabread888 Your welcome. I usually don't get feedback. I often wonder whether what I post matters. I see it does for some.
@@markpatterson2517 sometimes people, like myself, won’t comment because it’s so personal or hits a nerve. I’m sure your input is received by many anonymous users in a beautiful way.
Personally, I had made a comment on this video about my tears of sorrow. Afterwards I was struggling to understand the differences between those feelings and ones of joy as I was quietly contemplating. You put into words the behavior and character traits, I couldn’t consciously comprehend, which correlates with these moments wonderfully and compassionately. It’s opened up my mind, added a feeling of excitement exploring these dynamics and gives me more conscious power when mitigating my own behavior.
@@bananabread888 You sound like someone who applies faith to transform your heart and soul, unlike many whose faith remains in their heads. What good is faith if it doesn't move from the head to the heart and then to the shoulders which have the strength to move the arms into action? From the head to the heart to the shoulders is the sign of the cross.
When I struggle with faith when experiencing occasional troubles or pain, I'm tempted like others to ask, "God, why me? What did I do to deserve this?" But when the many more good things happen to us, do we ever ask, "God, why me? What did I do to deserve these graces?" When a bad thing happens to me, in bitterness I lament that I didn't deserve it, which may be true, but then again I did not not deserve it. In otherwords, I'm not so bad that I deserve some bad things which happen to me, but then again I'm not so good that bad things can't ever happen to me.
God's sun shines on both the righteous and the unrighteous, and His rain falls on both the good and the bad. Grace isn't a question of merit. In the end, the generous vineyard owner gave all his workers who help finish his harvest the same denarius whether they worked 12 or 1 hour. I think that's best because, let's face it, none of us have been faithfully working the full 12 hours. I'm looking for the denarius or grace to appreciate the grace in the bad which inadvertently or fortuitously comes my way. Though my faith is in my head and heart, I still hate the cross I bear on my shoulders.
Sometimes I get spiritually worried when tears are not present during my prayer and repentance, sometimes I go a month, but always when I cry again it feels like a great spiritual release, I always feel closer with God in a sense during those times. Does anyone else find themselves dry or dead inside for long periods of time during prayer? This eats away at me because it feels so insincere.
Yes, dear one. I have more “dry times” than tears. My spiritual father encouraged me to persist in prayer and pray in faith. Because I have no tears I am tempted to lose faith in God’s hearing my prayers. However, I have been told to not lose faith and persist. Be faithful and wait. I have exactly the same pattern of “no tears, then some, then none” again.
Too beautiful ♥️✝️
Luke 4:18 sent me into sobbing just the other night… I’m not even in the Church.
Needed this thank you father
Lady of our Snow. Pray for us
*sorrow 🙏
😢😔💚🙏
Wish we all have true genuine good living loving Godly hearts and minds and the good connection relationship with the true loving God source Spirit Creator and Christos saviour Jesus Messiah Yeshua and Holy Spirit good character winning within and with all... true light loving life mercy forgiveness healing Joy spirit forces energies winning in all in Christ.
Wish we are not selfish or in an evil way wish none of us were evil ir enemies 😢
Use to have good cry and did feel like it was emotionally cleansing and realising built up energies...
Panagia, save!
Algorithm boost.
9:40 was about to comment that.
So. If you know the enemy, by their limping, the battle is three quarters won!! There exists the danger of escalation, as you note here, and hence the danger of martyrdom...
That's his Doppel, colonel sir. :))
🎵 🎶
Come lie on a bed of nails and slumber
Rise up but the hands all pull you down
My sunshine is wind and rain and thunder
I sing but I can't make a song
So if you want to know where I've been hiding all these years
Follow the tears, follow the tears
Don't drink from the cup of human kindness
It's a strange brew and poison to the touch
Don't think that they're saving you the finest part for last
Or that you wanted too much
So if you want to know where I've been hiding all these years
Follow the tears, follow the tears
Follow the tears, follow the tears
We'll be there for you
I believed and I can tell you it's not true
Run away before they find you again
The consequence of the conscience
Is that you'll be left somewhere
Swinging in the air
So if you want to know why I've been hiding all these years
You might just find the way before the signs all disappear
Follow the tears, follow the tears
If you want to find me, if you really care
Follow the tears, they're everywhere now, now
🎶 🎵
How do I find out more information about the fast?
That's Kanzeon, many times... That's what Kanzeon is!
Thank you Father for this episode and this channel. It is truly helpful beyond measure.
FYI, if no one has mentioned it before, there is an annoying voice clearly audible in the background although her speech is not quite discernible. It detracts a bit from the quality of the program.
Please forgive my presumption, but it may trouble others as well.
Do you have any advice for a person who greatly wants to become Orthodox but their spouse is opposed? Not wanting to join or not allowing the spouse to join on their own?
My wife three years ago: "I'll never convert to Orthodoxy, evet!!!"...and other, not so kind words, to put it kindly. I had decided to return to the Church I had been baptized into as a child after painstakingly looking into what I actually truly beleived as a Christian. She was understandably not pleased. We were married as Protestants, after all.
Fast forward: my wife became a catachumen two weeks ago.
What did it? Time, patience and love. Other reasons: in order to help my wife with the process, we began attending an Antiochian Orthodox Church. The service is almost entirely in english at most antiochian parishes. I do think it made her feel as less of an "outsider". Sharing the lives of the Saints I believe was also helpful.
Let your faith be an example to your spouse. Gently discuss our beliefs over time, in the right time and place. They will become more interested because you are interested. Ask your spouse to come to liturgy. Be long-suffering. Imitate Christ.
can you spell the name of the book you are referencing? New to the Faith, so not familiar with the greek? references. Thank you
I believe he mentioned the Philokalia Volume 2 (It is a book full of the early church fathers writings)
thank you very much. will look into it. God Bless@@garettrenham44
1:26 is there background noise?
VLADYKO BLAHOSLOVY!
Ty Father. Is that a tv in the background?
You say tears from neglect is sinful 😅 I don't get it.
Thank you Mother Mary and Father our Lord glory to God and to all heaven 🙏💐🤲💖
Thank you father ,Mother Mary bless and help,forgive and pray at Jesus Christ for sinners and the right people.🙏Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on us sinners ,mercy Father ,as a man i've sinned as a God forgive and give us your peace and love Father don't turn your face from us ,help us ,we are soft and weak ,without knowledge ,Dear Lord give us your forgivness and help us this is my wish for Christmas,forgive us and dear ones who died to get in paradise in the name of Jesus i ask you God to forgive our sins ,to protect and help to be on the right path .God be blessed with Mother Mary all Saints and Angels and Fathers.Amen🙏💖💐💐💐May God help all kids in the world that are suffering and all old people and people who are close to die to get repetence.Amen💗🤲