Whether we know it or not, our life consists of prisons, both physical and spiritual, that we allow to capture our thoughts and actions.  These prisons of our own creation reflect the condition and focus of our souls and minds, demonstrating to us and the rest of the world where the treasure of our faith truly lies.  As Jesus said, we can only serve one master (Matt. 6:24; Luke 6:13), and that decision will determine in whose prison we will live.  But by holding tightly to our “first love” in Christ, it is possible for us to break the bonds of this world and live as children of God.

The Orthodox Church never developed any official process for recognizing saints, but rather continued the practices of the Early Church.  It was, and still is today, a very organic process.  Local regions would simply begin to remember well-known Christians when they got together for Liturgy and ask for their help in prayer.  They would visit their relics, which often were miracle working having remained vehicles of the Holy Spirit. The recognition of a Saint truly still does come from the people…the “ekklesia”…the body of God. 

Where would we be without Angelic Worship dear ones?  Where would we be without being able to enter this heavenly joy during the week?  This is why coming to services is so incredibly important for us!  When we enter the doors of the Church, we are literally plugging into heaven!  We plug in to Heavenly Grace like we plug in our smartphones!  When we miss this connection, our battery runs low and we cease to function!  So it is the same with our worship of God.

What is the source of our life—what is it that keeps us going?  If it is money, power, or beauty, then we will find very quickly that all those things are fleeting.  No matter how hard we struggle, none of those things will last forever.  And of course, we cannot take any of those things with us when we leave this earthly existence.  Nothing we have accumulated in the short spans of our life will extend our time on earth one minute.  Therefore, since the things of this world are temporary, we need to change our focus and place it on the one thing that is eternal: Our life in Christ.  For as we learn from the Gospel accounts, death is no match for the power of the presence of Christ.

“There was no torture, moral or physical, that was not used…to be completely naked and to be beaten and forced to submerge your head in a bucked of excrement…you cannot not imagine…only the devil could give images like that.”