The danger of focusing on one virtue (B) The Virtue of Obedience In continuation of the same topic, we shall speak here about: The Virtue of Obedience: God commanded us to obey our spiritual guides who watch out for our souls as those who must give account (Heb 13: 17). Moreover, we have in the Paradise of Monks various wonderful examples of obedience to the fathers in holiness. However, we should not obey blindly whatever the case may be; for

The danger of focusing on one virtue A fault in which many, or the majority, fall, is focusing on one virtue only, contradicting or neglecting other virtues. Spiritual life is not merely one sole virtue, but it extends to everything, the same as the Holy Scripture, which is not merely one verse or one commandment, but rather an integral Book speaking about good

What is it? What are its types and levels? In continuation of the definition of virtue, we add: Communion of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of God dwells in us (1 Cor 3: 16); He works within us and through us, therefore, we should take part in work instead of taking a passive stand. Virtue is therefore communion with the Holy Spirit.

What is it? How to be attained? What are its sources? What is virtue, and who is "a virtuous person"? He may be one who likes and does good and righteousness, whereas virtue may mean purity or walking in the way of God. It also may mean power within oneself enabling a person to overcome all inclinations and temptations of evil, and to practice a righteous life. It may mean going beyond the self to the care for others, beyond self-love to love for God and people. This is important, because sin often makes one focus on oneself trying to lift oneself up and satisfy one's own desires.

The fields and characteristics of growth in ministry can be briefed in the following points: Fields of growth in ministry: 1. Growth in number: We have covered this point in the preceding Article. 2. Growth in visitation extending to everybody: It starts with visiting the absentees, and develops into searching into the financial and spiritual needs of those ministered to, visiting students of Sunday Schools, and referring their families to the father priests to take care of them. 3. Growth in organizing the ministry: This can be realized by using computer. 4. Growth in spreading the ministry: It should extend to villages,

Growth is a principal condition for successful spiritual ministry, and it may take various forms: increase in the number of ministers or those ministered to, growth in the type or character of ministry, or spiritual growth. Increase in number:A prominent example is the ministry of the Lord Christ and His holy apostles, for He started with twelve disciples (Mt 10), then seventy others (Lk 10). When choosing Matthias there were about a hundred and twenty (Acts 1: 15), then over five hundred brethren to whom the Lord

Strange indeed to see ministers with a double personality; behaving in the ministry in a completely different way than at home! In Sunday Schools, for instance, they appear like holy angels, uttering humble and gentle words, seeking the prayer of everybody as sinners, weak and undeserving. At home,

In continuation of the preceding Article about individual work done by the Lord Christ and the Father Apostles:Individual work is clear in the ministry of the Father Apostles as well as in their Epistles, as in St. Paul's Epistle to Philemon, where we read about his work with Philemon and with Onesimus the slave. St. Paul could turn him from a slave to a beloved brother profitable to him in the ministry. He even promised to repay his debts to Philemon (Philem 16- 18).

God cares for the whole world, but His care also extends to individuals, thus giving us a wonderful example of how important is individual work! In the Old Testament: God sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths, so that they might not hurt Daniel in the den, and was with the three young man in the furnace, so fire had no power on their bodies (Da 6: 22; 3: 25- 31). He was with Elijah while fleeing from Queen Jezebel and spoke to him with a still small

By "labor" is not meant the vain labor of the world, but labor for the Kingdom. Vain labor of the world resembles that of Solomon for luxury and wealth, for having attained all that he said, "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind." (Eccl 2: 11) On the other hand your labor for God's sake is for your own salvation and for the edification of the Kingdom. Now let us focus on labor in the field of ministry:

The Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor (Isa 61: 1) The prophecy says regarding the Lord Christ, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isa 61: 1) Who then are those poor for whom the Lord came to preach good tidings?

"You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1: 8) These words mean that a believer should not only know God, but should also be a witness to Him before all people.The Samaritan woman is an example. As soon as she knew the Lord, she could not keep silent but ran to tell her people about Him, saying, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did." (Jn 4: 29)

"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim 4: 16)? Who said this? It is the Great Preacher St. Paul, who experienced the depths of ministry and spiritual life, who in the ministry labored more abundantly than all the other apostles (1 Cor 15: 10), and in spirituality was caught up into the third heaven, into Paradise (2 Cor 12: 3, 4).

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine" "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim 4: 16)? Who said this? It is the Great Preacher St. Paul, who experienced the depths of ministry and spiritual life, who in the ministry labored more abundantly than all the other apostles (1 Cor 15: 10), and in spirituality

We spoke much about the triumphant who overcome in their spiritual wars and in their relationship with the others, but now we shall speak about the weak and the fallen and see what encouragement we can offer them. Encouraging others is a great virtue, for the Scripture says, "Comfort the fainthearted; uphold the weak; be patient with all." (1 Thess 5: 14)

We spoke much about the triumphant who overcome in their spiritual wars and in their relationship with the others, but now we shall speak about the weak and the fallen and see what encouragement we can offer them. Encouraging others is a great virtue, for the Scripture says, "Comfort the fainthearted; uphold the weak; be patient with all." (1 Thess 5: 14)

On this occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of the Lord, we shall answer some of the questions addressed by many people: 1. Concerning the consistency of the events accompanying the Resurrection: Question: Is there any inconsistency of the resurrection events as told by each of the four Evangelists? We notice that

In our spiritual life and in our ministry we should focus on constructive and positive work. However, we must be aware that while in communion with the Holy Spirit we edify ourselves and the others, the devil interferes with contraries that are capable of driving us away from our spiritual constructive work. A wise person should not permit any passive matters to occupy or detain him from positive work.

Those having nobody to remember them In the Midnight Absolution Prayer the father priests pray a very deep and impressive prayer which says, 'Remember, O Lord, the weak and those who have nobody to care about or remember them'. Yes, Lord, remember those remembered by no one in prayers, ignored or rather forgotten by everybody.

Many fell & some perished Do not think that all those who fell or perished were away from the church or from the ministry, for the Holy Scripture and the church history record many stories and occurrences about people who fell or perished although they were in the church or even in the ministry. Take for instance Demas the assistant of

To make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Lk 1: 17) How beautiful are these words uttered by the angel of the Lord when announcing the birth of John the Baptist: "He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah …