theosis

June 11, Sunday of All Saints

Christ our God, Your Church which has been colored crimson by the blood of your martyrs throughout the world, as with a robe of royal purple and porphyry, cries out to You, “Grant mercy to Your people, give peace to Your flock, bless our souls with Your compassion”. – Troparion of the Sunday of All Saints

Today the Eastern Church concludes the Easter Season with the celebration of the Sunday of All Saints as we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of Matthew and Cyril of Alexandria.

As we conclude this podcast on the journey of theosis, we reflect on those who have already finished their earthly journeys in the Lord.  We remind ourselves that what God asks of us is not impossible, especially with the aid of God's great love and mercy and with the continuing prayers of the saints that have gone ahead of us.  So, with the end of this podcast series, let us again encourage ourselves and others to answer God's call to convert our lives, proclaim the good news of Jesus' resurrection, and go forth in the light of the Spirit.  Let us become each and every day more like the one who became like us.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

The whole universe offers You, O Lord, Architect and Creator of the World, the God-bearing martyrs as the first fruits of creation.  Therefore, through the prayers of Your saints and through the intercession of the Birthgiver of God, maintain Your Church and the entire world in perfect security and peace, You who alone are full of mercy! – Kontakion of the Sunday of All Saints

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Sunday of All Saints

June 10, Saturday after Pentecost

We meditate today upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint John Chrysostom about entering into the fellowship of the Holy Trinity.

The words of Saint Paul today are often heard as the form of priestly greeting during the Western Mass and they emphasize that the main place where we experience our participation in the divine life of the Trinity is during our participation in the Divine Liturgy and the Mass.  It is during the Liturgy that we participate in the worship of the Saints and Angels, that we participate in a forshadowing of our heavenly reward.  Tomorrow, the Western Church celebrates Trinity Sunday so, for all those who will be attending Mass tomorrow according to the Roman rite, take the opportunity to experience the fullness of Theosis that has been promised us by the God who loves us.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday after Pentecost

June 9, Friday after Pentecost

Today we meditate upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint Ambrose about holiness in the Trinity.

As Saint Paul tells us, the Father has chosen us for holiness through the Spirit so that we might one day possess the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We do this by remaining in the truths that have been revealed to us, by remaining in the power of the Spirit who is the source of holiness.  The end of the Easter season does not mean the end of our journey of Theosis, each day continues to be another step along the path toward union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday after Pentecost

June 8, Thursday after Pentecost

We meditate today on the words of Saint Peter and Saint Gregory of Nyssa about perseverance in the faith through the Trinity.

Just as we have been saved through the Trinity, we persevere in our salvation through the grace of the Trinity that calls us from the things that are temporal to the things that are eternal.  The All Holy Trinity instructs us in the way that we should go, the Trinity gives us the grace to live that instruction, and life with the Trinity is our promised reward.  There is not one thing for our good that does not and will not come through the power of the Trinity.  As Saint Peter says, with the Trinity are grace and peace in abundance.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Thursday after Pentecost

June 7, Wednesday after Pentecost

Today we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of John and Saint Ambrose about the power of the name of the Trinity.

As Saint Ambrose says, the power of the name of the Trinity is the name under which we are saved.  When we speak of coming in the name, we mean that to symbolize authority, to come on behalf of someone and as each person of the Trinity comes in the name of the others, each person seeks to do the desire of the others, to fulfill the work of the others.  We too are called to go forth in the name of the Trinity, which means that if we act in accordance with the love of God, the authority of the Trinity is with us.  It also means that we should never act in a way that causes others to doubt the truth of God, but instead leads others to him.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday after Pentecost

June 6, Tuesday after Pentecost

We meditate today upon the words of the Gospel of Luke and Saint John Cassian about the unity of the Holy Trinity.

Today St. John Cassian emphasizes a point that I have already made on our journey of Theosis, that each member of the Trinity acts in concert with the other two members of the Trinity.  God holds nothing of himself back in his desire to call us to union with him.  So, each member of the Trinity is equally deserving of our praise and our love and when glorifying one member of the Trinity, we glorify the entire Trinity.  Blessed be our God who has revealed this to us.  Blessed be the Son and the Spirit who have shown us the Father.

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Tuesday after Pentecost

June 5, Monday of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has always been and will always be, for He is One of the Trinity with the Father and the Son.  The Spirit is Life and Life-giving; He is Light and Light-giver; His is Grace-filled and the Giver of Grace.  Through Him, we come to know the Father and glorify the Son.  We come to understand that the Holy Trinity is One in Power, Three in Persons and equally to be worshiped. – From the Lamp-lighting Psalms of Vespers of the Monday of the Holy Spirit

Today we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of Matthew and Saint Hilary of Poiters about the glory of the Holy Trinity.

The week after Pentecost is devoted to a special reflection upon that goal of our journey in Theosis, life in the Trinity.  All of our meditation upon the life of Jesus Christ, the graces of the Holy Spirit has brought us to this point.  Because it is in the Trinity that our salvation achieves its completion.  We were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.  We are called to go forth to all the world to proclaim the name of the Trinity.  Our destiny lies at the heart of the Trinity.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

All you peoples on the earth, come let us adore God in three holy Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Three in One.  From all eternity, the Father begets the Son who is equal to Him in eternity and majesty, co-equal with the Holy Spirit Who is glorified with the Son in the Father – Three Persons, and yet a single Energy and Being and Godhead.  In devout worship, let us cry out to our God, “Holy is God who made all things through His Son and with the All Holy Spirit!  Holy is the Mighty One through whom the Father was revealed to us and the Holy Spirit descended to us!  Holy is the Immortal One, the Spirit, the Counselor, who proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son!  All-Holy Trinity, glory be to You!” – From the Apostichon of the Monday of the Holy Spirit

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Monday of the Holy Spirit

June 4, Pentecost Sunday

Blessed are You, O Christ our God, for you filled the fishermen with wisdom when you send down the Holy Spirit upon them and through them You have united the all people.  Glory to You, O Lover of humanity.  – Troparion of Pentecost Sunday

We celebrate the Sunday of Pentecost with meditations upon the Book of Acts and the words of Saint John Chrysostom as we reflect upon the gift of the Spirit.

Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the Church and on this day we remember our Baptismal graces and our adoption as sons and daughters of God, our incorporation into the unity of the Church, and the revelation of the Holy Trinity.  The celebration of Pentecost reminds us to Be Not Afraid!  Do not fear spreading the good news of the Gospels, do not be afraid of the graces God offers us.  Rather, trust and believe in God's omnipotent love.

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When the Most High God came down and confused the tongues of Babel, He scattered the peoples; but when He sent down the tongues of fire at Pentecost, He called all peoples to unity.  Therefore, in unity, we glorify the Holy Spirit. – Kontakion of Pentecost Sunday

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Pentecost Sunday

June 3, Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of the Book of Revelation and Andrew of Caesarea about our rest in the Spirit.

Tomorrow we will celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, the Spirit which gave the Apostles courage to go forth to spread the Good News of our salvation.  The same Spirit that encourages us as we begin our journey in God also offers us rest at the end of our journey.  Those who have labored in the Lord with all its struggles and pains are promised one day the rest and comfort that can only come in God.  Indeed, we can say that all we have done since we began our journey in Lent has brought us to this place of life in the Spirit, of becoming one with God in theosis.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

June 2, Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Today we mediate upon the words of Saints Paul and John Chrysostom about joy in the Holy Spirit.

As we continue our preparations for the celebration of Pentecost, we look at the gift of joy that is offered to us in the Spirit.  Joy in the Spirit does not mean that our lives will be free from sadness and sorrow.  Indeed, our sins will certainly bring with them suffering for ourselves and for others.  However, when we suffer for the sake of the journey, for the sake of union with God we can rejoice that though we suffer now, God has promised us a future where ever tear will be wiped away.  Moreover, in these times of suffering, the Spirit will provide us with the means of consolation in the Church brought together by the Spirit.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

June 1, Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of Saints Peter and Irenaeus about those things "into which angels desired to look".

The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Prophecy, it was by the Spirit that the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of the coming of the Jesus Christ and the redemption of the world.  We have seen those prophecies fulfilled in the Incarnation, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior, but the fulfillment of these prophecies does not mean that the Spirit of Prophecy has ceased to work among us.  The Spirit continues to inspire us to speak out about our future life in God, to look forward to that time when God will be all in all, to see the coming return and victory of Our Lord.

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Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

May 31, Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint John Chrysostom about the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is much power and grace in the Holy Spirit, but as Saint John says, much of that power is conditional upon our response, upon our willingness to be a tool and instrument of the Spirit.  This willingness is shown in the desire to follow Christ, to imitate what he has done so that just as the Spirit descended upon him at his baptism, so the Spirit will continue to descend upon us and lead us out into the world to be messengers of the Spirit.  In such a way we will be ever more filled with his blessings, ever more filled with the joy and peace that the Scriptures promise us.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

May 30, Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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We meditate today upon the words of the Gospel of Luke and Cyril of Alexandria about the fire of the Spirit.

There are many different images of the Spirit - life giving spring, dove, a ray of light, and a tongue of fire.  This image of fire does not only bring with it the visible appearance of fire, but the warmth and life giving power that comes with it.  Just as those who are physically cold come to the fire so as to warm themselves, to soften frozen limbs and fingers - so does one who is spiritually cold require the warmth of the Holy Spirit to soften harden hearts and bring a new spirit of life and energy.  Again, the gift of the Spirit brings with it responsibility and motivation for conversion of life and evangelization of the good news.

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Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

May 29, Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint Cyprian about renewal in the Holy Spirit.

As we continue our preparation for the celebration of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, we remind ourselves of the wondrous blessings that have been given us.  The Spirit renews us, justifies us, makes us into the adopted sons and daughters of God.  As such, we become heirs of the promise that Christ has given us, of the blessings of eternal life.  As heirs of the promise, we strive to live as sons and daughters, faithful to the Father, faithful to the renewed life that has been given to us so that in all we do we might be led by the Spirit of God.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

May 28, Sunday of the Holy Fathers

You are forever glorified, O Christ our God, for you have made our Fathers as shining stars on the earth.  Through them, You have brought us to the true faith.  Most Gracious One, we praise You! – Troparion of the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

On the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of John and St. Athanasius as we join with the Eastern Church in celebrating the Council of Nicea.

The Eastern Church today celebrates the Council of Nicea during the period between the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost because it showed that Christ's promise that the Holy Spirit would continue to guide us was fulfilled.  One of the major teachings of this council was that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine.  This teaching is not some obscure point of theology but our very salvation depends upon it and it is key to the promise we have of theosis.

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The preaching of the Apostles and the teaching of the Father established in the Church a single and united faith.  Now this Church, clothed in the truth of a divinely inspired theology, declares and teaches with certainty the great wonders of Christ. – Kontakon of the Sunday of the Holy Fathers

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Sunday of the Holy Fathers

May 27, Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of Saint Jude and Saint Gregory of Nyssa about life in the Trinity.

Our path of Theosis is a path into a fuller participation in the divine life, in the love of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.  Each of these members of the one Trinity united in their desire for and work for our salvation.  The Father has created us, the Son has redeemed us, the Spirit perfects us.  But no member of the Trinity acts alone, but each participates equally and fully.  God loves us so much that he gives of his whole self for the sake of restoring us to unity with him.  In the face of such love, what can we do but strive to respond with the fullness of love as well.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

May 26, Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint Irenaeus about the the path to perfection in the Spirit.

As Saint Ireneaus proclaims, we have only received the first portion of the grace the Spirit offers us, this portion grows as we continue to convert our lives and to open ourselves more and more to the Spirit's limitless blessings. Our Easter journey is a journey of moving from the fleshly to the spiritual, not in the sense of denying the goodness of creation but in the sense of recognizing that creation's goodness only comes through the grace of God. Because this grace is an "installment" we know that with it comes the promise for even more blessings, even more graces as we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Pentecost.

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Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

May 25, Feast of the Ascension

O Christ our God, You who gloriously ascended into heaven and brightened the hearts of your disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit:  through your grace, You strengthened their belief that You are truly the Son of God, the Savior of the World. – Troparion of the Feast of the Ascension

On the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord, we meditate upon the words of the Book of Acts, Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Basil the Great about what the Ascension of the Lord means for our salvation.

Because of the Ascension, humanity in Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father.  Christ has fulfilled all he intended to accomplish through his Life, Death and Resurrection.  We who were once separated from God have now been reunited.  We have also entered a period of transition in our Easter journey as our focus upon the Holy Spirit continues to increase and we see more clearly the Spirit's power in our lives.  Christ has not abandoned us, he continues to intercede for us before the Father as our High Priest.  Because of his ascension, we too can now enter into the Holy of Holies to offer praise and thanksgiving to our God.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

When you fulfilled your plan for our redemption and joined the things of heaven with those of earth, O Christ our God, You gloriously ascended but did not abandon us, rather You remain with us forever and strengthen all who love you saying, “Behold, I am with you and no one has power over you.” – Kontakion of the Feast of the Ascension

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Feast of the Ascension

May 24, Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

We meditate today on the words of Saint Paul and Saint Leo the Great about being children of God.

We have become the sons and daughters of God through the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Our salvation indeeds come from the Lord, but we are called to respond to this love of the Lord, to his great desire that we return to him.  How do we know if we are being filled with the grace of the Spirit, that we are being saved?  We know that we are making this journey in faith if we can truly proclaim that Jesus is Lord, if we can truly call God our Father, if we can truly find ourselves in the freedom offered to us by the Holy Spirit.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

May 23, Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Book of Revelation and St. Hilary of Poiters about the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life offers its fruits for medicine, for healing of all nations and what is the Tree of Life but the truth of the faith which we believe and are called to proclaim.  This truth is that Christ suffered and died and rose again for the sake of our salvation, for the sake of the redemption of the world.  Just as wind blows the leaves that fall from earthly trees, so will the wind of the Spirit blow the leaves that fall from the Tree of Life, the teachings of the Gospel until they reach all the corners of the Earth - until all the world is healed.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

May 22, Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of the Book of Acts and Theodoret about the glorification of humanity in Christ.

Because of Christ's saving deeds, because of the graces of the Holy Spirit, we who were once sinful and cast down because of our disobedience have now been lifted up and the gates of Heaven themselves have been opened for us.  Humanity has been glorified in Christ and in Christ it now sits at the right hand of the Father.  Because of this, we too can participate in that glorification, in that life of the Trinity by obedience to the Father, openness to the Spirit, and immitating the Son.  This indeed is the path of Theosis.

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Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

May 21, Sunday of the Blind Man

I come to You, O Christ, for the eyes of my soul have been blinded.  Thus, as did the man who had been blind from birth, I call out to You in repentance, “Those who stumble in the darkness, have found in You a great and glorious light.” – Kontakion of the Sunday of the Blind Man

Today the Eastern Church celebrates the Sunday of the Blind Man and we will reflect upon the words of the Gospel of John and Saint John Cassian as we again complate Jesus as the source of the Water of Life.

The healing offered to us by Jesus carries with it the responsibility to tell others the good news.  Just as Jesus sends the man to the Pool of Siloam so that his sight might be restored, so does he send us so that by his healing water we too might see more clearly the truth of our salvation.     Still, even if sometimes we do not see the way of God as clearly as we like, we can trust in the protection and guidance of the Word and the Spirit to help us along the way, certain that through their aid we will arrive safely.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

As You promised, You rose from the dead, O Life-giver, and appeared to Your disciples.  You who performed great signs and gave sight to the blind, we praise You with the disciples and all peoples forever and ever. – Joseph of Thessaloniki [Canon of the Man Born Blind]

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Sunday of the Blind Man

May 20, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of the Book of Revelation and Hilary of Poiters about the continuing dwelling of God among us.

In the Incarnation, the Word became flesh through the power of the Spirit.  Since that time, God has indeed dwelt among us because Jesus Christ is truly fully God and fully human.  This is the truth of our salvation, that the great distance which separated us from God through Adam's sin has ceased to exist and we are now offered the gift of eternal union with the one who loves us.  This is possible not because of anything we have done, but because of what God has done and what can be do but give thanks?

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

March 19, Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Our meditation for today comes from the words of the Prophet Zephaniah and Saint Basil on the gifts of the Spirit.

As we heard yesterday, the Spirit brings to us many gifts because of his great love for us.  But with these many gifts comes not only blessings but also responsibilities to use those gifts in a way that brings glory to the giver.  The Spirit dwells among us and empowers us to be filled with God's presence - to become more and more like God, but these gifts are not to be accepted with a mere passivity - rather these gifts are tools that must be used so that we can indeed become all that God has made us to be.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

March 18, Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Letter to the Hebrews and Saint Gregory of Nyssa about the gifts of the Spirit.

There are many gifts but only one Spirit who bestows them upon those who live in him.  Just as our salvation has come through the grace of the Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ, so it is also with our growing unity with the Father.  Gregory of Nyssa mentions just a few of the many gifts of the spirit - guidance, leadership, comfort, freedom, wisdom, blessings but the source of all these gifts is the love of God which draws us from slavery to sin and death into the wondrous life that he has prepared for us.  God is good and we become good by participating in that which comes from God.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

May 17, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Our meditation today comes from the words of Saint John and Saint Ephraim the Syrian about being a child of the Spirit.

Saint Ephraim calls us children of the Spirit which we are because we are children of the Father.  As Saint John says, we do not know what the future holds, but we do know that we will be like him.  And we know that faithfulness to this Easter journey means that one day we shall be able to see God as he is - in his majesty, power, and love.  Now we see things dimly, but each day we continue along this way, we see a bit more clearly the great graces that have been given to us in the Spirit of the Lord and we will be able to help others see this more clearly as well.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

May 16, Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Our meditation for today comes from the words of Saint Paul and Theodoret of Cyrus about the Sword of the Spirit.

On our Easter journey, we will face many temptations to turn off the path, to hold ourselves back.  Against these temptations, these struggles, we are called to bear the power of the Holy Spirit given to us at our baptism, for it is the Sword of the Spirit which will enable us to overcome anything that might strive to prevent our union with the Father.  But to ensure that we are able to use this sword properly at the times when it is most needed, we need to practice using it each and every day through constant prayer - especially as we prepare for the celebration of Pentecost.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

May 15, Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Prophet Isaiah and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem about the effect that the Resurrection should have on our lives.

Because of the Resurrection, we are called to live in a new reality - a reality in which sin and death have been defeated, a reality in which the glory of the fullness of life in God has been granted to us.  This new reality should inspire us to strive each and every day to conform ourselves to the Lord, to refrain from those things which draw us away from him, to perform good deeds in the name of our Risen Savior.  Most of all, this new reality should call us to rejoice and to lead others to rejoice because God has redeemed us and made us his own.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

May 14, Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

The Samaritan Woman approached the well with faith and saw You, the Teacher of Wisdom:  You quenched her soul’s thirst and she was accepted into the kingdom of heaven forever. – Kontakion of the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

On the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of John and Saint John Chrysostom about the living water of Christ.

Our Sunday theme continues to ask us to come to Christ as the source of the water of life, to open ourselves to the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan Women at the well, we are called to look at our own response to Jesus' gift.  Do we have things in our lives that are keeping us from fulling drinking of this living water?  Are we willing to share this water with others?  The Holy Spirit comes to quench our thirst for holiness, our desire for sanctification.  But we must open ourselves if we wish to be filled.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

At Jacob’s well, blessed one, you found the life giving and sanctifying water and after drinking it, O Photina, you proclaimed the gospel of Christ Jesus, the Holy One. – Megalynarion of St. Photina

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Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

May 13, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the Letter to the Hebrews and the words of Saint Irenaeus about the relationship of flesh and spirit.

In uniting himself with our humanity, Christ's divinity has given us the power to overcome our twin foes of sin and death.  The divinity which has been united to our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, is the same divinity that belongs to the Holy Spirit which continues to fill us and to strengthen us against all that might lead us along the wrong path.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean we cast aside the body, indeed, our Lord himself took upon a body so that we might be saved.  Rather, it is this vessel of the flesh in which we live that we must strive to also make a vessel which the Spirit might fill.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 12, Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of Saint Paul and  Saint Ambrose about the activity of the Spirit in our hearts.

Just as Christ became human by the act of the Holy Spirit, so is the Word implanted in our hearts by that same Spirit.  This Word is not dead but is alive just as Christ is not dead but is risen.  Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are, as Saint Paul says, letters of the Father sent forth to express the glorious deeds God has done in our lives - not to keep the message of the Word and Spirit hidden, but to proclaim it to all the world.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 11, Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Our meditation today comes from the words of Saint Paul and Clement of Alexandria which speak of the destiny God has in store for us.

The goodness of the Father is forever being poured fourth upon us in the Holy Spirit and through the Son.  We have been chosen for God because of his great love for us.  Not for any deed of ours have we been givien this, but simply because God has chosen to restore us, to help us, to protect us.  How wondrous it is that we are God's children!  Yet, that is what we are, for that is what the Father calls us.  We who are the Prodigal Children are now summoned to be Children of the Light.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 10, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

My Savior, at the middle of this festival season, may my parched soul be quenched by the waters of faith and devotion, for You have called to all people saying, “Come all to Me and drink of the waters of immortality.”  Thus, we fall down in worship before You, crying out in faith, “Have mercy on us, for You are the Fountain of Life.” – Troparian of Mid-Pentecost

Today we are at the mid-point of Easter and our meditations from the Gospel of John and the words of Saint Hilary of Poitiers invite us to reflect upon the state of our Easter journey.

Here at the mid-point, it is fitting to spend some time thinking both about from where we have come and to where we are going.  How have we been doing with our desire to see the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives and to help make that presence more evident to others?  How have we opened ourselves more to the graces offered to us in the Holy Spirit?  As the days grow between where we are now and that Easter Sunday several weeks ago, does the celebration of that day continue to affect our lives or have we returned to the old way of doing things?

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

Christ our God, Creator and Lord of all, at the middle of the season of the Mosaic festival, You called to all people saying, “Come all to Me and drink of the waters of immortality.”  Thus, we fall down in worship before You, crying out in faith, “Have mercy on us, for You are the Fountain of Life.” – Kontakion of Mid-Pentecost

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 9, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Our meditation today comes from the words of Saint Paul and Amma Theodora about the wondrous future in store for us.

We are all on the way toward union with God and the resurrected body of Christ is the foreshadowing of what that future will be.  The resurrection of Christ is both the sign of our future and the seal of the promise that because of Christ's resurrection, we who are faithful to him, will participate in that same resurrection.  He will indeed change us so that all we are is in accordance with him and with his will.  Our hope is not without evidence, our faith is not without support.  Christ is risen and we have seen him.

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 8, Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Book of Revelation and Saint Ephraim the Syrian about the Water of Life.

As we saw yesterday, Jesus is the source of water of life which we can obtain only by becoming united with his body, the Church.  This union with the Church, the Bride, in turn comes only through the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Just as we did not make our Lenten journey alone, we also do not make this Easter journey alone.  We make it by responding to the call of the Spirit and the Bride to come and drink of the precious water which flows from the side of our Savior, which grants us healing, forgiveness of sins, and the power of the Resurrection.  So, we who thirst for holiness, let us run to recieve this great and wondrous gift.  Let us drink from the font that never runs dry.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May 7, Sunday of the Paralytic

Lord, just as Your lifted up the paralytic, in Your great goodness raise my soul that has been totally paralyzed by my many sins and all kinds of evil deeds.  Save me, so that I may praise you saying, “Glory to your strength, O merciful Christ!” – Kontakion of the Sunday of the Paralytic

On the Sunday of the Paralytic, we meditate upon the words of the Gospel of John and Saint Ambrose as we reflect upon the the relationship between the healing power of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit.  We also prepare ourselves for the mid-point of the Easter season and take stock of our journey so far.  Jesus calls us to come to the water, but we must get up and pick up our mats.  Part of theosis, of becoming united with the Trinity is joining our wills with the grace of God.  We cannot save ourselves alone and God will not do anything to violate our freedom.  He offers salvation, but we must choose to accept it.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

The Healer of soul and body said to him, “Rise, take up your mat and walk.  Go and proclaim throughout the land my strength and the depths of my mercy.” – Vespers of the Sunday of the Paralytic

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Sunday of the Paralytic

May 6, Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Book of Revelation and Theodoret of Cyrus about spreading the good news of the Resurrection.

The truth of the Resurrection is not something we keep to ourselves, it is something to share with the entire world.  In this way, the world which is in darkness will experience the light and that just as our humanity was restored in the Resurrection, so will the whole world be restored.  Indeed, if we do not spread this truth, how hard will it be for others to hear amidst all of the contrary voices that falsely claim that this life is all there is, that there is no hope, that God is dead.  We must celebrate aloud and cry aloud that Christ is risen, indeed he is risen!

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

May 5, Friday of the Third Week of Easter

Our meditation today comes from the words of Saint Peter and Saint Gregory of Nyssa about life in the Trinity.

Both our life in the flesh and our life in the spirit begin and end with the Trinity.  It is the Holy Trinity that makes us, that shapes us on our journey in holiness and that is the destination of that journey.  In Christ's resurrection, we have found the Trinity that saves us.  We rejoice because in finding the Trinity, we have seen that God keeps no part of himself behind in his desire for our redemption.  For no one can come to Jesus but through the Father and the Spirit and no one can come to the Father but through the Son and the Spirit and we only have the Spirit through the power of the Father and the Son.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday of the Third Week of Easter

May 4, Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint John Damascene about the Cross as a sign of the Resurrection.

Our prayers begin and end with the Sign of the Cross.  The Sign of the Cross is the sign of our faith in the Trinity, in the death and resurrection of our Lord.  Therefore, our encounter with God is made in the grace of the Trinity, in the reality of Christ's death and resurrection.  It is our sign to ourselves, it our sign to others about the faith that we hold.  So, let us make this sign often and let us make this sign respectfully, not haphazardly because the reverence by which we make this sign is itself a sign of the reverence of our faith.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

May 3, Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of Isaiah and Hippolytus about perseverence during the Easter season.

We are in the season of Easter, a season of joy, but this does not mean that we will not continue to face trials as we strive to truly become united with our Resurrected Lord.  Yet, it is in these trials that we have faith that we who have joined ourselves to the suffering of Christ will also be joined in his Resurrection - that it is because of what Christ has accomplished in his own rising that our trials will too bear fruit.  That, as Isaiah says, our desert will exult and we will one day see the glory of the Lord and the splendor of our God.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

May 2, Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

Our meditations for today come from the Book of Psalms and the words of St. Leo the Great about the wondrous love of God.

Continuing on our Easter journey, let us not loose sight of God's constant protection and care.  He always remains faithful to his promises, including the promise of life in the Resurrection.  Let our Easter be filled with the joy offered to us in the Holy Trinity that indeed shows us the path of life, that instructs us, chastens us and transforms us into the holy sons and daughters of God.  Let us free ourselves and others from all things which might diminish or detract from this joy and give our whole lives in praise to the Lord.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

May 1, Monday of the Third Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the First Letter of Saint John and Saint Irenaeus about the forgiveness of God.

All that God has done for us should inspire us to offer continuous praise and thanksgiving to him, most especially the gift of everlasting life set before us in the Resurrection.  In contemplating this wondrous event, we see more and more our complete reliance upon the grace and goodness of the Lord.  These blessings are also signs of the wonders of the Resurrection, that Christ is not dead but lives and his life is the life of the world.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Monday of the Third Week of Easter

April 30, Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women

The angel sat by the tomb and called to the Myrrh Bearing Women, “Myrrh is for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself to be free from corruption.  Therefore, shout out, “The Lord has risen and has blessed the world with great mercy.’” – Troparian of the Myrrh Bearing Women

Today is the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women and we will meditate upon the words of the Gospel of Mark and Saint Gregory Nazianzen about faith in the Resurrection.

This Sunday and last the question being put forth is whether we believe in Jesus' resurrection.  In a world dominated by science and reason, it can be difficult to accept the reality of the divine around us.  While God has indeed given us a mind with which think, he has also given a soul with which to believe.  Our journey through the Easter season is thus a time to look at exercising our souls, to open our minds more to the wonders of God in our lives.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

Christ, our God, after You spoke with the Myrrh Bearing Women, You wiped away the tears of Eve, our first mother, and told the other women to bear the good news of your rising from the tomb to the disciples. – Kontakion of the Myrrh Bearing Women

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Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women

April 29, Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

Our meditation today comes from the words of Saint Paul and Saint Cyprian about seeking Christ.

Part of living our lives in the light of the Resurrected Christ is the real striving to seek Christ in all things, to be Christ in all things.  Certainly Lent was a time of striving to conform ourselves to Christ, but so is the time of Easter.  Indeed, if we have truly sought to be one with him, we will truly act in such a way as to help make that desire a reality.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

April 28, Friday of the Second Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of the Book of Hebrews and Saint Gregory Nazianzen about the importance of forgiveness during the Eastern season.

As we continue through the Easter season and we continue to show forth the signs of the Resurrection, one of those signs is the reality of forgiveness in Christ and our responsibility to show that forgiveness to others so that they too may come to experience the presence of the risen Lord in their lives.  St. Gregory goes so far as to say that we should call them brother and sister, in this way we will become perfect as Christ our Lord is perfect.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Friday of the Second Week of Easter

April 27, Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

We meditate today upon the words of Saint Paul and Saint Gregory the Great about the Eucharist and the Resurrection.

The joy that we have in the promise of the Resurrection has its source in the grace of the Eucharist.  It is the Eucharist that transforms us into the likeness of Christ.  It is the Eucharist that gives us the strength to proclaim Christ's victory over death.  Therefore, as we continue our Easter journey we must be sure to be fed at the table of the Eucharist, to receive the viaticum of the Lord.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

April 26, Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

Our meditation for today comes from the First Letter of Peter and the words of Saint Athanasius expressing the joy of our salvation.

One way we have of showing the world the reality of Christ's resurrection is through the joy that we have.  Peter calls this an indescribable and glorious joy.  Athanasius speaks of a great celebration and of the incredible joy of heaven.  As others witness our joy, they too will come to experience what we have experienced - the reality of our salvation and they too will be filled with the grace and love of God.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

April 25, Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Prophet Isaiah and Theodoret about our responsibility to proclaim the good news of Christ's resurrection.

Through the grace of the Resurrection, all of humanity has been reborn into new life.  Through the grace of the Spirit, we are called to spread this news to others - it is not for ourselves alone.  In what way were we freed, if not through the Resurrection.  In what way were the ashes of mourning removed, if not through Christ's victory over death?  We cannot keep this good news hidden, we must share it with the world.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

April 24, Monday of the Second Week of Easter

Today we meditate upon the words of the Book of Psalms and Saint Maximus the Confessor about Christ's victory in the flesh.

In Christ, our mortality has become immortality.  The very flesh by which the First Adam was drawn into sin and death, has - in the Second Adam - become the means by which sin and death have been overcome.  Our flesh, empowered by the grace of Christ, is now oriented toward the resurrection and eternal life.  Death has no more power for Christ has overcome death.

Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

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Monday of the Second Week of Easter

April 23, Sunday of Saint Thomas

Christ, our God, Thomas touched your life-giving side with His seeking hand and, since You entered the room through closed doors, he cried out with the other Apostles, “My Lord and my God!” – Kontakion of the Sunday of Saint Thomas

On the Sunday of Saint Thomas we reflect upon the words of the Gospel of John and Saint John Cassian about believing in the Resurrection.

When looking at the sad and dark places in our lives and in the world, it can be difficult to fully accept the reality of Christ rising from the dead.  But Christ has compassion on our difficulties and continues to call upon us to touch his hands and his side, to doubt no more.  They say seeing is believing, but sometimes it is only through believing that we have the eyes to see the true wonders of the Resurrection.

Let us see and believe. Be sure to visit the website at isidorescorner.com/theosis

Christ, our Life, You rose from the sealed tomb and even though the doors were closed, You came before Your disciples and breathed into them a new spirit, You our God, our resurrection!  You are full of mercy. – Troparion of the Sunday of St. Thomas.

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Sunday of Saint Thomas