In her striving to follow the commandments of God, the only thoughts the Theotokos filled herself with those dedicated to God. She prepared her body and soul to be a pure vessel for the Lord. May we too fill our souls with the love of God and receive His Holy Spirit in the sanctified manger of our hearts.
Merry Christmas!
Veronica Hughes
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives
“Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts and can have neither peace nor tranquility (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)”.
Saint Saraphim of Sarov said that if we “acquire peace, a thousand around us will be saved”, for having been created in the image of God, and we are part of the Divine thought that was made material in time and space. We not only influence those around us with our thoughts, but we even influence the cosmos. If we focus on the negative, those negative thoughts impact everyone around us, and even the whole world. The Elder Thaddeus tells us we can be either very good, or very bad, depending on the thoughts and desires we breed.
There is a lot that is wrong with the world, but it begins with us. If there is to be peace in our world, it must begin with me. If hatred, anger, envy, lust, and spite, are to end, it must end with me. When we allow destructive thoughts to destroy our peace, the peace around us is destroyed. We can not blame the world, or even those around us, for that which happens around us, radiates from us. Blame for all that is wrong with the world, can not be placed beyond our own hearts.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
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Published by pearlofgreatpricebook
I am a native San Franciscan currently living in Sacramento, CA. Due to health issues in my early 20s, I began a spiritual journey in quest of inner peace and healing. I felt my soul and body were connected and if my soul could heal, perhaps so could my body.
I was a lapsed Catholic who studied Eastern religions. I had a guru and Tibetan lama, practiced prayer and fasting, and meditation techniques. I studied metaphysics, channeling and the life of the soul, which I later taught to others.
Yet, after twenty-five years of seeking within the New Age and Eastern religions, I was left depressed and spiritually unfulfilled. Thanks to my late husband and the grace of God, my spiritual journey ultimately allowed me to convert to back to Christianity, find God and open my heart newly to Jesus Christ through the study of ancient Christianity in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
I am the author of two published books, The Pearl of Great Price and In Christ I am a New Creation, Part I. I am currently working on my third book, A Leap of Faith, and a book about my saint, St. Veronica, my other guardian angel. St. Veronica is the woman with the issue of blood, whom the Lord healed (Matt. 9:20). In 2018, I will be publishing a book about St. Veronica including an Orthodox liturgical service to her.
I am passionate about:
Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Orthodoxy) since my Christian conversion in 1996.
My relationship with Jesus Christ
Striving to live in the world, but not be of the world
Talking about spiritual warfare - there is an unseen battle being fought for the salvation of
our souls
Helping others come to peace with the Church and God
Connecting with other Orthodox Christians about their spiritual experiences
Living a full life while dealing with chronic health issues
My dogs and gardening
My saint, St. Veronica
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