God, the Father almighty, raised Jesus from the dead and he will give life to our own mortal bodies. We pray to him in faith: – Lord, bring us to life in Christ. Holy Father, we have been buried with your Son in baptism to rise with him in glory; may we always live in Christ and not see death for ever.

Unfortunately, today the ascetical part of our spiritual life does not have many admirers, still less, followers. Many would like to reach the peak of perfection in a very short time, without any mortification or self-denial. To them it seems that love is all that is needed because it is the bond of perfection. What they say is correct but incomplete – they do not fully understand how many sacrifices are demanded by Christian love. We cannot really love God and our brothers if we do not die to ourselves. In order to love perfectly God and our neighbor, we must practically give up many things and accept many sacrifices. Love asks for courageous and generous sacrifices “Love must hurt us,” said Mother Teresa of Calcutta

They passed the withered fig tree on their way, and Jesus spoke to his companions about the importance of faith. Later that afternoon, Jesus left the city and went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives, which sits due east of the Temple and overlooks Jerusalem.

On this day the Church commemorates the withering of the fruitless fig tree (Matthew 21:18–22), a symbol of judgement that will befall those who do not bring forth the fruits of repentance

It is the third day of Holy Week in Eastern Christianity, after Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, and the second day of Holy Week in Western Christianity, after Palm Sunday

Monday of Holy Week (sung by anticipation, now on Palm Sunday Evening) commemorates the blessed and noble Joseph and the fig tree which was cursed and withered by the Lord. The withering of the fig tree was a miracle of special symbolism, since the tree had leaves, but no fruit. It is symbolic of the many people who claim ethical and religious identity, but who in reality have empty lives that yield no fruit. This was also the case with some of the Pharisees of that period. Jesus cursed the tree: “May no fruit ever come from you again!” (Matt. 21:19) The reference to the story of the virtuous Joseph of the Old Testament (Genesis 37-41) is made only for contrast, since the life of Joseph was a model of propriety and sincere observance of ethical principles.

Praise God! Praise him who comes n the name of the Lord………..and a few days latter they chant and call for the Christ to be nailed to a tree.

Barabbas, in the New Testament, a prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels who was chosen by the crowd, over Jesus Christ, to be released by Pontius Pilate in a customary pardon before the feast of Passover.

In Matthew 27:16 Barabbas is called a “notorious prisoner.” In Mark 15:7, echoed in Luke 23:19, he was “in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection” against the occupying Roman forces. John 18:40 describes him as a bandit.

Who was the true Rebel? Barabbas? Or Jesus Christ? It is Christ, the leader of the last true rebellion. The Final of the Final Solution.

Where is your lamb? Will it live in your house with you for 4 days?

Humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate.

John Climacus

Living isolated from other people can be difficult, but there are some individuals who freely choose living alone and cut off from the rest of the world. These men and women are called hermits, and for centuries they have perfected the way of living alone.

For their inspiration, they look to the Bible, where the psalmist proclaims, “Seven times a day I praise you because your judgments are righteous” (Psalm 119:164). Religious nuns and monks, as well as hermits, took this phrase and developed a basic daily schedule where they stopped whatever they were doing to pray throughout the day.

St. Benedict of Nursia (who lived in the 6th century) built upon these seven times of prayer and added an eighth, which occurs in the middle of the night. Eight is the biblical number of the “new creation” as Jesus rose from the dead on the eighth day, the day after the Jewish sabbath (which is Saturday).

Here is a typical schedule of prayer of a Christian hermit, based on what other monasteries have developed over the centuries.

• Matins (during the night, often at midnight); also called Vigils or Nocturns (Night Office)
• Lauds or Morning Prayer (at Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
• Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour, around 6 a.m.)
• Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour, around 9 a.m.)
• Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour, around noon)
• None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour, around 3 p.m.)
• Vespers or Evening Prayer (around 6 p.m.)
• Compline or Night Prayer (before going to bed, typically at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.)

What this does is add a needed variety in a hermit’s daily schedule. Sometimes people believe hermits literally pray all day long, but that is not true. They work and pray, interrupting their daily activities to praise God.

What is fascinating is how this schedule has remained virtually untouched for centuries, though adapted by different religious orders and hermits to meet their specific needs. In essence, this is how many hermits live around the world.

This daily schedule also helps to keep the focus on God, as it can be easy to become so engrossed in the activity we are doing that we forget who is truly in charge of the situation.

If you want to know how to stay sane while being at home, learn from the hermits, and develop a daily schedule that keeps the focus on God, while also adding variety.

Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Seraphim of Sarov

As often as I have been among men, said one writer, I have returned less a man. We often find this to be true when we take part in long conversations. It is easier to be silent altogether than not to speak too much. To stay at home is easier than to be sufficiently on guard while away. Anyone, then, who aims to live the inner and spiritual life must go apart, with Jesus, from the crowd. No man appears in safety before the public eye unless he first relishes obscurity. No man is safe in speaking unless he loves to be silent. No man rules safely unless he is willing to be ruled. No man commands safely unless he has learned well how to obey. No man rejoices safely unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.

Kempis, Thomas à. The Imitation of Christ

Galatians 2:20: says “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

“Everything in this life passes away — only God remains, only He is worth struggling towards. We have a choice: to follow the way of this world, of the society that surrounds us, and thereby find ourselves outside of God; or to choose the way of life, to choose God Who calls us and for Whom our heart is searching.” ~ Seraphim Rose

“We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4)

“‘Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you have heard me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that you did send me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazaros, come out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth.”
(John 11:38-44)

The man who truly loves the Lord, who has made a diligent labor to find the approaching Kingdom, who has made a start of seeing the seriousness of his sins, who is truly mindful of the eternal torture and punishment, who sincerely lives in fear of death, cannot love or concern himself with wealth, or possessions, or his family, or earthly honor, or friends, or brothers, or any of the things of this world. But shaking off all his ties with worldly things and having thus departed from every care, and coming to the point of hating his own fleshly body, and having taken off everything, he will follow Christ without worry or doubt. He looks always toward heaven, awaiting help from there, as the saint said, “My soul follows close behind you.” And as the memorable author said: I have not grown tired of following you, nor have I longed for the rest of men, O Lord.

Climacus, John. The Ladder of Divine Ascent

The one who has left the world in order to shake off the weight of his own sins, should be as those who dwell outside the city in the grave-yard. He should not cease his stream of hot and fiery tears and the unvoiced grieving of his heart until he also sees that Jesus has come to him and taken away the hard stone covering his heart and unbound Lazarus, which is to say, our mind, from the bonds of sin, and commanded his serving angels to release him from his lusts that he may go to blessed dispassion. If not, he will have attained nothing.

Climacus, John. The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek pictured below transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service….only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food….NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit n the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation……..”We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek”….The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation…..The homeless man sitting in the back stood up…..and started walking down the aisle…..the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him….he walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders who were in on this and paused for a moment….then he recited “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? ’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning…many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame…. he then said….Today I see a gathering of people……not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples…when will YOU decide to become disciples? He then dismissed service until next week…….Being a Christian is more than something you claim. It’s something you live by and share with others. 

“The soul’s throat is slit by the fire of the passions of the body.”

+St Mark the Ascetic

“You will not die. Your body will die, but you will go over into a different world, being alive, remembering yourself and recognizing the whole world that surrounds you.”

—St. Theophan the Recluse, 19th Century

This is the world, the world is Passion. It is the passions within that we must destroy. This site could easily be called “Die to the Passions”.

Passions are the uncontrolled desires that come from our bodily needs. They subordinate our soul to our egoistic or self will. They come about because we forget about God and only think of our own needs. The seven passions are: gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, dejection, listlessness and pride. All these passions lead us to sin, but with proper discipline can be offset by virtues.

Saint Peter of Damaskos has taken them a bit further:

“These, then, are the passions which I have found named in the Holy Scriptures. I have set them down in a single list, as I did at the beginning of my discourse with the various books I have used. I have not tried, nor would I have been able, to arrange them all in order; this would have been beyond my powers, for the reason given by St. John Klimakos: ‘If you seek understanding in wicked men, you will not find it.’ For all that the demons produce is disorderly. In common with the godless and the unjust, the demons have but one purpose: to destroy the souls of those who accept their evil counsel. Yet sometimes they actually help men to attain holiness. In such instances they are conquered by the patience and faith of those who put their trust in the Lord, and who through their good actions and resistance to evil thoughts counteract the demons and bring down curses upon them.”

The passions are

In Romans, chapter 6, St. Paul tells us “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”

How do so many other religious who are confined in cloistered discipline get along? They seldom go out, they live in contemplation, their food is poor, their clothing coarse, they work hard, they speak but little, keep long vigils, rise early, pray much, read frequently, and subject themselves to all sorts of discipline. Think of the Carthusians and the Cistercians, the monks and nuns of different orders, how every night they rise to sing praise to the Lord. It would be a shame if you should grow lazy in such holy service when so many religious have already begun to rejoice in God.

Kempis, Thomas à. The Imitation of Christ

See, then, dearly beloved, the great danger from which you can free yourself and the great fear from which you can be saved, if only you will always be wary and mindful of death. Try to live now in such a manner that at the moment of death you may be glad rather than fearful. Learn to die to the world now, that then you may begin to live with Christ. Learn to spurn all things now, that then you may freely go to Him. Chastise your body in penance now, that then you may have the confidence born of certainty.

Kempis, Thomas à.

As often as I have been among men, said one writer, I have returned less a man. We often find this to be true when we take part in long conversations. It is easier to be silent altogether than not to speak too much. To stay at home is easier than to be sufficiently on guard while away. Anyone, then, who aims to live the inner and spiritual life must go apart, with Jesus, from the crowd. No man appears in safety before the public eye unless he first relishes obscurity. No man is safe in speaking unless he loves to be silent. No man rules safely unless he is willing to be ruled. No man commands safely unless he has learned well how to obey. No man rejoices safely unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.

Kempis, Thomas à.

In the case of all who have passed from this world lacking a virtuous life and having had no faith, be an advocate for them, Lord, for the sake of the body which you took from them, so that from the single united body of the world we may offer up praise to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the kingdom of heaven, an unending source of eternal life. – St. Isaac the Syrian