Being a Better Christian – II
11/18/2018
Being a Better Christian – II
Fr. Al Demos, November 18, 2018
Orthodox Christians are taught to read, believe in and live the wondrous and beautiful teachings of the Holy Bible and the Church Fathers, to pray, to fast (from sin first, as well as from food), to confess, to keep vigil, to be kind, to do good, to be virtuous, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our interactions with others are important to us. We strive to give dignity, honor, and respect to all whom we meet.
There is a beautiful prayer that offers a practical approach to our Christian living. It only appeared in France in the early 20th century but bears the name of one the great Western Saints who truly lived a devout Orthodox Christian life:
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace...that where there is hatred, I may bring love...that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness...that where there is discord, I may bring harmony...that where there is error, I may bring truth...that where there is doubt, I may bring faith...that where there is despair, I may bring hope...that where there is sadness, I may bring joy...that where there is darkness, I may bring Thy light.
O Lord, grant that I may seek to comfort rather than to be comforted...to understand, rather than to be understood...to love, rather than to be loved...
For it is in giving that one receives...it is in self-forgetting that one finds...it is in forgiving that one is forgiven...and it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Live your life in Christ by applying these tenets, and even in times of trial and tribulation, you will be able to experience the peace that comes from Faith in God!