His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia approved texts of prayerful supplications in view of the threat of the spreading coronavirus infection. Prayer Read during the Spread of Devastating Pestilence Lord our God, enter not into judgment with Thy servants, and compass us about with protection from the devastating pestilence stirred up against us. O kind-hearted Lord Who art inclined toward benevolence, have compassion on us, Thy humble and unworthy servants, who fall down before Thee with broken hearts and hope in Thy mercy. or Thine it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Christ Icon from Sinai, 6th c. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

Pandemics, protests, storms, and stress, no matter what you are personally facing right now, please know in your heart that God is with you. He has never left you. You have left Him. Seek Him again. Or, rather, open yourself up to understand who He is and where He is and what He is doing. Unclench your fists. Relax your shoulders. Close your eyes. Sit. Take a deep breath. Breathe again. Breathe ever more deeply the third time. Recite the Jesus Prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Say it slowly. Say it over and over and over. Do this daily. Then start doing this many times a day. There is nothing else that is permanently true, good, and beautiful. God is with you. Icon of Christ, the Good Shepherd. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

In order for a person to serve others authentically, they must first be at peace with God and themselves. An icon of Moses at the Burning Bush If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

When I gaze upon the still waters, I feel the breeze of your loving insistence. When I gaze upon the still waters, I hear the calm from your enveloping silence. When I gaze upon the still waters, I smell the incense of your everlasting persistence. When I gaze up on the still waters, I taste the love in your embracing sustenance. When I gaze upon the still waters, I see the light of your glistening countenance. How can this be, Through such a life? The Most Holy Trinity, One in essence and undivided. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Energies overflowing. To Love, And to be Loved. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

Society screams And people demand. I search for words And nothing is heard. But why try? There was a Word Filled with light. Given in flesh and Lived in love. But ended by blood? Complainers complain And pursuers pursue. I search for the Body And nothing is found. But an empty tomb? There was a Body Filled with light. Given a new life Ascended in love. But alone again? Demons emerge And doubters scheme. I search for help And nothing is seen. But I have to believe? There was a Spirit Filled with breath. Giving a new life So that it would never end. But I'm supposed to follow? While a Word that was, is And ever shall be ours The Spirit remains And overcomes all. But I'm supposed to seek? Sound familiar? You did not inherit anger, fear, sadness and the words of guilt and shame. You are the heir of the Light. You are the recipient of mercy. You are the loved of the beloved. Fill me with Your quiet words... Let them carry me... into eternity... If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

I digress, I admit, Too often. It is a failure, My failure, To recognize the limits Of my steadfastness. My heart remains fixed on You. Of course... My mind runs wild and My mouth runs foul. It is the scourge Of the moment Or the curse of a life. Run aground Run astray Run amuck Rampant. Roughshod and Riddled with Rhymes that don't rhyme. Littered with riddles that are Riddled without reason. Reasons that never find a season And seasons without reason. Why these gifts? Why here? Why now? To learn to return To the source Of course. To feel the burn Of a heart turned By a fire lit from above And scorching from below. There is only one me! And there is only one You! Holy Spirit within Holy Spirit without Teach me to live. Live now! Live without abandon! If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

When you were ill, Lazarus, Jesus said it would not end you. He transformed your misery, So the Glory of God could be revealed. Pray that our suffering is not wasted. The apostles warned Jesus not to go, But He reproved them. We must walk in the Light And stay far from the dark of night. Help us destroy the tombs we make. Thomas encouraged the disciples To die with you, Lazarus. When Jesus arrived, your body was buried. For the sake of life in the Trinity, Teach us to die a little more to the world. When Jesus saw the grief of His friends He groaned and cried and suffered with them. Remaining in the Spirit, He persisted to the cave. Lifting up His petition to the Father, Jesus commanded Lazarus. Demand we come forth, too! Remind us that we are loved like Lazarus! Loosed from our bonds! Freed from our trepidation! Helped! Saved! And shown mercy! 12th century Greek icon of Christ raising Lazarus out of his tomb. Photo taken on January 12, 2016 by Fr. Ted Bobosh, a retired priest of the Orthodox Church in America. You can find his blog here and his photos here. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

Sunrises and sunsets Holidays and Holy Days Births and deaths. Years turn into decades as Life fills with millions of Moments of change. Some we desire and Others are forced on us. Some feel like the questioning of the high priest (John 18:19). Others like the scourging at the pillar (John 19:1). Some even strike like a crucifixion (John 19:18). And yet... at the heart of every one of these moments is a resurrection (John 20). When change comes, we often experience it as pain. Even the gladsome movements of life Unsettle our yesterdays and Replace them with unknown tomorrows. And whether or not we know it at the time, This suffering is meant to transfigure us. It shatters our pride. It breaks our assumptions. It removes our selfishness. It tempers our anger. It prunes the vines that strangle our hearts and It burns off the rot that destabilizes our faith. Then comes a baptism of tears And a silence filled with the Holy Spirit, Whose noetic words encourage us and teach us. In this mystical exchange love is rediscovered, Faith is strengthened, and Hope is returned. Joy builds. Peace settles in and patience is found. Kindness comes and generosity flows. Gentleness is given and self-control returns (Galatians 5:22-23). This is the story of change. It is the gift of starting over. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

Life can be difficult. There's no doubt about it. One day you can feel like things are going your way. And the next day you can feel like work is too hard and money is too tight. The people around you may drag you down. People you don't even know can have an impact on your life too. What makes things tougher is when you feel like you don't fit in. Or that people you thought you could trust end up saying and doing awful things. That's why I am writing to you today. It's going to get better. Perhaps not today. Perhaps not even tomorrow. But things can and will change. You see, when you feel like no one is listening or helping... or maybe that God is a million miles away... I promise that you are not being forgotten. Someone somewhere cares about you and will come to you. But sometimes you have to reach out too. And I know this won't make you feel better right at this moment. But some of our greatest saints have been through what you are going through now. On November 9, we remember a modern saint named Nectarios. He was a good, humble, holy, and helping bishop who was falsely accused of many things by others, including bishops who wanted power. And despite essentially being banished to an island, he spent the last years of his life devoted to helping others, growing a convent, and praying for everyone, including those who hurt him. My point is NOT that you have to be a saint. All I am saying is that all the bad you are experiencing right now, can be turned into an opportunity for something changed, something new, something to help others. Remember that God, His Holy Mother, the saints, and your guardian angel are closer than you think. And the next true friend is just around the corner. I love you and will always pray for you. P.S.: You can find more information about St. Nectarios here, here, and here. An icon of St. Nectarios the Wonderworker, Metropolitan of Pentapolis. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

It's easy to think that everyone around us has it better. Very often, though, other people suffer in the same ways, and in similar intensities, that we do. Then there are the times when we come across people who are truly beset with problems that bury them in a pit of despair. Whether it's a physical, emotional, intellectual, relational, or spiritual issue (and regardless of the fact that it's most often a combination of some or all of the above) it's incumbent upon you as a person and as a Christian, to give comfort when you see someone in pain (to be clear, I am not just talking about those who are homeless). All it takes is a little less time focusing on yourself and little more time understanding others. But that's not easy. And that's where the saints come in. Through prayer, and their intercession, you can learn how to give of yourself more in the service of helping others heal. Here's one example of someone who can guide you. Bartholomew the Younger (981-1055), whose Feast Day is November 11 and was known as a hymn-writer, calligrapher, scholar, and the abbot of the Grottaferrata Monastery in Rome, was quite sympathetic and never missed an opportunity to comfort people in their various difficulties. Like his spiritual father St. Nilus the Younger (who was also born in Rossano and was the founder of the Greek abbey of Grottaferrata), Bartholomew worked to convince Church leaders to reform their lives and sought to build unity between the Roman and Greek Christians in Southern Italy. Take a few minutes today to ask St. Bartholomew to show you the path of healing so that others may be comforted by God through you. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

My dearest St. Hugh of Lincoln (1140-1200), you who witnessed my baptism and helped to guide me along the dual paths of silence and pastoral care, on this day of your feast in the West (November 16), I plead with you to intercede for me before Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins, the removal of the stain of my procrastinations, and the reduction of my worry about human machinations. I also implore you to entreat the Holy Spirit to aid me in deepening my attentiveness to the Uncreated Silence, strengthening my faithfulness to contemplation, and increasing my courage in the provision of the healing sacraments of the Church. I also ask you, my dear St. Hugh, to ask God to bring these men and women together who seek a community through which healing is made possible in deep prayer and an undying affection for those who need comfort in their pain. Amen. This well-known painting of St. Hugh of Lincoln, who was a Carthusian monk and bishop, includes the wild swan that would guard him, follow him everywhere, and eat from his hand. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

My Dear St. Thomais of Lesvos, you were pressured by your parents to marry and brutalized by your husband every day for 13 years (she died at 38 years old). But you persevered in prayer and remained steadfast in the love and care for others, especially prostitutes. In fact, you remained so deeply faithful to our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ that He allowed you, in life, to perform miracles of healing (curing disease) and gave you the power to banish evil spirits. That is why, today, St. Thomais (who is commemorated on January 3), we humbly ask you to pray for all men and women who are physically, sexually, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually abused in marriage. And we beg you to intercede for the building up of a sisterhood of women who pledge their lives to contemplating God, healing the wounds of the afflicted, and comforting those in spiritual distress. "You bore much pain and maltreatment, all-wonderous Thomais, with strength in Christ; wherefore you were worthily glorified and received the crown of saints" (Kontakion in the Fourth Tone). An icon of St. Thomais of Lesvos. If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.