English > UOGCC Publications
The devil wants to deceive us and drag us to hell
Post date: 2016-03-19Autor: BCP
In all periods in history, the devil had an argument which denied eternal damnation. He said already in the Garden of Eden: “You will not surely die but your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.” (cf. Gen 3:4-5) The devil told a lie. The essence of damnation is that man believes the devil and his lies rather than the Word of God. And so man is united to him whom he believes. That is why we must offer resistance in our hearts to the programme of rebellion inherited from our first parents, to original sin, to spiritual blindness, to the love of lies and to the belief in lies. Jesus brought the truth to us and He seeks our good. The devil wants to deceive us and to drag us where he is himself.
What to do so as not to go to purgatory?
Post date: 2016-03-16Autor: BCP
What to do so as not to go to purgatory? We must repent – receive Jesus as our Saviour, live by faith. We should also make the most of mental or physical suffering which purifies our soul. God allows it in the form of humiliation, ridicule, defamation, scolding... We should accept it from the hand of God, give thanks for it and be aware that this is now my purgatory instead of the purgatory after death, as St Augustine said: “Chastise me here, O God, and do not spare me now, in order that I may be spared the punishment (fire) of Hell.” I want to love myself truly, so I do not want to be in purgatory for a single minute.
Great Lent (video)
Post date: 2016-02-10Autor: BCP
Great Lent. + Elijah Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
In moments of crisis, just lift up your eyes
Post date: 2016-01-24Autor: BCP
Let us never forget the essential thing: To love God more than anyone or anything else, that means, more than our ego too! In moments of crisis you only need to lift up your eyes and to be aware that God sees you now and to bear the present pain.
We are not mindful of death in our everyday life
Post date: 2016-01-06Autor: BCP
We all know, logically, that we must die. However, none of us is mindful of it. It is the height of folly that even people in hospitals, paralyzed by illness, do not think seriously about death. There is nothing more important in life than to be ever ready for death. No priest can save you in the hour of death but perfect contrition can. If you neglect to elicit perfect contrition, if you think of vanities, or if various thoughts attack you, do not think that it is all right with you just because you had confessed to a priest. Do not rely on the priest but on God’s mercy. You must learn to elicit perfect contrition, that means, to admit your sins in earnest and to give them to the Lord Jesus to be cleansed by the power of His Holy Blood. That’s your life assurance.
What is in store for me after death?
Post date: 2015-12-17Autor: BCP
If someone is summoned to appear before a judge in court, one trembles with fear. We all shall stand before the judgment seat of God, but we fail to cover evil done by us. What would a person carrying drugs do if he knew that he will be shot to death if the drugs are discovered? He would quickly get rid of them, throw them away. Each of us carries sin. In the hour of death, however, we will not be able to enter into heaven because sin drags us to hell. The Word of God says clearly: “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23) Therefore, we must throw it away, condemn it and put it under the power of the Blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin.
Let us give the first place to Jesus and His will every day
Post date: 2015-12-13Autor: BCP
Life is really very short and then comes eternity! The devil, the world and the old self try to keep us in dullness, sleep and pointless efforts lest we should pray, humble ourselves, encourage one another or earnestly seek the kingdom of God first. And therefore, let us deny ourselves and give the first place to Jesus and His will every day!
What are you doing for the salvation of your immortal soul?
Post date: 2015-12-03Autor: BCP
We cannot serve two masters. We will either love the one and hate the other, or vice versa. We cannot serve both God and a demon (mammon or other idols). We must say a definite “yes” to God and a definite “no” to the enemy. Eternal life, and not only ours, is at stake. The eternity of people around us depends on us.
No expression of a living faith is in vain
Post date: 2015-11-29Autor: BCP
We should live in the presence of God so that we may do the will of God, decide, speak and act not on our own but in dependence on God. The condition for us to abide and walk in God is our practical faith. We should really walk in faith like Abraham and revive our faith again and again in all trials. Therefore, no expression of a living faith is in vain or without response.
Intellectual pride keeps man from bowing before God
Post date: 2015-11-16Autor: BCP
If someone is an atheist, it is because he refuses to acknowledge an intelligent and wise Being higher than himself to Whom he ought to give an account of his life. In other words, it is intellectual pride, which is, in fact, demonic pride. Similarly, the angels who became demons had refused to submit to the authority of God who created them. Only hardened people refuse to know God, to bow before Him, to turn to Him and to give Him the first place in their lives, because they do not want to be dependent on Him.
How to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness in practice
Post date: 2015-11-15Autor: BCP
Try to put your trust in God, knowing that He will care for you just as He cares for birds or lilies (cf. Mt 6:25-30). Try it all and you will see that He is really a living God who cares for your life. Do you have problems? Give them to Jesus. “Lord, this is my problem. I give it to You.” But give it to Him with faith. Do not ask Him without believing that He will hear you. Give Him your problems and put absolute trust in Him.
How to fight bad moods
Post date: 2015-11-10Autor: BCP
When a mood takes you or you slide into depression, ask yourself at once: What spirit is behind it?! The spirit of lies. If you yield to it, it will torment you for hours, days or weeks. Stop! Lift up your heart! Realize God’s presence and give your problem to Jesus. He will take it from you and fill your heart with peace which the world cannot give. It works 120%! You only need to practise it and come to Jesus time and again.
Sin causes suffering to those who sin as well as to those around them
Post date: 2015-11-06Autor: BCP
Every sin causes suffering to the person sinning as well as to the people around him. Even a secret sin causes harm and has an impact on others. Ultimately, all things will be brought to light. We have the law of God which God has given us. He wants us to live according to it and to respect it. He will then bestow His blessing and peace on us.
No one can serve two masters
Post date: 2015-10-19Autor: BCP
Jesus says that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both the devil and God. Each of you should ask yourself: Whom do I serve? Who is my master? God, Jesus Christ, or sin or false philosophy which I favour because I can thus be in the darkness of sin? Today, you must make a radical choice and say a definite “yes” to God and a definite “no” to the devil.
Lord, let Your fire burn it up!
Post date: 2015-09-05Autor: BCP
Jesus baptizes us with fire too so that this fire will burn up all dirt of moral impurity in us. If there are some impure images in our mind, let the fire burn it up. Our eye, the inner eye, must be clear. Everything must be brought to light. We need to repent time and again. We must call a lie a lie, evil evil, just as it is. This is repentance. God will then work.
You cannot serve God and mammon
Post date: 2015-09-01Autor: BCP
What is mammon? We suppose it to be money but it is not just money. There are a lot of things which can become mammon. Mammon is all that we prefer to God whom we should love with all our heart. In other words, it is all that our heart clings to and we then serve it. We unite to it in our spirit, open ourselves to it and then we are no longer able to serve God. Mammon can be our bondage, as was the case of Mary Magdalene. Jesus delivered her from her bondage, from unclean spirits. She was a slave; her bondage was her mammon. She was unable to serve God. But Jesus delivered her.
God wants to open our eyes
Post date: 2015-08-27Autor: BCP
The most important thing in our life is to walk in the truth, i.e. to be humble. The devil is a very, very intelligent spirit. If we try to fight against the spirit of lies with logic, he deceives us. However, if we really want the Holy Spirit to lead us and to work through us, we need to stop: “Lord, I see, feel or understand it in this way but now I stand in Your light.” Jesus says: “I am the light of the world.” So if we stand in the light of God, Jesus opens our eyes as He opened the eyes of Mary Magdalene after His resurrection. She did not know Him; she supposed Him to be the gardener. Only when Jesus called her by name, her eyes were opened and she cried out: “Rabboni!”
Let us serve God
Post date: 2015-08-25Autor: BCP
Let us serve God. Yes, we are weak, but the Apostle Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10) I keep falling but I must repent. Let us come to God as we are, wretched and miserable. Jesus is waiting for us to give Him our weakness, our sin, because He wants to give us His forgiveness and peace.