In the Name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
In one of the Psalms
we can read the following words: Those who have sown with tears will reap with
joy... If in the course of weeks of preparation we have seen all that is ugly
and unworthy in us mirrored in the parables, if we have stood before the
judgement of our conscience and of our God, then we have truly sown in tears
our own salvation. And yet, there is still time because even when we enter into
the time of the harvest, God gives us a respite; as we progress towards the Kingdom
of God, towards the Day of the Resurrection, we still can, at every moment,
against the background of salvation, in the face of the victory of God, turn to
Him with gratitude and yet, brokenheartedness, and say, ‘No, Lord! I am perhaps
the worker of the eleventh hour, but receive me as Thou promised to do!’
Last week we have kept
the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the day when the Church proclaimed that it
was legitimate and right to paint icons of Christ; it was not a declaration
about art, it was a deeply theological proclamation of the Incarnation. The Old
Testament said to us that God cannot be represented by any image because He was
unbottomed mystery; He had even no Name except the mysterious name which only
the High Priest know. But in the New Testament we have learned, and we know
from experience that God has become Man, that the fullness of the Godhead has
abided and is still abiding forever in the flesh; and therefore God has a human
name: Jesus, and He has got a human face that can be represented in icons. An
icon is therefore a proclamation of our certainty that God has become man; and
He has become man to achieve ultimate, tragic and glorious solidarity with us,
to be one of us that we may be one of the children of God. He has become man
that we may become gods, as the Scripture tells us. And so, we could last week
already rejoice; and this is why, a week before, when we were already preparing
to meet this miracle, this wonder of the Incarnation, softly, in an almost
inaudible way, the Church was singing the canon of Easter: Christ is risen from
the dead! - because it is not a promise for the future, it is a certainty of
the present, open to us like a door for us to enter through Christ, the Door as
He calls Himself, into eternity.
And today we remember
the name of Saint Gregory Palamas, one of the great Saints of Orthodoxy, who
against heresy and doubt, proclaimed, from within the experience of the
ascetics and of all believers, proclaimed that the grace of God is not a
created Gift - it is God Himself, communicating Himself to us so that we are
pervaded by His presence, that we gradually, if we only receive Him, open
ourselves to Him, become transparent or at least translucent to His light, that
we become incipiently and ever increasingly partakers of the Divine nature.
This is not simply a
promise; this is a certainty which we have because this has happened to
thousands and thousands of those men and women whom we venerate as the Saints
of God: they have become partakers of the Divine nature, they are to us a
revelation and certainty of what we are called to be and become.
And today one step
more brings us into the joy, the glory of Easter. In a week’s time we will sing
the Cross - the Cross which was a terror for the criminals, and has become now
a sign of victory and salvation, because it is to us the sign that God’s love
has no measure, no limits, is as deep as God is deep, all-embracing as God is
all-embracing, and indeed, as tragically victorious as God is both tragic and
victorious, awe-inspiring, and shining the quiet, joyful light which we sing in
Vespers.
Let us then make
ourselves ready to meet this event, the vision of the Cross, look at it, and
see in it the sign of the Divine love, a new certainty of our possible
salvation; and when the choir sings this time more loudly the canon of the
Resurrection, let us realise that step by step God leads us into a victory
which He has won, and which He wants to share with us. And then we will move
on; we will listen to the Saint who teaches us how to receive the grace which
God is offering, how to become worthy of Him; and a step more - and we will see
the victory of God in Saint Mary of Egypt and come to the threshold of Holy
Weak. But let us remember that we are now in the time of newness, a time when
God's victory is been revealed to us, that we are called to be enfolded by it,
to respond to it by gratitude, a gratitude that will make us into new people -
and also with joy! And joy full of tears in response to the love of God, and a
joy which is a responsible answer to the Divine love. Amen!
Stareţul Iosif, văzând râvna foarte mare a lui Haralambie, l-a chemat într-o zi şi i-a spus:
– Acolo sus, între stâncile acelea pe
care le vezi, este o peşteră mică. Te asigur că acolo este Raiul. Aşadar
te vei căţăra şi vei rămâne în peşteră până ce te voi chema. Ai
înţeles?
– Să fie binecuvântat, gheronda.
„Atunci am pus metanie stareţului,
povestea Părintele Haralambie, şi îndată m-am căţărat pe stânci. Când
m-am apropiat de peşteră, ce să văd? Un loc sălbatic, unde numai şerpii
puteau să locuiască, iar peştera era atât de strâmtă, încât numai
aplecat puteai să intri înăuntru. La început m-am înfricoşat ca un om şi
vorbeam cu mine însumi: «Ei gheronda, cum de m-ai trimis aici? Acesta
este Rai? Bre, aici este iad, nu Rai. Ia să vedem ce o să fac până ce se
va termina canonul şi mă va striga stareţul ca să cobor. Dar fiindcă a spus stareţul, nu o să mă dau bătut, chiar dacă voi muri. Dacă nu mă va striga stareţul, nu voi coborî. Mai bine să mor în ascultare decât să dezertez.»
Aşadar am început canonul de metanii şi
rugăciuni. Şi îndată mi-a dispărut frica şi am început să mă simt în
largul meu. «Haralambie, de vreme ce pentru rugăciune te-a trimis, dă-ţi
toată silinţa.» Atunci am început cu şi mai multă râvnă să fac metanii,
iar inima nu a întârziat să mi se încălzească şi ochii să izvorască
şiroaie de lacrimi. Erau lacrimi de doxologie şi mulţumire. Acolo m-am
învrednicit de prima vedenie. Atunci am înţeles cuvintele Sfinţilor
Părinţi, care spun că în această stare mintea încetează să mai lucreze
şi este dusă de Duhul Sfânt acolo unde vrea El, chiar şi în ceruri. După
o vreme am revenit la starea mea firească, dar din nou am fost răpit în
alte locaşuri cereşti. Aceasta s-a repetat de două-trei ori. Atunci mi
s-a întâmplat ceva asemănător cu ceea ce au «pătimit» ucenicii lui
Hristos pe Tabor şi am spus: «Bine este nouă să fim aici! Cu
adevărat aici unde m-a trimis stareţul este Rai. Ce bine ar fi să nu-mi
mai poruncească stareţul să cobor vreodată din acest loc paradisiac!»
Dar după două-trei zile aud o voce cunoscută care mă striga:
– Haralambie, stareţul a spus să cobori.
Dacă vă voi spune cât de mult m-am
mâhnit când am auzit porunca de a coborî, nu mă veţi crede. Dar nu
puteam face altfel, căci mă aflam în ascultare. După ce am coborât, m-am
dus la stareţ cu capul plecat, dar fiindcă schimbarea chipului meu era
atât de vădită, acela m-a întrebat:
– Haralambie, vreau să-mi spui adevărul! Acolo unde te-am trimis este Rai sau nu?
Iar eu, cu capul plecat şi cu ochii plini de lacrimi, i-am răspuns:
– Da, gheronda, într-adevăr este Rai.
Atunci stareţul nu s-a mai putut abţine, ci m-a îmbrăţişat şi m-a sărutat.
De obicei, stareţul se purta cu noi cu
asprime. Însă uneori, atunci când vedea sporire duhovnicească la
călugării lui, nu se mai putea stăpâni din pricina bucuriei şi ne arăta
adevărata lui sine. Ne îmbrăţişa şi din pricina emoţiei nu-şi putea
stăpâni lacrimile.”
Extras din Stareţul Haralambie- Dascălul rugăciunii minţii– monahul Iosif Dionisiatul, Editura Evanghelismos, 2005.
Saint Cuthbert, the wonderworker of Britain, was born in
Northumbria around 634. Very little information has come down to us
about Cuthbert’s early life, but there is a remarkable story of him when
he was eight.
As a child, Cuthbert enjoyed games and playing with
other children. He could beat anyone his own age, and even some who
were older, at running, jumping, wrestling, and other exercises. One day
he and some other boys were amusing themselves by standing on their
heads with their feet up in the air. A little boy who was about three
years old chided Cuthbert for his inappropriate behavior. “Be sensible,”
he said, “and give up these foolish pranks.”
Cuthbert and the
others ignored him, but the boy began to weep so piteously that it was
impossible to quiet him. When they asked him what the matter was, he
shouted, “O holy bishop and priest Cuthbert, these unseemly stunts in
order to show off your athletic ability do not become you or the dignity
of your office.” Cuthbert immediately stopped what he was doing and
attempted to comfort the boy.
On the way home, he pondered
the meaning of those strange words. From that time forward, Cuthbert
became more thoughtful and serious.This incident reveals Saint Cuthbert
as God’s chosen vessel (2 Tim. 2:20-21), just like Samuel, David,
Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and others who, from an early age, were
destined to serve the Lord.
On another occasion, he was suffering
from an injured knee. It was quite swollen and the muscles were so
contracted that he limped and could scarcely place his foot on the
ground. One day a handsome stranger of noble bearing, dressed in white,
rode up on horseback to the place where Cuthbert was sitting in the sun
beside the house. The stranger asked courteously if the boy would
receive him as a guest. Cuthbert said that if only he were not hampered
by his injuries, he would not be slow to offer hospitality to his guest.
The
man got down from his horse and examined Cuthbert’s knee, advising him
to cook up some wheat flour with milk, and to spread the warm paste on
his sore knee. After the stranger had gone, it occurred to him that the
man was really an angel who had been sent by God. A few days later, he
was completely well. From that time forward, as Saint Cuthbert revealed
in later years to a few trusted friends, he always received help from
angels whenever he prayed to God in desperate situations.
In his
prose Life of Saint Cuthbert, Saint Bede of Jarrow (May 27) reminds
skeptics that it is not unknown for an angel to appear on horseback,
citing 2 Maccabees 11:6-10 and 4 Maccabees 4:10.
While the saint
was still young, he would tend his master’s sheep in the Lammermuir
hills south of Edinburgh near the River Leader. One night while he was
praying, he had a vision of angels taking the soul of Saint Aidan
(August 31) to heaven in a fiery sphere. Cuthbert awakened the other
shepherds and told them what he had seen. He said that this must have
been the soul of a holy bishop or some other great person. A few days
later they learned that Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne had reposed at the
very hour that Cuthbert had seen his vision.
As an adult, Saint
Cuthbert decided to give up his life in the world and advanced to better
things. He entered the monastery at Melrose in the valley of the Tweed,
where he was received by the abbot Saint Boisil (February 23). Saint
Cuthbert was accepted into the community and devoted himself to serving
God. His fasting and vigils were so extraordinary that the other monks
marveled at him. He often spent entire nights in prayer, and would not
eat anything for days at a time.
Who can describe his angelic
life, his purity or his virtue? Much of this is known only to God, for
Saint Cuthbert labored in secret in order to avoid the praise of men.
A
few years later, Saint Eata (October 26) chose some monks of Melrose to
live at the new monastery at Ripon. Among them was Saint Cuthbert. Both
Eata and Cuthbert were expelled from Ripon and sent back to Melrose in
661 because they (and some other monks) refused to follow the Roman
calculation for the date of Pascha. The Celtic Church, which followed a
different, older reckoning, resisted Roman practices for a long time.
However, in 664 the Synod of Whitby determined that the Roman customs
were superior to those of the Celtic Church, and should be adopted by
all. Saint Bede discusses this question in his HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH
CHURCH AND PEOPLE (Book III, 25).
Saint Cuthbert was chosen to be
abbot of Melrose after the death of Saint Boisil, guiding the brethren
by his words and by his example. He made journeys throughout the
surrounding area to encourage Christians and to preach the Gospel to
those who had never heard it. Sometimes he would be away from the
monastery for a month at a time, teaching and preaching. He also worked
many miracles, healing the sick and freeing those who were possessed by
demons.
In 664, Cuthbert went with Saint Eata to Lindisfarne, and
extended his territory to include the inhabitants of Northumberland and
Durham. Soon Saint Eata appointed Cuthbert as prior of Lindisfarne (Holy
Island). At that time both monasteries were under the jurisdiction of
Saint Eata. While at Lindisfarne, Saint Cuthbert continued his habit of
visiting the common people in order to inspire them to seek the Kingdom
of Heaven.
Though some of the monks prefered their negligent way
of life to the monastic rule, Saint Cuthbert gradually brought them
around to a better state of mind. At first he had to endure many
arguments and insults, but eventually he brought them to obedience
through his patience and gentle admonition. He had a great thirst for
righteousness, and so he did not hesitate to correct those who did
wrong. However, his gentleness made him quick to forgive those who
repented. When people confessed to him, he often wept in sympathy with
their weakness. He also showed them how to make up for their sins by
doing their penances himself.
Saint Cuthbert was a true father
to his monks, but his soul longed for complete solitude, so he went to
live on a small island (Saint Cuthbert’s Isle), a short distance from
Lindisfarne. After gaining victory over the demons through prayer and
fasting, the saint decided to move even farther away from his fellow
men. In 676, he retired to Inner Farne, an even more remote location.
Saint Cuthbert built a small cell which could not be seen from the
mainland. A few yards away, he built a guest house for visitors from
Lindisfarne. Here he remained for nearly nine years.
A synod at
Twyford, with the holy Archbishop Theodore (September 19) presiding,
elected Cuthbert Bishop of Hexham in 684. Letters and messengers were
sent to inform him of the synod’s decision, but he refused to leave his
solitude. King Ecgfrith and Bishop Trumwine (February 10) went to him in
person, entreating him in Christ’s name to accept. At last, Saint
Cuthbert came forth and went with them to the synod. With great
reluctance, he submitted to the will of the synod and accepted the
office of bishop. Almost immediately, he exchanged Sees with Saint Eata,
and became Bishop of Lindisfarne while Saint Eata went to Hexham.
Bishop
Cuthbert remained as humble as he had been before his consecration,
avoiding finery and dressing in simple clothing. He fulfilled his office
with dignity and graciousness, while continuing to live as a monk. His
virtue and holiness of life only served to enhance the authority of his
position.
His life as Bishop of Lindisfarne was quite similar to
what it had been when he was prior of that monastery. He devoted himself
to his flock, preaching and visiting people throughout his diocese,
casting out demons, and healing all manner of diseases. He served as a
bishop for only two years, however.
Once, Saint Cuthbert was
invited to Carlisle to ordain seven deacons to the holy priesthood. The
holy priest Hereberht was living in solitude on an island in that
vicinity. Hearing that his spiritual friend Cuthbert was staying at
Carlisle, he went to see him in order to discuss spiritual matters with
him. Saint Cuthbert told him that he should ask him whatever he needed
to ask, for they would not see one another in this life again. When he
heard that Saint Cuthbert would die soon, Hereberht fell at his feet and
wept. By God’s dispensation, the two men would die on the very same
day.
Though he was only in his early fifties, Saint Cuthbert felt
the time of his death was approaching. He laid aside his archpastoral
duties, retiring to the solitude of Inner Farne shortly after the Feast
of the Lord’s Nativity in 686 to prepare himself. He was able to receive
visitors from Lindisfarne at first, but gradually he weakened and was
unable to walk down to the landing stage to greet them.
His last
illness came upon him on February 27, 687. The pious priest Herefrith
(later the abbot of Lindisfarne) came to visit him that morning. When he
was ready to go back, he asked Saint Cuthbert for his blessing to
return. The saint replied, “Do as you intend. Get into your boat and
return safely home.”
Saint Cuthbert also gave Father Herefrith
instructions for his burial. He asked to be laid to rest east of the
cross that he himself had set up. He told him where to find a stone
coffin hidden under the turf. “Put my body in it,” he said, “and wrap it
in the cloth you will find there.” The cloth was a gift from Abbess
Verca, but Saint Cuthbert thought it was too fine for him to wear. Out
of affection for her, he kept it to be used as his winding sheet.
Father
Herefrith wanted to send some of the brethren to look after the dying
bishop, but Saint Cuthbert would not permit this. “Go now, and come back
at the proper time.”
When Herefrith asked when that time might be, Saint Cuthbert replied, “When God wishes. He will show you.”
Herefrith
returned to Lindisfarne and told the brethren to pray for the ailing
Cuthbert. Storms prevented the brethren from returning to Inner Farne
for five days. When they did land there, they found the saint sitting on
the beach by the guest house. He told them he had come out so that when
they arrived to take care of him they would not have to go to his cell
to find him. He had been sitting there for five days and nights, eating
nothing but onions. He also revealed that during those five days he had
been more severely assailed by demons than ever before.
This
time, Saint Cuthbert consented to have some of the brethren attend him.
One of these was his personal servant, the priest Bede. He asked
particularly for the monk Walhstod to remain with him to help Bede take
care of him. Father Herefrith returned to Lindisfarne and informed the
brethren of Cuthbert’s wish to be buried on his island.
Herefrith
and the others, however, wanted to bury him in their church with proper
honor. Therefore, Herefrith went back to Cuthbert and asked for
permission to do this. Saint Cuthbert said that he wanted to be buried
there at the site of his spiritual struggles, and he pointed out that
the peace of the brethren would be disturbed by the number of pilgrims
who would come to Lindisfarne to venerate his tomb.
Herefrith
insisted that they would gladly endure the inconvenience out of love for
Cuthbert. Finally, the bishop agreed to be buried in the church on
Lindisfarne so the monks would always have him with them, and they would
also be able to decide which outsiders would be allowed to visit his
tomb.
Saint Cuthbert grew weaker and weaker, so the monks carried
him back into his cell. No one had ever been inside, so they paused at
the door and asked that at least one of them be permitted to see to his
needs. Cuthbert asked for Wahlstod to come in with him. Now Wahlstod had
suffered from dysentery for a long time. Even though he was sick, he
agreed to care for Cuthbert. As soon as he touched the holy bishop, his
illness left him. Although he was sick and dying, Saint Cuthbert healed
his servant Wahlstod. Remarkably, the holy man’s spiritual power was
not impaired by his bodily weakness. About three o’clock in the
afternoon Wahlstod came out and announced that the bishop wanted them to
come inside.
Father Herefrith asked Cuthbert if he had any final
instructions for the monks. He spoke of peace and harmony, warning them
to be on guard against those who fostered pride and discord. Although he
encouraged them to welcome visitors and offer them hospitality, he also
admonished them to have no dealings with heretics or with those who
lived evil lives. He told them to learn the teachings of the Fathers and
put them into practice, and to adhere to the monastic rule which he had
taught them.
After passing the evening in prayer, Saint Cuthbert
sat up and received Holy Communion from Father Herefrith. He surrendered
his holy soul to God on March 20, 687at the time appointed for the
night office
Eleven years later, Saint Cuthbert’s tomb was opened
and his relics were found to be incorrupt. In the ninth century, the
relics were moved to Norham, then back to Lindisfarne. Because of the
threat of Viking raids, Saint Cuthbert’s body was moved from place to
place for seven years so that it would not be destroyed by the invaders.
Saint Cuthbert’s relics were moved to Chester-le-Street in 995.
They were moved again because of another Viking invasion, and then
brought to Durham for safekeeping. Around 1020 the relics of Saints Bede
(May 27), Aidan (August 31), Boisil (February 23), Aebbe (August 25),
Eadberht (May 6), Aethilwald (February 12), and other saints associated
with Saint Cuthbert were also brought to Durham.
The tomb was
opened again on August 24, 1104, and the incorrupt and fragrant relics
were placed in the newly-completed cathedral. Relics of the other saints
mentioned above were placed in various places around the church. The
head of Saint Oswald of Northumbria (August 5), however, was left in
Saint Cuthbert’s coffin.
In 1537 three commissioners of King Henry
VIII came to plunder the tomb and desecrate the relics. Saint
Cuthbert’s body was still incorrupt, and was later reburied. The tomb
was opened again in 1827. A pile of bones was found in the outer casket,
probably the relics of the various saints which had been collected
seven centuries before, then replaced after the Protestant commissioners
had completed their work.
In the inner casket was a skeleton
wrapped in a linen shroud and five robes. In the vestments a gold and
garnet cross was found, probably Saint Cuthbert’s pectoral cross. Also
found were an ivory comb, a portable wood and silver altar, a stole
(epitrachilion), pieces of a carved wooden coffin, and other items.
These may be seen today in the Dean and Chapter library of Durham
Cathedral. The tomb was opened again in 1899, and a scientific
examination determined that the bones were those of a man in his
fifties, Cuthbert’s age when he died.
Today Saint Cuthbert’s
relics (and the head of Saint Oswald) lie beneath a simple stone slab on
the site of the original medieval shrine in the Chapel of the Nine
Altars, and Saint Bede’s relics rest at the other end of the cathedral.
The relics and the treasures in the Library make Durham an appropriate
place for pilgrims to visit.
The Smolensk “Tenderness” Icon of the Mother of God
manifested itself in the year 1103 at Smolensk. There is another
Smolensk “Tenderness” Icon from the vicinity of Okopa (down from
Smolensk). This icon was in the encampment of the Russian armies of the
military commander Shein, restraining the Polish besiegers from
destroying Smolensk for twenty months (1611-1613).
I. "...în acest veac capul omenirii s-a aplecat atât de jos încât s-a împreunat cu genunchii"...
« Omul gârbovitnu priveşte la cer, ci la pământ. Aşa era în vremea aceea o femeie gârbovă.
De optsprezece ani împliniţi, capul ei era împreunat cu genunchii,
încât putea privi doar praful pământului şi viermii din praf, şi respira
praf şi toate duhorile pământului. Dar Hristos s-a milostivit de ea şi
i-a strigat : Femeie, slobozitu-te-ai de boala ta. Şi şi-au pus pre dânsa mâinile ; şi îndată s-a îndreptat, şi slăvea pe Dumnezeu(Lc. 13, 2).
Tâlcuirea
modernă : din toate continentele acestei lumi, Europa reprezintă pe
femeia gârbovă. De când întâi-stătătorii duhovniceşti ai Europei, fără
ştiinţa şi voia popoarelor europene, s-au rupt de adevărata Biserică a
lui Hristos, din Răsărit, de atunci omenirea europeană a început din ce
în ce mai mult să se gârbovească şi să-şi plece capul spre pământ. Veacul
al XX-lea este veacul cel mai bolnav din viaţa omenirii europene, căci
în acest veac capul omenirii s-a aplecat atât de jos încât s-a
împreunat cu genunchii, iar de aici nu mai poate vedea decât pământul şi
viermii pământului şi nu mai poate respira duhorile pământului.
Să-i vorbeşti despre cer înseamnă să-i vorbeşti despre ceea ce nu poate
vedea, căci întreaga ei fiinţă e atât de gârbovită încât, cu simţurile
ei, nu poate percepe decât ceea ce este jos, ce e din pământ, ce e mai
prejos de om. Din această perspectivă a femeii gârbove trebuie privită
şi preţuită întreaga viaţă a Europei din veacurile trecute. Din această
perspectivă, cea a unei femei gârbove ce priveşte în pământ, s-au
dezvoltat ştiinţa, arta, economia, politica şi întreaga viaţă omenească,
individuală şi socială – îndeosebi viaţa omenească. Privind numai la
pământ, s-a explicat totul numai prin pământ. Văzând numai pământul, s-a
luptat doar pentru pământ. Auzind numai pământul, toată ştiinţa
omenească s-a lăsat purtată de freamătul pământului umed. Simţind numai miasma putreziciunii pământeşti, acel miros a covârşit toate bine-plăcutele miresme cereşti. Mintea
omenească s-a preocupat doar de cercetarea celor pe care le poate vedea
cu ochiul, auzi cu urechea şi mirosi cu nasul, s-a încredinţat adică
pământului şi numai pământului – aceasta este înţelegerea femeii
gârbove. Sute de aparate a născocit mintea femeii gârbove, ca să
cerceteze pământul şi cele din pământ. A cercetat toate plantele şi
rădăcinile, viermii mari şi mici, şi pe cei foarte mici, pe cei văzuţi
şi pe cei nevăzuţi. [...] Pe toate le-a
văzut, pe toate le-a aflat, şi a vestit cerului şi pământului că nu
există nimic afară de viermi, mari şi mici, văzuţi şi nevăzuţi,
gânditori şi negânditori, că omul este numai un vierme între viermi, iar
deasupra viermilor, un supra-vierme[referire la Supraomul lui Nietzsche]. Atât a putut vedea femeia gârbovă şi nimic mai mult. »
Sfântul Nicolae Velimirovici, Prin fereastra temniţei, Editura Predania, 2009.
In one of the Psalms
we can read the following words: Those who have sown with tears will reap with
joy... If in the course of weeks of preparation we have seen all that is ugly
and unworthy in us mirrored in the parables, if we have stood before the
judgement of our conscience and of our God, then we have truly sown in tears
our own salvation. And yet, there is still time because even when we enter into
the time of the harvest, God gives us a respite; as we progress towards the Kingdom
of God, towards the Day of the Resurrection, we still can, at every moment,
against the background of salvation, in the face of the victory of God, turn to
Him with gratitude and yet, brokenheartedness, and say, ‘No, Lord! I am perhaps
the worker of the eleventh hour, but receive me as Thou promised to do!’
