Biboboy
posted on Oct 26, 2005 - 04:41 PM
Do not forget the covenant,
Which You have made with our fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Israel, Your holy ones.
Hail to you, our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), for through your obedience you were blessed by the Lord Almighty, and gave you the covenant. By your faith and your works you have shown your obedience to the Law of God, and followed every command He gave you. Abraham, you never thought of the consequences of leaving your family and your land behind to follow God's command; Isaac, you never thought of leaving the land that God gave you, despite the famine in the land; and what can I say of you, Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, the man who wrestled with God for a blessing? Hail to the three Patriarchs, who obeyed God's voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. Through you the children of Israel and all the nations have been blessed, for through your seed our Lord Jesus Christ came and saved us from our sins.
Righteously, therefore, they left their earthly family, and followed the Word of God, walking as pilgrims with the Word, that they might later have their abode with the Word.
Remember, O Lord, the covenant that You made with our Patriarchs, and have mercy on us, just as You were merciful to the children of Israel when they fell away and disobeyed Your commandments, as it is written: "But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them; he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them; nor has He banished them from His presence until now" (2 Kings 13:23).
O Lord, and save us from the fires of iniquity in this world, as You have heard the young men in the furnace and saved them, when they asked you to remember the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Prayer of Azariah 1:11, 12).
_________________
"Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You, Lord" (St. Augustine, Confessions, I, 1).
"Pray gently and calmly,
Chant hymns with understanding and rhythm;
Then you will soar like a young eagle
High in the heavens"
+ St. Evagrius the Solitary, On Prayer, 82.
In Christ,
Bishoy
HCOC Member
+ To Protect and Preserve +
HCOC: Sing it! Live it! Love it!
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Joined: Sep 28, 2004 | Posts: 722
