Marie Johnson

Amatuer Photographer, Bird-watcher, Architecture enthusiast, and student of Civil Engineering

[Orthodox Christian @orthodox_33ad]

🔸 July 8 - Saint Procopius the Great-Martyr 🗡️🔸

Today, we commemorate the Great-Martyr Saint Procopius. He suffered for Christ in 304 AD during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. St Procopius was a native of Jerusalem, and was called Neanius. His father was an eminent Roman Christian, but his mother remained a pagan. He was deprived of his father at a young age, and was raised by his mother. Having received an excellent secular education, Neanius was offered by his mother to the emperor Diocletian, and quickly advanced in the ranks of the military.

The emperor Diocletian sent Neanius as a proconsul to Alexandria with orders to mercilessly persecute Christians. While traveling, a voice cried to him: “Neanius, why do you persecute Me?”. In fear, Neanius asked: “Who are You Lord?”, and the voice responded: “I am the crucified Jesus, the Son of God.” As a radiant Cross the appeared in the sky, Neanius felt an inexpressible joy in his heart and resolved to become a servant of Christ. From this point, he sought only to protect the Christians from barbarians and persecutors.

His pagan mother complained to the emperor that her son didn’t worship the pagan gods, and after Neanius tore up the emperor’s decree to persecute Christians, he was arrested and sent to prison in Caesarea of Palestine where he suffered terrible torments. One night, a light shone in the prison, and Christ Himself baptized the suffering Saint, and gave him the new name Procopius. At one point, Procopius was brought to a pagan temple where he was forced to offer sacrifice, but by his prayers, the idols fell and were shattered.

He was then beaten, scourged, and burnt with lit coals while vinegar was poured on his wounds. Many people including some of the guards were so inspired by the courage of Procopius that they confessed their faith in Christ. Even his pagan mother repented and stood in the line of confessors, for which she too was executed. Convinced of the futility of his tortures, the official Flavian sentenced Procopius to be beheaded. After praying for God to receive all the Christians who suffered for Him, St Procopius finally received his eternal crown.

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

The amount of detail and beauty God put into our universe... even things too big or too small for us to see with our eyes... and we thought Tolkien was detailed...

[NASA en español @NASA_es]

¿Una escena del fondo del mar? No, es nuestro universo. 🌊✨

@NASAHubble capturó estos detalles brillantes de la nebulosa Trífida, conocida como Messier 20 o M20. Se trata de una región de formación de estrellas situada a unos 5.000 años luz de la Tierra.

[ᗰᗩƳᖇᗩ @LePapillonBlu2]

WHO’S WITH ME?? 💙🌎

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

We look to space for aliens… Meanwhile the ocean...

[Angelina Serbska ☦️ @Angelina_Lina8]

“The Lord sometimes allows people who are devoted to Him to fall into such dreadful vices; and this is in order to prevent them from falling into a still greater sin-- pride.

Your temptation will pass and you will spend the remaining days of your life in humility. Only do not forget your sin.”

☦️ St Seraphim of Sarov

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

Ninja mode 🥷

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The European hamster’s defence position

[Father Christopher @FChristopher77]

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

This man's honesty is what America needs

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

This company apparently now has an estimated net worth of $100 million

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Manami Ito, a Japanese violinist who lost her arm at 20, shows that passion and determination can overcome any obstacle.

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

This has Lord of the Rings energy

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

How massive iron gates are made using traditional sand casting

[Jonah In Wales 🦊 @JonahInWales]

🙏🏻☦️

[Fr. Daniel☦️ @Fragbaza]

Someone says: “I dreamed in my life of having a family, and I wanted through that way and that path to be saved.
But that goal was not achieved…
I got married, and my marriage failed…
I got married and had no children…
I didn’t get married at all…
Or someone deceived me, betrayed me, hurt me, a thousand and one things happened…
My plans were cancelled.
This is not how I wanted my life to be!
What do I do now?”

Alright, I use the reason that God has given me and say:

“Look, this is my reality. I am here, in this place, with these circumstances, with these facts, with these people, with these possibilities.
So, with these, I will make sure to be saved.”

Because the will of God is not this or that. His will is my salvation.

You might say, “I was dreaming…” Well, I too once dreamed. I dreamed of staying on Mount Athos, having a nice little hut in Nea Skiti, where I was living then, and enjoying the honey of the quietness of the Holy Mountain.
And instead, I found myself in Limassol, in the very center of the city! Not even on the outskirts, right in the middle of the city!

And in fact, when I first came to Limassol, because the Metropolis building we stayed in then had many difficulties, I lived in a very small room, 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters long. It still exists today. And it was right on the street.
So every night we couldn’t sleep, especially on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, when all the clubs around here hold their own “vigils” and “prayers” all night long.
Especially on major feast days, we have “all-night vigils” with loud “chanters” and “psalmists” singing all through the night.
Which, by about 4:00 in the morning, end in chaos — shouting, swearing, and fighting among young people.
We still hear them every night. Now we are used to it, but in the beginning, it was very difficult.

What can we say? This is our world.
And I see the same thing in my personal life.
It was never my life’s dream to come to Limassol and become a Metropolitan.
I confess to you, I had never thought about it, not even once.
Not even in a dream.
I had another vision for my life.
But God changed things; that is how life unfolded.
Naturally, as human beings, when the visions of our life change, we feel shaken. We say, “Ah, I wish I were there, I wish my life were like that.”

But what is the true goal?
Is it Mount Athos? Monasticism? Family? Children? Home? Job? Even health?
No, these are not the goal.
These are means that can lead us toward the goal.

The goal, the true desire, is Christ.
Christ is what we seek!

So leave behind your fantasies and daydreams, and land where you are!

You are in this city, with these circumstances, with these strengths you have, at this age you are, with these people around you
and with everything that exists in your life now, you must work out your salvation.

✝️ Fr. Athanasios, Metropolitan of Limassol

[World's Amazing Things @Hana_b30]

The symmetry of this American yellow warbler making a turn in the air
📸 glen.noyer

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

Christ is bleeding at the Holy Sepulchre. Kyrie eleison!

[Father Christopher @FChristopher77]

The Savior’s Cross, now - at the HOLY SEPULCHRE.

Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us, Your creation!

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The art of Pysanky: traditional egg decorating from Europe

[📹vilsonpessanka]

[Angelina Serbska ☦️ @Angelina_Lina8]

Most people think that God is pleased when a person does not eat chicken during fasting, but instead eats fish, or even better – octopus. So, if you eat octopus, you are pleasing to God, but if you eat a chicken stuffed with penicillin, you are not pleasing to God. As if the salvation of the soul depends on the chicken – whether you eat it or not.

That’s why many people suffer and think: “How will I endure? I’m 96 years old, how will I manage without chicken? It’s a sin to eat chicken while fasting!”

But for God, it does not matter at all whether you eat chicken or octopus. God wants you to abstain from completely different things: from anger, from judgment, from envy, from slander, from foul language, from obscene words, and from many other sins. That’s what truly matters…

Father Dimitriy Smirnov

[Marie Johnson @OneFlyingOsprey]

@sykesjeff Sandhill Crane :)