Mario Lanza The Lord's Prayer
In 1965 when I was 10, I would wait up late on the weekends just to hear him sing it on CBS channel 11, right before their signoff. https://t.co/08VGjkyxIe
Џосаја Тренам, један од најпознатијих америчких свештеника и теолога, дошао је из Јужне Калифорније у Београд да би се поклонио Пресветој Богородици пред њеним свештеним појасом. Након више од 12 сати стајања у реду служио је Свету Литургију у Храму заједно са нашим патријархом, свештенством и народом. Историјска и есхатолошка слика јединства Једне, Свете, Саборне и Апостолске Христове Цркве. Маран ата.
Don’t be fooled.
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" John 5:39–40
For the Church is Christ.
"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body..." Ephesians 1:22–23
And Each of us are part of Him in the Church
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27
He promised the Church it will be guided by the Holy Spirit
“When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” John 16:13
So the Church holds the Truth for
“the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth" 1 Timothy 3:15
Therefore Trust the Church Traditions
“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
Do not be fooled by strange doctrines and false interpretations
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” 2 Peter 1:20
And Therefore
“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings” Hebrews 13:9
As St Paul feared:
“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:4
Nevertheless we are assured
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
They had been married for only 20 days.
Most newlyweds dream of a long life together.
A home.
Children.
Years of shared memories.
But for Saints Timothy and Maura, their marriage would end on a cross.
And it would become one of the most extraordinary love stories in Christian history.
Timothy was a young lector in the Church, responsible for safeguarding and reading the Sacred Scriptures. Maura was his newlywed wife.
They had been married for less than a month when persecution broke out in Egypt during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.
Timothy was arrested and ordered to surrender the Christian books in his care.
He refused.
The authorities tortured him mercilessly, demanding that he reveal where the Scriptures were hidden.
Still, he would not betray Christ.
When the governor learned that Timothy had recently married, he ordered Maura to be brought before him.
Perhaps, he thought, she could persuade her husband to give in.
Instead, she strengthened him.
Standing before the governor, Maura boldly professed her faith in Jesus Christ.
The enraged officials turned their cruelty upon her as well.
For days, the young couple endured horrific tortures.
Their bodies were broken.
Their wounds multiplied.
Yet neither abandoned Christ.
Ancient accounts tell us that during their suffering, Timothy and Maura encouraged one another to remain faithful.
Rather than despair, they spoke of Heaven.
Rather than fear death, they fixed their eyes on eternity.
Finally, the governor sentenced them both to crucifixion.
Two crosses were erected facing one another.
For nine long days, the young husband and wife hung there in agony.
Yet rather than despair, they encouraged one another.
They prayed together. They sang hymns. They reminded each other of Christ's suffering and the promise of eternal life.
When one grew weak, the other strengthened them.
Their final days were not filled with bitterness.
They were filled with faith.
Together, they endured.
Together, they hoped.
Together they carried their final cross.
Around the year 286 AD, Timothy and Maura surrendered their souls to God and entered Heaven as martyrs.
Their story reminds us that the strongest marriages are not built merely on human love, but on a shared love for God.
Timothy and Maura were married for only a few weeks on earth.
But their union lasts forever in Heaven.
Saints Timothy and Maura, pray for us.