It is important to realize that everybody is struggling: “Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” That s the reality. No matter how hard it is to deal with a person or situation, if I can say in my heart a small prayer: “Lord help us both, because we’re all struggling,” in that moment everything qualitatively changes. Christ came as a servant. This teaches us that in order to help anyone we must put ourselves below them. Christ comes not to be served but to serve. He takes the bowl, He takes the towel, and He starts washing feet-God, washing feet, in service, in humility. If I come in the name of the Lord and I put myself beneath you, and assume the best of you, there’s a chance that God is able to work through me.
Whatever we sow we’re going to reap. The principle behind this is: things may be difficult, and you may be suffering, but thank God anyway. People may be rude, unkind, un-Christian, but be kind anyway. You might not always get along with everyone in the family and the people at work might not love you, but love them anyway. And we do this all in the name of the Lord. We say, “Lord, help me to do this. Lord, bless them”. If you always come with the shield of blessing, blessing everybody and everything at all times, God will be with you. In all places, at all times, in all things, carry this shield of blessing because all of this stuff is coming at us like arrows-harsh words, judgments, criticism, relationship problems-but the shield of blessing is our hope and salvation, and in this process we protect ourselves and become more like our Lord by the very act of participating in blessing.
Be present with yourself and to God. Learn how to stand in the presence of God, and how to live and be with God. The Church is the first and foremost place where that happens. It is the most important time that we can give to ourselves because it establishes the foundation for everything else we do.
The easiest way to become a spiritual person and to walk in God’s presence is to be thankful. Saint Paul tells us “In everything and at all times we should give thanks to God, because this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus.” This Eucharistic perception and movement towards God works to restore our world, first the part you live in, and ultimately the world around you as well. It gives us perspective and an opportunity to see the sacramental nature and the gift of this world. This world is a gift from God to us. What do we do when we receive a gift except say, “Thank you.” The more thankful we are the more it’s going to help us to see reality as it is: it is God’s gift to us. The more thankful we become the more prayerful we’ll become as well and the more we will realize that God is in everything.
To pray for others is one of the most important things that we can do for them. We don’t have to be saints to see some amazing miracles with this. The power of prayer is real and it’s extremely trans formative. So be more open not only to pray for others but to ask for prayers as well. Prayer is the most important thing. Conversation with God is actually union with God, which saves us. And it will enable us to deal with the realities we need to face because prayer attracts the grace that we need in order to live.
(From a talk presented by Abbot Sergius of Saint lehon’s Monastery, edited)
Exhortations 