Thoughts for Election Day

 

No matter which way the political winds take us in the days to come, these are thoughts from a holy elder we ought to strive to keep in our hearts and to put into practice:

Joy

We must begin with thanksgiving for everything. The beginning of joy is to be content with your situation.

Complaining

Especially beware of complaining, no matter who it is against. Complaining is worse and more harmful than anything else. It is more beneficial and peaceful to blame yourself at all times for everything, and not others. You must especially beware of complaining against Divine Providence which arranges everything good and beneficial for our souls through the Mother of God. But due to our faintheartedness, we often are foolishly disturbed and we grieve senselessly over something arranged for our spiritual benefit.

Giving Thanks to God

Gratitude in a Christian is such a great thing that, along with love, it accompanies him into the future life, where he will celebrate the eternal Pascha with the righteous.

Repentance

St. John the Golden Tongue states: Those who repent inadequately, have to bear their sorrows as they find them.

Choice

There isn’t anywhere that God induces us against our will, but rather offers us a choice for our determination, and it is through the personal will that individuals turn out to be either good or evil. Therefore, it is useless to blame those that live with us or surround us as interfering and impeding our salvation or spiritual improvement. Samuel lived and was brought up by the priest Elias, among his debauched sons, yet preserved himself and was a great prophet. If something or someone does tempt or confuse us, it clearly shows that we are not relating correctly to God’s laws, among which the greatest one is that of not judging or condemning anyone. 

Christian-moral eminence

Throughout all times, there had always been people – guided by the true faith of Christ and following the true Christian teachings in accordance with Divine Revelations which God revealed to His Church through the God-inspired, Prophets and Apostles– that achieved high Christian-moral eminence. These people will also exist during the times of antichrist, and as written, for whose sake time will be shortened: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened" (Mat 24:22).

--These are from amongst the wise sayings of the Holy Elder Ambrose of Optina (+1891).

https://orthochristian.com/87028.html

https://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/ambrose_e.htm

(Thanks to C for the quotes and links).

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Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!

Anathema to the Union!