Like George, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving!
Know we love you (past and present) and not a day goes by where George and I aren’t mindful of the awesome opportunity and responsibility it is to head the Monomakhos family; the ones who fight alone.
We have the brightest and the best within our community. With God’s help, we are slowly turning back the clock to saner times by pointing out the absurdities of the present. It’s not too late, my friends. It’s not too late.
A Thanksgiving prayer (not for you all but for —others):
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
Psalms 109 KJV
Happy Thanksgiving to you both!
I may not post nearly as often as I have something to say, but I very much appreciate all you do here and love reading your articles and commenters’ dialogues, so thank you! Yours is on the short list of Orthodox sites that remind me through these dark times and despite numerous scandals and ecumenist/apostate clergy that our Church hasn’t fallen, and there are still many good Orthodox Christians who keep the Faith of the Fathers.
Thank you, Peter. So appreciate you coming on the blog to tell us this. We feel the same way about you all.
Thank you!
Just perfect Gail ?
AMHN ~ Voetheia mas
From the Polyeleos of Matins, O give THANKS unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endureth forever.
Amen
Happy Thanksgiving!
Even in times of war the grace of the Lord leads us to be thankful and praise Him, even in the midst of battle.
Dear George & Gail: I give thanks to God that you keep this blog up & running and that you aren’t afraid to address the ELEPHANTS in the room.
We’ve been here since 2009 so, God willing, we will be allowed to continue to address the elephants!
Thank you for your kind words, Fr. It’s accolades like that –especially ones coming from the clergy–that add a little spring to our step.
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to team Monomakhos and all the blog readers. Thanks for all of the hard work you all do and for making me personally not feel crazy with everything going on in the Church and world.