Verse of the Day

"He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me"

~ Luke 10:16

About the destruction of Sodom

from the letters of St. Nicholas of Serbia

Why did the Lord destroy Sodom? The Scripture tells us: And the Lord said "because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous" (Gen. 18:20). The greatness of the sin of Sodom is evident by the fact that there was not found even ten righteous people in it. When Abraham asked the Lord if He will destroy the city if He finds in it ten righteous ones, the Lord answered: I will not destroy  it for the sake of ten (Gen. 18:32).

But even ten righteous men were not found - all the people of that city arose against the Lord and human nature. Their souls were dead and their bodies were lecherous. And because of that the Lord rained brimstone and fire, the symbol of their filthy passions. And nothing was left of Sodom except bad fame and terrible history. 

The anger of God was upon not only Sodom but other cities as well where sin had made humans so ugly that they stopped looking like a creation of God. If such was the experience of cities which did not know the name of Jesus Christ, what should expect those who were baptized in the name of the Son of God but with their sins they were like Sodom and Gomorrah? Read the prophesy of the Saviour to Capernaum: And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to hades, for if the mighty works which were done in you were done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day (Mt. 11:23). This prophesy was fulfilled on the place where once stood Capernaum which is now covered with thorny bushes, stones, and snakes. With my own eyes I saw this sight and the heart of every pilgrim to the Holy Land was aching. 

Why do we need a persistent prayer?

by St. John of Kronstat 

We need a persistent prayer so that we could warm up our hearts that became cold because of persistent worldly cares. It would have been strange to request such a heart to become penetrated with the warmth of faith and love of God  immediately upon starting one's prayer. For that to happen hard work and time are required. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force and those who put effort acquire it (Mt. 11:12). Not immediately the Kingdom of Heaven will enter the heart because men run away from it. The Lord Himself lets His will known to us by presenting the parable of the persistent widow who continually come to the judge and trouble him with her requests (Lk. 18: 4-5). Our Lord and God knows our needs even before we tell Him what we need; however, we do not know Him the way we should for we are loyal to our worldly cares  and not to our Heavenly Father. And that is why He, being compassionate and merciful, uses our needs as an excuse for us to turn to Him. Turn to Me, your Father, My lost children, with your whole heart. Even though before you were away from Me but now warm your hearts with faith and love towards Me.