St. Simeon Skete, Taylorsville Kentucky USA

With St. Simeon, the God receiver, as our patron, the skete seeks to practice the ideals found in our Rule, The Thousand Day Nazareth. In simplicity and poverty, the skete embraces the struggle of inner life through the practice of the Prayer Rope.

See our website at www.nazarethhouseap.org

Donations should be addressed to: Nazareth House Apostolate, 185 Captains Cove Drive, Taylorsville, Kentucky 40071.

Important Notice: All writings, posts, graphics & photographs in this blog are the copyrighted property of (unless otherwise indicated) Nazareth House Media, a division of Nazareth House Apostolate and cannot be copied, printed or used without written permission from NHA Media, Taylorsville, KY.

Monday, March 5, 2018

The Spirit helps our infirmiies

"I remember some time ago I asked Jesus to, for one day, let me see what He sees, let me hear what He hears, let me feel what He feels. It was one of those request stuck among many and after my prayer time I gave little more thoughts to it; until I attended the clergy group that I was a part of. As we ate breakfast, we did our usual chit-chat and cutting up a little.  Then it happened, one of the clergy made an off-hand comment, "The only time I cried was when my wife called me a bad name."  I guess the way he said it made some of the other clergy chuckle - I wanted to cry - you can tell a lot about people by what they laugh at.  I made my way back to the office and as usual there were people waiting. One of them said something derogatory about another member of the Body of Christ, my eyes welled up in tears.  I left to walk down Wells Street to pray the Jesus Prayer. 



 I stopped in a diner for a cup of coffee. 


A man came into the diner and sat at the counter.  You could tell he was a laborer who worked hard, married and probably with children.  As he sat down his pants rode down in the back showing a bit more than modesty would be comfortable with.  The teens in the booth nudged each other and began to laugh.  I started to cry. As the day went on, more was revealed.  I'm glad it was only for a day as I could not handle anymore.  It was as if Jesus drew me to Himself, holding me so close that my heart was pressed into His and His into mine; holding me so close that my eyes were pressed into His and His into mine.  And when it became difficult to continue on I heard the words of Rom. 8:26-27: "The Spirit helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  (27). And He that search the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according the will of God." -journal notes, S+