55 Maxims from Fr. Thomas Hopko

1.   Be always with Christ and trust God in everything.
2.   Pray as you can, not as you think you must.
3.   Have a keepable rule of prayer done with discipline.
4.   Say the Lords Prayer several times each day.
5.   Repeat a short prayer when your mind is not occupied.
6.   Make some prostrations when you pray.
7.   Eat good foods in moderation and fast on fasting days.
8.   Practice silence, inner and outer.
9.   Sit in silence 20 to 30 minutes each day.
10. Do acts of mercy in secret.
11. Go to liturgical services regularly.
12. Go to confession and Holy Communion regularly.
13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings.
14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person regularly.
15. Read the scriptures regularly.
16. Read good books, a little at a time.
17. Cultivate communion with the Saints.
18. Be an ordinary person, one of the human race.
19. Be polite with everyone, first of all family members.
20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.
21. Have a healthy and wholesome hobby.
22. Exercise regularly.
23. Live a day, even part of a day at a time.
24. Be totally honest, first of all with yourself.
25. Be faithful in small things, especially when no one is watching.
26. Do your work the best you can, then forget it.
27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.
28. Face reality.
29. Be grateful.
30. Be cheerful.
31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.
32. Never bring attention to yourself.
33. Listen when people talk to you.
34. Be awake and attentive, full present where you are.
35. Think and talk about things no more then necessary.
36. Speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly.
37. Flee imagination, fantasy, analysis and “figuring things out”.
38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.
39. Don’t complain, grumble, murmur or whine.
40. Don’t seek or expect pity or praise.
41. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.
42. Don’t judge anyone for anything.
43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
44. Don’t defend or justify yourself.
45. Be defined and bound by God and not by people.
46. Accept criticism gracefully and test it carefully.
47. Give advice only when asked or when it is your duty.
48. Do nothing for people that they can and should do for themselves.
49. Have a daily schedule of activities avoiding whim and caprice.
50. Be merciful with yourself and others.
51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.
52. Focus exclusively on God and light, and never on darkness temptation and sin.
53. Endure the trial of yourself and your faults serenely, under God’s mercy.
54. When you fall, get up immediately and start over.
55. Get help when you need it without fear of shame.

but the sun is bright and there is color left in the trees. The night was pleasant, restful, and morning came just when it needed to. The couch is restful and the window lets in all the world.

Everything ramps up from now. Preparation, driving, events, people to meet, things to do, places to go, and work to be done. Weekdays, weekends, it doesn’t matter and better busy than bored.

Yet this moment is good as well. Sun shining through the window. Leaves dancing in God’s good wind. A soft spot to sit and everywhere there is quiet in the house.

Soon enough the house will begin to stir. The TV will be on. The carts will be hungry. In its own way those are gifts, the sign of life in this place. But for this quiet moment before it all begins Lord, thank you.

Are you tired of the greed, darkness, and corruption in America? Have you had enough? It’s time to march. It’s time to be radical. This Sunday gather in groups, take whatever transportation you can and OCCUPY YOUR CHURCH! Get there early and stay late. Ask questions. Sing. Take the opportunity to learn and discover again what real power looks like. America, the world, is watching. Be there!