Feast Day: March 31st
The Life of Saint Innocent: In a short time he mastered six of the dialects. He devised an alphabet of Cyrillic letters for the most widespread dialect, the Unagan dialect of Aleut and, in 1828, translated the Holy Gospel of Sain Matthew and other Church materials into that dialect…
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Prayers
Kontakion: A true celebration of the Providence and Grace of God is your life, O Holy Father Innocent, Apostle to our land. In hardships and dangers you toiled for the Gospel’s sake and God delivered and preserved you unharmed. From obscurity He highly exalted you as an example that the Lord truly guides a man in the way he should go.
Hymn: O Holy Father Innocent, in obedience to the Will of God, you accepted dangers and tribulations, bringing many peoples to the knowledge of truth. You showed us the way, now by your Prayers help lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Hymn: You Evangelized the northern people of America and Asia, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the natives in their own tongues. O Holy Hierarch Father Innocent, Enlightener of Alaska and all America, whose ways were ordered by the Lord, Pray to Him for the Salvation of our Souls in His Heavenly Kingdom!
Kontakion: Your life, O Holy Father Innocent, Apostle to our Land, proclaims the dispensation and Grace of God! For labouring in dangers and hardships for the Gospel of Christ you were kept unharmed and exalted in humility. Pray that He may guide our steps in the way we should go.
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“The Holy Scripture teaches: Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). How is this possible for people living in a secular world? If you are to Pray all the time, how then are you to perform your other duties? The advice of perpetual Prayer is directed not toward outward but toward inner Prayer. If desired, you can turn to God internally whether you are alone or with others. Only he who does not want to Pray will not find time for Prayer.”
“To deny oneself means to give up one’s bad habits; to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad thoughts or desires; to suppress every evil thought; not to desire to do anything out of self love, but to do everything out of love for God.”
“The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give up one’s bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress bad thoughts; to avoid occasions of sin; not to do or desire anything from self-love but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God.”
“For the Christian, the cross gradually becomes lighter and more joyful, while for the nonbeliever it becomes heavier and more burdensome. Why is this so? Because where the one carries their cross with faith and devotion to God, the other carries it with grumbling and anger.”
“If the Lord leads a person into suffering or lays crosses upon him, it is only to heal his Soul, to make him like Jesus Christ and perfectly to purify his heart, in which He Himself wishes to dwell with the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
“”How is it that I think and do things that I don’t want or desire to think or do?” I answered that everyone is that way, and so forth. Therefore, the more one conquers himself, the greater the reward that he will receive there in Eternity. This is the Christian’s most essential duty, and for this one needs God’s help, which is received through Prayer.”
“Human steps are corrected by the Lord”
“Do not be afraid of following the Lord Jesus Christ, He is a powerful Supporter; follow Him, hurry up, go, as long as the door to the Heavenly Kingdom is open for you, and your Heavenly Father will meet you early on this way, kiss you, clothe you in the first garments and introduce you in His house”. These words written in the last century by the light of an oil-lamp in an Eskimo shack can be addressed to any audience at any time.
“In time of sorrow do not seek comfort from people. Most people are not experienced in affairs of Salvation and are poor advisors. Make the Lord your only helpmate, comforter, and tutor, and from Him alone ask help. The man to whom the Lord sends afflictions is blessed a hundredfold, because it is afflictions that cure our Souls. In enduring sorrows, a Christian is likened to Jesus Christ, who suffered for us. We should consider sorrows a gift from the Lord and a sign of His care for our Salvation. If you bear your cross with perseverance and seek comfort only from Him, then He, through His mercy, will not abandon you but will touch your heart and will impart to you the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is then that you will feel an indescribable delight, a wonderful inner peace and joy such as you have never experienced before, and at the same time you will feel an influx of Spiritual strength; Prayer will become easier and your faith stronger. Then your heart will be kindled with love of God and all people. All these are Gifts of the Holy Spirit. When the Lord decides to honour you with such gifts, do not consider them as rewards for your labours, and do not think that you have attained perfection. Such thoughts come from pride. The comforts and Grace of the Holy Spirit are not rewards but gifts of Divine Mercy. Occasionally the Lord allows us to get a foretaste of future blessings so that we will put forth a greater effort in seeking His Eternal Kingdom.”
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