On the 'One Who is to Come':
"Are You the One who is to come?" the sons of the earth ask the One born of your Virgin, O my soul.
But the One born of the Virgin glistens with matinal light amid the sons of the earth, who are as dark as extinguished days.
The flaming Seraphim shine in His eyes; the sapient Cherubim sit upon His lips; the lordly Thrones bolster His stance. Seeing Him alone, a Leader without an earthly army, every sane man is convinced that this could be a leader of an awesome and enormous army of invisible powers.
And behold, surrounded by the angelic hosts your Leader, O soul, opens His mouth and speaks:
"In truth, I am the One for whom you have been waiting; do not hope for another. If you have been searching for the way, I am the way.
" I am your Tomorrow from today until the end of time. Everything goo, that you have been expecting from the days of tomorrow, is within Me. Today your tomorrow is fulfilled in Me. And no day, from now until the last, will bring you what I am bringing to you. Lo, I am the day that has no begining and no end.
" I am the treasury of every future that exists and I am the way to that treasurry. The future in its entirety cannot give you so much as a kernel of good, unless it borrows it from Me.
" All the prophets have pointed out the way that leads to Me. All the ways of the prophets come to an end and lose themselves in Me. From this time time forth, I am the only way, and outside me are only regions without roads or ways. Like many streams flowing into a single river and then losing their way, so have all the prophets flowed into Me, and from this time forth I direct the course of Life. Whoever continues to follow the ways of the prophets further, will be following paths that no longer exist and will injure themselves.
"The prophets came to show the way; I have come to be the Way.
"Whoever wishes to follow Me, must follow Me not with his feet alone, but with all his soul, with all his heart, and with all his mind.
"My way is long, and whoever trusts soley in his feet will drop from exhaustion.
"When children want to keep up with giants, they must forego walking on their own feet and sit on the shoulders of the giants.
"Whoever wants to keep up with Me must renounce his feet, his soul, his heart, and his mind. Whoever renounces all this, I shall take onto My feet, into My soul, into My heart, and into My mind. And He will not be heavy for me, nor shall I be tiring for him. However, anyone who fails to renounce everythings, cannot overtake or detain Me along the way.
"I am the Way, and he who follows My Way, does not journey alone but with Me. The prophets used to point out the way hither or thither or over in that direction, because they were not themselves the way. I cannot point out the way: hither or thither, or over in that direction; nor can I leave any of my wayfarers to journey without Me. Whoever wishes to follow My Way, I Myself shall carry.
" I tell you one thing more: I am what is desired tomorrow and the Way is tomorrow. Without Me you cannot find the way to what you desire tomorrow, nor can you expect it."
O God-bearing Son, have mercy on us and begin leading us Yourself.
Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, Prayer by the Lake, Chapter LVII, p. 106-108
But the One born of the Virgin glistens with matinal light amid the sons of the earth, who are as dark as extinguished days.
The flaming Seraphim shine in His eyes; the sapient Cherubim sit upon His lips; the lordly Thrones bolster His stance. Seeing Him alone, a Leader without an earthly army, every sane man is convinced that this could be a leader of an awesome and enormous army of invisible powers.
And behold, surrounded by the angelic hosts your Leader, O soul, opens His mouth and speaks:
"In truth, I am the One for whom you have been waiting; do not hope for another. If you have been searching for the way, I am the way.
" I am your Tomorrow from today until the end of time. Everything goo, that you have been expecting from the days of tomorrow, is within Me. Today your tomorrow is fulfilled in Me. And no day, from now until the last, will bring you what I am bringing to you. Lo, I am the day that has no begining and no end.
" I am the treasury of every future that exists and I am the way to that treasurry. The future in its entirety cannot give you so much as a kernel of good, unless it borrows it from Me.
" All the prophets have pointed out the way that leads to Me. All the ways of the prophets come to an end and lose themselves in Me. From this time time forth, I am the only way, and outside me are only regions without roads or ways. Like many streams flowing into a single river and then losing their way, so have all the prophets flowed into Me, and from this time forth I direct the course of Life. Whoever continues to follow the ways of the prophets further, will be following paths that no longer exist and will injure themselves.
"The prophets came to show the way; I have come to be the Way.
"Whoever wishes to follow Me, must follow Me not with his feet alone, but with all his soul, with all his heart, and with all his mind.
"My way is long, and whoever trusts soley in his feet will drop from exhaustion.
"When children want to keep up with giants, they must forego walking on their own feet and sit on the shoulders of the giants.
"Whoever wants to keep up with Me must renounce his feet, his soul, his heart, and his mind. Whoever renounces all this, I shall take onto My feet, into My soul, into My heart, and into My mind. And He will not be heavy for me, nor shall I be tiring for him. However, anyone who fails to renounce everythings, cannot overtake or detain Me along the way.
"I am the Way, and he who follows My Way, does not journey alone but with Me. The prophets used to point out the way hither or thither or over in that direction, because they were not themselves the way. I cannot point out the way: hither or thither, or over in that direction; nor can I leave any of my wayfarers to journey without Me. Whoever wishes to follow My Way, I Myself shall carry.
" I tell you one thing more: I am what is desired tomorrow and the Way is tomorrow. Without Me you cannot find the way to what you desire tomorrow, nor can you expect it."
O God-bearing Son, have mercy on us and begin leading us Yourself.
Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, Prayer by the Lake, Chapter LVII, p. 106-108
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