Flatline and Chunjay and friends in…
New 7-song EP, released August 15, 2019. Get it at Bandcamp as a download or CD! See page for credits and lyrics, too.
Listen EVERYWHERE! (iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Spotify, etc.)
Guest artists: KJ-52, Knowdaverbs, Krum, DJ Sean P, and ThatKidCourageous.
A Story of Unexpected Joy
Saint Dimitry of Rostov (1651-1709) tells the story of a Russian thief who, despite his crimes, nevertheless prayed every day. One of his habits was to pray kneeling in front of an image, or icon, of a young Christ in the arms of his mother, the Virgin Mary. It was as if he was haunted by these holy ones.
One day, while praying, he quoted the Archangel Gabriel’s words to the Virgin Mary: “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Just then, he had a vision of the icon coming to life, and saw wounds appear on the child of Christ—the same type of wounds CHrist experienced in his passion, when he was scourged and crucified.
Horrified, he cried out to the Mother of God, “O, my Lady, who did this?”
At this question, the Virgin Mary also animated, and he saw her lips begin moving, and he heard a woman’s voice, saying: “You and other sinners crucify my son anew with your sins.”
Filled with conviction and sorrow for his sins, he embraced the icon, kissing the wounds of Christ. Soon, his sorrow gave way to a feeling of unexpected joy and arose from prayer repentant, feeling a light and joyous sense that comes from being forgiven much.
“(T)here will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
Later, an icon was made of this story. Sometimes called the “icon of thieves,” the Unexpected Joy icon depicts a repentant sinner kneeling before an icon of the Virgin Mary and Christ.
Royal Ruckus 