One of the signs of egotism is the presence of some feeling of jealousy within us. We must avoid this feeling as if it were black death itself. The genuine Christian life liberates us from jealousy. » Elder Sophrony of Essex
Insofar as someone suffers a variety of trials, be they bodily or spiritual and bears them consciously and thanks God, then, if nothing else, God’s obliged to send His consolation to cool their souls. The more you suffer, the greater’s your reward.
In order for people to become truly spiritual, they must be aware of their many shortcomings, the many mistakes they make, the many sins they’ve committed. They certainly must seek the sacrament of confession. Spiritual people must constantly watch and supervise the thoughts of their heart and their motivations, to see if they really are immersed in the cup of the life ‘in Christ’.
In accordance with the teachings of our God-bearing Fathers, the powers of the soul are four: wisdom, prudence, courage and righteousness. These act through the so-called ‘tripartite’ nature of the soul, that is; the intelligent, incensive and appetitive (the soul’s desiring power). Wisdom’s task is to stimulate the incensive aspect; that of prudence or knowledge is to motivate the intelligent aspect to watchfulness and discernment; that of righteousness to direct the appetitive faculty towards virtue and God; and that of courage to regulate the five senses so that they take proper initiatives.
Many reasons will present themselves for your lack of concentration, but that won’t justify any carelessness. Struggle and you’ll manage to keep your mind undistracted. Whatever work or action you may do, think that you’re doing it before the Lord Himself, Who in reality accepts your service. Pray and God will bless your contribution.
The memory of death (memento mori) helps us to overcome the old person because it brings humility to our soul. When we forget death, we have the illusion that we’re never going to die and this increases our arrogance, our greed, our worship of our bodies, the desire to exploit other people. The memory of death gives us a sense of our boundaries upon this earth and the importance that our actions, our words, our thoughts have for eternity and life after death. So it helps us to confront this present life with seriousness, in the light of eternity, so we don’t waste our life on earth living in a prodigal way, carelessly, superficially and indifferent towards the consequences. That’s why ...
Everything good or evil which happens, begins from a thought. And gradually nourished by thoughts and small movements of the heart, it grows, takes on existence and becomes an act. Those who slavishly follow their sinful thoughts, become blinded by them. And whilst they can see the sins towards which the thoughts have led them, because of their blindness they can’t see the reasons for their sins, which are the thoughts.
The Lord’s Precious Cross is the supreme symbol of sacrifice and sanctification for the Church of Christ, Who was crucified and then rose, because the Cross, together with the Resurrection, are the two pillars which support the life for the Church and its members. The honour paid by the Orthodox Church to the Precious Cross on 14 September (though not only on that day) began in the very first, Apostolic years, through the Apostles themselves and the Fathers who followed them. Today, the Orthodox Church preserves intact the Biblical (Old Testament and New) and Patristic teaching and accords the Cross of Christ due honour as the outstanding instrument and symbol of the redemption of the human race. In 326, after the 1st ...
When we speak about sin, this concept isn’t moral, but ontological, which surpasses the rules of social life. Not because it’s opposed to social norms, but because it proceeds infinitely further than those. Moral laws speak about punishments, whereas God says ‘Love your enemies. Do not fear those who kill you’. But this is impossible to explain in words and cannot be understood other than through the heart. Because, as long as people feel the presence of death, it’s natural to protect themselves against any beings which threaten their lives or even the comforts of this life. And precisely because of this, until now we have conflict in the world.
If you don’t cultivate the ground, it may be rich and fertile but will produce lots of weeds In the same way, human nature’s created good by God, but unless it’s improved by the plough of proper reverence for God and the seed of the knowledge of Him, then impiety and all sorts of other weeds will spring up within us.
The grace which we receive through the holy sacraments is so great that it has the power to cleanse and regenerate every single person.
Before the time of Christ, the cross was an instrument of punishment; it evoked fear and aversion. But after Christ’s death on the Cross it became the instrument of our salvation. Through the Cross, Christ destroyed the devil; from the Cross He descended into hades and, having liberated those languishing there, led them into the Kingdom of Heaven. The sign of the Cross is terrifying to demons and, as the sign of Christ, it is honored by Christians. “O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victory unto Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, and by the virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy community.” The beginning of this prayer is taken from the twenty-seventh Psalm. In the Old Testament the word ...
How can a faithful person be delivered from the old fallen person? We all feel that we carry the traces of the old person. Its main characteristic is love of self, that is the sick, egocentric ‘love’ of our self. Self-love doesn’t allow us to love God and other people truly and unselfishly. From this self-love are born the passions. Impassioned as we are, we can’t relate unselfishly to other human beings and things. Our relationships become impassioned and egotistical and they prevent us from truly loving or enjoying other people and the other things of the world. This eventually leads to loneliness, to emptiness, to an impasse. Therefore when we say ‘the old person’, we mean the diseased self-centeredness, from which ...
You’re in a dark room waving your hands about and trying, in this way, to dispel the darkness. But darkness doesn’t go away like that. Open the window for the light to come in and get rid of the darkness. It’s light that dispels darkness. So let’s study the Scriptures, the Lives of the Saints and the Fathers. They’re the light that will get rid of the dark.
If you want to be saved, your heart has to be in a state of repentance and remorse. When we make an effort to have a humble heart and peaceful thoughts, then all the machinations of the enemy are deactivated. Because God finds rest in a peaceful mind.
The saints were always concerned with the next life. Remembrance of death is a gift. God protects us from temptation. He doesn’t allow us to be tempted beyond our powers. Everything He permits is for our good. Trust in the Lord in all things and He will nourish you in time of famine.
The protection and providence of God extends over everyone, but the only ones who see this are those who cleanse themselves from sin.
Satan never appears before us face to face, never reveals himself directly as our enemy. Instead, he fights in secret, indirectly or through bad people, using every kind of wicked ploy so as to hide the fact that he wants us to fall and be lost.
Today, on this Sunday before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Lord presents the central theme of the Gospel in a few words: God saves the world from the devil and sin driven by endless love alone! To help in understanding, Jesus uses as an example a miracle which occurred while the Israelites were in the desert (Numbers 21:9). The people had been freed from slavery to the Egyptians by God’s miraculous interventions. Yet, the Israelites often forgot the true God, who poured down upon them heavenly food every day, and worshiped the idols. God, to again bring them close to Him, allowed poisonous snakes to bite them, causing many to die. Moses turned to God with ...
Monastics hover between two indescribable states: the ineffable bliss felt by a spirit steeped in the Spirit of God; and great sadness over the salvation of the whole world. These states succeed each other. Monastics love God and, with God’s love, they also love the world.
