tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59349168436156946422024-03-12T21:01:13.363-05:00Orthodox QuotationsDearly beloved: Please forgive me for the sins I have committed against you!
<p>This blog is a home for quotations from Orthodox sources, or which are consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Church.</p><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-27198686916571953962021-04-22T16:58:00.005-05:002023-05-28T19:30:14.144-05:00Elder Arsenie Papacioc: The value of womankind<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDZFcnmycm-3udPPItPy4VPg_9fMEkXdWKQApQwlPqbmyC1iduhpRBC3Us049yYN_AEynZ7s7nT8R9SFW0MzGbsFcb2fs6BihjTpBR7-4lA2qMWOp_yyZq8dQmIaE6Ey2tOKo_mor3gvGE55-BmHsPd1Ejk4JZZnVKZLx4kW5I1evoFBmmhuns7eH8w/s575/elder-Arsenie-Papacioc.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDZFcnmycm-3udPPItPy4VPg_9fMEkXdWKQApQwlPqbmyC1iduhpRBC3Us049yYN_AEynZ7s7nT8R9SFW0MzGbsFcb2fs6BihjTpBR7-4lA2qMWOp_yyZq8dQmIaE6Ey2tOKo_mor3gvGE55-BmHsPd1Ejk4JZZnVKZLx4kW5I1evoFBmmhuns7eH8w/w139-h200/elder-Arsenie-Papacioc.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><br />The value of womankind was a recurring theme in Fr Arsenie's teachings: "The woman has to live in harmony with her husband. They have to work together for the supreme goal: salvation. The woman is the heart of the family, as the man is the head of the family. If there's no heart, the head is empty. The two of them should have a relationship of total self-sacrifice, not a conventional one. The woman can give birth to Christ in her husband's heart." </div><div style="text-align: left;">+Elder Arsenie Papacioc, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1887904603" target="_blank">Eternity in the Moment</a>, chapter 11 "Release"<br /></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-41171487169712198022021-04-21T08:40:00.001-05:002023-05-28T16:56:28.289-05:00Get a share in all the virtues<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BiqcV-I9OpKlxVhTYZ8aOZT70yCmUEzUe2xwXxwKuTiWAXzlnEPNEd4Ue_kzzF1CyItlGyZg-7RVE91I37HtKCy5utTpeTcjuMvJPqKPZPNji2MDU90O6jDPScpcVj8oggx2ONhgkv-VNR8n5J6CEZ7vHu1vbdWxNQIUUI8taHVd3SQWYCG26OCrRQ/s333/abba-john-dwarf-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BiqcV-I9OpKlxVhTYZ8aOZT70yCmUEzUe2xwXxwKuTiWAXzlnEPNEd4Ue_kzzF1CyItlGyZg-7RVE91I37HtKCy5utTpeTcjuMvJPqKPZPNji2MDU90O6jDPScpcVj8oggx2ONhgkv-VNR8n5J6CEZ7vHu1vbdWxNQIUUI8taHVd3SQWYCG26OCrRQ/w150-h200/abba-john-dwarf-2.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />I recommend you to get a small share in all the virtues. So rise early every day and acquire the beginning of every virtue and divine commandment with great patience, fear, forbearance and love for God, full of zeal of soul and body, and with a lot of humility for bearing afflictions. Pray earnestly with compunction and vigilance. Pay no attention to the faults of others. Do not measure yourself against other people for you are lower than every creature. prepare for battle by renouncing everything that is of the flesh. Be steadfast in vigils, hunger, thirst, cold and nakedness. Close your tomb as though you were already dead, conscious that your death is at hand at every hour... Gaining our neighbor is the basis on which we have to begin. All the commandments of Christ depend on it. </div><div style="text-align: left;">+ St. John the Short (Colobos)<sup>1</sup>, quoted without attribution in his entry for November 9 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9608560373" target="_blank">The Synaxarion, volume 1</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><sup>1</sup>The Short, or dwarf</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-59581147163020437862021-04-20T09:31:00.002-05:002022-09-07T10:17:07.039-05:00Envoys of Prince Vladimir: Report to the Prince<div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e3KRMQe6LNOzcld3YpIQ16WBicDqENjpZcj6xIfzK6zDYTKZ3c9SFAJQ-6T5vhlwf3Sbdf9-KH-xv5GOWh-vRw_TsuSxQVxO02Em8C7ER1xM8Qjm5WnOKZICAKDCNIZNIPl4HkzKsSZdSeSCJa0_16tiYB7VcXtOJDxN64Bf-_7uQfNhH1woULpb1g/s2434/st-vladimir.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2434" data-original-width="2161" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e3KRMQe6LNOzcld3YpIQ16WBicDqENjpZcj6xIfzK6zDYTKZ3c9SFAJQ-6T5vhlwf3Sbdf9-KH-xv5GOWh-vRw_TsuSxQVxO02Em8C7ER1xM8Qjm5WnOKZICAKDCNIZNIPl4HkzKsSZdSeSCJa0_16tiYB7VcXtOJDxN64Bf-_7uQfNhH1woULpb1g/w178-h200/st-vladimir.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Thus they returned to their own country, and the Prince called together his boyars and the elders. Vladimir then announced the return the return of the envoys who had been sent out, and suggested that their report be heard. He thus commanded them to speak out before his retinue. The envoys reported, "When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgar bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good. Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations, for we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here." Then the boyars spoke and said, "If there Greek faith were evil, it would not have been adopted by your grandmother <a href="https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/07/11/102003" target="_blank">Olga</a> who was wiser than all other men." Vladimir then inquired where they should all accept baptism, and they replied that the decision rested with him. </div><div style="text-align: left;">+from <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Russian-Primary-Chronicle-Laurentian-Text/dp/0915651327" target="_blank">The Russian Primary Chronicle, Laurentian Text</a>, entry for the year 987AD. </div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-36873911967598547952021-04-19T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-19T06:00:00.209-05:00St. Acacius of Kavsokalyvia: Spiritual Sensitivity<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jir20sk1Wrg/YHm6d1Yp1TI/AAAAAAAABdw/Zjrk3rkGVloYVjBLK8b1us34gFzJu_wwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/st-acacius-kavsokalyvia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="130" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jir20sk1Wrg/YHm6d1Yp1TI/AAAAAAAABdw/Zjrk3rkGVloYVjBLK8b1us34gFzJu_wwgCLcBGAsYHQ/w65-h200/st-acacius-kavsokalyvia.jpg" width="65" /></a></div><br /> Saint Acacius taught that whoever desires to see Christ in eternity must acquire here below, by the access of grace within him, a <i>spiritual sensitivity</i> that would allow him to contemplate spiritual and heavenly realities as naturally as he sees material things.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Acacius of Kavsokalyvia, from his entry for April 12 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9608748720" target="_blank">The Synaxarion, volume 4</a>.</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-582339871230799942021-04-18T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-18T06:00:00.204-05:00St. Sabbas of Kalymnos: On what it means to be a monk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VztenDqjRs/YHm3djARS6I/AAAAAAAABdo/ChMk-6AFaYc-lJKm4N-0QBOkUeu_njiUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s397/st-sabbas-Kalymnos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="215" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VztenDqjRs/YHm3djARS6I/AAAAAAAABdo/ChMk-6AFaYc-lJKm4N-0QBOkUeu_njiUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w108-h200/st-sabbas-Kalymnos.jpg" width="108" /></a></div><br /> A monk is one who suffers and weeps for his own sins and who pays no attention to the sins of others; who does not judge or get angry, but who endures patiently, with pleasure, every wrong and all contempt in order to achieve intimacy with God, the heavenly Judge and Father of all.<div>+St. Sabbas of Kalymnos, quoted in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9608748720" target="_blank">The Synaxarion, volume 4</a>, his entry on April 7.</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-86842797433880544232021-04-17T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-17T06:00:00.179-05:00St. Gregory the Sinaite: On what Prayer is<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZgUJE5M0os/YHm1LZu075I/AAAAAAAABdg/3ssp47znIxoSgqSWLtCNoMz62XaQ0lQ9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/st-gregory-sinai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="367" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZgUJE5M0os/YHm1LZu075I/AAAAAAAABdg/3ssp47znIxoSgqSWLtCNoMz62XaQ0lQ9ACLcBGAsYHQ/w147-h200/st-gregory-sinai.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><br /> For beginners prayer is like a joyous fire kindled in the heart; for the perfect, it is like a vigorous, sweet-scented light. Or again, prayer is the preaching of the Apostles, and action of faith, or rather, faith itself, <i>"the substance of things hoped for" </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb.+11%3A1&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Heb. 11:1</a>)</span><span>... the Gospel of God... a sign of purity, a token of holiness... baptism made manifest...f a pledge of the Holy Spirit... God's mercy... the seal of Christ, a ray of the noetic sun, the heart's dawn star, the confirmation of the Christian faith, the disclosure of reconciliation with God, God's grace, God's wisdom or, rather, the origin of true and absolute Wisdom; the revelation of God, the work of monks, the life of hesychasts, the source of stillness, an expression of the angelic state. Why say more? Prayer is God, who accomplishes everything in everyone, for there is a single action of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, activating all things through Christ Jesus.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>+St. Gregory the Sinaite, Commandments and Doctrines #113 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/057119382X" target="_blank">The Philokalia, volume 4</a></span></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-50123896214806552012021-04-15T10:36:00.001-05:002021-04-16T10:43:26.674-05:00Archimandrite George of St. Gregorios: Moral perfection is not enough<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hLg_Mdeq8PA/YHmwU1xFQDI/AAAAAAAABdY/aMBmZxo8uyYawROFElwtn4r-OBn1Ei_WQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/arch-george-gregoriu-mnt-athos4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="298" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hLg_Mdeq8PA/YHmwU1xFQDI/AAAAAAAABdY/aMBmZxo8uyYawROFElwtn4r-OBn1Ei_WQCLcBGAsYHQ/w149-h200/arch-george-gregoriu-mnt-athos4.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><br /> Moral perfection is not enough for man. It is not enough for us simply to become better than before, simply to perform moral deeds. We have as our final aim to unite with holy God Himself. This is the purpose of the creation of the universe. This is what we desire. This is our joy, our happiness, and our fulfillment...</div><div style="text-align: left;">Each of us is an image of God, and God is our prototype. The image seeks the prototype, and only when it finds it does it find rest.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Archimandrite George of St. Gregorios, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UR1SI0" target="_blank">Theosis, The True Purpose of Human Life</a></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-35836700907263758072021-04-14T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-14T06:00:00.210-05:00Abba Isaiah of Scetis: Faith in Temptations<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RmekSSgPhK0/YHL4TpT3l5I/AAAAAAAABdM/-x4WXk2PcFsujMv7C6bTWBYiHz7b47LOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/abba-isaiah-scetis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="235" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RmekSSgPhK0/YHL4TpT3l5I/AAAAAAAABdM/-x4WXk2PcFsujMv7C6bTWBYiHz7b47LOwCLcBGAsYHQ/w147-h200/abba-isaiah-scetis.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><br /> A person who doubts whether God will help him during temptations does not believe in God and is not worthy to be called Christian. A truly believing and pious person, even if he finds himself in the very jaws of the serpent, still believes, even then, that God can rescue him. Thus did the martyrs believe and they fearlessly entered the flaming furnace, and God delivered them because of their unwavering faith. In this way He delivered the Three Youths from the Babylonian furnace, and St. Thekla from the fire and the cruel beasts - all, without a doubt, because of their pure faith.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Abba Isaiah of Scetis, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019QVV5M" target="_blank">Matericon Instructions of Abba Isaiah to the honorable nun Theodora</a>, #52</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-20510549658482454702021-04-13T08:06:00.001-05:002021-04-13T08:06:00.210-05:00St. Paisios of Mount Athos: On the joy of accepting injustice<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h4qhGhurV2s/YHL18mEMHqI/AAAAAAAABdE/JYxeA53gHQAMwqZV46n7UaZxBcjrA1rUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1402/elder-paisios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="928" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h4qhGhurV2s/YHL18mEMHqI/AAAAAAAABdE/JYxeA53gHQAMwqZV46n7UaZxBcjrA1rUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/elder-paisios.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /> There's nothing as sweet as being treated unjustly. The most beautiful moments of my life have been times I suffered injustice. Anyone who accepts injustice accepts into his heart Christ, Who was treated unjustly. People start arguing because everyone thinks of himself as being more justified that he really is. But someone with a lot of love takes injustice for himself and leaves justice for other people. Only Christ, lifting up the Cross for us, has accepted all injustice.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Paisios of Mount Athos, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9608976456" target="_blank">Saint Paisios of Mount Athos</a>, He loved Righteousness</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-12050554277518464312021-04-12T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-12T06:00:00.265-05:00Bishop Irinei (Steenberg): The Call of God<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPPvcTyvT40/YHGsjD5gA3I/AAAAAAAABc8/WMyzbZuujhkbLAshVjoDBmhCo6nnsxyVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/bishop-irinei-steenberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPPvcTyvT40/YHGsjD5gA3I/AAAAAAAABc8/WMyzbZuujhkbLAshVjoDBmhCo6nnsxyVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/bishop-irinei-steenberg.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /> The Christian today hears two calls: that of God, and that of the world. And truly, this is as it has always been, since Christ first spoke into the world the Gospel that sets <i>"father... against son,... mother against daughter," </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+12%3A53&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Luke 12:53</a>) </span><span>and the Kingdom against the <i>saeculum</i>. The constant temptation is to answer both, as if both were of equal value, or of a value that could be held hand-in-hand with the other; but this is to ignore the word of the Lord. <i>"Let the dead bury their own dead" </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.+8%3A22&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Matt. 8:22</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A60&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Luke 9:60</a>) </span><span>was a statement uttered by Christ not as a cold, uncaring dismissal of the world, but in order to teach His disciples that the call of a world that leads to death must be left to respond to itself. The call of the Kingdom must be the sole focus of the Christian heart. Only be responding to this call, and this call alone, can a man truly be merciful to "the dead" - to those who are lost in sin, who succumb to the call of the world - for the only antidote to death is resurrection, and resurrection comes only through the power of the risen Lord.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span>+Bishop Irinei (Steenberg), from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1887904298" target="_blank">The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer</a></span></span></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-60451567308486792222021-04-11T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-11T06:00:00.202-05:00Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos: Life is participation and communion with God.<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaOkWCLBM98/YHGmQwrwzAI/AAAAAAAABc0/43naA8xPVyMBD1WTqfsQJMcanSsk0pIkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Met-Hierotheos-of-Nafpaktos-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaOkWCLBM98/YHGmQwrwzAI/AAAAAAAABc0/43naA8xPVyMBD1WTqfsQJMcanSsk0pIkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/Met-Hierotheos-of-Nafpaktos-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> The life suitable for noetic nature is participation in God. Each thing has its appropriate organ. The appropriate organ for the enjoyment of light is man's eye and not his finger or any other member of the human body. So it is that vision of God takes place through the noetic in man. Therefore life is participation and communion with God. And naturally this participation is knowledge of God at the depth at which the soul is able to contain it. Ignorance of God, of course, means non-participation in God.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9607070348" target="_blank">Life after Death</a>, Section 2 chapter 7</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-40327611788296025432021-04-10T07:59:00.000-05:002021-04-10T07:59:01.611-05:00St. Herman of Alaska: Repentance is warfare<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR3zeukFUwM/YHGgx45Da3I/AAAAAAAABcg/ENd1ZghNQn8bOnyEDVwDU0YjauZDBsT5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s374/st-herman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="374" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR3zeukFUwM/YHGgx45Da3I/AAAAAAAABcg/ENd1ZghNQn8bOnyEDVwDU0YjauZDBsT5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h144/st-herman.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of an unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostle, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: <i>"our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, [against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of wickedness under heaven" <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph.+6%3A12&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Eph. 6:12</a>)</span>]</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Herman of Alaska, from a letter dated June 20, 1820 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0938635328" target="_blank">Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 3</a></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-10209163763219696362021-04-09T18:25:00.001-05:002021-04-09T18:25:11.087-05:00Fr. Stanley Harakas: We are united with Christ in the Divine Liturgy<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGFMqENdRr4/YHDiRLNhYPI/AAAAAAAABcM/gtmuFKdIRbMk8TSHUv2ZK9lui5aTxGp6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s272/fr-stanley-harakas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="214" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGFMqENdRr4/YHDiRLNhYPI/AAAAAAAABcM/gtmuFKdIRbMk8TSHUv2ZK9lui5aTxGp6ACLcBGAsYHQ/w157-h200/fr-stanley-harakas.jpg" width="157" /></a></div><br />The Divine Liturgy... becomes the location where we are at the most intense level united with Christ and growing in the image and likeness of God. It is <i>the</i> place of "remembering" and actually sharing in the redemptive Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, as well as His whole incarnate life. It is that action which most of all characterizes us as the Church, emphasizing our real existence as members of God's Kingdom, beginning in this life and extending into eternity. It is <i>the</i> location where time past, time present, and time future are gathered up for us in ultimate meaning and significance.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Fr. Stanley Harakas, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007AM7LS0" target="_blank">Living the Liturgy</a>, Chapter 1, Liturgical Living</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-82971394513127404602021-04-08T12:40:00.001-05:002021-04-08T12:40:00.202-05:00Fr. Joseph Huneycutt: The Priesthood as Penance<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NllC7iwm8B8/YGyeXbPQI_I/AAAAAAAABb4/Doypz7ix_uAgVpwxZR7uNpcoLB2asrZCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/fr-joseph-huneycutt-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NllC7iwm8B8/YGyeXbPQI_I/AAAAAAAABb4/Doypz7ix_uAgVpwxZR7uNpcoLB2asrZCACLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/fr-joseph-huneycutt-2.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /> Over the years I’ve come to have profound respect for clergy who can keep their mouth shut and carry on serving God and Man with love and joy. Believe me, it would be much easier to become resentful, bitter, and mean. Even worse, the priest could become an old gossip, letting junk just fall out of his mouth with ease. The temptations are always there. </div><div style="text-align: left;">One priest told me told me of his inaugural conversation with his bishop wherein he expressed interest in ordination. The crusty old man looked him straight in the eye and said, “Boy, do you pray?” </div><div style="text-align: left;">“Why yes, I pray every day . . .” </div><div style="text-align: left;">“Pray to God you don’t have this curse!” said the bishop. </div><div style="text-align: left;">I think the old man had let the vocation get the better of him. It happens. Or, as one priest said: “I wanted to be a priest out of arrogance; God allows me to be one as a penance.”</div><div>+Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881416150" target="_blank">One Flew Over the Onion Dome</a>, Chapter 17 Concerning the Clergy</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-27467726354100425242021-04-07T12:26:00.001-05:002021-04-07T12:26:00.216-05:00Elder Cleopas (Ilie): The uncountable benefits of Humility<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2jYM7zIhjQ/YGybWVDx5II/AAAAAAAABbw/teH1ou8SqkcZObZ3DXiYwduehVovuAwOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/elder-cleopa-sihastria4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2jYM7zIhjQ/YGybWVDx5II/AAAAAAAABbw/teH1ou8SqkcZObZ3DXiYwduehVovuAwOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w154-h200/elder-cleopa-sihastria4.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br /> The benefits of humility are impossible to count, since humility alone, without any other good deed, can save a man. </div><div style="text-align: left;">+Elder Cleopas (Ilie), from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KM8SSGH" target="_blank">On the Divine Liturgy and Worthy and Unworthy Communion</a></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-8063966958835491342021-04-06T08:12:00.001-05:002021-04-06T08:12:00.227-05:00St. Gregory Palamas: God gives much, asks little<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_BM6ZghoSw/YGm-vcnKMVI/AAAAAAAABbk/FZshqbWMNiUaTEQ7hevH-SAHwi2jYH_ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/st-gregory-palamas-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="450" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_BM6ZghoSw/YGm-vcnKMVI/AAAAAAAABbk/FZshqbWMNiUaTEQ7hevH-SAHwi2jYH_ewCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h190/st-gregory-palamas-4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> For this purpose the Son of God bowed the heavens and came down to earth, became the Son of man, spoke and acted as He did, finally suffered and died for us, rose again and went to to heaven once more, to make us heavenly immortal and sons of God. So the things He now asks of us, that we should love our enemies, do good, and lend to those unable to repay, are not only fitting and beneficial for us, as has already been demonstrated, but are also small in comparison with what He gave. He gave Himself for us, who not only had nothing to give in return, but who had previously shown ourselves in many ways to be ungrateful and evil. By contrast, He urges us to lend what we have in excess and to do good with what we possess. What do we have, and how much? And for the sake of these trifles He gives us in exchange likeness to Himself, sublime adoption as sons, and heavenly rewards, saying, <i>"Be ye merciful, even as your Father which is in heaven is merciful" </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6%3A36&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Luke 6:36</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A48&version=NKJV" target="_blank">cf. Matthew 5:48</a>)</span><span>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>St. Gregory Palamas, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0977498344" target="_blank">The Homilies</a>, homily 45 for the Second Sunday of St. Luke</span></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-65908787757291200972021-04-05T07:56:00.007-05:002021-04-05T07:56:00.204-05:00St. Gregory Dialogos: Let us give the Gifts of the Magi<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fIbHdJosFQ/YGho2trujWI/AAAAAAAABbU/6XkOF02NQfspFUcVvRiVvAtqMVarErjsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/st-gregory-the-great-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fIbHdJosFQ/YGho2trujWI/AAAAAAAABbU/6XkOF02NQfspFUcVvRiVvAtqMVarErjsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/st-gregory-the-great-3.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /> The Magi brought gold, incense and myrrh. Gold befits a king; incense is offered in sacrifice to God; the bodies of the dead are embalmed with myrrh. Therefore the Magi, [with their mystical gifts], also preach Him whom they worshipped, a king with the gold, God with the incense, a human being with the myrrh...</div><div style="text-align: left;">we too offer gold to the new-born King if we shine in His sight with the brightness of the wisdom from on high; we offer Him incense if we enkindle on the altar of our hearts the thoughts of our human minds by our holy pursuit of prayer, so as to give forth a sweet smell to God by our heavenly desire; we offer Him myrrh if we mortify the vices of our bodies by our self-denial.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Gregory Dialogos, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0879077239" target="_blank">Forty Gospel Homilies</a>, Homily 8</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-50076563211248225592021-04-04T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-04T06:00:00.217-05:00St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: Learn the sickness of Anger<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MlNdDoo0qQ/YGeodl0g3AI/AAAAAAAABbI/NHuiucmOd0kF0-eShszKFST0FnJLxXjugCLcBGAsYHQ/s419/st-tikhon-voronezh-zadonsk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MlNdDoo0qQ/YGeodl0g3AI/AAAAAAAABbI/NHuiucmOd0kF0-eShszKFST0FnJLxXjugCLcBGAsYHQ/w167-h200/st-tikhon-voronezh-zadonsk.jpg" width="167" /></a></div><br /> And see what anger can do in a man; how indignant and noisy he becomes, how he swears, how he beats his head, trembling as in a fever... Man, learn the sickness of thy soul, for without acknowledgment of illness there is no healing... Christ alone can heal us, who sigh and pray to Him with faith.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, from Works, quoted in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/091383632X" target="_blank">Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, Inspirer of Dostoevsky</a>, by Nadejda Gorodetzky</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-84891969787604379992021-04-03T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-03T06:00:00.235-05:00St. Euthemius of Suzdal: The Greatest Virtue<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MC88mLlvGRQ/YGXGtBI9paI/AAAAAAAABa8/YWAwDdbbd6QQDaf9-BV7TEUB55N5a1SYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/St-Euthemius-Suzdal3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1252" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MC88mLlvGRQ/YGXGtBI9paI/AAAAAAAABa8/YWAwDdbbd6QQDaf9-BV7TEUB55N5a1SYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w156-h200/St-Euthemius-Suzdal3.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><br /> On being askes which is the greatest virtue, he would reply: <i>"That which is carried out in secret."</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Euthemius of Suzdal, from his life in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9608748720" target="_blank">The Synaxarion, volume 4</a>, entry for April 1.</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-88127538118715399252021-04-02T06:00:00.001-05:002021-04-02T06:00:00.190-05:00St. Diadochus of Photiki: On Baptism and the Remembrance of God<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuIPckHff8E/YGXEskfUhBI/AAAAAAAABa0/R6naqdjrOfALe3B4yU88zFEVXnPzTLy0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/st-diadochus-photiki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuIPckHff8E/YGXEskfUhBI/AAAAAAAABa0/R6naqdjrOfALe3B4yU88zFEVXnPzTLy0ACLcBGAsYHQ/w160-h200/st-diadochus-photiki.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /> Before holy baptism grace encourages the soul towards good from the outside, while Satan lurks in its depths, trying to block all the intellect's ways of approach to the divine. But from the moment that we are reborn through Baptism, the demon is outside, grace is within...</div><div style="text-align: left;">It is a mark of one who truly loves holiness that he continually burns up what is worldly in his heart through practicing the remembrance of God, so that little by little evil is consumed in the fire of this remembrance and his soul completely recovers its natural brilliance with still greater glory.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+St. Diadochus of Photiki, from One Hundred Texts on Spiritual Knowledge and Discernment, The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0571130135" target="_blank">Philokalia, Volume 1</a></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-19517533825190037802021-04-01T06:00:00.000-05:002021-04-01T07:52:06.237-05:00Mother Gavrilia: Loving difficult people<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tr2THvKcEOk/YGTxWklFzdI/AAAAAAAABas/4a10a0Lg28gJMtoY0BVynO-UIiQyIZoyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s424/mother-gavrilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tr2THvKcEOk/YGTxWklFzdI/AAAAAAAABas/4a10a0Lg28gJMtoY0BVynO-UIiQyIZoyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/mother-gavrilia.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><br /> Once, seeing her with [a very] "difficult" person, I was wondering <i>how she could stand him!</i> A few days later, I saw them again. <i>He was unrecognizable!</i> Sitting next to her, with a transformed face that looked beautiful, almost angelic, he was like an innocent child with its beloved mother... <i>"How did you do it?" </i>I asked when we were left alone. <i>"What did I do, my child? I did nothing... The Lord does everything - provided we love the other person". "Even the... ill-natured?" </i>I asked. <i>"Even those you consider as such - for in their heart they are not so! You know, the moment you love them something changes. I have told you before that love is like a bomb - it shatters all evil"...</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">+Nun Gavrilia, spoken of Mother Gavrilia in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9607298853" target="_blank">The Ascetic of Love</a><i> </i></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-52323597074329487472021-03-31T06:00:00.001-05:002021-03-31T06:00:04.238-05:00Elder Ephraim of Philotheou: We must have love for all the departed<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVrTBqbahwQ/YGNMJA50YjI/AAAAAAAABak/HfoyT8fbeMY3RZ0U9Ov7XxUHWFCj4sWTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s334/Elder-Ephraim-of-philotheou-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="178" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVrTBqbahwQ/YGNMJA50YjI/AAAAAAAABak/HfoyT8fbeMY3RZ0U9Ov7XxUHWFCj4sWTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w107-h200/Elder-Ephraim-of-philotheou-2.jpg" width="107" /></a></div><br /> We all have relatives who have departed from this life. The pain we feel for our loved ones must expand to encompass all the souls of the other world. Not only are there saints in Heaven, but there are also people in Hell. These people are also our brothers; they are souls from whom Christ was crucified. It is an invaluable act of charity to pray for these people. If possible, we should she one tear for them every day. Their pain, misfortune, agony, hopelessness, and despair must become our own pain and concern. We should think, "What will become of these people? Will they remain like this in Hell eternally?"</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0972550445" target="_blank">The Art of Salvation</a>, Homily 12, Pain, Sorrow, and Love</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-73073716522072919442021-03-30T10:54:00.001-05:002021-03-30T10:54:05.621-05:00Fr. Alexander Elchaninov: Why must we offer alms?<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pb1wgXc8eus/YGNJTBGF5vI/AAAAAAAABac/9ajDGwfrWRgmyeMm_2ASGWDl-_aQjHrTACLcBGAsYHQ/s269/fr-alexander-elchaninov-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="120" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pb1wgXc8eus/YGNJTBGF5vI/AAAAAAAABac/9ajDGwfrWRgmyeMm_2ASGWDl-_aQjHrTACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h200/fr-alexander-elchaninov-3.jpg" width="89" /></a></div><br /> Why must we offer alms to every passing beggar, without inquiring into his merits, and even when we know that he is undeserving? Apart from the fact that the man who gives is spiritually enriched, while whoever closes his heart and purse robs himself - apart from this, if we refuse alms, especially near church doors, we do great harm to the beggar, inciting him to anger, killing his faith, stirring up his hatred of the rich, the satiated, the pious.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Fr. Alexander Elchaninov, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881410004" target="_blank">The Diary of a Russian Priest</a></div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-59533293180333500042021-03-29T06:00:00.001-05:002021-03-29T06:00:05.528-05:00Columba Graham Flegg: The moral content of the Seven Letters of the Apocalypse<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJPsvbrU5Oc/YGCGx09lxHI/AAAAAAAABaU/LReLtPhXbk8iU3yx6gVi0blPupp-CdJ0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="216" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJPsvbrU5Oc/YGCGx09lxHI/AAAAAAAABaU/LReLtPhXbk8iU3yx6gVi0blPupp-CdJ0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/download.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /> [We should not] try to make specific identifications with the particular churches to which the letters [in the book of Revelation] were addressed, but rather than we should measure ourselves, both as individuals and as communities, against all those things singled out for condemnation. We can summarize them as follows: failing to live up to the promises of baptism in faith and works, becoming primarily consumers of the things of this world; corrupting the church and the faith with secular ideas; seeking worldly instead of heavenly objectives; tolerating the presence of false prophets or even following them; failing to watch for the Lord's coming; having pride in worldly things and achievements; allowing our faith and our love to become lukewarm. Let us not delude ourselves by thinking that our Orthodox churches are not guilty of any of these things. But, remember that the overall message of the Apocalypse is also reflected in these seven letters. The message is that the victory has already been won, that Christ is enthroned on high, and that a share in that throne is offered to all who turn away from the world, repent, set their hearts on the things above, and live in Him.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Columba Graham Flegg, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K17QBK4" target="_blank">An Introduction to Reading the Apocalypse</a>, chapter 4, The Letters to the Seven Churches.</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934916843615694642.post-30255758240429610252021-03-28T06:00:00.001-05:002021-03-28T06:00:02.610-05:00Elder Ephraim of Philotheou: Talk only a little, and be watchful over thoughts<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56utsMyesy4/YF8ypFJ3soI/AAAAAAAABaI/vBC-ALnYS64jCG_Y4hp9aaiY1qgBSsZ7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/elder-Efraim-philotheou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56utsMyesy4/YF8ypFJ3soI/AAAAAAAABaI/vBC-ALnYS64jCG_Y4hp9aaiY1qgBSsZ7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/elder-Efraim-philotheou.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><br /> Do not talk a lot. Stay away from back talk, quarreling, loquacity, and everything that issues from a careless tongue. Drive away evil thoughts and filthy fantasies from your mind as soon as they appear. For when the linger inside the mine and heart, they create a grave condition. Whereas when we are careful at the first appearance of the filthy fantasy and the filthy thought that follows, we remain in peace and enjoy the moral gratification of purity.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Therefore, my children, let us pay attention to ourselves every time various bad thoughts enter, because the same approach applies for every bad thought. Whatever kind is may be, when it finds the nous careless, it enters and creates - corresponding to the passion - the aforementioned unhealthy condition.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Therefore, since a monk is fought primarily by thoughts, the thing that saves him is watchfulness! Watchfulness (nepsis) is derived from the word "nēfo," that is, to be careful, vigilant, alert, and on our guard. When we are careful, vigilant, alert, and on our guard, the house of our soul will be well-kept and we shall save our souls for which we struggle our whole life.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0966700031" target="_blank">Counsels from the Holy Mountain</a>, Chapter 14 On Thoughts Fantasies and Distractions, #9</div><b>Fr Andrew</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17170944871192556864noreply@blogger.com0