Πεμπτουσία

‘Therefore become merciful, as your Father is merciful’. If we read the literature of the ancient Greek sages and, indeed, that of wise people from all over the world, we see that, in their efforts to define what is just, proper, legitimate and good, they have written screeds, and have constructed long-winded dialogues and tracts. They have, on occasion, succeeded in saying and writing important things, though they’ve also, often enough, managed to confuse people thoroughly. Instead of enlightening people, much of what the sages wrote cast them further into the darkness. On the other hand, when the most holy Word of God came to earth and assumed our flesh, he brought back to the surface the innate law of human beings, ...

The most prominent ‘torchbearer’ in the Church, Saint Paul the Apostle, lit his torch from the uncreated light of Christ, though he lost his bodily sight: ‘he who is to illumine the world is darkened’, says one of the hymns from his feast-day. God the giver of light ‘in the person of Jesus Christ’, ‘imprisoned’ Paul outside Damascus and ‘shone in his heart to illumine the knowledge of his glory’. The newly-enlightened Paul also lost the Pharisaical self-assurance that, through his own ‘virtues’, he’d be able to keep burning the torch which Christ had lit. He now realized that he was no more than an ‘earthen vessel’, who certainly contained within himself a priceless treasure, but also continued to be ...

Don’t castigate yourself for being in the depths of wickedness. It’s an opportunity for fortitude, a time of long-suffering, a time to heal, a time to put things right. You’ve slipped; get up. You’ve sinned; be calm. Don’t stand on the path of sinners, but get out of there. Because when you flee and mourn, then you’ll be saved. As health comes from hard work, so salvation comes from perspiration. Saint Gregory the Theologian

Negligence is like a drought that doesn’t let anything grow. Vainglory affects those who’ve borne some fruit, who’ve made some progress, but negligence harms everybody. It hinders those who want to make a start and stops those who’ve made some progress. It doesn’t allow the ignorant to learn and it prevents the return of those who’ve gone astray. It doesn’t let people who’ve fallen to get up and, in general is a total disaster for all those who are in thrall to it. Saint Iosif the Hesychast  

All God’s promises are an inexpressible gift from him to us. But only those people who work in tandem with God, who identify their will with that of God, who transcend all pettiness, selfishness and the passions that attract us to this world of wickedness, who show the bravery necessary to succeed in the invisible warfare, only these are able to taste the ineffable blessings and gifts of God. Elder Efraim Vatopaidinos

(From a letter to a school-teacher and her mother). Both you and your elderly mother are interested in the Orthodox faith. Since you began to fulfil the commandments of fasting, prayer, charity and communion, the secrets of the truth have become ever more apparent to you. And this, indeed, is the proper path: by practicing what we know, we arrive at the unknown. Silent prayer over long years reveals the truth. But your heart is burning with the desire to direct many others onto the path of truth. People are people, however: in one, the mind is darkened by lies; in another, the heart is hardened by the passions; and what you desire won’t come easily. It requires much cleansing, many washings ...

So make haste. Say the prayer all the time. Don’t let your mouth stop at all. In this way you’ll become accustomed to it internally and then it’ll be taken up by the mind. Don’t be put off by negative thoughts, because then you’ll become feeble and besmirched. ‘Force continuous prayer, against nature’, and see what grace you’ll receive. Our life is sorrow, son, because we’re living in exile. Don’t seek perfect ease. Christ took up the cross, and we shall, too. Provided we endure sorrows, we’ll find grace from the Lord. This is why the Lord allows us to be tempted: to test the zeal and love we have for him. This is why we need patience. Without patience, people ...

Saint John Koukouzelis, a native of Dirrachia (now Bulgaria), was orphaned in childhood. Endowed with a very fine voice, he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis (beans and peas) stuck with him ever after. John began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business. John ...

Back in the old days, he was a child raised in the Church, the right hand of the priests. He attended to all the jobs that were to be done and was always the first to get to the services. He knew the psalms and prayers by heart, and served with reverence in the altar at every liturgy. He really enjoyed singing. Sometimes he’d make his way to the choir stall, with the singers, and wanted very much to sing to God. But they kicked him out: the boy had a tin ear. So much so that they didn’t even know what he thought he was singing. They couldn’t bear to listen to him. They used to say to him: ‘Romanos, do ...

The monk who strives to offer the Lord a mighty love, as He showed unto us, and tries to invent ways to find stronger contact with Christ so that his heart may confess this mighty love towards Him, will surely make progress. Monasticism is indeed a matter of love. I once told Father Sophrony that without the love of Christ it is better for man not to live even one day upon earth. He took it even further and increased my tension, answering: ‘Without the love of Christ it is better for him not even to come upon earth.’ The hymns of the Church say: ‘Thou hast shown us a mighty steadfast love, O Lord, for Thou didst give Thine Only-begotten ...

We also encounter the presence of animals later, in ascetic literature. After the time of the persecutions, the figure of the ascetic began to appear. Ascetics were Christian hermits who chose a life dedicated to God and the ascetic struggle. For this reason, they made their way into neighboring deserts and, living in caves, spent their time in prayer, praise of God and daily asceticism. They understood the wild animals living in these inhospitable places to be instruments of the devil, as temptations aimed at deflecting the tenacity of the hermit. Of course, Platonism played an enormous role in this attitude, because it had affected the whole of human thought at that time. So wild animals were presented as passions ...

People enlightened by God say that when people take their last breath, their actions are tried in a pair of scales. If the right arm is weighted more heavily than the left, it’s clear that the dying person will yield their soul to the holy angels. If the arms are level, then certainly God’s love for us will prevail. Even if the scale dips a little to the left, the theologians say, God’s mercy will provide what’s needed. These are the three judgments of the Lord: the first is just; the second is merciful, the third is abundantly good. After these comes the fourth, when the sinful actions are much more serious. Then woe betide you. But this judgment is ...