In the end, we have one particular temptation which is constantly before us. This is why we shouldn’t want to know what other people are doing. If people come and talk to me about others, I’ll tell them to hold their tongues or I’ll get up and leave.
If God wants us to suffer, there’ll be some saving purpose behind it, which we mortals can’t foresee. But patience, forbearance and humility in the face of temptation will always, yes always, bring certain benefit.
Saint Neilos was born into a wealthy and illustrious family and was probably a pupil of St. John Chrysostom from as early as when the latter was preaching in Antioch. His birth and personal attributes were such that he was raised to the rank of prefect of the capital. The burdens of his office and the social life of the capital, however, conflicted with his desire for a more spiritual life. He therefore came to an agreement with his wife, by whom he already had two children, and both of them renounced the world. He and his son, Theodoulos, settled on Mount Sinai, while his wife and daughter entered a women’s monastery in Egypt. (This sounds strange to modern ears, ...
All believing Christians should be aware that Christ is in all other believers and we should have so much love for them that we’d be prepared to sacrifice our soul for their sake. We have no right to call other people bad, nor to think of them as such. Instead, we should think of them as good. If you see people troubled by the passions, don’t hate them, but hate the passions that are warring against them. If you see them suffering from wicked desires, feel even more kindly towards them, in case you yourself are tempted, since you’re vulnerable and prone to the entanglements of sin.
‘Since you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me’ In the parables which the Lord used, He said the phrase ‘the kingdom of heaven is like this’, that is, He compared the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, to a precious pearl, to a field, to a lost coin and so on. In today’s Gospel, however, He didn’t speak in a parable, but revealed a real state and also His true Self, when He said ‘when the Son of Man comes in His glory’, which means that the reading fully expresses the truth concerning our final judgement. God’s mercy and our charity One of God’s properties is His mercy. His mercy pursues us all the ...
God allows lots of unhappiness and disasters in the world so that those who suffer can be saved through patience, you on the other hand be will be saved by alms-giving. You can enter into the Kingdom of God without wretched trials, but never without generosity. It’s absolutely impossible to get even as far as the gate of heaven without alms-giving.
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Today's parable is so familiar to us that we may well not even notice its message. And it speaks to us of two things. It reminds us of the fact that a day will come when we will stand face to face with the Living God, and then judgment will come upon us. Not that God waits for us to judge and condemn our evil deeds; but when we will stand before God Who is all beauty, and discover how we have made ugly His image in us, when we will stand before God Who has loved us so much and realise how little love we have given ...
Think well of others. With your prayers, and through Christ, you have a beneficial influence on people. Don’t think badly of others, because then you have a bad influence on them.
So you should reflect on your sins and say ‘Glory to You, Lord, for You’re punishing me justly’. Recollect that, before, you’d forgotten God and say: ‘Glory to You, Lord, that you’ve given me cause and reason to remember You frequently’. Think about the fact that, if you’d been well, you probably wouldn’t have done anything good and say: ‘Glory toYou, Lord, for preventing me from committing sin’. If you deal with your sin in this way and with these thoughts, your burden will become very light. On the other hand, although illnesses are allowed by God, it’s no sin to try and cure them. Because both medical science and medications are also gifts from God to the human race. So ...
God allows punishment in order to head off approaching woes and to stop wickedness from increasing.
Since we don’t deal with our wickednesses, since we don’t weep over our dead selves, we can do absolutely nothing to put ourselves to rights and so we’re constantly concerned with our neighbours. And nothing angers God more, nothing strips us bare so completely and makes us feel abandoned as do gossip, criticism and condemnation of our neighbour.
The feast of the Reception of the Lord (Candlemas, the Meeting of the Lord) which we celebrated recently is held exactly forty days after the Nativity. The name in Greek means ‘meeting’, but not in the sense of a mere encounter. It’s more in the way of a welcome, that is, someone going out to receive another person, as Symeon is depicted as doing in icons of the feast. In the 6th century, February 2 was appointed as the day of the celebration by the emperor Justinian, and this date was chosen because it falls exactly 40 days after Christmas, which had been established in the 4th century as December 25. We draw our evidence for the Reception of the Lord ...
Pride is the most wicked passion and is the cause of many of our ills. It brings turmoil to everything, brings about schisms, overturns regimes, causes divisions, disturbs the peace of the world, and lies behind battles and wars. It’s the cause of all of our evils, and gives rise to insolence, lack of faith, hatred and contempt for others.
Strive for your salvation all together, not each separately. Struggle, triumph and don’t think you’re worthy or wise. Because if you do, you’re accusing God of being unkind and unwise.
If, out of love for God and a life of virtue, people aren’t overly concerned about themselves and believe that God will look after them, this trust in God’s providence is both real and sensible.
‘He became angry and did not want to go in’ The parable of the Prodigal Son, which is read in churches today, is held by commentators to be a pearl among the parables, or the ‘Gospel within the Gospel’. Some call it the parable of the Elder Son. Indeed, the attitude of the elder son when he returns and is told of the return of his younger brother is revealing. He didn’t want to go in and criticized his father for- supposedly- being unfair to him. The charge was based on the fact that he worked day and night and wasn’t rewarded commensurately, while the prodigal son spent his portion of the inheritance on harlots and, on his return was afforded ...
The Lord always seeks to find the proper intention in man for it is said that ‘Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians, 9, 7). He also urges: ‘Let your reasonableness be known to everyone’ (Philippians 4, 5) which has almost the same meaning. Our Church celebrates tomorrow the memory of St Agatha. Even though she was a young girl, she fought the good struggle so fiercely that she surprised even the Heavens so much that after her martyrdom an angel wrote on her tomb: ‘A voluntarily pious mind honored by the Lord, delivers the country’ ( Νούς όσιος αυτοπροαίρετος, τιμή εκ Θεού ...
If you’re bound, you can’t run. Nor is a mind that works like a slave for some passion or other capable of real prayer. Because it’s dragged here and there by its impassioned thoughts and can’t be still. You’ll never manage to pray purely if you’re involved with material things and are upset over continuous commitments. Because prayer means freedom from concern.
Greek Church music is a taste that many of those not born in Greece ever acquire. There are, however, some hymns which appeal more directly to non-Greek ears and this is one of them. In this version, sung by the nuns of the Holy Monastery of the Annunciation, Ormylia, Halkidiki, some of the verses have been omitted. The translation follows the abbreviated version used on this recording. Pure Virgin Mother, that which has been completed in you is incomprehensible to angels and mortals alike. Symeon the Elder cradles the Maker of the Law and Master of all. Wishing to save Adam, the Creator dwelt in the womb of the Pure Virgin. The whole race of mortals blesses you, Pure One, and glorifies you in ...
