site logosite logo
  • The Spiritual Gift of the Day
  • Gallery
  • About
  • [RO]
SIDEBAR

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: avoid slander

0 comments
  • Love
  • Prayer
  • Slander
Dec 27 2019
Post's featued image.

Slander is a great evil. Just as the little rudder steers the whole ship wherever it wants, likewise the tongue leads a person either to good or to evil.

The holy fathers greatly censure judging other people’s sins, faults, or evil habits. When we judge our brother, we condemn ourselves to a great sin. But when we cover our brother, God will also protect us from great sins. When we expose our brother, we drive the grace of God away from us and He permits us to fall into the same sins so that we learn that we are all weak and that the grace of God supports us.

Whoever guards his tongue guards his soul from great sins and grievous falls. The chief cause of criticism and slander is pride and egotism, because one considers oneself better than the others. For this reason it is very beneficial for a person to think of himself as below everyone, so that he considers his brother than him in order that, with the help of God, he may be delivered from this evil.

If something pushes you to criticism in any matter regarding a brother or the monastery, try to pray about the matter instead, without passing it under the judgment of your reason. If you turn within yourself through prayer, humility, and mourning, you will find a spiritual treasure—just keep pride and criticism far from you.

Based on Elder Ephraim of Arizona

In the photo a pious monk which even if he doesn’t see very well, wants and tries to read the apostle during the Divine Liturgy. Vatopedi monastery, Mount Athos.

If you want to pray for you or to donate, click here.

Related Portfolio Items:

  • Elder Joseph Hesycast, Elders Daniil and Ephraim of Katounakia officially entered today in the Church's Calendar
    Elder Joseph Hesycast, Elders Daniil and Ephraim of…
  • The eight evil thoughts - Photo Journal from the feast of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Audio)
    The eight evil thoughts - Photo Journal from the…
« The mystery of the cat
The Top 10 Ascetic Posts for 2020 »

Submit a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Spiritual Gift of the Day

The photo is featured here as well as in the full portfolio and the spiritual subject categories so you can find the photos in any way you want.

Search

Popular Posts


Recent Posts

  • The mystery of the Holy Unction: Miracles
  • When will the trial we go through be over?
  • What Does the Bible Say About Doctors?
  • Saint Mary of Egypt and the Holy Communion
  • The types of sadness – photo journal from the Akathist Hymn
  • Who are the patron saints? (St. Charalampos, St. Corona, St. Nikephoros)
  • The Akathist Hymn: ode to the Invincible General
  • Which is the Beginning of the Gospel?
  • Prophecies about the pandemic – Photo journal with a great schema service
  • Fear: how to deal with it

Categories

  • === Body ===
    • Avarice (Love of Money) and Self-Imposed Poverty
    • Baptism, Tonsure, and Funerals
    • Gluttony and Fasting
    • Motivation, toil, diligence and laziness
    • Obedience
    • Renunciation of the world
    • Sleep and vigil
    • Vices and virtues
    • Victory over death
  • === Heart ===
    • Anger, Meekness, Simplicity and Innocence
    • Dispassion
    • Faith, Anxiety, Uncertainty and Cowardice
    • Insensibility (Death of soul)
    • Joy, mourning and joy filled mourning
    • Love
    • Passion, purity and chastity
    • Patience, trials and peaceful living
    • Remembrance of death
    • Repentance
    • Stillness of body and soul (Hesychia)
  • === Mind ===
    • Despair and Discouragement
    • Discernment, Experience and Enlightenment
    • Humility, pride and unclean thoughts
    • Justice, lying and patience in injustices
    • Prayer
    • Remembrance of wrongs
    • Slander
    • Tradition, learning and education
  • === Other ===
    • Informational
    • Miracles
    • Mount Athos
  • ==== Authors ====
    • Abba Efprepios
    • Abba Isaiah
    • Abba Sisoes
    • Abbess Gavriïlia
    • Abbess Makrina
    • Abraham Lincoln
    • Aimilios Polygenis
    • Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
    • Alexandru Mironescu
    • Ancient Patericon
    • Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana
    • Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev
    • Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papadakis
    • Archimandrite Gabriel Dionysiates
    • Avva Agathon
    • Barbara Johnson
    • Bishop Nektary Kontzevitch
    • confessor Răducă Marin
    • Diadochos of Photiki
    • Dimitrios Panagopoulos, preacher
    • Edsger W. Dijkstra
    • Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra
    • Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos
    • Elder Arsenie Boca
    • Elder Arsenie Papacioc
    • Elder Charalambos of Dionysiou
    • Elder Cleopa Ilie
    • Elder Ephraim of Arizona
    • Elder Ephraim of Vatopaidi
    • Elder Georgios Kapsanis
    • Elder Ilarion Argatu
    • Elder Ilarion of Kalamitsi
    • Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
    • Elder Philotheos Zervakos
    • Elder Tadej Vitovnički
    • Elder Thaddeos of Vitovnica
    • Elder Zacharias of Essex
    • father Dumitru Staniloae
    • father Elias Minjatios
    • Father George Calciu
    • Father Seraphim Rose
    • Father Stephen Freeman
    • Father Vasileios Kalliakmanis
    • Father Vasileios Thermos
    • Fotis Skhinas
    • Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    • Gerontissa Philothei of Karea
    • Ioan Ianolide
    • Ken Kesey
    • Kostas Nousis
    • Metropolitan Amphilochios of Montenegro
    • Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol
    • Metropolitan Augustinos (Kantiotis) of Florina
    • Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patra
    • Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos
    • Metropolitan of Diokleia Kallistos Ware
    • Nele Weduwen, Postgraduate student at Theology
    • New Testament
    • Old Testament
    • Patriarch of Constantinople Gregory V
    • Paul Saffo
    • Prof. Georgios Mantzaridis
    • Protopresbyter George Metallinos
    • Protopresbyter John Romanides
    • Robert Capa
    • Saint Ambrose of Optina
    • Saint Anthony the Great
    • Saint Apostle Paul
    • Saint Barsanuphius of Optina
    • Saint Barsanuphius the Great
    • Saint Basil the Great
    • Saint Cyril of Alexandria
    • Saint Diadochus of Photice
    • Saint Dionysius the Areopagite
    • Saint Dorotheos of Gaza
    • Saint Dyonisius the Aeropagite
    • Saint Ephraim of Katounakia
    • Saint Ephraim the Syrian
    • Saint Gennadius of Constantinople
    • Saint George Karslidis
    • Saint Gregory of Nyssa
    • Saint Gregory Palamas
    • Saint Gregory the Sinaite
    • Saint Gregory the Theologian
    • Saint Hesychius the Priest
    • Saint Ignatios of Antioch
    • Saint Ignatius Brianchaninoff
    • Saint Isaac the Syrian
    • Saint Isidore of Pelusium
    • Saint John Cassian
    • Saint John Chrysostom
    • Saint John Colobus
    • Saint John Jacob of Hozeva
    • Saint John of Damascus
    • Saint John of Kronstadt
    • Saint John of the Ladder
    • Saint John the Prophet from Gaza
    • Saint John the Russian
    • Saint John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco
    • Saint Joseph the Hesychast
    • Saint Justin Popovich
    • Saint Luke of Crimeea
    • Saint Makarios
    • Saint Mark the Ascetic
    • Saint Maximos the Confessor
    • Saint Moses of Optina
    • Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis
    • Saint Nektarios of Aegina
    • Saint Nicholaos Velimirovich
    • Saint Nicodemus the Athonite
    • Saint Nikephoros the Leper
    • Saint Nikodimos the Athonite
    • Saint Nikon of Optina
    • Saint Paisios the Athonite
    • Saint Peter of Damaskos
    • Saint Philaret of Moscow
    • Saint Poimen the Great
    • Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalivia
    • Saint Porphyrios the Athonite
    • Saint Seraphim of Sarov
    • Saint Silouan the Athonite
    • Saint Simeon the New Theologian
    • Saint Sophrony of Essex
    • Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki
    • Saint Symeon the New Theologian
    • Saint Thalassios the Libyan
    • Saint Theophan the Recluse
    • Saint Theophylactos of Ochrid
    • Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
    • Seneca
    • Soren Kierkegaard
    • Stanislav Lem (Solaris)
    • Theodoros Kolokotronis
    • Valeriu Gafencu

Archives

  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014

The images are copyrighted.
SHARE, don't steal!
Contact us.
Get it on Google Play