You have a spiritual nature. The soul is the image of the Creator. Honor the image of God by being in agreement with all humanity.
Many wonder why and how monks can live a longer and healthier life, compared with the people of the world outside of Mount Athos.
Perhaps you are saying, “Why are the wicked joyful? Why do they live in luxury? Why do they not toil with me?”
We should have always room for one more. Perhaps this should be obvious but the hell of egotism in our minds teaches us that the state of necessity and war is an excuse for domestic tyranny.
We often conceive of worldly life as merely a kind of default existence that anyone who is not specially called to monasticism or ordination simply ends up leading. We assume that it is only the monk, nun or priest who has a special call, while the married woman, for instance, has merely been passed by.
A disciple once asked an elder: Well then, if a good man does not only suffer no evil by being killed, but actually gains a reward from his suffering, how can we accuse the man who has done him no harm but good by killing him?
Many times we yell at our children “do this” or “don’t do that” – but unfortunately the end results are not what we expected.
The devil says, “Your spiritual father is a sinner, so, don’t listen to him.”
Perhaps the greatest trial of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos happened when he was still a child.
Do not fall into despair because of stumbling. I do not mean that you should not feel contrition for them, but that you should not think them incurable. For it is more expedient to be bruised than dead. There is, indeed, a Healer for the man who has stumbled, even He Who on the Cross asked that mercy be shown to His crucifiers, He Who pardoned His murders while He hung on the Cross. ‘All manner of sin,’ He said, ‘and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,’ that is, through repentance.”
Great Schema Monks on Mount Athos have learnt a great deal from the Holy Fathers and their experiences. Likewise, they have learnt a lot from the humble mules which are used to carry loads of wood from the forests.
Now, it’s true that most people who don’t have much sense expect to be content with avoiding hell. But I say it’s a far worse punishment than hell to be excluded from the glory of the other world. I think that someone who has failed to reach it should be sorry, not so much because of the miseries of hell, but because of his rejection from heaven. For that by itself is more dreadful than any other kind of punishment.
He showed me many trees that had no leaves; they were withered, and they all looked alike to me. And he said to me, “Do you see these trees?” “I see, sir, that they are all alike, and all withered,” I replied. “These trees that you see,” he answered, “are those who dwell in this world.”
Do not fight to expel darkness from the chamber of your soul. Open a tiny aperture for light to enter, and the darkness will disappear.
During confession, especially one’s first confession – it is much better to list the sins in front of the priest – that is in front of God – and to seek His forgiveness in order to show your repentance.
Just as people do not enter a war in order to enjoy war, but in order to be saved from war, so we too do not enter this world in order to enjoy this world, but in order to be saved from it. People go to war for the sake of something greater than war.
Depression suppresses us from the lack of God’s grace in our heart and soul for without God nothing makes sense anymore, we lose our aim and purpose in life and since the result of God’s grace is love, happiness and peace, then that is why we fall victim to depression. Besides that we suffer from depression as a result of a cronical bad habit or because of the devil’s warfare of the thoughts which have succeeded to convince us that we are good for nothing and that nobody loves us.
Christ said: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The intervention of God in our life is shown by different signs. There are miracles which appear as an obvious surpassing of the natural law which God himself created.
The Lord looks at the inner depth of the heart, at what the heart longs for and what it desires. And if He sees that a soul cannot come home, the Lord will in His own time, cleanse it and draw it to the center and the soul will find peace. However, if in the innermost part of the heart there is something unclean, something that is attracted to this world and is bound to it, then our wandering will last a long time and we will endure much sorrow and suffering.
Orthodox religious thought lays the utmost emphasis on the image of God in the human person. Because one is an icon of God, each member of the human race, even the most sinful, is infinitely precious in God’s sight.
Prayer, patience, obedience, simplicity and toil are the key to making wonders.
Let us take care because the devil tries to steal from us one of the biggest gifts which we have from God: our present. He pushes us into the future with worries, plans and prophecies or throws us back into the past with memories, sentimentalism, sorrows and over-analysis.
There are many causes which generate sorrows and trials in our life. Besides that, their combinations can be quite complex, so we are in a labyrinth of factors.
Saint George is a great saint. He has two monasteries dedicated in his honor on the Holy Mountain (Zographou and Xiropotamou) and a lot of cells. Besides that he is the patron saint of England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Malta, the Spanish region of Catalonia and several other national states, cities, universities, professions and organizations which claim Saint George as their patron saint.
If you believe firmly that God cares for you, then you do not need to worry about the body, nor need you be concerned about discovering ways to conduct your life.
When Jesus is on the cross, he cries to God, “Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
The path to victory is like this: Struggle as much as you can and God will do as much as He can. You will not succeed but, if you have the conscience of your humbleness and you are open to Him, then He will take your failed effort as a concrete sign that you want the victory and then He will give it to you.
Trouble reminds the wise man of God, but crushes those who forget Him. So, whoever desires to eliminate future tribulations must bear present tribulations with joy.
Some Christians are far too focused on Hell. Some Christians are far too focused on Heaven. Instead, try focusing on bringing YOURSELF closer to God. Some Christians are far too focused on the past. Some Christians are far too focused on the Future. Instead,