Φιλία είναι αγάπη υγιούς ψυχής προς ψυχή επίσης υγιή. Η φιλία ως απόρροια υγιούς ψυχής είναι ιερή, αγνή, ακέραιη, πιστή, σταθερή, ειλικρινής, θαρραλέα, αληθινή, αιώνια. Η φιλία είναι αρετή, γιατί θεμελιώνεται στο ήθος και την καλή διαγωγή της ψυχής. Γι' αυτό και μόνο με την αρετή συνάπτεται και αυτής γίνεται εραστής και αυτήν αγκαλιάζει, μένοντας μαζί της πάντοτε. Η φιλία σαν αρετή, έλκεται από το όμοιο και αναπαύεται με τις συγγενείς αρετές. Είναι σύνδεσμος δύο όμοιων ψυχών. Είναι πάθος συνετής ψυχής και συνδέει τους φίλους με σφοδρή αγάπη. Συνδέει δε με πόθο τους ανθρώπους που έχουν από τη φύση τους την τάση να διασπώνται.
Η φιλία έχει σταθερό και ασυμβίβαστο ήθος. Είναι η φιλία ένα είδος ηθικής ευχαρίστησης, που κατευχαριστεί την ψυχή. Η φιλία υπομένει τα πάντα, συμπάσχουσα και συμπαραστεκόμενη.
Ο Αριστοτέλης έχει πει: "Φιλία είναι μία ψυχή που κατοικεί σε δύο σώματα". Η φιλία είναι πιο δυνατή από τη συγγενική αγάπη, διότι η μεν συγγενική αγάπη είναι έργο ανάγκης, η φιλία όμως βασίζεται στη θέληση. Η φιλία υπαγορεύει ευλάβεια προς τα ιερά των φίλων, αγνότητα στη συμπεριφορά, ακεραιότητα στα ήθη, πίστη στον χαρακτήρα, σταθερότητα στις αποφάσεις, ειλικρίνεια στους λόγους, θάρρος στο να ειπωθούν τα ορθά και ωφέλιμα και στο να λέγεται η αλήθεια.
Η φιλία είναι το στήριγμα για την ευτυχία δύο αγαθών ανθρώπων, γιατί μόνο μεταξύ αγαθών ανθρώπων μπορεί να αναπτυχθεί η αληθινή φιλία. Ο Πλάτων λέει: "Φιλία είναι η ομόνοια υπέρ των καλών και των δικαίων. Η θέληση για κοινό τρόπο ζωής, ίδιος τρόπος σκέψης και πράξης, ζωή με αρμονία και καλή διάθεση ώστε να υπάρχει ομόνοια, συνοδοιπορία τόσο στα ευχάριστα, όσο και στα δυσάρεστα".
Τρία είναι τα είδη της φιλίας: αυτή που βασίζεται στην αρετή, αυτή που θεμελιώνεται στο συμφέρον και αυτή που υπάρχει από συνήθεια. Άριστη όμως είναι η χάριν της αρετής φιλία, γιατί τη στερεώνει η αρετή της αγάπης."
Just as children cover a trap with soil, this is how the devil covers the sins with worldly pleasures and delights. You should learn his trickery well and search with precision. Thus, if you should come across anything which render profit to you, do not only look at it. Instead, search with great detail, just in case death and sin are hiding inside it. If you then see that they are found there, you should definitely avoid and refuse this profit. If you find yourself in amusement and pleasure, do not only see the pleasure, but be careful in case something illegal is hiding under its depths. Devil and Magic, by Hiermonk Benedict of Mount Athos
Ομιλία του π. Ανδρέα Κονάνου μέ τίτλο «Κύριε άκουσε τήν προσευχή μου» στό Σεμινάριο Ορθοδόξου Πίστεως.
- Η προσευχή στή ζωή των Αγίων
- Η σημασία της προσευχής γία τόν κόσμο
- Ο ρόλος της προσευχής στήν πνευματική ζωή ενός χριστιανου?
- Προϋποθέσεις κί εμπόδια γιά τήν προσευχή
- Πώς νά κάνουμε προσευχή
- Δάκρυα καί εμπειρίες στήν προσευχή
- Στάδια της προσευχής
Orthodox monasticism is inconceivable without its loftiest step - the Great Schema. The Holy Fathers of the Church regarded it as the culmination of monastic life. Monks find in the Great Schema the complete expression of their vocation - the attainment of the Gospel ideal of holy perfection. A man ascends to this level only gradually - according to his strengththrough life-long effort.
Monastic life elevates a monk to spiritual perfection in the spirit of Christ's love and, by living in this love, bears light and spiritual warmth to the world.
By withdrawing from the world, a monk does not express contempt for it, but, on the contrary, acquires a perfect love for the world, a pure love in Christ which is alien to worldly passions. By turning away from vanity the monk strives to perceive himsell and his impotence, and to fortify himself spiritually through prayer to God.
The Great Schema in the Orthodox Church requires the same traditional vows, plus special spiritual feats. "In the understanding of the Church, the Great Schema is nothing less than the supreme vow of the Cross and death; it is the image of complete isolation from the earth, the image of transformation and transfiguration of life, the image of death and the beginning of another, higher, existence."
As a monastic dignity, the Great Schema has been known since the 4th century. According to an ancient legend, this dignity was inaugurated by St. Pachomius the Great. However, as a form of monastic life, the Great Schema goes back to the origin of Christianity. Those who followed Christ's teachings on supreme spiritual perfection by voluntarily taking the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty were called ascetics to distinguish them from other Christians. They led a harsh and secluded hermit's life like St. John the Baptist, or like our Lord Jesus Christ Himself during his forty days in the desert.
By the 4th century, Christian asceticism had taken two forms-the anchoritic or hermitic, and the communal or cenobitic.
From ancient times the Holy Church has sanctified both forms of monasticism as equally valid in terms of their purpose-spiritual perfection. The difference between them lies not in their essence but in the nature of their activities; it is determined by the intentions and abilities of the monk, and, to a certain extent, by external circumstances.
Schema-nuns of the Korets Convent of the Holy ThrinityThus, the name of St. Antony the Great is linked with the isolated hermitic life, the so-called contemplative monasticism. On the other hand, the name of St. Pachomius, an ascetic of the same era (4th century), is associated with the appearance of communal monastic life-so-called cenobitism. It is evident from their lives how miraculously and providentially the two forms of monasticism were organized. The main vow, one that is common to both forms of monasticism, is that of obedience either to a starets (if the monk is leading a hermitic life) or to a hegumen (if he is living in a cenobitic monastery).
"A monk must frankly tell his starets how many steps he takes or how many drops of water he drinks in his cell, lest he thereby commit a sin," the spiritual fathers told the newly professed.
The Pule of St. Pachomius, which was revealed to him by an angel, defined monasticism in external terms and demonstrated the essence of monastic life. "Do not admit anyone to the performance of higher feats till three years have passed," the angel said. "Let him enter this domain only when he has accomplished some hard work."
St. Pachomius began his monastic path as a hermit. However, he saw in cenobitism a form of monasticism which affects more than hermitism a monk's spiritual life and promotes the perfect development of his soul's qualities.
According to the Rule of St. Pachomius, the act of acceptance into a monastery had three steps and consisted of (a) "temptation" (trial), (b) clothing, and (c) presentation to the starets for spiritual guidance. Each of the three steps undoubtedly had its own significance. They marked the beginning of the three stages in monasticism which have become deeply embedded in the life of the Eastern Church: first, the novice (or ryasofor); the second, the monk (known as inantiyniy or monk of the Lesser Schema); and the third, the monk of the Great Schema (or simply skhimnik).
