Τι είναι η Εξομολόγηση;

ΠΡΙΝ ΤΗΝ ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ

Τι είναι η Εξομολόγηση;

Η Εξομολόγηση είναι ενα από τα βασικά μυστήρια της Εκκλησίας. Μας δίνει τη δυνατότητα νά «συμφιλιωθούμε» με τον Θεό, νά εξετάσουμε την πίστη και τη ζωή μας και νά εξασφαλίσουμε πνευματική υγεία. Είναι πράξη μετανοίας. Και μετάνοια σημαίνει αλλαγή του εαυτού μας, στροφή, μεταμόρφωση. Όταν αμαρτάνουμε απομακρυνόμαστε από τον Θεό. Όταν όμως μετανοούμε, ομολογούμε τις αμαρτίες μας και ζητάμε συγχώρεση, επιστρέφουμε σ' Αυτόν.

Η Εξομολόγηση μας απαλλάσσει από το βάρος της αμαρτίας. Επιπλέον μας δίνει τήν ευκαιρία νά συζητήσουμε τους βαθύτερους προβληματισμούς μας, νά δεχτούμε συμβουλές και νά ενισχυθούμε πνευματικά.

Πώς καθιερώθηκε; Μήπως πρόκειται για πρόσφατη επινόηση τών κληρικών;

Το μυστήριο καθιερώθηκε από τόν ίδιο τον Χριστό. Αυτός έδωσε στους Αποστόλους τήν εξουσία νά συγχωρούν αμαρτίες (Ιω. 20,23). Στή συνέχεια οι Απόστολοι μετέδωσαν τό χάρισμα αυτό στους επισκόπους και τους πρεσβυτέρους της Εκκλησίας. Έτσι, μέσω της κανονικής χειροτονίας διαιωνίζεται.

Είναι απαραίτητη η Εξομολόγηση για όλους;

Μόνο ένας αναμάρτητος δέ χρειάζεται Εξομολόγηση. Ο άγιος Ιωάννης ο Θεολόγος γράφει ότι όποιος θεωρεί τόν εαυτό του αναμάρτητο βρίσκεται σε πλάνη και μακριά από τήν αλήθεια (Α' Ιω. 1, 8). Αλλά και ο μόνος άναμάρτητος, ο Χριστός, δέχτηκε τό βάπτισμα της μετανοίας από τόν Πρόδρομο και έδειξε τήν αναγκαιότητα του μυστηρίου. Γι' αυτό η Εξομολόγηση αποτελεί αναπόσπαστο στοιχείο τής ορθόδοξης χριστιανικής ζωής.

Ποιος μπορεί νά εξομολογεί;

Όπως προαναφέραμε, η Εξομολόγηση γίνεται σε έναν πνευματικό. Δηλαδή σε ιερέα ο οποίος έχει επιλεγεί ειδικά γι' αυτό τό έργο. Χρειάζεται βέβαια να επικοινωνήσουμε μαζί του για να μας ορίσει τον χρόνο και τόν τόπο, εκτός και αν εξομολογεί σέ καθορισμένες τακτικές ημέρες και ώρες, οπότε δεν είναι απαραίτητη η προηγούμενη συνεννόηση.

Και ο πνευματικός έχει αμαρτίες!

Ο πνευματικός δέ συγχωρεί τις αμαρτίες μας με τή δική του αγιότητα ή δύναμη, αλλά με τή χάρη πού του δόθηκε από τόν Θεό· αυτός μεσολαβεί μόνο. ΤΙς δικές του αμαρτίες φροντίζει νά τις εξομολογείται και αυτός σέ κάποιον άλλον πνευματικό.

ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ

Που γίνεται η Εξομολόγηση;

Συνήθως η Εξομολόγηση γίνεται στο ναό. Μπορεί όμως νά γίνει και σέ κάποιο παρεκκλήσι ή άλλον χώρο. 

Πώς γίνεται;

Καθόμαστε αντικρίζοντας τις εικόνες και μέ τήν προτροπή του πνευματικού εξομολογούμαστε τις αμαρτίες μας. Μπορούμε επίσης νά συμβουλευτούμε τόν πνευματικό γιά κάποιο θέμα πού μας απασχολεί. Όταν ολοκληρώσουμε τήν εξομολόγηση γονατίζουμε και ο πνευματικός βάζοντας τό πετραχήλι (σύμβολο της ιερατικής λειτουργίας του) πάνω στό κεφάλι μας ζητά από τόν Θεό τήν άφεση των αμαρτιών μας. Φεύγοντας ασπαζόμαστε τό πετραχήλι και το χέρι του πνευματικού.

Τι πρέπει να πώ στην Εξομολόγηση;
Στην Εξομολόγηση εξετάζουμε τα αισθήματα, τις σκέψεις, τα λόγια, τις πράξεις, τη συμπεριφορά, τις συνήθειες, τις αξίες, τις προτεραιότητες, τους στόχους, την κατεύθυνση και τον τρόπο της ζωής μας. Δέν περιοριζόμαστε στην προσωπική μας πνευματική ζωή, αλλά συνεξετάζουμε τις οικογενειακές σχέσεις, τις κοινωνικές σχέσεις, την εργασία, ακόμα και τη διασκέδασή μας. Και αυτό επειδή όλη μας η ζωή πρέπει να φωτιστεί από το Άγιο Πνεύμα. Όχι για να καταδικάσουμε τον εαυτό μας, αλλά για να εξασφαλίσουμε τήν πορεία μας προς τον Χριστό. Μπορούμε λοιπόν να θέσουμε στην κρίση του πνευματικού ζητήματα που μας απασχολούν, ώστε νά πάρουμε αποφάσεις και νά κάνουμε επιλογές πού μας προάγουν πνευματικά αποφεύγοντας ταυτόχρονα άλλες που μπορούν να ζημιώσουν τήν ψυχή μας.

Δε σκότωσα, ούτε έκλεψα... τί νά εξομολογηθώ;
Όταν έχουμε τέτοια απορία, αποκαλύπτουμε ότι δε γνωρίζουμε τή διδασκαλία του Χρίστου. Επειδή ο Χριστός μας διδάσκει ότι και οί αμαρτωλοί λογισμοί ακόμα μας απομακρύνουν από τον Θεό. Επίσης, αμαρτάνουμε όχι μόνο όταν πράττουμε κάτι κακό, άλλα και όταν δέν εφαρμόζουμε τό καλό. Άραγε ποιος μπορεί νά ισχυριστεί ότι εκπληρώνει πραγματικά την εντολή της αγάπης και μάλιστα προς τους εχθρούς του;

Υπάρχει ένας εύκολος τρόπος εξέτασης του εαυτού μου σύμφωνα με τό νόμο του Θεού;
Υπάρχουν οι Δέκα Εντολές και η ερμηνεία τους κάτω από τό πρίσμα της Καινής Διαθήκης. Τό τελειότερο όμως και ακριβέστερο κριτήριο είναι η εντολή της αγάπης προς τον Θεό και προς τόν συνάνθρωπο. Σύμφωνα μέ τά λόγια του Χριστού, σ' αυτή τήν εντολή περιέχονται όλες οί άλλες εντολές (βλ. Ματθ. 22,40). Δε μπορούμε, για παράδειγμα, να αγαπάμε τόν Θεό και νά παραβαίνουμε τις εντολές Του. Ούτε γίνεται να αγαπάμε τους ανθρώπους και ταυτόχρονα να διαπράττουμε αδικίες σέ βάρος τους. Μάλιστα η γνησιότητα της αγάπης προς τον Θεό αποκαλύπτεται από την αγάπη προς τον συνάνθρωπο (Α' Ιω. 4,20). Έτσι, όταν αδιαφορούμε για τους άλλους ή τους κακομεταχειριζόμαστε, δείχνουμε ότι δεν έχουμε αγάπη προς τον Θεό. Περιφρονούμε την εντολή Του για την αγάπη προς τον συνάνθρωπο και δέ σεβόμαστε τά δημιουργήματα Του.

Μου φαίνεται δύσκολο νά μιλήσω για τόσο προσωπικά Θέματα. Αισθάνομαι ντροπή. Τί θα σκεφτεί ο πνευματικός;
Πρέπει νά βλέπουμε τό εξομολογητήριο σαν ιατρείο και τον πνευματικό σάν γιατρό. Για εμάς η Εξομολόγηση είναι θέμα ψυχικής -συχνά και σωματικής- υγείας. Για τον πνευματικό πάλι είναι κάτι τό συνηθισμένο. Δεν πρόκειται νά σοκαριστεί από τις δικές μας αμαρτίες. Σίγουρα έχει ακούσει χειρότερες. Εξάλλου, δεν είναι περίεργο η ντροπή, πού μας λείπει την ώρα της αμαρτίας, νά μας κυριεύει τήν ώρα της μετανοίας;

Φοβάμαι μήπως ο πνευματικός φανερώσει τις αμαρτίες μου.
Ο πνευματικός έχει ιερό καθήκον να τηρεί τό απόρρητο της Εξομολογήσεως, τό οποίο μάλιστα αναγνωρίζεται και από τόν νόμο. Σε περίπτωση παράβασης αυτού του καθήκοντος ελέγχεται από τόν Επίσκοπο του και τήν Εκκλησιαστική Δικαιοσύνη. Όπως αναφέραμε πρωτύτερα, τόν πνευματικό θα πρέπει νά τόν αντιμετωπίζουμε ως θεραπευτή. Έτσι χρειάζεται νά τόν περιβάλλουμε και με ανάλογη εμπιστοσύνη. Γιά τον λόγο αυτόν επιλέγουμε ελεύθερα και με δική μας ευθύνη τον πνευματικό, ώστε νά είναι πρόσωπο μέ πίστη και αρετή και νά έχει τήν καλή μαρτυρία των πιστών. Μάλιστα η παράδοση τής Εκκλησίας μας συνιστά τήν τακτική εξομολόγηση στον ίδιο πνευματικό και τήν αποφυγή της εναλλαγής του. Εξάλλου, έχει διαπιστωθεί ότι συνήθως εμείς οί ίδιοι γινόμαστε αιτία κοινοποίησης τής προσωπικής μας ζωής, όταν τήν εμπιστευόμαστε σε ακατάλληλα πρόσωπα, τά οποία δεν έχουν καν τήν ιδιότητα του πνευματικού.

Πώς πρέπει νά λέγονται οι αμαρτίες στον πνευματικό;
Αρκεί μία απλή, σαφής και σύντομη αναφορά. Δε χρειάζονται ούτε λεπτομέρειες (ιδιαίτερα για τά σαρκικά θέματα), ούτε μακροσκελείς εισαγωγές ή δικαιολογίες. Αν είναι απαραίτητο, θα ζητήσει ο πνευματικός περισσότερες πληροφορίες. Αυτό που σίγουρα χρειάζεται είναι ταπείνωση και συναίσθηση των αμαρτιών μας.

Τι μπορεί να μου πει ο πνευματικός;
Νά εξηγήσει τή σπουδαιότητα μιας αμαρτίας. Να συμβουλεύσει για τήν αποφυγή της. Νά δώσει απάντηση σε κάποιο ερώτημα που του θέσαμε.

ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ

Μετά τήν ευχή του πνευματικού έχουν συγχωρεθεί όλες οι αμαρτίες μου; Μήπως κάποιες θα πρέπει νά τις εξομολογηθώ πάλι;
Η ευχή του πνευματικού δίνει τήν άφεση όλων των αμαρτιών πού έξαγορεύσαμε. Συνεπώς τυχόν αμφιβολία μας για τό θέμα αυτό δείχνει έλλειψη πίστης στο μυστήριο και στή δύναμη του Θεού. Αν πάλι δέν αναφέραμε κάτι βασικό σε σχέση με κάποια αμαρτία, χρειάζεται τήν επόμενη φορά νά τό διευκρινίσουμε.

Αν ξεχάσω κάποια αμαρτία; Αν κρύψω κάποια από ντροπή;
Αν ξεχάσαμε κάτι και εφόσον δεν είναι σοβαρό, μπορούμε νά το αναφέρουμε στην επόμενη εξομολόγηση. Αν όμως παραλείψαμε κάποια αμαρτία εσκεμμένα, τότε δεν πρέπει να θεωρούμε ότι μας δόθηκε άφεση και δεν πρέπει νά κοινωνήσουμε, ακόμη και αν πήραμε την άδεια του πνευματικού.

Είναι απαραίτητη η Θεία Κοινωνία μετά την Εξομολόγηση;
Η μετάνοια δεν περιορίζεται στο μυστήριο της Εξομολογήσεως. Η «συμφιλίωση» και η ενωσή μας με τον Θεό δεν ολοκληρώνεται χωρίς τη Θεία Κοινωνία. Αύτη είναι ή μυστηριακή ένωση με τον Θεάνθρωπο Χριστό. Το αποκορύφωμα των μυστηρίων. Η Εξομολόγηση μας προετοιμάζει για τη Θεία Κοινωνία.

Μπορώ νά κοινωνήσω λοιπόν αφού εξομολογήθηκα;
Μετά τήν εξομολόγηση θα πρέπει νά ζητήσουμε από τον πνευματικό τήν άδεια νά μεταλάβουμε. Αυτός θά ορίσει τον χρόνο, τή συχνότητα και τον τρόπο της προετοιμασίας μας (νηστεία, προσευχή, συγχώρεση - συμφιλίωση με τους άλλους).

Όμως, τί νόημα έχει νά εξομολογούμαι τακτικά, όταν γνωρίζω ότι θά επαναλάβω τις ίδιες αμαρτίες;
Όπως κάποιος πού πάσχει από χρόνια ασθένεια δεν παύει νά προσπαθεί για τήν απαλλαγή του, έτσι και εκείνος πού επιθυμεί πραγματικά τήν πνευματική υγεία φροντίζει αδιάκοπα νά τήν αποκτήσει. Αυτός είναι ο πνευματικός αγώνας του ανθρώπου· η διά βίου μετάνοια. Το μυστήριο της Εξομολόγησης εξασφαλίζει ότι καμμιά αμαρτία δε μπορεί νά μας απομακρύνει από τό έλεος του Θεού. Μόνο η έλλειψη μετανοίας μπορεί νά μας καταδικάσει στην αίώνια στέρηση Του.

Σε έναν που είναι πιστός, ο διάβολος δεν έχει καμιά δύναμη

Σε έναν που είναι πιστός, εκκλησιάζεται, εξομολογείται, κοινωνάει, ο διάβολος δεν έχει καμμιά δύναμη, καμμιά εξουσία

Σε έναν που είναι πιστός, εκκλησιάζεται, εξομολογείται, κοινωνάει, ο διάβολος δεν έχει καμμιά δύναμη, καμμιά εξουσία. Κάνει μόνο λίγο «κάφ-κάφ» σαν ένα σκυλί που δεν έχει δόντια.
Σε έναν όμως που δεν είναι πιστός και του δίνει δικαιώματα, έχει μεγάλη εξουσία.
Μπορεί να τον λιντσάρη· έχει δόντια και τον ξεσκίζει. Ανάλογα με τα δικαιώματα που του δίνει μια ψυχή, είναι και η εξουσία του επάνω της.

(ΓΕΡΟΝΤΟΣ ΠΑΪΣΙΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΟΥ – ΛΟΓΟΙ Α΄ – ΜΕ ΠΟΝΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΓΑΠΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΣΥΓΧΡΟΝΟ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟ) 

http://iliaxtida.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/dnm/

The Story of Righteous John the Hesychast of Romania

 
By FR. LUKE
There have been people throughout history and across the world who have sustained themselves by God alone, having lived for years with neither food, shelter, nor clothing. We are far from the experience of such ascetics; however, stories of them reach us from time to time. The following account is a true story about an ascetic who lived alone in the forests of Romania until the 1950’s.
In the summer of 1945, I took my staff and went over the Mountain to Sihastria Monastery. I wanted to confess to Father Cleopas. When I crossed the ridge of the Mountain and had arrives at Sihastria Valley, at the edge of the clearing called ‘Trapeza’ there appeared before me the calm and holy face of an unknown hesychast. He was rather short of stature, with his head uncovered, dressed in a kind of long ryassa of wool, barefoot,..
Read more… and belted with a rope of hemp. He has neither a staff nor a bag, and in his hands he carried a prayer rope made by him from the hips of wild roses. He seemed to be waiting for me. When he saw me, he blessed me with both hands and said to me by name: “Father Theodulus, you’re going to Sihastria, to Father Cleopas? How many times have I also gone to Sihastria Monastery and stood in Church during the service, but no one saw me! I know that your holiness wishes to leave Agapia and go to Sihastria, but you shouldn’t go. Stay at Agapia Monastery and do your obedience there, since God did not send you to Agapia in vain. There is the salvation of your holiness!”
When I saw that he spoke to me by name and also knew my thoughts, a kind of fear and astonishment at first overwhelmed me, so that I was unable even to speak, especially because I didn’t know then who he was. But his words entered into my heart and filled me with great spiritual joy, such as I had never felt before. Then, taking courage, I asked him: “What is your name, Reverend Father, and how long have you lived in asceticism in these parts?”
“I am called John,” he answered me, “and I am from the Tighina region. I was Vicar Bishop in my youth. But, loving silence and prayer more, I left this high office, and hearing of the hermitages of Oltenia, in 1915 I came as a novice brother to Crasna Skete in Gorj County. The Abbot had me take care of the cattle of the skete. After some years he said to me: “Brother John, prepare yourself, because tonight we will make you a monk!” He wasn’t acquainted with my past life. Then I left everything and departed that night for the desert in the depths of the forest. Then hearing about the hesycasts in Maldavia, in 1920 I withdrew for good to the Sihla Mountains.”
After a short silence, the holy hesychast John added: “Father Theodulus, please bring me a packet of writing paper and a kilogram of ink.” “But what would you do with them, your holiness?” The good ascetic, however, pointing his hand to the branches of the fir trees said to me: “I only need nibs, for look how many pens God has given me!” “Where, exactly, and when should I bring you paper?” I asked him. “Don’t worry about that,” he answered, “the Lord takes care of everything!” “Your holiness, do you wish me to bring you also some dried bread or some other food?” “I don’t need anything, since, by the mercy of God, I have everything I need!” Then, kissing his hand, I said to him: “Bless me your holiness!” “May the Lord bless you, and forgive me!”
Therefore, when he had blessed me with both hands, I descended to the valley towards Sihastria, and he stood a moment leaning against a fir tree.. Then he disappeared like a dear into the depths of the forest and I say him no longer. An unspeakable joy rested in my soul. How many things would I not have liked to ask this great hesychast, but he didn’t want to disclose to me anything about his spiritual asceticism in the Sihla Mountains, nor even the place where he had his cave or earthen hut.”
After a month I took the knapsack on my back, and a staff, and went over the mountain towards Sihastria. I had business with Father Cleopas. On the road I prayed to meet the holy hesychast John so that I could give him the paper and ink. I also brought with me some dried bread for food. Who knows what he had to write! Perhaps some secret spiritual teachings; perhaps counsels about the Jesus Prayer, which he had acquired in his youth; perhaps some divine revelations; or perhaps about his own life.
When I reached Trapeza clearing, the holy hesychast John immediately appeared before me without my observing from which direction he had come. His face was white, luminous, and radiated a heavenly joy alien to ordinary men; and his heart overflowed with great peace and spiritual quiet. His body was covered by the same coarse clothing of wool, knit by his own hands. In his left hand he held a prayer rope of rose hips, and he always held his right hand on his chest as for prayer.
After I had kissed his hand and made a prostration to him, the holy John blessed me with both hands and kissed me on the forehead, and said to me: “Father Theodulus are you going to Sihastria? It is better for you to return to Agapia, since Father Cleopas, the abbot of Sihastria, is absent today. He was called to Neamt Monastery.” “Your holiness,” I said to him with emotion, “I brought you paper and ink. Here are also some nibs!” “Thank you Father Theodulus. I knew you would find them!” The he placed then in the knapsack which he had on his back. “I also brought you some food: bread, fruit, and a little wine.” “May God reward your love, Father Theodulus, but I don’t need anything, God takes care of me.”
I insisted in vain that he take something. He wouldn’t even look in the basket to see what I had brought him. But so as not to sadden me, the good soldier of Christ gave me this spiritual word:
“Father Theodulus, fasting is great profit for a monk. You should know that there are seven kinds of food for men, that is to say, seven degrees of fasting”
“A: Carnivores, who always eat meat. These are in the lowest degree of fasting, even if they sometimes restrain themselves from food. They are never able to advance in prayer.
“B: Lacto-vegetarians, who never eat meat, but only milk, cheese, eggs and all kinds of boiled vegetables. These are in the second degree of fasting, which is kept by Monks in coenobitic Monasteries and, very rarely, by laymen.
“C: Vegetarians, who eat only vegetables and boiled or raw legumes. This arrangement forms the third degree of fasting, and the most zealous monks of the common life keep it.
“D: Fruit-Eaters, who eat bread and uncooked fruits once a day, without otherwise ever tasting food. He who attains this degree of fasting is able to master his body and thoughts without difficulty and can advance rapidly on the path of prayer.
“E: Cereal-Eaters, comprise the fifth degree of fasting. To this degree belong monks – especially hesycasts and desert-dwellers – who eat once a day only black bread, cereals, and soaked grains of wheat, corn, millet, lentils, beans, peas, etc.
“F: Dry Food, is the sixth degree of monastic fasting, which is usually attainted only by the most zealous desert dwellers. Those who live in the this harsh asceticism eat only dried bread soaked in water, with salt or a little vinegar, once a day and by measure. This is how the hesycasts of the Nile valley lived.
“G: Divine Food or manna, is the last and highest degree of monastic fasting, which is attained by very few ascetics after prolonged asceticism, being strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit. These are satisfied with the Most Pure Mysteries alone, that is, with the Body and Blood of Christ, which they receive only once or twice a week, without tasting anything else but water only. After difficult temptations and asceticism, and by the Grace of God, I have come to be satisfied with the Most Pure Mysteries alone, and no longer feel hunger, or have need of bread or vegetables…’
“Behold, Fathers, to what measure of spiritual asceticism holy John had arrived. Then I asked him: ‘Your holiness, there in the forest where you live, aren’t you cold in winter?’ ‘Father Theodulus I am a citizen of the Carpathian Mountains, and the Lord takes care of me; for wherever he has found me, I have never lacked anything. I feel neither the cold of winter, nor the intense heat of the sun, nor hunger, nor thirst, nor any other earthly need!’ ‘Your holiness, I greatly wish to withdraw to Sihastria Monastery to be near monks! I would have more quiet there and time for prayer.’ He answered me, ‘If you were ordered by the metropolia to go to Agapia, be obedient since you were sent there by the will and command of God!’
“Observing then that the great hesychast didn’t want to talk long so as to interrupt the Jesus Prayer which he had in his mind and his heart, I thanked him from my heart for the counsels and profitable words he had given me. I made a prostration to him, kissed his hand, and asked his blessing to leave. And the holy Bishop John blessed me with the sign of the holy cross and said to me: ‘May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and forgive me!’
“Another year passed with troubles and trials enough. I didn’t hear any more about Bishop John. In the spring of 1946, my thoughts urged me to go for a few days for a retreat to Sihastria Monastery. I made the usual prayers for traveling, took my staff, and crossed the mountain with the thought that I would once more see the holy hesychast John. When I reached Trapeza clearing, the miracle happened for a third and last time. At the edge of the clearing his holiness John was waiting for me. The same luminous face, the same limpid and cheerful eyes, the same joy and spiritual peace in his soul, the same rough clothing of wool on his thin and elderly body. I made him the customary prostration and kissed his hand, and he kissed my forehead, and we both sat on the trunk of a fir tree blown down by the wind. Nothing earthly interested him. After some moments of silence his holiness said to me: ‘I would like to go back to my native village, to die there. We also have forests enough…’ ‘How can you go now, the nations still haven’t quieted down?’ ‘ I believe in God, that He will always cover me with His hand!’
“Then the Elder, seeing my sadness, strengthened me in hope and conselled me to have great care for the souls that had been entrusted to me at Agapia Monastery, that here will be my salvation. At the end, be blessed me with both hands and kissed me in the Lord. I made a prostration to him, and thus we parted, I with tears in my eyes. He withdrew to his greatly-desired desert, towards the Sihla Mountains, and I descended towards Sihastria. This was my last meeting with him.”
“Since 1946 I haven’t met him again. No one said any more about him. I thought he had departed to the eternal realms, from somewhere in the Sihla Mountains. After five years, however, I heard that a brother of Sihastria who kept the monastery’s sheep met him in the forests towards Chitele Mountain. Going to the pasture with the Sheep, he suddenly noticed that all the sheep had massed together and the dogs stood as if in astonishment. When he looked around, he saw an old monk with a white beard in their midst. It was the holy John! ‘Indeed, in what have I sinned today before God that I am revealed to men!’ the desert-dweller said to himself. Then he said to the brother who kept the sheep: ‘Brother Stephan, come here and don’t be afraid! I know that you confess to Father Elder Joel. But please don’t tell anyone that you me today!”
“Brother Stephan received the Mysteries one week and didn’t tell it to anyone. But his thoughts still urged him to tell it at confession to Father Joel. And the Elder, when he heard about this, immediately took some dried bread and food in a bag and walked through the forests around the monastery for a week with Father Bessarion, the abbot of Sihla Skete, hoping to meet with the holy John. But they didn’t meet him. Then, after a month or two, Brother Stephan was walking with the sheep through the forest, and all of the sudden he met John the Desert-Dweller. He was barefoot and with his head uncovered. He beckoned to him with his hand and said to him: ‘Brother Stephan, I asked one thing of you and you didn’t do it! Know that you will go into the army and will not return again to the monastery!’ And thus it was. The brother went into the army and remained in the world. From that time I have heard no more about holy John the Hesychast.”

The Holy Angels ( St Dimitry of Rostov )

The nine orders of the angels are divided into three heirarchies, each of which is divided into three orders: the highest, the intermediate, the lower.
The first hierarch, the highest and closest to the Most Holy Trinity, consists of the SERAPHIM, CHERUBIM, and THRONES.
The God-loving six-winged SERAPHIM stand closer than all before their Creator and Mker, as the prophet Isaiah saw, saying: “And the seraphim stood around Him, each having six wings” (Isaiah 6:2). They ar fire-like since they stand before That One of Whom it is written: “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:29); “His throne was a flame of fire” (Dan 7:9); “the appearance of the Lord was like a blazing fire” (Ex 24:17). Standing before such glory, the seraphim are fire-like, as it said: “Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire” (Ps 103:4). They are aflame with love for God and kindle others to such love, as i shown by their very name, for “seraphim” in the Hebrew language means: “flaming”.
After the seraphim, before the All-knowing God, Who resides in inaccessable light, stand the many-eyeed CHERUBIM in ineffable radiance. More than the other lower orders of angels, they are always radiant with the light of th knowledge of God, with the knowledge of the mysteries of God and the depths of His Wisdom; being themselves enlightened, they enlighten others. Their name “cherubim” in translation from the Hebrew language, means: “great understanding” or “effusion of wisdom”, because throught the cherubim wisdom is sent down to tohers and enlightenment of the spiritual eyes is given for the seeing of God and knowledge of God.
Thereafter stand the God-bearing THRONES (as St Dionysius the Areopagite calls them) before Him Who sits on the high and exulted throne, being named “thrones” since on them, as on inctellectual thrones (as writes St Maximus the Confessor) God intellectually resides. They are not called “God bearing” according to essence but according to grace and according to their office, as the flesh of Jesus Christ (as St Basil the Great writes) is called “God-bearing” according to essence since it was indivisibly united with God the Word Himself. The thrones are then called “God-bearing” not according to essence but according o grace, given for their service, which is mystically and incomprehensibley to bear God in themselves. Residing on them in an incomprehensible manner, God makes His righteous judgement, according to the word of David: “Thou hast sat upon a throne, O Thou that judgest righteousness.” (Ps 9:4). Therefore through them the justice of God is pre-eminently manifesed; they erve His justice, glorifying it and pour out the power of justice onto the thrones of earthly judges, helping kings and masters to bring forth right judgement.
Th middle hierarchy also consists of three orders of holy angels: the DOMINIONS, the VIRTUES, and the POWERS.
The DOMINIONS are so nemed because, being themselves free, they dominate over the rest of the angels which follow behind them. Having abandoned servile fear, as St Dionysius the Aeropagite says, they voluntarily and with joy serve God unceasingly. Also they send down power for prudent governing and wise management to authorities on the earth set up by God. Further they teach how to control the senses, how to subdue in oneself dissolute desires and passions, how to enslave the flesh to the spirit, and how to rule over one’s will and be above all temptations.
The VIRTUES, [the usual translation of the name of this order of angels as "virtues" is readily misleading if the old meaning of the word "virtue" as "power" or "force", especially as regards to divine beings (cf Oxford English Dictionary), is not remembered. Note of translator.] filled with divine strength, quickly fulfill the will of the All-High and Omnipotent Lord, strong and powerful. They both work very great miracles and send down the grace of miracle-working to God’s saints, who are worthy of such grace, in order that these may work miracles, such as heal every sickness and foretell the future. The holy virtues also help people laboring and those overburdened by the bearing of an obedience placed on them by someone – by which their names “virtues” is explained – and they bear the infirmities of the weak. They also strengthen every man in patience, so that he does not faint away in affliction but rather bears all misfortune with a strong spirit, courageously, and with humility, giving thanks for everything to God, arranging all for our benefit.
The POWERS are so called because they have power over the devil, in order to restrain the power of the demons, to repulse the temptations brought upon people by them, and to prevent the demons from harming anyone to the degree that they would wish. The powers strengthen the good ascetics in spiritual struggles and labors, protecting them so that they may not be deprived of the spiritual kingdom. They help thos wrestling with passions and vices to cast out evil thoughts and slanders of the enemy and to conquer the devil.
In the lowest hierarchy there are also three orders: the PRINCIPALITIES, the ARCHANGELS, and the ANGELS.
The PRINCIPALITIES are named thus because they have command over the lower angels, directing them to the fulfilment of divine orders. The management of the universe and the keeping of all the kingdoms and princedoms, of lands and all peoples, races and nations, is also entrusted to them since each kingdom, race and people have for themselves a special deeper and manager from the heavenly order called the principalities, for all their country. Further, the service of this angelic order (according to the explanation of St Gregory the Dialogist) consists in teaching the people to requite each person in authority according to his calling. Finally, the angels of this order raise worthy people to various honorable offices and direct them so that they take power not for the sake of their own gain and benefit, nor for the sake of love of honr and vain renown, but for the sake of honor from God, for the sake of spreading and augmenting of His holy glory, and for the sake of the benefit of their neighbors – as serving the general needs of all their subordinates.
The ARCHANGELS are called the great heralds of good news, announcing the great and most glorious. Their service (as the great Dionysius the Aeropagite says) consists in revealing prophecies, knowledge, and understanding of God’s will which they receive from the higher orders of angels and announce to the lower order, ie. the angels, and through them, to men. St Gregory the Dialogist says that the archangels strengthen people in the holy faith, enlightening their mind with the light of knowledge of the holy Gospel and revealing the mysteries of devout faith.
The ANGELS are the lowest of all the orders in the heavenly hierarchy and the closest to man. They aannounce the lesser mysteries and intentions of God and teach people to live virtuously and righteously before God. They are appointed to guard each of us who believe: they sustain virtuous people from fallen, and never leave us though we have sinned, but are always ready to help us, if only we ourselves want it.
All of the heavenly orders are also called by the common name “angels”. Although they have different names according to their situation and grace given by God (as seraphim, cherubim, thrones and the rest of the orders), yet all in general are called angels, because the word “angel” is not a denomination of essence, but of service, as it is written: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister” (Heb 1:14). But their service is different and not identical: each order has its own service; for the All-Wise Creator does not reveal the mystery of His design to all to the same degree, but from the one to the others, through the higher He enlightens the lower, revealing to them His will and commanding it to be as in the book of the Prophet Zachariah. There it is said that one angel, after conversing with the prophet, met another angel who ordered him to go again to the prophet and reveal the future fate of Jerusalem: “And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to thes young man (that is, the prophet Zachariah), saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of mena and cattle therein: For I, saith the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about” (Zach 2:3-5).
Deliberating about this, St Gregory the Dialogist says, “When one angel says to the other: ‘Run speak to this young man’ there is no doubt that certain angels send others, that the lower ones are sent, that the higher send” (St Gegory the Dialogist, Interpretation of the Gospels, #4).
We find exactly the same thing in the prophecy of Daniel, that one angel orders another to interpret the vision to the prophet. From this it is evident that angels of higher orders reveal the divine will and intention of their Creator to angels of the lower orders, that they enlighten them and send them to people.
The Orthodox Church militant, being in need of the help of the angels, celebrates the Assembly of all the nine angelic orders with a special supplication, as is fitting, on the eighth day of the month of November (Nov 21 OS) ie. the ninth month, since all these nine orders of angels will gather on the day of the Terrible Judgment of the Lord, which the divine teachers of the Church call the eighth day. For they say, at the end of seven thousand years will begin as if an eighth day, “When the Son of man shall in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him” (as the Lord Himself foretold in the Gospel – Matt 25:31). “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds.” (Matt 24:31), ie. from the East, West, North, and South.
The following is from the Minea of St Dimitry of Rostov

Overall Quality of Pregnant Woman’s Diet Affects Risk for Two Birth Defects

Stanford University School of Medicine
The overall quality of a pregnant woman’s diet is linked with risk for two types of serious birth defects, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. In the study, women who ate better before and during pregnancy gave birth to fewer infants with malformations of the brain and spinal cord, or orofacial clefts, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Prior research on diet and birth defects has generally addressed one nutrient at a time. For instance, the B vitamin folic acid has been shown to protect against brain or spinal cord malformations known as neural tube defects, which include anencephaly (a fatal defect in which the brain is lacking) and spina bifida (an opening in the spinal column). However, after fortification of the U.S. food supply with folic acid was implemented in 1998, these types of birth defects did not completely disappear. And other defects, including cleft lip and palate, remained a concern in the population. So scientists began examining other single-nutrient players in the diet-defect connection.

The new study took a different approach

“Our study showed for the first time that the overall quality of the diet, and not just a single nutrient, matters in terms of reducing the risk of birth defects,” said Suzan Carmichael, PhD, who is the first author of the study and an associate professor of pediatrics. The study was also the first to connect diet quality with reduced risk for cleft lip or cleft palate, she added.
“In the past, we’ve been trying to disentangle a particular nutrient from the composite diet. I think we’re wrong in that approach,” said Gary Shaw, DrPH, professor of pediatrics and the study’s senior author. “It would have been really nice to have the magic bullet against birth defects. Folic acid was the hope for a magic bullet, and it clearly made a difference, but only made some of the difference.”
The study, which will be published online Oct. 3 in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, asked women from 10 U.S. states to answer detailed questions about their eating habits immediately before and during pregnancy. The subjects included 3,824 women whose fetuses or infants had a neural tube defect or a cleft lip or palate, and 6,807 women with healthy infants. The researchers analyzed the diet information using two well-validated methods for scoring overall diet quality. One score measures how well the diet matches a Mediterranean pattern, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood and heart-healthy fat sources such as olive oil; the second score assesses similarity to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which emphasize low-fat, fiber-rich foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables and low intake of processed foods. The two scoring systems have much in common, with both awarding high scores for consumption of fruits and vegetables and low scores for foods that deliver unhealthy saturated fats, such as red meat or butter, for example.
To calculate the protection conferred by the healthiest diets, women were ranked by diet score and then divided into four comparison groups. The women with the highest scores (in the top 25 percent) were 36 to 51 percent less likely than those with the lowest scores (the lowest 25 percent) to have a pregnancy affected by anencephaly, depending on which dietary scoring system was used. Similarly, the women with the highest diet quality scores had approximately 24 to 34 percent protection against giving birth to a child with cleft lip. Higher diet quality was also protective against the other two birth defects that were studied — spina bifida and cleft palate — but results were not quite as strong.
“The take-home message from the current work is that diet matters,” Shaw said. “A better diet seems to make a difference in protecting against birth defects.”
The reason a generally healthy diet confers more protection against these birth defects than a single measure, such as folic acid supplementation, is still not known, the researchers said. However, there are several possibilities. For one thing, eating a variety of healthy foods doesn’t leave as much room in the diet for junk foods. Avoidance of unhealthy foods might explain some of the reduced risk.
Another possibility is that healthy foods are more than the sum of their nutrients.
“We may be capturing qualities of these foods that are beneficial to health but haven’t been measured in isolation,” Carmichael said. And the combinations of nutrients in such foods may also be important, she added. “In our bodies, nutrients interact. They don’t just act in isolation; they depend on each other.” So, for instance, eating fruits and vegetables that deliver several nutrients simultaneously may have greater benefits than consuming more of a single nutrient, she said.
It’s also possible that healthy diet is a marker for some other component of a mother’s lifestyle that protects against birth defects.
The researchers plan to extend their findings with future studies that examine the relationship between diet quality and other pregnancy outcomes, including other types of birth defects. They also hope to gain a better understanding of how a healthy diet exerts its protective effect.
In addition to Carmichael and Shaw, the Stanford team included Wei Yang, MD, a data analyst in pediatrics. The Stanford scientists collaborated with researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, the Utah Department of Health, Utah State University and the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. The California Department of Public Health provided data for the project.
The research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2011)

An elder teaches his disciple how to pray

It is not necessary to mention the many spiritual gifts one receives when talking to spiritual elders. It is self evident… We are talking about treasures whose huge benefit will only be revealed with the passing of time. At times like these, when we demolish rather than build spiritual values, all the more people recognize these assets and do not hesitate to seek spiritual fare derived from the experience of revered hermits. Thus we hear mellifluous words which truly ‘stick’ to the soul, calm and revive it. Nevertheless, whoever truly wishes to find such elders, may find them next to him. ‘Whoever seeks…shall find’… Then it is certain that he will gain a lot… What follows is a story of a disciple who visits his elder in order to receive the benefits from prayer.
Going to my elder’s cell today, I wanted him to speak to me about prayer, which is at the centre of a Christian’s spiritual life.
- ‘Bless me, my elder’.
- ‘May you have the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ…. Come… We will walk in the forest. Listen to the birds… how nicely they sing…Getting in touch with nature gives a different meaning to one’s life… You get in touch with God’s creation. You feel an immense peace in your heart and you think that the Lord is walking there beside you, just as in the Old Testament, where God was walking with Adam in Paradise. Everything here gives off the fragrance of the Lord’s presence. You may abandon yourself in the peaceful surroundings and begin looking for the Lord inside of you and all around you. You cannot resist praying passionately’.
‘Look how wonderful it is here! Come; let’s sit at this tree trunk. As you can see, I have made a small seat out of this trunk and I often use it to pray to the Lord. This tree is huge. It seems that it is touching the Heavens. I have named this place ‘Gethsemane’ to remind me of the garden where Jesus Christ prayed so fervently before His willing Passion. He was asking His Father to strengthen Him, in order to accomplish His mission on earth. Jesus Christ was always praying to His Father for the salvation of mankind’.
‘Come; free yourself from all your worries. This place is fit for prayer and silence. Wherever you are in the world, you ought to pray so that our Lord strengthens your life with the Holy Spirit. Let’s us pray to our Lord and thank Him for all the goods He has given to us’.
Some time passed… I was feeling utterly peaceful in body and soul. Everything inside me was shouting that this place was holy; that it was God’s place. I felt as if I was in a church. Everything was filled with divine grace. I felt that a kind of supernatural peace was touching everything inside me and outside of me; it was different from the peace of the forest. Our silence was covered by God’s presence.
Indeed how many spiritual gifts was the elder experiencing inside his own silence, having left the world? Indeed he was living in the light of the Lord and I was receiving illuminations from his prayer. I cannot remember how much time had passed… I did not dare break his silence.
He had closed his eyes and his face was perfectly peaceful. It was reflecting calmness, and peace, which was very striking. I tried to copy his posture. I closed my eyes and was reciting the prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner’.
Some time had passed. The elder nudged me and I opened my eyes. I saw his face illuminated and I experienced something with my entire being which I have never experienced before in my whole life. Then I heard his soft voice:
-‘I can see that you like it here!’
- ‘Elder, I noticed how easy it was for us to concentrate in prayer and abandoning ourselves to it’.
-‘Indeed, I am careful to keep my mind free from any care. When reverence descends on me my mind is forever thinking about the Lord and cannot live without Him. I do not feel right, when I am not praying to the Lord. I feel like the fish out of the water when I am not praying. That’s why I hurry to dive into the spring of prayer as soon as possible, in order to be able to breathe the Lord instead of air. I am craving for the Lord all the time and begging Him not to leave me alone ever. It is wonderful to be able to pray with our entire being and our prayer to be scented with thankfulness and supplication’.
-‘Elder, please, tell me. What is prayer to you?’
-‘A man without prayer, is lifeless. Prayer enables us to be near the Lord. Prayer is a humble deed in the face of the Lord; we are kneeling in front of Him in order to receive His mercy. Unless prayer becomes the centre of our existence, the arrogance of knowledge will carry us away and we will become poorer because divine grace will depart from us. As for me, prayer is the epicenter of my spirituality and I am in awe every time I prepare myself for prayer. I am praying to receive strength from His strength. We ought to be very warm towards the Lord at the time of prayer, since it ought to be regarded as the most important task of our entire lives. No time is more precious to me than the time I stand before the Lord with my eyes closed and wholeheartedly plead for His mercy. This is the time I talk with the Lord and His divine presence is something which my entire existence feels as real. This is the kind of prayer which sets our heart ablaze with divine passion and fills our soul with His wonderful peace; we are abandoning ourselves to a world without end’.
‘The person who prays is the one who hands himself over to the Lord and does not think about anything else but Him. The Lord is everything to him. He has dissociated himself from reasoning and has been attached to the Light of the Lord. The Lord’s Heavens will never open up to receive us unless we learn to pray more. Wishy-washy Christians are described by the insufficient time they devote to prayer. We are pitiful without prayer, even if we are the best orators in the world. With the silence of prayer we say more than with the best sermon. If our sermon is dead, i.e. devoid of prayer, it does not reach peoples’ hearts. If however, enough prayer precedes preaching then not only it will strengthen the speaker but it will also entrust spiritual gifts to the listeners’.
‘See? Many people wish to talk about God while they themselves have not managed to speak to Him. They talk about the Lord without experiencing the Lord’s love inside their hearts. They preach about spirituality without being bearers of the Holy Spirit. They are spiritually dead; their sermons are lifeless and do not touch peoples’ hearts. Never abandon prayer; preserve prayer in your heart if the Lord’s peace is to spread to the others around you…’
-‘Elder why is prayer so important for a Christian’s life?’
-‘My child, prayer ought not to be seen as a habit but as a force which warms your relationship with the Lord, since the Holy Spirit descends on us and rekindles our faith in Him. The more we pray the more we abandon our selfishness and abstain from the temptations of the flesh and from vanity. Strive to become a man of prayer. This is your only source of enlightenment and will enable you to attract the knowledge of God. Do not forget that St Paul was praying day and night; Daniel the prophet was praying three times a day despite his many duties. David the prophet was praying several times especially at night. Similarly Jesus, when He was on earth, He was constantly praying to His Heavenly Father. All Saints have devoted most of their lives to prayer because they knew that it was the strongest weapon in their spiritual life. During prayer, all our senses are concentrating on the Lord and are sanctified through the Grace of the Holy Spirit. You must use every means to increase the duration of your prayer. Do not regard this time as immaterial, because this is an indication that you are lukewarm. The time for prayer should exceed four hours a day. This ought to be your ‘me-time’, inside your room. You should bow when you pray to the Lord. The more prayer increases the more you will feel the divine flame encircle you and you become all on fire. You will live inside God’s Light. Those who pray this long and even more recognize the true value of prayer and will not part from it even for the sake of the whole world. Prayer is so sweet that it charms the mind and the soul’.
-‘Elder, how should I pray?’
-‘You should wake up early and pray to the Lord. The Lord ought to be the first One you will want to meet through your prayer as soon as you wake up. This desire should accompany you for the rest of your life if you wish to become special to the Lord and find favor in His eyes. You ought to look for Him day and night and never hesitate begging Him. You will then feel the freshness of prayer very strongly and you will not wish to part from it. Do you realize my child that these days Christians, as well as priests, do not get results in their everyday tasks because they have lost touch with prayer and are spiritually weak? They all preoccupy themselves with everyone else forgetting the Lord and their minds are forever preoccupied with worldly affairs. Priests have also lost Jesus’ simplicity and humility. The world is spinning away from God because the number of people who pray has decreased. The devil moves everywhere freely and has thousands of followers because people follow him. There are no models of praying people- men and women who will be preoccupied with the task of prayer without any hesitation. Prayer is what creates piousness in people. The devout person turns to prayer and devotes all his might to this task. He teaches people with his life. He wants the Lord to be near him to receive His blessings. We cannot live without prayer if we wish to live like true Christians. Jesus’ prayer creates saints. I beg you, do not be lazy. You ought to pray extensively to the Lord because prayer teaches love, patience, faith, goodness, silence, politeness and so many other virtues. Can you see how great the results of prayer for mankind are? Reduce your other duties and practice prayer. Do not find excuses to reduce the time of prayer because this comes from the devil. He finds myriad ways to prevent you from praying. You ought to prove how brave you are in this task. You will gain a lot spiritually. Become a man of God with your prayer. Very soon you will be transformed; at the same time you will be able to help many others who experience your way of life’.
-‘Elder, is it possible for those who live in the world to pray so much?’
-‘Yes, my blessed child, it is. As soon as we succeed loving the Lord with all our heart, everything becomes easy in our lives. We ought to live in order to pray and work for the Lord. We must not pay attention to secular matters but feel the strength of God’s love through our prayer. We ought to be captivated by prayer if we are to shine in our everyday lives. Its spiritual might removes every obstacle in our path, since prayer works for our salvation and for the salvation of those for whom we pray. Prayer works best when we practice it inside our heart. Love Jesus with your heart. When you pray give Him more love. Do not forget that God is love and communicates through love. The more you love Him, the more your heart opens up to Him and He blesses you. Try to show your love with your heart and not your brain. The Lord says: ‘Give me your heart’. The heart may cry but not the brain. Do not use your brain when you pray but your heart; the tears of your heart will reveal your love for Jesus. He, Himself cried during praying and His tears became like drops of blood; man cannot easily imitate this kind of prayer. You ought to try to entice your mind inside your heart before you start praying. You ought to prepare for this with total concentration and your mind ought to turn towards the Crucified Jesus. Ask for His mercy like the thief. Humiliate yourself with your prayer. Cry. Set your heart ablaze with love for the Lord. Crash your heart. Feel how wretched you are. Acquire spiritual zeal. Do not cease praying unless you have tears in your eyes. Then your heart will be flooded with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Know that the Lord is glorified and worshipped by His holy angels through pure prayer. Pure prayer is spiritual and not fleshly. How many people pray routinely, without love! Such prayers are not acceptable to the Lord’.

-‘Elder, what must we do to acquire pure and fervent prayer?’
-‘My child, pure prayer needs self denial. He who wishes to really pray ought to relinquish a lot of things surrounding him and replenish himself with God. He ought to abandon worldly affairs and anything which tarnishes his mind and soul. Fervent prayer only loves the Lord and detests anything else. It becomes a man’s breath. He regards the lack of prayer as damaging because he sees his soul wither without it. The soul weakens without the Lord’s strength and becomes lazy for spiritual matters. That’s why I insist that you ought to pray even more, in order to feel this strength inside you. You ought to devote more time for praying and get up early in the morning for it. Do not be in a hurry but devote this time to the Lord. You ought to be calm when you pray. You must devote a lot of time, several times a day, to practice careful praying. Learn that he who prays while still young and has cleansed his mind, receives many blessings from the Lord; the spiritual world opens up to him to such an extent that human reason cannot comprehend. He constantly lives inside the Lord and he is given spiritual authority to save lives, even those in Hell. His prayer is very effective and possesses divine power which destroys the demonic designs. He comes to know the spiritual state of other people and is informed about anything that is bothering him. But the most important fact is that the Lord is constantly talking to him and tells him anything relevant to his spiritual condition and reveals to him where he will be in Heaven. He is given divine protection which teaches him how to guard himself in order to advance spiritually and is told about his spiritual condition and how pleased the Lord is with him. He lives in a spiritual world which has nothing to do with the world as we know it. His spiritual state extends to territories blessed by the Lord. The Lord shows him Paradise and Hell and how one is pleased in Paradise and suffers in Hell. His prayer is pure; the Lord wishes him to pray even more because this prayer saves many people. He sometimes becomes the Lord’s counselor for human decisions. He pleases the Lord because the Lord loves him a lot and he loves the Lord a lot. His prayer attracts the angels and archangels who serve him; he tastes the fragrance of Paradise and of the heavenly realms’.
‘My blessed child, do not abandon prayer but seek it with all your might, body and soul. Learn how to pray with your heart so that you are set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. Come! Let’s pray to the Lord with our heart and let’s leave our soul to His divine bosom, so that He can protect us from all evil and sweeten us with His divine presence… Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us!’