- Γέροντα, γιατί πολλοί άνθρωποι, ενώ πίστευαν, έχασαν την πίστη τους;
- Αν δεν προσέχει κανείς στα θέματα της πίστεως και της λατρείας, σιγά-σιγά ξεχνιέται και μπορεί νά γίνει αναίσθητος, νά φθάσει σέ σημείο νά μην πιστεύει τίποτε.
- Μερικοί, Γέροντα, λένε οτι ή πίστη τους κλονίζεται, όταν βλέπουν να υποφέρουν καλοί άνθρωποι.
- Ακόμη κι αν κάψει ό θεός όλους τους καλούς, δεν πρέπει νά βάλει κανείς αριστερό λογισμό, άλλα νά σκεφθεί πώς ό Θεός, ο,τι κάνει, οπό αγάπη το κάνει. Ξέρει ό Θεός πώς εργάζεται. Γιά νά επιτρέψει νά συμβεί κά ποιο κακό, κάτι καλύτερο θά βγεί.
- Γέροντα, σήμερα ακόμη και τά πιστά παιδιά άμφιταλαντεύονται, γιατί στά σχολεία υπάρχουν καθηγητές πού διδάσκουν την αθεΐα.
- Γιατί νά άμφιταλαντεύωνται; Ή Άγια Αικατερίνη δεκαεννιά χρονών ήταν και διακόσιους φιλοσόφους τους άποστόμωσε μέ την κατά Θεόν γνώση και τήν σοφία της. Ακόμη και οι Προτεστάντες τήν έχουν προστάτιδα τής επιστήμης.
Στα θέματα τής πίστεως και στα θέματα τής πατρίδος δεν χωράνε υποχωρήσεις· πρέπει να είναι κανείς αμετακίνητος, σταθερός.
- Γέροντα, παλιά προσευχόμουν με πίστη στον Θεό και ο,τι ζητούσα μου το έκανε. Τώρα δέν έχω αυτήν την πίστη. Που οφείλεται αυτό;
- Στην κοσμική λογική πού έχεις. Ή κοσμική λογική κλονίζει τήν πίστη. «Έάν έχητε πίστιν καί μή διακρίθήτε, πάντα όσα έάν αίτήσητε εν τη προσευχή πιστεύοντες, λήψεσθε», είπε ό Κύριος. "Ολη ή βάση εκεί είναι. Στην πνευματική ζωή κινούμαστε στο θαΰμα. "Ενα σύν δύο δέν κάνει πάντα τρία- κάνει και πέντε χιλιάδες και ένα εκατομμύριο!
Χρειάζεται καλή διάθεση και φιλότιμο.
Γιατί, αν ό άνθρωπος δέν έχει καλή διάθεση, τίποτε δέν καταλαβαίνει. Νά, και γιά τήν Σταύρωση τοϋ Χριστού, τόσες λεπτομέρειες είχαν πει οι Προφήτες - μέχρι και τί θά κάνουν τά ιμάτια Του, τί θά κάνουν τά χρήματα της προδοσίας, ότι θά αγοράσουν μ' αυτά τόν αγρό τοϋ Κεραμέως, γιά νά θάβουν τους ξένους -, άλλα οι Εβραίοι πάλι δέν καταλάβαιναν. «Ό δέ παράνομος Ιούδας ουκ ήβουλήθη συνιέναι»...
Γεροντας Παϊσιος
Ρώτησε ένας αδελφός τον αββά Ποιμένα: «Εάν δώ κάποιο σφάλμα του αδελφού μου, είναι καλό να το σκεπάσω;» Κι ο Γέροντας απάντησε: «Όποια ώρα σκεπάσουμε το σφάλμα του αδελφού μας,
σκεπάζει και ο Θεός το δικό μας.
Και όποια ώρα θα φανερώσουμε του αδελφού το σφάλμα, θα φανερώσει και ο Θεός το δικό μας».
Aββάς Ποιμένας
For most of us who are serious about our spiritual life, we feel we have a good degree of self-control. We are able to follow the regular fasts and other Traditions of the Church. We don't seem to have any major sins. This is a good condition, but also one where we need to be especially vigilant. The passions that do remain can become seen as frivolous or insignificant. But these are like the glowing embers of a fire that is about to go out. At any time a wind can come along and restart an immense blase and even start a whole forest on fire. Each glowing ember needs to be attended to to prevent the danger of a major forest fire. Every passion, no matter how slight, needs to be attacked.
Saint Theophan advises us in this way,
No matter how small or weak a passion appears, it is necessary to regard it as if it were the largest and most powerful.How do we respond then to the passions that we seem to regard lightly as we become more spiritually mature? One thing we cannot do is ignore them and surely if we do they will eventually flame up and possibly destroy us.
Saint Theophan says that we have to get very angry at them and treat them with hostility.
Try to stir up anger within yourself against it as quickly as possible. This anger is a firm rejection of the passion. The passionate cannot be sustained unless there is sympathy for it, but any sympathy is destroyed by anger, and the passionate will leave or fall away at the first manifestation of it. Here is the only case where anger is permissible and useful.The Prophet David told us, "Be angry, and sin not (Psalm 4:5).
Saint Paul says, "Be angry and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26).
It s important to always be on the lookout for the work of our passions. It is as if there are terrorists lurking about who want to destroy us. They may be silent and not too visible but we must always be on the lookout and ready to act with quick and firm action against them. Do not delay in action against them when you see even the slightest action of a passion. Your sympathy towards it will only lead to its growth and the potential of a raging fire that you cannot put out.
Saint Theophan says,
Self-indulgence still lives concealed within even long after we have obviously renounced and devoted ourselves to God... Thus, it is necessary to reject this sympathy and stir up anger... As son as you realize a passion's belligerence, get angry at it in a very obvious way.
Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 233-236
We are constantly called to be watchful because our passions are ever active, lurking to arise when we least expect. This war we are engaged in is a spiritual war. The challenge is to not let our passions have any air or food. If we were not successful in our watchfulness, we can starve them with external actions. This is always a challenge, but the approach is one of using our will to deny the passion what it desires. When we deny them, we starve them of food and air and they die. We should learn to combine our inner efforts with external efforts.
Saint Theophan tells us that one kind of active warfare against our passions is to carry out actions that are directly opposed to them.
He writes,
For example, to suppress stinginess, it is necessary to become generous; to combat pride, it is necessary to choose humbling occupations; to combat carousing, one must stay at home; and the like. It is true that one such mode of action does not lead directly to the goal, because the passion, enduring external constraint, may erupt inwardly--either the same passion, or some other in its place. When inner and spiritual warfare are united with this active combat, however, they soon defeat any passion against which they are directed together.This means we must learn to be watchful of our inner thoughts as well as take direct wilful action to counter the rise of a passion. Both are useful in our spiritual effort to control our passions.
Ordering our life is one important aspect of the Orthodox way of life. We need to choose our friends, our work, our activities, and so forth so that we do not allow ourselves to be tempted in ways we cannot control. We need to make changes in how we live to increase activities that are the opposite of the passions we encounter repeatedly. With a balanced life, when we do experience a passion coming forth, we can have the poser of our will to aggressively oppose it with opposite action. Do this and you will find you will make progress in overcoming the passion that haunts you.
Remember, passions are what lead us into sin and separation from God. As we learn to conquer them we develop a more virtuous life and our prayer life becomes more effective. God will send more grace that will aid us in this battle. Slow down and order your life so that you can overcome all your passions and come closer to God at all times.
"Since this habit has acquired power over your heart through frequent repetition of certain actions, which satisfy the passion dwelling in the heart, opposing it in the heart is not enough to weaken and destroy this power; you must use actions which are contrary to the former ones, actions opposed to the passion, smashing and destroying it. - Unseen Warfare
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“Each person must bear the weaknesses of others. Who is perfect? Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled? Hence, we are all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that he himself is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another sick person.”
-Elder Ephraim of Philotheou & Arizona
http://frmilovan.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/we-are-all-sick/
