If you cannot endure insults — be silent, and you will become calm. Do not imagine that you are suffering more than others are. Just as it is impossible for a person living on earth to avoid breathing, so is every person living in this world cannot avoid experiencing sorrow and sickness. Being engaged with earthly matters, we experience sorrow from the earthly, while those that strive toward the spiritual, suffer spiritually with their soul. However, the latter would be blessed because their spiritual fruits in the Lord are abundant. (Ephraim of Syria)
28. If sorrow has arrived, expect the arrival of happiness. Let us take the example of those sailing on the sea. When a storm arises, they battle with the waves, waiting for calm weather; and when calm weather arrives, they prepare for storms. They are constantly vigilant, so that the sudden arrival of wind does not find them unprepared by capsizing the vessel. We should also act likewise: when sorrow or a difficult situation arises, let us expect alleviation and assistance from God, so as not to be oppressed by the thought that we have no hope of salvation. (Ephraim of Syria)
28. Everything is from God — good and sad. One is from benevolence, while the other is because God allows it to happen. From benevolence — when we live virtuously, because it pleases God that we adorn ourselves with crowns of patience; by God’s permission — when we sin and are brought to our senses; from God’s will — when we do not improve even after being enlightened. God providentially punishes us sinners so that we would not be condemned with the world — as the Apostle states: "But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11:32). (Ephraim of Syria)
Ο Γέροντας αγαπούσε να εργάζεται και δεν σταματούσε καθόλου στις ώρες πού επέτρεπε το πρόγραμμα. Το εργόχειρο μας τότε ήταν σταυρουδάκια σκαλιστά, τα οποία σκάλιζε με μεγάλην ευχέρεια και ταχύτητα, αφού εμείς ετοιμάζαμε το ξύλο. Έμενε μόνος του στο καλυβάκι πού του χτίσαμε μακρύτερα από μας, κι εμείς πηγαίναμε να τον βρούμε το μεσημέρι και μετά φεύγαμε ο καθένας μόνος του.
Το μέρος εκεί ήταν απόμερο και ήσυχο, αλλά ήταν πιο εκτεθειμένο στους καιρούς. Έτσι, το κρύο ήταν περισσότερο, ώσπου τον πείσαμε να του βάλουμε λίγη θέρμανσι με καμμιά σόμπα. Πήρα, εγώ ο ευτελής, τα μέτρα και ετοίμασα τα υλικά, για να την φτιάξω με λαμαρίνα απ'; έξω και μέσα χτιστή με πηλό. Ετοιμάστηκα για την επομένη, όπως του έταξα αποβραδίς, και το πρωί μάζεψα τα εργαλεία μου και τα υλικά και πήγα κάπου εκεί κοντά να την φτιάξω και να την τοποθετήσω μετά. Έβαλα μετάνοια, όπως πάντα, και άρχισα με καλό καιρό, γιατί δούλευα έξω στο ύπαιθρο.
Μόλις μέτρησα και έκοψα τα εξαρτήματα και άρχισα να δουλεύω, χάλασε απότομα ο καιρός. Μετά, εύρισκα μια παράξενη δυσκολία σε ο,τιδήποτε και αν επιχειρούσα να κάμω. Φυσούσε ένας παράξενος αέρας, πού δεν είχε κατεύθυνσι προς κανένα σημείο, μόνο σήκωνε τα πάντα κατ'; επάνω μου και μου 'φερνε στο πρόσωπο ο,τιδήποτε βρισκόταν στον τόπο: λαμαρίνες, σανίδες, παλιόχαρτα και άμμο. Παραδόξως μου έφευγαν τα εργαλεία και κατρακυλούσαν μακριά χωρίς λόγο, διότι ο τόπος δεν ήταν παντελώς κατωφερής. Τα καρφιά στράβωναν χωρίς λόγο, με την παραμικρή πίεσι, έσπαζαν τα τρυπάνια, άλλαζαν τα σχέδια μου, πού τα είχα μετρημένα και κομμένα με ακρίβεια.
Στην αρχή δεν υπελόγισα τίποτε και βιαζόμουν να επαναφέρω τα πράγματα στην ταξί και να συνεχίσω. Σε λίγο όμως το πράγμα έγινε πολύ αισθητό, ότι κάτι συνέβαινε. Σταμάτησα λίγο όμως, γιατί είχα κατασυντρίψει κυριολεκτικά και όλα μου τα δάχτυλα, και μια παράξενη ταραχή μέσα μου, μου προκαλούσε οργή, σύγχυσι, ανυπομονησία. «Περίεργο πράγμα, λέω, κάτι συμβαίνει»! Εν τω μεταξύ και ο καιρός επεδεινώθη, πού με ανάγκασε να διακόψω, και πήγα στον Γέροντα. Αυτή η κατασκευή απαιτούσε δυο με τρεις, το πολύ, ώρες δουλειά και πέρασαν περισσότερο από έξι ώρες, χωρίς να έχω κάνει τίποτα.
Τότε θυμήθηκα κάτι πού μου είχε πη ο Γέροντας το πρωί, όταν ξεκίνησα, και δεν το έλαβα υπ' όψι. «Άντε να δούμε, μου είχε πη, θα κάμης τίποτε σήμερα;». Εγώ δεν έδωσα σημασία στο νόημα αυτών των λέξεων, αλλά σκέφτηκα πώς το είπε για να με ταπείνωση ίσως, γιατί ήξερα αυτή τη δουλειά. Μάλιστα φιλοδοξούσα να τελειώσω και συντομώτερα καν επιτυχέστερα, για να τον αναπαύσω, και με την κρυφή χαρά πώς μας επέτρεψε να του βάλωμε θέρμανσι και αυτό θα το έκανα μόνος μου εγώ!
Πήγα, λοιπόν, του χτύπησα την πόρτα και μου άνοιξε. Μόλις με είδε ταραγμένο, άρχισε να γελάη.
«Γέροντα, λέω, τι συμβαίνει εδώ; και γιατί μου είπες το πρωί σαν πρόρρησι, αν τελειώσω';; Αφού ξέρεις πώς για μένα τούτο ήταν παιχνίδι». «Εσύ τι συμπέρανες πώς ήταν», μου είπε χαριεντιζόμενος. «Πειρασμός, του είπα, σατανική ενέργεια». «Αυτό ήταν, μου απάντησε. Και άκουσε να μάθης το φαινόμενο σε σένα μυστήριο. Το βράδυ στην προσευχή μου, όταν τελείωσα και ήθελα να ησυχάσω, είδα τον σατανά και απειλούσε να μου κάμη εμπόδια και πειρασμό στην απόφασί μου, πού είχα προγραμματίσει. Κι εγώ είπα στον Χριστό μας- 'Κύριέ μου, μη τον εμπόδισης, για να του δείξω πώς σε αγαπώ και θα υπομείνω το κρύο, όσο επιτρέψης Εσύ'. Και αυτός ήταν ο λόγος, παιδί μου, πού έγιναν όλα αυτά, για να μην έχω σύντομα θέρμανσι, καθώς σεις επιθυμούσατε να μου ετοιμάσετε».
Εγώ, ο μάρτυς αυτού του δράματος, όταν άκουσα αυτή την λεπτομέρεια και τα μυστήρια της κρυπτής προνοίας, με τα οποία λειτουργεί ο πνευματικός νόμος, έμεινα κατάπληκτος και εν σιωπή μονολογούσα· «Μέγας ει, Κύριε, και θαυμαστά τα έργα σου και ουδείς λόγος εξαρκέσει προς ύμνον και δόξαν των θαυμάσιων Σου»! Το γεγονός αυτό με βοήθησε να καταλάβω τη δύναμι του λόγου των Γερόντων, πού κατά τον αββά Ποιμένα και τον αββά Δωρόθεο- κρύβουν μέσα τους δύναμι και ενέργεια της χάριτος, σαν δείγμα της προσωπικής των καταστάσεως και πείρας.
Γέροντας Ιωσήφ ο ησυχαστής
Κάποιοι, τρία χρόνια μετά, τον προτρέπανε να φτιάξει ένα καλό Ηγουμενείο, γιατί λείπει στη Μονή. Και τους ξένους, από διάκο μέχρι πατριάρχη κι από κλητήρα μέχρι υπουργό, συνήθως τους δεχότανε σε μια στενή, απέριττη και χωριάτικη τραπεζαρία, εκεί που τρώγανε και τρώνε οι μοναχοί. Ένα δωμάτιο με λίγες καλές καρέκλες επάνω, είναι κι αυτό ανεπαρκές. Δεν του άρεσε η ιδέα του μεγάλου Ηγουμενείου και, όταν τον πίεσαν, τα είπε κάπως αυστηρά:
–Άκουσε. Εγώ ούτε ηγουμενεία ζήλεψα, ούτε δόξα ζήλεψα, ούτε κτίρια, ούτε τιμές. Ζήλεψα τον παράδεισο! Ο άγιος Δαβίδ, που ζούσε στα σπήλαια και στις ερήμους και δεν είχε αυτά, τι έκανε; Με την απλότητα και την ταπείνωση κέρδισε τον παράδεισο. Διάβασες σε κανένα Βίο αγίων ότι φτιάξανε το τάδε ηγουμενείο, το τάδε κτήριο και κερδίσανε τον παράδεισο; Αλλά έκαναν θυσίες, προσευχές, νηστείες, χαμαικοιτίες και τέτοια. Είχαν αρετές, μ’αυτές κερδίσανε τον παράδεισο. Εγώ θέλω τουλάχιστον μια γωνία στον παράδεισο, σε μια άκρη…
Και όμως χρήματα θά’βρισκε για το Ηγουμενείο… Το ταγαράκι στεκότανε πάντα στη θέση του, πάντα γεμάτο:
–Έρχονται, έλεγε, οι φτωχοί μου και λέω και τους δίνω. Και κείνο δεν αδειάζει. Γυρίζω και το βρίσκω ξεχειλισμένο.
Για να μην ξεχνάει τις πολλές περιπτώσεις, που έκρινε ότι πρέπει να στέλνει χρήματα, είχε καταλόγους. Τους βρήκαμε στο κελάκι του μακαριστού γέροντα. Κι επειδή χρειάζονταν μεγάλα χρηματικά ποσά, έλεγε σε προσκυνητές, ευκατάστατους, με τρόπο γενικό:
–Τα χρήματα δεν τα δίνει ο Θεός όλα για τον εαυτό μας.
Και το θαυμαστό ήτανε ότι το ταγαράκι τις περισσότερες φορές γέμιζε χωρίς ο ίδιος να βάζει μέσα κάτι, Δεν μπορούσε μάλιστα να το βλέπει γεμάτο. Ήξερε πολύ καλά ότι για να γεμίζει μόνο του, εκείνος πρέπει να δίνει.
Φώναξε μια μέρα τον π. Π. και του έδινε πολλά χρήματα για κάποιον που έκανε εγχειρήσεις στο εξωτερικό. Ο π. Π. υπενθύμισε ότι «πριν λίγες ημέρες δώσαμε» και ότι ακόμα είναι νωρίς για νέα προσφορά.
–Αυτά που στείλαμε τελείωσαν. Ξέρω εγώ τι σου λέω. Το σακούλι μου πάλι γέμισε. Τι να τα κάνω; Πέντε δίνω, πενήντα έρχονται…
Γέροντας Ιάκωβος Τσαλίκης
You must humble yourself before everyone and regard yourself as worse than anyone. If we did not commit an offence that had been perpetrated by others, then it may be that we did not have the opportunity, or the situation and circumstances were different. While in every person there is something good and kind, all we normally see are their iniquities and do not notice anything good in them.
To the question that can one wish for spiritual perfection, the Starets answers: "Not only can you wish but you must endeavour to perfect yourself in humility, that is, to regard yourself in your heart that as lower than every human being and every creature. It is natural and essential that a sinful human humbles himself. If he doesn’t, then he will be humbled by circumstances, arranged thoughtfully for the benefit of his soul. During times of good fortune, he usually ascribes it to himself, to his puny strength and so called authority, but as soon as some type of misfortune befalls him, he asks for mercy and from an imaginary enemy.
The Starets also related how fortuitous circumstances humble a person: "Once, a person organised a luncheon and dispatched his servants to invite his guests. Confronted by a rather careless-looking servant, one of the invited guests asked of him: ‘Don’t tell me that your master could not find a better-looking servant than you?’ To which the servant replied: ‘The handsome servants he sent to the handsome guests and me, he sent to your lordship.’"
Starets Ambrose further instructed his students on humility: "Once, a visitor called on Father Superior Moses, and not finding him home, went to see his brother Abbot Anthony. During their conversation, the visitor posed the question: "Tell me batushka, what type of precepts do you maintain?" Fr.Anthony answered: "I had many precepts: I lived in the desert and monasteries and they all had different rules. Now there remains only one endeavour left: ‘God have mercy on me.’"
Batushka also recounted how "One woman kept wandered here and there, to Kiev then to Zadonsk, and one starets told her: ‘All this is of no benefit to you. Sit in one place and utter the Wise Thief’s prayer.’"
Elder Ambrose of Optina
When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented.
Having accepted anything Godly, the heart of a Christian does not demand outside persuasion that it is from the Lord, but becomes convinced through the act itself that this acceptance is something heavenly, because he feels the spiritual fruits in himself: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23). But if the devil were to transform himself even into an angel of light (see 2 Cor. 11:14), or presented thoughts of the most worthy appearance, the heart still would feel some sort of doubts, trouble in its thoughts and disturbance of feelings.
The devil is like a lion, hiding in ambush (Ps. 9:29). He secretly sets out nets of unclean and unholy thoughts. So, it is necessary to break them off as soon as we notice them, by means of pious reflection and prayer.
During the singing of psalms, feats and great vigilance are demanded for our mind to be in conformity with our heart and lips; for otherwise stench is added to the incense in our prayers. For the Lord disdains a heart with unclean thoughts.
Let us continually, day and night, fall before the face of the goodness of God with tears, that He purify our hearts of any evil thought, so that we might worthily bring Him the gifts of our service. When we do not accept the evil thoughts put in us by the devil, we perform a good deed.
The unclean spirit has a strong influence only on the passionate; but those purified of passions he touches only indirectly and externally. A person in his youth cannot avoid being disturbed by physical thoughts. But he must pray to the Lord God, that the spark of depraved passions dies out at the very beginning. Then the flame within him will not become more intense.
- Αλήθεια, τι βιβλία διαβάζεις;
- Δεν έχω καμία ιδιαίτερη προτίμηση. Τα διαβάζω όλα.
- Βίους Αγίων διαβάζεις;
- Έχω διαβάσει πάρα πολλούς. Και μου αρέσουν πολύ!
- Να διαβάζεις όλους τους βίους των Αγίων. Εγώ τους έχω διαβάσει όλους και πολλούς τους έχω διαβάσει δύο και τρεις φορές. Και σαν μου τύχει κανείς, ευχαρίστως τους ξαναδιαβάζω. Από μικρό παιδί διάβαζα τους βίους των Αγίων και με βοήθησαν πάρα πολύ να γνωρίσω το Θεό και να έλθω πιο κοντά Του. Το ίδιο να κάνεις κι εσύ. Θα έχεις μεγάλο ψυχικό όφελος, γιατί σιγά- σιγά θα αρχίσεις να τους μιμείσαι. Το ίδιο να λες να κάνουν και οι άλλοι.
- Την Καινή Διαθήκη τη διαβάζεις;
- Την Καινή Διαθήκη δεν την έχω απλώς διαβάσει , αλλά την έχω μελετήσει και μάλιστα με πολλή προσοχή! Και συνεχώς κάνω επανάληψη.
- Σωστά πράττεις! Να τη διαβάζεις πολύ. Είναι πηγή ανεξάντλητη! Και όσο τη διαβάζεις ,τόσο περισσότερο υπεισέρχεσαι στη σοφία του Θεού! Να προσπαθείς κάθε βράδυ να διαβάζεις έστω μία σελίδα.
- Το ίδιο μου έχει υποδείξει να κάνω και ο πατήρ τάδε.
- Σε καθοδήγησε ορθά. Τις πράξεις των Αποστόλων τις διαβάζεις;
- Τις διαβάζω και μου αρέσουν πολύ. Εκεί που δεν τα πάω καθόλου καλά, είναι η Αποκάλυψη του Ιωάννου.
- Γιατί; Η Αποκάλυψις είναι όλο σοφία! Είναι το παν.
- Γιατί, όλο για «σφραγίδες» και «σαλπίσματα» ομιλεί και εγώ δεν τα πολυκαταλαβαίνω! Είναι πολύ δυσνόητα!
- Άμα τη διαβάσεις πολλές φορές και με πίστη στο Θεό, θα δεις πως η Θεία Χάρη θα σου τα φανερώνει όλα και θα σου φανούν, μετά, όλα πολύ εύκολα! Θα το διαπιστώσεις και μόνος σου πολύ γρήγορα. Η σοφία του Θεού δεν έρχεται μόνη της. Πρέπει εμείς να τη ζητήσουμε.
Διάβαζε λοιπόν. Διάβαζε όσο μπορείς την Αγία Γραφή και τους βίους των Αγίων. Αυτό σου συνιστώ.
Αγιος Πορφύριος
In former days, the Holy Fathers first withdrew into the desert, becoming themselves a desert void of their passions by struggling. Without plans or programs of their own, they left themselves in the hands of God, avoiding honors and power, even when they arrived at measures of sanctity — unless Mother Church had need of them. They did obedience to the will of God, and they glorified the name of God with their holy life. They became spiritual blood donors, for they had acquired good spiritual health in the desert with good spiritual food and vigilant patristic watchfulness.
In our day, however, many of us, who are unfortunately influenced by worldly love, which can make no spiritual pledge, supposedly venture to do good, to donate blood, but our blood is full of spiritual bacteria and we do more harm than good.
If, however, we were living patristically, we would all have spiritual health, which even all the heterodox would envy, leaving their sick delusions aside to be saved without preaching. Now, however, they are not moved by our Holy Patristic Tradition, for they want to see how we continue the Patristic Tradition, to see our true kinship with our Saints.
Unfortunately, in our day, words and books have multiplied and experiences have diminished, because the worldly spirit, which pursues all conveniences and avoids all bodily effort, influences people. Most of us find rest in much reading but little or no implementation. We simply marvel at the holy athletes of our Church without realizing how much they’ve labored, for we have not toiled so as to be able to understand their toil, to love them and to struggle out of philotimo in order to imitate them.
Those, however, who struggle with philotimo and do not give themselves rest, removing their egos from every one of their actions, help very positively. For only then are the souls in need of help given rest, and only then will their own souls find inner rest, in this life as well as in eternity.
Those who pursue power while being overpowered by passions, who pass off their personal interests as spiritual, and who resort to worldly authorities in order to solve their ecclesiastical problems are left abandoned by the Grace of God....
When someone tries to settle ecclesiastical matters in an Orthodox way, but his goal is to better establish himself, how can he be blessed by God?
Neither should anyone be impressed by those who settle ecclesiastical matters exceptionally well — even "orthodoxically" — if these same people are not well situated in the life of the Church, but rather trouble Her with imprudent excessiveness or frivolity.
The two extremes always weary Mother Church, as well as those who hold to them, because the two extremes as a rule stab one another... . In other words, it is as if the one extreme is held by a possessed man who is spiritually insolent (and feels contempt for everything), and the other extreme is held by a madman who is childishly zealous with narrow-mindedness. God forbid — these two ends could strike at one another continually and no one could find an "end to it all."
Those who are able to bend these two extremes and make them unite, will be crowned by Christ with two imperishable crowns.
We should neither create problems in the Church nor magnify the minor human disorders that occur, so as not to create greater evil and make the wicked one rejoice.
He who is irritated about a minor disorder and abruptly rushes to ostensibly correct it (with vehemence and petulance) resembles the light-headed sacristan who sees a candle dripping and abruptly dashes to fix it, stumbling over people and candlesticks, and thus causing an even greater disorder during the Divine Service.
Unfortunately, in our day, there are many who weary Mother Church. Among these, those who are educated have grasped the dogma with their mind and not with the spirit of the Holy Fathers.
Others, who are unlearned, have grasped the dogma with their teeth, which explains why they grate their teeth when discussing ecclesiastical themes. Hence it is that they cause more serious harm to the Church than the enemies of our Orthodoxy.
There are people who justify their wickedness by examining others and not themselves, or by publicizing predicaments of the Church to the world — even things that should not be said in public — using as a pretext the "tell it unto the church" (Matthew 18:17) of the Gospel. Let them do this first for their small church, their family, or their brotherhood; if they think this is good, let them then disgrace Mother Church as well. Good children, I believe, never accuse their mothers. Unfortunately, however, many inconsiderate people offer a wealth of live ammunition to heretics, enabling Jehovah’s Witnesses and other heretics to seize Orthodox cities and villages and expand their missionary work.
It is well known to discerning spiritual fathers that this demonic practice (namely, deriding the clergy and the Church) has turned many people into Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is also known to the whole world that not even one Jehovah’s Witness has become Orthodox thanks to this un-Orthodox practice.
The Good God, on the other hand, endures us lovingly without ridiculing anyone, even though, as the Beholder of hearts, He knows our pitiful state well. The same thing applies to Saints who never insulted a sinful person in the presence of others, but with love, spiritual nobility, and in a hidden way, helped in the correction of the evil. We, notwithstanding the fact that we are sinners, do the opposite (like hypocrites).
Only a man possessed by a demon is justified to mock people in the presence of others and tell them about their past (inasmuch as the demon has rights, of course), in order to make weak souls falter. The unclean spirit, naturally, does not reveal people’s virtues, but only their weaknesses. Those who are liberated from their passions, however, since they no longer possess wickedness, correct the evil by their kindness. If sometimes they see a little uncleanness that is not easily cleaned, they cover it up with a plate, so that others who might see will not be disgusted by it. Those, on the contrary, who re investigate the rubbish, resemble scavengers…
An honest and straightforward person is neither he who speaks the truth to your face nor he who publicizes it, but rather he who has love, lives a true life, and speaks with discernment, when he should, saying the right word at the right time.
Those who admonish others without discernment are spiritually darkened and hardened and haplessly view people as lifeless logs. And, although they hack at them unmercifully, and the people suffer, they rejoice over the "rectangle" they’ve made out of their lifeless logs (cubism!).
Those who rush to play the role of the spiritual father, while still being filled with many spiritual toxins, resemble the unripe, sour quince fruit: no matter how much sugar one adds, sufficient sweetness cannot be produced, or if it is produced, it quickly turns sour. Sweet words and great truths have value when they come out of truthful mouths and find a place within good-intentioned souls and those great people who have pure minds.
The internal purity of the true man’s beautiful soul beautifies his external person as well, and the divine sweetness of God’s love sweetens even his countenance. The internal beauty of the soul, apart from spiritually beautifying and sanctifying man externally, with Divine Grace revealing him to others, also beautifies and sanctifies the ugly clothes the graced man of God wears.
Of greater worth is the blessed man who has changed internally and been sanctified also externally, than those who continually change externally (their clothes) but internally maintain the old man with his "antiquated" sins.
Of greater value is one word of a humble man who has spiritual experience, coming with pain from the bottom of his heart, than a whole array of learned words from a superficial man, coming with great speed from his learned tongue. His tongue does not enlighten souls for it is fleshly and not that fiery tongue of Holy Pentecost...
Elder Paisios
