Γιατί Γέροντα ενώ πολλές φορές έχουμε νιώσει την παντοδυναμία του Θεού, δεν βλέπουμε την πρόνοιά Του για μας;
Είναι παγίδα του διαβόλου. Ο διάβολος ρίχνει στάχτη στα μάτια του ανθρώπου, για να μη δη την πρόνοια του Θεού. Γιατί, όταν δη ο άνθρωπος την πρόνοια του θεού, θα μακλακώση η γρανιτένια καρδιά του, θα γίνη ευαίσθητη και θα ξεσπάση σε δοξολογία, και αυτό δεν συμφέρει στον διάβολο.
Γέροντας Παΐσιος
Pride is a denial of God, an invention of the devil, contempt for men. It is the mother of condemnation, the offspring of praise, a sign of barrenness. It is a flight from God's help, the precursor of madness, the cause of downfall. It is the cause of satanic possession, the source of anger, the gateway of hypocrisy. It is the fortress of demons, the guardian of sins, the source of hardheartedness. It is the denial of compassion, a bitter Pharisee, a cruel judge. It is the foe of God. It is the root of blasphemy.
St. John Climacus
Οι δοκιμασίες κάνουν καλό. Μη φοβηθείς. Ό Χριστός μας σαράντα μέρες αγωνίσθηκε στην ερημον, αλλά έπειτα Άγγελοι τον υπηρετούσαν. Είναι πολύ στοργικός ο Χριστός μας. Συχνά, για ωφέλειά μας, επιτρέπει και δυνατή λύπην. Για λίγο νοιώθουμε πώς μας εγκατέλειψε, αλλά μετά επειδή λυπάται, μας αγαπά, μας πνίγει το έλεος Του, ή στοργή Του.
Μη φοβηθείς ποτέ, μόνον αγάπα τον Χριστό μας.
Γέροντας Ιερώνυμος της Αιγίνης
Μαθαίνουμε από τον Συναξαριστή του Αγίου Δημητρίου του Μυροβλήτου (26/10), ότι υπήρχε κάποιος ονόματι Ονησιφόρος, στον τάφο του Αγίου, ο οποίος είχε την διακονία να ανάβει και να σβήνει τις λαμπάδες και τα κεριά που έφερναν οι Χριστιανοί μπροστά στην εικόνα του Αγίου, όταν πήγαιναν να προσκυνήσουν. Εκείνος λοιπόν, βιαζόταν και τα έσβηνε πριν αυτά καούν επαρκώς. Μια νύκτα, φάνηκε σε αυτόν στον ύπνο του ο Άγιος και του είπε: "Γνώριζε Ονησιφόρε, ότι αυτό που κάνεις δεν μου αρέσει. Γνώριζε επίσης ότι με αυτόν τον τρόπο και τον εαυτόν σου βλάπτεις, αλλά και εκείνους που φέρνουν τα κεριά και τις λαμπάδες. Γιατί, όσο περισσότερο καίγονται οι λαμπάδες μπροστά από τις Εικόνες, τόσο περισσότερο καίγονται οι αμαρτίες εκείνου που με πίστη τις φέρνει. Όταν όμως τις αφαιρούν, και εκείνος ο οποίος τις φέρνει, χάνει τον μισθό του, και εκείνος που τις αφαιρεί θα έχει κόλαση στην ψυχή του". Ο Ονησιφόρος, δεν έδωσε και πολύ σημασία, αλλά πράγματι σταμάτησε για λίγο καιρό να βιάζεται να τις σβήνει. Μια νύκτα, κάποιος Χριστιανός, πήγε δύο πολύ ωραίες λαμπάδες και αφού προσκύνησε παραμέρισε λίγο να προσευχηθεί και μετά έφυγε. Τότε ο Ονησιφόρος πήγε να τις σβήσει, επαναλαμβάνοντας δηλαδή αυτή του την κακή συνήθεια. Τότε, αμέσς ο Άγιος του είπε με φοβερή φωνή: "Πάλι τα ίδια άρχισες Ονησιφόρε;". Αμέσως τότε από τον φόβο του, έπεσε ο Ονησιφόρος λιπόθυμος και μόλις ήλθε πάλι στον εαυτό του, μετανόησε για την πράξη του και έκτοτε δεν την επανέλαβε, αλλά και μάθαμε την ωφέλεια που προκύπτει από μια τόσο απλή και ευλαβική πράξη, που όταν γίνεται με πίστη, έχει τεράστια δύναμη.
(εκ του Μεγάλου Συναξαριστού της Ορθ. Εκκλησίας, Ματθ. Λάγγη)
The Lord loves us as His children, and His love is stronger than a mother’s love, because even a mother can forget her child, but the Lord never forgets us. And if the Lord Himself had not given the Holy Spirit to the Orthodox people and our great pastors, then we could never know how much He loves us.
Elder Siluan
Note: Fr Athanasios, whose name in the world was Nicholas, was Elder Joseph's brother, ten years younger...
Because Fr. Athanasios was busy every day carrying supplies, he would return at odd hours. Geronda (Elder Joseph) built a tiny little hut for him outside their enclosure so that he wouldn't disturb the others when he returned. In this minuscule hut there was a wood stove and two planks for a bed. There was barely enough room left for him to do prostrations. When Fr. Athanasios would return from his errands exhausted, he would first fulfill is spiritual responsibilities and then fall asleep flat on his face. While he was asleep, many times he would be touching the stove, which was lit in winter, but his clothes never caught fire! God protected him.
Once when he entered his hut to rest, he saw a viper. He indifferently said to it, "If you want, bite me!" and then laid down to sleep! The viper left. This person lived miraculously; God's grace saved him.
There were three cisterns, and one of them was used only for watering plants because the water was so filthy. Snakes and rats would fall in it, and later the fathers would pull out their skeletons. Even so, Fr. Athanasios drank water from there! The other fathers told him, "Don't drink that water, Father. It's dirty!"
He replied: "This is what the rabid god (referring to himself) should drink! Nothing bad will happen to me."
He drank water that the others were disgusted to use even for washing their clothes.
Once he went to the distant Gournoskiti because he wanted to get some grapes from the vineyards there. On his way back, he passed the ridge of Mount Athos and loaded himself with vegetables at Konstamonitou Monastery. Then he took two other paths and gathered more provisions. Finally, he set off for his hut with a gigantic sack and various other bags hanging from his belt and arms. Not even mules were loaded up as he was. When he reached the port of St. Paul's Monastery, he saw a ferryman with his son and asked them, "Where are you going, captain?"
"I'm going to St. Anne's Skete."
"Can you take me along, too?"
"Sure."
When he sat down in the boat, all sweaty with the sack still on his back, he thought to himself, "I had better not take off the sack because I'll catch a cold. I'll just leave it on my back."
Since he was tired and sleepy, he soon dozed off. When the boat suddenly jerked, he fell into the sea along with his sack! Even though he had been in the navy, he had never learned how to swim. "Oh, no!" the ferryman's son cried out. "Dad! We lost the monk! He's going to drown!"
"Oh, no!" the ferryman shouted. "We'll end up in jail."
Fortunately, however, they were able to catch him with the oars and managed to lift him back into the boat. For the rest of the journey, he remained as he was: soaked and with the sack still tied to his back. When they reached the port of St. Anne's, he went up to Geronda as if nothing at all had happened. His battle with thoughts had already granted him deep self-reproach, which in turn gave him such a superhuman degree of self-denial that he disregarded everything.
