“Ask with tears, seek with obedience, knock with patience. ( St. John Climacus )

“Ask with tears, seek with obedience, knock with patience. For thus he who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

St. John Climacus – "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" (Step 28)

The mastery of the soul over the body is proved by the obedience of the body ( St. Nektarios of Aegina )

The mastery of the soul over the body is proved by the obedience of the body when it is being led with self-denial to sacrifice for the sake of the abstract ideas of the soul. The domination by the soul for prevalence of its principles, ideas, and views would have been entirely incomprehensible if the soul died together with the body. But a mortal soul would never have risen to such a height, would never have condemned itself to death along with the body for the prevalence of abstract ideas that lacked meaning, since no noble idea, no noble and courageous thought has any meaning for a mortal soul.



St. Nektarios of Aegina

Obedience is an unparalleled virtue ( Part 4 ) - Bishop Nikiforos Theotokis

We witness this truth with our very own eyes, and we perceive this reality with all our senses. Walk into any household. If the head of the house fears God and obeys the Lord's commandments, and if, in turn, the family members and servants obey the head of the house, within that home you will notice love and agreement bet ween the husband and wife; well - disciplined children being raised and instructed in a praiseworthy and correct manner; the servants eagerly and conscientiously carrying out their work; in brief, order and decorum predominating throughout the entire establishment. 

If, however, the head of the house transgresses God's commandments, and if, likewise, his family and servants show no trace of obedience to him, in such a home you will find the couple disagreeing and quarreling; the children undisciplined and unruly; the servants completely indifferent and inadequately fulfilling their responsibilities; in brief, an utterly mismanaged and dysfunctional home.

Enter a church. If the presiding priest is a living example of obedience to God's commandments, and if, in turn, the parish members obediently listen to him as required, you will witness within such a community God's commandments and t he divine canons being followed; order reigning throughout the ecclesiastical services; sincere concern for the salvation of the people; and every good work and virtue shinning brightly. If, however, the presiding clergyman races along the road of disobedience to God's laws, while the members of the parish openly resist and are insubordinate to their shepherd, then in such a church there exists indifference and complete disregard for God's laws and the ecclesiastical canons; disorder during the church services; negligence and inattentiveness for the salvation of souls; and, in general, the darkness of every evil deed and sin.

Visit any city or municipality. If the governor obeys God, and the citizens obey their ruler, in such a municipality there is no oppression; justice prevails; love between people radiates like the sun; all the civil laws are observed; commerce, law enforcement, the armed forces, trades, and the educational system thrive; fortune and prosperity increase . 

If, however, the governor or mayor disobey God, and if, in turn, the citizens refuse to obey their community leader, who can adequately describe the oppression, the injustice, the conflicts and disorder, the scandals and the lawlessness of that city? In such a region, the commodities are untrustworthy, the law enforcers resemble thieves, sailors hold company with pirates, the various trades decline, science and education begin to deteriorate.
 In such a place all types of sin and misfortune prevail.

Therefore: Obedience! You are truly a great and magnificent virtue!

When you became absent, Heaven fell apart. When you departed, Paradise was closed. When you hid, man plunged into the abyss of misfortune.

When, on the contrary, you reign, kingdoms, cities, households, and people, in general, prosper; virtue and holiness exist within the churches. When people guard God's commandments they become His friends and sons, and they ascend to the glory from which they fell. Adam's disobedience rendered all men sinful; Christ's obedience rendered everyone who believes in Him and who obeys Him righteous and holy: 
“For as by one man’s obedience many were made sinners, so also b y one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19) .


http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org/weeklymessagesarchive/01_19_2015_Obedience%20is%20a%20Great%20Virtue%20%28Part%204%29.pdf

Obedience is an unparalleled virtue ( Part 1 ) - Nikiforos Theotokis

“Now when the wise men had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there un
til I bring you word ...
And he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt...
 
Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel’... Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.”(Mt. 2:13-21)
 
Many virtues adorned the holy soul of blessed Joseph. The unparalleled virtue of obedience, however, rose above and beyond them all, and shined brilliantly through his works. An angel appeared to him two times in a dream:
 
First,when Joseph was perturbed and considering to expel the Ever-Virgin Mary from his home; the second time,when he ordered Joseph to flee to Egypt. During these visions, Joseph saw and was informed of rare, extraordinary, and unheard of things.
 
"For that which is conceived in her,"stated the angel, "is of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 1:20). Furthermore, he was instructed to do something that was difficult, dangerous, and painful: to flee
fearfully from his homeland into the foreign
Egyptian nation on account of the persecution of king Herod (who was seeking to slay the newborn infant), uncertain of and not knowing the future.
 
Any other person would not have submitted himself so easily to the will of God, and would have suspected and assumed that these visions
were merely meaningless dreams. Consequently, they would have been reluctant to carry out the orders they had received, they would have excused themselves by contending that such a task is difficult to execute, and they would neither have been convinced nor obeyed so eagerly and attentively. However, this righteous man, Joseph the Betrothed, had no doubts, he raised no objections, and he permitted no uncertainty to creep into his soul. 

On the contrary, having the treasure of obedience
safely residing within his heart, he carried out everything that the angel instructed him to do. On account of this virtue, he was deemed worthy and suitable—and chosen from amongst all other people on earth!— to serve as the guardian of the holy Virgin Mary, and as an agent of the great mystery of  Jesus Christ's incarnation. 

http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org/index.php

Orthodox Monastic Obedience

The monastic rule has as its strength to safeguard the monk in his daily life, helping him, through obedience, to keep unceasing vigil upon his inward integrity so that the union of heart and spirit may become for him a reality and lead him, as far as this is possible upon earth, to union with God. It is the primary rule of the order of Offices and also covers the obedience of intellectual and manual work. Work is itself a prayerful activity with the ascetic end in view of overcoming our rebel nature and to keep us from idleness which is so harmful to the spiritual life. Hagiography, icon painting, Byzantine music, woodcarving, incense preparation, making Church vestments, translating or writing books on the spiritual life and printing them, all arts that originated in Byzantium are still performed and flourish in the Monasteries.

Art and especially Byzantine iconography is one of the basic ways for someone to approach God. Byzantium and the particular Tradition we inherit from it, mainly through the monasteries, constitute one of the main components of Christian identity. It is one of our deepest roots.

Obedience ( St. Nectarius of Optina )

Every obedience that seems difficult becomes very easy when we fulfill it, because that is how obedience works.


St. Nectarius of Optina

God is humble and obedient ( Pt 1 )- St. Nikolai Velimirovic

"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. 40:5).
The Lord promised to reveal Himself in great glory...
The Lord promised to come...
God fulfilled His ancient promise and appeared on
earth. But how did God reveal Himself in His glory? In inexpressible humility and obedience. In such a way that His angels seemed more resplendent, and His prophets greater than He. 


When the prophet and the Master showed themselves on the Jordan, the prophet caught the eye more than the Master. John the Forerunner appeared stranger and greater than Christ the Lord. Christ the Lord hid His glory and majesty behind two thick curtains: those of human flesh and humility. And so men neither noticed nor
recognized Him, while the eyes of all the heavenly powers were fixed on Him more than on the whole created world. Clothed in real flesh and in true
humility, the Lord Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him.
 

Wonderful is God in His works! Through all His works, He teaches us humility and obedience. He hides Himself behind His works, as the sun at
night behind the shining of the stars, as a nightingale in the bush behind its song. He lends light to the sun, and the sun shines as though with its own light, while the fact that it is God's light is ignored. He lends a voice to His thunder and His winds, and they are heard; but He is not heard. He lends beauty to His mountains and meadows,
and they are resplendent in beauty as though it were their own, while God's beauty remains shrouded in mystery.

 He lends beauty and fragrance to the flowers of the field, and the beauteous flowers give off their fragrance as though it were their own; while God's fragrance goes unnoticed. He lends strength to every creature, and each creature preens itself in front of the others, showing off its strength as
though it were its own; while God's immeasurable strength neither preens itself nor cries for attention. He lends of His mind to men, and men cogitate and think as though with their own minds; while God's mind stands in a calm from tumult, turning from the world's praise. 

St. Nikolai Velimirovic

Obedience ( St. Nectarius of Optina )

Every obedience that seems difficult becomes very easy when we fulfill it, because that is how obedience works.


St. Nectarius of Optina

Obedient or disobedient? ( Elder Siluan )

Why did the Holy Fathers place obedience above fasting and prayer? Because asceticism without obedience leads to vanity; if a novice merely does what he is told, he has no reason to be proud. Moreover, the obedient has cut off his will in everything and listens to his spiritual father, and for this reason his mind is clear of any concern and his prayer is pure. The obedient has in mind only God and the word of his elder, while the disobedient’s mind is full of various business and condemnation for his elder, and for that reason he cannot see God.

Obedience is necessary not only for monks, but for all people. Even the Lord was obedient. Proud and self-assured do not let grace reside within them, and therefore they never have internal peace, whereas the soul of the obedient easily accepts the grace of the Holy Spirit, bringing with it joy and serenity.

Whoever carries in him even a small amount of grace will submit to leadership with great joy. He knows that the Lord controls heaven and earth and the netherworld, and his own self, and his affairs and all that exists in the world, and for this reason he is always at peace.

Obedience prevents pride. In return for obedience you receive the ability to pray, along with the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is why obedience is greater than fasting and prayer.

If the fallen angels had retained obedience, they would have stayed in the heavens and would glorify the name of the Lord to this day. And if Adam had retained obedience, then he and his issue would have remained in Eden. But even now it is possible to return to Eden through repentance. The Lord loves us greatly, despite our sins, as long as we seek humility and love our enemies. Whoever does not love his enemies cannot achieve peace, even if he were placed in Eden.



Elder Siluan

Importance of obedience ( Saint Silouan the Athonite )

Why did the Holy Fathers place obedience above fasting and prayer? Because asceticism without obedience leads to vanity; if a novice merely does what he is told, he has no reason to be proud. Moreover, the obedient has cut off his will in everything and listens to his spiritual father, and for this reason his mind is clear of any concern and his prayer is pure. The obedient has in mind only God and the word of his elder, while the disobedient’s mind is full of various business and condemnation for his elder, and for that reason he cannot see God.

Obedience is necessary not only for monks, but for all people. Even the Lord was obedient. Proud and self-assured do not let grace reside within them, and therefore they never have internal peace, whereas the soul of the obedient easily accepts the grace of the Holy Spirit, bringing with it joy and serenity.

Whoever carries in him even a small amount of grace will submit to leadership with great joy. He knows that the Lord controls heaven and earth and the netherworld, and his own self, and his affairs and all that exists in the world, and for this reason he is always at peace.

Obedience prevents pride. In return for obedience you receive the ability to pray, along with the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is why obedience is greater than fasting and prayer.

If the fallen angels had retained obedience, they would have stayed in the heavens and would glorify the name of the Lord to this day. And if Adam had retained obedience, then he and his issue would have remained in Eden. But even now it is possible to return to Eden through repentance. The Lord loves us greatly, despite our sins, as long as we seek humility and love our enemies. Whoever does not love his enemies cannot achieve peace, even if he were placed in Eden.



Saint Silouan the Athonite

Obedience ( Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi )

To my dearest A. and M., I send my fatherly prayers.

I have received both the letter and the goods, and we are most grateful to you, as is Fr Athanasios [now Metropolitan of Limassol], who received the phelonion. Let’s see who will get tired first, us from receiving, or you from sending.

You have clearly asked about the issue of obedience to the holy fathers and I say the following: no one on this earth is absolved of this duty of being obedient, no matter how high he stands or what his status is, even those in the Church hierarchy. Not even Paul was absolved of this duty by the fullness of grace which resided in him. We hear him say, ”Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days” . And he continues:”Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem… by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach… lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain” .

Here we find Paul, who was given not a command but an order on what to do and say, confessing and accepting advice. So, who is exempt from this duty? No one, no matter where he is, is acknowledged by Grace unless he accepts advice.

Moses says, ”Ask your father and he will relate to you; your elders, and they will tell you” . ”We see in part, we know in part, and we prophesy in part” , says Paul, and so perfection is seen as “in a mirror, dimly” . All this shows how deficient and weak man is. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us”.

Here we see the moderation of our fathers manifested, who always regarded it their inviolable duty to “take counsel from one another”. This Grace of God has never been revealed to those who live by their own design and auspices rather than in obedience to elder spiritual fathers. “To the one that is alone, beware” ; and likewise “it is not good for man to be alone” . And again, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”, but “if a man falls alone, who will help him up? ”

The counsel for rational beings is to actually practice humility, without which nothing can be done…

I pray that the remainder of the days [of Great Lent] be peaceful and without hindrance and that you may receive the whole of grace on the great day of Pascha.

With all my love in Christ,



Your poor father,
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi

Obedient to the Church ( St. Nikolai Velimirovich )

Why is it necessary to listen to the Church and not listen to one man who thinks against the Church, even though he might be called the greatest thinker? Because the Church was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, and because the Church is guided under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Because the Church represents the realm of the Holy, a grove of cultivated fruit trees. If one rises up against the realm of the Holy, it means that he is unholy and why then listen to him? "The Church is an enclosure," says the all-wise John Chrysostom. "If you are within, the wolf does not enter; but if you leave, the beasts will seize you. Do not distance yourself from the Church; there is nothing mightier that the Church. The Church is your hope. The Church is your salvation. The Church is higher than the heavens. The Church is harder than stone. The Church is wider than the world. The Church never grows old but always renews itself."
Why is it necessary to listen to the Church and not listen to one man who thinks against the Church, even though he might be called the greatest thinker? Because the Church was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, and because the Church is guided under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Because the Church represents the realm of the Holy, a grove of cultivated fruit trees. If one rises up against the realm of the Holy, it means that he is unholy and why then listen to him? "The Church is an enclosure," says the all-wise John Chrysostom. "If you are within, the wolf does not enter; but if you leave, the beasts will seize you. Do not distance yourself from the Church; there is nothing mightier that the Church. The Church is your hope. The Church is your salvation. The Church is higher than the heavens. The Church is harder than stone. The Church is wider than the world. The Church never grows old but always renews itself."



St. Nikolai Velimirovich