Many evils ensue when we do not advise others ( St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite )

You should realize, my dear brothers, that if all of us were interested in contributing to the salvation of our fellow brothers, then in a short time evil people would correct their ways, and relatively quickly our cities would  become free of evil and sin. This is certainly the case, because if one
single person alone possessing a heart filled with godly zeal and filled with love for his fellow man is capable of correcting an entire nation, how much more so can large numbers of Christians
—when of course they decide to lay hold of zeal and are determined to implant brotherly love within their souls —correct people who are living in sin? Truly, the sole reason for the perilous plight of contemporary sinful people, the primary cause that has allowed immorality to increase in our days and permitted the devil to reign within present-day society is none other than we ourselves. For when we witness our fellow brothers and Christians sinning openly and carrying out various evils, we do not take the initiative to collectively go to them in an attempt to help them and correct them with brotherly advice and even reproof, if necessary. On the contrary, each one of us comes up with various excuses, we all remain silent, we quietly withdraw to ourselves, and thus we allow others to continue carrying out all the sin they choose and all the evil they desire.
Behold how the gold-tongued St. John Chrysostom precisely confirms these truths:
“Therefore, let us not say these things.
Rather, let us display proper solicitude for our brethren. I promise with all exactitude, and I
guarantee you, that if all of you who are present here resolve to secure the salvation of all who inhabit this city, everything will speedily be
restored to good order... Let us then take an interest in the salvation of our brothers and sisters. One man filled with zeal is sufficient to correct an entire city!
Hence, when not one, or two , or three, but such a
great multitude is capable of contributing in the correction of them who live carelessly,  and yet the majority are perishing and falling, it is from no other cause other than our own laziness—not our weakness.
Isn’t it irrational for us to hasten to lend a hand and help raise up an animal that has fallen, yet to
neglect and show no concern for our fellow human beings who are perishing?” 

 St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite

http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org

Good people do not keep evil in their hearts ( St. Paisios )

Good people do not keep evil in their hearts, but neither do they keep their kindness to themselves. For this reason, they do not possess elegant things and are not moved by the world’s beauties. In this, their fervent faith in God as well as their great love is made manifest.

St. Paisios

Evil grows within us and does not decrease ( St. John of Kronstadt )

Every man on earth is sick with the fever of sin, with the blindness of sin and is overcome with its fury. As sins consist mostly of malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from the malady of sin with kindness and love. This is an important truth, which we often forget. Very often we act in the opposite manner: we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride with pride. Thus, evil grows within us and does not decrease; it is not cured – rather it spreads.
 
 St. John of Kronstadt

Two types of evil ( St. Basil the Great )

The person who claims that God is responsible for evil resembles the person who doesn’t believe in the existence of God at all. The latter maintains that He doesn’t exist, whereas the former contends that He is not good. For, if God is the cause of evil, then clearly He is not good. Such people ask: “Why are there illnesses? Why is there death? Why are there natural disasters? Why are there wars? All these things are bad, and they are the works of God.” “Therefore,” they conclude, “who else can we blame for these events other than God?”

 
God, of course, decides when He will take someone’s life. However, death is not something bad; unless someone is referring to the death of a sinner, for whom departure from this life becomes the beginning of his suffering in Hell. God is not even responsible for the tortures in Hell—we ourselves are! We and our free will are the beginning and root of sin.

There are two types of evil: one is what we ourselves perceive as evil, based on our feelings; the other is indeed an evil in essence. True evil depends on us. Such is injustice, debauchery, hatred, murder, and the like; for these things defile the soul that was created in the image of our Creator. We also label as evil whatever we find difficult and painful. Such are physical illnesses, accidents, lack of the basic necessities, loss of money, and death of family members. 

Each of these things is permitted by our wise and good Master for our benefit. He takes away the instrument of injustice (that is, wealth) from them who make incorrect use of it. He allows illnesses to come upon people when it is more beneficial to bind their body parts than to have them race unrestricted toward sin. 

Deaths are permitted to occur when the limit of life is reached, which God’s righteous judgment has appointed from the onset for each person; for He foresees well in advance what is best for each one of us. Famine, droughts, and floods commonly plague cities and nations in order to restrict excessive evil and sinfulness.

A physician is a benefactor, even though he induces pain and suffering to the body—for he battles the illness not the sick person. Similarly, God is good because He uses punishments in part to work out the salvation of the whole. You never blame the doctor when he cuts, cauterizes, or even amputates parts of your body. On the contrary, you pay him and call him your savior because he eradicates the disease while it is still in the early stages, before it spreads to the entire body. 

However, when you hear of an earthquake or that a ship sunk at sea, without hesitation you open your mouth and blaspheme the true Physician and Savior! Just as the illness itself and not the physician is the cause of surgical procedures and cauterization, in the same manner various calamities that strike cities are the result of the inhabitants’ vast sinfulness, and, thus, release God from any and all blame.

Where Does Evil Come From?

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES explain that the tragedy which overtook the human race had its actual beginnings in the world of the angels, perhaps even before the appearance of the physical universe. One of the highest angels which God created, named Lucifer, or the Daystar, became puffed up with pride, so that he thought he was the brightest, mightiest and most beautiful of all the angels, that he had no further need of his Creator and was not obliged to serve Him. Lucifer's goal was to make himself a kind of god, an object of veneration for other angels. To this end he raised a rebellion in heaven and won over to his side a certain segment of the angelic world. Thus Lucifer, who was later called Satan, or the devil (meaning a slanderer), was the initiator of the very worst of sins, pride and self-satisfaction, which serve as the basis for all other sins and vices. Lucifer planned to found a kingdom of "free" and "independent" spirits, separated from God. But this kingdom, founded on the principles of sin, was a clear failure, and came to be known as hell or the abyss. Instead of a promised paradise, it became a place of impenetrable darkness and unending misery. It became so terrible that the fallen angels themselves, the demons or devils, fear it, and wish to escape from it, as from a prison (Luke 8:31).

The devil was not content with having caused a tragedy in the world of pure spirits, with having founded his own kingdom. Because he hated God and all that God had created, he decided to bring evil to the crown of God's creation, the first man. For this purpose he assumed the form of a serpent and tempted Adam and Eve to break God's commandment by eating of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3). He was a skilful seducer; he convinced them that, if they ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they would become all-knowing and mighty, like God. He deceived them with the same idea with which he had once deceived himself: the possibility of becoming godlike easily and all at once, without the Creator, even in opposition to the Creator. And so, man was ruined by the same sins which had already ruined Lucifer: pride and self-love.

In this way, the tragedy of sin was passed down from the world of angels to our physical world, and as a result our earthly life was filled with contradictions, sorrows and corruption. In consequence of the Fall, the first human beings lost their relationship with God; they were deprived of their life in paradise and became mortal. Worst of all, the contagion of sin, like a liquid flowing from a contaminated fountain, was passed on to their descendants, so that all people would henceforth be born with a damaged nature. The descendants of Adam and Eve, being predisposed to sin, took the line of least resistance and began to commit all sorts of evil acts, hurting, cheating and even killing one another. This sinful way of life caused man's consciousness to become more and more darkened, so that in time he lost a true conception of his Maker and started to worship his own handiwork, in the form of various idols, both literal and figurative (such as greed, worldly goods, luxury, earthly fame and all kinds of fleshly pleasures).

The more mankind wallowed in wickedness, the stronger the devil became, and soon that originator of evil came to exercise a cruel mastery over man. Thus, as time went on, our beautiful world, created by God, and represented by His highest creatures, men made in His own image, sank into a state of evil, ruled by enmity, lies, injustice, suffering and death. What was even worse, mankind in its wretchedness proved to be completely helpless, unable to cast off the shackles of sin and turn back to God. The infernal serpent wished to make this once-beautiful, God-created world into a copy of hell, by skilfully manipulating human weaknesses and passions.

The only one who could rescue mankind from this desperate state of affairs was the Creator, our loving heavenly Father. When people were fully convinced of their own helplessness, and when they were spiritually mature enough to receive a Saviour, He sent into the world His Son, Who, while always remaining one God with the Father, by the descent of the Holy Spirit took flesh of the very purest and fairest of the daughters of man, the Ever-Virgin Mary. He became a Man, like us in everything but sin.

The purpose of His coming among us was to liberate man from the tyranny of Satan and from the oppression of sin, and to put him on the path to spiritual renewal, which would lead back to God and eternal blessedness.

Why does evil exist ? ( Elder Paisios )

In Orthodox teaching we learn that all of Creation is good. After each step of Creation, God said that everything is "very good." (Gen 1:31) So what is the source of evil?


Here is how Elder Paisios explained it to a pilgrim.

Evil exists when we make wrong use of the things of God granted to us for our benefit.
It is not bad for someone to have money, but it is bad to be avaricious. Drugs are not an evil thing, when used to relieve the pain of people who suffer. They are bad when used for a different purpose. A knife is a useful utensil, when we use it to cut bread. However, when it is used to hit someone, it becomes a deadly weapon. In this case, it is not the knife which is evil, but the inner disposition of the murderer.
Therefore, we must use everything in the right way, the natural way, not abuse them and go against nature.
Since we are weak by nature, when we are inclined to give in to a passion, we should try to avoid anything that makes us feel vulnerable. We should also be aware that the reason we avoid the causes of our passions is not because they are evil themselves; but rather, because our ill inner disposition does not permit us to use them correctly.
Since we cannot benefit from them, it is better to avoid them, so they do not harm us. At the same time, we should glorify God for His gifts, and blame ourselves for abusing them and thus provoking the evil.



Elder Paisos

Elder Paisios explains to a pilgrim the source of evil

In Orthodox teaching we learn that all of Creation is good. After each step of Creation, God said that everything is "very good." (Gen 1:31) So what is the source of evil?


Here is how Elder Paisios explained it to a pilgrim.

Evil exists when we make wrong use of the things of God granted to us for our benefit.
It is not bad for someone to have money, but it is bad to be avaricious. Drugs are not an evil thing, when used to relieve the pain of people who suffer. They are bad when used for a different purpose. A knife is a useful utensil, when we use it to cut bread. However, when it is used to hit someone, it becomes a deadly weapon. In this case, it is not the knife which is evil, but the inner disposition of the murderer.
Therefore, we must use everything in the right way, the natural way, not abuse them and go against nature.
Since we are weak by nature, when we are inclined to give in to a passion, we should try to avoid anything that makes us feel vulnerable. We should also be aware that the reason we avoid the causes of our passions is not because they are evil themselves; but rather, because our ill inner disposition does not permit us to use them correctly.
Since we cannot benefit from them, it is better to avoid them, so they do not harm us. At the same time, we should glorify God for His gifts, and blame ourselves for abusing them and thus provoking the evil.

Evil is always evil ( St. John of Kronstadt )

Fear evil like fire. Don’t let it touch your heart even if it seems just or righteous. No matter what the circumstances, don’t let it come into you. Evil is always evil. Sometimes evil presents itself as an endeavor to God’s glory, or as something with good intentions towards your neighbor. Even in these cases, don’t trust this feeling. It’s a wrong labor and is not filled with wisdom. Instead, work on chasing evil from yourself. Evil, however innocent it looks, offends God’s long-suffering love, which is His foremost glory. Judas betrayed his Lord for 30 silver pieces under the guise of helping the poor. Keep in mind that the enemy continuously seeks your death and attacks more fiercely when you’re not alert. His evil is endless. Don’t let self-esteem and the love of material goods win you over.



When you feel anger against someone, believe with your whole heart that it’s a result of the devil’s work in your heart. Try to hate him and his deeds and it will leave you. Don’t admit it as a part of yourself and don’t justify it. I know this from experience. The devil hides himself behind our souls and we blindly think we’re acting by ourselves. Then we defend the devil’s work as something that is a part of us. Sometimes we think that anger is a fair reaction to something bad. But the idea that a passion could ever be fair is a total and deadly lie. When someone is angry at you, remember that this evil feeling is not him. He’s just fooled by the devil and is a suffering instrument in his hand. Pray that the enemy leaves him and that God opens his spiritual eyes, which have been darkened by the evil spirit. Pray to God for all people enslaved by passions because the enemy is acting in their hearts. Perhaps you hate your neighbor, despise him, don’t want to talk to him peacefully and lovingly because he has been rude, arrogant, or disgusting in his speech or manners. You may despise him for being full of himself or proud or disrespectful. But you are to blame more than he is. “Physician, heal yourself!” (Luke 4:23). So, teacher, teach yourself. This kind of anger is worse than any other evil. How could evil be chased out by another evil? How can you take a needle from the eye of another person while having a log in your own? Evil defects must be fixed with love, kindness, resignation, and patience. Admit yourself as the worst of all sinners, and believe it. Consider yourself the worst one, chase away any boldness, anger, impatience and fury. Then you may start helping others. Be indulgent about defects of others, because if you see their faults all the time, there will be continuous enmity. “The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.”(Psalm 129:3). ” For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”(Matthew 6:14). We can feel from time to time the most perfect love for God without loving each other. This is a strange thing, and only few care about it. But love for our neighbor will never come without our own effort.

A real Christian doesn’t have any reason to be angry about anybody. Anger is the devil’s deed. A Christian should have only love inside and since love doesn’t boast, he shouldn’t boast or have any bad thoughts towards others. For example, I must not think about another person that he is evil, proud etc; and I must not think that if I forgive his offense he would laugh at me or upset me again. We must not let evil hide in us under any pretense. Evil and anger usually have many different veils.

Don’t yield to gloomy feelings in your heart but control and eradicate them with the power of faith and the light of the sane mind. These strengths will make you feel secure. Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. (Psalm 25:20). Gloomy feelings usually develop deep in the heart. Someone who didn’t learn how to control them will be gloomy, pensive most of the time and it will be hard for him to deal with himself and other people. When he comes close to you, sustain yourself with inner strength, happiness and innocent jokes: and they will leave you soon. This is from experience.

Lord, give me strength to love everyone like myself and never to get angry or work the for devil. Give me strength to crucify my self-esteem, my pride, my greed, my skepticism and other passions. Let us have a name: a mutual love. Let us not worry about anything. Be the only God of our hearts, and let us desire nothing except You. Let us live always in unifying love and let us hate anything that separates us from each other and from love. So be it! So be it!

If God showed Himself to us and lives inside us as we in Him (according to His eternal Word), wouldn’t He give us everything? Would He ever , would He ever trick us or leave us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). Now be comforted, my dear, and know nothing but love. This is my command: Love each other (John 15:17).



St. John of Kronstadt

Fear Evil Like Fire

Fear evil like fire. Don't let it touch your heart even if it seems just or righteous. No matter what the circumstances, don't let it come into you. Evil is always evil. Sometimes evil presents itself as an endeavor to God's glory, or as something with good intentions towards your neighbor. Even in these cases, don't trust this feeling. It's a wrong labor and is not filled with wisdom. Instead, work on chasing evil from yourself. Evil, however innocent it looks, offends God's long-suffering love, which is His foremost glory. Judas betrayed his Lord for 30 silver pieces under the guise of helping the poor. Keep in mind that the enemy continuously seeks your death and attacks more fiercely when you're not alert. His evil is endless. Don't let self-esteem and the love of material goods win you over.

When you feel anger against someone, believe with your whole heart that it's a result of the devil's work in your heart. Try to hate him and his deeds and it will leave you. Don't admit it as a part of yourself and don't justify it. I know this from experience. The devil hides himself behind our souls and we blindly think we're acting by ourselves. Then we defend the devil's work as something that is a part of us. Sometimes we think that anger is a fair reaction to something bad. But the idea that a passion could ever be fair is a total and deadly lie. When someone is angry at you, remember that this evil feeling is not him. He's just fooled by the devil and is a suffering instrument in his hand. Pray that the enemy leaves him and that God opens his spiritual eyes, which have been darkened by the evil spirit. Pray to God for all people enslaved by passions because the enemy is acting in their hearts. Perhaps you hate your neighbor, despise him, don't want to talk to him peacefully and lovingly because he has been rude, arrogant, or disgusting in his speech or manners. You may despise him for being full of himself or proud or disrespectful. But you are to blame more than he is. "Physician, heal yourself!" (Luke 4:23). So, teacher, teach yourself. This kind of anger is worse than any other evil. How could evil be chased out by another evil? How can you take a needle from the eye of another person while having a log in your own? Evil defects must be fixed with love, kindness, resignation, and patience. Admit yourself as the worst of all sinners, and believe it. Consider yourself the worst one, chase away any boldness, anger, impatience and fury. Then you may start helping others. Be indulgent about defects of others, because if you see their faults all the time, there will be continuous enmity. "The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows" (Psalm 129:3). "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14). We can feel from time to time the most perfect love for God without loving each other. This is a strange thing, and only few care about it. But love for our neighbor will never come without our own effort.

A real Christian doesn't have any reason to be angry about anybody. Anger is the devil's deed. A Christian should have only love inside and since love doesn't boast, he shouldn't boast or have any bad thoughts towards others. For example, I must not think about another person that he is evil, proud etc; and I must not think that if I forgive his offense he would laugh at me or upset me again. We must not let evil hide in us under any pretense. Evil and anger usually have many different veils.

Don't yield to gloomy feelings in your heart but control and eradicate them with the power of faith and the light of the sane mind. These strengths will make you feel secure. "Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you" (Psalm 25:20). Gloomy feelings usually develop deep in the heart. Someone who didn't learn how to control them will be gloomy, pensive most of the time, and it will be hard for him to deal with himself and other people. When he comes close to you, sustain yourself with inner strength, happiness and innocent jokes: and they will leave you soon. This is from experience.

Lord, give me strength to love everyone like myself and never to get angry or work for the devil. Give me strength to crucify my self-esteem, my pride, my greed, my skepticism and other passions. Let us have a name: a mutual love. Let us not worry about anything. Be the only God of our hearts, and let us desire nothing except You. Let us live always in unifying love and let us hate anything that separates us from each other and from love. So be it! So be it!

If God showed Himself to us and lives inside us as we in Him (according to His eternal word), wouldn't He give us everything? Would He ever trick us or leave us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). Now be comforted, my dear, and know nothing but love. "This is my command: Love one another" (John 15:17).


St. John of Kronstadt

Our Heart Can Transmit Either Good or Evil

We are not always aware of the powers we have. Depending on the disposition of our heart we can transmit either good or evil, Elder Porphyrios advises us. He warns us to be very careful to see things with a positive view.

He says,

Even the slightest anger or indignation does harm. We need to have goodness and love in our soul and to transmit these things.


We need to be careful not to harbor any resentment against those who harm us, but rather to pray for them with love… We need always to have thoughts of love and always to think good of others. He highlights for us the example of Saint Stephen. As he was being stoned to death he prayed, “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” How many of us can do this? Not many, but this is our potential with the love of God filling our mind at all times. Grace flows at these times enabling us to act in saintly ways. Saint Stephen had this love of Christ in his mind and heart as he was being stoned. He sets an example for us to follow.

If we pray with love for others this is also transmitted. It is important to be in touch with this invisible power of our soul. In both good and bad, this power is transmitted over great distances.

He says,

If we pray with love for someone, whatever the distance that separates us, the good is transmitted. So distances do not affect the power of good and evil. We can transmit these across boundless distances. This is not something Elder Porphyrios is talking about in any theoretical way. After he became a monk he was given though God’s grace the powers of clairvoyance. In his autobiography he recounts a story of seeing his elders returning when they were on the other side of the mountain. He could visualize water under the ground when seeking a well for his monastery. One of his spiritual children, Constantine Yiannitsiotis, recounts how he saw in both people and things the cause of events. In his book, With Elder Porphyrios, he offers many examples of these powers in action. He understood the past as well as the future.

The person who receives this gift of clairvoyance is one who loves God as Elder Porphyrios does. Such power is an act of divine grace. The Elder gives us the preconditions for this.

He says,

Only a person who has humility receives these gifts from God; he attributes them to God and he uses them for His glory. The good, humble, devout man who loves God, deluded or led astray. He feels in his heart that he is truly unworthy, and that all those things are given to him so that he may become good, and for that reason he makes his ascetic struggle. Our aim must be to become holy and God may then grant us additional powers. Grace does not come to those who are ego-centered. It comes only to those who are humble, selfless, and love God above all else.

Reference: Wounded by Love, pp 212 - 214

“The power to endure is greater than the wickedness of evil”

“Those who fall cannot give the excuse that the trials or temptations they encounter are greater then the power they have to defeat them.” 

The tests that the devil brings upon us do not surpass the human power to endure. For if it surpasses this power, man would be at no fault for not enduring and overcoming them.

So those who fall cannot give the excuse that the trials or temptations encountered, were greater then the power they had to defeat them.

Of course, things get complicated, given that man cannot overcome these trials by his power alone, but also with the power of God.

And the power given to man form Above, is granted as such, not to make his effort useless or to require an effort that man could not bare.

Exceptions exist with the wonders (miracles) that are worked though some. But even in these cases, the supernatural power grated to man, is at the measure of his supernatural faith.

However, the line between the order of nature and the supernatural is difficult to draw and (is) very subtle.

In the faithful, this supernatural power, penetrating their being, lifts up their powers at various levels. “

(Father Dumitru Stăniloae, 329 note to “The Ascetic Words” of Saint Isaac the Syrian , Philokalia IX)

To Be A Christian Is To Cleanse Evil Thoughts ( St Nikolai Velimirovich )

"There is no cleanness in him who thinks evil," says St. Simeon the New Theologian; and he further adds, "How can there be a pure heart in him, who soils it with impure thoughts as a mirror is darkened by dust?"

Do you see then, the inexcessible height of which the religion of Christ stands above all other faiths and worldly sophistries? He who only thinks about evil, even though he does not commit any evil, is at fault before God and before his own soul. For he offends God and loses his soul.

To be a Christian, in the proper sense, means to invest enormous effort on cleansing evil thoughts from one's heart and mind. What kind of effort is that? There exists a complete study about this, which in our days became completely locked away even for us Christians, and the one enormous actual experience of holy men and women who justified that study. To cleanse oneself from these wicked and impure thoughts, the root of all evil, was the goal of all the great ascetics, hermits and silentaries.

- St Nikolai Velimirovich, Prologue

We Must Resist Evil as Soon as it Appears (Part 2)

As I have told you many times, it is one thing to uproot a small plant
(which can be plucked out easily), and it is another to uproot a large tree.
A certain great elder was with his disciples in a place where there
were both small and large cypress trees. The elder said to one of his
disciples, “Uproot this small cypress.” It was a tiny, young tree and the
brother uprooted it with just one hand. The elder then pointed out another
one a little larger than the first and said to him, “Remove this one as well.”
He rocked it back and forth with both hands, and he rooted it out. Again the
elder showed him another, still larger. The brother shook it for some time,
and after much effort and sweat he finally managed to uproot this one too.
The elder then showed him a very large one and, in spite of the fact that he
toiled at length and sweated a great deal, he could not uproot it. When the
elder saw that he did not have enough strength to remove it, he asked
another brother to get up and help him; thus, the two of them uprooted it
together. The elder then turned to the brothers and concluded, “It is the
same with the passions, brethren. While they are young, we can easily
uproot them, if we so desire. If, however, we consider them to be
insignificant and neglect them, they harden. And the more they harden, the
greater the effort and pain required. If they further develop and become
deeply rooted within us, then we can no longer dig them out alone, even if
we try very hard; unless we have help from certain saints who will assist
us, after God.”
Do you see how much power the words of the holy fathers contain?
The prophet teaches us similarly on this matter: “O daughter of Babylon,
thou wretched one, blessed is he who shall reward thee wherewith thou
hast rewarded us. Blessed is he who shall seize and dash thine infants
against the rock” (Ps. 136:8-9). In other words, he is saying, “blessed is the
person who right from the very onset will not allow your offspring (i.e. the
evil thoughts) to grow within him, and thus give way to evil and let it
materialize. On the contrary, while the thoughts are still weak—before they
have a chance to thrive and develop strength against him—, he quickly
grabs them and smashes them against the rock, which is Christ, and
destroys them by fleeing to Christ.
Behold how both the holy elders and the Holy Scriptures agree!
Behold how they bless the people who struggle to sever the passions while
they are still in their infancy, before they experience the pain and bitterness
of the passions. Let us, therefore, struggle eagerly my brothers, so we may
find mercy. Let us exert ourselves a little, and we will find a great deal of
rest and comfort.

Abba Dorotheos

We Must Resist Evil as Soon as it Appears

We should watch over and guard our heart in the following manner:
When an evil recollection crops up in our mind through demonic
deviousness, we must banish it from our heart immediately because if we
dwell on this thought, the devil who lures us into evil may drag and throw
us down a cliff of detrimental, dirty thoughts.
Even the commandment given to the first created man by God
commands that we crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15); that is, the
beginning of harmful thoughts with which this snake attempts to slither into
our soul. Otherwise, if we accept the head, which is the beginning of the
evil thought, we will in turn accept the remainder of the snake's body as
well; that is, we will consent to the sinful pleasure, which will in turn plunge
our mind into the sinful action.
We must, according to the Scriptures, destroy all the evil on the
earth every morning (Ps. 100:8). In other words, using the light of
knowledge, we must detect and destroy sinful thoughts from the earth,
which is our heart according to the teaching of the Lord. And while the
sons of Babylon (that is, the evil thoughts) are still infants, we must smash
them to the ground and shatter them on the rock—the rock being Christ
(Ps. 136:9). Otherwise, if we allow these infant thoughts to develop and
become grown men, we will not be able to defeat them without a
tremendous amount of pain and effort.
(St. John Cassian


When you find yourself at the beginning of an evil, don't think: "This
won't conquer me." The very fact that you have entered within the
boundaries of evil is an indication that you have already been conquered.
Everything starts off small, and gradually it develops and increases.
The strategy of evil is like an intricate web; whoever has been
caught in it —even a little—becomes completely entangled, if he is not
careful.
(St. Mark the Ascetic)

Το κακό (Μοναχός Μωυσής Αγιορείτης) – Monk Moses the Athonite: On Evil

 

 

 

Το κακό (Μοναχός Μωυσής Αγιορείτης)

Μοναχός Μωυσής, Αγιορείτης

Γενικά φαίνεται σήμερα το κακό να επικρατεί στον κόσμο. Μερικοί θεωρούν αίτιο των κακών τον Θεό. Τον θεωρούν με ανθρώπινα πάθη∙ κακό, τιμωρό κι εκδικητή. Γιατί τα επιτρέπει; Γιατί τα παραχωρεί; Γιατί δεν τ’ αποσύρει, ενώ τόσο ταλαιπωρούν τα πλάσματά του. Όπως είναι γνωστό, ο άνθρωπος είναι πλήρως ελεύθερος να επιλέξει το κακό ή το καλό. Για την επιλογή του κακού δεν ευθύνεται ο Θεός. Δεν μπορούμε να κατηγορούμε τον Θεό, γιατί μας έκανε τέλεια ελεύθερους. Ο Θεός είναι η αυτοαγαθότητα, δεν εποίησε κανένα κακό ποτέ.

Το κακό καλούμεθα να μή το πράττουμε, να το μισούμε και να το υπομένουμε από τους άλλους. Οι δοκιμασίες στη ζωή του ανθρώπου δεν υπάρχουν ως αποτέλεσμα ενός κακού Θεού, αλλά ενός άριστου παιδαγωγού, που προσπαθεί να συνδράμει ωφέλιμα και διορθωτικά και μέσα από τα διάφορα λυπηρά. Όποιος θεωρεί μόνο υπεύθυνο του κακού τον Θεό, σφάλλει σοβαρά. Ο σοφός Μ. Βασίλειος διακρίνει το κακό σε φυσικό και αισθητό. Πραγματικά κακό, λέει, είναι η αδικία, η ζηλοφθονία και τα λοιπά αμαρτωλά πάθη. Κακό είναι και ό,τι μας ταλαιπωρεί∙ η απάτη, η ασθένεια, ο θάνατος προσφιλών προσώπων. Υπεύθυνοι για την αμαρτία είμεθα εμείς και όχι ο Θεός. Οι δυσκολίες, τα βάσανα, τα προβλήματα της ζωής είναι για να μας συνετίσουν, ωριμάσουν και καλλιεργήσουν.

Μόνος του ο άνθρωπος ζώντας επί χρόνια στην αμαρτία αποδυναμώνεται, φθείρεται, δεν έχει αντιστάσεις για το κακό κι ενεργητικότητα για το καλό. Πάντα πάντως υπάρχουν κάποια περιθώρια προς μεταστροφή. Η κακία συνήθεια της γοητευτικής υπερηφάνειας δεν το αφήνει να οδηγηθεί στην ακακία. Το κακό, κατά τους Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας, δεν έχει υπόσταση. Το κακό θεωρείται ως στέρηση του καλού. Η αφύσικη κατάσταση της ζωής δημιουργεί τα διάφορα νοσήματα, για τα οποία καθόλου δεν είναι υπαίτιος ο Πανάγαθος Θεός. Το κακό ήλθε στη ζωή του ανθρώπου με την απομάκρυνσή του από τον Θεό, την πηγή παντός αγαθού. Το αυτεξούσιο είναι θεόσδοτο και ο Θεός δεν θέλει σκλάβους. Ο Θεός δεν αγαπά καθόλου τη βίαιη ζωή, αλλά την ελεύθερη αρετή. Ο άνθρωπος επιλέγει και προτιμά μόνος του την κακία στη ζωή του. Ο δαίμονας μισεί τον Θεό και παραμένει μόνιμα και σταθερά στην κακία. Εχθρεύεται και τον άνθρωπο και μηχανεύεται τρόπους για να τον υποδουλώσει στ’ αντίθεα και σκοτεινά εργα του. Ο άνθρωπος καλείται να είναι ετοιμοπόλεμος στα μηχανουργεύματα της δαιμονικής κακίας. Για κάθε ανθρώπινη πτώση συνεργεί η δαιμονική πονηρία, αλλά έχε ευθύνη και ο ίδιος ο άνθρωπος, που αφήνεται να παρασυρθεί.

Η αμαρτία είναι σοβαρό κακό και η αρετή σπουδαίο αγαθό. Οι χριστιανοί θα πρέπει να φοβούνται την αμαρτία, γιατί τους στερεί την ειρήνη και την αληθινή χαρά. Να μή απορρίπτουν τις από Θεού δοκιμασίες, γιατί μπορούν να γίνουν αφετηρίες ιάσεως, μετάνοιας και σωτηρίας. Ο φοβερός θάνατος κατά την ορθόδοξη θεολογία δεν είναι τιμωρία Θεού, αλλά η απομάκρυνση του ανθρώπου από τον Θεό. Χειρότερος του βιολογικού θανάτου θεωρείται ο πνευματικός θάνατος, που έρχεται όταν διακονεί η κοινωνία του ανθρώπου με τον Θεό.

Η ασυλόγιστη εμπάθεια ορισμένων ανθρώπων τους κάνει υπευθύνους της αμαρτίας τους. Σε όλη τη ζωή δυστυχώς επικρατεί το κακό. Αυτό δεν σημαίνει ότι νίκησε. Αρκετοί μέσα από το κακό παιδεύονται και ταλαιπωρούνται ισχυρά ώστε τελικά να το μισήσουν. Μέσα και από το κακό μερικές φορές έρχεται καλό. Το κακό δίνει ανησυχία, φόβο, ταραχή. Το καλό γαληνεύει, χαροποιεί, παρηγορεί. Μειοψηφίες συχνά ζουν με πληρότητα την αλήθεια και την ελευθερία. Το κακό γκρεμίζει, ματώνει, γκριζαίνει, φτωχαίνει. Το αγαθό ανασταίνει, φιοτίζει, πλουτίζει και δυναμώνει. Μακάριοι οι άγαθοποιούντες.

Πηγή: Περιοδικό «Παρά την Λίμνην», Μηνιαία έκδοση Εκκλησίας Αγίου Δημητρίου Παραλιμνίου, περίοδος γ΄, έτος κβ΄, αρ. 10, Οκτώβριος 2012.

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By Monk Moses the Athonite

Generally it seems that evil prevails in the world today. Some believe the cause of evil is God. They believe Him to be with human passions – evil, a punisher, an avenger. Why does He allow it? Why does He give it license? Why doesn’t He remove it, since it afflicts His creatures so much? As is known, man is completely free to choose evil or good. For the choice of evil, God is not responsible. We cannot blame God for making us perfectly free. God is goodness, and never made anyone evil.

We are called not to do evil, to hate it and to endure it from others. Trials in the life of man do not exist as a result of an evil God, but as an excellent teacher which tries to assist us in beneficial and corrective ways, even during various misfortunes. Whoever believes the only one responsible for evil is God, is seriously mistaken. The wise Basil the Great divides evil into natural and physical. True evil, he says, is injustice, envy, and the other sinful passions. Evil also is that which troubles us: deceit, illness, the death of loved ones. Those responsible for sin are us and not God. Hardships, sufferings, and the problems of life exist to bring us to our senses, to mature us and help us grow.

Alone, man lives in sin for years and becomes weakened, worn out, has no resistance towards evil nor the energy to do good. However, there is always some margin left for conversion. The evil habit of charming pride does not allow him to be led to non-evil. Evil, according to the Fathers of the Church, does not have substance. Evil is believed to be a deprivation of good. The unnatural life creates various diseases, for which the All-Good God is not to be blamed. Evil came into human life with his distancing from God, the Source of every good. Free-will is God-given and God does not want slaves. God does not love at all the life of suffering, but the freedom of virtue. People choose and prefer for themselves the evils of their life. Demons hate God and remain permanently in their wickedness. They are hostile to people and devise ways to enslave them in their ungodly and dark works. Man is called to be ready for battle against the machinations of demonic evil. For every human fall there is a synergy with demonic wickedness, but man is responsible for himself, allowing himself to drift away.

Sin is a serious evil and virtue is a great good. Christians must fear sin, because it deprives them of peace and true joy. Do not reject trials from God, because they could become the starting point towards our healing, repentance and salvation. An awful death according to Orthodox theology is not a punishment from God, but the distancing of man from God. It is believed that worse than biological death is spiritual death, which comes when the communion between God and man is cut off.

The mindless hatred of some people make them managers of their own sins. Unfortunately, throughout all their lives evil prevails. This does not mean they won. Many entangled in sin are troubled and suffer powerfully until eventually they hate it. Sometimes good even comes from evil. Evil gives anxiety, fear, trepidation. Goodness calms, delights, comforts. A small number often live in the fullness of truth and freedom. Evil destroys, stains, discolors, impoverishes. Goodness resurrects, illumines, enriches and strengthens. Blessed are those who do good.

 

 

 

 

http://iliaxtida.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/%cf%8c-%cf%8c-%ce%ae-%ce%af/#more-10967

How to Deal with Evil in the Way of Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do we do when we are bothered by a seductive thought or a temptation?

First of all, don’t be afraid. Second, do not attempt to expel it. The important thing is to turn your attention to Christ.

The simplest way to do this is by making the sign of the Cross.

Elder Porphyrios says,

The most important weapon to use against the devil is the Holy Cross, of which he is terrified. … communication with the Christ, when it takes place simply and naturally without force, makes the devil flee.

Also as you make your Cross say the words “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’

The Elder says,

This is our method. We will raise our ams to Christ and He will give us grace.

This the same approach as given to us by Saint Neilos the Ascetic.

Whenever a temptation comes to you, or a dispute excites you, either to express at once anger towards your adversary or to utter a senseless cry, remember prayer and the judgment concerning it, and at once the disorderly movement in you will subside. (The Philokalia vol 2, trans. Constantine Cavarnos, p65)

What we are doing is showing contempt for evil.
Reference: Wounded By Love, p 149 -151