Philokalia Ministries

We continued this evening with our reading of Hypothesis IX. As always the stories that we are given from the Fathers are both comforting and fiercely challenging.  We heard first about how saintly souls are able to see divine things. Because of their purity of heart and by the grace of God they are able to have a vision of things beyond the limits of the human mind and our capacity for perceiving the hidden realities around us.  We also heard about the reality of Hell itself through the experience of these holy Fathers. Hell is presented very much as the opposite of the complete intimacy and communion the faithful soul shares with the eternal Trinity. If that life is lacking in nothing and knows the fullness of love, Hell is the experience of complete isolation from God and one another. Those who were blessed to receive the fullness of revelation in Christ, those who know His teaching and yet turned away from it, come to experience the deeper loss. For the judgment that comes upon them is not only due to their sinful actions and deeds, it also due to the fact that they have lead others to blaspheme the name of God and to insult God. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” --- Text of chat during the group: 00:13:20 D Fraley: Would you go back?   00:14:35 Rachel (30): FR. John McGuckin has a good talk on St. Cyril   00:14:47 Rachel (30): Do you have pictures of the Sinai icons?   00:16:30 Ashley Kaschl: I’m with you, Ren. It’s WAY easier to warm up than cool off.   00:38:18 Rachel (30): Yes! Exactly what I was hoping to be addressed today. The renewal of the Church through the Fathers..   00:39:51 Rachel (30): I have encountered suspicion at times, in the West, of the Fathers, the writings of the Philokalia, Cassian, Climacus, Maximos,,I think it our blessing, priviledge and patrimony..to be able to have access to these teachings and writings.   00:42:30 Ambrose Little: “I agree with all that you have said.”   00:42:50 Carol Nypaver: 😆   00:56:45 Carol Nypaver: Why are they being punished for not knowing God?  Why wouldn’t they be in Purgatory?   01:04:36 Erick Chastain: This is called limbo, a section of hell for virtuous pagans   01:06:47 Carol Nypaver: So “limbo” is part of Hell?   01:12:16 renwitter: There is a document put forward by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 that marks a firm turn away from any idea of limbo in the Catholic faith. Pope Benedict said that the idea of limbo should be abandoned because it had always been always “only a theological hypothesis” and “never a defined truth of faith.” It would seem that the main motivation for this clarification on the part of the Church was that limbo was seen as unjustly limiting the mercy of God.   01:16:58 Carol Nypaver: Someone who never knew God being condemned to Hell seems like a limit to God’s Mercy. (Not trying to be argumentative, just genuinely confused)   01:21:57 renwitter: I was just speaking to the idea of limbo. All I can think about this story is something we have spoken about in the past - that in these writings there is not a distinction made between hell and purgatory as we think of them, and that hell is often used in a way that we would use purgatory. The very fact that they can receive any consolation at all seems to be a clue into the nature of the place - not hopeless. Again, I don’t actually know, but this is something we have spoken about in the past.   01:22:25 renwitter: Of course, hell is often spoken of also in the way we would think about it.   01:24:43 Ambrose Little: I think we can focus too much on figuring out the circles of hell. :) The underlying point in this passage seems to be that it is a greater sin to know God and turn away from him than to never have known him but not believe. This is supported in Scripture, too.   01:25:28 renwitter: Great point, Ambrose. And one that always makes me feel so doomed. :-(   01:26:17 Rachel (30): the distortion is in the understanding   01:27:06 Ambrose Little: Throw yourself on the mercy of God! Be that “valiant struggler” and repent immediately every time you sin.   01:28:42 Ambrose Little: Those whom the Lord loves, He chastises. People don’t recognize that the “hardness” of God is for our own good.   01:30:06 Carol Nypaver: “It is through suffering that the soul is purified.”   01:30:42 Eric Williams: Blame my cat ;)  

We began Letter 63 this evening entitled “Singing and Music.”However, St. Theophan begins first by discussing with Anastasia how she engages in the tasks of the day and fulfilling her duties. His counsel to her speaks directly to us as well in our own day. The work that we engage in is to be free from trouble and cares. Otherwise the heart becomes agitated. We must strive to work calmly; for if we do not everyday life becomes a hindrance to the spiritual life and our activity and occupations are done in vain. A hubbub always results in the spiritual life getting nowhere at all. Thus, we must distinguish proper zeal from improper care and worries.  Theophan then moves on to address some specific concerns of Anastasia about what is near and dear to her heart; singing and playing the piano. As with everything else, Theophan warns Anastasia that she must be discriminating. We are in a constant state of receptivity and music more than most things has an incredible power over the soul; either in elevating it or dragging it down. Theophan does not demonize music for he sees its true value.  He tells her that it is impossible for her to change everything at once. However, she must give due attention to the content of the music that she sings and plays. She must become more discerning and so choosing songs that have a more tolerable content; gradually setting aside and forgetting others that become a mere distraction. Admittedly, this may be very difficult for the modern mind to accept. The norm is to be completely immersed in the noise of the world and to surround ourselves with music in almost every setting. Yet, for the person who desires to please God in all things, nothing must escape the scrutiny of love and the desire for intimacy. Music may be enticing and stimulating but it may also be an obstacle to our relationship with God. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:09:27 renwitter: pghco.org/evergetinos   00:09:30 renwitter: pghco.org/theophan   00:54:46 Samuel + Christina: Harmonium is a reed organ   00:55:01 D Fraley: A harmonium is like an accordion.   01:10:19 Karl MacMillan: I still will argue that Appetite for Destruction by Guns n Roses is just about the perfect rock album - even if I can't really listen to it anymore.   01:11:28 renwitter: What about Valaam chant?   01:11:41 Erick Chastain: I love valaam chant!   01:12:32 Alexander Pearson: Valaam?   01:12:56 Carol Nypaver: They have the most beautiful YouTube videos.   01:13:12 Karl MacMillan: I think everyting has been downhill since the introduction of polyphony :)   01:13:31 Rachel (30): Thank you   01:14:34 renwitter: PSA. These are the links for the Monday and Wednesdays:   01:14:35 renwitter: pghco.org/evergetinos
pghco.org/theophan   01:14:56 Rachel (30): Thank you a thousand times. God bless.   01:15:38 Cathy: What a wonderful way to end mt day.  Blessings!   01:15:51 D Fraley: Thank you Fr David.  

Tonight we began Hypothesis IX on “where the souls of the dying go and how they exist after the separation from the body.”  We are presented both with the experience of the Saints as they witness the death of others their ascent to heaven and also the experience of those who witness, through the action of God and his Angels,  both Hell and the joys of Heaven.  Our contemplation of these stories is meant to foster kind of urgency within us. We are not to lose ourselves in empty speculation but rather allow the stories to stir within us the desire for God and a spirit of repentance. We are taught that we must have no illusions about our capacity to choose darkness, to dull the conscience, to such an extent that we choose freely the path that leads away from God. It is a frightening prospect but it is also a saving truth. --- Text of chat during the group:  00:28:47 renwitter: PSA: From now on, the link for this group will always be pghco.org/evergetinos   00:29:00 renwitter: The one for Wednesday will be pghco.org/theophan   00:35:24 Ambrose: Now we know why the father spoke so little. He could never get a word in edgewise. :)   00:50:20 Mark J. Kelly: Erick’s point reminds me of a great quote by Blaise Pascal, “To those who seek God, He gives sufficient light.  To those who do not seek Him, He gives sufficient darkness.”   00:50:52 Ashley Kaschl: Gotta go! See ya Wednesday. 😁   01:12:51 renwitter: The Church of the Quivering Brethren   01:13:22 Rachel (30): Referring to hidden things from ourselves and not living fully in Christ, I think St. Climacus speaks about this in the beginning of The Ladder. He relates a story of a monk who was living an unspeakably sinful life until he confessed his sins and not only to the priest alone but the whole community.   01:17:11 renwitter: For those who joined the group a little later tonight. PSA: From now on, the link for this group will always be pghco.org/evergetinos
The one for Wednesday will be pghco.org/theophan   01:20:10 Miron Kerul Kmec: will we get e-mail tooo?   01:22:09 renwitter: Yes! For each group   01:26:15 Ambrose: “There but for the grace of God go I.”   01:30:32 Rachel (30): Thank you.   01:31:26 D Fraley: Thank you

Tonight we concluded Letter 62 on Active Warfare with the passions. Increasingly, Theophan offers more and more practical counsel to Anastasia. Active warfare against the passions includes specific ascetical practices such as fasting, the ordering of sleep and other appetites, avoiding certain forms of entertainment; basically anything that is formative and helps one to be more attentive to God and is conducive to cleansing the passions from the heart. This requires arranging our life and the course of the events in such a way that make us responsive to the action of God‘s grace and providence. God will often bring things together in such a way that events coalesce in order for Him to cleanse us of the passions and grind to dust the squalid and selfishness and stubborn egoism which maintain the passions and destroy the person. Theophan is very much part of a tradition that tells us to kill the passions both inwardly and externally, while cultivating good behavior and giving for range and exercise to the disciplines that cleanse the heart. Theophan reminds her of all the things that she must be attentive to; such as, engaging in spiritual reading, daily scripture readings, self-mortification, and renouncing oneself when necessary. All of these things he has taught Anastasia and simply leaves her with the thought - “May God speed.” Indeed, may God swiftly cleanse our hearts and draws us to His own.

Continuing with Hypothesis VIII and considering the experience of those who die and come back to life, we are brought to a place of self-reflection that we often resist. The only thing that we take out of this world is either our virtue or our vice. Saint Ephraim tells us tonight that it is the it voice of these sins that will bear witness to the truth about our lives before God.  Again we must strive to think about this in the full context of our faith and what God has revealed to us. God, we are told, wills that all be saved and does everything in his power to bring us to salvation. In His Son He has revealed to us his love and his mercy and he has given us the fullness of his grace in order to elevate us to the very life and the love of the Trinity. We must see our lives in light of this ultimate reality and our engagement with the world around us must be given shaped by this distinctive identity. There is no in-between state for us as Christian men and women. Life has been given to us for repentance; that is, in order to turn toward God and to receive his grace and mercy. We must not through heedlessness or sloth elevate other things above God and make them our idols. The stories that we are presented with tonight call out to us: “Now is the time, now is the moment of salvation.” Let us pray that we would have ears to hear. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:11:56 John Clark: The 3 key ingredients in French cooking..Butter..butter..and butter!   00:34:11 Ambrose: gaudium et spes   00:37:39 Lilly: in the wise words of an old man ... ‘god meets us where we are’   00:40:06 Tyler Woloshyn: Like the Old Testament Brazen Snake was made for good, it did get corrupted when misused for the wrong reasons.  It can be the same when people worship liturgy above God.   00:40:15 Joseph Muir: Thank God that He does, Lily!   00:57:11 Tyler Woloshyn: A priest once said, he would rather encounter people who are "theologically stupid" rather than the  career theologian who runs people over to put them down to reach the next theology book."   00:58:56 Joseph Muir: Which reminds me all the more, Tyler, that the greatest theologians are those who pray the most❤   00:59:41 Ambrose: GS 44-45 touch on this engagement as well as the priority of the Gospel and the person and work of Christ.   01:02:20 Eric Williams: At least you didn’t quote Only The Good Die Young. ;)   01:02:28 Tyler Woloshyn: Praying without ceasing makes great theologians. Good input their Joseph about prayerful theologians.   01:02:58 Joseph Muir: Hahahaha, wait, what Billy Joel song was he referencing?   01:06:24 Ambrose: Fr. A shared this recently. Thought it was great. If you are an eye-witness of your brother falling [into sin], say without hesitation: “A curse on you, Satan! My brother is not to blame”, and strengthen your heart against judging your brother, or the Holy Spirit will withdraw from you. Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers   01:06:30 Eric Williams: Even vice is sort of a product now (maybe always was?). “Collect them all! Don’t be left out!”   01:09:40 Eric Williams: Billy Joel lyric:   01:09:45 Eric Williams: “You can get just so much From a good thing You can linger too long In your dreams Say goodbye to the Oldies but goodies ‘Cause the good ole days weren’t Always good And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems”   01:10:10 Eric Williams: Keeping the Faith, from the album An Innocent Man   01:10:40 Francesca pineda (30): Oh no! I missed what Paul of Thebes said because my phone died!   01:15:06 Francesca pineda (30): Thank you  

St. Theophan continues to nourish the young Anastasia with solid food. He guides her deeper and deeper into the spiritual life and warfare.  We began this evening with Letter 61 where Theophan teaches Anastasia about guarding the senses of hearing and sight. Often the present generation neglects the constant state of receptivity that we find ourselves in as human beings; the intense amount stimuli that the mind and the heart have to engage. We must learn to discriminate between those things that are destructive to our relationship with God or those things that help to elevate it.  In Letter 62 Theophan begins to make a distinction between active warfare with the passions and spiritual warfare. The spiritual warfare is everything that he has been speaking to her about; guarding the thoughts, feelings, and the desires that give rise to the Passions.  To progress in this arena is the larger part of the spiritual life and leads to holiness. However, active warfare with the passions consist in the deliberate undertaking and carrying out of actions that are directly opposed to the Passions. This, to combat pride a person might embrace a humble occupation or to combat carousing one might stay at home more frequently. When the inner spiritual warfare is tied to this active combat, the passions will soon be defeated. This makes Theophan‘s counsel priceless. --- Text of chat during the group: 01:08:33 Eric Williams: Tiny homes would be wonderful blessings for the homeless, if only so many cities didn’t ban them for violating building codes (for minimum square footage). :(   01:17:48 Natalia Wohar: Watch the movie “1917”   01:17:57 Eric Williams: You’re a Theophan…fan ;)   01:18:40 Rachel: Thank you.  

There are times when reading the Fathers or the gospel when one walks away feeling as if the earth is shifting beneath one’s feet; or one begins to question their perception of who they are, their identity as a Christian, and whether or not they are living it fully or if it is an illusion. As difficult as it is to consider such things, and as hard as they strike at the heart, they are often the most important things for us to reflect upon. To consider the truth about death and judgment as in Hypothesis VIII in an unvarnished fashion and to let it create tension within the mind and the heart, is something that perhaps relatively few people are willing to do. We grow comfortable in our illusions. To understand that we are being invited into the very mystery of God, the mystery of our redemption and the life that it is made possible, requires a willingness to make an ascent of faith. It means to allow ourselves to let go of all limitations and to allow God to draw us through the darkness of our faith to comprehend what he desires to reveal to us and as he desires to reveal to us. It is always love that is behind this but our experience of it and our resistance to it in our sin or our fear can make us turn away. Like Saint Peter it is our love and trust in Christ at those moments, when our sensibilities rebel or recoil, that allows us to say, “Lord where are we to go? You have the words of everlasting life.“ --- Text of chat during the group: 00:54:00 Lilly Crystal: The last sentence “Now, at the setting of the sun, you remember God?” reminds me of the Hymn sung at Vespers- O Joyful Light   01:07:43 Ambrose: That always gives me tingles.   01:22:33 D Fraley: Thank you Fr David.    

Tonight we began Letter 61. St. Theophan begins to teach Anastasia about the necessity of guarding the senses, in particular hearing and sight. This is especially challenging in modern times when there are so many sources of stimuli. Nonetheless, Theophan tells her they all hold their influence on the person and guide them either toward the good or toward the evil. Therefore, one must not give free reign to the senses. Do not allow yourself to see everything and hear everything but rather be extremely discriminating. A person who opens up a window and lets in bad air is doing wrong and likewise the person who fills a cup of dirty water from a puddle and pours it over himself is stupid. We do the same when opening ourselves to evil feelings and desires. We act without prudence and responsibility and we subject ourselves to stimuli through the things that we see in hear throughout the course of the day. It is necessary instead for us to rush immediately to blot out the stimulus and to suppress the thoughts by taking them captive through turning the mind and the heart to God in prayer. By leaving evil within ourselves for a long time we give it the opportunity to become more deeply implanted and opposed to expulsion and cleansing. It can take possession of the mind. Theophan, in a very stark way, tells Anastasia that a person who has experienced harm from a stimulus and willingly allows himself to encounter the objects again shows that in reality he delights in the evil; and so is impure to the bottom of the heart. Again, to modern sensibilities this seems harsh or unyielding. But we hold something precious within us - the very love and grace of God and we are to protect it. And so as Jesus says: if your hand causes you to sin cut it off or if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. There will be certain things that we have to do without in the course of our life in order to protect that which has greater value. In the struggle with temptations the coward is the victor - he who flees or rather runs toward God. --- Text of chat during group: 00:17:09 Joseph Muir: My wife is pretty spotty, so we’ll see if I make it through the whole group 00:17:15 Joseph Muir: WIFI*🤣 00:17:42 renwitter: hahahahahahaha 00:18:31 Ashley Kaschl: 😂😂😂 00:33:39 Edward Kleinguetl: "When a thought arises, cut it off at once with the Prayer of Jesus. If you start examining it, it will stick to you and you will get interested in it. It will chain you and you will have agreement with it and will start thinking how to fulfill it. And then you will perform it in deed, and this is how sin arises."  (Elder Michael the Recluse of Valaam) 00:44:51 Joseph Muir: All of this is why I stopped watching Black Mirror. As much of a fan as I am of dystopian literature and stories, I found that, as the seasons progressed, it more consistently went down paths that I, in good conscience, couldn’t justify in watching it anymore. 01:03:58 Lilly Crystal: Theology of the Body by St. P. John Paul II has been an amazing resource for my personal struggles regarding topics as such : 01:11:57 Ashley Kaschl: Well shoot 😂 01:13:30 Sheila Applegate: I had to stop Black Mirror too and keep far away from Games of Thrones which as a fantasy lover and reader of the first book (and appauled) I know I would be addicted too. 01:17:19 carolnypaver: “Renew the I Do” is an excellent pre-marriage prep program. 01:18:16 Lilly Crystal: @carolyn where can I find that? 01:18:37 Art: The Catholic Guide  Friendship and Chastity for young adults and older teens (but great for all ages with great chapters on True Friendship and Choice of a Marriage Partner) www.AngelusPress.org 01:20:37 carolnypaver: Contact Dolores Shipe and ask if there is a program in Canada.  412-760-3177 She is in the Pittsburgh Diocese. 01:21:36 Lilly Crystal: @carolyn thank you so much :) 01:21:47 Mark Cummings: Love will keep us together- Captain and Tennile 01:24:10 Lilly Crystal: Same here lol 01:24:55 renwitter: Father David has been known to honk at Newman Center couples when he drives by them holding hands and walking down the sidewalk :-D 01:25:08 Mark Cummings: Date night is the best night to shine up my shotgun 01:25:12 Ashley Kaschl: 😂😂😂 01:25:34 Callie Eisenbrandt: Lol    

In Hypothesis VIII, we found ourselves considering something that is rather jarring to our sensibilities. We began listening to Saint Gregory the Great on the experience of those who die and come to life again and how this can happen by Divine Providence. We are presented with stories of those who are brought to deep repentance when they began to see that fearful state of Hell. We are also shown that such experiences may take place by God‘s providence perhaps not for the conversion of the one who is dying but for those who witness the the terror of the death of one outside of the grace of God and lacking a repentant heart. There is a fierce love at work bringing about our redemption and that fierceness shows itself by stripping us of any illusions about our lives; illusions either about our own mortality or the immortality of the soul. We see our great dignity and destiny in Christ. We are offered life eternal and an experience of union with the Triune God. However, this immortality of the soul outside of the context of our relationship with Christ presents us with a fearful reality; life without God and eternal death. God and his providence will scourge us in order to correct us and draw us back to the path that leads to life. He will allow us to taste the consequence and the bitterness of our own sin in order that we might turn away from it and hate it. This may not be easy to listen to and our inclination may be to turn away from it or to sanitize it. But if we strip the gospel of its teachings on the last things, if we remove the challenging thoughts of Christ in regards to the unbridgeable chasm that exist between heaven and hell, we lose sight of both our dignity and the weight and significance of our choices in this world. If the stories lead us to repentance they will ultimately lead us to joy; for they will lead us back to the bosom of God. Therefore we must not fear them and we must not avoid them - but allow them to shine their fearsome light upon us. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:16:07 Eric Williams: Father forgot to mute everyone, so everyone check your mics! :) 00:16:23 Edward Kleinguetl: Thanks! 00:21:36 Tyler Woloshyn: He was also the author of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Byzantine church. 00:33:46 Ambrose: The staff is for beating off the wolves. :) 00:39:19 Eric Williams: Like what I was saying about young married priests in the East not having older priest families to learn from. 00:48:32 Edward Kleinguetl: Heb. 12:6. 00:49:58 Edward Kleinguetl: "For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;  he scourges every son he acknowledges.” 00:51:59 Eric Williams: “My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline     or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves the one he loves,     as a father the son in whom he delights.” - Proverbs 3:11-12 00:52:02 renwitter: We do not always want to draw that connection between suffering and sin though, right? Christ himself addressed that, and I think of job’s friends trying to convince him that all he is suffering is a result of sin, which it wasn’t. Isn’t suffering also something given to us as a means of drawing us closer to Christ in His passion? 00:52:22 Erick Chastain: oh yeah for sure, not always 00:53:55 Eric Williams: ““How happy is the one whom God reproves;     therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.[d] For he wounds, but he binds up;     he strikes, but his hands heal.” - Job 5:17-18 00:54:31 Edward Kleinguetl: Abba Dorotheos of Gaza: “In God’s providence everything is absolutely right and whatever happens is for the assistance of the soul. For whatever God does with us, he does out of love and consideration for us because it is adapted to our needs.” 01:17:01 Edward Kleinguetl: I met him, April 2, 2019, on Mt. Kolzam. 01:29:30 Nicole: Thank you!!! 01:29:59 D Fraley: Thank you Father David      

Sometimes a great question can lead a group in exactly the right direction!  That was true this evening in our discussion of Letter 60 of Saint Theophan‘s correspondence with Anastasia. So often the spiritual life can seem amorphous. Yet, how is it lived practically? How is it that we direct anger at the passions and what does that look like? Sometimes the spiritual life and the warfare that Theophan describes can seem frightening - let alone confusing. Understanding this leads us right where we need to be. The Fathers of the Church understood that our faith is not simply a set of beliefs or an ideology. It is essentially ascetical; that is, a response to God‘s revelation of Himself to us and His revelation of what the Paschal Mystery has made possible for us. Our destiny in Christ is to share in the life of the most Holy Trinity. But this involves a response to the grace that God has given to us. That response is repentance; a constant turning toward God and away from the passions. The nature of the passions make this a Warfare. We must invest ourselves with a kind of aggression to kill the passions. They are like serpents seeking to reach the surface from within a pit. The Saints tell us we must strike each one of them down until we have killed them. We must not nourish them through a kind of sympathy towards their presence in our lives. In fact, we must poison them with a holy anger that would strike down anything within the human heart that becomes an impediment to our sharing in the love of God. This is, Theophan tells us, the “shortest path” to purifying the heart and there is no other. We may develop our natural virtues to a high extent but without engaging in this battle we will remain passionate and we will become like the foolish virgins described in the gospel who run out of oil.  We cannot borrow virtue, faith, or love from another. Our hearts must burn with desire for the Heavenly Bridegroom. -- Text of chat during the group: 00:20:16 Ashley Kaschl: Don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay/have service but hopefully I’ll get to stay the whole time. 00:44:28 Ashley Kaschl: I think the problem, at least that I’ve confronted, is that people are afraid to start in earnest in any spiritual warfare in their lives because they have a preconceived notion or image from the culture that they’re scared off. 00:56:14 Ashley Kaschl: Gotta go, everyone. Taking off again 😁 great to see you all! 01:02:13 Carole: Safe travels!!