Orthodox Wisdom

St. Ignatius Brianchaninov writes in his book “The Field: Cultivating Salvation”:   “Filled with worry and futility is my cross, no matter how heavy it may be. if it does not become the Cross of Christ through our following in His footsteps. My cross becomes the Cross of Christ if I am a disciple of Christ, because a disciple of Christ is firmly convinced that Christ watches over him at all times; that Christ allows his sorrows as the inescapable and inevitable condition of Christianity; and that no sorrow would ever approach him if it were not allowed by Christ; and that through sorrows, the Christian becomes one with Christ, becomes a partaker of His lot on earth, and later in heaven.”   “Patient bearing of "my cross" is true recognition of one's sins. In this knowledge, there is no self-deception. However, he who admits himself to be a sinner but at the same time complains and groans from his cross, only proves that he is lying to himself with his superficial admission of sinfulness.”   “Thank God from the cross, thank Him for the priceless treasure of your own cross, for the precious gift to be able to emulate Christ's sufferings.”   “The Cross of Christ raises the crucified disciple of Christ from the earth. The disciple of Christ who is crucified on his cross thinks only of the heights, with his mind and heart he lives only in heaven, already seeing the mysteries of the Spirit in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”   This is a recording of chapter 32 from “The Field: Cultivating Salvation”. Buy the book here: https://www.holytrinitypublications.com/the-field   Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A newly translated Missionary Tract written by Hieromartyr Daniel Sysoev. We commemorate this great missionary's martyrdom on Nov 7/20.   -Find Fr. Daniel's book for sale here: https://mission-shop.com   -Support the Rev. Daniel Sysoev Benevolent Fund that supports the widows and children of priests who die and leave their family in great need: https://mission-shop.com/pozhertvovanie-na-fond/   -Watch an interview with Fr. Daniel's Matushka, daughter, and two spiritual children at the Orthodoxy Christian Theology channel here: https://youtu.be/cXFNiKcoi9I   -Read a brief Life of the Hieromartyr here: https://orthochristian.com/117356.html   -Watch myself and Patrick (Craig) Truglia discuss Fr. Daniel's street mission tips followed by a Q&A: https://youtu.be/YOE9D2n6Xt0 "Sometimes people say: “How can I  possibly become a saint? Just avoiding  hell is plenty! And anyway, it would be  prideful of me to want to become like  the holy apostles, martyrs, or monastic  saints. This was meant for them, but  probably not for me.” But Christ says:  "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your  Father Which is in Heaven is perfect"  (Matthew 5:48). From the lives of the  saints it is clear that each of them,  by his own choice, wanted to attain  a great reward in Heaven and to rid  himself of the burden of sin as quickly  as possible, since sin was preventing  him from ascending from strength to  strength on the path to holiness."   “Let us not deceive ourselves: any pause in the spiritual life is a step backwards! If we try to grasp the secret of success in any earthly undertaking – be it sport, science, or art – we will see that the successful are those that continue to work until they have attained their goal, regardless of hardships or setbacks. The successful person never says: “I cannot” or “that is beyond me,” but firmly believes that he will attain his desired result, anticipating the thrill of victory.”   “How can we live calmly when we know our neighbor is headed for perdition? For if we do not try to preach to him, this means we do not love him: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God Whom he hath not seen? (1 John 4:20).” “The Lord arranges for the missionary to learn through converts. The Lord elevates the missionary higher and higher. But there is a necessary condition: the missionary must pray. Of course, mission itself teaches this: if someone does not pray, he will begin to grow discouraged due to his lack of success. If someone tries to be the mouth of God the Father, but does not turn to God the Father, nothing will come of it. One does not play around with missionary work. That is why missionary work forces people to pray, especially when they find themselves in extraordinary circumstances (and the missionary always lives in such extraordinary circumstances, for he is living between three worlds). His life is utterly intense, utterly rich, and the missionary grows accustomed to relying constantly upon the Lord God.” Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

We commemorate St. John the Almsgiver on Nov 12 / Nov 25.  From the Life of St. John, written by St. Sophronius of Jerusalem: "And indeed he was always on all occasions amiable to all, advising, encouraging, assisting, acting as peacemaker, doing a kindness, reconciling, and ever anxiously striving to display his love for the highest virtue in all its forms." "He absolutely refused to receive presents or money or any kind of gift whatsoever, not only as a fee for ordination, but also on any other pretext or excuse, whether the matter were great or small, for he ever kept in mind the words of the writer of Proverbs, who says ‘He that is greedy of gain destroys himself but he that hateth taking gifts shall live’. [Prov 15:27 LXX] Moreover from all those who were seeking ordination at his hands, whether as bishops or priests, he demanded a written declaration in order to safeguard the orthodox faith and to secure the observance of all the ordinances set forth in the Canons." Read the Life here: https://www.omhksea.org/archives/3364  Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

The word of the Lord to St. Ephraim: "Ecumenism has a spirit of wickedness and is dominated by unclean spirits."   Demetrios Tselengidis, professor of dogmatic theology at the University of Thessaloniki, writes of his experiences with St. Ephraim of Katounakia:    So I asked him on the matter in hand - if he could tell me what kind of thing Ecumenism is. He replied outright and without any difficulty:   "This question, my child, had also been posed by someone else, some time before you. I myself have been up here on these rocks for forty years... I have even forgotten my Greek (note that he had completed Middle School) and as such, I haven’t preoccupied myself with that issue. But, because I had to reply – seeing that I had been asked about it, and since I had no knowledge of the matter - I went to my cell and prayed, asking Christ to inform me what Ecumenism is. I received His reply, which was that Ecumenism has a spirit of wickedness and is dominated by unclean spirits."   So I asked him exactly how that was verified. He replied that "after praying, my cell became filled with an unbearable stench, which caused my soul to feel asphyxiated; I couldn’t breathe spiritually."   I asked him if that had been an extraordinary event for him, or if that was the way that Christ responds in analogous cases, and he assured me that "in all the cases that are involved with sorcery, with unclean spirits, that is the state in which He enlightens me. Sometimes there is a spoken response, but in the present case, that was His answer and I have the absolute certainty that Ecumenism does not have the Holy Spirit, but the unclean spirit."   Read the full account from Professor Tselengidis here: https://orthochristian.com/93492.html  Photo in the thumbnail is of an Ecumenical Prayer gathering at Sts. Peter and Paul’s Coptic Church in Cairo, Egypt in 2017. Featured at this gathering was Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria, Pope Francis of Rome, Coptic Pope Tawadros II, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and more: https://www.ecupatria.org/2017/05/01/ecumenical-prayer-in-egypt-for-peace-and-unity/  Many canons condemn prayer with the heterodox, among other expressions of the heresy of ecumenism. Apostolic Canon 45: “Let a bishop, presbyter, or deacon, who has only prayed with heretics, be excommunicated: but if he has permitted them to perform any clerical office, let him be deposed.”   A useful starting point to understand the heresy of ecumenism is the 1983 ROCOR condemnation of ecumenism, added to the Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodox in Great Lent: "Those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ’s Church is divided into so-called “branches” which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future when all “branches” or sects or denominations, and even religions will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the priesthood and mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and eucharist of heretics is effectual for salvation; therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate, or defend their new heresy of Ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, Anathema!"   Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Elder Aimilianos says, “Once we reach a certain age, moreover, the choice of one's life partner is a matter which should not be put off. Neither should one be in a hurry, because, as the saying goes, "quick to marry, quick to despair". But one should not delay, because delay is a mortal danger to the soul. As a rule, the normal rhythm of the spiritual life begins with marriage. An unmarried person is like someone trying to live permanently in a hallway: he doesn't seem to know what the rooms are for. Parents should take an interest in the child's social life, but also in his prayer life, so that the blessed hour will come as a gift sent by God.  Don't choose a person who wastes his time at clubs, having good time, and throwing away his money on traveling and luxuries. Neither should you choose someone who, as you'll find out, conceals his self-centeredness beneath words of love. Don't choose a woman as your wife who is like gun powder, so that as soon as you say something to her, she bursts to flames. She's no good as a wife.  Discuss things in advance with your spiritual father. Examine every detail with him, and he will stand by your side as a true friend, and, when you reach the desired goal, then your marriage will be a gift from God (cf. 1 Cor 7.7). God gives his own gift to each one of us. He leads one person to marriage and another to virginity. Not that God makes the choice by saying "you go here", and "you go there", but he gives us the nerve to choose what our heart desires, and the courage and the strength to carry it out.  If you choose your spouse in this way, then thank God. Bring him into touch with your spiritual father. If you don't have one, the two of you should choose a spiritual father together, who will be your Elder, your father, the one who will remind you of, and show you God.”   Read the full sermon: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/marriage.aspx  Listen to the full sermon "Marriage: The Great Sacrament" from Orthodox Wisdom on this platform. Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Fr. Seraphim Rose writes:   The concept of prelest, a key one in Orthodox ascetical teaching, is completely absent in the Protestant-Catholic world which produced the "charismatic" movement; and this fact explains why such an obvious deception can gain such a hold over nominally "Christian" circles, and also why a "prophet" like Nicholas Berdyaev who comes from an Orthodox background should regard it as absolutely essential that in the "new age of the Holy Spirit" "There will be no more of the ascetic world-view." The reason is obvious: the Orthodox ascetic world-view gives the only means by which men, having received the Holy Spirit at their Baptism and Chrismation, may truly continue to acquire the Holy Spirit in their lives; and it teaches how to distinguish and guard oneself against spiritual deception. The "new spirituality" of which Berdyaev dreamed and which the "charismatic revival" actually practices, has an entirely different foundation and is seen to be a fraud in the light of the Orthodox ascetical teaching. Therefore, there is not room for both conceptions in the same spiritual universe: to accept the "new spirituality" of the "charismatic revival" one must reject Orthodox Christianity; and conversely, to remain an Orthodox Christian, one must reject the "charismatic revival," which is a counterfeit of Orthodoxy.   From "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future", p. 143-146. Buy the book here: https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/orf.htm  For those interested, you can listen to my recent conversation with Joseph Sciambra on Fr. Seraphim Rose, "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future", and more: https://youtu.be/kNRTZTzPrtY  Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

From "Spiritual Counsels Vol. IV: Family Life" 0:07 - Married life and monastic life are both blessed  3:15 - Anxiety in getting settled  5:14 - Let us help the young follow their inclination  8:30 - Deciding on a way of life  13:41 - Studies and getting settled  20:16 - The spiritual life is the basic prerequisite to a good marriage    Geronda, what should one say to young people who ask if monastic life is superior to married life?   -To begin with, one must help them understand what the destiny of man is and what the meaning of life is. Then one can explain to them that both roads indicated by our Church are blessed, because each can lead them to Paradise if they abide by the will of God. Let's say that two people start out on a pilgrimage. One takes the bus using the public road and the other goes on foot along some trail. Both have the same goal. God rejoices in the one and marvels at the other just the same. It would be bad if he who goes on foot criticizes the other who takes the bus, or vice versa. Those young people who may be thinking about monasticism should know that the mission of the monk or the nun is a very high calling; it is to become an angel. In the next life, in Heaven, we will live like angels, Jesus Christ had told the Sadducees. This is why some very philotimo-filled* young people become monks or nuns and embark on their angelic life from this present life. But let no one think that those who go to the monastery will be saved simply because they became monks or nuns. Each person will account to God about whether he sanctified the path of life he chose. Philotimo is needed everywhere. God does not make deserving or undeserving people; but, anyone who doesn't have this spirit of philotimo, no matter what path of life he follows, will be undeserving. On the contrary, the philotimo-filled man will make progress, wherever he may be, because Divine Grace is with him. There are married people who live most virtuously and are sanctified. The head of a household who loves God and is drawn by divine eros, can make great spiritual progress. In the meantime, they can endow their children with virtues, create a good family, and receive a double reward from God. This is why every young person should aim to struggle in life with philotimo and without anxiety, in order to sanctify his or her chosen path of life. Do they prefer marriage? Then they ought to wed, but they should struggle to be good spouses and live a holy life. Do they prefer monastic life? Then they should choose monastic life, but they must struggle to become a good monk or nun. One must weigh and assess his strengths, understand his limitations, before embarking on one of the two ways of life. If, for example, a young woman can see that she doesn't have the strength needed to become a nun, then she can humbly say to God, "My Lord, I am weak; I cannot live as a nun. Please send me a good man who can help me so that we create a good family and live a spiritual life.” God will not abandon her. If she chooses to marry and create a good family; if she lives in accordance with the Gospel, God will not ask for more from her.  *Philotimo means “love of honor” and in the spiritual life it is the desire to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12:10) and fulfill the Lord’s command that “whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matt 5:41). Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

How instructive are the Lives of the Saints! How necessary they are to stay on the royal path and live in true repentance! St. Paisios: “I remember also at the Cenobium we had a monk who as a layman had been a police captain. They made him a reader because he was educated. He had been in the monastery for years yet still disgusted by many things. He would not even touch a doorknob! He would try to open a door with his foot, or try to turn the knob with his elbow and then clean his sleeve with alcohol. He would even enter the door of the Church with his foot. In his old age, God permitted that his feet develop gangrene, especially the one he used to open the door. I was serving as a nursing aide when he first came to the monastery’s hospital with his foot all bandaged up. The nursing orderly told me to untie it while he went to get some bandages. When I untied it, I gasped. It was covered with little worms.    'Go down to the sea to wash it and get rid of the worms, and come to have me change the bandages.' I was at a loss seeing the condition of his foot, the degree of his punishment. The nursing orderly asked me, 'Do you know the cause of his affliction?'  'Yes, it’s because he opens the door with his foot,' I told him."  _____  St. Paisios: "...Others would kiss the doorknob touched by the Elders, while the monk who was disgusted by everything would barely touch his moustache to the Holy Icons when he bowed to reverence them. One can only imagine what his poor moustache had to endure with the rubbing alcohol!"   Spiritual Child: "Geronda, when something like this happens with sacred things, is it not irreverence?"   St. Paisios: "Of course; this is how things start, and then move on to further developments. This same monk reached the point of not kissing the Icons because he feared that the monks who reverenced them before him had some illness!"  Read the complete account from "Spiritual Counsels III: Spiritual Struggle" here: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/post/a-must-read-st-paisios-on-the-blasphemous-treatment-of-holy-things-god-s-wrath-and-trusting-god __________ Elder Evthymios, disciple of St. Paisios, written April 2020 regarding the Coronavirus crisis:   "When Saint Paisios was asked, he said that we should do the sign of the cross and eat fearlessly, which he himself first did, setting an example. Were he alive today, it would be inconceivable for us to see him wearing a mask and gloves, carrying a little bottle of alcohol in his pocket and avoiding people or speaking to them from a distance. He would surely be pacifying the people, he would be helping them put away fear, and most of all he would be saddened by the closing of the churches. Such a fear is unbefitting for Christians inspired by the example of the God-Man and by the Martyrs of our faith."   Elder Evthymios offered us one of the most important letters to date regarding the Covid-19 crisis, addressing fear, vaccines, globalism, closure of churches, and the spirit of antichrist permeating so many both inside and outside the Church. Read the full letter here: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/post/the-coronavirus-crisis-letter-from-the-holy-mountain-elder-evthymios-of-kapsala This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A story of the power of prayer, of the noetic energy of the heart, that can overcome otherwise very disrupting noise. St. Porphyrios says, “As I was leafing through it I lighted on a page showing the following experiment: If you throw a small stone into a calm lake you see the water making ripples over a small area. If you then throw in a larger stone, the ripples become larger and extend over a larger area so that they outflank the first ripples. At that moment I received the answer to my dilemma. It was divine illumination. I reasoned as follows: the small ripples from the singing outside the church can be outflanked by the prayers of great spiritual intensity that are being said inside the church. And at the same time there came at once into my mind forcefully, very forcefully: 'And if you celebrate here and have your mind on God, who can cause you any harm?'” From ”Wounded by Love: The Life and the Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios”, p. 56-58   This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

If after listening to this Introduction to the Philokalia you are inspired to read the Philokalia and learn to pray in a more God-pleasing way, we strongly advise you to do so with the blessing and guidance of your spiritual father. If you do not have a spiritual father, finding one is much more important than reading the Philokalia.  Fr. Maximos Constas writes: "Before reading any of the works in the Philokalia, it will be helpful to read the following two items. The first is St. Nikodemos’ outstanding summary of all the principle doctrines and practices that the reader will encounter on the traditional path of entry into the Philokalia. The second is his Introduction to the Philokalia, which was omitted by the English translators."   Listen to the entire Philokalia at Patristic Nectar: https://patristicnectar.org/philokalia Buy the 4 volume set of the Philokalia: https://www.holycross.org/products/the-philokalia-the-complete-text-4-volume-set   Read the Introduction by St. Nikodemos: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gl2cnU6FIooOKmJEaDQA4PIfwxf3FgpF/view?usp=sharing   This is the second recording from our new contributor, Timothy D. Please say a prayer for him and his family.   St. Nikodemos writes:   "The Spirit enlightens those Fathers wise in divine things, oriented toward uninterrupted watchfulness and attentiveness in all things and guarding of the nous, and He reveals to them a method to again find grace, a method truly wondrous and most scientific. The method was the ceaseless prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God."   "From this spiritual and scientific work, accompanied also by the practical execution of the commandments and of the remaining moral virtues, because of the warmth which is created in the heart and the spiritual energy from the calling on the all-holy Name, the passions are burned up; because our God is fire, fire which consumes evil (Deut. 4:24). Continuing on, the nous and the heart, little by little, are purified and are unified together. And when they are purified and united, one with the other, from that point the fruits of the Spirit rise up once again in the soul and all the fullness of good things are lavished upon man. And that I may speak briefly, from here it is possible to return to the perfect grace of the Spirit which was granted to us from the beginning in Baptism, and which certainly exists in us, but the passions have buried it, just like the ashes bury the spark."    "Come all, as many as are members in the Orthodox calling, lay people and monks together, as many as aspire to find the kingdom of God which is within you and the hidden treasure in the field of your heart (Lk. 17:21; Matt. 13:44), which is sweet Jesus Christ. Thusly, free from the captivity of this world and from the wandering of your nous and with a heart purified of the passions, by the ceaseless and awesome calling upon our Lord Jesus Christ and with the other co-operative virtues, which this book teaches, you shall be united together among yourselves and being united together in this way you shall all together be united to God, according to the supplication of our Lord to the Father where he said: 'That they may be one, as we are one' (Jn. 17:11)"    This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!