Philokalia Ministries

Abba Mark’s teaching pierces the heart because it strips away our worldly sense of “justice” and places us before the wisdom of the Cross. The lawyer’s questions are not unlike our own: What do we do when wronged? What about fairness? What about the law? But the Elder directs him beyond human reasoning toward the spiritual law of Christ. For the world, the offense is external, and the “solution” is measured by punishment and recompense. For the ascetic, the wound of injustice exposes what is hidden in the heart. If resentment rises, then the wrong is ours as much as the other’s. To forgive is not indulgence or naiveté—it is participation in the very judgment of God, who alone knows how to weigh every soul. Vengeance, on the other hand, is a kind of blasphemy: it accuses God of judging wrongly, and so it becomes a heavier sin than the original injury. Here the Evergetinos reveals the paradox of the Gospel: to suffer wrong with gratitude is not weakness but true knowledge. To pray for those who wrong us confounds the demons and makes us sons of the Crucified. The magistrate may punish, but the monk endures; the court may balance debts, but love “endures all things.” The Elder’s words burn away excuses. To forgive is not optional—it is the very condition of our own forgiveness. To harbor vengeance is to live in fantasy, enslaved to illusions of fairness. But to embrace affliction as one’s own and to entrust judgment to God is to step into the reality of mercy, where the only true justice is love. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:06:42 Adam Paige: Philokalia combined volume 1 to 5 by Nun Christina is indeed 825 pages long 00:06:54 Anna: I'm looking for The Philokalia St. Peter of Damascus 00:07:57 Bob Čihák, AZ: One of our current books is “The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, revised 2nd Edition” 2011, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, https://www.bostonmonks.com/product_info.php/products_id/635 . This hard-covered book is on the expensive side but of very high quality. 00:09:53 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 287, D 00:17:59 jonathan: st nick 00:18:02 Adam Paige: Jolly ol St Nick 00:18:30 Una: Santa Clause! 00:25:56 Nina and Sparky: It is a hard teaching, but it matches 1 Cor 6:7 Now indeed [then] it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? 00:26:19 Nina and Sparky: Sorry, It is Forrest! 00:31:35 Rick Visser: Should we not protest injustice? 00:37:44 Anthony: The decision of the Opus Dei Priest in the movie There Be Dragons has been one of my examples 00:38:21 Maureen Cunningham: What happens if you do not like them . How can you love them ?? 00:41:08 Bob Čihák, AZ: Yet Christ threw over the tables of the money changers in the Temple, and maybe did even more? 00:43:35 Maureen Cunningham: Nelson Mandela  when went prisons. They were so hateful 00:44:57 Catherine Opie: I used to be an avid protestor and activist until one day at an anti nuclear protest outside the French Embassy in London I realised I was getting angry with people and pointing the finger at others when I lacked a great deal myself and am far from perfect. So who am I to rage at others?  After my conversion to Catholicism I have realised its not up to me, I certainly am not to participate in evil or condone it and can stand firm in my principles and do positive things to help others. But that it is simply necessary to pray for those who commit evil and injustice to others just as I would pray for those suffering injustice. I find I am less angry and wound up when I know I can offer these things up to God and that its way above my job description to save the world. Activism is such a distraction. And we can be manipulated by the agendas of man through our emotions. 00:46:10 Rick Visser: Simone Weil said: "The greatest and most efficacious vehicle for social and political change is sacrificial love." 00:46:22 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "Simone Weil said: "T..." with ❤️ 00:47:18 jonathan: A Priest once told me, once you have the heart of Christ, then you can go flip tables, until then, be quite, be gentle and be peaceful. Blessed are those persecuted for my sake. Blessed are the meek, and poor in spirit. 00:47:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: Reacted to "A Priest once told m..." with 👍 00:48:03 Jacqulyn: Reacted to "Simone Weil said: "T..." with ❤️ 00:49:14 Rick Visser: Her view was that sacrificial love is the very structure of divine reality and the only path to justice. 00:52:51 Anthony: The message of Peace after 9/11 from Pope St John Paul 2 and Bishop Michael of the Romanian Catholics helped bring me back to the Church. 01:08:18 Maureen Cunningham: Many women have died by staying with an abuser. God would never want that 01:09:47 Larry Ruggiero: The landowner gave from his abundance and in doing so he secured workers for tomorrow. 01:09:59 Rick Visser: Radical 01:11:33 Janine: Thank you Father! 01:12:10 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:12:30 Catherine Opie: God bless

Explore the raw essence of the Gospel as presented by the Desert Fathers, emphasizing unconditional forgiveness and love for enemies. Delve into the significance of patience, using minor irritations as training for greater trials. Reflect on the transformative power of forbearance and the call to endure the faults of our neighbors, equating it to martyrdom. Uncover the dangers of social media provoking impatience, alongside the profound teachings of Christ on long-suffering, and the essential practice of dying to self for spiritual growth.

St. Isaac does not flatter us with easy consolations. He sets before the monk the radical alternative: almsgiving is like the rearing of children, but stillness is the summit of perfection. One can pour out possessions, but if one’s senses remain open to the world, unbarred gates, then the enemy will always find a way in. It is not enough to scatter coins if the mind is still scattered; the true work is to gather the heart into stillness, where God alone becomes its horizon. Isaac shows us the two wars. The first is fought outside: through sight and hearing, through eating and speech, through the ceaseless tangle of affairs. This “exterior warfare” is exhausting and subtle, for it draws the soul outward, dispersing its strength. But there is another war, fought within. Only when the gates of the senses are shut can one turn inward to confront the deeper enemy: thoughts, passions, memories, and the hidden demons that assault the heart. To reach the “rest in God,” the monk must first cease from unnecessary noise without, in order to learn serenity within. The blessedness of stillness, Isaac tells us, is to translate all one’s activity into the work of prayer. A man who can remain in his cell, moving from divine service to divine service with nothing added, will never lack for what is necessary, because he has made God his sole concern. Even manual work, though permitted, is an accommodation for the weak. The more perfect path is prayer and compunction; prostrations before the Cross, like a convict bound, crying out for mercy without ceasing. It is this interior life and the divine rest the comes through it that St. Isaac will describe for us next week. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:05:45 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Page 151 mid paragraph 30 00:23:40 Rebecca Thérèse: Once the robber knows he has everything, he won't be back to bother you again. There's nothing else to steal and he has no further means of threatening or manipulating you. 00:29:31 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 151, paragraph 31 at bottom of page 00:30:15 Julie: Reacted to "P. 151, paragraph 31…" with 🙏 00:32:53 Anthony: Father, for me I don't think it's exactly a linear progression. Some people might have the external and internal awareness overlap. 00:40:42 Jessica Imanaka: I worry about acedia/sloth... not so much because of praying offices, but from slipping into endless meditations on spiritual readings to the potential neglect of my schoolwork and housework. It's hard to discern given that my career/life gives me some leeway in what to focus on and when. 00:45:10 Kathryn Rose: We should turn these mundane necessary tasks into types of prayers 00:45:40 Elizabeth Richards: Like Brother Lawrence 🙂 00:45:52 carolnypaver: Reacted to "We should turn these..." with ❤️ 00:46:30 carolnypaver: Replying to "We should turn these..." St. Josemaria Escriva taught this. 00:46:42 Kathryn Rose: Reacted to "St. Josemaria Escriv…" with ❤️ 00:47:38 Diana Cleveland: I have found this to be so true. For years I have wanted to renovate my house, but never had the money. Over the last 20 years or so, as I have watched trends come and go that I could never participate in, the cutting back has served to cultivated an abundance mindset vs scarcity. I always thought the cutting back would make me crave more, but actually cutting back has produced satisfaction in simplicity of life. 00:49:23 Art: Reacted to "We should turn these..." with 👍 00:50:35 Art: This little excerpt has helped me a lot of late.  “Fix your heart on God.  For the time being, you cannot, I admit, apply yourself to prayer or to other exercises of piety: but, with my confidence founded on Christ, I will give you a rule which will enable you to pray without ceasing: He prays always who lives well.  Animate yourself with faith, I beg you; keep yourself in the presence of God in all your actions.”  St. Paul of the Cross 00:52:43 Anthony: Oh I learned by experience not to multiply devotion....burnout and legalism and a lack of desire to do anything..... 00:52:59 carolnypaver: Reacted to "Oh I learned by expe..." with 👍 00:54:34 Jacqulyn: Reacted to "Oh I learned by expe..." with 👍 00:54:43 Kathryn Rose: The exterior tasks like cleaning, going to jobs, driving, things we all have to do don’t have to be distractions, they can be symbols of doing the work on tending our interior castles 00:57:03 Catherine Opie: realised when I had my first child that my spiritual practice had to be staying in a heart centred space as much as possible and making all my work an act of love. Now I am Catholic I have learnt to dedicate these things to God, saying a prayer before work for example. I used to chant a mantra while doing tasks, but now I can say the Jesus prayer the Pater Noster or the Ave Maria instead which is bringing my mind to God and is of course the right focus to have. If prayer is simple it can be done at all times.  This is what I love about what I am learning here. Having said that I am really enjoying attending vespers on Sunday. 00:58:18 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "We should turn these..." with ❤️ 00:59:58 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "The exterior tasks l..." with ❤️ 01:01:52 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "This little excerpt ..." with ❤️ 01:02:05 Elizabeth Richards: Reacted to "This little excerpt ..." with ❤️ 01:03:26 Myles Davidson: Free PDF of Flowers Of The Passion: Thoughts Of St. Paul Of The Cross https://archive.org/details/FlowersOfThePassionThoughts 01:03:48 Andrew Adams: Reacted to "Free PDF of Flowers ..." with ❤️ 01:04:29 Art: Reacted to "Free PDF of Flowers ..." with 👍 01:05:12 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to " realised when I had..." with ❤️ 01:07:09 Julie: Reacted to "Free PDF of Flowers …" with 🙏 01:07:24 Anthony: Ok that's me, I claim the weakness 01:11:59 carolnypaver: Reacted to "Free PDF of Flowers ..." with ❤️ 01:14:16 Julie: 🙏 01:14:34 Jessica Imanaka: It's all good. 01:14:39 Janine: Great stuff tonight! Amen 01:15:14 David Swiderski, WI: Take away- The secret eater monk 01:15:15 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:15:17 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:15:30 Catherine Opie: 🙏🏻 01:15:31 David Swiderski, WI: God bless Father and your mother 01:15:42 Elizabeth Richards: Thx Father! 01:15:48 Catherine Opie: 👏🏻 01:16:28 Diana Cleveland: Thank you!  

The Fathers in the Evergetinos remind us that the measure of our discipleship is often revealed in how we respond to insult and injury. The world teaches us to defend ourselves, to demand justice, to take vengeance so as not to appear weak. But the Gospel calls us to something altogether different, something that cuts against every instinct of pride: to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive from the heart, and to entrust judgment to God. Abba Cassian tells us that meekness is not merely restraining the tongue, but cleansing the heart itself from the remembrance of wrongs. Outward silence while inwardly replaying offenses is no victory. Unless the root of anger is excised, hatred and envy grow unseen. I know this in myself — how quickly I replay words spoken against me, how easily I justify my resentment. Yet God sees these thoughts, hidden to others, as clearly as if they were deeds. The elders of the desert show us another way. Abba Sisoes shocks a brother out of his thirst for revenge by praying that, since the man insists on avenging himself, God need no longer care for him. Abba Silouan alters the Lord’s Prayer to expose the truth of the brother’s heart: “forgive us not our debts, as we forgive not our debtors.” Their teaching is sharp, but it leaves no room for illusion. If I ask God for mercy, I must extend mercy to my brother, or else my prayer condemns me. The Fathers press us to look at Christ Himself. He endured insult without anger, was silent under reviling, forgave those who crucified Him, and laid down His life for those who sinned against Him. When I see how easily I take offense, how quickly I lash out or withdraw, I realize how little I resemble Him. And yet the call is clear: to follow Christ is to walk His path of forbearance, not simply to admire it from a distance. This is where the path of the Fathers collides with the way of the world. To the secular mind, insult must be answered, wrong must be repaid, and forgiveness is weakness. But in Christ’s kingdom, insult becomes an opportunity to share in His meekness, wrongs become the occasion to enter His patience, and forgiveness becomes our share in His Cross. And so I am left with a choice, not abstract but daily, often in small things: Will I bear insult with humility, or will I cling to pride? Will I entrust myself to God’s justice, or will I grasp for my own? The Fathers tell me plainly: if I cannot endure the smallest slights, how will I endure greater trials? If I cannot forgive the neighbor who wounds me in words, how can I hope to be known by Christ, who forgave even His executioners? The divine ethos is stark. To love those who hate me. To pray for those who grieve me. To forbear without resentment. To entrust vengeance to God. This is not optional; it is the very mark of one who has died and risen with Christ. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:12:59 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 281 B 00:14:30 Forrest Cavalier: https://biblehub.com/greek/3954.htm  Translated as Familiarity in Hypothesis 34 book 2, p266 00:19:11 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 281 B 00:40:05 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 283 A 00:50:41 Andrew Zakhari: It is amazing how what we would say to each other changes dramatically when we consider directing those same words to God. Prayer exposes our sin and converts us. 01:04:55 Kate : Would the Fathers take a pacifist position?  And would they not accept the Catholic just-war theory? 01:06:37 Catherine Opie: I am always amazed at how apt these readings are. I always get exactly what I need for whatever the inner struggle or circumstance is that is current for me or around me generally as a societal or news event. I have been attacked physically and, to my surprise, my instinct was to fight back like a wild animal. How do we learn to obstruct that survival instinct we have? 01:15:00 Maureen Cunningham: Thank you Blessing 01:15:19 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:15:21 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:15:27 Jennifer Dantchev: Thank you! 01:15:35 Catherine Opie: God bless

St. Isaac speaks with the voice of one who has tasted what he teaches. His words carry both severity and sweetness, and at their heart lies a single call: to love God with such singleness that all else is left behind, and to find rest in Him alone. He begins by speaking of reading. For the one who prays, reading is no small companion. Instead of being filled with scattered memories and impressions of the world, the soul, when nourished by Scripture, finds within itself a treasury for prayer. The words of God become recollections that rise up during stillness, offering the mind holy material with which to converse with God. Sometimes these recollections themselves are so sweet, so overwhelming, that they silence the heart entirely and leave the soul motionless before God. Reading thus becomes a doorway into the mysteries of prayer—not as an exercise of intellect alone, but as communion, as a sacrament of remembrance that enlightens the heart. But to enter such prayer, St. Isaac reminds us, requires renunciation. A heart weighted with possessions or concerns is like wet wood that cannot be set aflame. Divine fervor does not ignite in a soul that loves ease. The words are stark, even offensive, but they uncover the truth: we cannot serve two masters. Only the one purified of worldly entanglements will be able to bear witness to the sweetness of God’s mysteries, for true knowledge is born only of experience, not of hearsay. Yet this renunciation is not negation alone. It must take flesh in mercy. St. Isaac turns us to almsgiving, the act that draws the heart most near to God. To give freely, without discrimination between worthy and unworthy, without expectation of return, is to love as God Himself loves. Poverty chosen for Christ becomes a higher wealth, freeing the mind for serenity and boldness in prayer. Still, even here he warns us of subtle temptations: one may come to love possessions “for the sake of almsgiving,” and thus re-enter turmoil. Almsgiving is holy, but stillness is higher, for in stillness the soul communes with God directly, free of all care. This is St. Isaac’s vision—severe, yes, but radiant: to become all flame with the love of God, to renounce all so that one might rest in Him, and in that rest, to discover the joy of unceasing prayer and the inexhaustible fountain of His mercy. Here, and here alone, the soul finds the rest of love. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:10:46 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 149, last sentence on page 00:22:51 Diana Cleveland: I have found that is to be really true. It is easy to get hyper fixed on self instead of meditating on God. 00:24:14 Diana Cleveland: *hyperfixated 00:32:01 Lou Judd: Question: Father, if we are suffering or are distracted or angered by the situation of the Church, what leaders are doing… and that is distracting and upsetting you … what do you do? 00:39:44 David Swiderski, WI: I remember something from Chesterton who mentioned when someone stole his umbrella at a catholic church he knew it as the right place for him a sinner. Sometimes our pride can get in the way. I learned a long time ago to stop listening to a largely anti catholic media and read what actually is written by the church or Vatican. I prefer a more traditional mass but will go anywhere and in any language where the eucharist is present. 00:40:25 Diana Cleveland: I think of the lamentations of the minor prophets at times of anger. 00:41:03 Catherine: Reacted to I remember something... with "😂" 00:41:22 Lou Judd: You’re absolutely right, Father. But it’s so hard to hear. I don’t know how. 00:42:54 Anthony: Anger over injustice is an ingrained feeling in a "Republic" in which everyone is made to feel responsible for the actions of our leaders and society. 00:43:39 Lilly: The crucifixion itself made the Apostles scatter. Let us stay close to Our Lady in times of disturbances 00:44:40 Jessica Imanaka: Would that process be akin to Cassian's recommendations in the Institutes to meditate on certain scripture passages to drive out the passions? 00:46:39 Jessica Imanaka: It frustrates me when I find myself caught in the grip of some dark passion like anger just hours after having a really great prayer. It always feels like the prayer should have a more stable effect on my day. 00:49:10 susan: so timely  Charlie Kirk  shot and killed today  so much anger tears sad  some people laughing,so upsetting 00:49:38 David Swiderski, WI: "Talking back" by Evagius has scripture for every one of the evil thoughts. I thought this little book was helpful for me . The arrow prayers when practiced seem to change the day. 00:49:50 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to ""Talking back" by Ev..." with 👍 00:50:08 carolnypaver: Reacted to ""Talking back" by Ev..." with ❤️ 00:50:26 Jessica Imanaka: So if we can't memorize the relevant scriptures, default to the Jesus Prayer? 00:50:33 Jessica Imanaka: scripture passages 00:54:29 Lou Judd: https://mothersforpriests.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/jumbo-prayers-of-st-john-chrysostom01.pdf 00:54:29 David Swiderski, WI: jumbo-prayers-of-st-john-chrysostom01.pdf 00:55:07 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "https://mothersforpr..." with ❤️ 00:55:26 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "jumbo-prayers-of-st-..." with ❤️ 00:56:10 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 150, #29, last full paragraph on page 01:05:44 Ryan Ngeve: Father what does St Isaac mean by “The rank of love is more initiated than the rank of labor for God” 01:07:55 Gwen’s iPhone: and we are easily confused. 01:14:42 Anthony: Credo ut intelligam becomes more understandable when I / we probe solely by way of reason and then find we've almost lost something valuable 01:17:29 Jonathan Grobler: Christ seems to prefer sheep over goats. 01:17:48 Lou Judd: In some of your emails this week it kind of sounded like you might want to stop these, Father. Please don’t. Also has something changed in your personal situation? I don’t quite understand everything that has happened to you. God bless you and thank you 01:19:30 Elizabeth Richards: I find it helpful & rich 🙂 01:19:36 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "I find it helpful & ..." with 👍 01:20:03 David Swiderski, WI: Thank you Father may God bless you and your mother 01:20:15 Maureen Cunningham: Blessing ThankYou 01:20:18 Janine: Thank you Father! 01:20:54 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:20:58 Diana Cleveland: Thank you! 01:20:59 Bob Čihák, AZ: Thank you and bless you, Father. 01:21:00 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:22:06 Janine: Yes Father …I think that makes sense…. 01:22:50 Art iPhone: Thank you Father!

The Evergetinos gives us stories that cut to the heart of Christian life: how do we respond when insulted, wronged, or treated unjustly? The world would have us defend our honor, insist on our rights, repay injury with injury. But the Fathers reveal another way — the way of Christ — in which anger is cut out at the root, vengeance rejected, and the heart freed from the tyranny of retaliation. The Example of St. Pachomios When insulted by his own brother, St. Pachomios felt the sting of anger rise within him. Yet instead of defending himself, he went into the night to weep before God. He confessed not his brother’s fault, but his own weakness. This is the paradox: the saint sees not an occasion to justify himself but to deepen his repentance. The world teaches us to stand tall when wronged; Pachomios bowed low, stretching out his hands like Christ crucified, begging mercy and was healed. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:08:19 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 278, #7 00:13:45 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 278, #7 00:14:28 Lilly: I have it too 00:21:51 Myles Davidson: I heard someone describe a debate between a Catholic and Orthodox recently as a “blood sport” 00:38:38 Lilly: A response could be “I'll pray for you.” 00:48:40 Andrew Zakhari: I find that in counseling when there is over eagerness on my part to try to help, it almost creates a controlling temperament and often leads to frustration for me and the counselee. 00:58:36 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 280, A 01:00:47 Bob Čihák, AZ: or Book by P G Wodehouse, "Aunts Aren't Gentlemen" 01:14:58 Kate : I have often heard that it is not sinful to feel anger so long as we do not act on that anger.  But St. Pachomios is weeping because he even feels anger. 01:16:00 Quinn Larnach-Jones: Thank you, Fr.! 01:16:02 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:16:09 Catherine Opie: Many thanks once again for a thought provoking talk.

St. Isaac’s words fall like a plough upon the heart. He does not speak of religion as ornament, nor of spiritual life as a gentle addition to human comforts. His vision pierces through to the marrow: the Kingdom of God is hidden within, yet it is veiled from us by attachments, by the clamor of outward concerns, by the fog of our restless desires. To find God we do not roam heaven and earth, chasing visions or “phantasms.” We are told simply to purify the soul, to drive away cares foreign to our nature, to cultivate humility and chastity of heart. In that stillness, the mysteries of God shine forth. Renunciation, for St. Isaac, is not a dour rejection of creation but a necessary loosening of chains. The soul addicted to “ease,” to possessions, to the endless commerce of sights and sounds, is like wet wood; it cannot ignite with the fire of divine love. Only when stripped, when made poor and simple, can it burn. Poverty, humility, stillness; these are not negations but preparations, making space for the light that transforms. It is a paradox: what seems like loss is the doorway into inexhaustible gain. Isaac teaches us that prayer and reading are not separate paths but one movement of the soul. Reading feeds prayer; prayer clarifies the mind and makes reading luminous. When a man stands in prayer, Scripture rises up within him like fresh springs. It silences distractions, fills the heart with recollection of God, and sometimes overwhelms prayer itself with the sweetness of divine astonishment. Such moments are not learned from books, not borrowed secondhand, they must be tasted. Without the labor of vigilance, no one will know them. Without knocking with persistence, the door remains closed. Yet the fruit of such striving is nothing less than transfiguration. The soul that bows before the Cross in vigil and compunction finds fountains of sweetness rising from within; unexpected, uncaused by effort alone. Joy surges, the body itself trembles with divine consolation, and prayer ceases to be labor and becomes gift. This is the hidden fire of the Kingdom, the mystery known only to those who hunger and thirst for God above all else. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:06:25 susan: what page? 00:11:46 Fr. Miron Kerul-Kmec Jr.: No I don’t. I stole it from you 00:37:47 Ryan Ngeve: Father this seems to imply that external converse has a great effect on the internal internal self. How does this relates to the role of the thought as the source of all temptation 00:38:09 Jonathan Grobler: After decades of severe addiction to digital entertainment, silence has become an exceptionally difficult thing to achieve. It is truly a difficult thing to break away from. 00:44:22 Thomas: Will intellectually accepting something eventually lead to belief of that thing in the heart 00:44:40 John Burmeister: Reacted to "After decades of sev..." with 👍 00:50:37 Rachel: I find it hard to come across a confessor that understands I'm trying to expose my thoughts. Roman rite frequently requests obvious sins only.  How would I check my thoughts on my own to God?  I think I'd just be thinking about thinking and will lack simplicity. 00:57:18 susan: yoke mercy to prayer...be kind to yourself trust Jesus will shepherd and guide  forgive yourself trust into the heart of Jesus 01:03:41 Rick Visser: Question:  what is "say your rule of prayer..." In the first line of this para. 01:05:33 Rick Visser: A transcendent "to do" list 01:05:42 Erick Chastain: What kind of reading of scripture has the effects he talks about here? 01:08:16 Maureen Cunningham: What version of the Bible do you think is the closest. I find the Orthodox read much different then other version to include the Eastern  version 01:08:28 Rachel: Do you have a suggestion for the best Bible translation? 01:15:44 Rick Visser: How about D B Hart's New Testament? 01:15:57 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "How about D B Hart's..." with 👍 01:15:59 Ben: Ignatius finally released the full Old & New Testament single-volume. 01:16:10 David: CATENA AUREA BY SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS 01:16:41 Maureen Cunningham: Thank you Blessing 01:16:59 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:17:05 Francisco Ingham: Thank you father! 01:17:10 David: Thank you father God bless you and your mother! 01:17:10 Diana Cleveland: Thank you! 01:17:15 Gail: Thank you!  

The Fathers teach that anger is a form of idolatry. Just as the pagans once bowed before false gods, so too does the man who gives himself to wrath bow before the idol of rage, making himself a slave rather than a disciple of Christ. To renounce anger is to trample down idols and become a bloodless martyr, confessing Christ not with words but with meekness.   The first step in overcoming anger is silence — not speaking when provoked. From this small beginning, grace can bring the soul to tranquility. Abba Moses, once insulted, at first bore it in silence, and later even welcomed humiliation, reproaching himself instead of others. Anger, the elders say, is like a fire that lives on fuel: self-will, pride, contention, the need to be right. If these causes are cut off, the fire goes out; if they are fed, it consumes the heart with remembrance of wrongs and bitterness until the soul is destroyed.   The devil seizes every chance to inflame anger — sometimes over trifles, sometimes under the guise of justice. Yet the one who follows Christ must become a stranger to wrath. The Fathers themselves struggled long: some spent years begging God for freedom from this passion, knowing that controlling the tongue is the doorway to purifying the heart. Outward restraint is not enough; even hidden hatred makes a man a murderer before God. For the Lord searches not only deeds but thoughts, and will judge the secrets of the heart. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:04:58 Catherine Opie: Good evening/morning what page are we currently on? 00:07:04 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 276, G 00:07:46 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "P 276, G" with ❤️ 00:09:28 Anna: He participated in Byzantine Liturgy. In the records there's details on it. 00:10:39 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Evergetinos Volume II page 276 00:11:09 Anna: My daughter is doing a college paper on consecrated life that will bring in desert fathers thanks to these meetings. 00:12:28 Catherine Opie: NZ 00:12:42 Anna: Starting with historical aspects initially which brings in desert fathers and ending in women consecrated life because she feels called to Byzantine monasticism 00:26:48 Anthony: The demons say "what have you to do with us" as if Jesus is the interloper. But they are the outsiders and usurpers. 00:29:44 Maureen Cunningham: Thinking of Saint Padre Pio 00:31:03 Fr. C Mase: There is something to be said for keeping ones mind fixed on ones own repentance. I think that is what Abba-Moses did here. He could have focused on the hurt inflicted on Him but rather focuses on God and on His own repentance. Often it is easy to, when we are wronged, focus on the evil another has done to us. We can especially nowadays with so much evil in the world spend all our time railing about others and turning our eye away from our own vocation. Repentance. 00:32:33 Julie: Reacted to "There is something t…" with 🙏 00:32:44 Andrew Adams: Reacted to "There is something t..." with 🙏 00:33:02 wayne: Reacted to "There is something t..." with 🙏 00:33:08 Janine: Reacted to "There is something t…" with 🙏 00:37:50 Rick Visser: "the causes of anger are giving and taking." I don't understand. What is "giving and taking?" 00:42:17 Anthony: What are the causes due to the passions that if we give them, they go away? 00:44:33 Anthony: So we see it , recognize it and there is no sin if we desire to cut it off? 00:45:42 Forrest Cavalier: The literal greek for "their due" is προῖκα = dowry. 00:53:37 Anthony: Am I correct I can loathe ideas but at the same time wish goodness for people who lived out those ideas? 00:57:52 Maureen Cunningham: Divine Mercy Saint 01:15:54 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Blessing 01:16:09 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! Great discussion tonight! 01:16:14 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:16:18 Catherine Opie: Thank you Fr. This was so perfect for me today. God bless. See you Thursday 01:16:22 Jonathan Grobler: Thank you father, love you lots ! Bye 01:16:26 Troy Amaro: Thank You Father 01:16:37 Janine: Thank you  Father 01:16:50 Bob Čihák, AZ: Thank you & bless you

St. Isaac the Syrian leads us into a subtle yet decisive truth about the spiritual life: to taste of God rightly, one must be weaned from the world—not only from its visible distractions and passions, but also from the premature grasping of spiritual visions and insights. Renunciation, for Isaac, is not merely the abandonment of external goods; it is the letting go of everything that agitates, excites, or exceeds the soul’s present capacity. Like a child given honey before it can digest it, the soul that seeks lofty knowledge or noetic vision without purification risks sickness and collapse. This is why Isaac insists that silence and stillness are the true companions of renunciation. The soul must be emptied and simplified, freed from the clutter of worldly images, memories, and concerns. Only then can she begin to perceive, not in phantasy, but in the true theoria that God bestows upon the humble and pure of heart. Silence, for Isaac, is the protection of this delicate work. It guards the soul from shameless curiosity about mysteries that surpass her strength, and it teaches her to receive revelation with reverence, not presumption. Stillness, likewise, is the arena where renunciation becomes fruitful. By cutting off the “exterior war” of the senses—sight, hearing, chatter, possessions—the soul is fortified against the subtler inner warfare of thoughts. In this solitude, prayer and Scripture reading form the new conversation of the heart, replacing worldly recollections with the remembrance of God. Thus renunciation is not negative but deeply positive: it creates space for mercy, for purity, for true prayer, and for the divine astonishment that halts the soul in stillness before the mysteries of God. Isaac reminds us that almsgiving and voluntary poverty open the heart to boldness before God, but stillness is the summit—where the soul is no longer divided, tossed about, or burdened, but rests in the radiant quiet of God’s presence. Renunciation, then, is not escape but transfiguration. It severs us from the false sweetness of the world and teaches us to taste, in measure, the true sweetness of God. It bids us to be content with what is given, to wait in silence for the moment when grace itself will lift us beyond our measure, and to remain always in the humility by which mysteries are revealed. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:05:39 Bob Čihák, AZ: Our current book is “The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, revised 2nd Edition” 2011, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, https://www.bostonmonks.com/product_info.php/products_id/635 . This hard-covered book is on the expensive side but of very high quality. 00:12:38 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 147, halfway down page 00:26:41 carolnypaver: Page # ? 00:26:51 Andrew Adams: 148 00:26:59 carolnypaver: Reacted to "148" with 👍 00:28:34 Myles Davidson: I love these mystical passages of Isaac. No-one gets closest to being able to express the inexpressible as he is able. 00:28:46 Ben: Reacted to "I love these mystica..." with 👍 00:28:49 Bob Čihák, AZ: Reacted to "I love these mystica..." with 👍 00:30:22 Joshua Sander: Feel free to simply say, "He'll get to that," if Isaac expounds upon this later, but what, in Isaac's view, is the place of intellect in this way of going about the spiritual life? How can the intellect serve as an aid to this rather than, as it often has in the West, as a barrier to it? 00:32:12 Gwen’s iPhone: Didn’t St. Francis worry about that. 00:35:03 Myles Davidson: Someone has done an audiobook of Orthodox Psychotherapy on YouTube if anyone is interested 00:35:59 Eleana: Reacted to "Someone has done an ..." with 👍 00:36:07 Russ’s iPhone: How does Isaac integrate the emotions into the spiritual life and their impact on contemplation, our intellect, nous and our ability to discern our experience of God. Is his approach to the spiritual life highly intellectual? 00:36:14 David: What happened to Evargius Pontus did pride later take hold of him I find it strange he had so much insight but is not a Saint and from what I read apparently deviated in the end of his life. 00:36:14 Lee Graham: Reacted to "Someone has done an …" with 👍 00:36:25 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Someone has done an ..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoDG3c_p7-U 00:38:01 David: I have read most of what Evarigus wrote and Talking Back is amazing. 00:38:13 Adam Paige: Reacted to "Someone has done an …" with 👍 00:40:03 Ryan Ngeve: Reacted to "Someone has done an …" with 👍 00:42:14 Bob Čihák, AZ: Reminds me of Lossky: "All theology is mystical theology" in his book "Mystical Rtheology." 00:42:41 Bob Čihák, AZ: Theology 00:43:33 Gwen’s iPhone: It just hit me that Francis was concerned about intellectual that it would take him away from following Christ. He let others like Bonaventure to be more intellectual. 00:44:33 Mary 🕊️: What should we do if we find it very difficult to identify our sin? 00:44:45 Erick Chastain: The kephalia gnostika by evagrius is said to have problematic passages. See the timios pro dromos commentary on the evagrian ascetical system for details. 00:46:25 Eleana: The sorrowful mother to revel the heart's mysteries as Simon said during the presentation of Christ her pierced heart. 00:47:24 Anna: I find minimal weekly confession and if necessary more, makes one more sensitive to see our sins with clarity. It's like unpeeling an onion. 00:49:07 Zack Morgan: Even St. Poemen turned his own mother away which made her happy with an attitude of "would you rather see me now or not distract me from my prayer and fasting so that you can more assuredly see me in heaven". 00:50:20 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "I find minimal weekl..." with 👍🏻 00:51:01 carolnypaver: Reacted to "I find minimal weekl..." with ❤️ 00:51:57 carolnypaver: Reacted to "Even St. Poemen turn..." with 😮 00:53:38 Adam Paige: Reacted to "I have read most of …" with ☦️ 00:54:46 Catherine Opie: Fr. does the saying of "for these and any other sins..." during the act of contrition at confession cover this aspect of ourselves not being able to perceive or remember every single sin? If we are truly repentant and contrite? 00:55:38 Mary 🕊️: Two more questions....What does a purified heart look like? How do we recognize if our heart is becoming purified? 00:57:35 Una: Who wrote the book The Ascetical Art? Is that the correct title? 00:57:49 carolnypaver: Replying to "Who wrote the book T..." Heart 00:58:01 carolnypaver: Replying to "Who wrote the book T..." Not art 01:02:08 Una: Oh, thank you! I can't find any book with the title The Ascetical Art 01:03:33 Adam Paige: Replying to "Oh, thank you! I can…" Maybe you could write it ! ☺️ https://open.substack.com/pub/frcharbelabernethy/p/ascetic-heart-reflections-on-the-db0?r=26c6hk&utm_medium=ios 01:04:15 Myles Davidson: Reacted to "Maybe you could writ..." with 🙏 01:07:38 Eleana: Replying to "Oh, thank you! I can..." I print them and meditated them during my work day. 01:08:01 Una: I guess it's not a book tthen? At least, not ye 01:08:05 Una: yet 01:13:09 Naina: Thank you Father 🙏✝️ 01:13:14 Anna: Can you explain about Saturday 01:13:32 Maureen Cunningham: Thank you Lords Blessing to all Prayers for Father 01:13:38 Una: He gives extra talks on some Saturdays, Anna 01:13:54 Una: evenings, around  7 pm 01:13:55 Anna: How do I sign up 01:14:01 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:14:01 Una: You'll get an email 01:14:02 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:14:06 Catherine Opie: Thank you so much Fr. God bless! have a blessed weekend. I always include you in my prayers. 01:14:09 David: Thank you Father and God bless you and your mother

The fathers speak with one voice concerning the passion of anger: it blinds the eyes of the soul and expels the grace of the Spirit. St. Cassian tells us that even a “just cause” for anger blinds no less than an unjust one; whether gold or lead is pressed over the eyes, sight is equally obstructed. So too when anger burns, whether cloaked in righteousness or openly irrational, the light of the Sun of Righteousness is veiled from us. The words cut to the quick: we are not to excuse or harbor even a trace of anger. For Christ Himself declared that “whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment” (Mt. 5:22). St. John Chrysostom tells us that scribes added the phrase “without a cause” to soften the command, but the Lord’s intention was uncompromising: to root out the seed entirely, lest it grow into the frenzy that enslaves the heart. For the hesychast this teaching is clear: isolation is no refuge from anger. Cassian admits to raging at sticks of wood or the stubbornness of flint that would not spark quickly enough. The desert does not strip away anger; rather, it exposes it. If we think that by fleeing from brothers we escape the trial of forbearance, we deceive ourselves. Without the correction of life in common, passions grow unchecked, and even inanimate things can draw forth our wrath. Thus, for both monk and layman, anger must be confronted at its root. What, then, of those living in the world, immersed in the irritations and burdens of ordinary life? The fathers offer no easier path for them. Anger in the household, in work, in traffic, in all the frictions of daily existence—these, too, are occasions for forbearance, the training ground of meekness. The same Christ who commands the desert hermit commands also the parent, the spouse, the worker: “Be angry, and sin not” (Ps. 4:4). Turn anger not against neighbor or circumstance, but against the thoughts that seek to enslave. St. Maximos is clear: fasting and vigils restrain bodily desires, but anger is cured only by kindness, charity, love, and mercy. This is the practical labor of every Christian, monk or lay: to return insult with silence, to meet disturbance with meekness, to smother wrath with prayer.  The fathers remind us soberly that chastity, poverty, vigils, and every hardship will avail nothing if anger reigns in the soul on the Day of Judgment. For anger drives out the Spirit; where wrath abides, peace cannot dwell. And he who is without peace is also without joy.  Thus the path is narrow. Anger is a pit, and blessed is he who jumps over it, pulling the gentle yoke of Christ to the end with meekness. This is no less true for those in the city than for those in the desert. Whether at the dinner table, in the workplace, or in the monastery, each moment of provocation is an invitation to humility, to accuse oneself rather than another, to seize the opportunity for compunction rather than resentment. If we endure, grace will come. What seems at first an impossible command—to eradicate anger entirely—becomes, by the Spirit, an easy yoke. For the fathers remind us: all things are possible to the one who bends low in humility, entrusting his passions to Christ who alone can heal the soul. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:13:39 Tracey Fredman: I miss seeing Lori. I hope she's doing well. 00:16:52 Adam Paige: It’s Greek, he writes in Greek 00:18:54 Adam Paige: Some of his books are available digitally, but not Flying over the Abyss 00:19:41 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Page 272 St. John Cassian 00:20:30 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 272 E 00:44:26 Jacqulyn: Living on a ranch, I totally understand that feeling! 00:45:02 Erick Chastain: Is the worsening of the logismoi in the wilderness as opposed to when you are out in the world dependent on whether one is an introvert/extrovert? 00:45:13 Jacqulyn: Yes, I do! But the sheep keep me focused! 00:45:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: I get angry at myself, but not for long. 00:52:17 Anthony: Lately I've been encouraged by St Francis, who instead of getting wrathful with himself called his erring self "Brother Ass." 00:56:35 Hey Oh! : Augustine said that  anger is like an unwanted guest. Once we let it in we don’t know how long it will stay or what it will do in our home (hearts). 00:57:39 Rick Visser: It seems that in contemporary psychology there is a strong tendency not to deny the anger that exists in us. We must allow it, not repress it. 00:58:12 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "It seems that in con..." with 😢 00:59:14 Anthony: Perhaps, then, a sense of false or overbearing shame is a form of anger directed against the self, even, when we remember things we did wrong and have repented of. 01:08:28 Myles Davidson: That was super insightful from St Maximos 01:09:25 Catherine Opie: What are your thoughts on using intense physical exercise like, running for example, to get rid of anger? Or should we simply develop the self control to not even become angry to that level? 01:11:35 Myles Davidson: Replying to "That was super insig..." Both the result of anger and the cure 01:12:01 Julie: Reacted to "That was super insig…" with 🙏 01:14:24 Catherine Opie: So probably genuflections with prayer then... 01:16:38 Catherine Opie: Perfect subject for me this week. Thank you Fr. God bless. 01:16:43 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:16:48 Maureen Cunningham: Blessing thank you 01:16:51 Janine: Thank you Father