Philokalia Ministries

Perhaps there has been no greater or more beautiful exhortation written than Saint Isaac the Syrian’s homily on temptation. This may seem to be a rather bold statement, but Isaac’s words draw us into the very heart of a reality that even many men and women of faith do not see; that is, we are engaged in a spiritual warfare against the Evil One. Evil is not an abstraction or a story meant to instill fear as a means of control. Isaac speaks of it from the perspective of experience and like the other desert fathers, he stands before us as a living and breathing icon, encouraging us to run the course with courage and fidelity. In the spiritual battle, there is no Sabbath day rest; in other words, we must be ever vigilant in regards to temptation that comes to us in many forms. The only one that we must be concerned about is the temptation to which we freely give ourselves over through neglect or laziness or our attachment to particular sins. Rather, we are to take heart from and acquire zeal in our soul against the devil through the example and the histories of those who proved “allies of the divine laws and commandments of the Spirit in fearful places, and amid most grievous tribulation.”  The one in essential thing that this requires of us is that we have in our mind God‘s providence, and always to remember that he is ever faithful, and will not abandon those who trust him. This is our hope - that God is ever present to us in the spiritual battle, strengthening us, and surrounding us with a host of angels and Saints. We have a God who is set upon our salvation and who provides everything that is needed in order that we might be raised even above the ranks of angels. Our Lord has humbled himself, taken our poor humanity and its poverty, embraced it in all of its fullness and weakness in order to raise us up to share in the fullness of the life of God.  Deification is the fruit of the spiritual battle and the promise of our loving Lord! --- Text of chat during the group: 00:03:18 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Page 138 paragraph number 33 00:12:58 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 138, first full paragraph 00:14:35 Janine: Happy birthday Fr. Charbel…60 is nothing…just wait til 70! You are still very young! 00:15:18 Bob Čihák, AZ: ..or 84... 00:19:24 Catherine Opie: Happy Birthday Fr. May your next circle around the sun be full of Gods graces and blessings🎂 00:21:17 Rebecca Thérèse: Happy birthday it's the 10th already in the UK as well🎂☺️ 00:22:22 Gwen’s iPhone: Smile you could be turning 79 00:32:42 Erick Chastain: It is interesting that he emphasizes the role of the guardian angel in defending against the temptations. My oblate master says one should pray to the guardian angel to prevent sins. \ 00:36:12 Ryan Ngeve: Father it is easy for us who live in the world to tend to forget of spiritual realities in our daily life. How does one change this  ? 00:36:27 David: St. Moses the Black/Strong episode of 'Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints' is streaming now on Fox Nation. I believe this is also on youtube but likely violating copyright. 00:42:15 Anthony: To become prayer is like the lesson on computation on Monday. 00:43:38 paul g.: Reacted to " St. Moses the Black…" with ✔️ 00:59:15 Anthony: I think it's important to note they recognized perils, even perils of devils, but did not seek to indulge curiosity about the demons.  The focus was God, without craven feeling toward devils or to God. They shone like simple, confident icons. 00:59:37 Ryan Ngeve: Father, could the very realization of one’s own wretchedness/ poverty/ powerlessness or need for some external mercy lead to tears or even despair? 01:02:11 Elizabeth Richards: Yes! 01:17:13 Catherine Opie: ❤️ 01:19:03 David: I heard an interesting podcast with Fr. Josh Johnson who said if the Devil can't make you bad he will make you busy. Apparently a parishioner doubted the devil existed he told her to set a time to sit in adoration or prayer and you will see tons of things will come up to interfere and often not bad things. 2 weeks later she came back and said- ok I believe in the devil. This also has been my experience. 01:21:44 Eleana: And temptations. I usually tell my patients you are often desperate for a "fix" and miserable but when you are trying to be sober and clean, you encounter friends that will invite you and even FIND everywhere what you avoid the most. 01:26:11 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Father Blessing 01:26:49 Elizabeth Richards: 🥳 Happy Birthday! 🎉   Looking forward to Saturday! 01:26:53 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:26:53 Bob Čihák, AZ: Thank you and Bless you, Father. 01:26:54 Art: Have a happy birthday!! 01:26:59 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you! Happy Birthday! 01:27:10 David: Thank you father and may you have a joyful Birthday. I turn 60 next year tell me how it goes

This engaging discussion centers on the relational aspect of contrition, intertwining heartfelt sorrow with a deeper connection to God. Personal narratives reveal the struggle between managing spiritual life and allowing divine guidance. The importance of humility in prayer and the role of persistent prayer in encountering mercy are explored. Compunction emerges as a pivotal experience for spiritual growth, emphasizing the need for vulnerability. Ultimately, the conversation champions a reflective approach to recapturing spiritual insight through prayer.

Knowledge of God comes through the experience of God. When faith remains an abstraction, an idea, it is destined to remain lifeless and loses its capacity to transform and heal. It is the Lord Himself - He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - who must teach us.  Outside this path, we will lack all understanding. What we are called to contemplate is not simply what we can see with our eyes, perceive through our senses or conceive through our intellect. It is the mind of God, the mind of Christ, that we are called to put on. Furthermore, what we are given to understand is not worldly realities but the very mysteries of the Kingdom and the nature of divine Love.  Such is true in our understanding of the presence of temptation and affliction in our lives. We are told to pray not to enter in the temptation and yet the path the Christ calls us to walk leads us directly into them. The temptations that we are not to give ourselves over to are the ones that come through our own negligence and attachment to the things of this world and the self. We are not to put ourselves to the test by exposing ourselves to things that enliven the passions. Yet, in the gospel we are called by Christ to enter into the tribulation and the trials that we experience in this world and to do so with patience and hope in Him. The temptation that we are to fear is the one that comes through the mind’s self-esteem which opens us up to the demon of blasphemy and pride. It is then that we make ourselves judge of God and become blind to the poverty of our own sin.   The temptation, the trial we are called to enter into and embrace is the cross. With firm hope we are to take it up daily and in doing so God will reveal the truth to us. Isaac writes: “For without trials, God‘s Providence is not seen and you cannot obtain boldness before God, nor learn the wisdom of the spirit, nor can divine longing be established within you.” Knowledge of the cross, only comes through the experience of the cross, and our willingness to embrace it. This reality allows us to become bold in our hope and trust in the Lord‘s love. Unless we enter into hell, we will never know through experience that that we need not fear it – for Christ has already descended there. Our virtue, our strength is to be the virtue and strength of Christ. This comes only through living in Him and embodying that same love and hope that was made present on Calvary.   These mysteries even made Saint Isaac cry out: “O the subtlety of the path of the Thy teachings, O Lord!“  We must humbly allow Him to take us by the hand and guide us to the truth. --- Text of chat during the group:  00:09:50 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 136, last paragraph, last line, bottom of page 00:12:16 Bob Čihák, AZ: We started on p. 113 00:17:23 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 136, last paragraph, last line, bottom of page 00:19:22 Thomas: Where do I find the raise hand button 00:20:03 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Where do I find the ..." At the React button 00:20:54 Thomas: Replying to "Where do I find the …" Thanks 00:27:21 Anthony: We also need to be perceptive while simple so we don't let liars beguile us. 00:29:33 Myles Davidson: Replying to "We also need to be p..." Wise as serpents while innocent as doves 00:31:56 Thomas: Would it be imprudent or untrusting, or something like that to want to suffer more? 00:39:00 Ryan N: Father how does one endure when the pains of the cross become overwhelming 00:39:06 Ryan N: Or even less to a loss of faith 00:39:11 Ryan N: Lead* 01:02:44 Eleana: The father of lies with the daily illusion that freedom is instant gratification is in itself the battle that leads to sanctity. Where sin is abundant so is grace. 01:07:36 Ryan N: Father how do temptations of lusts differ from temptations of affliction 01:14:24 Anthony: That's the spirit of Enlightenment so-called. We are told by our government even, that doubt and blasphemy are freedom. 01:20:53 Jeffrey Ott: I was just there two weeks ago. It was hot then 😆 01:23:49 Catherine Opie: Thank you Fr. once again. God bless. 01:23:52 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:23:57 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you Father!

When reading the fathers, it is as if we are swimming in the living waters of their faith and love for God.  In this sense we are in a privileged position: we are able to catch a glimpse of what might otherwise be completely incomprehensible to us. Yet the warmth of the light of their faith is undeniable; for contrition is often understood and experienced as the coldest of realities, expressing only the poverty of our sin and the distance from God that it creates. When reading the fathers, however, we begin to see that contrition is love and rooted, most importantly, in a relationship of love with merciful God.  God has come among us and take our flesh upon himself and so there is nothing foreign to Him about our experience or the poverty of our sin. He has entered into it all, embracing it, carrying it, and experiencing every subtle impact that it has upon our hearts. Contrition and the tears that often flow because of it is part of God‘s providential care for us. There are many reasons why we might have a punitive vision of God and how he engages us. If we focus only on our sin or if we simply over analyze on an intellectual level who God is and the nature of sin then we are destined for despondency. A faith that is solely moralistic and legalistic can crush the spirit, sometimes permanently. Once we experienced true contrition, we must allow it to reveal the meaning and the purpose of our tears; or better yet, we must simply allow ourselves to experience the impact of this reality on our hearts and how it can open us up to an unparalleled experience of the love and mercy of God. One period of tears shed for love can preserve virtues that have been hard won over the course of years. These tears are shaped not only by emotion or sorrow but by the grace of God. --- Text of chat during the group:  00:15:15 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 253, # 12 00:32:45 Kate : If someone has had a very legalistic experience within the Church, does it take a leap of faith to make the shift to even believe in the love of God?  In other words, does one have to bow down in humility and accept the love of God as a matter of faith? 00:52:15 Myles Davidson: More than one Catholic exorcist have said that Nefarious is the best portrayal of demonic possession on film they’ve seen. Great film! 01:05:58 Myles Davidson: That’s just about my favourite desert father teaching thus far. Beautiful image! 01:06:17 Vanessa: Love it too. 01:06:26 Vanessa: Reacted to "That’s just about my..." with ❤️ 01:17:09 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Blessing 01:17:37 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:17:40 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:18:00 Bob Čihák, AZ: Bless you!!

Text of chat during the group: 00:15:43 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/7dc24fb1-6e46-0667-4ec1-01790064a60b/Thirst_for_God_Zacharou.pdf 00:16:31 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/7dc24fb1-6e46-0667-4ec1-01790064a60b/Thirst_for_God_Zacharou.pdf 00:16:48 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/506f6085-0052-3e6d-7e04-806ca4478091/Thirst_for_God_handout_of_quotes.pdf 00:17:35 Lou Judd: Thank you so much for offering this talk, Father. Gd bless you! 01:19:17 Suzanne Romano: Does not this thirst presuppose a willingness to suffer? 01:21:45 Michael Rosteet: A Willingness to Sacrifice in order to satisfy thirst 01:21:50 Mark Kelly: Reacted to "A Willingness to Sac..." with 👍 01:28:39 Anne: Reacted to A Willingness to Sac... with "👍" 01:32:34 Suzanne Romano: I just heard that St. Francis de Sales said that suffering is the 8th Sacrament! 01:34:08 Mark Kelly: "To them that long for the presence of the living God, the thought of Him is sweetest itself: but there is no satiety, rather an ever-increasing appetite...” ― Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God 01:40:09 Naina: Thank you so much Father🙏☦️❤️ Needed this 🙏 01:40:51 Jade: Reacted to "Thank you so much Fa…" with ❤️ 01:41:55 Suzanne Romano: Great topic! 01:42:09 Una: Profound! Thank you! 01:42:15 paulmccloskey: Thank you. Yes, this has been very helpful. 01:42:23 Julie: Beautiful 01:42:42 John Sullivan: Excellent, will there access to the recording afterwards? 01:42:50 Art: This was wonderful!  Thank you! 01:43:15 Lou Judd: I still don’t understand replace satisfaction with expectation 01:43:37 Karine: Very helpful Father, God bless you 01:43:45 Craig Klampe: Thank you. Yes. Will this be a podcast? 01:43:59 Eric Ewanco: Will this recording be posted? 01:44:03 Jade: Thank you Father, Beautiful!  I have felt the closest to God in my suffering.  I can’t remember who said this maybe Saint Anthony the great, but it was something along the lines of “The devil taught me how to pray, The demons would tempt me and I would run to God in prayer, the further they would tempt me the more I would run to prayer, therefore the devil taught me how to pray”. I’ve never related so deeply to something. 01:44:12 Andrew Adams: Thanks be to God! Thank you, father! 01:44:15 cameron: Thank you. 01:44:17 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you, have a good retreat🙂 01:44:20 Una: Where is this library? 01:44:22 Adam Paige: Thank you so much Father !!!! 01:45:27 Una: Thank you

Saint Isaac the Syrian asks the question that has been put forward for centuries - “how are we to pray?”  In fact, our Lord himself was asked by his disciples to teach them how to pray as John the Baptizer taught his disciples. Within a few beautiful paragraphs Isaac opens up for us not only what we are to pray for but why. What Isaac would have us understand is that our prayer should be a reflection both of who God is and what he is revealed already in regard to his desires for us and a reflection of who we are and our understanding of our dignity and destiny in Christ. It is as if God says to us, “I became man in order that you might become God. If you did not desire to become God, you would do me wrong“. We are to refrain from asking for the things of this world not because it is wrong to do so in a moralistic or legalistic understanding of things. Rather, we are to ask for what is heavenly. At times our focus upon and anxiety about the things in this world makes our vision myopic. We lose sight of the presence of God and the life and the love that he has promised us. Isaac tells us that when our petitions to God are in accord with His glory then our honor is magnified before Him and He rejoices over us. Similarly, Isaac tells us, the angels and archangels are astonished and exalt whenever they behold one who has been made from the earth asking for what is heavenly – one who is been made from the dust asking for what endures to eternity. Therefore, Isaac, echoing the Scriptures tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all else will be given to us. We need only be humble and patient - trusting above all in the providence of God and not rush onwards to great measures before the appropriate time. “For anything”, Isaac tells us, “that is quickly obtained is also easily lost, whereas everything found with toil is also kept with careful watching.“ That which is precious comes only after striving to give our hearts to God and then we must hold onto it with great watchfulness.  What is most essential, however, is that we thirst for Jesus and that He would make us drunk with His love. Do not let your eyes focus on the delights of this world, but rather trust that God desires to give you his peace and the invincible joy of the kingdom. Simply put, “the man who desires the greatest things does not concern himself with a lesser“ --- Text of chat during the group: 00:05:47 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 135, first full paragraph on this page 00:14:39 Myles Davidson: Top of pg. 135 “Do not become foolish…” 00:26:38 Anthony: This reminds me of a quote by Henri Nouwen, that our biggest affliction is a feeling of self hatred. You shared this on Facebook. 00:30:00 Rick Visser: Is it fair to say that Therese L. was disposed to a love that went beyond the sensual-- the felt--and was disposed to a pure love that transcended the feelings? 00:32:28 Joshua Sander: Isaac's mention of us leaving "our dunghill" for the things of Heaven also reminds me of C. S. Lewis, who writes, "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." 00:33:53 Anna: So the desert fathers and mothers didn't have psychological tools and neurological tools to overcome things like anger, anxiety, fear and so on... did they overcome such things through only ascetic life and prayer? 00:35:58 Gwen’s iPhone: It was Leo XIII allowed her to enter Carmel at a young age. 00:46:28 Rick Visser: What are vain repetitions in prayer? 00:46:35 Anthony: When we pray, should we be very specific,  or say only, "Lord have mercy as you know how"? 01:02:05 Rick Visser: Does this mean I must give up my herb garden and pray, give up the lesser things for the greatest things? 01:02:13 Eleana: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi 01:10:01 Anthony: A Man For All Seasons,  the counsel Thomas More gives to the scholar 01:10:25 Anna: My daughter is asking... Were the desert fathers living in the desert and if so how did they find their food? 01:14:12 Myles Davidson: Desert Christians by William Harmless is a great book about how they lived 01:14:25 Catherine Opie: There are places in the desert where springs come up and monasteries are built on those places 01:15:36 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Blessing 01:15:39 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:15:47 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you!! 01:15:54 Catherine Opie: Thank you God bless 01:16:03 David: Thank you father and may God bless you and your mother

As we listen to St. Isaac the Syrian in Homily Three his focus shifts from speaking of the necessary foundation to be laid in the spiritual life, purity of mind, to drawing us further to purity of heart. Purity of mind is established through the toils of the ascetic life, including vigils, fasting, prayer and meditation upon the scriptures, etc.  One’s attraction to the life of virtue grows. However, Isaac warns us that as quickly as it is formed within us, it can be lost. A soul may allow into the mind a thought or image that once again stirs up the passions and what has been gained through much prayer and struggle is lost quickly. Purity of heart, however, is something that only emerges by the grace of God and His action in our lives. All that St. Isaac speaks of in the ascetic life continues. However, purity of heart, the purification of the “sense of senses” comes only by many afflictions, deprivations, separation from fellowship with the world, and deadness to all things. It is truly a dying to self and self will and abandoning oneself to God completely. This is the stumbling block for the majority of mankind, including many Christians. It is to embrace the Cross. One is no longer soiled by little things, nor dismayed by conflicts and struggles. What Isaac is suggesting here is that a soul begins to be fed on solid food indigestible to those who are weak. Such purity of heart comes through many afflictions and is acquired over a long period of time. One’s focus becomes fixed upon the Beloved and he becomes the lens through which one views everything. Saint Isaac describes it as a state of limpid purity, of that natural innocence once lost.  To regain such a state is difficult living in a world surrounded by so many things that foster not knowledge of God but rather knowledge of many evil realities. There is only one path to this purity and that is simplicity – desiring the one thing necessary and shaping one’s whole life around that reality. This is the immediate goal of the spiritual life as St. John Cassian teaches. We are to abandon what is small in order that we might find what is truly great. We are to spurn what is superfluous and without value in order to discover that “treasure hidden in the field”. We are to become dead to the world in order that we might not live unto death. Saint Isaac reminds us that martyrs are not only those who have accepted death for belief in Christ, but those who die for the sake of keeping his commandments. He does not varnish the gospel for us, but rather brings into clear view the necessity of loving Christ above all things, including our own lives. What the world needs is martyrs – those who bear witness to the very love of the kingdom. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:31 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:01:55 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Heart as explained by Philip Sherrard 00:02:16 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: One of the translators of the Philokalia 00:03:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 133, first paragraph on this page, 22nd paragraph from start of this homily 00:08:57 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:09:14 Adam Paige: The monastery in Egypt is working on a legal appeal at the moment https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1272520/sinai-monastery-working-out-legal-appeal/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email# 00:09:45 Adam Paige: Reacted to "The receptacle of gr…" with ❤️ 00:12:22 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:13:59 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:14:02 Myles Davidson: I’m quite happy to pay for your content Fr 00:24:44 Jamie Hickman: The purification of the mind seems more possible on earth whereas the purification of the heart seems more likely to occur in purgatory 🤷🏻‍♂️ 00:29:05 Paisios: St Silouan 00:30:32 Joshua Sander: Can you repeat the name of that book by Fr. Benedict? 00:31:16 Myles Davidson: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0824506286?ref_=mr_referred_us_au_nz 00:33:21 Myles Davidson: Replying to "https://www.amazon.c..." Sorry, That’s Amazon Australia 00:34:14 Kevin Burke: How does this concept of purity of heart relate to the traditional Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart? 00:34:33 Janine: Fr Grochel used to say that he hoped he made it to Purgatory! 00:38:04 Jamie Hickman: I agree, Father, but union with God is a lifetime work even if the immediate goal...seems achieved for many of us through purgatory even if we are aiming for heaven. Just suggesting this isn't easily attainable in short time for many of us 00:38:53 Nypaver Clan: Page? 00:39:03 Erick Chastain: 133 00:39:28 Erick Chastain: Now 134 00:39:47 Nypaver Clan: thanks 00:45:11 Erick Chastain: How does one avoid perception without being a hermit? 00:51:29 Rick Visser: Kierkegaard: "Purity of Heart is to will one thing." 01:02:43 Jamie Hickman: No rush, could be for the end: Father, what are your thoughts on the four/five volume Philokalia in separate books vs the more recent publication of all the volumes in a single book? I think the two follow different translations. 01:03:34 Jamie Hickman: Haha love this and thank you, Father! 01:04:04 Ben: Replying to "No rush, could be fo..." I always wondered how the Pilgrim carried the whole Philokalia in his sack! 😝 01:04:21 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "I always wondered ho..." with 🤣 01:10:13 Anthony: I miss visiting with relatives over coffee. "Americans" just don't do that. 01:12:34 Art: You’ve mentioned “to give up Christ for Christ”, with regards to prayer, for example. 01:15:07 Mark South: Fr David: You posted an article regarding Satan in the Church on Facebook a month or so ago. I believe it was written by a Father or Abbot from Mt Athos. Do you recall? 01:15:38 eleana: "The greatest Glory" the movie about the christeros 01:15:44 Mark South: The name of the article? 01:15:48 Nypaver Clan: Brother Andres at Epiphany Church 01:16:44 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:17:04 Jamie Hickman: Thank you, Father! 01:17:07 Nypaver Clan: Brother Andres is also at Assumption Church, Bellevue 01:17:14 Catherine Opie: Thank you. Apologies we will be at mass on Sunday at that time 01:17:16 Elizabeth Richards’s iPhone: & with you 🙏🏼

Exploring the profound relationship between love and contrition, the discussion reveals how genuine mourning can lead to spiritual healing. The power of tears is highlighted through stories of the Eastern Fathers, emphasizing the transformative journey of recognizing personal sin. There are insightful reflections on childhood memories and their long-lasting impact, and the importance of silence and prayer is also explored. Finally, the podcast concludes with a heartfelt discussion on aging and the significance of community connections.

One of the amazing things about reading the lives in the teachings of the desert fathers is that we begin to see that we are part of the body of Christ and among the many who have sought to make the spiritual journey over the centuries.  We aren’t Christians in isolation. This means not only that we hold and believe the same truths about the faith that have been revealed to us but also that we seek to embrace in all of its fullness the life and the love of that Christ has made possible for us. We struggle with the same wounds, similar dispositions and mindsets that affect the way that we view the world around us and the way that we practice the faith. The acknowledgment of this communion and the desire to breathe the same air and to travel the same path is a source of great strength for us. Not only are we guided by the teachings of Christ and the gift of His Spirit but also by the many Saints and Martyrs who embody this reality in their lives.  One of the great fruits of this is Hope. The struggle with the poverty of our sin, the sorrow that it brings can leave us feeling alone and isolated. But as we listen to the stories from the Fathers on contrition and how to shape this habit of mind and virtue, it is as if we are taken by the hand and guided toward Christ. The Scriptures tell us that we are to console others as we ourselves have been consoled. The Fathers console us in so many different ways. They do this most simply by presenting us with the truth of our struggle with sin and also the depth of God‘s mercy and compassion. They struggle so hard to prevent us from falling into despondency and give us the healing balm of their wisdom to keep us moving forward - even if we should make a wreck of our life on a daily basis.  On the most beautiful things they teach us in the Evergetinos is that contrition is not about self-contempt so much as it is about self-knowledge; of seeing the truth of the wound of sin and our need for the Divine Physician. What is asked of us is not perfection, but rather to live in a spirit of faith and repentance; with humble hearts to turn to the One who loves us and desires to heal us.  These reasons alone are enough to convince a soul to seek constant nourishment and guidance from the fathers. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:06:27 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 249, F. From St. Barsanouphios 00:15:19 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 249, F. From St. Barsanouphios 00:21:41 Myles Davidson: Chat GPT had never heard of the St. Barsonouphous / Buddha connection, for what it’s worth 00:23:36 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Chat GPT had never h..." …nor an internet search 00:27:31 Rod Castillo: Replying to "Chat GPT had never h…" I think you are referring to the legend of Barlaam and Josaphat.  Barlaam was thought to have been the Buddha in Christian guise. 00:27:55 Lindsey Funair: Is it sinful to cry out of contrition over sins already confessed? 00:28:29 Anthony: I apologize to all: the story of Barlaam and Joseph is connected to Buddha.  New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia mentions the connection. 00:41:11 Kate : I recently read that one of the fathers said that profound and deep sighs are the same as physical tears. 00:42:44 Lindsey Funair: Sometimes it would seem the physical tears are a blessing as the person would otherwise doubt their own sincerity if it weren't for the outward sign. So they can then experience the connection more purely. Because it makes it easier to accept, the reality of the state of the soul, without the distraction of being unworthy to talk to God. But it is very inconvenient when driving and attracts bad attention at church. 00:44:00 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "Sometimes it would s..." with 👍🏼 00:44:33 Lindsey Funair: Groans, which have no understandable meaning, have been spoken of that way. 00:47:05 Una: If you want to stop crying during Mass, try inflicting pain on the side of your thumb with the fingernail of the opposite thumb. The pain will distract you as you try to breath through it (as with natural childbirth breathing). No harm will be done your thumb. Cry when you get home. 00:52:49 Adam Paige: “When he went to church on Saturdays and Sundays he walked alone in deep thought, allowing no one to approach him lest his concentration should be interrupted. In church he stood in a comer, keeping his face turned to the ground and shedding streams of tears. For, like the holy fathers, and especially like his great model Arsenios, he was always full of contrition and kept the thought of death continually in his mind.” - Abba Philimon (Philokalia volume 2) 00:54:33 Anthony: How do we distinguish real contrition or trying to be contrite versus grief for not living up to perfection, or a craven approach to God, or emotional instability? Or does this even matter, since you trust God to bring you along to His goodness in the end? 01:00:18 Lindsey Funair: Most of us have a hard enough time staying on the path that it is hard to imagine the temptation to stay on the path, but without walking forward, that becomes its own temptation. 01:14:46 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:15:09 Lindsey Funair: Thank you, Father. Please include me for Saturday's email.

Saint Isaac for Syrian proves himself once more to be one of the most beautiful and poetic of teachers. He describes for us the nature of the human person and the fragmentation that has taken place because of sin. On the level of the flesh, the body has certain needs and will seek to satisfy them. Yet, sin often brings a disorder to this desire as well as a weakness of will.  In other words, we can begin to seek to satisfy the flesh in a sinful fashion and in a way contrary not only to Divine revelation but also to reason. The soul also is invested with its own particular nature that allows us to perceive the realities of the world around us and to understand them. This understanding, however, is not necessarily going to act in concert with the desires of the flesh. It is for this reason that we so often experience conflict within ourselves. We may see what is good and true and beautiful and yet by the weakness of our will embrace the opposite. Likewise, we may have the strength of will to embrace what is good and yet because of the darkness of our thoughts and our understanding we embrace that which does not conform to the truth or our real needs.  Due to our being in a constant state of receptivity through our senses, our thoughts can be shaped by the will of the flesh, the imagination from what we have seen or heard, our predisposition to think in a certain way where our minds are filled with inconsistencies and, finally, by the demons who wage war on us and seek to enliven the passions.  Purity of mind is to be rapt in things Divine and this comes about, Saint Isaac tells us, after a man has long practiced the virtues.  He warns us, however, that we cannot be so bold to think that we have achieved this without the experience of evil thoughts or that we are outside the reach of them while we are still in the body.  Again, Isaac is seeking to lay a foundation for us that allows us to see the inner workings of the mind and the heart. We must seek this purity of mind and struggle against the multitude of passions and the thoughts associated with them.  Isaac teaches us this not simply that we might understand it on an intellectual level, but that within it we might also find hope. The more clearly we see this the more freely we can pursue purity of mind. We can grow in our capacity to direct our thoughts to those things that are virtuous and create within the human heart a greater desire for God. It is from this vantage point that we can begin to see and enter the path that leads to purity of heart. --- 00:08:34 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 131, paragraph 15, first on page 00:14:49 Catherine Opie: Apologies what page are we on today? 00:14:59 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 131, paragraph 15, first on page 00:15:14 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "P. 131, paragraph 15..." with 🙏🏻 00:32:44 Eleana: I have seen my patients crying because they lost their will with the use of substances. The ascetic life then, will increase the use of the will? I don't see that it becomes easier with time the prayiing life and motification by the contrary seems that tentations will increase. 00:44:41 Anthony: And with novels and movies, the observer is drawn into the drama and the thoughts and sensations become his own, and theyvalso become false memories. 00:46:46 Ryan N: Father, Is the best way to avoid these imaginations that are influenced by sensory stimuli to avoid external sensory impulse altogether? 00:57:00 Joshua Sander: The line from T.S. Eliot comes to mind, "And they write innumerable books, being too vain and distracted for silence." 00:57:09 Bob Čihák, AZ: Margaret Thatcher 00:58:22 Ben: And St. Therese..."Oh, how glad I am that I didn't read all those books!" 00:59:15 Art: Reacted to "And St. Therese..."O..." with 👍 01:05:30 Ryan N: Father there seems to be an emphasis on the role of demons as a source of temptation. To what degree is that true in relation to the other sources like natural inclination 01:14:00 Catherine Opie: Fr. how does non judgement tie in with speaking out about evil or injustice? Does it mean that we must not do this with hatred in our hearts for the perpetrator? 01:14:31 Fr. Miron Kerul-Kmec Jr.: I think it was St. Peter of Damascus 298 passions 01:15:22 Anthony: The New Advent Catholic encyclopedia on Anger helped me understand  anger. 01:18:35 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Blessing 01:18:41 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:18:43 Catherine Opie: Thank you Fr. God bless.❤️🙏🏻 01:19:22 Maureen Cunningham: Yay 01:19:23 Ben: 👏 01:19:31 David: Thank you Father. God bless you and your mother. 01:19:47 Elizabeth Richards: Thank you