Philokalia Ministries

The podcast explores the importance of humility in the spiritual battle and its role in salvation. It discusses the transformative nature of humility and highlights Christ as the true standard. The essence of the spiritual life is explored, emphasizing purity of heart and deification. The importance of being patient, avoiding scrutiny, and seeking truth is discussed. Love, gentleness, and the lives of the desert fathers are examined. Different approaches to prayer and the significance of groaning are explored. The podcast concludes with a discussion on weaknesses, adult-oriented superhero movies, and a prayer and blessing.

This podcast explores the dangers of vainglory and the importance of self-awareness. It emphasizes the need to avoid vanity and embrace humility in our spiritual journey. The speakers discuss the power of God's grace and the pitfalls of seeking reputation. They also highlight the significance of valuing spiritual life over worldly accomplishments and recognizing God's goodness in all things.

The podcast explores the importance of humility in the spiritual life and shares stories from the Evergetinos, highlighting the transformative power of humility and the dangers of hypocrisy. It also discusses the significance of trusting in God's will, the difference between fulfilling obligations and genuine love, and the challenges of duty-driven individuals. The power of humility in resisting demonic influence and its role in protecting individuals from self-deception are also emphasized.

Anxiety, it has been said, is ubiquitous. We all experience it and in its many manifestations. On a purely psychological level, one can never get to the heart or source of this feeling and its accompanying isolation. Often we find ourselves desperate to free ourselves from its grip. Therefore, we either immerse ourselves in the things of this world and maintain the illusion of security or we become paralyzed by it completely.  The desert fathers including St. John Climacus, however, remind us that through the incarnation everything about what it is to be a human being has been assumed and embraced by our Lord, including this experience that often plagues our existence. Christ is the source of all healing and in and through our immersion in His life through the sacraments and prayer we begin to enter into the peace of the kingdom. We are commanded in the Scriptures not to have any anxiety at all. However, this is not simply a command but a promise of grace and strength. If we hold on to our faith in the Lord, if we truly hope in his promises, then all anxiety and fear will flee.  To call upon the name of Jesus is to flog our enemies; meaning not only the temptations that come to us from the demons, but the fears that they would insert into our minds and hearts.  To mourn over one’s sin, to acknowledge the brevity of our life, is the set aside all illusion and false security. It leads us to cling to Christ who is life and love. So often we too like the disciples are foolish and slow of heart to believe. Yet in Christ even the most improbable of things becomes possible - that in the soul dedicated to God fear and cowardice disappears. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:08:02 FrDavid Abernethy: page 163 Step 21   00:19:55 LauraLeigh: In #2, is he saying that this "old soul" should know better than to give in to cowardice?   00:23:10 Eric Ewanco: Fear is a lack of trust in God   00:23:13 Louise: Fear arises when we read a situation as a threat, while boldness arises when we read a situation as a challenge. With Christ, maybe we should see  all situations as challenges which we can face with Him.   00:24:09 Cindy Moran: Pray for me I lost my wallet today Yes I am anxious.   00:25:22 Rebecca Thérèse: I'll pray for you Cindy   00:25:26 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "I'll pray for you Ci..." with 🙏   00:25:36 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "Pray for me I lost m..." with 🙏   00:28:37 Louise: Why are even Catholics so afraid of dying? I do not understand.   00:29:42 Cindy Moran: Reacted to "I'll pray for you Ci..." with 🙏   00:31:31 David Swiderski: It is interesting I lived and traveled in very insecure areas with lots of kidnappings, random shootings/killings, widespread stealing where your car often is going in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and I found people of amazing faith. Here were there is comfort and more lonleiness anxiety seems widespread.   00:35:45 wayne: Replying to "Pray for me I lost m..."   pray to St Anthony always helps, has worked for me   00:43:55 TFredman: Reacted to "I'll pray for you Ci..." with 🙏   00:45:36 maureencunningham: How did Moses come to Christ   00:49:28 Michael Abele: I am not afraid for my own safety, but sometimes I fear for the people I care for and protect   00:51:23 LauraLeigh: I love that. "Flog your enemies with the Name of Jesus." I'm going to remember that.   00:53:08 Lori Hatala: I think God gave me enough sense not to purposely put myself in a harmful situation. ot avoiding all but knowing what to stay away from.   00:54:40 Eric Ewanco: ChatGPT summarizes his conversion thusly: Saint Moses the Black, once a violent bandit, sought refuge among desert monks in Egypt. Impressed by their peace and patience, he converted to Christianity, became a monk, and later an abbot, renowned for his deep spirituality and wisdom. He was martyred defending his monastery.   00:55:12 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "ChatGPT summarizes h..." with ❤️   00:55:37 LauraLeigh: Replying to "ChatGPT summarizes h..."   I believe I read that he had about 70 monks under his care by the time he died.   00:55:43 Eric Ewanco: Replying to "ChatGPT summarizes h..."   yes   00:57:14 Lawrence Martone: Perhaps Ignatian “agere contra” can help us deal with fear, always trusting in Christ.   01:04:37 Michael Abele: Meant to phrase my earlier comment as a question: can the same be said about fearing for the sake of others? I suppose that can also get out of hand if we do not trust God   01:08:24 Jeff O.: Are barrenness of soul and spiritual desolation as Ignatius tends to identify it somewhat the same here? Or is he getting at something else?   01:10:28 David Swiderski: Jacobs Ladder the movie. All I saw were demons torturing and tearing at me but then I looked again and they were angels freeing me from the attachments of life.   01:11:17 Ashley Kaschl: Paragraph 9 is reminding me of the recent Gospel reading of Jesus calling Peter to walk on the water. Water generally represents chaos in scripture, something unformed or in turmoil. And I think also, if we believe wholeheartedly that we are made in the image of God, and the longer we spend in His presence, the more we are revealed as ourselves in that identity, it is almost as though overcoming temporal and animalistic fear is like passing through raging waters, to be “meeked” by the grace of God so that even our fears are rightly ordered.   01:12:53 Ashley Kaschl: Part 2: (sorry it’s long) if then, we are filled with this grace to have such a disposition as to be unmoving and freed from other fears, then we are always being filled. St. Bernard of Clairvaux says, “The man who is wise, therefore, will see his life as more like a reservoir than a canal. The canal simultaneously pours out what it receives; the reservoir retains the water till it is filled, then discharges the overflow without loss to itself. Today there are many in the Church who act like canals, the reservoirs are far too rare ... You too must learn to await this fullness before pouring out your gifts, do not try to be more generous than God.”   01:15:17 Ambrose Little, OP: (No need to read this aloud, Father): Would appreciate your prayers for my surgery tomorrow morning. It's supposed to be minor/outpatient. The post-op recovery/adaptation period is long, though. I'm optimistic for a good result. Thanks in advance!  🙏🏻🙏🏻   01:15:46 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "(No need to read thi…" with 🙏   01:15:52 Art: Reacted to "(No need to read thi…" with 🙏   01:15:54 Cindy Moran: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:15:54 TFredman: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:15:55 Eric Ewanco: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:16:02 Brian L: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:16:03 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:16:10 Jeff O.: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:17:29 LauraLeigh: Replying to "Part 2: (sorry it’s ..."   Love this. Very meaningful and helpful to me right now. ❤️   01:19:50 sue and mark: Reacted to "(No need to read thi..." with 🙏   01:21:26 LauraLeigh: Father, just a reminder to check out Protecting Veil on YT. He's run Fr. Freeman, too.   01:21:44 Ambrose Little, OP: The intro to the hours of prayer is always good when feeling afraid: God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me!   01:22:11 Jeff O.: Reacted to "The intro to the hou..." with 👍   01:22:32 LauraLeigh: The only thing I stumble on is that cowardice seems to mean fear or anxiety, but I tend to think of it a little differently. Need to sit with this for a while.   01:22:47 Michael Abele: Don't angels usually open with "be not afraid" when they make an appearance? I always thought they'd be a little scary to encounter, in an awe inspiring way.   01:23:00 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "Don't angels usually…" with 💯   01:23:08 Barbara: Do the Eastern Fathers call upon the blood of Jesus as protection or as dissolution of fears?   01:23:43 Susan M: I THINK IT IS PS 70.1   01:23:50 Ambrose Little, OP: Replying to "Don't angels usually..."   Definitely as described by Ezekiel. 🙂   01:24:07 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "The intro to the hou…" with 👍   01:24:32 Ambrose Little, OP: Reacted to "I THINK IT IS PS 70...." with 👍🏻   01:24:32 Cindy Moran: Reacted to "Don't angels usually..." with 💯   01:24:40 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "I THINK IT IS PS 70.…" with 👍🏻   01:25:03 Audrey C. Block: Had great fears this morning; went to Sacrifice of the Mass and still great fears( poor healthx6mos plus many other challenges)sat by Jesus in the Tabernacle and begged His healp over and over, finally by 30 min fears ALL gone!   01:25:36 Rachel: Ou rparish is in a rough neighborhood. Two contrasting experiences...one, a while back during a parish event that ran late I entered the chapel forgetting the roughness of the neighborhood. Upon leaving I rralized that no other person, except Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament was with me.   01:26:14 Ambrose Little, OP: Ps 46:1-3 is good meditation for this, too.   01:26:18 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "Had great fears this…" with ❤️   01:26:25 Cindy Moran: Reacted to "Had great fears this..." with ❤️   01:26:38 Rachel: Yet, recently the same situation, I entered the chapel alone, and even with this reading in mind, but, it took all of my strength not to look over my shoulder at every small sound in the dark!   01:26:55 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "Ps 46:1-3 is good me…" with 🔥   01:27:45 Rachel: Reacted to "Had great fears th..." with ❤️   01:28:56 Rachel: There was no one in the chapel   01:29:04 Rachel: It was at night at dark   01:29:07 Lawrence Martone: Leiva-Merikakis has a remarkable reflection on the calming of the sea. (Mt. 8:23-27). Just one sentence: “The Savior is redeeming his disciples by making his profound serenity as God inhabit the same space as their frantic despair.”   01:29:16 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "Leiva-Merikakis has …" with 😍   01:29:27 Ambrose Little, OP: Replying to "Ps 46:1-3 is good me..."   God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress: so we shall not fear though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea, even though its waters rage and foam, even though the mountains be shaken by its waves. (Abbey Psalter)   01:29:29 Ashley Kaschl: Replying to "Leiva-Merikakis has …" LOVE him 🔥   01:29:45 Rachel: Reacted to "Leiva-Merikakis ha..." with ❤️   01:29:48 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "Leiva-Merikakis has …" with 🔥   01:30:04 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "Leiva-Merikakis has ..." with ❤️   01:30:10 sue and mark: Reacted to "Leiva-Merikakis has ..." with ❤️   01:30:58 Cindy Moran: I am so distraught that I almost didn't log on tonight...thank you Father & Everyone for prayers. I don't feel so overwhelmed now. Thanks be to God. Bless you all.   01:31:30 LauraLeigh: Reacted to "I am so distraught t..." with ❤️   01:31:54 Ashley Kaschl: Reacted to "I am so distraught t…" with ❤️   01:32:22 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂   01:32:34 iPhone: Thank you.  Very helpful.   01:33:03 John: Thank you, Father!   01:33:06 sue and mark: Thank you Fr. Abernethy and God bless you.  good night.   01:33:07 maureencunningham: Thanks   01:33:08 Lorraine Green: Thank you   01:33:09 Jeff O.: Thank you!   01:33:11 Rachel: Thank you all. Thank you   01:33:16 David Swiderski: Thank you father  

One of the most difficult things about the faith is not simply desiring God with all of our heart, but allowing God and His desire for us to transform us and shape us. It means allowing Him to draw us into His own life and virtue. We are to become in the world what He is to us.  Therefore, we are immediately confronted with the fact that we have to let go of the limited powers of our own reason and judgment. We must place our faith and hope in the providence of God to guide us along the path that leads to salvation. Like Saint Peter there often comes a time in our life when another binds us and leads us where we do not want to go. There will likely be many occasions when we are called to die to self and sin and to live for God alone  - come what may.!  The afflictions that we bear and our desire NOT to force our will upon others can only emerge from this reality. We must put on the mind of Christ. We must become what we receive in the holy Eucharist. All that we suffer must be seen as united to Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Christianity is about as far from being a philosophical system or ideology as something could be. It is Divine Life and Love. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:48 FrDavid Abernethy: page 374   00:02:05 FrDavid Abernethy: Welcome Susanna   00:02:15 FrDavid Abernethy: Facebook friend :-0   00:02:33 Susanna Joy: Reacted to "Facebook friend :-0" with ☺️   00:02:49 Susanna Joy: Thank you, Father.   00:02:57 FrDavid Abernethy: You’re very welcome   00:41:30 John: Would making asceticism an end in itself a type of obeying the letter of the law, rather than the spirit?   00:42:31 Susanna Joy: This is very helpful advice for me right niw, as I have been staying at my friend's spiritual community, and being so distressed at members'  contentiousness...wondering what to do and stay cenetered/bring a spirit if peace   00:42:50 Susanna Joy: *spirit of peace   00:46:15 Susanna Joy: Yes...exactly. .. Love must return to its Source in order to flow ever onward... Remembering to turn to Christ in these moments   00:49:02 TFredman: (My name is Tracey) The hardest Lent I ever had was when my spiritual director suggested a different type of fast - a fast from just what we are talking about. Taking his counsel to heart, I decided that a contentious coworker would not disturb my peace and I would love her - oh yes, she was my Lenten project. It was incredibly difficult. She did her best to destroy me and to talk about me to others and to in effect destroy our "team" during the most difficult season of our work. I suffered through that Lent and beyond more than I can express. But through it all, I was at peace and grace followed.   00:51:52 John: At a retreat in June, I was given a Holy Card with a prayer of St. Charles de Foucauld: An Act of Abandonment: "Father, I abandon myself into Your hands. Do with me what you will. Whatever You may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures - I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into Your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to Thee with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into Your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence. For You are my Father. Amen.   00:52:43 carol nypaver: 🙏🏼   00:53:22 Alexandra K: Amen..   00:55:59 Anthony: I agree with the feeling of loss. There's an interesting verse in Sirach or Wisdom,  I think, "Let not th eunuch say 'I am not fruitful.'" It's a verse pointing to Abraham 's hope in an impossibile situation.   00:57:09 Louise: A woman I know ask the Beloved to teach her unconditional love. After few months, her 30-year husband announced her that he was leaving for a younger woman. What an opportunity to react with unconditional love!   00:59:00 Louise: ''asked''   01:05:36 carol nypaver: Is it important to discern whether it is atonement for sin or a test?   01:10:01 John: These experiences of painful, crushing long-suffering remind me of what Cardinal Merry del Val prayed for in his Litany of Humility: http://catholictradition.org/Litanies/litany55.htm   01:10:36 Anthony: The Gospel insinuates some Jews called St Mary a very bad name.  That must have been hard to bear.   01:12:16 Alexandra K: And during this past year of contentiousness i have been praying The cardinal s litany of humility.     Watch out you ask for!   01:14:08 Sheila Applegate: Do we really want "thy will to be done" because does that not mean he wants us humbled..and like Him. We don't, mostly.   01:18:13 Sheila Applegate: Ouch.   01:18:25 maureencunningham: Thank You   01:19:01 Susanna Joy: Thank you, Father.🙏🏾   01:19:03 Lorraine Green: Thank you Father   01:19:03 John: Thank you, Father!   01:19:09 sue and mark: good night thank you   01:19:14 Alexandra K: Ty  

All that was to be redeemed had also then to be assumed in the Incarnation. All that is human and all that is part of the human experience must be embraced by Christ in order that it might be healed by his grace.  We are shown this in a very simple way in regards to one of our basic appetites as human beings - sleep. Like any other appetite, it must be ordered rightly; otherwise, it can end up stealing half of our life. Rather than being drawn into the rest of contemplation, we are often pulled into something much less helpful. Instead of engaging He who is Reality, Life and Love, we often seek to escape these things and enter into sleep or the myriad of ways that we can escape reality.  Therefore, when it comes to prayer, we are often embattled. Sleep can come upon us quickly or we can be drawn to direct or attention to the work of our hands. The Evil One can stimulate the mind at just the right time to pull us away from the comfort and consolation of God into conversation, food, sleep, etc. We must understand that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. When the devil sees us engaging in spiritual warfare, when he sees us developing the discipline of prayer, he will immediately seek to afflicted us with temptations and fantasies the moment the prayer is finished. He will try to snatch away from us the first fruits of the soul.  We can understand, then, why John tells us that bodily vigil leads to spiritual vigil or alertness. We need to be alert not to protect ourselves from the things of this world, but from the darkness that would enter into our hearts if we do not guard them. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:08:28 FrDavid Abernethy: page 162 para 10   00:09:06 angelo: Reacted to "page 162 para 10" with 👍   00:25:49 Maureen Cunningham: did they recite the Psalms as prayer   00:35:46 Louise: Television induces a trance in most people.   00:43:26 Louise: Another feature of watching television is that we become what we contemplate.   00:45:25 carol nypaver: Amen!🤣   00:46:11 Anthony: Recreation,  re-creation, takes work, and I find it's easy just to watch, but it is agitating and like Lucy, Charlie Brown and the football, it's a recurrent trap around 10pm.   00:47:25 Eric Ewanco: This is a general question that's been percolating for a while in my mind as I've been listening to the sessions: Sometimes the desert fathers come across like salvation is so difficult to achieve that it would tempt me to despair, if I were to give it credence. Can you comment on their perspective, and also what they believed the chances of a layperson to be saved was?   00:47:33 Cindy Moran: I've worked in broadcast TV for 43 years. It's the last thing I pick for relaxation.   00:48:10 Ren Witter: Who was it who said: “I have learned a great deal from television, because, every time it is put on, I leave the room and read a book” ? 🤣 I don’t remember, but I thought it was great at the time.   00:49:39 Cindy Moran: Replying to "Who was it who said:..."     Groucho Marx said this.   00:52:15 Bonnie's iPad (2): In fact it can be quite shocking as to how quickly this can occur.   00:53:01 Art: Reacted to "Who was it who said:..." with 👍   00:53:13 John: I seem to be especially vulnerable to attacks right after Confession - including getting stuck behind a slow driver (the most annoying thing for a New Yorker... 🙂 so I've tried to become very vigilant at that time.   00:55:29 Ambrose Little, OP: Reacted to "I seem to be especia..." with 😅   00:56:27 sue and mark: I remember hearing a priest say that "a saint is not someone who never fell, they just did not make friends with the dirt"  It is not the falling but the getting back up over and over again, according to this priest.   00:57:12 Bonnie's iPad (2): Reacted to "I seem to be especia…" with 👌   01:03:37 Ambrose Little, OP: Replying to "Who was it who said:..."   Say it in your head with his style of speaking—classic. 🙂   01:04:03 Lawrence Martone: It is hard to find a priest/confessor who really understands spiritual warfare and dealing with attacks from demons.  The demons zero in on your weakest points, especially in retaliation after times of holiness and grace.  It can result in deep despondency, or anger, with a total absence of peace.   01:04:27 Lee Graham: Saints fall down and get up   01:05:05 John: Reacted to "It is hard to find a..." with 👍   01:05:38 Eric Ewanco: There is an agraphon (word of Jesus not in the Gospels) recorded in the Byzantine Anointing of the Sick service that goes "As any times as you fall, arise, and you shall be saved".   01:06:14 sue and mark: Reacted to "There is an agraphon..." with 👍   01:07:33 Anthony: Sometimes I've used Frederick Neitsche in a way to help me. Exert the will not to stay in despondency. Despite emotional feeling, maintain a deep determination to hope.   01:09:38 Cindy Moran: I read that EWTN has a new series on The Desert Father's starting Aug 20   01:09:52 Eric Ewanco: Reacted to "I read that EWTN has..." with ❤️   01:12:51 Cindy Moran: 😄   01:13:13 Anthony: That's a mistake I believe the Puritans made.   01:14:58 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂   01:15:41 John: Thank you Father!!   01:15:43 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You   01:15:44 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father...great session!   01:15:49 Krissy: Thank you Fathet  

Being thrown off balance! The experience of vertigo! This is what comes to mind when considering the writings from the Evergetinos this evening. Once again, the gospel is put before us in an unvarnished fashion. It is as if through the unclouded vision of the fathers suddenly the truth of the gospel appears before us and all of its starkness. We are to love and to become love. It is this reality that must shape and form our interaction with every person we encounter. It suggests a kind of vulnerability where we seemingly leave ourselves exposed to the world around us and its malice. So easily does the Evil One whisper in our ears, “If you give yourself in such a way, you will undoubtedly find yourself impoverished.” “Would God really ask such a thing from you?”  Such thinking makes us very calculating about our lives. We are comfortable with boundaries and sometimes the religious boundaries, the walls that we put up around ourselves in the name of God are the highest and thickest of them all.  Yet, we always have before us Christ crucified - arms outstretched and hanging naked upon the cross. He is mocked in the same way that our own hearts mock the truth when we shrink away from its demands in horror. To “think” about unconditional love always allows us to remain one step removed. If we keep the faith notional, we do not have to live it. The fathers, however, allow us no such luxury. Nor did they have confidence in their own virtue or rectitude. Humility understands one thing – all is Grace. This will forever compel us to look upon others with the generosity of God and ourselves as the recipients of incalculable and unmerited mercy. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:14:10 FrDavid Abernethy: dabernethy@gmail.com   00:24:14 LauraLeigh: Not sure how to do this in real life. Last week, I pitched a battle at work, and won. And it was no petty matter. I think it takes a lot of wisdom, a lot of discernment, to do this well. Me, I was lucky.   00:26:37 LauraLeigh: Thankfully, it wasn't about the Faith.   00:28:13 Louise: We lost you Fr.   00:28:14 carol nypaver: Yes   00:30:02 Eric Ewanco: “Here the parallel holds good—it is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing.”   Newman, John Henry, Sermon III, The Usurpations Of Reason, Preached December 11, 1831. MATT. 11:19, Sermons, Chiefly On the Theory of Religious Belief, Preached Before the University of Oxford (London: Francis & John Rivington, 1844), p. 48   00:52:02 Anthony: I do have a concern.  I don't want to be a sucker and I resent having been taken for a sucker. That helps drive my engaging religious  and cultural discussions and it's why I'm careful in what charitable works I agree to do.   01:00:33 Maureen Cunningham: What about the  Book  The Way of the Pilgrim  Hw would say the Jesus Prayer in silence   01:03:12 Paul Fifer: I see people walk in for help with food, gas, or money quite regularly.  Many I know for a fact are gaming the system and it really gets to me at times.   I have this quote written down from Mother Theresa to reflect on for those times. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”   01:20:19 LauraLeigh: I love this message, but in the moment, I forget them.   01:23:41 John: Thank you Father!  

The healing of the soul! So often we lose sight of the meaning of the spiritual life and the disciplines that we embrace. We often look at them as being punitive or requiring us to give up something that we enjoy or take pleasure in. We can lose sight very quickly of the presence of God even in the practice of prayer.  This came forward when we discussed this evening something such as vigils. Rarely is the practice of vigil (breaking one’s sleep to rise and pray at night) ever discussed as a valuable exercise for those not only living in a monastery. To order our appetite for sleep and to break the night for prayer is seen as nonsensical or something that could jeopardize one’s health and well-being or one’s capacity to work.  What we find in the spiritual tradition, however, is a far different vision. Bodily vigil leads to spiritual vigil; that is, spiritual vigilance or alertness. Arising during the quiet of the night, humbled in mind and body, one is able to enter into the deep silence of prayer and receive more freely what God desires to give us. Not experiencing the impediment of worldly distractions or the distractions of a multitude of thoughts we are able to open the mind and the heart to God fully. And in doing so we can also experience the deepest healing.  We begin to lose the desire to escape from reality in the things of this world or in sleep. The opening of the mind and the heart to God through deep prayer can bring about the repairing even of the deepest trauma caused by our own sin or the sins of others. God can pass freely into the deepest recesses of the human heart that learns how to become vulnerable to Him over time through the experience of His love and compassion. Trust emerges and with it hope. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:12:48 Nathan: (Thx Father, I'm using the Paulist Press CWS edition so that's helpful)   00:22:34 sharonfisher: I thought it was my dog whining! Lol   00:31:01 Maureen Cunningham: Page please, Thank You   00:31:29 Kevin Burke: 161   00:31:51 Maureen Cunningham: Thank you   00:35:59 John: Would practicing vigils have a positive effect on being subject to deceptive dreams? I've gone down numerous dead ends in the past trying to interpret dreams, or thinking that they were pre-cognitive, but most of them turned out to be mirages.   00:56:56 John: Sounds like vigils are a gateway to "the meat ye know not of."   00:58:43 Louise: Maybe the Beloved has given people insomnia (waking up in the middle of the night) so we can turn to ward Him during this quiet time.   01:00:56 Maureen Cunningham: sleep does not become your master,   01:02:20 Anthony: On vigils, prayers, rosaries,  looking at God as the other imposing an obligation on me makes these annoying. But maybe looking at God as the Other Who gave me His image as an integral part of myself would make vigils, etc desirable.   01:03:19 Kate: Father, would you have any advice on how to begin the practice of vigils for someone who does not have a spiritual director who could help incorporate this practice in the interior life?   01:06:09 Anthony: The cell becomes hell   01:13:13 Anthony: The 3 Apostles slept in the Garden out of sorrow.  I'll have disordered sleep out of sorrow.   01:15:29 Lee Graham: Prayer changes us   01:18:12 Ren Witter: Yea. The “type and number” narrative about confession really makes the sacrament so transactional, and more like a bad experience with your doctor than an encounter with God.   01:18:15 Bonnie Lewis: Father, I had a priest say that to me in the confessional.  It did hurt and surprise me.  I've never forgotten it, obviously.   01:18:58 sue and mark: Reacted to "Yea. The “type and n..." with 👍   01:21:46 Greg C: Good comments, Ren.  We aren't a vehicle to be serviced.   01:21:47 Maureen Cunningham: You can not easily see a Doctor they zoom   01:25:56 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You ,   01:26:12 John: Thank you, Father!   01:26:15 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂  

If I were to give a title to this evening’s session, it would be “What is the place of the Christian in a post-Christian culture? Even better, “What is the place of the Christian in an age of nihilism? When we begin to consider our conduct in relationship to others, how we are to conform ourselves not simply to a law or teaching but to Christ himself, we are confronted with something quite radical. We are to meet insults, hatred, misunderstandings and aggression with humility.  Love is always meant to trump the other things that we hold on to with a firm grip; our own judgment, our own will, our own opinion and the satisfaction of our own desires above the needs of others.  What we are presented with in the teachings of the fathers is rooted in the capacity of the soul for true discernment. The one who is pure of heart is able to see things as God sees them and so see their true value. Therefore, the fathers tell us that in this world we should take the place of a “stranger”; that is, not seeking to have the first word or seeking to have any desire at all except the desire for God and that which draws us toward Him. We are to bend like a reed in the wind when it comes to our relationships with other people. What value does our personal opinion have or the acceptance of some truth that we speak that is greater than love? To stand up against the winds is to court danger; it is to give rise to quarrels and cause trouble. If we want to live with others, we are not to desire to give them orders, but like Christ we are to become an example of obedience. Even as we read the fathers, we must keep Christ before eyes for he is the standard. In the end, it was His actions that revealed a perfect obedience; an obedience rooted in love and willing to empty itself and take on the form of a servant. We are to strive for this alone – that our love would be cruciform. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:09:32 FrDavid Abernethy: page 370 no. 6   00:26:54 Louise: Could we say that, when meeting someone, shaking hands indicates a willingness to welcome the other, to allow a certain form of intimacy and to trust that the other is clean (especially 100 years and more ago when hygiene was questionable)?   00:49:03 Maureen Cunningham: Why is  Letting Go soooooo Hard   00:54:55 Ren Witter: I love this story sooo much   00:55:10 Ambrose Little, OP: They just needed Twitter.   00:55:37 Patrick: 😄   01:06:38 Louise: We have to be ready for ridicule, persecution and even martyrdom.   01:12:35 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You,   01:13:23 Ambrose Little, OP: Powerful stuff!   01:13:29 David Fraley: Thank you, Father!   01:13:31 Alexandra K: Thank you Fr  

When we think of appetites or bodily desires, we rarely consider something such as sleep. Yet this evening St. John shows us that sleep is something that can disrupt that which is most important for the spiritual life; our prayer. Sleep is certainly an essential need that we have as human beings. However, there are many reasons that we can be drawn into it excessively. One of these is human nature of course. However, sleep can come upon us from an excess of food, from the temptation of demons, and also from extreme or prolonged fasting. Thus, sleeping is important for us to consider closely.  Excessive sleeping can become a long-standing habit that is difficult to cure.  It may be difficult for us to think of demons having an impact upon us in this fashion. Yet, when the bell rings for prayer or when the alarm goes off in the morning we can hear a voice within our minds say “Wait, give yourself a little more rest.” In modern days the snooze alarm allows us to extend this indefinitely and we begin our days, perhaps lacking prayer altogether. We can also experience the sensation of severe and unusual pains in the stomach or fits of yawning or even waves of laughter over some amusing incident that comes to mind or takes place within the church.  The same sluggishness in getting out of bed can follow us into the practice of prayer itself. We can hurry through our prayers; saying them inattentively and allowing the mind to wander. We can enter into church without the proper demeanor or making signs of devotion. When these patterns of behavior take over then the demons will certainly make sport of us. To combat this St. John encourages common prayer where we unite ourselves with others in this most essential practice of calling out to God. In this, we can call to mind Jesus’ own words, “Where two or three are gathered, there I am in their midst.“  Often in our day with the breakdown of Christian culture and community, those living in the world, sadly, find themselves left to pray on their own. However, we are not left to ourselves. Through the Hours or the Divine Office we were able to pray with one mind and heart with the Church throughout the world. A deep mystical Communion exist when we engage in the prayer of the Church.  All this is meant to be a simple reminder to us about the subtle things that can distract us at the time of prayer. Therefore, St. John tells us that the practice of prayer itself purifies our hearts and increases our zeal and love for God. The more that we engage in the discipline of prayer, the greater our capacity to rout the demons! --- Text of chat during the group: 00:11:06 FrDavid Abernethy: page 160 starting Step 19   00:38:58 sharonfisher: Yes, agree, but we’re not taught properly. (Re:genuflecting) Our western church has cradle Orthodox attendees from time to time. The grace of this one woman’s entrance and adoration was truly beautiful. I asked how she ‘learned’, but sh said she’d just grown up  with the reverence displayed.   00:42:15 sharonfisher: We need a manual to get us started! lol   00:43:15 Anthony: The older generation was taught a kind of theology that emphasizes human community.  So I think they were misled, thinking they are doing right by having socialization in church.   00:48:09 Lawrence Martone: Re: solitary prayer”for the very few’”  Some Third Order members are required to pray the office daily and spend at least 30 minutes in mental prayer daily - along with other requirements (but not under the pain of sin if missed).  Only at monthly meetings can we pray lauds or vespers in community.  Basically, we have no choice but to pray in solitude for the most part. Isn’t that true of most lay people also?   00:51:51 Louise: Basically, demons are trying to make us turn our attention away from the Beloved. Yet, our present culture is ferociously made up of distractions, engineered with distractions.   00:52:26 TFredman: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   We used to pray Vespers following the 5:15 p.m. Mass Mon-Sat. This was a great blessing to us lay folk. I miss it.   00:52:58 Barbara: Would that we would become attentive to one another!   00:54:07 Lori Hatala: I find it frustrating when the windows are being closed before the priest even leaves the alter.   00:54:10 sharonfisher: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   Does attending live streamed services count? (Hoping yes)   00:54:57 Lawrence Martone: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   To TFredman,   00:55:08 Anthony: We can thank (intentional?) city planning and the heresy of Americanism for harming ethnic Catholic identity.   00:55:18 Lawrence Martone: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   Yes, I would feel the same way.   00:55:29 Ambrose Little, OP: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   Certainly it is better to pray alone than not at all. As one such 3rd order member, I have found the Office to be a tremendous anchor to my spiritual life—even though in most cases I am alone.   00:55:47 Lori Hatala: I tend to go to silent prayer when someone leading  or loudly praying is rushing through it.   00:58:09 Ambrose Little, OP: Replying to "Re: solitary prayer”..."   There’s a benefit to individual prayer in that there is time to pause and meditate on things that strike you. Can’t really do that in community.   00:58:52 Bonnie Lewis: Reacted to "Certainly it is bett..." with ❤️   00:59:05 Bonnie Lewis: Reacted to "There’s a benefit to..." with ❤️   00:59:12 sue and mark: Reacted to "Certainly it is bett..." with ❤️   01:02:15 Susan M: I personally am very grateful for ZOOM   01:02:35 Kevin Burke: Reacted to "I personally am very…" with 👌   01:03:21 Rebecca Thérèse: I'm very grateful for Zoom and livestreamed prayer.   01:07:39 Lawrence Martone: Replying to "We can thank (intent..."   E. Michael Jones - “The Slaughter of Cities.”   01:08:09 sharonfisher: Reacted to "There’s a benefit to..." with ❤️   01:10:14 Susan M: Henri Nouwen was my teacher for 3 courses 1971-74. Very blessed time.   01:10:55 Paul Grazal: Reacted to "I find it frustratin…" with 😇   01:11:35 TFredman: Reacted to "I personally am very..." with 👌   01:11:39 carol: Reacted to "Henri Nouwen was my ..." with ❤️   01:11:45 TFredman: Reacted to "Henri Nouwen was my ..." with ❤️   01:13:52 Ambrose Little, OP: Reacted to "Henri Nouwen was my ..." with ❤️   01:14:22 Paul Grazal: Reacted to "I personally am very…" with ❤️   01:15:04 Cindy Moran: Great session, thank you Father   01:15:12 Rebecca Thérèse: thank you🙂   01:15:21 Rory: Thanks, father   01:15:21 Deiren Masterson: God bless Father   01:15:30 Courtney Wiley: Thank you Father.