Philokalia Ministries

Saint Isaac the Syrian begins his teaching with a gentle reminder that liberation from material things, that is, our attachment to the things of this world and placing them above God, is a slow process that involves great toil. Yet, this is the common order of things. In our journey, we often have to break loose of the mooring of those things that prevent us from loving. And so Isaac teaches us that righteous activity involves comprehending what God has revealed to us and then embodying it through action - praxis. Even as we make gains our memory of past sins and failures often brings grief to the soul. We shouldn’t be discouraged by this, St. Isaac tells us, but we must simply allow these recollections to lead us to greater repentance and gratitude for God‘s mercy. Yet all of this is but a prelude to Isaac asking us an important question: Do you desire to commune with God by perceiving the love and the mercy that He reveals not just with the mind or the senses but through faith and experience?  Do you desire God? Do you desire Love? If our answer to this question is “yes” then Isaac tells us we must pursue mercy: “For when something that is like unto God is found in you, then that holy beauty is depicted by Him.“ We begin to see and comprehend the mercy and love of God by loving as he loves; by going beyond the limitations and the confines of our own understanding.  Such spiritual unity once unsealed incessantly blazes in the heart with ardent longing. The soul‘s divine vision, Isaac tells us, unites one to God and the heart becomes awestruck; filled with wonder at what no eye has seen or mind could imagine outside of the grace of God. The path to divine love first begins by showing compassion in some proportion to the Father’s perfection. As Christ tells us, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful“ The dignity and destiny that is ours, the life and love into which God draws us should be what we pursue the most in life. To desire God, to give free reign to an urgent longing for Him brings about our transformation. Desire is our path to the Kingdom within. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:15:08 Callie Eisenbrandt: I’ll take your books Father!! 😂 00:16:21 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 117 paragraph 26 starting "Liberation from...." 00:20:11 Eleana: I want Icons😁 00:30:39 Sr. Charista Maria: Amen Father. So very true. We so often fall so short of such communion with the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity. Most don't realize the profound grace of our Baptism. 00:30:43 Anthony: This is interesting.....in Italian, a translation of "lust" is "desire."  Lust (the sin) must be misplaced desire. 00:31:53 Paisios: There's a phenomenal article by Cormac Jones about converting desire being the most important thing in the Christian spiritual life 00:31:55 Paisios: https://cormacjones.substack.com/p/converting-desire 00:33:38 Sr Mary Clare: Reacted to "https://cormacjones...." with 👍 00:34:19 Anthony: Reacted to There's a phenomenal... with "👍" 00:34:25 Anthony: Reacted to https://cormacjones.... with "👍" 00:36:16 Jamie Hickman: Replying to "This is interestin..." concupiscence...think concupiscible appetite. we tend to think of it only in the negative (evil, sinful), but as you say: it is not in itself bad 00:41:56 Anthony: Too much asceticism leads to resentment 00:45:00 Nypaver Clan: Father, How do we balance Mercy with the Judgement of God?  Is it possible to rely too much on God’s Mercy? 00:50:05 Paisios: I once read, "God's judgement is mercy" 00:52:37 Maureen Cunningham: W hat about abusive act 00:55:43 Sr Mary Clare: There are many out there who constantly say, "Don't judge!. when a person may just be speaking about sins that hurt the heart of Jesus Christ. It is a constant cry of those who seemingly have problems with church teachings and the ten commandments. 00:59:45 Jamie Hickman: I might have missed it: to whom is Isaac intending homily? Was this preached in a church during Divine Liturgy? Looking for context and audience. 01:02:08 Anthony: Leaving their boats and family was leaving freedom and security of having your place where you belong. 01:02:20 Jamie Hickman: thank you, Father 01:02:37 Anthony: Also they left economic power 01:02:52 Sr. Charista Maria: There's a video called The Third Way, which is so beautifully done, that may reflect what you are saying here Father regarding love. Letting Love inspire in all things. The first way is Judging, the second is compromising, the third is Christ's way it seems. 01:04:42 Sr. Charista Maria: It is testimonies of some who were in the homosexual lifestyle, but then were drawn by love to the truth. 01:05:49 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The intensity of man's thirst for God determines his spiritual progress. Longing for God stands above all ascesis. Man's desire constitutes the small human part, which man offers to God, and God then adds to it the great part of His grace. It is essential to constantly rekindle our desire, and this should be the main concern of our life. God gave the same commandments to all, so if God's gifts are more abundant in some, this means that their thirst for God is greater and they renew their desire day after day. Spiritual thirst brings the whole heart of man to the source Christ, as He Himself said, 'Where your heart is there shall your treasure be also." Respecting man's freedom, however, God responds to man according to his longing, as Saint Silouan writes: ‘The Lord has love for all men but His love is greater for the one who seeks Him.' If we expect the Lord's visitation with all our heart, then, of a surety, we will attract the living waters of His grace. 01:06:28 Lee Graham: Life with Christ must be “experiential”, 01:08:22 Sr. Charista Maria: There's a video called The Third Way, which is so beautifully done, that may reflect what you are saying here Father regarding love. Letting Love inspire in all things. The first way is Judging, the second is compromising, the third is Christ's way it seems. It is testimonies of some who were in the homosexual lifestyle, but then were drawn by love to the truth. 01:12:05 Kathleen: HAHA 01:12:45 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Father 01:12:53 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:13:10 Maureen Cunningham: Yes 01:13:20 Lee Graham: Yes! 01:13:25 David: Thank you father! 01:13:26 Sr Mary Clare: Thank you  

In our ongoing discussions of the Desert Fathers’ writings, especially upon sexual desire and sensuality as a whole, one comes to the realization that we have to read in a discerning fashion. In other words, we cannot be lazy while sitting at the feet of the elders. Their wisdom grew out of experience. However, it was the experience of the desert and of monks. What they discovered and understood is unparalleled in its value for the life of the Church and our understanding of spirituality.  Yet, although they saw so very much it does not mean they saw everything or that they articulated it in a way that is going to speak to every generation in the same fashion. Every generation, every person, must embrace and embody the fullness of the gospel through striving to enter by the narrow way. The ascetic life is our exercise of that faith and every generation will have particular struggles and battles that are unique to it. In a time like our own, when so many aspects of the culture have been hyper-sexualized, living a life of purity of heart can seem to be not only a difficult but impossible pursuit. While we can see that the dignity of human sexuality and women change radically with Christianity, those changes were not immediate or complete and we see lingering vestiges where women are seen as the cause of sin. This implants in the spirituality of purity of heart and the struggle with temptation a kind of misogyny, a temptation to the hatred of the self and of sexuality. Inevitably this leaves a void in our understanding and practice of the faith that can be disastrous. Rather than seeing the dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God and our destiny in Christ to participate in the Divine life, we can drift into a lifeless moralism. Christianity must speak to the deepest part of a person‘s religiosity; capturing what it means to be a human being, fully alive and transformed by the grace of God. Even as we sit at the feet of the Fathers, we must keep our eyes upon Christ; for it is in Him alone, that we can plumb the depths of mysteries of God and the kingdom, but also the mystery of what it is to be a human being. Purity of heart is much more about what we can see having removed the impediment of the ego or of disorder desires. Far from being restrictive, it gives us a greater capacity to love and be loved. What is needed in our day are saints who embody this reality so fully that their lives reveal to us the deepest truths about ourselves and God. Only saints stand transparent to the fullness of truth revealed to us in Christ. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:12:51 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 227, I 00:14:06 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 227, I 00:24:18 Una: Let the past stay in the past, in other words 00:24:32 Diana Sciuto: Reacted to "Let the past stay in…" with ❤️ 00:24:49 Mary Clare Wax: This is why it is so important to live in the present moment. The past is dead, the future yet unborn. God is the God of "I Am", not "I Was," or "I Will Be." 00:25:05 Myles Davidson: Reacted to "This is why it is so..." with 👍 00:25:23 Diana Sciuto: Reacted to "This is why it is so…" with 👍 00:26:08 Una: The movie and book "Sophie's Choice" really illustrates the danger 00:26:44 Una: Her memories of trauma 00:34:19 Sr. Mary Clare: Very interesting that the First Reading at Mass today was about Susanna and the Elders lusting after her. 00:34:46 Una: Reacted to "Very interesting t..." with 👍 00:35:27 Sr. Charista Maria: It seems this was the issue with the Pharisees who confronted Jesus for being too close to women, such as the one who washed His feet with her tears. They were projecting their impurity of their hearts onto Him, whose heart is so pure. 00:36:17 Sr. Mary Clare: Reacted to "It seems this was th..." with 👍 00:37:56 Anthony: "Purity Culture"? 00:39:27 Nypaver Clan: Chastity ring or Promise ring almost like a pre-engagement ring 00:43:48 Sr. Charista Maria: Great point Fr. 00:52:51 Sr. Charista Maria: I think of the issue the Pharisees had who confronted Jesus for being too close to women, such as the one who washed His feet with her tears. They were projecting the impurity of their hearts onto Him, whose heart is so pure. 00:53:27 Sr. Mary Clare: Reacted to "I think of the issue..." with ❤️ 00:59:27 Anthony: I wonder if any of the women here can enlighten us whether in a woman's general spiritual outlook, there can be a "negative anthropology" about men when they pursue purity? Or are the women in a different dimension in this regard? 00:59:40 Julie: I think it starts with our watchfulness of thoughts. 01:01:02 Julie: I taught my sons to see women as someone’s mother, sister or a daughter with that respect and love in their beauty 01:02:59 Sr. Charista Maria: Agreed Fr. Women bring the heart, such as Mary. 01:04:20 Sr. Mary Clare: It this day and age, it seems to be more of a Jezebel spirit among us. 01:07:45 Anthony: "You will be just like my horse, my dog and my falcon, only I will love you more and trust you less." Pharoah Ramses in The Ten Commandments 01:08:04 Bob Čihák, AZ: “Men and Marriage” by George Gilder is an excellent book for our  current times. He strips off the lies of radical feminist ideologies. 01:08:39 Sr. Charista Maria: Agree with you regarding the Theology of the Body needing more commentary on the transcending aspect of our sexuality. 01:19:04 Sr. Mary Clare: Well said, Father, you are so right concerning this. 01:20:08 Sr. Charista Maria: Reacted to "Well said, Father, y..." with 👍 01:26:11 Sr. Mary Clare: We are called not to be possessive in our love 01:27:26 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:27:27 Forrest Cavalier: Thank you so much! 01:27:42 Troy Amaro: Thank You Father.

As one reads the thoughts of Saint Isaac the Syrian the experience is almost like that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Did our hearts not burn within us?” Isaac speaks to something so deep within the human heart that it ignites the very thing that he sets out to inflame: desire, wonder, awe at the love of God and the mystery of the Divine Life into which God invites us.  One of the great struggles that we have as Christians is that we approach the faith and the spiritual life in a common fashion.  In our reading of the Scriptures, we approach them in a reductive manner, dissecting the gospels; pulling out for ourselves bits of wisdom to help us get through life. Yet, Isaac understands that we cannot over-scrutinize the words that are written or spoken to us, but rather must immerse ourselves humbly in Divine Wisdom. Isaac tells us that those who are filled with grace are led by the light that is running between the lines. It is this humble and prayerful approach not only to the scriptures but to the faith as a whole that prevents the heart from being common and devoid of that holy power that “gives the heart a most sweet taste through perceptions that awe the soul.”  A soul that is filled with the spirit is going to run toward God, driven by an urgent longing for the fullness of life and love that He alone can satisfy. Not every soul is awakened to that sense of wonder yet it is the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field, and the one thing necessary. May God fill our hearts with a holy desire. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:09:28 The Recovery Community Hub of PBC, Inc.: Hey everyone, in Christ, my name is Ian, I am only using my former workers Zoom platform 00:11:17 Myles Davidson: Pg. 116 “Just as the heaviness of weights…” 00:11:50 Vanessa: I'm in Ontario too. Blizzard is bad here. 00:12:18 Edward Kleinguetl: I lived in Toronto for a year! 00:12:46 Ben: Replying to "I lived in Toronto f..." I'm east of Ottawa. 00:14:16 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: When you desire to do something for the love of God, put death as the limit of your desire. In this way you will rise in actual deed to the level of martyrdom in struggling with every passion, suffering no harm from whatever you may meet within this limit, if you endure to the end and do not weaken.  ~ St Isaac the Syrian 00:20:34 Anthony: It appears Isaac uses "Liberty" of mind different than the Greek Fathers? 00:34:08 Ben: I remember reading "The Imitation of Christ" for the first time in my youth, and thinking, "Oh, boy, this totally demolishes everything we were ever taught about self-esteem!" 00:36:20 David: I am wondering if the Diatessaron which was the most common with Aramaic communities might have influenced idea of living the gospel instead of the legal way of the west? 00:38:06 David: St Emphrain wrote a discourse on that and I assume Issac was likely exposed where the separate gospels tend to compare and contrast and get far to analytical. 00:40:22 David: The other thing I find fascinating the Syrian fathers taught through poetry which moves emotions not just debates or arguments. 00:42:17 Anthony: Seeing the Word of God as the Divine Logos keeps us from the "fundamentalism" that makes categories of touchable and untouchable. 00:42:27 Jamie Hickman: Great podcast episode on the show Square Notes looking at Thomas Aquinas's poetry...too often he's only known by his Summas as though that's his only writing style 00:42:46 Jamie Hickman: hat tip to Fr. Innocent Smith, OP, for his contribution 00:43:11 Paisios: Next book/class should be Hymns on Paradise 00:44:14 Anthony: Reacted to Great podcast episod... with "❤️" 00:44:52 Paisios: yes 00:45:04 Zack Morgan: I feel like the over-scrupulous approach we are discussing works more towards an apologetic end than anything else.  We find it almost too easy to read the Gosepls and accept them in contrast to a world that wants to reject them, so we easily fall into the temptation to over-explain that which we have come to blieve by a gift of faith that is in contrast very simple. 00:50:04 Kate : Perhaps it is a lack of faith and trust in the grace of God and the workings of the Holy Spirit in the depths of the soul. 00:52:37 Jamie Hickman: In one of St Louis de Montfort's books on the Holy Rosary, he recounts that Our Lady apppeared to Saint Dominic and told him to preach a simple homily rather than the one he had prepared, which was super eloquent, because in his humility he would convert the souls in the church even though the academics wouldn't be impressed...apparently Our Lady told him to preach the same simple version repeatedly, which led many academics present to think less of him...I might have confused which Dominican, but I think it was Dominic and definitely it was a saint 00:52:40 Sr. Charista Maria: My experience in reading the desert Fathers has been that the purpose and heart of it all is an encouragement to strive to "become fire!" 00:56:53 lauren: Reacted to "My experience in rea…" with ❤️ 01:00:12 Elizabeth Richards: Reacted to "My experience in rea..." with ❤️ 01:06:37 David: "Virtue seen and lived inspires and virtue explained often makes others weary " was a saying of my grandfather. People were attracted to Christianity by seeing love among the followers not convincing arguments. My own path from being young and not sure of religion was seeing Christ along side me in my grandparents and parents living their faith in love and sacrifice. 01:11:20 Ben: I've thought of that... 01:12:18 Catherine Opie: ❤️🙏🏻 01:12:21 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:12:23 Jamie Hickman: thank you, Father! 01:12:23 Diana Sciuto: Thank you 01:12:25 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you Father! 01:12:26 David: Thank you father ! 01:12:31 Catherine Opie: Deo Gratias  

Dive into a fascinating exploration of Christian identity and human experience. Discover how grace shapes our understanding of sexuality and morality. Reflect on personal struggles with desires while living in a distraction-heavy world. Learn from a monk's journey to maintaining spiritual integrity through divine support. Emphasize the importance of silence and boundaries in conversations, and appreciate the role of saints and collective prayer in deepening faith. This dialogue invites reflection on our existence and connection with the divine.

Again, already in these first paragraphs of Homily One what comes forward most powerfully in Saint Isaac‘s writing is that the ascetic life is driven by love and desire for God. More accurately, one might say that it is the soul’s response to God‘s revelation of His love, mercy and compassion to us in His only begotten Son.  Therefore, Isaac can speak of things such as shame not in the sense of diminishing an individual’s self-identity but rather as a veil protecting the mind and the heart for Christ alone. As one purifies the heart one begins to see with a greater clarity those things that can diminish one’s capacity to love and to see that which is good in God and others. Thus, while shame mortifies us it also protects us from being led indiscriminately by our thoughts and desires.  One of the blessings that God has given to us in order to purify the heart is the scriptures. We are exhorted to have a fervent love of instruction; to fill the mind and the heart with the words and deeds of Christ. In doing so we create a new habit of mind that directs the soul toward God in such a way that we put behind us and even forget everything that is a distraction from this greater reality. We are surrounded by the noise of the world and in kind of thoughtless fashion we allow ourselves to be led away from what endures unto eternity or what is uplifting. However, when the mind is captivated by the divine word, it can be filled with such wonder that it becomes unaware of even thoughts that are associated with our basic human needs - when our last meal was or how the night has passed away so quickly. The ascetic life, therefore, is not about self perfection or endurance. Rather, it is a recognition of our identity in Christ. We are made in the image and likeness of God and by his grace and his redemptive love we are being drawn into the very life of the Holy Trinity. Isaac’s homilies are an invitation to enter into the wondrous depths of God’s love. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:14:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 115 paragraph 15 from start of homily 00:28:16 Jamie Hickman: Sorry, I had trouble with the keyboard...regarding the last paragraph that begins "Not he is chaste who...": just wanted to say that the saint we are reading would be guarding his own thoguhts, but I wonder: can we say confidently that he doesn't judge another? Instead, can we assume he regrets that another has fallen prey to evil one by not preserving his purity in thought, word, or action? My purpose: guarding our purity seems to include guarding us from judging others...something I struggle with for sure, shamefully! 00:30:53 Jamie Hickman: Thank you, Father 🤝 00:32:39 Anthony: Father, how does this differ from "quietism?" 00:39:34 Jessica Imanaka: Would Saint Isaac have memorized most of scripture? I wonder if such memorization would also facilitate driving out worldly memories. 00:43:12 Christian Corulli: How can one avoid being like the older brother of the prodigal son parable in all this? It is so easy to work and focus on ourselves and our own perfection in the spiritual life... there seems to be a fine line where we cross over into fixation on ourselves in the spiritual life. 00:48:52 Christian Corulli: Thanks 🙏 00:48:55 Alex Underwood: It is so profound that God offers us this practice of asceticism and hesychasm… these homilies are almost like an owner’s manual, that sadly not many people have. Yet it seems as if Isaac is saying that really everything he has found and has been shown about this practice can be deduced from the scriptures, if only one would look. 00:52:35 Ryan Ngeve: Father, if we memorize the scriptures as St. Isaac describes, how different are we from the Pharisees and where does the grace of God come to play in understanding and living the scripture? 00:53:46 Anthony: The new Syriac Divine Office book ("Book of Before and After") arranged by Fr Andrew Younan is pretty nice, especially while reading St Isaac the Syrian. 00:54:02 Alex Underwood: Reacted to "The new Syriac Divin..." with 👍 00:55:28 Myles Davidson: Reacted to "The new Syriac Divin..." with 👍 00:56:01 Jamie Hickman: Reacted to "The new Syriac Div..." with 🙏 00:57:16 Catherine Opie: I joined a class to study the Pentateuch and was surprised to find out that even though I had read the Bible several times I had never fully understood underlying meanings, patterns of language and numbers and foreshadowing within the scriptures in quite the same way it has opened up to me through doing this 00:58:02 Catherine Opie: Sorry pressed enter without thinking 01:00:14 Myles Davidson: Fr. Agapetos YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FatherAgapetos 01:00:24 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "Fr. Agapetos YouTube..." with 🙏🏻 01:00:51 Lori Hatala: Reacted to "Fr. Agapetos YouTube..." with 🙏🏻 01:01:18 Jonathan Wiseman: Reacted to "Fr. Agapetos YouTube..." with 🙏🏻 01:09:57 Julie: Reacted to "Fr. Agapetos YouTube…" with 🙏 01:10:15 Alex Underwood: “To suffice the mind firmly to pinion it’s thoughts to a single thought of wonder” 01:10:31 Julie: Reacted to "The new Syriac Divin…" with 🙏 01:10:44 Myles Davidson: Reacted to "“To suffice the mind..." with 🔥 01:12:02 Jamie Hickman: Reacted to "“To suffice the m..." with 👁️ 01:12:23 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "“To suffice the mind..." with ❤️ 01:12:24 Christian Corulli: Reacted to “To suffice the mind... with "🔥" 01:12:36 Jamie Hickman: thank you as always, Father 01:12:40 Alex Underwood: Excellent insight, thank you 01:12:57 cameron: Thank you Fr 01:13:37 Julie: God bless you are in my prayers 🙏🏻 01:13:38 Ben: Thank you very much, Father! God & Mary keep you. 01:13:41 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:13:47 Elizabeth Richards: Amen 🙏🏼 01:13:51 Jamie Hickman: wow! 01:13:52 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you Father! 01:13:57 Rachel: Thanks be to God! 01:14:06 Rachel: Thank you 01:14:25 David: Thank you Father! 01:14:36 paul g.: God Bless Father 01:14:37 Catherine Opie: Thank you

Dive into the struggles of monks battling temptations of lust and fornication, illuminated by divine grace. Discover how asceticism and personal relationships intertwine in the pursuit of a chaste life, as illustrated by poignant stories of longing and faith. Explore the complexities of human sexuality and the need for nurturing early spiritual formation in children. Finally, reflect on the enriching practice of Lectio Divina, inviting listeners to engage deeply with scripture and embrace shared healing in faith.

Holy inebriation! We are to become drunk with faith.  For those inebriated with alcohol there is often a loss of the capacity to think about things or see things clearly. For those inebriated with faith, there is a loss of sight of the things of this world and attraction to them because one’s gaze is fixed upon the Beloved. Love alone draws the soul forward. Indeed, it is by the grace of God that we make that initial turn towards Him and so begin to see with a greater clarity the inconstancy that sin brings into our life and the healing, the hope, and the joy that faith alone provides.   Our senses and our natural faculties that we use constantly to perceive the world around us often become a source of distortion because of the weakening of our will and the darkening of our intellect. And even if these faculties should function perfectly, they still are incapable of comprehending God as he is in himself.   When faith begins to grow, we begin to see the presence of God in all things and his Providence acting on our behalf. Love, seeks union and communion and perfect Love is present in our lives in a transformative fashion. We need not fear affliction, poverty, or the hatred of others knowing that we are loved with a perfect love. We are never in isolation when we are in Christ through faith and the grace that he provides us. The inconstancy of sin is replaced with the stability and fearlessness of faith. The world can take everything from us, including our honor, and yet we find no loss in it. With St Paul we count all things as refuse in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified. Isaac wants a to understand the need to be fully immersed in this love, to be inebriated by it and permeated by it so that it shapes our entire existence. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:02:32 Paisios: Baptismal. One moment I'll get headphones. 00:09:33 Una: I see we have a dog and cat in attendance tonight 00:09:45 Una: Very Franciscan 00:09:59 Una: Are they keen on Isaac? 00:14:26 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 114, # 7 00:16:53 Paisios: Reacted to "Are they keen on I..." with ❤️ 00:22:00 Eric Jobe: There is an emphasis here on “perception” (rgeshta), which he repeats, a perception of the power of faith versus the perception of visible matter. I think this keys into the notion of being drunk. When we are drunk, we lose perception. If we are drunk with faith, we lose perception of worldly things and become perceptive to spiritual things. 00:22:07 Una: How does this paragraph fit with the essence/energy ? 00:23:10 Una: Thank you 00:23:40 Jamie: Reacted to "There is an emphas..." with 👍 00:23:42 Lee Graham: Reacted to "There is an emphasis…" with ❤️ 00:27:50 Alex Underwood: Reacted to "There is an emphasis..." with 👍 00:36:46 Bob Čihák, AZ: Just over the last few days, my nous perceived than I am a reflection of God in that He created me in His “image and likeness.” Other people are also blessed in this way. I’m seeing Christ more easily in others. 00:37:18 Rachel L.: Is it wrong then,to want to be comfortable around people,  want friends, and have relationships with others outside of my family? 00:37:50 Anthony: Our parish priest said something very important: it is very difficult to commit a mortal sin.  This counters a tendency to fear we will lose God, that is kind of common among "traditional" ways of thinking. 00:37:58 Rachel L.: I'm confused about the practical application of this 00:42:35 Eric Jobe: St. Isaac makes a contrast between fear of death and fear of God (who destroys death by death). It seems we are controlled by one or the other, as if some type of fear is necessary. Why? Perhaps because we lack perfect love that “casts out all fear”. I believe it is something that Diadochos of Photiki talks about in Philokalia Vol. 1. 00:42:44 Joshua Sander: I've been reading commentary on the book of Job, and it seems to correspond well to this paragraph, especially demanding investigation due to a lack of faith, and then moving from that to a faith that is born of grace and viewing God relationally rather than legalistically. Do Isaac or any of the other Fathers view Job's journey in this way? 00:45:14 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "There is an emphasis..." with ❤️ 00:45:45 Kate : Is this trust in the providence of God something that we bring about in ourselves, or is it a grace that we must pray and beg God to give to us? 00:56:36 Art: This paragraph calls to mind St John of the Cross “…if the desire of the will be dispersed among other things than virtue, it must be weaker as regards virtue.  And thus the soul whose will is set upon various trifles is like water…never rises.”   Ascent of Mt Carmel. 00:59:50 Paisios: "Silence is the womb of wisdom" 01:00:07 Paisios: I don't 01:11:13 Kathleen: Can’t find raise hand. But can you elaborate more on #13?  Examples? Perhaps next week if no time. 01:14:00 Una: Look under "reactions" on the tool bar on the bottom. It's an icon of a heart 01:14:20 Una: Right beside "chat" 01:15:00 Anthony: Sorry I can't find the raise hand button.  I sense now the same sense of rage and vengeance as in 2001 01:17:19 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Can’t find raise han..." Maybe repost your question so Fr. sees it 01:19:03 Paisios: In my rage, whose heart will I change? 01:19:25 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he..." with 👍 01:19:43 Carol Roper: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he…" with 👍 01:20:04 Edward Kleinguetl: “God’s love is powerful enough to heal everything, but you must find the courage to decide to pass through the ‘narrow gate’ of forgiveness. This choice is more demanding than the spontaneous reaction of resentment and accusation, but it is a decision in favor of true life.” (Fr. Jacques Philippe) 01:20:28 Elizabeth Richards: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️ 01:20:32 Fr. Miron Kerul-Kmec Jr.: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️ 01:20:54 Mary Clare Wax: I think of the movie, "The Mission," where some of the priests decided to fight back, and in the end, they were all killed. It was a very sad thing to see. I so hoped they would change their minds and pray until the end like the Superior of the Jesuits did. 01:23:28 Edward Kleinguetl: Reacted to "I think of the movie..." with ❤️ 01:23:52 Edward Kleinguetl: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he..." with 👍 01:25:42 Catherine Opie: Since I have become Catholic and humbled myself before God the anxiety and restlessness I always felt has disappeared. Now I find I am  even more humbled by becoming an outsider in my family and with old friends because of this choice. I feel grief but not anxiety. Because 01:25:58 Gina Marie: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️ 01:26:24 Tracey Fredman: Reacted to "Since I have become ..." with ❤️ 01:27:04 ANDREW ADAMS: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:27:07 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:27:13 Gina Marie: Thank you, Father! 01:27:17 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you! 01:27:20 Joe: Thank you Fr. Charbel 01:27:23 paul g.: Excellent tonite 01:27:25 David: Thank you Father. May you be blessed with good health 01:27:50 Catherine Opie: Thank you Fr. 01:28:25 David: Meeting Planner – Find best time across Time Zones

Dive into the tension between fear and hope as the discussion reveals how humility is crucial in overcoming lust and maintaining spiritual purity. Experience the transformative power of repentance, illustrating how God tirelessly seeks to bring us back to Him. The complexities of relationships and the need for genuine connection are highlighted, stressing the importance of faith in navigating marital struggles. Explore how community, prayer, and resilience can empower individuals to resist negative influences and foster spiritual growth.

How we begin something often determines how it will develop in later stages and the fruit that it will bear. Thus, Saint Isaac tells us, that the beginning of the path of life is our immersion in the word of God and to live in poverty. This is strikingly unlike how other ascetic/mystical writers begin speaking about the discipline of virtue. Isaac immediately encourages us to take the focus off of ourselves, of our own judgment of the world as well as to remove our attachment to the things of this world. Our identity is rooted in God. We have been made in his image and likeness and we only find the fulfillment of love and life for which our hearts long in him. To exercise the mind in the words of God is not like reading a book on history. It is opening the heart to receive the fullness of what God has revealed to us and when we approach this word in faith and silence, it allows God to speak a word that is equal to himself. It allows that Divine word to be born in our hearts. This encounter is what transforms us and fills the heart with desire for what we are promised in Christ; that is, theosis, deification, being made one is with God by grace. The more this desire grows within us the less we are attached to the things of this world.  We seek to simplify our lives.  To become poor in the things of this world allows us to become rich in that which endures. Free from the anxiety that our attachment to the things of this world brings we are able to immerse ourselves in the eternal word of God. Lacking this, Isaac tells us, no one can draw close to God. The more occupied we are with the things of the world the more susceptible we become to the passions. When we surround ourselves with the noise of the world all of the senses are flooded and we are in a constant state of receptivity. Thus, we become less receptive to the one thing necessary and that is sanctifying. What we find in Isaac then and what makes his writing so captivating is his understanding that love is the most powerful source of motivation and transformation. It is Christ who raises us up out of the poverty of our sin and when we have Him, as St paul reminds us, everything else appears to be mere refuse. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:07:20 Una: Where is the hand button? 00:07:58 Una: Mine is a heart icon 00:10:21 Una: I feel like Isaac the way I felt when I first discovered the Bible. Total immersion 00:11:48 Una: Replying to "I feel like Isaac ..." I have not been able to stop listening to the audiobook 00:11:53 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 113, # 4 00:11:55 Daniel Allen: i am but my camera and mic aren't working 00:11:57 Daniel Allen: yes 00:11:59 Daniel Allen: confirmed 00:12:13 Daniel Allen: on a laptop instead of ipad tonight and i can't seem to figure out zoom on this 00:12:34 Daniel Allen: not sure if you can see my typing 00:13:07 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 113, # 4 00:16:56 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 113, # 4 00:29:27 Kathleen: Rationale thought 00:34:38 Lee Graham: No 00:46:20 Maureen Cunningham: I find everyone seems so Angry these days. 00:46:40 Maureen Cunningham: Silence is the only way 00:51:16 Daniel Allen: It's hard to leave Christ for Christ, to see it as such. As a parent, sometimes the last thing you want is a kid asking you a question, or really anyone needing you. And inevitably when you try to find time to pray, that's when you're needed without fail. The natural reaction, especially after awhile, can be frustration. So to "leave Christ for Christ" is a challenging thing to actually do. 00:54:20 Joshua Sander: Forgive my question for going back a paragraph in the text, but when Isaac speaks of "the word of God," is he simply speaking of the formal canon of Scripture, or is he extending this to the holy writings of the Fathers as well? 00:56:36 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "It's hard to leave C..." with ❤️ 01:00:14 Anthony: If St Neri is an example, this becoming prayer comes gradually, organically. It isn't grasped at with ambition. 01:00:41 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "If St Neri is an exa..." with 👍🏼 01:07:09 Nick Bodmer: We are amusing ourselves to death 01:08:16 The Recovery Community Hub of PBC, Inc.: At our wedding our priest had this line that stuck with me, that every single struggle in marriage will ultimately lead to the cultivation of a virtue that each of the spouses needs to attain heaven 01:08:36 Alex Underwood: It seems like Isaac’s concept of “separation” here could be a direct lesson from and emulation of Jesus when he would remove himself into the wilderness or desert to pray and commune with the Father? 01:18:36 Kevin Burke: Thank You Father, this is awesome ! 01:18:38 Elizabeth Richards: Thank you Father! 01:18:41 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You 01:18:44 santiagobua: Thank you Father!! 01:18:46 Nypaver Clan: Sorry to disagree with Lord Byron…If I thought “marriage was hell” I wouldn’t have stuck with it for 41 years.   🥰 01:18:47 Una: That's very tempting to do Isaac more than once a week 01:18:52 Francisco Ingham: Thank you father! 01:18:52 Una: What about Friday? 01:18:53 Daniel Allen: Thank you Father! 01:19:32 ANDREW ADAMS: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father! 01:19:35 Joe Mugo: Thank you Father. 01:19:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: Bless you, Father! 01:19:37 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:19:56 Catherine Opie: That sounds wonderful 01:20:01 Elizabeth Richards: Lenten group sounds good!! 01:20:03 Anthony: Ok sounds good. 01:20:04 Maureen Cunningham: Ok Saturday is wonderful 01:20:07 ANDREW ADAMS: That sounds great! 01:20:09 Kevin Burke: Reacted to "Ok sounds good." with 👌 01:20:14 Dave Warner | AL: Thank you Father! Would like to participate in a Lenten group. 01:20:17 Joe Mugo: Reacted to "Ok sounds good." with 👌 01:20:17 Catherine Opie: 🙏🏻

Delve into the captivating tales of the Desert Fathers as they confront spiritual warfare and the intricacies of sin. Discover the profound importance of humility and the dangers of pride in the spiritual journey. Listen as they reveal the seductive nature of temptation and the urgent need for divine assistance. Explore the rich differences between Eastern and Western Christianity, and how they can guide personal faith. Finally, learn how nurturing youth through spiritual literature fosters lifelong connections with God.