Orthodox Wisdom

The story of St. Isaac, a great ascetic who was tricked by the devil who appeared to him in bright light, saying he was Christ. St. Isaac, after prostrating before him, was overcome by demonic power. They made him dance all night, leaving him near dead by the morning. After an arduous struggle, and with immense help from St. Anthony and St. Theodosius, St. Isaac regained his strength and abilities to take care of himself. He no longer lived as a hermit, but stayed with the brethren where he redoubled his ascetic efforts. By the grace of God, he conquered the demons and received a eternal crown from Christ. You can read the Life of St. Isaac (pp. 205-210) and the entire Kiev Caves Paterik (Patericon) here: https://diasporiana.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/books/11678/file.pdf _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Fr. Alexey Young, also known as Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, is a close spiritual son of Fr. Seraphim Rose. In the same spirit of Fr. Seraphim, Fr. Alexey calls all Orthodox Christians to a greater awareness and conscious resistance to the error of Roman Catholicism and the grave temptation, very present in our own day, of false union with Rome. 0:00 Intro 0:10 The first way to resist false union is to pray and repent, then appeal to our hierarchs 0:30 What any patriarch and bishop does matters to all of us, from layman to hierarch 1:33 We must teach the faithful the truth and the true nature of Roman Catholicism 2:12 “This is not a time for half measures.” 2:51 Met. Philaret’s teaching on the boundaries and uniqueness of Orthodoxy 4:06 The meaning of “ecumenical” and how it means something different today 5:07 St. Mark of Ephesus: a great example for us today 6:15 Statement by Representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1957 8:02 Elder Philetheos: “Let there be union… but in the way Christ wishes it: far from every worldly purpose and every compromise…” 8:40 Orthodoxy in America has fiddled with secondary matters while secularism has crept in to our Church 9:45 This worldliness is a new kind of Orthodoxy being preached today and it sets us up for false union with Rome 11:02 “Too many of us lack a sufficiently developed Orthodox conscientiousness to be aware of the present ecumenist threat to our Faith.” 11:58 Many have become numb to true repentance, accustomed to comforts, and it is this that makes many Orthodox Christians attracted to Roman Catholicism -from "The Rush to Embrace" by Fr. Alexey Young, pp. 80-86. More from Fr. Alexey: --The Rush to Embrace: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9781879066090/ --Many of Fr. Alexey's other writings can be read here: https://orthochristian.com/83940.html --Letter From Father Seraphim: The twelve-year correspondence between Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) and Father Alexey Young: https://hvcbookstore.com/Letters-From-Father-Seraphim --A Man Is His Faith, the life of Ivan Kireyevsky, a lay theologian and disciple of Optina Elders.https://sjkp.org/products/a-man-is-his-faith Other recordings from Orthodox Wisdom: --A Desperate Appeal (Against False Union with Rome) - Elder Philotheos Zervakos: https://youtu.be/X19FQxiLlhA --On False Union With Rome & Fighting From Within - St. Paisios the Athonite: https://youtu.be/sAK7BMuUkic _______ Fr. Alexey writes: This is not a time for half measures. Orthodox priests who tell their flocks that they may attend Roman Catholic (or Episcopal) churches if there is no Orthodox parish nearby, must be corrected, and disciplined if they persist in this grievous error. Priests must be again reminded that they may not, under any circumstances, give Holy Communion to non-Orthodox. Also, those who tell Roman Catholic and Protestant inquirers that they should stay in their own Churches and not convert to Orthodoxy, must be reprimanded. Immortal souls are at stake! Too many of us lack a sufficiently developed Orthodox consciousness to be aware of the present ecumenist threat to our Faith. Not only is the development of such a consciousness greatly hindered by the relativism and materialism (the opposite of asceticism) that saturate our society, but our natural human longing for peace and harmony, for love and brotherhood, has made us vulnerable to ecumenical "sweet talk." An inadequate knowledge of Church history and a weak understanding of Orthodox ecclesiology is now putting us even further at risk. Brothers and sisters: our holy Orthodox Faith is at stake here! We cannot afford to be naive, and ignorance is not bliss—it is suicide. And it is this very ignorance that has made possible the growing "union fever" we see around us today.

A reading of Homily 32 from St. Isaac the Syrian's Ascetical Homilies 0:11 One must hate sin to be freed from it 1:18 A Prayer 2:18 “On that Day God will not judge us about psalmody…" 3:55 “The End of unseasonable freedom is absolute slavery.” 4:48 “How sweet are the origins of the passions!” and “We do not desire sin, but with pleasure we accept the causes with bring it upon us.” 6:50 “Blessed is the man who has receded from this darkness and sees himself!” 7:54 “Every rest is followed by hardship.” 8:57 “Beware of the freedom that precede an evil slavery.” 10:27 The tragic consequences of “relaxation of the members” 12:16 Remember death, patiently endure your trial that you may receive a crown and enter into that rest which is without end Buy “Ascetical Homilies of Saint Issac the Syrian” here: https://www.bostonmonks.com/product_info.php/cPath/75_105/products_id/635 _______ St. Isaac writes: A man is not freed from the pleasure of sin's working until he truly abhors the cause of sin with his whole heart. This is the fiercest struggle, the struggle that withstands a man unto blood, wherein his free will is tested as to the unity of his love for the virtues. On that day God will not judge us about psalmody, nor for the neglect of prayer, but because by abandoning them we have opened our door to the demons. Beware of the freedom that precedes an evil slavery. Beware of the consolation that precedes warfare. Beware of the knowledge that is acquired before an encounter with temptations; but especially beware of the ardent love that is prior to the completion of repentance. If we are all sinners and no man is superior to [sin's] temptations, it is certainly true that no virtue is more pre-eminent than repentance. For a man can never complete the work of repentance. It is always suitable for every sinner and righteous man who wishes to gain salvation. There is no limit to perfection, for even the perfection of the perfect is truly without completion. And for this very reason repentance is bounded neither by periods of time nor by works until a man's death. Remember that every pleasure is followed by disgust and bitterness as inseparable companions. Do not be frightened by the turbulence of your Adamitic body, fashioned to enjoy that delight (the knowledge of which surpasses the intellect of carnal man) when it will put on the heavenly Image, Who is the King of peace. Do not be troubled by the change and turbulence of nature, for the hardship caused by this quickly passes from the man who accepts it gladly. The passions are like dogs that are wont to spend their time before the butchers' shops; they run away at the sound of a man's voice, but if they are left unattended, they attack like great lions. Set every small desire at naught, that you may not ponder upon the vehemence of its burning. For patience shown for a short time with respect to small matters disperses the danger of great ones. It is impossible to overcome great evils, if you do not subdue the lesser. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

In Fr. Seraphim Rose’s time, as well as today in 2023, many diverse and strongly held opinions exist when it comes to how we should regard Blessed Augustine of Hippo. In one extreme, some treat him as either the greatest father of the first millennium, as one can see in some western confessions and even by some Orthodox. In another extreme, some see him as the root source of a multitude of heresies, even explicitly or implicitly condemning him as a heretic. This collection of writings by Fr. Seraphim Rose is meant to express the moderate, sober understanding of the place Blessed Augustine holds in the Orthodox Church. What follows are readings from the biography of Fr. Seraphim Rose, titled “Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works”, sections from his book titled “The Place of Blessed Augustine in the Orthodox Church”, selected private letters, and concluding with the Troparion and Kontakion for Blessed Augustine. This collection of writings is by no means all of what Fr. Seraphim taught on Blessed Augustine. You’ll find much more when you buy the book here: https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=blaug 0:08 Editor’s Introduction 1:42 Excerpts from “Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works” From “On The Place of Blessed Augustine in the Orthodox Church”: 4:07 Preface 13:10 The Place of Blessed Augustine in the Orthodox Church 14:24 The Controversy over grace and free will 20:53 The Doctrine of Predestination 30:06 St. Photius on Blessed Augustine 35:26 Opinion of Blessed Augustine in Modern Times 40:58 A Note on the Contemporary Detractors of Blessed Augustine Readings of Sections of Letters Written by Fr. Seraphim Rose: 51:15 Letter to Nicholas 53:35 Letter to Fr. Michael Azkoul 58:30 Troparion and Kontakion for Blessed Augustine _______ "Probably St. Cassian would not have spoken so eloquently and so in detail on the subject of God's grace if Augustine had not already been teaching his own one-sided doctrine. But the important thing to bear in mind here is that the disagreement between Cassian and Augustine was not one between Orthodox Father and heretic (as was, for example, the disagreement between Augustine and Pelagius), but rather one between two Orthodox Fathers who disagreed only in the details of their presentation of one and the same doctrine. Both St. Cassian and Blessed Augustine were attempting to teach the Orthodox doctrine of grace and free will as against the heresy of Pelagius; but one did so with the full depth of the Eastern theological tradition, while the other was led into a certain distortion of this same teaching owing to his overly-logical approach to it.” -Fr. Seraphim Rose, pp. 34-35 "Today all we Orthodox Christians, whether of East or West-if only we are honest and sincere enough to admit it--are in a 'Western captivity' worse than any our Fathers in the past have known. In previous centuries, Western influences may have produced some theoretical formulations of doctrine that were wanting in preciseness; but today the 'Western captivity' surrounds and often governs the very atmosphere and tone of our Orthodoxy, which is often theoretically "correct" but wanting in true Christian spirit, in the indefinable savor of true Christianity." -Fr. Seraphim Rose, p. 88 "I myself fear the cold hearts of the 'intellectually correct' much more than any errors you might find in Augustine. I sense in these cold hearts a preparation for the work of Antichrist (whose imitation of Christ must also extend to 'correct theology'); I feel in Augustine the love of Christ." -Fr. Seraphim Rose, p. 100-101 "We, though, who know that some of our Holy Fathers and teachers strayed from the faith of true dogmas, do not take as doctrine those areas in which they strayed, but we embrace the men." -St. Photius the Great, p. 67 _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Want to learn more about Baptism and the Reception of Converts? Uncut Mountain Press has just released a first-of-its-kind book: "Reception of the Heterodox into the Orthodox Church: Patristic Consensus and Criteria". BUY the book by 7/30/23 and receive excellent BONUS content. Learn more: --BUY the BOOK (including info about the bonus content and a free preview): https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/on-the-reception-of-the-heterodox-into-the-orthodox-church-the-patristic-consensus-and-criteria/ --WATCH the Trailer: https://youtu.be/8qhnX3qEPUw --READ Endorsements by Bishop Luke of Jordanville, Fr. Zechariah Lynch, and more: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/blog _______ After years as the abbot of a Trappist Roman Catholic Monastery and well-known scholar, Fr. Placide Deseille and his brotherhood realized they could no longer be Roman Catholic and needed to come to the Orthodox Church. They had previously visited Athos before they realized they should become Orthodox, and later went back to Athos to be received by their new spiritual guide, Elder Aimilianos of Simona Petra Monastery. This is a portion of the complete account of Fr. Placide's journey to Orthodoxy. Learn more about Fr. Placide here: https://orthochristian.com/109855.html This account is found in "The Living Witness of the Holy Mountain: Contemporary Voices from Mount Athos", Translated, with Introduction and Notes by Hieromonk (now Archbishop) Alexander (Golitzin), pp.63-93. Photo in the middle of the thumbnail is Fr. Placide and his brotherhood on the day of their baptism at the hands of Elder Aimilianos. _______ Fr. Placide writes: On determining when to formally convert to Orthodoxy: "But how could we remain loyal members of the Catholic Church, and so continue to profess outwardly all her dogmas, when inwardly we were convinced that certain of these dogmas had departed from the Tradition of the Church? How could we continue to share in the same Eucharist while aware of our differences regarding the Faith? How could we remain outside the Orthodox Church, outside of which there could be no salvation and life in the Spirit for those who, having recognized her as the Church of Christ, refused to join her for human motives? To give in to considerations of ecumenical diplomacy, opportunity, and personal convenience would, in our case, have been to seek to please men rather than God, and to lie both to men and to God. Nothing could have justified such duplicity." "The monks of Mount Athos are often criticized for their opposition to ecumenism, and are quite happily accused of sacrificing love for truth. We readily saw, from the time of our first visit when we were still Roman Catholics with no thought whatever of becoming Orthodox, how well the monks knew how to combine a gracious and attentive love towards other people, whatever their religious convictions and allegiance, with doctrinal intransigence. As they see it, moreover, total respect for the truth is one of the first duties that love for the other requires of them.... Christian unity, which is as dear to their hearts as anyone’s, can only be brought to pass by the agreement of the non-Orthodox to the integrity and fullness of the Apostolic Faith. It could never be the fruit of compromise or of efforts born of a natural and human aspiration for unity among men. This would be to cheapen the deposit of faith entrusted to the Church. In ecumenism, as in the spiritual life, the Athonite position is one of sobriety and discernment. If one wants to please God and enter into His Kingdom, one must know how to assess the movements of one’s feelings as well as the rationalizings of one’ mind. Above all, one must give up being 'pleasing to men.'" "We asked freely to be received by baptism, in complete agreement with our abbot [Elder Aimilianos], because this procedure seemed to us both right and necessary for Athos, both theologically sound and canonically correct."

Want to learn more about Baptism and the Reception of Converts? Uncut Mountain Press has just released a first-of-its-kind book: "Reception of the Heterodox into the Orthodox Church: Patristic Consensus and Criteria". BUY the book by 7/30/23 and receive excellent BONUS content. Learn more: --BUY the BOOK (including info about the bonus content and a free preview): https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/on-the-reception-of-the-heterodox-into-the-orthodox-church-the-patristic-consensus-and-criteria/ --WATCH the Trailer: https://youtu.be/8qhnX3qEPUw --READ Endorsements by Bishop Luke of Jordanville and Fr. Zechariah Lynch: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/blog --WATCH a Short with a quote from St. Diadochos, narration from Timothy Honeycutt (Orthodox Wisdom): https://youtube.com/shorts/MATU6jsF_D4?feature=share _______ St. Diadochos reveals the immense grace and power of baptism: satan is expelled from the heart and Christ is planted therein. "As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ," (Gal 3:27) as the Apostle Paul proclaims. With Christ now dwelling in the depth of the heart, the battle against sin and the flesh is both similar and different than before baptism. St. Diadochos expresses with divine clarity the nature of the heart's activity and how the nous is purified and illumined as it battles against sin, no longer filled with demonic energy but now with grace and truth dwelling within. Sections 76-85 of "On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: 100 Texts" by St. Diadochos of Photiki --BUY volume 1 of the Philokolia: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9780571130139/ --LISTEN to the ENTIRE PHILOKALIA for FREE, from Patristic Nectar: https://patristicnectar.org/philokalia For more: --WATCH Fr. Peter discuss a portion of this text and how it teaches us about the nature of Grace in the Church and in the world: Is There Grace Outside the Church? St. Diadochos of Photiki and Fr. Peter Heers Answer https://youtu.be/nRv9OG0N6tU --READ: On the Operations of Nous according to St. Basil the Great https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/11/st-basil-great-on-operations-of-nous.html --LISTEN: On Watchfulness and Noetic Prayer - Elder Ephraim of Arizona https://youtu.be/sujsxSdh-MM _______ St. Diadochos writes: "Before holy baptism, grace encourages the soul towards good from the outside, while Satan lurks in its depths, trying to block all the nous's ways of approach to the divine. But from the moment that we are reborn through baptism, the demon is outside, grace is within. Thus, whereas before baptism error ruled the soul, after baptism truth rules it. Nevertheless, even after baptism Satan still acts on the soul, often, indeed, to a greater degree than before." "For when through holy baptism divine grace in its infinite love permeates the lineaments of God's image - thereby renewing in the soul the capacity for attaining the divine likeness - what place is there for the devil? For light has nothing in common with darkness (cf. 2 Cor 6:14). We who are pursuing the spiritual way believe that the protean serpent is expelled from the shrine of the intellect through the waters of baptism; but we must not be surprised if after baptism we still have wicked as well as good thoughts. For although baptism removes from us the stain resulting from sin, it does not thereby heal the duality of our will immediately, neither does it prevent the demons from attacking us or speaking deceitful words to us. In this way we are led to take up the weapons of righteousness, and to preserve through the power of God what we could not keep safe through the efforts of our soul alone." _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

An excerpt from St. John of Damascus' Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images (First Apology) Full reading here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3r8czLXFQOmTdZk6hnn1oT?si=wXGfEkHWR7SDrj_tpgio_A -BUY the book here: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9780881412451/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ Going deeper on icons: --Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images (St. John of Damascus):https://www.ccel.org/ccel/damascus/icons.i.iv.html --A Dogmatic Epistle on the Holy Icons (St. Theodore the Studite): https://www.pappaspatristicinstitute.com/post/theodore-the-studite-a-dogmatic-epistle-on-the-holy-icons --How Did Early Christians Use Religious Imagery? (Craig Truglia): https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2023/01/13/how-did-early-christians-use-religious-imagery/--The Icon FAQ (Fr. John Whiteford) http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_faq.aspx --ICONS ~ GRAVEN IMAGES OR NECESSARY FOR SALVATION? (Fr. Spyridon Bailey): https://youtu.be/yt6YHQX0JZs --How-To: The Orthodox Prayer Corner (Fr. Peter Heers): https://youtu.be/3_y5A465Rx8 --The Meaning of Icons (Fr. Maximos Constas) https://youtu.be/BGcygfkqT8g --"What Orthodox Iconography Is" (Blessed Photios Kontoglou) http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/kontoglou_iconography.aspx _______ St. John of Damascus writes: “In former times God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake, who willed to take His abode in matter; who worked out my salvation through matter. Never will I cease honoring the matter which wrought my salvation!” “Either do away with the honor and veneration these things deserve, or accept the tradition of the Church and the veneration of images. Reverence God and his friends; follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” “We depict Christ as our King and Lord, then, and do not strip Him of His army. For the saints are the Lord's army…. For if the saints are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ they will also share in the divine glory and dominion. If they have partaken of Christ's sufferings, and are friends, shall they not receive a share of glory from the Church on earth? "No longer do I call you servants” (John 15:15), God says, "but I have called you friends." Shall we strip them of the glory given them by the Church? What audacity! What effrontery of mind, to fight with God, refusing to follow His commands! You who refuse to bow before images also refuse to bow before the Son of God who is the living image of the invisible God, and His unchanging likeness.” St. Basil says, "the honor given to the image is transferred to its prototype." -Letter on the Holy Spirit (18) _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A reading from the Spiritual Counsels of St. Paisios the Athonite: Family Life (Vol. 4) 0:09 Geronda, how can a housewife make time for prayer? 2:30 Geronda, a mother told me “I get very tired. I barely have enough time to finish chores let alone say my prayers properly.” 5:07 Geronda, what if a mother has a lot of children and a lot of work to do? -BUY the book here: https://www.holycross.org/products/family-life-elder-paisios -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ St. Paisios says: “The more a woman distances her heart from material things, the closer she comes to Christ. And when her heart is given to Christ, then she acquires great strength.” “Once I had gone to visit the home of a large family. I was so pleased to see the children with their childish naughtiness spoiling the worldly order of things—which requires having everything in its place. That is the greater disorder which wearies contemporary man.” “It's better for a mother to be involved with the nurturing of her children, rather than being overly involved with household chores and inanimate objects. A mother can speak to her children about Christ; she can read the Lives of the Saints to them. Thus, at the same time she will be occupying herself dusting off her own soul so that it will be spiritually shiny. The mother's spiritual life will then quietly help the souls of her children. Thus, her children will live happily, and she will be joyful because she will have Christ within her. If a mother doesn't find the time to even say a simple Trisagion, how can she expect her children to be sanctified? But Geronda, what if a mother has a lot of children and a lot of work to do? When she does her housework, can't she pray at the same time? It was my mother who taught me to say the Jesus Prayer. When we were children and had done some mischief, and my mother was about to get angry with us, I remember her saying, ‘Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ When she put the bread in the oven, she would say, ‘In the name of Christ and Panaghia.’ And whenever she was kneading or cooking, again, she constantly said the Jesus Prayer. In this manner, she herself was blessed, as were the bread and the food she was preparing, and so were those who partook of it later.” “The mother's devotion has great significance. If the mother has humility and fear of God, then family life is smooth. I know young mothers whose faces shine, even though they have no one to help them. I can understand a mother's spiritual state by looking at the children.” _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A reading of three psalms from St. Ephraim's "Spiritual Psalter". These psalms highlight the depths of humility, the darkness of sin in our hearts, and the boundless mercy of love of God for mankind. You may find it helpful to listen to this in preparation for not only the Mystery of Confession, but for Holy Communion as well. 0:13 Psalm 11 - I Can Control Neither Myself Nor The Enemy. Help me, O Lord! 1:48 Psalm 55 - How To Scrutinize and Reproach Yourself 7:21 Psalm 131 - All My Hope Is In God’s Mercy “How many times have I set boundaries for myself and built walls between myself and sin! But my thoughts transgressed the boundaries and my will tore down the walls, for the boundaries were not secured by fear of God, and the walls were not founded on sincere repentance.” -Psalm 11 “I am worthless, but think much of myself. I lie constantly, but get angry with liars. I defile the temple of my body with wanton thoughts, but sternly judge the wanton. I condemn those who fall, but myself fall constantly. I condemn slanderers and thieves, but am myself both a thief and a slanderer. I walk with a bright countenance, although I am altogether impure.” -Psalm 55 “Only hope in the manifestation of Thy grace, O man-befriending Master, consoles me and keeps me from despair. Whether Thou so desirest or not, save me, O all-good Lord, according to Thy great kindness.” -Psalm 131 As of July 2023, the "Spiritual Psalter" is out of print and hard to find. Amazon appears to be the best place at the moment, with copies available for $70. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

On June 1/14 the Church commemorates the great Theologian and Confessor, St. Justin Popović. This is the canon chanted during matins. Listen to more from St. Justin here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYgxvJMJchHwGAWGZebY0s2s Books to purchase by St. Justin -Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9781884729027/ -The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism: https://lazarica.co.uk/bookshop/ -Saint Justin Popovic "The New Philosopher": His Life and Service: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9780578635743/ -Commentary of the Epistles of St. John the Theologian: https://sebastianpress.org/justin-popovich-commentary-on-the-epistles-of-st-john-the-theologian/ -Notes on Ecumenism: https://sebastianpress.org/notes-on-ecumenism/ -Man and the God-Man: https://sebastianpress.org/archimandrite-justin-popovich-man-and-the-god-man/ _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!