Orthodox Wisdom

BUY the NEW BOOK: A CHRONICLE OF THE BEGINNING by Fr. Daniel Sysoev https://mission-shop.com/product/a-chronicle-of-the-beginning/ Publisher’s note: Where was science when God was making the universe? To this day the question of the world’s creation and the origin of the nations is the subject of numerous debates and disputes. The author asserts that Christian teaching on the origin of the universe in no way contradicts authentic science. The reader is presented with proof of the world’s divine origins, substantiated by modern scientific discoveries. This book gives a detailed description of the most enigmatic period in human history—the time from Adam until the exodus of Israel from Egypt. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Prov. 30:5–6). 0:12 Excerpt from the Forward 2:21 Chapter 2: Evolutionism and the Origin of Death 4:04 Fr. Daniel examines Orthodox teachers who error, beginning with Fr. Stefan Lyashevsky who teaches that death was normal in Paradise, that animals “devoured each other” 7:41 The views of Fr. Alexander Men, writes Fr. Daniel “...death is the essential and original state of the world, and it leads to good. He deliberately confuses the providential work of the Lord with the creative.” 12:09 Fr. Daniel quotes Fr. Seraphim Rose in defense of the patristic view 12:54 The views of Bishop Vasily (Rodzyanko): “The world in which we live in was not created by God.” 18:11 The key error of Bishop Vasily: “that the logoi of creation are identical to the creations themselves.” 21:57 It is clear that attempting to reconcile Orthodoxy with evolution undermines the very roots of revelation 22:40 Evolution destroys the very reason Christ’s coming to earth was necessary Learn more about Fr. Daniel: https://mission-shop.com/daniel/ Donate to the Benevolent Fund to support Matushkas (priest wives) who have lost their husbands and need support for themselves and their children: https://mission-shop.com/pozhertvovanie-na-fond/ _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A very important prophecy, focused more on the signs of the apostasy than specific people and places, from a Russian New Martyr, St. Anatole the Younger of Optina (+1922). This prophecy was given shortly after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. St. Anatole was a clairvoyant, God-bearing elder and one of the great cloud of elders from the monastery of Optina. -READ the prophecy here: https://www.orthodox.net/articles/anatoly-letter.html -BUY the book giving the full account of his life and teachings from St. Herman of Alaska Press, "Elder Anatole the Younger of Optina": https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/Elder-Anatole-the-Younger-of-Optina-p/ana.htm -READ a shorter version of his life in The Orthodox Word, Issue 39, Jul-Aug 1971. Read here: https://archive.org/details/100101V17N05061981SepOctNovDec -READ "Russia's Catacomb Saints": https://russiascatacombsaints.blogspot.com/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ [Satan] will not begin by crudely rejecting the dogmas of the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ and the virtue of the Theotokos, but he will begin imperceptibly to distort the teachings and statutes of the Church and their very spirit, handed down to us by the Holy Fathers through the Holy Spirit. Few will notice these wiles of the enemy, only those more experienced in the spiritual life. Heretics will seize power over the Church and will place their servants everywhere; the pious will be regarded with contempt. He (the Lord) said, by their fruits ye shall know them, and so, by their fruits, as well as by the actions of the heretics, strive to distinguish them from the true pastors. ...they will distort the Divine Faith imperceptibly, in order to succeed better in seducing and enticing the inexperienced into the net. ...all those ruled by heresy will not endure piety. Monastics will be greatly oppressed by the heretics and monastic life will be scorned. These threats will cause great despair among the fainthearted, but you, my son rejoice that you have lived until that time, for then the faithful who have not shown any other virtues, will receive crowns merely for standing firm in the faith, according to the word of the Lord. ...the holy martyrs and confessors, they will look upon you and your struggle with joy. But woe to the monks in those days who will be bound with possessions and riches, who because of love of peace will be ready to submit to the heretics. They will lull to sleep their conscience, saying, “We are preserving and saving the monastery and the Lord will forgive us.” The unfortunate and blind ones do not at all consider that through heresy the demons will enter the monastery and then it will no longer be a holy monastery, but merely walls from which grace will depart. Do not fear sorrows, rather fear pernicious heresy, for it strips us of grace and separates us from Christ. And so my son strengthen yourself in the grace of Jesus Christ. Hasten to confess the faith, to endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, Who has said, Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hear the story of the healing of a demon-possessed man in Shanghai by St. John Maximovitch when he was Bishop of Shanghai from 1934-1949. This account comes from The Orthodox Word, Issue 48, Jan-Feb 1973. Read here: https://archive.org/details/100101V17N05061981SepOctNovDec Read here the Life of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (+1966): https://orthochristian.com/54575.html Buy the book "Man of God" which includes the reminiscences, miracles, sermons, and more on this exceptional saint on the 20th century: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9781879066069/ _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Listen to St. Nektarios explain how critical the role of the mother is in raising children and how firm the foundation she can lay down in the hearts and minds of her children. Fathers, let us love and sacrifice for our wives and co-struggle in the holy labor of child-rearing! 0:10 Introduction 0:27 The education of children must begin from infancy 2:06 A mother’s influence on her children is beyond measure 3:44 The mother is best suited to impart the conception of God in her child’s heart 5:36 Just as the virtues of the mother are imparted to the child, so too the passions 7:20 The passions (sinful inclinations) of children must be subdued at a young age, just a potter molds clay before it hardens 9:20 If the formation of either the heart or the mind is neglected the child turns out “defective and impaired” 11:30 The examples of the mothers of The Great Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great and his mother, St. Emmelia, and St. Gregory the Theologian and his mother, St. Anthusa (and how the fire of their faith in Christ was not overcome by higher education given by pagan teachers) 13:54 On St. John Chrysostom and his mother, St. Anthusa 14:50 “What radiant examples we have before us in these pious mothers!... Who can deny it is the mothers who produce great and virtuous men?” -St. Nektarios 15:51 “It is necessary, then, that we form our daughters religiously and intellectually, so that we may present them worthy of their vocation.” 16:17 A one-sided upbringing leads either to superstition or atheism _______ -EDUCATION: Orthodox education resources at Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education Association: https://saintkosmas.org/ -PREGNANCY RESOURCES: ZOE for life! is a support center (in person and online) for women needing recourse for unplanned and planned pregnancies, adoption, and more: https://zoeforlife.org/ -BOOK: Orthodox Christian Parenting by Zoe Press: https://www.zoepress.us/all-books-cds/orthodox-christian-parenting-recipes-for-raising-children-2020-2nd-edition -PRAYER: Akathist to the Mother of God, "Nurturer of Children": https://www.akathists.com/the-most-holy-theotokos/nurturer-of-children/-PODCAST: Admonitions for Parents - St. John Chrysostom: https://youtu.be/lFcUbGHnU28-PODCAST: The Holy Childhood of Archbishop John Maximovitch (OW podcast): https://youtu.be/hXB4wW4iozw -TEXT OF THIS PODCAST: https://saintkosmas.org/st-nektarios-mothers-and-the-upbringing-of-children -FIND A CHURCH: Find an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ “It is necessary, then, that we form our daughters religiously and intellectually, so that we may present them worthy of their vocation. It is necessary, then, that reverent education and educated religion exist side by side, for these two things are the only sure provisions for traveling in this life, provisions that are able to help a man in manifold ways…. For if attention revolves around the mind only, sickliness of the man’s religious perception is unavoidable. But if our care revolves around religion only (and that not the educated kind), the intellectual faculties will wither and become dull. The result of the first situation will be irreligion and atheism, upon which follow boundless horrors; the result of the second, however, will be superstition, that curse of humanity, which, holding in its hands fire and the sword, threatens death to everyone who has a differing opinion. Such are the results of a one-sided education and the incomplete upbringing of mothers.” _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hear about Christ's revelations to St. Joseph and his brotherhood on the difficult and often contentious issue of the calendar and true Orthodoxy. As a zealot of Athos once confessed, "Fathers, we must admit that Elder Joseph was right. It is not possible for a rotten root to produce such fruits [i.e. his spiritual children]. A tree is known by its fruit.’ Therefore, we must have been wrong, and Elder Joseph must have been right." 0:10 Background 5:14 Revelations from God 9:33 Exactitude with Obedience 12:19 The Encyclical of 1950 14:59 The Revelation (about grace with the New Calendarists) 16:19 Resistance 21:55 Geronda’s Revelation 25:42 More Grace With the New-Calendarists Buy "My Elder Joseph the Hesychast" written by his disciple, Elder Ephraim of Arizona, here: https://stanthonysmonastery.org/products/my-elder-joseph-the-hesychast _______ For further study on the calendar issue, here is a short list of resources: -Elder Sophrony of Essex on the Calendar Issue: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2016/08/elder-sophrony-on-calendar-issue.html -Elder Paisios the Athonite on the Old Calendar Zealots: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2009/04/elder-paisios-athonite-on-old.html -Elder Ephraim of Arizona Exposes Old Calendarism: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2016/03/elder-ephraim-of-arizona-exposes-old.html -Ecumenism and Schismatic Old Calendarism, a letter by Blessed Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/02/ecumenism-and-schismatic-old.html -Elder Philotheos Zervakos on the Schismatic Old Calendarists: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/01/elder-philotheos-on-schismatic-old.html -The Three Hierarchs and the Calendar Issue (Elder Cleopa Ilie): https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2020/01/the-three-hierarchs-and-calendar-issue.html#more -Schismatic Old-Calendarism is an Anti-Patristic Stance by Monk Basil Gregoriates (a few problems in this text, but overall good): https://www.oodegr.com/english//ekklisia/sxismata/antipater1.htm Fr. Peter Heers has some very helpful videos addressing the temptation on the right: -The Zealot Jungle Which is Growing Up Around Us - Letter from Fr. Seraphim Rose https://youtu.be/4nNsx5UJIfo -On Canon 15 and Ceasing Commemoration of One's Own Bishop https://youtu.be/NY-9baGX0Lc -The Prophecy of St. Anatole the Younger (“Heretics will take over the Church”) https://youtu.be/v_1vmlsNDl4 -Patristic and Canonical Treatment Toward a Local Church Whose Hierarch Preaches Heresy https://youtu.be/jUM5ividbGE *Not everything on the JohnSanidopoulos.com website is faithfully Orthodox _______ St. Joseph’s revelation from God about the Calendar issue: While I was praying, I saw a brilliant, beautiful church. It had a small exit on the side, and everyone was coming out of the church. In the courtyard, they were arguing. One person shouted, 'I am right!' Another person shouted, 'I am more right!' And a third person, 'I am with the true church!' This reveals that although they were arguing, they all belonged to a single church. They have dogmas in common, and they have grace, but they were arguing because they don't have an open mind and haven't achieved saint-hood. So how could I say now that the official Church of Greece is heretical and lacks God's grace? Should I call it heretical only because of the calendar? And should I say that their bishops are damned? I am with the old calendar, but I think differently from the old calendarists. Indeed, the calendar issue does not affect the salvation of the faithful because it is not a dogmatic issue. There can be differences between local churches in non-dogmatic issues of a liturgical or administrative nature. This does not deprive them of God's grace. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A reading of St. Paisios’ letter written in 1969 to a priest regarding the recent scandalous actions of Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and how to respond in a healthy, salvific way as an Orthodox Christian. -read the text here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/elder-paisios-the-athonite-letter-on-ecumenism.aspx -Find an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ First of all, I would like to ask forgiveness from everyone for being bold to write something when I am neither holy nor a theologian. I trust everyone will understand me, that my writing is nothing more than an expression of my deep pain for the unfortunate stance and worldly love of our father Patriarch Athenagoras. It appears he loved another modern woman—which is called the Papist Church—because our Orthodox Mother has not made an impression on him at all, for She is so modest. This love, which was heard from Constantinople, caused a sensational impression of sorts among many Orthodox, who nowadays live in an environment of such meaningless love, in cities across the entire world. Moreover, this love is of the spirit of our age: the family will lose its divine meaning from just such kinds of love, which have as their aim breakup and not union. With just such a worldly love the Patriarch takes us to Rome. While he should have shown love first to us his children and to our Mother Church, he unfortunately sent his love very far away. The result, it’s true, delighted the secular children who love the world—who have this worldly love—, but completely scandalized us, the children of Orthodoxy, young and old, who have fear of God... Also, we should know well that our Orthodox Church does not have even one shortcoming. The only apparent insufficiency is the shortage of sober Hierarchs and Shepherds with a Patristic foundation. “Few are chosen.” This should not, however be upsetting. The Church is Christ’s Church, and He governs Her. It is not a Temple built by the pious from rocks, sand and mortar, which is then destroyed by the fire of barbarians; the Church is Christ Himself. “And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matt. 21:44-45) In times past we see that many faithful children of our Church, monastics and laymen, have unfortunately broken away from Her on account of the unionists. In my opinion, separation from the Church each time the Patriarch makes a mistake is not good at all. From within, close to the Mother Church, it is the duty and obligation of each member to struggle in their own way. To cease commemoration of the Patriarch; to break away and create their own Church; and to continue to speak insultingly to the Patriarch: this I think, is senseless. If, for this or that occasional deviation of the Patriarchs, we separate ourselves and make our own Churches—may God protect us!—we’ll pass up even the Protestants. It is easy for one to separate but difficult to return. I would further like to say that there does exist another, third group, within our Church. They are the brethren who remain as Her faithful children, but who don’t have spiritual concord between themselves. They spend their time criticizing one another, and not for the general good of the struggle. The one monitors the other (more than himself) to see what he will say or write so as to ruthlessly nail him. However, if this person had said or written the same thing, he’d certainly have supported it with numerous passages from the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers. We’re all needed within the Church. All the Fathers, both the mild and the austere, offered their services to Her. Just as the sweet, sour, bitter and even pungent herbs are necessary for a man’s body (each has its own flavor and vitamins), the same is true of the Body of the Church. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A reading of the revelation of Jesus Christ to St. Silouan and commentary on the revelation by St. Sophrony from "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by St. Sophrony (p. 429-431, 208-213) 0:18 The revelation of Jesus Christ to St. Silouan 5:19 St. Sophrony’s commentary -Buy "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by St. Sophrony here: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/9780881416817/ -Find an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ St. Silouan writes: 'Lord, Thou seest that I desire to pray to Thee with a single mind but the devils will not let me. Tell me what I must do to make them leave me.' And in my soul came the Lord's reply: 'The proud always suffer thus from devils.' ‘Lord,' I say, "Thou art merciful. My soul knoweth Thee. Tell me what I must do that my soul may grow humble?' And the Lord answered me in my soul: 'Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not.' Since then I have stayed my mind in hell and I burn in the sombre fire, yearning after the Lord and seeking Him in tears, and saying: ‘Soon shall I die and take up my abode in the dark prison of hell. And alone shall I burn there, and long for the Lord, and lament: 'Where is my Lord, Whom my soul knoweth?' And I had great profit from these thoughts: my mind was cleansed and my soul found rest. St. Sophrony writes: ‘Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not.’ What does it mean - to keep the mind in hell? Can it be that we are to use our imagination to conjure up circumstances for ourselves similar to those figured in some primitive painting? In this instance, no. Father Silouan, like certain great Fathers — St. Anthony, St. Sisoes, St. Makarios, St. Pimen — during his lifetime actually descended into the darkness and torments of hell. They did this not once but over and over again until their hearts were so permeated that they were able to repeat the movement at will. They took refuge in it when passion — especially that most subtle of passions, pride — reared its head. The struggle against pride is, in fact, the final stage in the battle against the passions. To begin with, the ascetic must wrestle with the greater passions of the flesh, then with irritability and, finally, pride. This last combat is undoubtedly the most painful of all. Taught by long experience that pride leads to loss of grace, the ascetic consciously descends into hell where every passion is 'seared with a hot iron'. Blessed Staretz Silouan said that many ascetics when they approached that state - which is vital if one would be cleansed of the passions - would fall into despair and be unable to continue. But the one who knows how greatly the Lord loveth us' escapes the pernicious effect of total despair and knows how to stand prudently on the verge so that the hellish fire burns away his every passion and he does not fall victim to despair. 'And despair not.’ If the Staretz' account is a simple one - as simple as the shoemaker's of Alexandria - the power and mystery of the matter will remain incomprehensible for anyone who has not known a similar experience of hellish torment, on the one hand, and the great gifts of grace, on the other. The Staretz declared, 'The Lord Himself taught me the way to humble myself. "Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not". Thus is the enemy vanquished. But when my mind emerges from the fire, the suggestions of passion gather strength again.' This brief inconsistent exposé is incapable of conveying any real understanding of the ineffably wondrous life where extreme suffering is allied to extreme bliss, the one accompanying the other in the strangest manner. If the suffering existed alone, it would be impossible to bear it. And if there were only bliss, that, too, would be past bearing. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A reading of the homily titled, "On Watchfulness and Noetic Prayer" from Chapter 15 of "Counsels from the Holy Mountain" by Elder Ephraim of Arizona -Learn more about the ever-memorable Elder Ephraim: https://stanthonysmonastery.org/pages/elder-ephraim -Buy the book here: https://stanthonysmonastery.org/products/counsels-from-the-holy-mountain -Find an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ 0:09 The Watchful Fathers, especially St. Gregory Palamas, showed us the way2:41 We must attack evil thoughts with anger, the Jesus Prayer, and rebuttal 5:06 Before noetic prayer was systematized, monks primarily focus on asceticism done with the body 8:02 The work of watchfulness led the Watchful Fathers to freedom from care 9:40 The value of silence 10:26 If one has tasted prayer and then loses prayer, he feels empty 11:29 Those who pray with watchfulness acquire great gifts 13:32 Prayer is the catapult against the demons, passions, and sin 14:45 The ax of prayer 15:37 A story of how a demon spoke through a woman to show a negligent monk that the Jesus prayer burns the demons 17:40 Must listen! A story of a man who comes to Elder Joseph and suffers from the demons yet courageously persists in saying the Jesus prayer 24:10 The power of prayer and the demons’ refusal to repent, yet we are lazy 25:34 Even laypeople occupy themselves with the prayer and bear fruit 27:54 Conclusion _______ Elder Ephraim teaches: A monk who lacks prayer feels empty, unless he has not tasted the benefit of prayer and does not realize his emptiness. If a poor man never had anything, he is not troubled. But if a monk who has been taught the prayer becomes neglectful and loses it, he knows his loss and is troubled. Therefore, monks must pray not only to carry out their duty as monks, but at the same time to be monks in deed; not just monks in name and outward appearance, but also inwardly. According to the Watchful Fathers, one is not called a monk if he does not have this hidden work within him. Therefore, we too must compel ourselves to pray for our soul to be full of benefit. Only then can we consider ourselves to be monks. Just as someone could wonder how a body could live without a soul, likewise a person experienced in prayer would be at a loss and say, "But how can people live without this spiritual nourishment!" Our passions of soul and body are remedied in proportion to the progress we have made in prayer and the benefit we have received from it. The healing of one's passions and weaknesses marks how much a person has advanced in prayer. Consequently, we must compel ourselves. We must constantly urge ourselves not to forget the prayer, not to neglect it. When we notice that the prayer has "sprung a leak," has weakened and begins to waver and stumble, it is necessary as quickly as possible to strive to correct it, to work with diligence, to restore strength to our prayer. How will this be accomplished? the soul must collect itself immediately, must concentrate, "tighten the belt,” as we say, and vigorously begin to pray. It must drive away thoughts, expel worries, free the mind from distraction and say, “I will occupy myself with the prayer now." And when we occupy ourselves with it in this way for a while, we shall soon feel the power which proceeds from diligence in prayer. In conclusion, there is nothing left for us to do except to compel ourselves; to compel ourselves constantly. We should occupy ourselves with prayer above all, saying continuously: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." As we wake up in the morning we should say the prayer; then, we should do our work with the name of Christ on our lips. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Sophia of Kiev (+1941) was a valiant Abbess, Confessor, and spiritual guide for the faithful during their apocalyptic trial under the Bolshevik antichrists. This account of her life is found in "Russia's Catacomb Saints" written and translated by I. M. Andreyev, Fr. Seraphim Rose, Fr. Herman Podmoshensky, and others. Published in 1982 by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. Read "Russia's Catacomb Saints": https://russiascatacombsaints.blogspot.com/ From the Life of St. Sophia: “Of inestimable spiritual value is the fearless stand for Christ's Truth by the New Martyrs of Russia. Especially by their manful act of testifying where the Truth was to be found at a time when many did not see this—the Josephite confessors of 1927 and thereafter historically preserved the savor of Orthodoxy for generations to follow. Now that almost half a century has passed, history has shown that these "stubborn rebels," the followers of Metropolitan Joseph of Petrograd, were absolutely correct, and their significance now shines forth as equal to that of the great Confessors of Orthodoxy in ancient times. One of such Josephites was Abbess Sophia, whose boldness as a confessor was a direct result of her high spirituality and genuine Orthodox world-view. She reached spiritual maturity at the time of Russia's pinnacle of holiness, when the Russian land was preparing to offer itself as a pure and ripe sacrifice to God at the bloody hands of the God-hating Communists.” "Being a true offspring of the Optina Elders, with whom she was in constant contact, she soberly discerned the true nature of the Soviet Revolution and knew what to expect from it. Thus, when the assault of the "Living Church" struck, her convent was one of the first to give a blow back, although she herself had already been arrested. A new calendarist bishop was forced into the convent by GPU agents to serve Liturgy. When the women who attended it came up to kiss the Cross at the end, one after another they spit on the bishop's hand that held the Cross, and thus an end was put to "renovation" in the Protection Convent, and the bishop learned his lesson and repented. Hearing about this, Bishop Damascene exclaimed with bitterness: 'If it were not for women, who else would defend the Church? Let them at least defend it however they can!'" "The last morning in the much-suffering life of Abbess Sophia arrived when she was amidst her spiritual daughters, on a collective farm near Serpukhov which was a catacomb convent. She was in a state of absolute exhaustion. not having partaken of any food for several days. After morning prayers, when her room had been put in order, Mother Sophia asked to be left alone, and then began to read her favorite book, the Gospel, — when the sisters heard her coughing and gasping for air. The agony lasted for three hours, but she was fully conscious and her eyes were clear. Then she turned her gaze to an icon, closed her eyes for the last time, and departed to the Lord. That was on March 22 (April 4, NS), 1941." _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

My dear brothers and sisters, take these words to heart! Be encouraged and be courageous! Excerpt from "On Our Times" by St. Paisios the Athonite Full podcast: https://spotify.link/4JXWlzCKUyb Text: http://apantaortodoxias.blogspot.com/2015/06/on-our-times-st-paisios-of-holy-mount.html _______ More of St. Paisios' teachings from Orthodox Wisdom: Marriage or Monasticism? (The Young Facing the Two Paths in Life) https://spotify.link/qEajIFFKUyb On the Blasphemous Treatment of Holy Things, God's Wrath, & Trusting God https://spotify.link/5YivepEKUyb Work and Spiritual Life https://spotify.link/ozInRWAKUyb _______ St. Paisios teaches: The world has lost control of itself. Honor and self-sacrifice have abandoned people. The taste of sacrificial joy is unknown to today’s people, and that’s why they’re so tortured. For only when you co-participate in the pain of another do miracles happen. If a person doesn’t cultivate in himself the spirit of self- sacrifice then he thinks only of himself and doesn’t receive Divine Grace. The more a person forgets himself, the more God remembers him. Those who die heroically don’t really die. And where there’s no heroism nothing worthwhile can be expected. Our time is like a bubbling and steaming cauldron. One needs temperament, audacity, courage. Take care not to be caught unprepared, if something is to happen. Start getting ready now so that you’ll be able to resist difficulties. Christ Himself tells us: Therefore be ye also ready (Mt 24:44), doesn’t He? Today, living in such complicated times, we have to be not merely ready, but triply ready, at the minimum! Possibly we may meet not only with sudden death, but with other dangers. So let’s drive away the desire to arrange our lives comfortably! May love of honor and the spirit of self-sacrifice live in us. I see that something is in the works, that something lies just around the corner, but it’s constantly being put off. Little delays all the time. Who’s creating the delays? God? Another month passes, then another couple of months! That’s the main thing: for true brotherly love to exist between us. Kindness, love — that’s strength! Death in battle adds greatly to God’s mercy, for a person who dies the death of the brave sacrifices himself to defend others. Those who give up their lives out of pure love in order to defend their neighbor are imitating Christ. These people are supreme heroes. They arouse fear in our enemies. Death herself trembles before them, because they scorn her due to their great love, and attain immortality in this fashion, finding the key to eternity under the gravestone. They enter into eternal blessedness without difficulty. That’s why I say to you: Cultivate self-sacrifice, brotherly love. May each of you attain a spiritual condition which will allow you to get out of difficult situations. Without a spiritual condition a person loses courage, because he loves himself. He can renounce Christ, betray Him. There is no spiritual life without sacrifice. Try to remember, at least a little bit, that death exists. And since we’ll die in any case, let’s not take care of ourselves too much. Look after your health, but not to the degree where you begin to bow down before your peace and well-being. I’m not asking anyone to throw themselves headlong into dangerous adventures, but you have to have at least a bit of heroism, my brother! In order to succeed at anything one needs a wild streak, in the positive sense. He who lacks this wild streak can become neither a hero nor a saint. The heart must become uncalculating. Fear is necessary when it helps a person turn to God. Fear from lack of faith, from lack of trust in God, on the other hand, is ruinous. Such fear is driven out by audacity. We must remember: The more a person fears, the more he is tempted by the enemy. If a person refuses to strive to become courageous, and doesn’t strive for real love, then when a difficult situation arises he’ll become a laughingstock.