A miracle of Elder Paisios

This miracle of Elder Paisios occurred for a police officer, Mr. A.X. in Thessaloniki, as he himself relates:
"On June 8th, 1986, I was on duty in my police service, near the central hospital of Thessaloniki, when I was hit by a "Molotov" bomb. I suffered serious trauma. In the Hospital "Hippocrates", where I was transferred, they let me be, because they thought that death would come soon. I remained in life, but I had lost all contact with my environment. The Elder [Paisios], from the first instant I met him, told me: "You will suffer greatly, but you will live."

"After a few days, I somewhat came to my senses. But one day, however, I felt as if I were dying, and I told the nurse: "My sister, I'm dying, I'm dying." I began then to ascend and leave the earth, to travel among the stars and continue through the galaxies. This is the explanation I gave at that instant. I kept ascending, ascending, and before me went a light, like a lit lamp. Straightaway the journey stopped. I began to move in reverse and landed. I found myself in the hospital, with a tracheotomy and doctors around me, looking at me.

"Five days later, I met the Elder in Souroti. He embraced me, kissed me, and I began to relate how I died. He cut me off, saying: 'Hey, my blessed one, we went together to the other life and returned. Didn't you see me?' Then I understood what that light was that I saw."


Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!


http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.ca/2014/06/a-miracle-of-elder-paisios.html

Using freedom properly ( St. Paisios )

The elder said: It is not freedom when we say to people that everything is permitted. That is slavery. To improve one must have difficulties. Let's take an example. We have a little tree. We take care of it. We place a stake and tie it with a rope. Naturally we don't tie it with wire because that way we would injure it. With their method they would not constrain the tree; and it doesn't develop properly otherwise. And look at the child. We limit his freedom from the beginning. When he is first conceived the poor thing is limited in his mother's womb and remains there nine whole months. Later he is born and immediately they swaddle him in a blanket, they tie him up, as soon as he begins to grow they set a railing, etc. All of this is necessary for him to grow. It appears to take away freedom, but without these protective measures the child will die in the first moment.

The elder said: Freedom is good when the person can use it appropriately. Otherwise it is a disaster.

St. Paisios

On developing positive thoughts ( Elder Paisios )

Elder Paisios tells us that, if we are to grow in love toward our fellow man, we are to cut off those thoughts and feelings which are an offense against love: that is, judgments and resentments. He counseled that "We should never, even under the worst circumstances, allow a negative thought to penetrate our soul. The person, who, under all circumstances, is inclined to have positive thoughts, will always be a winner; his life will be a constant festivity, since it is constantly based on positive thinking" (Priestmonk Christodoulos Aggeloglou, Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain Mount Athos, Greece, 1998, p. 31).

One of Elder Paisios’ spiritual sons recalls, "Elder Paisios always urged us to think positively. Our positive thinking, however, should not be our ultimate aim; eventually our soul must be cleansed from our positive thoughts as well, and be left bare, having as its sole vestment Divine Grace granted to us through Holy Baptism. ‘This is our aim,’ he used to say, ‘to totally submit our mind to the Grace of God. The only thing Christ is asking from us is our humility. The rest is taken care of by His Grace.

"‘In the beginning, we should willingly try to develop positive thoughts, which will gradually lead us to the perfect good, God, to Whom belongs all glory, honor and worship. On the contrary, to us belongs only the humility of our conceited attitude’ " (Ibid., p. 29).

Elder Paisios’ teachings on thoughts and inner watchfulness, drawn from his own profound experience in the spiritual life, are particularly crucial for us who have been formed by modern Western culture. Because he spent so much time listening to people (both monastic and lay) and helping them with their problems, Elder Paisios became acutely aware of the various spiritual diseases afflicting modern Western man. Above all, he recognized — and sought to treat — the most prevalent disease: rationalism. Although the modern rationalist worldview was born in Western Europe during the Enlightenment era, it has progressively been inundating the entire world, including Orthodox lands such as Greece. Therefore, when Elder Paisios speaks to the spiritual malady of rationalism in contemporary Greece, he is also speaking to our spiritual malady in America and the West.

Ultimately, the malady of modern rationalism comes down to one essential ingredient: trusting the conclusions of one’s logical mind. We of the modern West have been raised with an underlying assumption, summed up in the well-known phrase of Rene Descartes at the beginning of the Enlightenment era: "I think, therefore I am." The worldview of modern rationalism, having lost an awareness of the immortal soul in man, leads us to believe that our thoughts are v/ho we are, and, conversely, that we are the sum total of our thoughts. Therefore, we automatically feel that we have to trust our thoughts, to take a stand for them, to defend them as we would our own flesh and blood.

This is the essential fallacy of the modern worldview. It is precisely by placing absolute trust in the formulations of the fallen human mind — rather than in divine revelation — that modern Western man has come to water down or abandon his once-cherished Christian Faith. We Orthodox Christians living in the West must act against this influence by refusing to accord outright trust to our thoughts.

Elder Paisios teaches: "The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in God and begins to afflict them with self-assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds. Never believe your thoughts.

"Live simply and without thinking too much, like a child with his father. Faith without too much thinking works wonders. The logical mind hinders the Grace of God and miracles. Practice patience without judging with the logical mind."

Elsewhere Elder Paisiοs counseled: "We ought always to be careful and be in constant hesitation about whether things are really as we think. For when someone is constantly occupied with his thoughts and trusts in them, the devil will manage things in such a way that he will make the man evil, even if by nature he was good.

"The ancient fathers did not trust their thoughts at all, but even in the smallest things, when they had to give an answer, they addressed the matter in their prayer, joining to it fasting, in order in some way to ‘force’ Divine Grace to inform them what was the right answer according to God. And when they received the ‘information,’ they gave the answer.

"Today I observe that even with great matters, when someone asks, before he has even had the time to complete his question, we interrupt him and answer him. This shows that not only do we not seek enlightenment from the Grace of God, but we do not even judge with the reason God gave us. On the contrary, whatever our thoughts suggest to us, immediately, without hesitation, we trust it and consent to it, often with disastrous results.

"Almost all of us view thoughts as being something simple and natural, and that is why we naively trust them. However, we should neither trust them nor accept them.

"Thoughts are like airplanes flying in the air. If you ignore them, there is no problem. If you pay attention to them, you create an airport inside your head and permit them to land!" (Ibid., pp. 29-30, 48).

Looking at ourselves before judging others ( Elder Paisios )

-Elder,I often see and judge the failings and defects of others.

-Do you now what your illness is?
-No
-That's why you know the illness of others.If you knew your own illness,you wouldn't know the illness of others.I am not saying you shouldn't be concerned with their pain and suffering,but you mustn't preoccupy yourself with their faults.If a person is not concerned with his self,the tempter devil will lead him to be concerned with other people's faults.If we work on ourselves,then we know ourselves and come to know others as well.Otherwise,we judge others by wrong assumptions we make about ourselves.

-Elder,what helps the most in correcting ourselves?

-First of all,we need willpower.In a way,willpower provides the good foundation.Secondly,one must become aware that he is sick and take necessary antibiotic treatment;otherwise,if one is sick and hides the sickness,if he refuses to acknowledge it to himself and others, he will suddenly collapse one day before he realizes it,and will already be beyond medical help.Let's say someone knows that he has a pretubercular condition that is causing his lack of appetite.People ask him,"Why don't you eat?""And he replies,Oh,I just don't like this food."Then he has aches and pains and can barely walk."Why are you walking like that?"they ask him.And he again says,"Oh,I like to go very slowly,why should i run like crazy."He doesn't admit to them or himself that he has aches and pains and can't walk.Then he has a cough." Why are you coughing?" "It's probably some allergy," he replies.Again,he won't admit that his lungs are a mess.In the meantime,he starts spitting blood but he still refuses to acknowledge his illness and says, "Oh,my throat must be sore!"

-And all this,Elder,simply because he refuses to acknowledge he has tuberculosis?

-Yes,he hides it and he hides from it.And while he is hiding it,he is gradually overtaken by full-scale tuberculosis.The lungs burst,he spits enough blood to fill buckets,then he collapses and the illness is exposed,but by then it is too late.But if he'd acknowledged the symptoms early on and accepted the necessary treatment,he'd have been healthier than the healthy.What I'm trying to say is that when it comes to the spiritual life,those who justify,hide or ignore their passions and faults,will in the end receive such demonic influence that they won't be able to hide.Have you any idea what it is like to accept demonic influence?One becomes like a wild beast,fiercely defensive,foul-mouthed,refusing any help from anyone.
This is why the starting point is for one not to be embarrassed,but to be gladly aware of his illness,his faults.From that point ,he must accept the necessary treatment,the appropriate medicines,and be grateful to his physicians-the Spiritual Father or the Elder-and not resist them.Look at how someone who's ill stretches out his arm to be given a blood transfusion,he's poked with the needle,it hurts,but he accepts the pain for the sake of his health.Or having an operation,we know how painful it is and yet we endure it for the sake of our health.

-Elder,when I know that a very strict remark will help me,why is it that i do not accept it gladly?

-Look,you may not be willing to accept it gladly,but do you at least realise that this is not right?
-Yes ,i do.
-Well then,if you realise it,that's something.You see,a person who is ill takes a pill that may be bitter as poison,but he accepts it better than candy,simply because he understands that it will help him.If we don't accept the bitter medicine,we can't expect to be cured.To be strengthened by Christ,one must recognise his weakness and take the medicine.
Taken from Elder Paisios of Mount Athos,Spiritual Counsels Vol3 "Spiritual Struggle"

Thinking of others ( Elder Paisios )

Someone who does not think of himself but thinks constantly of others, in the good sense, will be thought of constantly by God, and then others will also think of him. The more one forgets himself, the more God remembers him...


Elder Paisios

Elder Paisios heals a child - Αδημοσίευτο θαύμα του γέροντος Παϊσίου στην Αργολίδα

Elder Paisios depicted giving a child a loukoumi
The doctors were disillusioned, as my parents later told me, that they had to go make a surgical incision in my chest to relieve the fluid that that collected around my lungs. My young age, however, made this intervention even more difficult. The necessary tests were performed on that Friday, which showed that things were totally bleak, so at the meeting of the Physicians, they decided to go ahead the next Monday with further tests and the ultimately the surgical procedure.

On Friday evening, while I was sleeping in bed with the protective railings up, my mother was sleeping in a chair next to me, and something immediately woke me up, and I saw an elderly monk enter in from the door to the balcony. He turned towards me, put down the iron railing, and made the sign of the cross, blessing me three times. I was startled, and with joyous surprise, I cried out loudly to my mother who was next to me, but she, strangely, did not here me. That unknown monk smiled lovingly, and then left straightaway.

When my mother awoke the next morning, she saw with astonishment that the railing was down, and that I was cheerful. I explained as best I could at that age about this wondrous visit by a monk, and they began to show me different pictures of Saints so I could indicate which that monk might resemble. My gaze, however, fell on the picture of Elder Paisios from a book from the Holy Monastery of Souroti which my mother was reading those days.


On Monday, the doctors performed the prerequisite tests, and then were speechless. They confirmed the wondrous improvement in my health. The surgery was cancelled, and in a few days, I returned joyously to my home again. So great was the happiness and gratitude of my parents for this miracle of Elder Paisios, that my next brother that was born they named Arsenios.




Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.ca/2014/07/elder-paisios-heals-child.html


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«Οι Γιατροί είχαν απογοητευθεί, όπως μου είπαν κατόπιν οι γονείς μου, και θα έπρεπε επειγόντως να προβούν σε διάνοιξη τομής στο μέρος του στήθους για να αντλήσουν τα υγρά που είχαν συσσωρευθεί στους πνεύμονές μου.
 
Η μικρή μου ηλικία όμως παράλληλα έκανε δυσκολότερη κάθε προσπάθεια επεμβάσεως. Έγιναν οι απαραίτητες εξετάσεις την Παρασκευή, οι οποίες ήταν υπερβολικά δυσοίωνες και αποφασίστηκε από το συμβούλιο των Ιατρών να
προβούν την ερχόμενη Δευτέρα σε επανεξετάσεις και στην οριστική χειρουργική επέμβαση.
 
Την Παρασκευή το βράδυ και ενώ κοιμόμουν στο κρεβάτι με ανεβασμένα τα προστατευτικά κάγκελα η Μητέρα μου καθόταν και κοιμόταν και εκείνη σε μία καρέκλα δίπλα μου κάτι με ξυπνάει και αμέσως και βλέπω να εισέρχεται από την μπαλκονόπορτα ένας ηλικιωμένος Μοναχός.
 
Στράφηκε προς το μέρος μου, κατέβασε τα σιδερένια κάκελα και κάνοντας το σημείο του Σταυρού με ευλόγησε τρείς φορές. Εγώ ξαφνιασμένη και με χαρούμενη έκπληξη φώναζα δυνατά στην Μητέρα μου που βρισκόταν ακριβώς δίπλα μου αλλά κατά ένα περίεργο τρόπο δεν με άκουγε.Μου χαμογέλασε στοργικά ο άγνωστος εκείνος καλόγερος και κατόπιν αποχώρησε.Όταν το πρωΐ ξύπνησε η Μητέρα μου είδε έκπληκτη τα κάγκελα κατεβασμένα και εμένα ευδιάθετη.
 
Της ανέφερα, όσο μπορούσα να μιλήσω σε εκείνη την ηλικία, το θαυμαστό γεγονός της επισκέψεως
ενός Μοναχού και τότε άρχισε να μου δείχνει διάφορες φωτογραφίες από Αγίους για να της δείξω σε ποιον έμοιαζε ο καλόγερος αυτός.
 
Το βλέμμα μου όμως έπεσε επάνω στην φωτογραφία του Γέροντος Παϊσίου από ένα βιβλίο της Ι.Μονή Σουρωτής που διάβαζε εκείνες τις ημέρες η μητέρα μου.Την Δευτέρα έγιναν οι σχετικές εξετάσεις και οι Γιατροί τότε άφωνοι διαπίστωσαν την θαυμαστή εξέλιξη της υγείας μου. Το χειρουργείο ακυρώθηκε και μετά από λίγες ημέρες γύρισα χαρούμενη και πάλι στο σπίτι μου.
 
Τόση ήταν η ευτυχία και η ευγνωμοσύνη των Γονέων μου για το αναφερόμενο θαύμα του π.Παϊσίου που στο επόμενο αδελφάκι μου που γεννήθηκε έδωσαν το όνομα Αρσένιος.»
Πηγή:Ι.Ναός Γενεσίου Της Θεοτόκου Ναυπλίου

http://estavromenos.blogspot.ca/2014/07/blog-post_29.html

Attaining Humility ( Elder Paisios )

The elder said: Humility is acquired after struggles. When you know yourself you acquire humility, which become a (permanent) condition. Otherwise one can become humble for a moment, but your thought will say to you that you are something although in reality you're nothing. and you'll be deluded like that to the moment of death. If death finds you with the thought that you are nothing, then God will speak. If however your thought says at the hour of death that you are something and you don't understand it, all your effort goes to waste.

Elder Paisios

Never believe your thoughts ( Elder Paisios )

"The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in God and begins to afflict them with self-assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds. Never believe your thoughts.

Elder Paisios

Life is a constant doxology ( Elder Paisios )

Those who suffer deeply for the salvation of the whole world and help in their own way (as strugglers) and humbly entrust themselves to the hands of God, feel the greatest joy in the world. Their life is a constant doxology, for they flutter about internally like angels, glorifying God day and night. Those, however, who neglect the salvation of their souls and try to find joy and rest in this vain life, are continually tortured and entangled in endless worldly machinery and live in hell in this life.

Elder Paisios

How to Develop Patience - Candy? ( St. Paisios )

Patience is something most us us long for. Too often we find ourselves upset because something does not happen how and when we want it to. But how can we develop greater patience?

Elder Paisios gave some good advice about how to develop patience to one of his followers. When he was asked about how to acquire patience, he went into his cell and brought out a bag of candy.

He gave to him and said:
"Take two a day. However, do not chew them. Be patient and wait until they melt in your mouth."

Do you see the wisdom he uses here? He takes something so simple, eating candy, something that is an everyday thing, and turns it into a spiritual exercise. He makes the exercise simple and doable. You too can find many of these opportunities in your daily life to help develop virtues such as patience.

Reference: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, p 144

A miracle from Elder Paisios to a police officer

This miracle of Elder Paisios occurred for a police officer, Mr. A.X. in Thessaloniki, as he himself relates:
"On June 8th, 1986, I was on duty in my police service, near the central hospital of Thessaloniki, when I was hit by a "Molotov" bomb. I suffered a serious trauma. In the Hospital "Hippocrates", where I was transferred, they let me be, because they thought that death would come soon. I remained in life, but I had lost all contact with my environment. The Elder [Paisios], from the first instant I met him, told me: "You will suffer greatly, but you will live."

"After a few days, I somewhat came to my senses. But one day, however, I felt as if I were dying, and I told the nurse: "My sister, I'm dying, I'm dying." I began then to ascend and leave the earth, to travel among the stars and continue through the galaxies. This is the explanation I gave at that instant. I kept ascending, ascending, and before me went a light, like a lit lamp. Straightaway the journey stopped. I began to move in reverse and landed. I found myself in the hospital, with a tracheotomy and doctors around me, looking at me.

"Five days later, I met the Elder in Souroti. He embraced me, kissed me, and I began to relate how I died. He cut me off, saying: 'Hey, my blessed one, we went together to the other life and returned. Didn't you see me?' Then I understood what that light was that I saw."

Raising Christian Children ( Elder Paisios )

What are the demands on a Christian parent? How are we to bring up our children as Christians? The main thing is to act like Christians ourselves.

Here is some wisdom from Elder Paisios.


Parents must live like true Christians and be careful of their behavior. Children are like computers; since a very early age, they register in their minds everything they see, or hear happening in their homes. If they see their father and mother quarreling, cursing and using bad language, they record everything in their mind's tape.


So, when they grow older, they start cursing and quarreling using their parents language. They behave this way, without really wanting to, but because they have inherited the pathetic behavior of their parents. Later on, when they realize their mistakes, they find it difficult to correct them.


As a parent every action you take is important when you raise children. It is not necessarily what you say but how you act that teaches them the Orthodox way of life. It's essential to show them the virtues as well as the way to practice their faith Parents should pray with their children, attend Church regularly, participate with them in the sacraments, especially Confession and Holy Communion. A parent's habit becomes the child's habit. This is the way to raise Christian children.

Reference: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, p 124

Eight points For Our Spiritual growth : St. Paisios

The following is advice Elder Paisios gave on spiritual growth after he was asked for his blessing by a visitor:


1. You must take care of the purification of your soul on a daily basis.
2. You must acquire divine justice and not logic, for only then the grace of our Christ will come to you.
3. Before you do something, think if Christ wants you to; the, act accordingly.
4. You must perfectly practice obedience, so you may later talk to others about the virtue of obedience.
5. The "no" you say to people must be "no", and the "yes" must be "yes". Do not pretend, but say whatever you think, even if it hurts the other person; say it in a good manner, however, and also give some explanations.
6. You must have and maintain this spiritual dignity; always pay attention to what pleases your fellow monks and not to what pleases yourself.
7. Everyday, you should read a section from the New Testament for the purification of your soul.
8. Do not look at what other people do, or examine how, and why they do it.
Your own goal is the purification of your soul and the perfect submission of your mind to divine grace. So everything for the sake of your goal; pray, study, say humbly the Jesus prayer, being aware that you absolutely need God's mercy. In other words, pay attention to your spiritual work. This is advice we can all benefit from.

Source: elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, pp 25-26

Elder Paisios sees a vision of murdered children

On the third day after Pascha, 1984 , the Elder saw a terrible vision during his prayer:

In front of him there was a big field, sowed with wheat, which had only begun to come up. He was standing near a wall that surrounded the field. Lighting candles, he stuck them to the wall. He did this in memory of the departed, as in reality he had a custom of lightning candles for the whole suffering world — for the living and the departed.

To the left of the field there was a wild and deserted place, dark, without any traces of greenery, full of rocks and stones. A continuous earthquake shook it, and a loud roar was heard everywhere. The Elder listened more attentively to it and determined that it was made up of the thousands of blood-curdling shrieks. He did not know their origin, but suffered greatly when he heard them.

There, where he was, perplexed with the meaning of that vision, he heard a voice explaining to him, that the field, sowed with wheat which had not yet matured, symbolized the tomb of the souls of the departed that will be resurrected. And the terrible place on the left was where the souls of the children, killed through abortions, were gathered. The Elder suffered so greatly because of what he had seen that, after the vision, in spite of the fact that he was exhausted, he could not lie down to sleep a little.

Elder Paisios 

http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2014/03/elder-paisios-sees-vision-of-murdered.html

A blessing from God ( Elder Paisios )

 

Elder Paisios quotes this old saying and asks, "What does it mean?" Clearly it is saying that it is better to work, which in earlier times would wear out your shoes, than to be lazy and to spend your time in bed wearing out the blankets.

Elder Paisios describes work in this way:
Work is a blessing, a gift from God. Work gives vigor to the body and refreshes the mind. If God had not given us work, man would have become moldy Those who are diligent work into their old age. If they stop working while they still have strength, they become melancholy; it's like death for them.
There is no way to gain peace without engaging in work of some kind. When we do take a break, like a vacation or even a lunch hour, when we did not return to work, what would we do? We would seek out some other kind of comfort. When it ended we would seek another. We would never find satisfaction. We would be filled with anxiety, not from work, but from our inability to find true comfort. We would feel an emptiness, a need for being of some value to others. Our soul would be longing to carry out the will of God which is to help and love others. This is why even though we may find ourselves fatigued at the end of a good days work, we can feel a sense of joy that we have been useful, worthwhile, have contributed to the life of mankind.


It is important to carry our faith into our work place. We should pray before we take on our various projects for God to guide and help us. We should find ways to show kindness to those we work with. In this way we carry our God's will into our work place. What is essential is to always keep God in mind while we work.

Work is a blessing from God


Resource: Elder Paisios of Mount Athos spiritual Counsels IV: Family Life, pg176

On Love ( Elder Paisios )

Miracles happen… - Elder Paisios

Miracles happen through the prayers of small children. Whatever they ask of God He gives them because they are guileless and He hears their pure prayer.

I remember one time our parents had gone out into the field and had left me in the house with my two younger siblings. The sky suddenly darkened and a torrential rainstorm began.

“What will our parents do now?,” we said. “How will they get back home?” The two little ones began crying. “Come here,” I told them, “we will ask Christ to stop the rain.” The three of us knelt down before the family’s icons and prayed. In just a few minutes the rain stopped.


Elder Paisios


http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/search/label/Miracles

Helping our fellow men to get into Paradise ( Elder Paisios )

Christ does not commend killing people with cruel behavior and sending souls to Paradise, but He wants us to help our fellow men so that we might all go to Paradise together. Those who endure martyrdom from Christians receive a greater reward than the Martyrs, if they suffer with joy and do not judge those who torture them, but are grateful to them for the recompense of their sins, or, if they were not blameworthy in their life, for the reward and crown they will receive from Christ.

Elder Paisios