Η κοινωνία με την καύση των νεκρών προσυπογράφει το τέλος της ( Μητροπολίτη Μεσογαίας Νικολάου )

"Μόλις ο άνθρωπος πεθάνει, το σώμα του γίνεται λείψανο. Τότε αυξάνει και ο σεβασμός μας σ΄αυτό. Το λείψανο αποτελεί την ανάμνηση μιας ιερουργίας που μέσα του επιτελείτο - της σωτηρίας της ψυχής- και την υπόμνηση μιας άλλης που τώρα "αγνώστως" συνεχίζεται έξω από αυτό- της δόξης της ψυχής. Το σώμα δεν περιμένει την καταστροφή του, αλλά την "ετέρα μορφή του"(Μάρκ. ιστ΄12), την αναμόρφωσή του "εις το αρχαίον κάλλος". Αυτή είναι η αιτία που η Εκκλησία προσεγγίζει το σώμα με ιδιαίτερο σεβασμό και αισθήματα ιερά. Δεν καίμε τους ναούς, πολλώ δε μάλλον τους έμψυχους ναούς.

Αυτό βέβαια δεν σημαίνει ότι το σώμα είναι κάτι που δεν εγγίζεται και στο οποίο αρνούμεθα κάθε παρέμβαση. Το σώμα είναι το υποκείμενο στη φθορά στοιχείο του ανθρώπου Η φυσική φθορά είναι η ισχυρότερη ίσως υπόμνηση της πτωτικής μας φύσεως. Κάθε βίαιη κίνηση που συνηγορεί στη συρρίκνωσή του, προσβάλλει και την ψυχή. Για τον λόγο αυτό, στο σώμα παρεμβαίνουμε μόνο θεραπευτικά, αναστέλλοντας την εξέλιξη της φθοράς, όταν και οδό μπορούμε. Η διαδικασία της πρέπει να είναι εντελώς φυσική και ποτέ εξαναγκασμένη. Την αναλαμβάνει μόνον ο Θεός μέσα από τις συνθήκες που ο ίδιος προνοεί ή η φύση μέσα από την ευθύνη που της έχει ανατεθεί. Αυτός είναι ένας άλλος λόγος που η Εκκλησία μας αρνείται την καύση των νεκρών. Αφήνει στη φύση να αναλάβει την ευθύνη της φθοράς του σώματος. Δεν το καίει, αλλά το αφήνει να σβήσει. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι από τη στιγμή που η φύση επιτρέπει να μείνει κάποιο υπόλειμμα, αυτό έχει το λόγο του. Όταν και η φύση αρνείται την ολοσχερή διάλυσή του ανθρωπίνου σώματος, τότε η νομοθετημένη καύση του δεν είναι πράξη επιλήψιμης βίας;

Οι νεκροί δεν είναι "πεθαμένοι" αλλά κεκοιμημένοι. Τοποθετούνται με σεβασμό στον τάφο, στραμμένοι προς ανατολάς με την προσδοκία της αναστάσεώς τους. Η Εκκλησία συνειδητά αρνείται τον όρο "νεκροταφεία" και επιμένει στον όρο "κοιμητήρια". Και το κάνει αυτό όχι για λόγους ψυχολογικού -για να μην αγριεύουμε- αλλά για λόγους καθαρά πνευματικούς: νεκρός δεν σημαίνει τελειωμένος (που έχει τελειώσει) αλλά τετελειωμένος (που έχει τελειωθεί). Τέλος δεν σημαίνει λήξη, αλλά τελείωση. Τα οστά των νεκρών αποτελούν ανάμνηση της παρελθούσης ζωής τους, ενθύμηση της παρούσης καταστάσεως τους, αλλά και υπόμνηση της μελλούσης προοπτικής μας. Αυτά με κανένα νόμο δεν καίγονται.

Η Εκκλησία δεν τιμά το σώμα και χωριστά την ψυχή, αλλά τον σύνδεσμο των δύο, τον άνθρωπο ως όλον. Στον κίνδυνο να ξεχαστεί ο άνθρωπος, επειδή δεν φαίνεται η ψυχή του, διατηρούμε το σώμα, που δεν μας την θυμίζει μόνο όταν λειτουργεί αλλά και όταν απλά υπάρχει. Η οριστική καταστροφή του σώματος, η καύση του, δεν είναι καύση νεκρού ανθρώπου -κάτι που καίγεται - αλλά προσπάθεια καύσης της ζωντανής ψυχής του, κάτι που δεν καταστρέφεται.

Η ψυχή ζει. Αυτό φαίνεται από το ότι τα λείψανα έχουν ζωή όχι βιολογική βέβαια αλλά κάποιας μορφής πνευματική, που όμως διαπιστώνεται. Όταν έχουμε άτομα που η βίωσή τους της πνευματικής πραγματικότητος ήταν τόσο έντονη ώστε και από τότε που ζούσαν εν χρόνω την παχύτητα αυτού του κόσμου, αυτά να λειτουργούν στις συχνότητες του άλλου, τότε ο θάνατός τους είναι κοίμηση που αποτυπώνεται στα λείψανά τους. Είναι πολύτιμη εμπειρία της Εκκλησίας, διαρκώς επαληθευόμενη, ότι πλείστα όσα εξ αυτών εμφανίζουν ιδιάζουσα χάρι. Είναι γνωστό ότι συχνά τα λείψανα των αγιορειτών μοναχών αλλά και των άλλων εξαγιασμένων ανθρώπων που η ζωή τους τίμησε το σώμα και η ψυχή τους φανέρωσε μεγαλύτερη ευρωστία και ζωτικότητα από αυτό, διατηρούν μια εντυπωσιακή ευκαμψία για ώρες μετά θάνατον. Δεν κοκαλώνουν!

Αλλά και η αποδεδειγμένη ευωδία, το κέρινο χρώμα τους, η θαυματουργική χάρι τους ή η φυσική αφθαρσία ολόσωμων αγίων, στοιχεία ασυνήθη και φυσικώς ανεξήγητα, είναι αναμενόμενα φαινόμενα της πνευματικής πραγματικότητος. Αυτά τα λείψανα, για την ορθόδοξη εκκλησιαστική παράδοση και συνείδηση, αποτελούν περιουσία πολυτιμότερη και από τη διδασκαλία της θησαυρούς αναγκαιότερους και από τα σκεύη της. Στα λείψανα των μαρτύρων της εδράζονται οι άγιες τράπεζες της. Αν αυτά κάψει θα έχει ήδη θυσιάσει τα ιερά θυσιαστήριά της θα έχει καταστρέψει τα ζωτικά σπλάχνα της.

Αν μας ρωτούσαν πως θα προτιμούσαμε να φύγει απ΄ αυτόν τον κόσμο κάποιος δικός μας: από εγκεφαλική αποπληξία, από καρδιακή ανακοπή, με παραμορφωτικά εγκαύματα, ή να αποτεφρωθεί από ανάφλεξη και πυρκαγιά, έχω την εντύπωση πως ο τραγικότερος τρόπος θα ομολογούσαμε πως είναι ο τελευταίος.




Ο Χριστός στον Άδη, ανάμεσα στους νεκρούς, αφού πέθανε στο σταυρό και πριν την ανάστασή Του. Από εκεί τους πήρε και τους ανέβασε στον (πνευματικό) ουρανό, όπου περιμένουν την ανάστασή τους στη δευτέρα παρουσία. Από το άρθρο Τα πνεύματα των νεκρών και εμείς.


Είναι φυσικό στον άνθρωπο, όταν αποχαιρετά τον άνθρωπό του, να θέλει να αντικρύσει για τελευταία φορά την οικεία σ΄αυτόν όψη και όχι το αποτρόπαιο κατάντημά του σε απάνθρωπη, ανοίκεια και απρόσωπη στάχτη. Η λεπτή αγάπη των στιγμών εκείνων εκφράζεται ως ανάγκη να αγκαλιάσει κανείς, να φιλήσει, να χορτάσει το βλέμμα του, να εκδηλωθεί τρυφερά πάνω στο άψυχο σώμα. Αν μας πληγώνει η βία της φύσεως, πώς εμείς επιλέγουμε τη βία του αυτεξουσίου μας; Όταν κάτι είναι πολύτιμο και το χάνουμε, προσπαθούμε να κρατήσουμε όσο περισσότερο απ΄αυτό μπορούμε. Ποτέ δεν νομοθετούμε τη βίαιη μείωση του τελευταίου ανεκτίμητου υπολείμματός του.

Η απόφαση ότι δεν έχουμε χώρο στα κοιμητήριά μας ισοδυναμεί με προσβολή. Αν δεν έχουμε, να δημιουργήσουμε χώρο. Η αγάπη δημιουργεί και χώρο και προϋποθέσεις. Η χρηστική ανάγκη ποτέ δεν είναι ουσιαστική και πάντα πιστοποιεί τη στενότητα του καρδιακού χώρου. Η ανάγκη του σεβασμού είναι πολύ μεγαλύτερη γι΄αυτόν που τον εκχωρεί παρά γι΄αυτόν που αποδέχεται.

Έτσι που βαδίζει η κοινωνία μας δεν θα έχει μόνον έλλειψη χώρου, αλλά και ανθρώπους δεν θα βρίσκει για να θάψουν, ίσως και να κάψουν, τους νεκρούς της. Στο απέραντο γηροκομείο του "πολιτισμένου" κόσμου μας, όπου οι νέοι τείνουν να γίνουν πολύ λιγότεροι από τους ηλικιωμένους και οι γεννήσεις πολύ πιο σπάνιες από τους θανάτους, θα υπάρχουν νεκροί και όχι νεκροθάφτες. Αντί να ενδιαφέρεται η κοινωνία μας για την αρχή της ζωής, π.χ. το δημογραφικό πρόβλημα, υπεραπασχολείται με το τέλος, την καύση. Η ίδια νοοτροπία που αποφεύγει, τη γέννηση, δηλαδή τη ζωή, αυτή που απορρίπτει και τους γέρους, αυτή που προτείνει την ευθανασία, αυτή που η ίδια δεν αντέχει και τους νεκρούς αρνείται τη δημιουργία και επιλέγει την καύση. Αυτή υπογράφει το οριστικό τέλος του τέλους το τέλος του σκοπού το τέλος του ανθρώπου.

Η κοινωνία με την καύση των νεκρών προσυπογράφει το δικό της τέλος. τον μηδενισμό της. Μια κοινωνία που δεν αντέχει τον άνθρωπο ούτε στην ασθένειά του, ούτε στην αδυναμία του, ούτε στον θάνατό του, μια κοινωνία που καίει τους νεκρούς της, μια κοινωνία που καταστρέφει και την ανάμνηση της ζωής και την ενθύμηση των μελών της -αυτό είναι τα λείψανα- μια κοινωνία που κάνει την αρχή του ανθρώπου τεχνητή και μηχανική και το τέλος του οριστικό και αμετάκλητο, μια κοινωνία που αρνείται την πνοή του αιώνιου και εγκλωβίζεται στην ασφυξία του εφήμερου, τι σχέση μπορεί να έχει αυτή η κοινωνία με τη ζωή; Ακόμη και οι άθεοι υπογράμμιζαν την ανάμνηση των επίγειων θεών τους με ταριχεύσεις των σωμάτων τους (περίπτωση Λένιν) ή όπου αυτό δεν ήταν δυνατόν με κατασκευές αγαλμάτων και ψεύτικων ομοιωμάτων.

Κατόπιν τούτων, δεν είναι ότι δεν της επιτρέπεται, αλλά η Εκκλησία αδυνατεί και αρνείται να δεχθεί μια απλά χρηστική και καθόλου πειστική λύση ελάσσονος πρακτικής βαρύτητος και να θυσιάσει το βίωμα του σεβασμού της στη θεϊκότητα του προσώπου του κάθε ανθρώπου, πολλώ μάλλον του ανθρώπου που αυτή βάφτισε στη κολυμβήθρα της τιμώντας ταυτόχρονα και την ψυχή και το σώμα του. Το μείζον δεν μπορεί να υποταχθεί στο έλασσον. Είναι αδύνατον όποιος πιστεύει στην Εκκλησία και αποδέχεται την πρόταση ζωής της, όποιος ζει την πραγματικότητα της ψυχής, όποιος σέβεται τον άνθρωπο να μην τιμά και το σώμα. Το σώμα χρήζει μεγαλύτερης τιμής και σεβασμού από την κοινωνία μετά θάνατον απ' όση περιποίηση και προστασία δέχθηκε από τον ίδιο τον άνθρωπο κατά τη διάρκεια της ζωής του.

http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2013/10/blog-post_2.html

What is an icon ( Anthony Bloom (Metropolitan of Sourozh )

An icon is an image, but an image which is meant to be a statement of faith. It is a statement of faith in line and colour as definite, as completely rooted in the faith and experience of the Orthodox Church as any written statement and in that respect icons must correspond to the experience of the total community, and the artist who paints them is only a hand, only one who puts into line and colour what is the faith and the knowledge of the Christian body in the same way in which a theologian is the expression of his Church, and the Church has a right to judge him. That explains why one of the rules given to icon-painters when they learn their trade is that they should neither copy slavishly an icon painted before them, nor invent an icon. Because one can not identify slavishly with the spiritual experience expressed by another person, on the other hand, one cannot invent a spiritual experience and present it as though it was the faith of the Church.

Now, an icon is a proclamation of faith primarily, in the sense that an icon of Christ, an icon of the Mother of God or of saints is possible only since the Incarnation because they all relate to the Incarnation and its consequences. The Old Testament taught us that God can not be represented because indeed, the God of the Old Testament was the Holy One of Israel, He was a spiritual Being that has revealed Himself but had never been visibly present face to face with anyone. You remember the story of Moses on Sinai when he asked God to allow him to see Him and the Lord answered, “No man can see My face and live.” And He allowed Moses to see Him moving away from him, as it were, from the back but never meet Him face to face. It is in Incarnation, through the historical fact that God became man, that God acquired a human face and that it became possible by representing Christ, the incarnate God to represent indirectly God Himself.

Now, there is one thing which is absolutely clear to all of us is that no-one knows what Christ looked like. So an icon is never meant to be a portrait, it is meant to convey an experience and this is different. The difference between, perhaps I should have used the word “snapshot” rather than “portrait”, any attempt at saying, “this is what Christ looked like” is fantasy. We have no likeness of Christ, but what we know is that from the experience of the Church and of the saints, Who He was and this “Who He was” can be expressed in line and in colour. And this is why so many icons do not aim at beauty, at comeliness, we do not try to represent Christ in the Orthodox tradition as the most beautiful, virile man whom we can imagine. We do not try to represent the Mother of God as the most comely and attractive young woman, what we try to represent or to convey through the icon is something about their inner self.

And this explains why certain features in an icon are underlined out of proportion while other features are just indicated. If you look at an icon, a good icon, not the kind of thing which you find commonly, say in Russian or in Greek churches, but icons painted by the great painters of Orthodoxy, you find that certain things are singled out — the brow, the eyes that convey a message, while the cheeks or the mouth are just indicated as common features. And the aim of an icon is not to present you with a likeness of the person but with the message, to present you with a face that speaks to you in the same way in which a portrait is different from a snapshot. A snapshot is a very adequate image of the person photographed at a given moment. It’s exactly what at that given moment the person was, but it leaves out very often most of the personality of this particular person, while a good portrait is painted in the course of many sittings that allow the artist to look deeply into the face of a person, to single out features, which are fluid, which change, which move but which, each of them, express something of the personality. And so that the portrait is something much more composite, much more rich and much more adequate to the total personality than a snapshot would be although at no moment was this particular face exactly as the painter has represented it on the portrait. It is not an attempt at having a snapshot in colour but of conveying a vision of what a person is.

Now, this being said, we treat icons with reverence, and number of people in the West think that to us icons are very much what idols were in older times for pagan nations. They aren’t. They are not idols because they do not purport or even attempt at giving an adequate picture of the person concerned. This I have already mentioned abundantly but I will add this. Whether it is in words, in theological statements, in doctrinal statements, in the creeds, in the prayers and the hymns of the Churches, no attempt is ever made in the Orthodox Church at expressing, at giving a cogent, a complete image of what God is. Already in the IV century St. Gregory of Nazianze wrote that if we attempted to collect from the Old Testament, from the New Testament, from the experience of the Church, from the personal lives of saints their sayings and their writings, all the features which reveal to us what and who God is and try to build out of them a completely coherent, a complete picture of God, what we would have achieved is not a picture of God, it would be an idol because it would be on our scale, it would be as small as we are indeed, smaller than we are because it could be contained in our vision, in our understanding.

If we want to understand what a theological statement is — and that applies not only to written statements but also to icons, I should think the nearest approximation would be to say that theological statement either in words or in lines, or colours, or indeed in music, or in the pageant which the liturgical service is, is very much like the sky at night. What is characteristic of the sky at night is that we see against the darkness of the sky, the translucent darkness of the sky, we see stars, which are combined in constellations. These stars are points of light and these constellations are recognisable, so that by looking at the sky at night we can find our way on earth; but what is important in the sky at night is all these stars are separate from one another by vast spaces. If you collected all the stars in one place, you would indeed have in front of you a glowing mass of fire but you would have no pointer to any direction, you would be unable to find your way not only in heaven but also on earth. What is important is the vastness between the stars and so are also the statements which are being made theologically, again in word or in line, in colour. They give us a glimpse and they leave a vast space into which we must penetrate in silence, in veneration. And the silence and veneration which is paid to them, I think, can be well expressed by the word “mystery”.

I know that in colloquial language “mystery” is something mysterious, something which is secrete, hidden and should be unveiled and seen through. The Greek word “mystery” comes from a verb “muen”, which means “to be spell-bound”, to be held absolutely mute in silence because of the deep impression something makes on us. It has given the French word “muet” which means “dumb”. Confronted with the overwhelming sense of the divine presence all we can do is to bow down in adoration. We are silenced in mind, in emotion, we become totally receptive and not passive but actively receptive. If I was to give an image, I would say our attitude at those moments is that of the bird-watcher. You know what happens to the bird-watcher. He gets up early in the morning before the birds are awake, goes into the wood, goes into the field, settles down and then he remains intensely alert at the same time as he is totally immobile because if he budges, he moves, if he doesn’t become part of the background, the birds will have disappeared long before he has noticed them. And so the attitude of the bird-watcher is this intense alertness that combines a total liveliness with a total stillness. This is what one could call the attitude of a believer has with regard to the mystery of God and also with regard to any statement, any expression that conveys God or things divine to us. We look at things in silence in order to receive a message and the deeper the silence, the more perfect the silence, the more completely and perfectly the message can reach us.

Obviously, when we look at an icon, we may discover that it has got features, which we apprehend or analyse intellectually. When it is a face, the impact may be more direct but when it is a scene, like an icon of Christmas, an icon of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, an icon of the Crucifixion, there are features, which we can examine with our eyes and take in with our mind, but once it is done, we are confronted with something which is an object of contemplation. And I’ll give you an example or two.

The first example I wish to give you is an icon of the Mother of God which probably no-one of you has seen. It is in the South of Russia, there are very few reproductions because it is not considered as being one of the great and beautiful and classical icons of Orthodox Christendom. What it represents is – against a darkish background, the face of what I would call a peasant young Woman, square face with a parting in the middle, her hair falling on her shoulders, without a veil and looking straight not at you, as most icons do, but simply straight ahead into the vastness, into eternity, into infinity, — you must find out into what. And then the second thing you notice is that in front of Her chest there are two hands in agony clasped in pain and anguish. And when you ask yourself, why is this young Woman dishevelled, why has She lost her veil, why is Her hair falling like this? Why is this fixed gaze and this agonised hands? And you look at the icon, you see in a corner of this icon painted in very pale yellow colour the Cross, a Cross without a body. It is the Mother of God who is confronted with the death of Christ, not the dying, not the mystery of Her own offering of Her Son to God and to men but of His being dead, of the seeming defeat, of the end of all Her hopes, of the serene pain of Her heart.

This is one example, but once you have analysed these elements, looked at the face, asked yourself, what do these eyes see and seen it in the corner of the icon what do these hands speak about and understood, then you are confronted with the same thing, which confronts the Mother, – with the Crucifixion, with the love of God revealed as life and death, with the love of God, which says to us, “What you, — each of us singly, not the collectivity of mankind, each of us singly — means to Me can be measured by all the life and all the death of the Only-Begotten Son of God become man through the Incarnation born of the Virgin, crucified on Calvary after the tragic week of the passion.” So at that moment the icon is no longer a story, it is a direct challenge, a confrontation with an event to which we can respond by adoration, by conversion, by a change in us, by prayer in the vastest possible sense of this word. Not by repeating words of prayer, not by doing what a boy of our congregation, when he was seven, said to his mother, “Now that we have finished prayering, could we pray a little?” — which mean:, now that we have said all these words which are written in the book, which I can’t read yet but which you rehearse to me very evening, can’t I stay before God and tell Him that I am sorry for one thing or another, that I love Him, that I am happy and then say “Good night” and send a kiss to the icon which is too high for me to kiss...

The other example which I wanted to give is that of an icon of the Incarnation, a Christmas icon — a mountain, a cave, in one corner the Angels singing to the shepherds, on the other hand, the three kings travelling, in another corner Joseph sitting and being tempted by Satan who whispers to him that there is there something quite wrong in the whole situation, and then the Mother of God and the Child. But this icon, of which I am thinking in particular, does not show us the Child in the manger. It’s not the classical half emotional picture, which we see so often. Instead of the manger there is in pink stone an altar of sacrifice and the Child lying on it. And this icon is a theological statement not only about the Incarnation as the divine act that made God immanent in the world that the world may be saved, it speaks to us of the fact that the Son of God became Son of man in order to die, that His birth was the beginning of entering a world of suffering, of pain, of rejection and of death. And once we have discovered that the mountain matters nothing, that the shepherds and the kings, that Joseph and his tempter are features of the past that has simply brought the message to us, we are confronted with the central event – God has become man and by becoming man He has accepted to become helpless, vulnerable and enter into the realm of suffering and death. And then we are confronted with a God Whom we can worship in a new way, not a God Whom we worship in the great cathedrals because of the unsurpassed beauty He represents, not the All-Mighty one but the God Who has chosen to become one of us, frail, unprotected, helpless, given to us, and we see what mankind has done to this God, who had taken full responsibility for His creative act by dying of it and of its consequences.

So this leads me to the last point, which is obviously very short. Confronted with an icon, we receive a message and this message is always exactly as a passage of the Gospel is or a prayer written by a saint is, is a challenge for us – how do you respond to what you see, what do you do? Who are you in relation to this event, to this person, to this face, to this particular experience of the Church of God, of the Mother of God, of the saints of God, of the martyrs, of the Apostles and so forth. And this is the beginning of an act of prayer. Now, we treat icons with veneration not because they are beautiful and not even because they convey an essential message but because somehow we are aware of the fact that they are connected with the person represented on them and the event. I will give you one more of those flat analogies which are natural to me.

We don’t treat an icon as an idol but we treat it exactly in the way in which you would treat the photograph of someone whom you love dearly. It may be your departed parents, it may be your parents alive, it may be the girl or the boy whom you love with all your heart. You look at these photographs and you do not imagine that they are the person, you do not worship them but there are things which you would do and things which you would not do to them. If you have the photograph of someone whom you love with your whole heart alive or departed, you will not simply take your teacup and plant it on top of it because it is the best way of protecting the table. And you will be probably foolish enough at a moment when there is no-one who looks at you to take the photograph and give it a kiss. Well, it’s exactly what we do about icons. We give them a kiss, we are less shy and we do it publicly, but we do it because they are the only way in which we can kiss the person who is absent in a way, who is present in spirit, yes, whose image is there being like a window, like a link, like a connection with this person.

And our praying to icons is not praying to the wood or to the paint or even to the scene or the face represented. All these things become transparent in the way in which the photograph is transparent to us because it is the person whom we perceive, whom we see, whom we love, whom we treat with tenderness and reverence when we hold a photograph of a beloved person. And our praying to the icon is a praying that reaches through the icon. It may be a help to us because it is not everyone of us who is capable of shutting his eyes, abstracting himself or herself from all surrounding and feeling that he is or she is in the presence of God, and there is nothing between God and him, there is nothing that he needs to connect him with God. But ultimately we must come to the point when having looked at an icon, receive its message, received indeed its challenge, its call, we must be able to shut our eyes and be in the presence of God Himself and the saint who is represented in it. And this is what St. John Chrysostom says in one of his sermons. He says to us, “If you want to pray, take your stand in front of your icons, then shut your eyes and pray.”

Apparently, what’s the point of having icons if you shut your eyes and don’t look at them? The point is that you have taken one look and this look must have awoken you, you must have had one look and be alive to all the message and all the challenge that it has and now you must be free from the particular elements of this icon and be able to pray, to sing to God.

And I will end by an example, by an image, which is not properly of an icon but which convey to you probably better than I can this idea of our whole self beginning to sing and to respond. I was nineteen then. and I was reading together with an old deacon in one of the small churches in Paris. He was very old, he had lost all his teeth with age and the result was that when he read and sang, it was not as clear as one might have hoped for, and to add insult to injury, he read and sang with a velocity that defeated me, my eyes could not follow the lines. And when we finished the service, being as arrogant as one may be, some may be at nineteen, I said to him, “Fr. Evfimiy, you have robbed me of all the service with your reading and singing so fast. And what is worse, you have robbed yourself of it, I am sure, because I am sure, you couldn’t understand a word of what you were saying.” And so the old man looked at me (I don’t know why but he liked me) and he said to me, “O, I am so sorry, but you know, I was born in a very-very poor family in a very poor village of Russia, my parents were not in a position to keep me because they were too poor to feed me, so they gave away at the age of seven to a neighbouring monastery where they fed me, they gave me education, they taught me to read and to sing, and I never left the monastery until the revolution. And I have been reading these words and singing these words day in, day out, day in, day out for all my life. And now, you know what happens? When I see words, it is as though a hand was touching a string in my soul, and my soul begins to sing as though I was a harp, which is being touched by a hand. I don’t cling to the word. You still need it, but for me seeing it or seeing the notes is enough. I begin to sing with all my being.”

Well, this is what we should become when we can look at an icon and immediately receive the impact of it, so that our whole being begins to sing and sing and sing to God in whatever tune. It may be repentance, it may be joy, it may be gratitude, it may be intercession, it does not mean anything, what means something, which is essential is that we should sing to God as a harp sings under the hand that has touched it.

Memoirs of a Greek Taxi Driver - The Tears of Repentance

Are You Sure You Don’t Know Thanasi the Taxi Driver?

It was noontime, and I was working at the taxi plaza of Panorama. A lady around 70 to 75 years old entered the cab and directed me to transport her to the vicinity of Nomos, about a five- or six-minute drive.

“Bravo, my young man! What a beautiful thing to take a taxi and to listen to beautiful Byzantine chanting!”

“Really ma’am, do you like it?”

“Do I like it? I listen to the same station all day long in my home, and I raise the volume so that it can be heard in all my rooms. At other times, while doing my house work, I listen to some wonderful CDs of Father Athanasios Mitilinaios, Father Savvas, and Father Moses. I also listen to Thanasi, the taxi driver. Do you know him?”

Oh! What a cold splash this was at noontime! I pretended that I was concentrating on my driving. I wanted quickly to change the subject, because I didn’t want to fall into thoughts of pride, nor did I want to lie to her. I tried to ignore her question, but unfortunately the lady pressed on.

“My son, are you sure you don’t know Thanasi, the taxi driver?”

The pressure was on, and this blessed woman would not let up. I continued to try to stay incognito, but for how long I could do this I didn’t know, since this woman kept insisting that somehow I was supposed to know this man. At a certain moment I asked her, “Madam, what’s the big deal with this Thanasi the taxi driver?”

“What’s the big deal? If you hear the true experiences in Thanasi’s CD,[1] and the works of God’s grace in his taxi, you will not believe your ears.” The lady began to rave about this Thanasi and his CD, which led me to believe that she was missing most of the stories in this book. So, I proceeded to give her an MP3, which contained all my recorded audio files up to that point, and I did it discreetly enough, so she wouldn’t catch on.

As soon as she took it in her hand she asked me, “What is this?”

“Just a small gift, since I see that we are quenching our thirst from the same spiritual spring. This includes many true stories as well.” The lady accepted it with much gratitude, and she thanked me, without realizing a thing.



A little before we arrived at her home, she turned to me and said, “Oh, my son, please park your car for a moment and wait for me. I need to go into the house, so I can bring you Thanasi’s CD. You cannot imagine what amazing things you are going to hear.”

I had no other choice, my friends, but patiently to comply with my customer’s request. I parked, turned the engine off, got out of the car, and waited. In a few minutes, the lady hurriedly returned with Thanasi’s CD – in one of her own beautiful cases, no less. I thanked her, and I remember telling her, “May the Panaghia repay you for this!”

We exchanged a warm handshake and well wishes in a climate of much emotion and warm sentiments. As I drove off, I fulfilled her wish and listened to the CD from the beginning. As I kept listening, I remembered an appropriate verse in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes: “Cast your bread upon the waters and you will find it in time.”

So this CD, after circulating for a while, found its way back into my hands, in this amazing way. Glory to Thee, our Lord, glory to Thee!


[1] The stories in this book circulated as audio CDs for a few years in Greece and abroad, with great popularity.

Constantine Zalalas

Why don't we preserve the grace of baptism ( Saint Theophan The Recluse )

              

The reason why the grace of Baptism is not preserved is because the order, rules, and laws of an upbringing which is adopted to this end are not kept. The chief causes of this are:

1) Going away from the Church and its grace-giving means. This starves the sprout of Christian life, disconnecting it from its sources, and it wilts as a flower wilts when it is placed in a warm place.

2) Failure to pay heed to one's bodily nature. People think that the body may be developed in every way without harm for the soul, while actually in the bodily members is the seat of the passions, which develop together with its development, become rooted in and take possession of the soul. Penetrating the bodily members, the passions receive in them a place to settle, or they make out of them a certain unapproachable fortress and thereby secure power for themselves for all the time to come.
3) A development of the powers of the soul which is undiscriminating and is not directed towards a single aim. People do not see the aim ahead of them, and so do not see the path to it. From this, despite all the concern for the most contemporary education, people do no more than to puff up in themselves curiosity, self-will, and a thirst for pleasures.
4) Complete forgetfulness of the spirit. Prayer, fear of God, and conscience are seldom taken into consideration. If there is outward good order, the most inward side of life is always taken for granted and therefore always left to take care of itself. During the time of learning, the most important thing is covered over by secondary things, and the one thing needed is overshadowed by a multitude of others.
5) Finally, when one enters into the age of youth without first putting in place good principles and the determination to live in a Christian way. Further, when one does not restrain the attractions of youthful life in a proper order, but gives oneself over to all the thirst for impressions, through amusements, light reading, the heating of the imagination by fantasies, indiscriminate contact with those who are like oneself, and especially with the opposite sex, an exclusive concern for learning and giving oneself over to the world by means of fashionable ideas, rules, and customs, which are never favorable to the life of grace but always arm themselves hostilely against it and strive to smother it.
Each one of these causes, and even one of them, is sufficient to quench in a young person the life of grace. But it happens for the most part that they act together, and one unfailingly draws another in its wake; and they all together so obstruct the spiritual life that sometimes not even the slightest trace of it can be noticed, as if a man has no spirit at all and was created not for communion with God, does not have the powers foreordained for this, and has not received the grace which gives him life.


Excerpt from "The Path To Salvation" By Saint Theophan The Recluse .

Be ready, for we do not know when the Lord will come for us...( St. John Maximovitch )

 
Stand fast on spiritual watch, because you don’t know when the Lord will call you to Himself. In your earthly life be ready at any moment to give Him an account. Beware that the enemy does not catch you in his nets, that he not deceive you causing you to fall into temptation. Daily examine your conscience; try the purity of your thoughts, your intentions.
There was a king who had a wicked son. Having no hope that he would change for the better, the father condemned the son to death. He gave him a month to prepare.
The month went by, and the father summoned the son. To his surprise he saw that the young man was noticeably changed: his face was thin and drawn, and his whole body looked as if it had suffered.

“How is it that such a transformation has come over you, my son?” the father asked.
“My father and my lord,” replied the son, “how could I not change when each passing day brought me closer to death?”
“Good, my son,” remarked the king. “Since you have evidently come to your senses, I shall pardon you. However, you must maintain this vigilant disposition of soul for the rest of your life.”
“Father,” replied the son, “that’s impossible. How can I withstand the countless seductions and temptations?”

Then the king ordered that a vessel be brought, full of oil, and he told his son:

“Take this vessel and carry it along all the streets of the city. Following you will be two soldiers with sharp swords. If you spill so much as a single drop they will cut off your head.”

The son obeyed. With light, careful steps, he walked along all the streets, the soldiers accompanying him, and he did not spill a drop.
When he returned to the castle, the father asked,

“My son, what did you see as you were walking through the city?”
“I saw nothing.”
“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?” said the king.
“Today is a holiday; you must have seen the booths with all kinds of trinkets, many carriages, people animals…”
“I didn’t notice any of that,” said the son. “All my attention was focussed on the oil in the vessel. I was afraid to spill a drop and thereby lose my life.”
“Quite right, my son,” said the king. “Keep this lesson in mind for the rest of you life. Be as vigilant over your soul as you were today over the oil in the vessel. Turn your thoughts away from what will soon pass away, and keep them focused on what is eternal. You will be followed not by armed soldiers but by death to which we are brought closer by every day. Be very careful to guard your soul from all ruinous temptations.”

The son obeyed his father, and lived happily.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (I Cor. 16:13).

The Apostle gives Christians this important counsel to bring their attention to the danger of this world, to summon them to frequent examination of their hearts, because without this one can easily bring to ruin the purity and ardor of one’s faith and unnoticeably cross over to the side of evil and faithlessness.
Just as a basic concern is to be careful of anything that might be harmful to our physical health, so our spiritual concern should watch out for anything that might harm our spiritual life and the work of faith and salvation. Therefore, carefully and attentively assess your inner impulses: are they from God or from the spirit of evil? Beware of temptations from this world and from worldly people; beware of hidden inner temptations which come from the spirit of indifference and carelessness in prayer, from the waning of Christian love.
If we turn our attention to our mind, we notice a torrent of successive thoughts and ideas. This torrent is uninterrupted; it is racing everywhere and at all times: at home, in church, at work, when we read, when we converse. It is usually called thinking, writes Bishop Theophan the Recluse, but in fact it is a disturbance of the mind, a scattering, a lack of concentration and attention. The same happens with the heart. Have you ever observed the life of the heart? Try it even for a short time and see what you find.
Something unpleasant happens, and you get irritated; some misfortune occurs, and you pity yourself; you see someone whom you dislike, and animosity wells up within you; you meet one of your equals who has now outdistanced you on the social scale, and you begin to envy him; you think of your talents and capabilities, and you begin to grow proud… All this is rottenness: vainglory, carnal desire, gluttony, laziness, malice-one on top of the other, they destroy the heart.
And all of this can pass through the heart in a matter of minutes. For this reason one ascetic, who was extremely attentive to himself, was quite right in saying that
“man’s heart is filled with poisonous serpents. Only the hearts of saints are free from these serpents, the passions.”
But such freedom is attained only through a long and difficult process of self-knowledge, working on oneself and being vigilant towards one’s inner life, i.e., the soul.
Be careful. Watch out for your soul! Turn your thoughts away from what will soon pass away and turn them towards what is eternal. Here you will find the happiness that your soul seeks, that your heart thirsts for.
 
(Translated from Pravoslavnaya Rus) and taken from  ORTHODOX AMERICA, 
Vol. XIV, No. 2-3, September-October, 1993

Οι γυναίκες της εποχής μας ( Γεροντας Σωφρωνιος Ζαχάρωφ )

Τα παιδιά μας έγιναν ανίκανα για την πίστη εξ αιτίας των γονέων - Πώς ή γιατί συμβαίνουν όλα αυτά;
[...]Επειδή οι γυναίκες της εποχής μας έχασαν την υψηλή αυτή συνείδηση, άρχισαν να γεννούν προπαντός κατά σάρκα. Τα παιδιά μας έγιναν ανίκανα για την πίστη. Συχνά αδυνατούν να πιστέψουν ότι είναι εικόνα του Αιωνίου Θεού. Η μεγαλύτερη αμαρτία στις ημέρες μας έγκειται στο ότι οι άνθρωποι βυθίστηκαν στην απόγνωση και δεν πιστεύουν πια στην Ανάσταση. Ο θάνατος του ανθρώπου εκλαμβάνεται από αυτούς ως τελειωτικός θάνατος, ως εκμηδένιση, ενώ πρέπει να θεωρείται ως στιγμή αλλαγής της μορφής της υπάρξεώς μας ως ημέρα γεννήσεώς μας στην ανώτερη ζωή, σε ολόκληρο πλέον το πλήρωμα της ζωής που ανήκει στο Θεό.
Αλήθεια, το Ευαγγέλιο λέει: «Ο πιστεύων εις τον Υιόν έχει ζωήν αιώνιον ο δε απειθών τω Υιώ ουκ όψεται ζωήν» (Ιωάν. 3,36). «Αμήν, αμήν λέγω υμίν ότι… ο πιστεύων τω πέμψαντί με έχει ζωήν αιώνιον, και εις κρίσιν ουκ έρχεται, αλλά μεταβέβηκεν εκ του θανάτου εις την ζωήν» (Ιωάν. 5,24). «Αμήν, αμήν λέγω υμίν, εάν τις τον λόγον τον εμόν τηρήση, θάνατον ου μη θεωρήση εις τον αιώνα» (Ιωάν. 8,51). Παρόμοιες λοιπόν εκφράσεις μπορούμε να αναφέρουμε πολλές.
Συχνά ακούω από τους ανθρώπους: Πώς ή γιατί συμβαίνουν όλα αυτά;
Γιατί η πλειονότητα των ανθρώπων έχασε την ικανότητα να πιστεύει; Δεν είναι άραγε η νέα απιστία συνέπεια της ευρύτερης μορφώσεως, όταν αυτό που λέει η Γραφή γίνεται μύθος, απραγματοποίητο όνειρο;
Η πίστη, η ικανότητα για την πίστη, δεν εξαρτάται πρωτίστως από τον βαθμό μορφώσεως του ανθρώπου. Πράγματι παρατηρούμε ότι στην εποχή μας, κατά την οποία διαδίδεται η μόρφωση, η πίστη ελαττώνεται, ενώ θα έπρεπε ουσιαστικά να συμβαίνει το αντίθετο όσο δηλαδή πλατύτερες γίνονται οι γνώσεις του ανθρώπου, τόσο περισσότερες αφορμές έχει για να αναγνωρίζει τη μεγάλη σοφία της δημιουργίας του κόσμου. Σε τί λοιπόν συνίσταται η ρίζα της απιστίας;
Πριν απ’ όλα οφείλουμε να πούμε ότι το θέμα αυτό είναι πρωτίστως έργο των γονέων, των πατέρων και των μητέρων. Αν οι γονείς φέρονται προς την πράξη της γεννήσεως του νέου άνθρωπου με σοβαρότητα, με τη συνείδηση ότι το γεννώμενο βρέφος μπορεί να είναι αληθινά «υιός άνθρωπου» κατ’ εικόνα του Υιού του Ανθρώπου, δηλαδή του Χριστού, τότε προετοιμάζονται για την πράξη αυτή όχι όπως συνήθως γίνεται αυτό. Να ένα υπέροχο παράδειγμα ο Ζαχαρίας και η Ελισάβετ προσεύχονταν για πολύ καιρό να τους χαρισθεί τέκνο… Και τί συνέβη λοιπόν; «Ώφθη δε αιτώ (τω Ζαχαρία) άγγελος Κυρίου εστώς εκ δεξιών του θυσιαστηρίου του θυμιάματος. Και εταράχθη Ζαχαρίας ιδών, και φόβος επέπεσεν επ’ αυτόν. Είπε δε προς αυτόν ο άγγελος μη φοβού, Ζαχαρία διότι εισηκούσθη η δέησίς σου, και η γυνή σου Ελισάβετ γεννήσει υιόν σοι, και καλέσεις το όνομα αυτού Ιωάννην και έσται χαρά σοι και αγγαλίασις, και πολλοί επί τη γεννήσει αυτού χαρήσονται. Έσται γαρ μέγας ενώπιον του Κυρίου… και Πνεύματος Αγίου πλησθήσεται έτι εκ κοιλίας μητρός αυτού, και πολλούς των υιών Ισραήλ επιστρέψει έπι Κύριον τον Θεόν αυτών» (Λουκ. 1,11-16).
Βλέπουμε μάλιστα στη συνέχεια ότι ο Ιωάννης, ευρισκόμενος ακόμη στην κοιλιά της μητέρας του, αναγνώρισε την επίσκεψη της μητέρας του Χριστού, σκίρτησε από χαρά και η χαρά του μεταδόθηκε στη μητέρα του. Τότε εκείνη γέμισε με προφητικό πνεύμα. Άλλο παράδειγμα είναι η προφήτιδα Άννα.
Έτσι και τώρα αν οι πατέρες και οι μητέρες θα γεννούν παιδιά συναισθανόμενοι την άκρα σπουδαιότητα του έργου αυτού, τότε τα παιδιά τους θα γεμίζουν από Πνεύμα Άγιο, ήδη από την κοιλιά της μητέρας και η πίστη στον Θεό, τον Δημιουργό των απάντων, ως προς τον Πατέρα τους, θα γίνει γι’ αυτά φυσική, και καμία επιστήμη δεν θα μπορέσει να κλονίσει την πίστη αυτή, γιατί «το γεννώμενον εκ Πνεύματος πνεύμα εστίν». Η ύπαρξη λοιπόν του Θεού και η εγγύτητά του σε μας είναι για μια τέτοια ψυχή οφθαλμοφανές γεγονός. Και η απιστία των πολυμαθών ή των αμαθών στα μάτια των τέκνων αυτών του Θεού θα είναι απλώς απόδειξη ότι οι άνθρωποι εκείνοι δεν γεννήθηκαν ακόμη Άνωθεν, και ακριβώς εξαιτίας του γεγονότος αυτού δεν πιστεύουν στον Θεό, διότι είναι εξολοκλήρου σάρκα, γεννημένοι από σάρκα.
Εκείνο όμως που αποτελεί πραγματικό πρόβλημα για την Εκκλησία, τον προορισμό της, είναι το πώς να πείσει τους ανθρώπους ότι είναι αληθινά τέκνα και θυγατέρες του αιωνίου Πατρός πώς να δείξει στον κόσμο τη δυνατότητα μιας άλλης ζωής, όμοιας προς τη ζωή του ιδίου του Χριστού, ή τη ζωή των προφητών και των αγίων.
Η Εκκλησία οφείλει να φέρει στον κόσμο όχι μόνο την πίστη στην ανάσταση, αλλά και τη βεβαιότητα γι’ αυτήν. Τότε περιττεύει η απαίτηση για οποιεσδήποτε άλλες ηθικιστικές διδασκαλίες.
Αποσπάσματα από το βιβλίο του (†)Αρχιμ. Σωφρονίου, «Το Μυστήριο της χριστιανικής ζωής», Ι.Μ. Τιμίου Προδρόμου, Έσσεξ 2010 

Πηγη : http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2013/10/blog-post_9687.html
Πηγη :pemptousia.gr
 

Why prayer is important for the family ( St. Paisios )

Geronta, should the entire family do compline together at night?


The older family members should motivate the youngsters with their solemnity. They should do compline and say to the small children: “If you want, stay a little while.” When the children are somewhat bigger they can have a rule—for example, fifteen minutes for the older ones, and two to five minutes for the small children—then after their rule, as much as they want. If the parents make them stay for all of compline they’ll resent it. Parents shouldn’t pressure their children because they don’t yet understand the power and value of prayer.

Parents, you could say, are able to eat beans and meat: hearty food. But when a little child is still only drinking milk, should they tell him to eat meat because it is strengthening? Maybe it is more strengthening, but the poor thing can’t even digest it. That’s why starting out they should give him little pieces of meat and broth, so that he’ll want more.


Geronta, sometimes even the adults are so tired in the evening that they aren’t able to do compline.


When adults are very tired or sick they should say half of compline or at least one “Our Father.” They should not completely bypass prayer. In wartime if you end up on a hill in the evening, surrounded by enemies, you let out a few shots to frighten the enemy, so they will not attack. Adults should also let out a few shots so as to scare the little demons away.

Prayer has great power within the family. I know two siblings who not only kept their parents—who had a big problem between them—from separating, but even caused them to be more in love. With us my father said: “You don’t know what you’re going to do; two times a day you must entrust the future to God, so as to know where you’ll end up.”

Each morning and evening we would all pray together before the icons, father, mother and the children, ending with a prostration before the icon of Christ. When a problem arose in the family we would pray and it would clear up.

I remember once, when our youngest brother got sick and my father said: “Come, let’s beg God to make him well or to take him, so that he won’t suffer anymore.” We all prayed together and he recovered.Even at the table, we all sat together.

First we prayed and then we would begin eating. If someone started to eat before the food was blessed we would say “he fornicated.” We considered a failure to remain temperate fornication. It destroys a family if each person comes home, at whatever hour he wants, and eats alone without reason.


St. Paisios

Η αγάπη είναι τριών ειδών ( Άγιος Παΐσιος )

Κατ’ εμέ η αγάπη είναι τριών ειδών: η σαρκική αγάπη, η οποία είναι γεμάτη πνευματικά μικρόβια ,η κοσμική αγάπη, η οποία είναι φαινομενική, τυπική, υποκριτική, δίχως βάθος, και η πνευματική αγάπη, η οποία είναι η αληθινή, η αγνή, η ακριβή αγάπη. Αυτή η αγάπη είναι αθάνατη∙ μένει «εις αιώνας αιώνων».

- Πώς θα καταλάβω ,Γέροντα, αν έχω αληθινή αγάπη;

- Για να το καταλάβης, να εξετάσης αν αγαπάς όλους τους ανθρώπους εξίσου κι αν όλους τους ανθρώπους τους θεωρείς καλύτερους από σένα.

- Γέροντα, έχει ψυχρανθή η αγάπη μου για τον Θεό και για τον πλησίον.

- Σπείρε την λίγη αγάπη που σου έμεινε, για να φυτρώση αγάπη, να μεγαλώση, να καρπίση και να θερίσης αγάπη. Μετά θα σπείρης την περισσότερη αγάπη που θα θερίσης, και σιγά-σιγά θα γεμίση το αμπάρι σου και δεν θα έχης πού να την βάλης, γιατί, όσο σπέρνεις αγάπη ,τόσο πιο πολύ αυξάνει. Ας πούμε, ένας γεωργός έχει ένα σακκουλάκι σπόρο και τον σπέρνει. Μετά μαζεύει τον καρπό και γεμίζει μία μεγάλη σακκούλα. Αν σπείρη ύστερα τον καρπό που έχει στην σακκούλα, θα γεμίση ένα σακκί. Και όταν μαζέψη πολύ σπόρο και τον σπείρη, θα γεμίση ένα αμπάρι. Ενώ, αν κρατήση τον σπόρο στο σακκουλάκι και δεν τον σπείρη, ο σπόρος θα σκουληκιάση. Πρέπει να πετάξη τον σπόρο στην γη, για να φυτρώση , να μεγαλώση και να κάνη καρπό.

Έτσι ,θέλω να πω, γίνεται και με την αγάπη. Για να αυξηθή η αγάπη, πρέπει να την δώσης. Όποιος όμως δεν δίνει έστω και την λίγη αγάπη που έχει, είναι σαν να έχη ένα απλόχερο σπόρο, αλλά τον κρατάει και δεν τον σπέρνει. Αυτός είναι ο πονηρός δούλος που έκρυψε το τάλαντο.

Ανάλογα με την αγάπη που θα προσφέρης, θα έχης να λάβης. Αν δεν δώσης αγάπη, δεν θα λάβης αγάπη. Βλέπεις , η μάνα δίνει συνέχεια στα παιδιά της, αλλά και συνέχεια παίρνει από τα παιδιά της, και συνέχεια αυξάνει η αγάπη της. Όταν όμως ζητάμε την αγάπη των άλλων αποκλειστικά για τον εαυτό μας και θέλουμε όλοι να μας δίνουν και, όταν κάνουμε κάποιο καλό, σκεφτώμαστε την ανταπόδοση, δεν έχουμε ακριβή αλλά φθηνή αγάπη. Τότε αποξενωνόμαστε από τον Θεό και δεν λαμβάνουμε αγάπη ούτε από τον Θεό ούτε από τους ανθρώπους.

Όσοι έχουν κοσμική αγάπη μαλώνουν ποιός να αρπάξη περισσότερη αγάπη για τον εαυτό του. Όσοι όμως έχουν την πνευματική ,την ακριβή, αγάπη, μαλώνουν ποιός να δώση περισσότερη αγάπη στον άλλον. Αγαπούν, χωρίς να σκέφτωνται αν τους αγαπούν ή αν δεν τους αγαπούν οι άλλοι, ούτε ζητούν από τους άλλους να τους αγαπούν. Θέλουν όλο να δίνουν και να δίνωνται, χωρίς να θέλουν να τους δίνουν και να τους δίνωνται. Αυτοί οι άνθρωποι αγαπιούνται απ’ όλους, αλλά πιο πολύ από τον Θεό, με τον Οποίο και συγγενεύουν.

Αγάπη χωρίς αντιπαροχή! Να μην κάνουμε καλωσύνες, για να πάρουμε ευλογίες. Να καλλιεργήσουμε την αρχοντική, την ακριβή αγάπη, την οποία έχει ο Θεός, και όχι την φθηνή κοσμική αγάπη, η οποία έχει κάθε ανθρώπινη αδυναμία.

- Γέροντα, δυσκολεύομαι να δώσω την αγάπη μου εκεί που δεν θα την εκτιμήσουν.

- Δεν έχεις πραγματική αγάπη, γι’ αυτό δυσκολεύεσαι. Όποιος έχει πραγματική αγάπη, δεν τον απασχολεί αν εκτιμήσουν την αγάπη του ή όχι. Την θυσία που κάνει για τον πλησίον του, επειδή την κάνει από καθαρή αγάπη, ούτε καν την θυμάται.

- Πώς μπορώ ,Γέροντα, να ξεχνώ το καλό που κάνω;

- Ρίξ’ το στο γιαλό… Έτσι θα το ξεχνάς. Αλλά και το κακό που σου κάνουν, κι αυτό να το ξεχνάς. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα συγκεντρώσης έναν πλούτο πνευματικό, χωρίς καν να το αντιληφθής.

Από το βιβλίο: «ΓΕΡΟΝΤΟΣ ΠΑΪΣΙΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΙ Ε΄ ΠΑΘΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΡΕΤΕΣ» ΙΕΡΟΝ ΗΣΥΧΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΝ
«ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΤΗΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ Ο ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ» ΣΟΥΡΩΤΗ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ 2007

http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2014/09/blog-post_4.html

Parents are like a tree ( St. Kosmas Aitolos )

When you cut down a tree, all its branches immediately whither. Conversely, when a tree is watered at the roots, its branches stand strong and healthy.

Parents resemble a tree. The father and mother comprise the roots of the children. When a father and mother are watered with fasting, prayers, almsgiving, and other virtuous deeds, then God protects the children...

When an apple tree produces sour apples, what is to blame? Will we lay blame on the apple tree or the apples? Obviously, the problem lies in the tree.
Therefore, you the parents, who constitute the appletree, must live correctly and virtuously so that the applesthat are produced also become sweet.

St. Kosmas Aitolos

Even bee's have respect for God .....

In case you have not seen this yet, I thought I would share with you.


Even the bee's have respect for their Creator and His saints... they build their honey comb around the icons.