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Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Akathist to St. Paisios the Athonite

Kontakion 1

Let us believers with one voice all praise him who was sent by God in these times of trial for our comfort and guidance, Paisius the wonderful, who struggled graciously and pleasingly for the Master, burning with love for the whole world and pledged his heart for us and for our salvation. And let us call out to him in thanksgiving, saying: Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Ikos 1

God ordained that thou wast born in the blessed land of Cappadocia, the cradle of a countless multitude of saints, to whom thou too wast added in perfect worthiness, shining forth together with them and unceasingly guiding us to repentance. Therefore we praise thee with great joy, saying:

Rejoice, for thou didst make thyself a precious follower of the saints of Cappadocia!

Rejoice, for thou didst wholly liken thyself to them as a true bearer of God!

Rejoice, most fair and fragrant flower, who hast blossomed for our enlightenment!

Rejoice, wellspring of heavenly grace, who refreshest the whole world!

Rejoice, sweetest food, who fillest the souls that are starved of right teaching!

Rejoice, receptacle that hast gathered all our weaknesses, troubles and sorrows!

Rejoice, pillar of fire, who art the unshakable support of those that desire to gain salvation!

Rejoice, star that shinest in the firmament of the Church, guiding us to the everlasting mansions!

Rejoice, for thou wast shown to be a blessing of God and a sign of His ineffable mercy!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 2

O Blessed Father, thou wast chosen from thy mother's womb to give thyself up to God in all things and thus become a precious vessel unto Him, for the salvation and guidance of all that put their hope in thee. To Him, Who worked great wonders and mercy through thee, for such a blessing we all sing with joy the song: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

The baptism which thou, O Father, didst receive from the hands of the saint of God, Arsenius, was a sign of God’s grace resting on thee. For seeing thy many gifts in spirit, from thine early infancy he blessed thee to be his disciple and bear his name. Therefore, despite our unworthiness, we honour thee, saying:

Rejoice, for thou wast found worthy to be baptized by Saint Arsenius the Cappadocian!

Rejoice, for he foresaw all that was to come to pass with thee!

Rejoice, for his spirit rejoiced, seeing such blessed fruit sprung forth from the flock that he shepherded!

Rejoice, for on account of this he cared for thee unceasingly through all his earthly life!

Rejoice, for even after departing to heaven he did not forsake thee, but all the more interceded for thee!

Rejoice, for thou too didst honour him as befitting, piously reckoning him to be thy father in Christ!

Rejoice, for thou didst struggle heartily for his glorification, gathering testimonies of his wondrous life!

Rejoice, for the Saint of God blessed thee to find his most beloved relics, which became a fount of countless healings!

Rejoice, for lovingly thou didst lay his revered body in the monastery founded by thee at Souroti!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 3

Moving to Greece because of the tyrannical Turkish persecution, thy parents came to the land of Konitsa, and, sacrificing thyself, O father, thou didst begin to ascend the godly ladder of perfection. For even since childhood, thou wast shown to be to be a guiding light for all those around thee, who, seeing thy precious gifts, glorified God, saying: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

Instructed by the example of thy parents, from a young age thou didst strive with burning zeal for the love of Christ, showing the deeds of a perfect man. For following thy blessed mother, before long thou didst begin to fast strictly and pray unceasingly to God, a hermit by life, yet a child by age. Wondering at the manliness of thy heart, with joy we sing to thee thus:

Rejoice, for still young thou didst wholly forsake the fleeting lusts of this world!

Rejoice, for through perfect fasting thou didst preserve unspoiled the crown of virginity!

Rejoice, for thy youth did not prevent thee from acquiring unceasing prayer in solitude!

Rejoice, for instead of revelling in childish games, thou didst delight in ever being with Christ and His saints!

Rejoice, for on account of this thou didst avoid the friendship of those that sundered thee from thine ardent love!

Rejoice, for thou didst not only strive for outward things, but also adorned thy soul with all virtue!

Rejoice, for thou didst follow the kindness and devoutness of thy blessed mother!

Rejoice, for she set thee an unspoiled example of love and utter self-sacrifice!

Rejoice, for we all wonder at the courage with which thou didst begin to fight the good fight!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 4

Called to battle to defend thy country from the unbelievers, O Father, thou didst shine forth in thy boundless courage. For, wholly forsaking the love of self, thou didst ever seek to be amidst peril, in order to spare those that fought together with thee. And seeing this, they all thanked God for such support, saying: Alleluia!



Ikos 4

O Blessed Father, thou didst use the war as a means of sanctification, for thou didst unceasingly grow in love beyond passion, sacrificing thy soul for the sake of thy friends. And thus thou didst win immortal crowns from Christ our God, Who makes Himself a hundredfold reward for all sacrifice. Understanding this, we too hasten to bring words like these to praise thee:

Rejoice, for thou wast a wonderful example of utter self-sacrifice in battle!

Rejoice, for thou didst utterly scorn this earthly life, thus earning heavenly life!

Rejoice, for thou didst not lose thy piety in the dread perils which thou didst endure!

Rejoice, for through the greatness of thy soul, thou didst make thyself a light of sanctification to those around thee!

Rejoice, for thou didst help in and out of season all in trouble and sorrow!

Rejoice, for thou didst utterly overcome human fear, arming thyself with iron courage!

Rejoice, for fighting against the enemies of thy country, thou didst also secretly fight against the enemies of Thy soul!

Rejoice, for although thou didst wish to die in place of thy friends, God shielded thee as His most beloved one!

Rejoice, for through the wonderful power of thy soul, thou didst show us also the path to perfection!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 5

With burning zeal thou didst forsake the world, O Father, and wholly dedicate thyself to Christ, joining the army of monks, who unceasingly struggle to overcome their nature. And in a short time thou didst become an angel in the flesh, wholly clothing thyself in Him, to Whom we too humbly sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

Thou didst withdraw to the blessed desert of Sinai in order to serve Christ, O Blessed Father, and overcoming the lusts of the world, thou didst become perfect man, shining forth with all virtue and burning with true love for God, Who through thee bestowed on us the abundance of His mercy. Therefore, despite our unworthiness, we too thank thee, saying:

Rejoice, angelic man, for thou didst reckon all worldly lusts as vanity!

Rejoice, for thou didst strive for three years in the harsh desert of Sinai!

Rejoice, for unknown by all, thou didst live there in a hidden cave, enduring heat and frost!

Rejoice, for there thou didst fight unto blood against all desires!

Rejoice, for through thy great meekness, thou hast utterly defeated the cunning demons!

Rejoice, for thou didst wash from thyself all the filth of sin, becoming a true light of Christ!

Rejoice, for thou didst begin to pray with fervent tears for the whole world!

Rejoice, for seeing thy overwhelming sacrifice, God filled thee with gifts beyond nature!

Rejoice, for in thy narrow cave, thou wast vouchsafed countless revelations of divine grace!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 6

After fighting the good fight in Sinai, O Father, thou wast called by the Mother of God to her earthly garden, the Holy Mount of Athos, the blossom and light of Orthodoxy. And foreseeing there the place of thy perfection, thou didst thank the Most Holy Queen for her wondrous protecting veil, with which she unceasingly shieldeth the whole world from troubles and sufferings; and with joy thou didst sing to her Son the sweet song: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

Arriving on the Holy Mountain and taken to many places by the grace of God, thou didst ascend the ladder of holiness, O Blessed Father, like a wise bee gathering from everywhere the sweetest spiritual nectar. And afterward thou didst become the son of Father Tikhon, the Spirit-bearing Elder who was full of virtue and whom thou didst follow in absolute obedience. Therefore, with feeble voices we sing to thee thus:

Rejoice, for God foreordained glorification for thee on blessed Mount Athos!

Rejoice, for He entrusted thee to the care of His Most Pure Mother, Who guarded thee as Her beloved son!

Rejoice, for overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, thou didst wander over the whole Mountain, seeking out fathers of holy life!

Rejoice, for thou didst wonder at their unceasing prayers, through which God sheddeth His mercy on the whole world!

Rejoice, for thou didst strive to write their lives too, for the glory of God and the profit of men!

Rejoice, for afterward thou didst become the disciple of Blessed Father Tikhon, the one perfect in holiness!

Rejoice, for thou didst serve him with endless love, in all things trusting in his wise guidance!

Rejoice, for seeing thy utter obedience, God also gave thee the gift to abide in thy holy father!

Rejoice, for after his repose, Blessed Tikhon revealed to thee that he would pray for thee unceasingly!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 7

Perfecting thyself in absolute love, thou didst make thyself a tool of God, Who began to work through thee with great power. For He made thee a comfort for all those that were troubled and a guide for those that were darkened in sin. We all thank God, O Father, for He gave thee to us for our salvation, and we sing to Him thus: Alleluia!



Ikos 7

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father that is in heaven, said the Saviour of the world with true voice. For in thee too, O Father, his word was fulfilled with all power. Therefore we praise thee too, saying:

Rejoice, thou who hast taught the world through books enlightened by the Holy Spirit!

Rejoice, thou who through words of great profit hast dispelled the ignorance of our times!

Rejoice, trumpet of the Spirit, who heralded to all the joy of repentance!

Rejoice, wondrous prophet, who showed us that we live in the end times!

Rejoice, merciful healer of all diseases which cannot be healed!

Rejoice, precious carer for all whose souls are burdened with sorrows!

Rejoice, godly oil, that hast cleansed all our wounds!

Rejoice, heavenly peace, that hast brought so many broken families back together!

Rejoice, skilful guide, that hast removed all devilish snares from among the people!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 8

Seeing the terrible struggle conducted by the enemy of salvation against the family blessed by God, thou didst gird thyself with the weapon of the word, teaching spouses that only patience, long-suffering, forbearance and self-sacrifice with love can ensure the peace of their homes. Unceasingly we glorify God for sending thee, O Blessed Father, to show us the right way, and we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Give me Christian mothers and I will give you saints to change the world, said the godly Chrysostom. And touched by this truth, thou didst ever struggle with prayers and advice, showing faithful spouses that peace in the family is fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that they must wisely strive for this. We all thank thee for thine effort to bring healing to our families, so cruelly struck by temptations, saying:

Rejoice, intercessor before God for the harmony of those in married life!

Rejoice, for the faithful spouses whom thou didst advise to live in moderation and holiness!

Rejoice, for thou didst teach them lovingly and unselfishly to bear one another’s weaknesses!

Rejoice, for thou didst show the parents that through prayer the grace of God descendeth on the whole family, bringing peace and happiness!

Rejoice, for thou didst struggle against all sins, seeing them as the cause of the falling apart of families!

Rejoice, for thou didst make thyself an unyielding reprover of the horrible slaughter of infants!

Rejoice, for thou didst tell faithful mothers that through the example of their lives they can turn their children into saints!

Rejoice, for thou didst show the young that through obedience they attract the mercy of God and a peaceful life!

Rejoice, for thou didst beseech them to earn their parents’ blessing, through which cometh also the blessing of the Holy Spirit!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 9

Let us now joyfully praise Paisius, our intercessor, who through his heartfelt prayers miraculously healed all our sufferings, both in body and soul. And let us sing with thanksgiving to God, Who is glorified in the Holy Trinity: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

O Father, thou didst make thyself the healer of all diseases through the gift given to thee by God. For burning with love and pity for those tormented by afflictions, thou didst selflessly pray for their relief, teaching them to thank God for all things. We all praise thee with one voice, saying:

Rejoice, strong weapon against the horrible disease of cancer!

Rejoice, tireless carer for those that suffer in terrible pain!

Rejoice, wellspring of healing, in which all those wounded in soul refresh themselves!

Rejoice, banisher of demons, for with thy meekness thou didst crush all the wickedness and tyranny of the devil!

Rejoice, most merciful father, for thou couldst not bear to see the people crushed under the weight of their sufferings of body and soul!

Rejoice, for on account of this thou didst take upon thyself all our troubles and sorrows!

Rejoice, for thou didst selflessly pray that God might give thee our weaknesses!

Rejoice, for thou didst teach us that all sorrows come through straying from God and His commandments!

Rejoice, thou who hast shown us that the reward for those that suffer with patience and glorify God is ineffable!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 10

The Lord and Saviour of the world promised a great reward to those that would strive in righteousness for the perfection of others. And though a simple monk and unlearned in worldly things, thou, O Blessed Father, wast gifted with wisdom by the Spirit of the Lord Himself, to guide thousands on the path of salvation. Unto now thou prayest for them to God, to Whom with joy we too sing: Alleluia!


Ikos 10

On account of thy complete virtue, God adorned thee with gifts beyond nature, which thou didst use for His glory and the profit of men. For thou didst make thyself a father of countless believers, who, beset by the terrible temptations of our times, sought thee as a heavenly haven. And therefore we ask thee to accept us too among thy spiritual children and allow us to sing with thanksgiving to thee thus:

Rejoice, for thou didst teach the people to struggle against the evil thoughts sown in their minds by the enemy of our salvation!

Rejoice, for shining with the gift of discernment, thou didst at once reveal to thy sons whether their thoughts were from God or from the devil!

Rejoice, for by the grace of God thou knewest the depths of the hearts of men!

Rejoice, for having great wisdom, thou hast brought to naught all the cunning snares of the evil one!

Rejoice, for thou didst bring many to repentance through thine unfeigned love!

Rejoice, for thou didst make thyself a wise reproof of the proud and stubborn!

Rejoice, for thou wast a tender caress for those in despair and overwhelmed by temptations!

Rejoice, for thou didst weep unceasingly for all that looked to thee as a true hope of salvation!

Rejoice, for on the day of judgement thou shalt say to God with sweet joy: Behold I and the children that Thou hast given me!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 11

Becoming a perfect monk, O Father, and full of the grace of God, thou didst make thyself the steadfast hope of the unconsoled souls of those who desired to dedicate themselves wholly to Christ. And in thy gifts they all saw in thee a guide enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we praise God, Who did not deprive His flock of shepherds of holy life, saying: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

Thou didst found a convent in Souroti, where thy finest spiritual daughters would dedicate themselves to Christ the Bridegroom with great love. And then thou didst lead them to perfection through thy most wondrous counsel, as a loving and long-suffering father, who is to us also an undeceiving guide. Therefore we all bless thee, saying:


Rejoice, for thou didst found the convent of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti!


Rejoice, for this became a haven of salvation for souls that thirsted for Christ!


Rejoice, for thou didst strive in and out of season to make the nuns into perfect brides of our Lord!


Rejoice, for thou didst teach them true monastic life, signifying to forsake the world and its lusts!


Rejoice, for thou didst strive unceasingly to kindle their zeal for blessed asectic feats!


Rejoice, for thou didst guide them to frequent confession of sins, through which all the devil’s works are utterly despoiled!

Rejoice, for thy counsel fell on fruitful earth and refreshed the whole world!

Rejoice, for thou didst struggle diligently against the spirit of this world, which doth terrible harm to monastic life!

Rejoice, for through thy courage and love thou didst make thyself an example of spiritual victory for all monks!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!

Kontakion 12

Great was the grace of God on thee, O Blessed Father, and also His great mercy, for on account of thy great self-sacrifice, the Almighty vouchsafed thee wonderful revelations and joys beyond belief. We too rejoice, seeing the reward that God giveth His saints, and we beg Him to make us too partakers thereof and we sing to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Even from this earth, O Father, thou didst taste of the joys of heaven, prepared by our All-Merciful God for all that serve Him with love. For although the struggles which the evil one conducted against thee were terrible, so much greater were the consolations through which God strengthened thee in virtue. Therefore, in humble praise, we sing to thee:



Rejoice, all-sweet light, through which Christ shineth forth to the whole world!


Rejoice, wonderful flame that thou kindlest in us with the love of God!


Rejoice, for thou didst make thyself the perfect abode of heavenly grace!


Rejoice, for in thee it bore all the fruits of holiness!


Rejoice, for God overwhelmed thee with His gifts beyond nature!


Rejoice, for thou didst taste of everlasting and uncreated light!

Rejoice, for thou didst live with the Saints as with thy close friends!

Rejoice, for the Most Gracious Mother of our Lord appeared to thee to strengthen thee in sorrows!

Rejoice, ineffable wonder, for thou wast vouchsafed to speak to Christ Our Lord and God Himself!

Rejoice, Blessed Father Paisius, enlightener of the latter times!


Kontakion 13

Thou, O Father, didst say with words enlightened by the Holy Spirit that many saints would have desired to live in our times, in order to strive for salvation. For Thou didst herald to us, who live in darkness, that the time is almost ready and that those that now struggle valiantly to win their salvation will receive a martyr’s reward. For this we thank God, Who with mercy looked on His people, sending His Saint for our enlightenment, and thus with voices of joy we gladly sing to our All-Gracious Master the song: Alleluia!

This Kontakion is read 3 times.

And then again Ikos 1: 
 God ordained that thou wast born ... and 
 
Kontakion 1: 
Let us believers with one voice all praise...Then this:


Prayer to our Blessed Father Paisius the Athonite

O beloved Father Paisius, thou that didst ascend the rungs of holiness and become perfect in virtue, therefore gaining boldness before our Merciful God, do thou pray to Him, Whom thou didst serve unceasingly all thy life, not to let us perish for the multitude of our sins, but to turn us back to blessed repentance. Thou, who on earth didst heal with such love our countless weaknesses, diseases both of body and soul, canst all the more now deliver us from all sufferings. So do thou have mercy on us, O Father, through thy immeasurable love and godly kindness, not forsaking us that are full of sins.

Do thou, who didst never tire of guiding us to salvation and bearing our weaknesses whilst thou wast here with us, now grant us too the wisdom to overcome the temptations which the wicked devil doth ever weave around us and through which he would destroy our souls for eternity. Enlighten us to know the will of God for us and pray to the Master that He might give us power to fulfill it with thanksgiving. Do thou, who didst set an unwavering example of courage and self-sacrifice, strengthen us also to follow Thy virtue, that we may win an everlasting crown, of which thou thyself wast found most worthy. Thus, O Father, do not forsake us, who ceaselessly anger our long-suffering God, but rather stand with boldness before His throne, interceding for us with tears, that God may give us for thy sake most dear salvation. And thus, thanking thee with all our heart for all that thou hast done and still doest for us, let us also thank our Most Gracious God, Who is glorified in the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen!


St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain (+1994)

Thursday, May 16, 2019

The Differences Among Trials ( Elder Joseph the Hesychast )



Trials, or temptations (πειρασμοὶ -- peirasmoi) are so called because they engender experience (πεῖρα -- peira), since in the unseen warfare they do indeed afford spiritual knowledge to those who are mindful. Anything is called a temptation if it is in opposition to our struggle for faith and true piety as we press on towards submission to God, but they are sub-divided into various kinds, according to the understanding of the Fathers. There are the trials of those actively engaged in the struggle, so that they may make additional gains and progress in their struggle. There are the trials of the slothful and unwilling, to make them beware of things that are harmful and dangerous. There are the trials of those who are drowsy or sleeping, in order to wake them up. Then again there are the trials of those who have distanced themselves and gone astray, to make them draw near to God. Different again are the trials of the righteous and friends of God, so that they may inherit the promise. There are also trials of the perfect, which God permits in order to bring them forward in the Church for the strengthening of the faithful and as an example to be emulated. There is also another kind of trial, again of the perfect, such as those endured by our Lord and the Apostles, who fulfilled the law of communion with the world by taking up the trials which are ours.



Spiritual fathers also participate in this law of ‘communion’ by bearing the burdens and the weaknesses of their spiritual children through prayers and other struggles, supplementing what is lacking in others. There is also another way, according to the Fathers, in which one person may be a sharer in someone else’s trials, and this is as follows: the accuser shares in the trials of the accused, the slanderer in those of the slandered, the wrongdoer in those of the wronged -- especially when those who are wronged endure the harm done to them without a murmur.

We shall speak at this point of the trials of those who are making progress as a result of their attentiveness and willingness to struggle, which -- again in the judgment of our Fathers -- are usually the following: indolence, heaviness of body, languor of the limbs, listlessness, confusion of the mind, suspicion of bodily sickness -- faintheartedness, in other words -- darkening of the thoughts, being abandoned by human help, deprivation in their external needs and the like. All these things, when -- by God’s consent -- they befall participants in the struggle, give rise to a sense of dereliction. Their faith then begins to waver, as if the hope which had given them heart up till then had been cut off. But secretly grace consoles them so that they do not change their regime, because it convinces them that the trial has not come from themselves, since everything testifies that they have not abandoned their consistent good practice. After facing this difficulty and receiving the mystical consolation of grace, they turn with faith and yearning towards God who has power to save them, and fall down in humility asking His salvation, which is the end to which they have endured these trials. Such, according to the Fathers, are the trails of those who are advanced and making progress in spiritual matters.

In those who chance to neglect their duties or, which is the most terrible, fall into self-conceit and pride, the trials are different and harsher, in the same way as surgical operations and excisions are called for in cases of serious illness. The demons at first make war on them openly and quite shamelessly and insistently, and beyond their strength (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). They experience a darkening of the mind so that they lose the power of discrimination altogether, and imbecility and idiotic thoughts abound; an intense war of the flesh, pressing their will to go contrary to nature; anger for no reason and intractability in whatever concerns their own will; quarrelling on the spur of the moment and rebuking people at random; blasphemous thoughts against God; a loss of courage in the heart; being mocked by the demons, secretly and openly; lack of restraint in idle talk and, in general, a desire for the world and for idle vanities. After that, trials which are severe and hard to dispel: strange and unusual symptoms of illness and painful wounds, a poverty and dereliction that is extraordinary and defies consolation, and all other things that seem impossible and insoluble, giving rise to despair and fear because the heart is devoid of hope. All these things are consequences mainly of pride, and come upon the person who has been led astray into believing in himself; these are all also the medicines for his healing, to make him sober up and humble himself and vomit out the bile of this devastating perversion.

Just as in matters of grace there are means of assistance which augment our progress both in time and in quantity, so also on the side of error there are factors which contribute to its fluctuation. On the side of grace, when by the grace of Christ someone treads the strait and narrow way (Mt. 7:14) of the commandments according to the measure of his understanding and accompanied by humility and compassion in the service of love, he increases the aid and illumination given by grace.

Something comparable happens on the side of deception. If impatience and grumbling are added to it, one’s cross becomes twice as heavy, if not more. Faintheartedness and lack of hope are the most excruciating horrors of the unseen warfare, and are reserved for hard and unhumbled characters as the harshest lesson, which is a taste of hell itself and of punishment, a palpable sign of desertion and dereliction. Here it takes the prayers of saints and the intervention of a miracle for the heart to be softened. Many prayers and tears are needed for this sick soul to be reunited with grace and to be healed: otherwise it is inevitable that error will conquer, and that way lies madness and destruction.

O blessed humility and gratitude! Who is wise and will keep thy ways and understand thy statutes, that he may win thee totally and have thee as his intimate companion: that thou mayest go before him and follow him in all his ways, until thou presentest him to thy Master and King, who has taken thee as His delight and sharer of His throne and has revealed thee to us! For he says, ‘Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart’ (and not just in appearance) ‘and you will find rest for your souls’! (Mt. 11:29).

It was not our intention to repeat so many problems and explanations that are familiar to us from the Fathers; we were carried away by our train of thought, since almost unintentionally we found ourselves amidst the whirlwinds of trials to which we so often fall victim through our many deficiencies and lapses in attention.

The ever-memorable Elder [Joseph] never stopped explaining to us at every stage of our life, in his own winsome way, the aim and purpose of these misfortunes that befall us. We understood the movement and functioning of these misfortunes constantly within the framework of the spiritual law which regulated everything in our lives in detail. Indeed, how much wisdom is concealed here for those who have understanding in the science of the spiritual life, when they chart their course over this ocean of life using nothing but this lodestone of the spiritual law, ‘the law of the spirit of life’ (Rom. 8:2). 
A section taken from “Elder Joseph the Hesychast: Struggles, Experiences, Teachings,” by Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi 

Monday, May 13, 2019

You are mad; you are not like us. ( St. Anthony the Great )


A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 
"You are mad; you are not like us." 

St. Anthony the Great

Friday, May 10, 2019

A Night of Entertainment With St. Paisios



One time, when I was at the Cell of the Honorable Cross, I had a very beautiful vigil. 
There gathered in the night many demons on the ceiling. In the beginning they hit with heavy loud noises, and then continue as if they were rolling large tree logs. 
I would make the sign of the cross on the ceiling while chanting "Your Cross we worship, Master...." When I finished, the logs would start again. "Now," I said, "we will do two dances. 
One you will do with the logs above and the other I will do below." 
When I would begin, they would stop. First I would chant "Your Cross we worship", and the next time I would chant "Lord, Your Cross you have given us as a weapon against the devil...." 
I had a most pleasant night with psalmody, and, when I would stop for a bit, they would continue the entertainment.

St. Paisios the Athonite

Friday, May 3, 2019

Never has there been such an age of false teachers . . .( Fr. Seraphim Rose )


“Never has there been such an age of false teachers as this pitiful twentieth century, so rich in material gadgets and so poor in mind and soul. Every conceivable opinion, even the most absurd, even those hitherto rejected by the universal consent of all civilized peoples — now has its platform and its own ‘teacher.’ A few of these teachers come with demonstration or promise of ‘spiritual power’ and false miracles, as do some occultists and ‘charismatics’; but most of the contemporary teachers offer no more than a weak concoction of undigested ideas which they receive ‘out of the air,’ as it were, or from some modern self-appointed ‘wise man’ (Or woman) who knows more than all the ancients merely by living in our ‘enlightened’ modern times. As a result, philosophy has a thousand schools, and ‘Christianity’ a thousand sects. Where is the truth to be found in all this, if indeed it is to found at all in our most misguided times?

In only one place is there to be found the fount of true teaching, coming from God Himself, not diminished over the centuries but ever fresh, being one and the same in all those who truly teach it, leading those who follow it to eternal salvation. This place is the Orthodox Church of Christ, the fount is the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, and the true teachers of the Divine doctrine that issues from this fount are the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church.”
 Fr. Seraphim Rose

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

St. Raphael helps a pregnant woman


Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! 
Sts. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, the Newly-revealed Wonderworkers of Christ - Commemorated April 9th and on Bright Tuesday St. Raphael helps a pregnant woman


I wanted to write to you of a miracle that St. Raphael worked for me. My name is Eleni X. from Alexandria, Hematheias. In November 2011, I learned from my gynecologist that I was pregnant with my second child. My doctor told me to return the next month, in other words, December to listen to the baby's heartbeat.

The time passed, and the day came that we were to do the ultrasound to hear the baby's heartbeat. We went to the doctor, and he puts the ultrasound on, and looks here and there, and nothing. The sac was larger than last time, but it was empty. Nothing was there. My husband and I froze. We heard the doctor tell us that he couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat, and he couldn't see any embryo. He called us into his office, and told us that we had to proceed with induction, so that there would not remain any products of conception, because there was a danger of causing sepsis and death. It was Tuesday when all of this took place. We set up the appointment for Friday (three days later). Those days, we were very saddened. I therefore called one of the fathers of the Brotherhood of St. Raphael, Ano Souli, Marathon, whom I met over the telephone, and who supported me with his good words, and with his blessings and prayers. Full of pain, I related to him everything that took place, and I entreated him to pray for me and for my child. He gave me courage and strength. He said that I shouldn't loose hope, but that I should have faith in God and His Saints. He said that he would pray for me, but that I must pray as well, and entreat St. Raphael to take up the situation, and that I should say to St. Raphael: "O saint Raphael, go ahead in front of me, and I will follow you!" This I did. Friday came, and we went to the doctor to do the procedure. We reached the doctor's office. The doctor was in the operating room, because he had a delivery. As soon as he finished, I would go have the procedure. I waited a short time together with my husband and a friend of ours.

The phone rang, and it was the doctor, who asked his employee if I had arrived yet, and told him that he was ready for the procedure. Then, the doctor said to wait because he wanted to see me first, because he wanted there to be no doubt [of no heartbeat] before the procedure. The doctor came down, and again put on the ultrasound.

My husband was sure that there was no baby, and so he was waiting outside. The doctor put on the machine, and what did he see!

My God, the little heart of the embryo was beating normally, and even I could see it!! The doctor lost it. He looked again 2-3 times. He went out perplexed to go look at his computer to see my history. (How could he know that St. Raphael's had his hand in the matter).

After a short time, he entered again to the ultrasound, and called my husband and told us that the procedure couldn't take place, because there was a little baby, and its little heart was beating normally. My joy was so great that it couldn't be described with words. We were so happy. We left the doctor and our first thought was to go with our friend to light a candle to St. Raphael.

We thanked St. Raphael from within our hearts for the miracle that he worked. He is my patron Saint, along with the Archangel Michael and our Panagia.

He helps us daily with his presence. I will thank him my whole life! I thank you for everything, my Saint Raphael!

Note: St. Raphael, other than being a protector of many sick people, is also a protector of pregnant women, as many women had experienced this, and he frequently appears himself in a dream, telling them to call upon him to protect them and those children that they are bearing, that they might be helped to have a good delivery.


Christ is risen from the dead, by dead, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life! Truly the Lord is risen!

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Difference between Buddhist and Orthodox asceticism....( Elder Sophrony )




- For a Muslim to become a Christian, he must wait until he receives great Grace, so that he is prepared to be martyred for Christ. If he does not receive this Grace, let him wait.


- Someone passed sequentially through Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and black magic. In all these religions at the same time he did magic. As soon as he became Orthodox, he wanted to practice along with this magic, but he was unable to do it. From this he realized that magic is the foundation of all religions and that religions are dead, their leaders are dead, but Christ is the living God.


- For many years exorcisms must be read for those who came from doing magic. This is what the early Church did.


- Buddhism has some truths, but it has one human truth, which reaches to "zero", that is, with concentration-meditation man reaches the non-being from which we came from. It is an existential suicide. Christ leads us to theosis, to communion with the Triune God.


- Some say that Buddhism has nothing to do with demonism. However, those who speak thus know Buddhism only from books and speak theoretically. Action is different.


- Some say that meditation brings them a certain peace. Externally this appears good, but these people are possessed by conceit and this results in carnal warfare. Even if they leave Buddhism, they again have carnal warfare. This shows the satanism of this method.


- There is a difference between Buddhist and Orthodox asceticism. In Buddhism they try to make a disclaimer and they reach nirvana. They confuse a reflection with mystical vision. They see created light with their mind. This was best done with Plotinus, in Neo-Platonism. The Fathers know this, and we can call it the "cloud of unknowing", but they went beyond this and reached the vision of the uncreated Light. Then they experience that the Light comes from a Person and not from an idea, and they feel a personal relationship with God and, at the same time, there develops a great love for God and the whole world until martyrdom and "self-hatred".


Elder Sophrony

From I Knew A Man In Christ: The Life and Times of Elder Sophrony, the Hesychast and Theologian

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

There is Salvation Only in Christ


"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14: 6).

Christ Is the Way

At a moment in mankind's history which had been determined by God and foretold by prophets, about 2000 years ago, in the ancient nation of Israel, the Saviour of the world was born - Jesus Christ, the Messiah Who had been foretold by the ancient prophets.

At His Incarnation a great and unfathomable mystery came to pass. In the one Person of the Son of God there were united two natures: His Divinity, Which was before all time, and the humanity Which He assumed, so as to become like us in every way.

Living among men, Jesus Christ taught them by His Words and His own example to believe correctly and to live righteously. His public ministry did not last long, only three and half years, but it was extraordinarily full. His every word and act reflected His infinite wisdom, love and moral perfection. He shone like a brilliant light that had come to us from the ideal world above, a Light Which enlightens, and will continue to enlighten, every person who seeks goodness.

The teachings of Jesus Christ contained everything that people needed to know in order to live rightly; however, man had become morally weakened, so much so that he was unable to attain spiritual renewal by his own efforts alone. Sin had grown its roots too deep in human nature; evil had acquired such immense strength in all aspects of human life that men could not throw off its yoke by their own unaided efforts.

Therefore, out of unfathomable compassion for us sinners, and moved by His immeasurable love, the Righteous One took upon Himself the sins of all men - the sins of each one of us - and on their account offered a redemptive sacrifice on the Cross. With His most pure Blood He washed away our guilt before God; by His Death He conquered our death. Then, descending into the depths of hell, He, as Almighty God, freed and led out the souls of all those who wished to return to God and to live rightly. He took away Satan's power over men and set the day of his final condemnation in fiery Gehenna.

Why was it necessary to have such a terrible sacrifice as the shameful and excruciatingly painful death on the Cross of Christ, the God-Man? Was there not any other way for God to bring about man's salvation? These are mysteries which we cannot comprehend. We only know that Christ's redemptive sufferings, together with His glorious Resurrection from the dead, contain a power by which we can be born again. Through this great power, which overcomes all obstacles, any sinner, no matter how deeply he has sunk in the mire of vice, can undergo a complete spiritual renewal; he can become a righteous person, and even a great saint.

Forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, where He now abides as the God-Man. He is the Head of the Church, and together with the Father and the Holy Spirit He governs the world. On the fiftieth day after His Resurrection, Jesus Christ sent down the Holy Spirit on His Apostles and disciples and founded the Church, to which He entrusted everything needed for the salvation of believers.

If the Son of God Himself undertook to perform such extraordinary acts, coming down to the earth, taking on Himself human nature, suffering and dying the shameful and exceedingly painful death of the Cross, it is clear that there cannot be any way to salvation other than that which is offered to us by Jesus Christ.

Thanks to all that our Lord Jesus Christ did, everyone is now able to be freed from sins, to throw off the burden of passions, to be spiritually renewed and to start to live rightly, with the help of His grace. Anyone who wishes can now attain eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. The devil cannot stop us, unless we fall away from Christ through our own carelessness or lack of seriousness.

Thus, thanks to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, immortality and the bliss of paradise are not the dream of poets or the fantasy of philosophers, but a reality accessible to all. Everyone who wishes can reach the kingdom of heaven by following the path indicated by the Saviour, and by imitating Him as much as possible. He is the ideal of moral perfection, the supreme criterion of truth, the infallible spiritual authority and the inexhaustible source of inspiration.

Truly, He is our Way, Truth and Life! All other "great teachers" of mankind (such as Confucius, Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, and including the founders of today's totalitarian cults) turn out to be poor parodies if they are set up in opposition to Christ, or if they are used in an effort to "correct" or "improve" what He said and did.

Christ Is the Truth

God the Father foreordained that men should find salvation through His Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. All that Jesus Christ did and said is contained in the New Testament portion of the Bible, in what are called the Gospels, of which there are four. The Old Testament portion of the Bible contains the writings of the prophets who lived before the time of Christ. Their purpose was to prepare the human race to receive Christ as the Messiah, that is, the Saviour anointed by God. The books of the New Testament were written by the disciples of Christ, the Apostles, and set forth the teachings of Jesus Christ more fully and in greater detail.

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, teaches that everything visible and invisible was created by God from nothing. First God made the invisible world of the angels (heaven), and then our visible or material world (earth). To crown His creation of the material world, God made man, adorning him with His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). The physical world was made by God not all at once, but in stages, which are called in the Bible "days." God did not make the world out of any necessity or need for it, but because of His all-good desire that other beings, created by Him, should enjoy the gift of life.

Being infinitely good, God made everything good, beautiful and pure. Just as the angels were, man was also predestined for eternal life and everlasting blessedness in a union of grace with His Creator. The Creator was pleased to honour man with His most precious gift, free will, in order that man might grow towards perfection in the moral life. By this gift God gave rational beings a dignity incomparably greater than the rest of irrational nature, but at the same time it was a test. Being a boundless ocean of love (1 John 4:8-12), God wanted us all to love Him with the purest and most selfless kind of love, as tender children love their caring father. It was His desire that we should run to Him because we ourselves wanted to do so, and that we should grow steadily towards perfection by imitating Him to the best of our ability.

In order for us to get to know Him more fully, God revealed to us that He is not simply Oneness (a monad), but Three-in-Oneness, or Trinity. This means that in God there is one divine nature or essence, but three free and rational Persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - Who dwell in perfect harmony and love with one another. In the Deity, God the Father is the source of the divine nature which is common to all three; this is His hypostatic characteristic (what characterizes Him as a distinct Person). The Son was "begotten" from the Father before all time; the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father before all time; these are their hypostatic characteristics. The words "begotten" and "proceeds," however, do not carry any connotation of time. God was always the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Since God is three in Persons, but One in essence, He desired that the human race which He created should also reflect His three-in-oneness to a certain degree. In other words, He desired men to live, not as isolated individuals, solitary "I's," but as "we," as an integral and cohesive society, held together by love, in which each one takes the joys or sorrows of his neighbour as his very own. This, of course, was the ideal intended by the Creator. This all-encompassing unity was not meant, however, to suppress the personalities of rational beings. On the contrary, just as in the Creator Himself each Person possesses His own personal qualities, which are beyond our comprehension, so too in human society each distinct person was meant to preserve his own individual and unique characteristics, his particular talents. This unity in multiplicity was the type of existence that man was called to live, first of all in family life, then in society and finally on the level of the whole human race.

As we have already said, sin did great damage to human nature. As a result, mankind was not only torn away from its Maker, but it was also broken into a multitude of individuals, who were mutually jealous and at odds. Jesus Christ intended to bring men back to the path of unity with their Maker and closeness with one another; therefore, He began His preaching with the good news, or glad tidings (which is the meaning of the Greek word Evangelion, or "Gospel"), that "the Kingdom of God is at hand." God is ready to forgive each one of us and to accept him as His son, on condition that a man believe in the Saviour Whom God has sent, accept His divine teachings and begin to live rightly. Everything that Jesus Christ did and said had the purpose of teaching people and inspiring them to start to live for God, for the good, for inner renewal. The kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus Christ had to begin within believers, in hearts made new by love.

After His glorious Resurrection from the dead, and shortly before His Ascension into heaven, Jesus Christ revealed that He will come to the earth again before the end of the world. This Second Coming of Christ will not be like the first, when He came in the form of an ordinary man, as the merciful and compassionate Saviour. He lived in poverty and meekly endured all the reproaches of sinners. Before the end of the world He will come in His heavenly glory, as the terrible and just Judge, surrounded by a multitude of angels and saints, and He will give each one the reward of his deeds. Immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ the worldwide miracle of the resurrection of the dead will take place at His almighty command. The bodies of all the people who have ever lived on the earth will rise up out of the dust in the twinkling of an eye and will be reunited with their souls. At that time every man will be restored in his bipartite nature, in which soul and body form a single human being.

Let us recall that man was created for eternal life. Death, in the sense of complete annihilation or reduction to non-being, simply does not exist. What we call death is only the temporary separation of the soul and the body. When the body loses its life-giving principle, which is the soul, the body decomposes into the elements of which it was made up. The soul, the very personality of man, in a fully conscious and aware state, crosses over into some sphere of existence which is unknown to us, where it remains until the day of Christ's Last Judgement. At His Second Coming Christ will resurrect us in our twofold nature.

With the Second Coming of Christ the history of the human race will come to an end. The earth and everything on it, matter and the whole cosmos, will be subjected to fiery flame. Yet this fiery furnace will not be the destruction of the material world, but rather its transfiguration, as if in a smelter that removes all impurities. The physical world will be transformed into "a new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-2).

Christ will pass judgement not only on men, but also on the devil and his demons. This judgement will decide the eternal fate of every rational creature. All who did not wish to respond to God's love with love, all who did evil and spread falsehood, will be condemned to fiery Gehenna. This will be a "second death," which will not be annihilation, but rather complete separation from God in unending and fruitless sufferings.

On the "new earth," under the "new heaven," in the "new Jerusalem," a new life will begin, the happy and endless life which God foreordained from all eternity for those who love Him. There will be that true salvation, for which each man thirsts, thought not always knowingly. The purpose for which God in His boundless love created us will finally be realized.

Christ is the Life

The goal, then, of our earthly life is to inherit eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. To reach it our loving Creator requires of us only that we respond to Him with the kind of sincere, pure and selfless love with which He loves us.

Such love is a spring which flows from this temporal life into the beauty of eternal life. The reason for man's life is to become more and more like God and to draw nearer and nearer to Him. The substance of our life should be the continuous upholding of everything in us that furthers nearness to God and rejection of everything that takes us away from Him.

How can the fire of such love and such striving be kindled in the soul? Once it is lit, how can it be guarded, so that it is not allowed to go out, but rather, as much as possible, it is turned into the flame of salvation, which burns up all impurity in the heart? Man cannot do this by his own power, no matter how sincerely he desires it. The winds and waves of the passions are too strong, and they come from sources hostile to man: the world which lies in sin, the flesh which loves sin and the devil, the originator of all evil.

For salvation, therefore, it is necessary to cling to Christ with all one's strength, to become one with Him. Then His divine power and His love will fill our souls. They will protect, sanctify and strengthen us; they will lead us on the sure but narrow path to eternal life. Christ speaks thus about the necessity of staying with Him: "I am the Vine, ye are the branches. The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine" (John 15:5). In other words, authentic spiritual life, which brings forth good fruit, is impossible unless one is united in the closest possible way with the Source of spiritual strength - Christ.

The Need for the Church


The mystery of the Church, the kingdom of God - a mystery which is great and wise, surpassing our understanding - was brought into being by Christ in the following way. First, when He was baptized by John in the Jordan, at the moment when the Holy Spirit came down and the voice of the Father was heard, He sanctified the nature of water. By this act the water of Baptism became a conduit of God's grace, which gives a man new birth. Christ taught that a man is spiritually born and becomes a member of the Church only by being "born of water and of the Spirit" in the sacrament of Baptism (John 3:5).

Just as a newborn infant requires nourishment in order to grow, so also one who is born anew in the mystery of Baptism requires spiritual nourishment, which the Lord gives us in the sacrament of Holy Communion, of which He says: "I am that bread of life. ... The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. ... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. ... He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me" (John 6:48-57).

At His Mystical Supper, the evening before He suffered on the Cross, Christ Himself first changed bread into His true Flesh and wine into His true Blood and gave Them in communion to His disciples, thereby showing them how the Sacrament of Holy Communion should be observed.

From that time on, the sacrament of Holy Communion has been celebrated at a divine service, called the Liturgy. Believers receive the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ and are thereby united with Him, and not in a purely abstract or mystical sense, but really and truly! The whole being of a man, spiritual and physical, partakes of the spiritual and physical life of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Love opens a path to spiritual closeness; moreover, in Holy Communion, while people are united with Christ, they are united with one another at the same time, and in Christ they become a single whole, a living organism, called the Church. This is why the Apostle Paul called the Church the Body of Christ (Col. 1:24).

Just as the Incarnation of the Son of God was accomplished by the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Virgin Mary, so also the Church was founded on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus Christ sent from the Father to the Apostles on the fiftieth day after His Resurrection. Since that day the Holy Spirit has remained with the Church constantly, giving it life, illuminating it and cultivating it as a single living organism of the Body of Christ, consisting of many "members," faithful Christians.

There is something which must not be forgotten, especially in our times when Christianity is being split up into more and more churches and "jurisdictions." Man is called to be saved not by a mere mental acknowledgement of the truth of Christianity, and not merely by his own best efforts, but by belonging organically to the living body of the Church. Only in the Church, in this mystical Body of Christ, does the believer find correct spiritual guidance and the strength necessary for an authentically Christian life.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Christianity is a religion of revelation. ( St. Nektarios of Aegina )


Christianity is a religion of revelation.
 The Divine reveals its glory only to those who have been perfected through virtue. Christianity teaches perfection through virtue and demands that its followers become holy and perfect. It disapproves of and opposes those who are under the influence of the imagination. 
 He who is truly perfect in virtue becomes through Divine help outside the flesh and the world, and truly enters another, spiritual world; not, however, through the imagination, but through the effulgence of Divine grace. 
Without grace, without revelation, no man, even the most virtuous, can transcend the flesh and the world.


St. Nektarios of Aegina

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Demons and the Power of the Cross ( St. Paisios )


  Elder Paisios was asked the following regarding demons (called "tagalakia" by some Greeks) and the power of the Cross:

- Elder, my thoughts tell me that the devil, especially nowadays, has a lot of power.


- The devil has evil and hatred, not power. The love of God is all-powerful. Satan tries to appear all-powerful, but he does not succeed. He seems strong, but he is completely weak. Many of his destructive plans are spoiled before they even begin to be manifested. Would a very good father allow some punks to hit his children?


- Elder, I'm afraid of tagalakia(Demons).


- What is there to fear? Tagalakia have no power. Christ is all-powerful. Temptation is rotten to the core. Don't you wear a Cross? The devil's weapons are weak. Christ has armed us with His Cross. Only when we discard our spiritual weapons, then the enemy has power. An Orthodox priest showed a small Cross to a magician, which made the demon he invoked through his magic tremble.


- Why is he so afraid of the Cross?


- Because when Christ accepted the beatings, the slaps and the blows, the kingdom and power of the devil was crushed. By which way did Christ conquer? "With the rod the rule of the devil was crushed," says a Saint. That is, with the last blow of the rod to His head, then the power of the devil was crushed. Patience is the spiritual defense and humility is the greatest weapon against the devil. The greatest balm of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross is that the devil was crushed. After the Crucifixion of Christ he is like a snake with its poison removed or a dog with its teeth removed. The poison of the devil has been removed, the teeth of the dogs, the demons, have been removed, and now that they are disarmed we are armed with the Cross. The demons can do nothing, nothing, to those who have been formed by God when we do not give them the right. They only cause a commotion because they have no power.


One time I was in the Cell of the Honorable Cross, and I had a very beautiful vigil. During the night many demons had collected on the ceiling. At first they were beating heavy and making noise, as if they were dragging large tree trunks. I made the sign of the Cross towards the ceiling and chanted: "We venerate Your Cross Master...." When I finished, the dragging of the logs continued. "Now," I said, "we will form two choirs. In one you will do the dragging above and I will do the other below." When I began, they stopped. First I chanted "We venerate Your Cross...", then "Lord, Your Cross you gave to us as a weapon against the devil...." I had the most pleasant night chanting and, when I stopped for a bit, they continued the entertainment! Every time they present a different work.


- When you chanted the first time, they didn't leave?


- No. Once I was done, they began. Yes, both choirs had to complete the vigil! It was a beautiful vigil! I chanted with longing! I had good days!


- Elder, what does the devil look like?


- You know how "beautiful" he is? Something else! If only you could see him! And how the love of God does not allow people to see the devil! O, the majority would die from their fear! Imagine if they saw him act, if they saw the "sweetness" of his form! Again, some would be greatly entertained. You know what kind of entertainment? How do they call it? Cinema? For anyone to see such work, they would have to pay a lot of money, but even then they would not be able to see him.


- Does he have a horn, a tail?


- Yes, all the accessories.


- Elder, did the demons become so ugly when they fell and the angels became demons?


- Well, of course! Even now it's as if lightning struck them. If lightning strikes a tree, will not the tree immediately become a black stump? They are the same way, as if they've been struck by lighting. At one time I told the tagalakia: "Come so I can see you, that I may not fall into your hands. Now that I am looking at you, your appearance shows how evil you are. If I fall into your hands, what evil I will suffer!"
St. Paisios