Elder Porphyrios : Wounded by Love

Illness as the Love of Christ

Elder Porphyrios suffered many illness during his life. It was the reason he could not stay on Mount Athos. Even though he suffered more than a normal person, he would thank God for his illnesses.


He says,

I am in great pain, but my illness is something very beautiful. I feel it as the love of Christ. I am given compunction and I give thanks to God. It is on account of my sins. I an sinful and God is trying to purify me.

Normally we pray asking God to heal us, to free us from a maladies. But the Elder takes a different course. When he was sixteen he asked God to give him a cancer so He should suffer for His love. His elder told him to not pray in this way because it was egoism. He didn’t continue with this kind of prayer but he did receive his wish.


He says,

Now I do not pray for God to take away from me the thing I asked HIm for. I am glad that I have it so that I can participate in His suffering through my great love.

I do not pray for God to make me well… I pray for my soul, for God to forgive my transgressions. I am not taking medicines, nor did I go for surgery, not even for tests…. The grace of God sustains me. I try to give myself to Christ, to approach Christ and to be one with Christ…

We benefit greatly from our illnesses, as long as we endure them without complaint and glorify God, asking for His mercy…

Often we do the opposite of this. Some even get angry at God for their sickness. Next time you you are sick, think about all that God gives you and how difficult it is for you to do all He expects of us. Try giving thanks to God for this time of humbling. Through your contrition and thankfulness, you will receive grace so His will can be done for you.




Reference: Wounded By Love, 224 - 231

Our Heart Can Transmit Either Good or Evil

We are not always aware of the powers we have. Depending on the disposition of our heart we can transmit either good or evil, Elder Porphyrios advises us. He warns us to be very careful to see things with a positive view.

He says,

Even the slightest anger or indignation does harm. We need to have goodness and love in our soul and to transmit these things.

We need to be careful not to harbor any resentment against those who harm us, but rather to pray for them with love… We need always to have thoughts of love and always to think good of others.

He highlights for us the example of Saint Stephen. As he was being stoned to death he prayed, “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” How many of us can do this? Not many, but this is our potential with the love of God filling our mind at all times. Grace flows at these times enabling us to act in saintly ways. Saint Stephen had this love of Christ in his mind and heart as he was being stoned. He sets an example for us to follow.

If we pray with love for others this is also transmitted. It is important to be in touch with this invisible power of our soul. In both good and bad, this power is transmitted over great distances.

He says,

If we pray with love for someone, whatever the distance that separates us, the good is transmitted. So distances do not affect the power of good and evil. We can transmit these across boundless distances.

This is not something Elder Porphyrios is talking about in any theoretical way. After he became a monk he was given though God’s grace the powers of clairvoyance. In his autobiography he recounts a story of seeing his elders returning when they were on the other side of the mountain. He could visualize water under the ground when seeking a well for his monastery. One of his spiritual children, Constantine Yiannitsiotis, recounts how he saw in both people and things the cause of events. In his book, With Elder Porphyrios, he offers many examples of these powers in action. He understood the past as well as the future.

The person who receives this gift of clairvoyance is one who loves God as Elder Porphyrios does. Such power is an act of divine grace. The Elder gives us the preconditions for this.

He says,

Only a person who has humility receives these gifts from God; he attributes them to God and he uses them for His glory. The good, humble, devout man who loves God, deluded or led astray. He feels in his heart that he is truly unworthy, and that all those things are given to him so that he may become good, and for that reason he makes his ascetic struggle.

Our aim must be to become holy and God may then grant us additional powers. Grace does not come to those who are ego-centered. It comes only to those who are humble, selfless, and love God above all else.

Reference: Wounded by Love, pp 212 - 214

How to Influence Others With Love

Meekness and graciousness are terms to apply to one who practices the Way of Love. To influence others we must show great consideration for the opinions of others. We have to listen with understanding and compassion. We have to demonstrate we understand the other person's viewpoint and we care. Listen, listen, listen. Do not attack or condemn in any way. Seek to know their environment and situation. Ask yourself, "Why is it they think this way?" Think about how you can help nurture their soul and then say it simply with love.

Here is how Elder Porpyrios puts its,

In debates, if you say a few words about religion you will prevail. Let the person who has a different opinion give free reign to his thoughts and speak as much as he likes… Let him sense that he is addressing himself to a calm and uncontentious person. Influence him though your graciousness and prayer and then speak briefly. You achieve nothing if you speak heatedly and tell him, for example, ‘What you are saying is untrue, a downright lie!’ What will you achieve? Be ‘as sheep among wolves’ (Matt 10:16). What should you do? Show indifference outwardly, but be praying inwardly. Be prepared, know what you are talking about and speak boldly and to the point, but with saintliness, meekness and prayer. But in order to be able to do this you must become a saint.

This last thought is an important one:
“To be able to do this you must become a saint.” Ask yourself, "How do I become a saint?"

Reference: Wounded by Love, p 188

To Love Christ is to Be a Zealot but Not Fanatical

Elder Porpyrios asks us all to become zealots. He says,

A zealot is a person who loves Christ with all his soul and who serves his fellow men in Christ’s name. Love for God and for our neighbor; they go together and cannot be divorced. Passion, yearning and tears along with contrition, not for a purpose, but all as an overflowing of the heart!

This idea of being a zealot has nothing to do with being fanatical. It’s about being a true Christian who withholds quick judgments about others and initially responds always with love. This applies to those of other religions. It seems in todays internet environment it is common to condemn almost anyone. Orthodox attack Muslims and even Catholics. And the political dialogue is outrageous and filled with hatred often spewed by clergy. The Elder teaches to always be respectful of others and react with love. This often involves our silence.

He says,

Even to a person of another religion you will always act as a Christian. that is to say, you will show respect for him in a gracious manner irrespective of his religion. You will care for a Muslim when he is in need, speak to him and keep company with him. There must be respect for the freedom of the other person. Just as Christ ‘stands at the door and knocks’ ( Rev 3:20) and does not force an entry, but waits for the soul to accept Him freely on its own, so we should stand in the the same way in relation to every soul.

Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 186-187

Spread Love Without Expecting Any Return

Love must be unconditional. We should not expect to gain anything from our love of God or others.

Elder Porphyrios tells us that God shows us what unconditional love is.

Love needs to be sincere. And only the love of God is sincere love. To a person whom we find tiresome and troublesome, love needs to be offered in a subtle manner without the person being aware that we are striving to love him. It shouldn’t be given much outward expression, because then the person will react. Silence saves us from all evils. Restraint of the tongue is a great thing. In a mystical way silence radiates out to our neighbor.

So often our good intention seem to cause further conflict. Try patience, silence and a smile. Overcoming troublesome relationships takes time. It's a matter of the heart and our rational discourse is frequently not useful. Kindness, a smile and stillness or calmness in a person’s presence can break down barriers that seem insurmountable.


The Elder advises,

We, with our love, with our fervent desire for the love of God, will attract grace so that it washes over those around us and awakens them to divine love.

Our focus must always be on our love of Christ. This is the condition for His grace to flow though us.

He says,

To benefit others you must live in the love of God, otherwise you are unable to do good to your fellowman. You mustn't pressurize the other person. His time will come, as long as you pray for him. With silence, tolerance and above all by prayer we benefit others in a mystical way.

Reference: Wounded by Love, pp 184-186

Saint Symeon the New Theologian: Love for Others - We are One

This message from Saint Symeon the New Theologian was hanging on the cell wall of Elder Porphyrios . He would hand out a copy of this to his guests. Elder Porphyrios consistently taught that we should love others as if we see them as ourselves .




We need to regard all the faithful as one and think that each one of them is Christ. We need to have such love for each individual that we are ready to sacrifice our very life for him. Because we ought never to say or think that any person is evil, but rather to regard all as good. And if you see a brother troubled by passions, do not hate him. Hate rather the passions that are assailing him. And if you see that he is being tormented by desires and habits from former sins, have even greater compassion on him, lest you also fall into temptation, since you are made of matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love for your brother prepares you to love God more. Accordingly, the secret of love for God is love for your brother. Because if you don’t love your brother whom you see, how can you possible love God whom you don’t see?

“He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not see?” (1 John 4:20)
Words of Saint Symeon the New Theologian interspersed with Elder Porphyrios’s own words from One Hundred Theological and Practical Chapters, of Saint Symeon.




Reference: Wounded By Love, p 183 - 184

How Can We Love When Someone Harms Us?

First, we should never expect others to speak to us politely. This expectation is an ego-centric trait of ours. We need to let other speak as they wish . Elder Porphyrios says, “we shouldn’t become beggars for love. Our aim should be to love them and pray for them with all our soul.”

But what do we do when someone injures us with slanders or insults. This is a difficult teaching. Here is how Elder Porphyrios approaches it.

When someone injures us in whatever way, whether with slander or with insults, we should think of him as our brother who has been taken hold of by the enemy…. We need to have compassion for him and entreat God to have mercy both on us and on him… A person who condemns others does not love Christ. Our egoism is at fault.

He gives us an example:

Let’s suppose someone is all alone in the desert. Suddenly he hears a voice crying out in distress in the distance. He follows the sound and is confronted by a horrendous sight: a tiger has grabbed hold of a man and is savaging him with his claws. The man is desperately shouting for help. In a few minutes he will be torn to pieces. What can the person do to help? Can he run to his side? How? It is impossible. Can he shout for help? Who will hear him? There is no one within earshot. Should he perhaps pick up a stone and throw it at the man to finish him off? Certainly not, we would say. But that is exactly what can happen if we don’t realize that the other person who is acting badly towards us has been taken hold of by a tiger, the devil. We fail to realize that when we react to such a person without love it is as if we are throwing stones at his wounds and accordingly we are doing him great harm and the “tiger” leaps onto us and we to the same as him and worse. What kind of love do we have then for our neighbor and even more importantly, for God?.. We should regard our brethren with sympathy and behave with courtesy towards them, repeating in our hearts with simplicity the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ,” so that the grace of God may strengthen our soul and so that we don't pass judgment on anyone.

Our task when we are injured and we see an vice in another person is to inundate him or her with the grace of God and have the upmost compassion so he or she may be healed.

In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you. This is what is written in the Law and in the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 182 - 183

Love for God and Love for Neighbor Go Together

Everything we do needs to be done with love. Elder Porphyrios says, “Love towards one’s brother cultivates love towards God.”


The is the second commandment Christ gave us.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:37-39)

Jesus also told us,

For the person who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

In all our actions with others we must act with love.


The Elder says,
Whatever we do, whether it is prayer or offering advice or pointing out some error, let us do it with love. Without love prayer is of no benefit, advice is hurtful and pointing out errors is harmful and destructive to the other person who senses whether we love him or not and reacts accordingly. Love, love, love! Love for our brother prepares us to love Christ more.




Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 180 - 181

Love for Christ is Insatiable

Seeking Christ is the highest of goals in our Orthodox faith. There is nothing higher. Elder Porphyrios says, “He is the summit of desire.” What does this mean? Simply that there is no other desire that can compare to this. There is no greater joy than this loving relationship with Christ. It brings joy with no limits. He says the love for Christ is “without end, without satiety.”
When we think of love in our worldly relationships, we know that it peaks and ebbs. Many are afraid to give their love for fear that it may be taken away later. Many have experienced intense disappointment in their lives because of a broken relationship that started with passionate love. On a human scale love comes and goes. Who we love today may be different than who we love tomorrow. But divine love is different. It has no end. It “continually grows and deepens,” the Elder tells us. Worldly love, however, can end in despair. When we lose a lover it hurts and we suffer. But “divine eros raises us up to the sphere of God it bestows serenity, joy and fullness.” This kind of pleasure and joy that comes from the divine is the kind we can never have enough of. It is something we never tire of.

With love of God, we eagerly engage in fasts, we desire to pray, and we make prostrations as expression of our love. Yet, we are never satisfied. The more we experience the love of Christ, the more we desire to be with Him.

Saint Augustine writes about this in his Soliloquies,

“I love You, Lord my God, and I desire to love you ever more intensely. For You are truly sweeter than any honey, more wholesome than any milk and brighter than any light; for me You are infinitely more precious than gold or silver or precious stones… O love that is ever boiling over and never cooled! Consume me with your heat! I shall love You, Lord, because You first loved me. And where shall I find words sufficient to describe all the signs of Your greatest love for me?… You flooded me with the light of Your countenance and set Your glory as a sign above the door of my heart…” (Chap 19)

Elder Porphyrios says the Way of Love requires an Orthodox spirit which is a giving of your heart totally to God.

The more you give yourself to the love of Christ, the more you want to give yourself. We must love Him with all our soul, heart, strength, power and mind. We must plug our heart into His love and be united with Him.

As we pursue the Way of Love we come to a point where we are united with Christ. It is at this point that satiety ceases. This is called theosis. We find ourselves in union with God and bathed in His light. We know then that nothing will ever again separate us. Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 160 - 162

Does Way of Love Require Ascetic Exercises?

In the way of love one must overcome their ego-centeredness and become humble.

Elder Porphyrios says of humility,

Complete trust in God––that is what holy humility is. Complete obedience to God, without protest, without reaction, even when some things seem difficult. Abandonment of the hands to God.

Ascetic practices are important in this effort. Elder Porphyrios himself engaged in ongoing ascetic practices. He did so with enthusiasm and with a love for Christ. He had a most passionate desire to be united with Christ that all his efforts were effortless. From an early age he learned the beauty of obedience and overcame self-centeredness. Even though he was given incredible powers by the Holy Spirit, never did he use them for personal gain. He was always able to turn his will to the love of God and obediently follow the Way of Love.

He says,

No one can ascend to spirituality without exercising himself. These things must be done. Ascetic exercises are such things as prostrations, vigils, and so on, but done without force. All are done with joy. What is important is not the prostrations we will make or the prayers, but the act of self-giving, the passionate love for Christ and for spiritual things.

So the Church in Her wisdom provides us with regular guidelines for such activities: fasting, daily prayer and so forth. When we follow the way of Love we eagerly join in these practices with joy because we love Him.
Reference: Wounded By Love, p 156

How to Deal with Evil in the Way of Love

What do we do when we are bothered by a seductive thought or a temptation?

First of all, don’t be afraid. Second, do not attempt to expel it. The important thing is to turn your attention to Christ.

The simplest way to do this is by making the sign of the Cross.

Elder Porphyrios says,

The most important weapon to use against the devil is the Holy Cross, of which he is terrified. … communication with the Christ, when it takes place simply and naturally without force, makes the devil flee.

Also as you make your Cross say the words “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’

The Elder says,

This is our method. We will raise our ams to Christ and He will give us grace.

This the same approach as given to us by Saint Neilos the Ascetic.

Whenever a temptation comes to you, or a dispute excites you, either to express at once anger towards your adversary or to utter a senseless cry, remember prayer and the judgment concerning it, and at once the disorderly movement in you will subside. (The Philokalia vol 2, trans. Constantine Cavarnos, p65)

What we are doing is showing contempt for evil.
Reference: Wounded By Love, p 149 -151

The Way of Love Demands Constant Vigilance

Elder Porphyrios tells us that vigilance is passionate love, an intense yearning for Christ.


When we are vigilant we are careful about everything we do. We avoid laziness, we make efficient use of our efforts, and seek to do all things in ways that lead to more harmony. We pay attention to the details of things, even the way we may open the latch on a gate (This is an example the Elder uses).

This effort must be constant and careful. You need to pay attention to your soul. The more you seek God the more vigilant you become.

It is with constant vigilance that we enter the spiritual world.

He says,

You will acquire remembrance of God though prayer “Lord Jesus Christ…” through the prayers of the church, through the hymns and though bringing to mind the acts of God and recalling passages from Holy scripture and from other spiritual books….

We experience Christ and we take off! We feel great joy and have wondrous spiritual experiences. Then we gradually become captives of good, captives of Christ. And when you become captive of good, you cannot speak evil, you cannot hate and you cannot tell lies… They cannot enter when your room is full of your aether-borne spiritual friends––I mean the angels, the saints, the martyrs and above all Christ.

Reference: Wounded By Love, p 141

The Way of Love Requires Simplicity and Meekness

We should do everything simply and meekly.

This means that our spiritual labor must be done in secret. Our effort should never be discerned by others or even ourselves. Jesus says, Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matt 6:3). As we grow spiritually, in the Way of Love, we leave behind our old self that questions everything and we surrender in love to Christ. We become a new person in Christ. We don’t want the old self to know and then distract us. In this sense we keep our efforts a secret even to ourselves. We endlessly, privately, seek union with our lover, God.

He says,

The whole secret lies in simplicity and meekness. When simplicity is lacking and you say, “I'll do this, that and the other, and God will give me what I ask for," then nothing happens. Yes, indeed, I should do this, that and the other, but with such secrecy and such simplicity and such meekness that even I who ask for the thing am unconscious of it.

Simplicity means doing everything without any ulterior motivation.

He says,

Don’t say I’ll do this in order to have that result”, but do it naturally, without taking cognizance of it. That is pray simply and don’t think about what God will bestow on your soul…. Good heartedness and simplicity attract the grace of God, they are preconditions for God to come and make his abode in us.

A lesson from Scripture:

Love righteousness, you that judge the earth: be mindful of the Lord in goodness and seek Him in simplicity of heart; for He is found with those who do not tempt Him , and appears to those who are not unfaithful to Him; devious thoughts separate from God, and His power, when it is tested, reproves the unwise; for wisdom shall not enter into an evil-crafted soul, nor dwell in a body that is mortgaged to sin. (Wisdom 1:1-4)

Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 138-139

Don’t Struggle Directly With Temptations - Maintain Calmness and Simplicity

The Way of Love involves uniting ourselves with Christ. Our efforts should be continually focused on how we will be united with Him and keep Him continually in our heart. Our love for Christ is what must dominate both our mind and heart.

Elder Porphyrios says

What is holy and beautiful and what gladdens the heart and frees the soul from every evil is the effort to unite yourself to Christ, to love Christ, to crave for Christ and to live in Christ, just as Saint Paul said, ”It is no longer I who live, Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

He advises us to make our struggle with calmness and simplicity. We don’t gain by forcing ourselves to be good or forcing ourselves to pray. We need to do things naturally and calmly. We need to do them because of our love of Christ. With love there is no need for forcing. When we love Christ we enthusiastically long for time in prayer and to participate in the Divine Liturgy and the Sacrament of Holy Communion and Confession.
Likewise when we love God we should not struggle with temptations. When we do we only acknowledge the strength of the temptation and it gains control in you. When temptations arise focus on your love of God instead of attacking. When our mind is filled with Love of Christ there is no room to entertain temptations.
He says,

Let all your strength be turned to love for God, worship of God and adhesion to God.

As we study the hymns and psalms, when we pray, devoting ourselves to love of Christ, we receive grace and are able to combat temptations with ease. The challenge is to keep our mind focused on our heart which contains our insatiable love of Christ.
Reference: Wounded By Love, p 137

The Way of Love is the Easiest Path

Elder Porphyrios emphasizes that there are two paths we can take. One is very hard and the other easy. The difficult path is to fight against evil and the easy way is the path of love. How do we nurture this love for God?

Edler Porphyrios says,

The Soul is sanctified and purified through the study of the words of the Fathers, through the memorization of the psalms and of portions of Scripture, through the singing of hymns and through the repetition of the Jesus Prayer.

He suggests that we read the holy books of the Church with joy. The Book of the Eight Tones, the Psalter, the books with the offices for the feasts and the daily saint commemorations. The lives of the saints give us examples of people who gave their lives entirely to Christ and became true lovers with God. We can take delight in their achievements and imitate them. They began their lives just like us. We have the same opportunity to become sanctified like them.

We should undertake this study, as with all things in our life, with great attention. The Elder advises us to look up each word in the dictionary and read clearly understanding the meaning of every word.

This is the easy way he tells us. All one needs to do is to do these things and ignore other things.

He says that the kind of effort necessary is,

To study and pray and have your aim to advance in the love of God and of the Church.

The object is not to sit and afflict and constrict yourself in order to improve. The object is to live, study, to pray and to advance in love––in love for Christ and for the Church.

This is a very practical way in today's busy life. Don't aggravate yourself with fighting the evil, but concentrate on your own study and prayer until this love for God is always at the forefront of your mind and heart. Simply set aside time for daily study and prayer with emphasis on the use of the Jesus Prayer. Then when you face difficulties God will be the first thought you have and your love for Him will bring you divine grace. Then you will act with the support of the Holy Spirit.More on Jesus Prayer...

Reference:

Wounded by Love, pp135-136

Focus on Love of Christ, Not on Rooting Out Evil

The way of Love taught by Eder Porphyrios avoids directly attacking evil. It is through an exclusive focus on our love for Christ that evil is defeated and not by our efforts. To do otherwise invites struggle and much effort.

Elder Porphyrios says,

If evil comes to assault you, turn all you inner strength to good, to Christ. Pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”

This the meaning of what Jesus taught when He told His disciples to “turn the other cheek” when confronted with evil.

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:27-31

By giving your heart totally to God there is no room for anything else. There is no need to try and attain virtue or fight off evil. God will give you the needed virtues. Just fill your heart and mind with love for God.

The Elder says,

Love Him simply and humbly, without any demand, and He Himself will free you.

Reference: Wounded by Love, p 135

We Become a Holy Person Through Love

It is through the Holy Spirit that we are taught about spiritual matters. Jesus told His disciples,

“When the Holy spirit will come, it will teach you all things” (John 14:26).

It is the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us. What we need to be seeking is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and when we are, we become incapable of sin. All our efforts will then be done with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. The virtues will come naturally.

Saint Theophan the Recluse tells us,

When the spiritual needs are met, they teach a person to harmonize with those needs the satisfaction of the other needs, so that neither the needs of the intellect nor the needs of the body interfere with the spiritual life, but, instead, aid it. Then within a person is established complete harmony of all motions and revelations of his life.

Elder Porphyrios shows us how this is gained through the love of God. He says,

We must become filled, replete with the Holy Spirit. This is where the essence of spiritual life lies. This is an art––the art of arts. Let us open our arms and throw ourselves into Christ’s embrace.

We need to approach Christ just like we willingly, with a joyful heart, join with a loved one who approaches us with open arms for an embrace. It is a self-giving, a surrender, a joy-filled submission to His love. 
Elder Porphyrios says, Once we are willing to accept His love without any conditions, the Holy Spirit will visit us and embrace us in God’s love.

There is one thing we must do, and that is turn to Him and love Him with our soul. Love for Christ: this is the best and sole remedy for the passions.

Reference:

Wounded With Love, p 134

 

Prayer for Others

What are we to pray for? We should pray for "the Church, for the world, for everyone," says Elder Porphyrios. We cannot just pray for ourselves. We must have a strong desire for the world to become sanctified.


When we are suffering or in need, we should ask others to pray for us. When we all pray with faith and love seeking God's help He intervenes and this is when miracles happen.


Elder Porphyrios speaks to prayer for others.

Prayer for others which is made gently and with deep love is selfless and has great spiritual benefit. It brings grace to the person who prays and also to the person for whom he is praying. When you have great love and this love moves you to prayer, then the waves of love are transmitted and affect the person for whom you are praying and you create around him a shield of protection and you influence him, you lead him towards what is good. When He sees your efforts, God bestows His grace abundantly on both you and on the person you are praying for.

He then adds,

But we must die to ourselves. Do you understand?

We cannot pray properly without humility. This is essential. Our own wisdom is never sufficient. The personal advice we give to others is not the secret. In prayer we seek God's grace. His grace comforts and heals.


The Elder says,

The secret lies in our devotion, our prayer to God for what is best for our brethren to come about through the grace of God. That is the best. What we are unable to do will be done through His grace.

Pray always, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy."


Reference: Wounded By Love, p 132

A Spiritual Guide is a Must for Practicing the Jesus Prayer

Why is a guide necessary? Because you can easily be lead astray. In prayer, you may experience visions or lights which are demonic and lead you to pride. A guide can help you deal with such such experiences. He can help you avoid being trapped by your pride and self will. He can guide you in a progressive way, growing step by step to the stage where you will see the true light.

Elder Porphyrios speaks of the danger of delusion,

And if in this spiritual dimension desire is enkindled, not by your good self, but by the other self, the egotistical self, then undoubtably you will begin to experience a pseudo-joy. But in your outward life you will be ever more aggressive and irascible, more quick-tempered and fretful. These are the signs of a person who is deluded.

A guide must be a person who is experienced in the prayer of the heart. It cannot be someone who prays mechanically and has not experienced prayer with the grace of God. Such a person will only be able to tell you what he has read in books.


A spiritual guide will keep you out of danger of delusion.


The Elder advises,

This is the teaching. We say that prayer cannot be taught, but in point of fact it can be taught when you live with someone who truly prays. When you take a book about prayer and read it, it may be that you don't understand anything. But when you have an elder next to you who prays, whatever he tells you about prayer you understand and take to heart.

Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 124 - 126

How to Pray the Jesus Prayer

Elder Porphyrios gives us some instruction on prayer using the Jesus Prayer.


He says,

Prayer should be interior, prayed with the mind and not with the lips, so as not to cause distraction witht he mind wandering here and there. Let us bring Christ into our mind in an unforced manner by repeating very gently, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' don't think anything except the words, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' Nothing else. Nothing at all. Calmly, with open eyes, so that you are not in danger of succumbing to fantasies and delusions, and with care and devotion, turn towards Christ. Repeat the prayer in an unforced manner and not continually, but when there is the disposition and an atmosphere of compunction which is a gift of divine grace. Without grace you fall into a state of self-hynotism and you can end up seeing lights and delusions and become mentally deranged.

Prayer should not be seen as a chore or an obligation but rather an act of love. There is no need for techniques such as a stool, bowing the head or closing the eyes. True prayer is not dependent on anything external.


Reference: Wounded By Love, pp 121-122

How Does One Pray in the Heart?

Once a monk from the Holy Mountain who practices the Jesus prayer visited Elder Porphyrios and inquired about how he said the Jesus prayer. Here is the dialogue that took place:

"How do you say the Jesus Prayer? Do you sit on a stool? Do you lower your head and concentrate?"

"No, " I replied. "I say, 'Lord Jesus Christ...' clearly in my mind giving attention to the words. 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me... Lord Jesus...' That is how I do it in my mind and pay attention to the words."

"That's not right at all, Elder," he said. "The way you describe it is quite erroneous, not to say deluded. The mind needs to be in the heart. That is why it's called 'prayer of the heart.'"

"I'll tell you something else," I said to him. "Sometimes when I would be facing some temptation, I would bring into my mind the image of the Christ on the cross with his transfixed hands and feet dripping with blood and with the crown of thorns piercing his brow and with myself kneeling before him and saying to Him, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me'."

"And you didn't bring your mind into your heart?" he interrupted.

"No." I replied.

"You are deluded," he said to me. "The mind must be in the heart. That's why it's called 'prayer of the heart.' Delusion!"

He got up to leave.

"Elder!", I said to him. "Listen and I'll tell you something. When I am repeating the prayer in my mind, sometimes my joy becomes more and more intense. And when my joy becomes ever stronger with the words, "Lord Jesus Christ...", I feel my mind leaping within me along with my heart. That is, I feel my mind plummeting into my heart and there I experience all this joy as I say the prayer. I begin with the mind and then my mind moves on its own when when joy comes."

"So that's how you pray! That indeed is the way!" he said to me. "Forgive me for saying 'delusion'."

What Should We Ask For In Our Prayers?

Elder Porphyrios says we should not ask in our prayer for something like "free me from illness" or "solve my problem". What we should ask for is for His support and strength to deal with what we are given in life. It is natural for us to ask God for what we want. But this is self centered. Do we know what it is that God wants?


Elder Porphyrios says,

We shouldn't continue relentlessly in order to acquire what we want; rather we should leave all things to the will of God. What happens when we peruse what we want? These always increase and we are never satisfied with what we have. The more we chase after these wants the more elusive they become. If we pray for good grades next we will ask for a good job. Then it will be for a better job and so forth.

What should we ask for in our prayer?


The Elder says,

In our prayer we should ask only for the salvation of our soul.... The secret is to ask for your union with Christ with utter selflessness, without saying "give me this" or "give me that."... We should ask for the will of God to be done.

The enemy is our egoism.



Reference: Wounded By Love, p 117

Love of Christ is Love of the Church

Christ created the Church on earth as His body with Him as the head. To love Christ is to love His Church. Elder Porphyrios says the Church is “exactly the same as Paradise in heaven.” All souls are one in His Church.
Elder Porphyrios says

Love, worship of and craving for God, the union with Christ and with the Church is Paradise on earth.

The services of the Church are the way we can express our love for Him and He His love for us.

He says,

The divine services of the Church are words in which we converse and speak to God with our worship and with our love. The hours spent closest to paradise are the hours spent in the church together with all our brethren when we celebrate the divine Liturgy, when we sin and when we receive Holy communion.

How do we show our passion for Him? When we love Christ we enthusiastically observe the formal aspects of the church, the services, and are eager to participate in the sacraments especially the sacrament of Holy Communion. We enthusiastically come to church to express our love for our lover.

He says,

The divine services are a very great affair. The precondition is for everything to be done with eros, with interest and with a sincere disposition to worship Christ--not as a chore and not perfunctorily, but with eros and divine enthusiasm.

Worship must spring from the whole soul and whole heart. What does this mean? Your only thought must be God… It is not something that is done under duress. You feel a spiritual delight and pleasure. It’s not like the homework a child does for school. It is like the passionate love between people, but higher and spiritual.

Above all, the sacrament of Holy Communion is an act of Divine Love. This is an act of joining in ecstatic union with Him.

Elder Ephriam of Arizona writes about the splendor of the Divine Liturgy.

The Divine Liturgy, what a splendor indeed! Man has been honored by God in such a way that He Himself comes down to earth with His Angelic Orders every time there is a Liturgy, in order to nurture man with His Most Holy Body and His Most Precious Blood! For He has given us everything. Is there anything physical or spiritual, perishable or everlasting, that has not been offered to us? None! Is there anything superior to His Most Holy Body and Blood, which is given to us on a daily basis? There is certainly not. God has enabled man, who is full of soil and dirt, to serve the Divine Liturgy. So priceless is the Divine Love that just a tiny drop exceeds any earthly, physical and secular love.

The Orthodox faith is all about Love.

Elder Porphyrios says,

Our religion is love, it is eros, it is enthusiasm, it is madness, it is longing for the divine. All these things are within us. Our soul demands that we attain them.

More on the Divine Liturgy…
Reference: Wounded by Love, pp 90, 92, 165, 166

Why are our prayers not heard?

Our prayers are not heard because we are not worthy.

Elder Porphyrios tells us that "the slightest murmuring against your neighbor affects your soul and you are unable to pray." We must make ourselves worthy for prayer he advises us. And our unworthiness comes from our inability to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus says,

If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother holds something against you leave your gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled with your brother and then offer your gift. Matt. 5:23 - 4

True prayer is not easy. It is based on a close relationship with God. It requires a self-giving to God and His will.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Those who desire and crave to belong to Christ and who abandon themselves tot he will of God become worthy.

This is the greatest spiritual challenge to give up our will and submit it to God's will. It is a necessity to be able to keep all of His commandments. This is the sign of our love of God.


Jesus says,

He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves me; and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21

To be in union with God takes great effort on our part.


The Elder says,

We have to wrestle with the roaring lion.

 

Reference: Wounded by Love, p 116

Elder Porphyrios Teaching the Jesus Prayer.

This is a story one of the spiritual children of Elder Porphyrios told about how he taught them to pray.

He placed us towards the east, two of us to his left and two to the right, with him in the middle. “Now we’ll pray noetically. first, I will say the words, and you will repeat them. But be careful, without anxiety or force, you’ll say the words calmly, humbly, with love and sweetness.” The Elder started off with his fine, delicate and eloquent voice, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” He said it very slowly, word by word, without forcing it at all. It was a though he had Christ before and he was begging him, with a log pause after the word “Christ”, Coloring his words “have mercy on me” with an entreating tone. And we repeated it each time, trying to imitate his stance, the color of his voice and if it at all possible his spiritual disposition. At some point, the Elder stopped saying the prayer out loud and just continued whispering it on his lips. We did the same thing. How long did our night-time prayer take? I don’t remember. All I remember was that the Elder imparted an emotion to us that I cannot express with human words.

 
Reference, With Elder Porphyrios, by C. Yiannitsiotis, p 55 

Porphyrios' Advice on the Jesus Prayer

Elder Porphyrios teaches that the prayer of the heart is for those who have already attracted the grace of God.

He warns,

I mustn't be done with the thought. "I'll learn it, I'll so it, I'll acquire it", because in this way we may be led to egoism and pride.

This is the serious danger for those who set out to practice the Jesus Prayer to seek the divine light of God. They apply it like an external method. It is their ego acting, their self will seeking some kind of pleasure from God. This will most likely result in only increasing ones pride and will attract much assistance from the devil. You may experience visions and lights which encourage you on your quest. Meanwhile your relationships with others will worsen. You we be seen as aloof and impatient. It is a very dangerous situation.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Not only experience and genuine desire, but also wisdom, care and prudence are required if our prayer is to pure and pleasing to God.

Reference: Wounded By Love, p. 121

 

Worthiness and Prayer

Many of us complain that when we pray we do feel God is listening to us. "Why doesn't He answer me?" we cry out in quiet anguish. Why is this such a common ailment?

Elder Porphyrios tells us it is due because we are not worthy. "We must become worthy in order to pray. We are not worthy because we do not love our neighbor as ourself," he says. He then quotes Jesus Christ: "If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother holds something against you, leave there your gift before the altar and go first be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift."(Matt 5:23-4)

This tells us that if we want to be worthy we must first reconcile our differences with our brothers and sisters. Porphyrios says, "If that is not done, you will be unable to pray. If you are not worthy, you can do nothing. Once you have set in order all your unsettled business and prepared yourself, then go and offer your gift."

This is why there is such an emphasis on preparation for communion with fasting and repentance. To expect to be in God's grace we have to work at acting as He instructs us. Think about how you feel when someone asks you for advice and you lovingly give it. But then, nothing is done to act on it. This is what we do to God when we do not follow His simple commandment to love our neighbor. This is what it means to be worthy. We are expected to do as He commands.

We must do as elder Porphyrios says, "abandon ourselves to the will of God." Again he quotes Christ: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves me; and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21)
We must make an effort!

Quotes from Wounded by Love. p 116.

Christ as Friend

With the love of Christ He becomes our friend. Saint John says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. The person who fears is not perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). So as our love grows it dissolves our fear. Christ then becomes our friend.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Let us stretch out to Him and approach Him as a friend. Do we fall? Do we sin? With familiarity, love and trust let us run to Him––not with fear that He will punish us, but with the confidence which we deserve from the sense of being with a friend. We can say to him, 'I have fallen, forgive me.' At the same time however, let us have the sense that He loves us and that He receives us with tenderness and love and forgives us.

This requires a surrender to His lordship and a willingness to work continually to carry out His will. We cannot lead a life of disregard and willful pursuit of self-gratifying pleasure a the expense of love for others and expect Christ to be our friend.


He continues,

Don't let sin separate us from Christ. When we believe that He loves us and we love Him, we don't feel strangers and distanced from Him, even when we sin. We have secured His love, and however we behave, we know that He loves us.

With true love for Him there is no fear. As long as we bind our soul with Him, our relationship with Him is unshakable. Love permeates and dominates.


Elder Porphyrios reminds us,

It is not the outward formalities that count; it is living with Christ that matters. When you achieve this, what else do you want? You have gained everything. You live in Christ and Christ lives in you. Thereafter everything is easy: obedience, humility and peace.

Quotes from Wounded By Love, pp 104 - 105.

How Does God Love?

"We will not be able to know Christ unless He knows us." Elder Porphyrios

Doesn't God know all of us? What does the Elder mean here? To explain he quotes Saint Paul: "Now that you have known God, or rather are known by God..."(Gal 4:9). He is equating God's knowledge of us to our knowing God. He is trying to explain something that is mystical, our relationship with God. If we don't know God we cant really say that God knows us. It's like calling someone a good friend who we have never met or only passed on the street. How can that person knows us if we have not made the effort to develop a loving relationship?


He continues,

Nor can we love Him unless He loves us. Christ will not love us if we are not worthy for Him to love us. In order for Him to love us, He must discover something special in us.

But again you will say, God is love and he loves us unconditionally. What is it He must discover. It must have something to do with how we choose to use our free will. Without our love and willful surrender to do His will, we will not experience His love, we will knot know Him. We need to open the door so He can enter. This is what we must discover in us. The Elder calls it humility. He is saying that Gods' love, His grace that brings joy only comes when we humble ourselves and allow His grace to work from within our soul. His grace is there always, but not given without us loving Him.


He continues,

You may desire, demand, struggle and entreat, but you receive nothing. You prepare yourself to acquire those things which Christ desires in order for divine grace to enter you, but cannot enter when that special ingredient you require is lacking. What is that? It is humility. Without humility, we cannot love Christ...humility and selflessness in the worship of God...

Our challenge to get to the point described by Saint Paul: "It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me. (Gal 2:20)

Quotes from Wounded By Love, p 109-110.

Joys Greater than This LIfe?

How can there be joys that are greater than those we get from this life? It is often hard to remember in our daily struggles that this life is temporary and we are destined for eternal life with God. Too often we find our minds locking us in on the activities of this world to the exclusion of God's kingdom. This is the spiritual battle we are engaged in, to always remember to lift our eyes and hearts to that which is beyond all we can see, hear, taste, smell and touch.


Saint Isaac the Syrian says the following:

The joy that is in God is stronger than this present life. And he who finds this joy, not only will he not pay attention to the passions, but he will not even give a thought to his own life, not will he have awareness of anything else, if his experience of this joy is true. Love is sweeter than life. And the concord with God from which love is born is sweeter than honey and the honey comb. It does not seem grievous to Love to undergo a bitter death for the sake of he beloved... And to the heart which has received this joy every sweetness of this world seems superfluous. for there is nothing which can be likened to sweetness of the knowledge of God."

Source: Wounded by Love, p 101 - Homily 38. Cf. The Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian, Holy Transfiguration MOnastery, 1984, p 297.

 

What Rivals the Love for Christ?

Once you have the love of Christ in your heart what else is there to long for? All the things of this world only leave us wanting more and often burden us with worries and upkeep. But having Christ in our heart is all fulfilling and yields only joy. As Elder Porphyrios says, "No other joy, no other beauty, nothing else can rival Him."


Once you have this love for Christ what can surpass it? What is greater? How can it be even greater than our love for our parents or our children? But it is. It is a love that never falters. It is unwavering, unconditional and unlimited. No other kind of love is as great as this.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Fleshly love has a point of satiety. therefore jealousy and disgruntlement may set in...Love in Christ knows no alteration. Worldly love remains for a time, and is gradually extinguished, whereas divine love continually grows and deepens.

This love for Christ has no point of satisfaction. Elder Porphyrios says,

You cannot have enough of Him, the more you believe that you don't love Him and the more you desire to love Him. At the same time, however, your soul is flooded by His presence and your joy in the Lord is inalienable.

Source: Wounded By Love, p 100 

 

 

How Christ Transforms

The love of God transforms everything; it sanctifies, amends and changes the nature of everything. Elder Porphyrios

What was it like when you first found Christ in your heart? How did it transform you? For me, my life was totally changed. The Church became the center of my life and I found that I was mired in sin but now continually growing in my relationship with God. This Pascha celebration affirmed this for me. It was truly the most spiritually alive Divine Liturgy of my life. Glory be to God for all He provides for us.


Here are some thoughts from Elder Porphyrios:

When you find Christ, you are satisfied, you desire nothing else, you find peace. You become a different person. You live everywhere, wherever Christ is. You live in the stars, in infinity, in heaven with the angels, with the saints, on earth with people, with plants, with animals, with everyone and everything. when there is love for Christ, loneliness disappears. You are peaceable, joyous, full. Neither melancholy, nor illness, nor pressure, nor anxiety, nor depression nor hell.

Source: Wounded By Love, pp 99 - 100 

 

 

Love for All

There is one thing, O Christ, that I want, one thing I desire, one thing I ask for, and that is to be with You. Elder Porphyrios

If your aim is to be one with Christ, what are you to do? First, be alive with faith. It is essential to have a craving to be one with God. According to His teaching, you must show love towards all your friends, enemies, as well as all your neighbors. You must strive endlessly to live a life where you are continually trying to live as Christ lived. Knowing this is most difficult, the Church provides the help you need through its Liturgical cycle of services, its sacraments and teachings about prayer and fasting. This love is expressed through your commitment to His Church, your obedience to its teachings, which is then expressed in your love for others. There is a process of purification that is necessary to be able to do this. For most of us we must first come to terms with our sinfulness and not live in denial of it.


Elder Porphyrios says,

One thing is our aim –– love for Christ, for the Church, for our neighbor. Love, worship of, and craving for God, the union with Christ and towards one's neighbor, towards everyone, including enemies. The Christian feels for everyone, he wants all to be saved, all to taste the Kingdom of God. That is Christianity: through love for our brother to arrive at love for God. to the extent that we are worthy, divine grace comes through our brother. When we love our brother we love the Church and therefore Christ. And we too are within the Church. therefore when we love the Church we love ourselves.

To see the Church as Christ and to place my trust in Her was the most significant and most difficult thing I ever did in my life. I had to learn to face my own sinfulness and become obedient to the Orthodox Way of Life as set forth by the Church. Once I did this, then other worldly love was continually nurtured and my failings exposed. This step demands a leap of faith along with a spiritual father to be one's guide. Its not easy, but be assured that the Orthodox Church has all the means to help us in this process that can best be described as a surrender.

Quotes from Wounded By Love, p 97

Are You In Love?

What is it like when you are in love? Nothing disturbs you. You only think about your lover and all else blurs into the background. This is true also with when we fall in love with Christ.


Elder Porphyrios says,

If you are in love, you can live amid the hustle and bustle of the city center and not be aware you are in the city center... Imagine the person you love is Christ Christ is in your mind, Christ is in your heart, Christ is in your whole being, Christ is everywhere.

This is our challenge. To love Christ is is to lift us above all our earthly concerns, to experience continual joy no matter how difficult a situation we face, no matter what turmoil is taking place around us. This is the way life was meant to be lived.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Whoever loves Christ and other people truly lives life. Life without Christ is death; it is hell, not life. Life is Christ. Love is the life of Christ. Either you will be in life or in death. It's up to you to decide.

Isn't this the only answer to all the anxiety of our present world situation? When I live with Christ as my true lover, there is no room for anxiety. But when others take His position then I find myself filled with anxiety. Oh, how I yearn for the wisdom to live in this world with this other worldly love.
Lord have Mercy!

Quotes from Wounded By Love, p 97

 

Christ is Paradise

"Divine Grace is constantly knocking at the door of our soul and waiting for us to open so that it can enter our thirsty heart and fill it." Elder Porphyrios

The whole point of our annual cycle of Lent, Holy Week and then Pascha celebration is to open our hearts so that they can be filled with Divine Grace. This is our purpose on earth. We must continually seek to be united with Christ–-to enter into His light. Elder Porphyrios says that Christ is Paradise and we are to enter it here and now.

Christ is Paradise my children. What is Paradise? It is Christ. Paradise begins here and now. It is exactly the same: those who experience Christ here on earth, experience Paradise. That's the way it is, just as I tell you. This is right, it's true, believe me! Our task is to attempt to find a way to enter into the light of Christ.

We must push ourselves to learn how to enter into His light each and every day. The way taught by our Church fathers involves great effort. This includes fasting an prayer. We fast regularly on Wednesday and Friday and pray daily according to a specific rule of prayer. We worship and participate regularly in the sacraments, especially Holy Confession and Holy Communion. As Saint Paul continually reminds us, we are engaged in spiritual warfare and we must prepare ourselves for this contest no less than an athlete preparing for the Olympics. God's grace is given freely, but we must be prepared and open to receive it, and then be able to act on it.


Elder Porphyrios says,

The essence of the matter is for us to be with Christ; for our soul to wake up and love Christ and become holy.

Quotes from Wounded by Love, p 96,97

 

What is Divine Love?

We have been though a long fasting period, experienced the Crucifixion of our Lord and then the joy of His Resurrection and the promise of our own resurrection. The joy of this celebration cannot be fully expressed. We find that there is a love within us that no one can take away from us. It is the Christ who lives within each of us.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Christ is everything. He is our love. He is the object of our desire. This passionate longing for Christ is a love that cannot be taken away. This is where joy flows from.

How do you experience this joy? When we encounter Christ within we feel as if we are intoxicated with spiritual wine of the best vintage. We find it difficult to contain and impossible to express. The challenge we all face after this great celebration is to let his joy flow out from us in an outpouring of our love for each other.


This joy can be maintained though an Orthodox Way of Life. Review it. Continually evaluate your current activities and gradually bring them in line with this joy you experience from the Pascha celebration.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Fast as much as you can, make as many prostrations as you can, attend as many vigils as you like, but be joyful. Have Christ's joy. It is the joy that lasts forever, that brings eternal happiness. It is the joy of our Lord that gives assured serenity, serene delight and full happiness. All joyful joy that surpasses every joy. Christ desires and delights in scattering joy, in enriching his faithful with joy. I pray that your joy may be full.

Quotes from Wounded by Love, p 96

 

Love of Christ and Prayer

I said to the elder, "They are constantly saying prayers at the monastery. They are always saying the Jesus prayer. While at their various chores they recite supplications and salutations. They do this for whole hours at a time. After this they go to the Church for services.

"I cant stand it any more. My mind has become tired. I feel that I am about to burst. But Never the less I want to become a monk. What will I do? Help me."

The Elder said,

A young girl used to come here and confess her sins. She was in her second grade of Junior High School. She told me once, 'Father, I have fallen in love with a boy and I can't get him out of my mind. My mind is constantly on him, on Nick. One would think that Nick is here, (she pointed with her finger to her forehead). I begin to read and Hick is here. I go to eat and to sleep but nothing changes. Nick is here. What can I do father?'"

"My child," I told her, "you are still young. Be patient, finish school and then Nick will still be here. Now you must put effort into your lessons. A week passed and she came again."

"Dear Father, It's impossible for me to concentrate on my lessons. Constantly all day long my mind and my heart are on Nick. Nick has become an obsession with me and it won't go away."

(As he was saying these things, I was thinking, "What connection do these things have with me? Maybe he is telling me these things to give me a respite from my obsession.")

The elder continued, (while reading my thoughts) "you are now saying, why is he telling me these things?"

"But nevertheless, tell me, please."

"Did this girl sit on a stool? Did she force herself to focus her mind on Nick? No.

"This happened spontaneously. This was unforced love.

"This same happens with us. When we love Christ with divine love, without any coercion, pressure of worry, with love we will proclaim His holy name, 'Lord Jesus Christ.'

"And when the heart is flooded by this divine love, it does not require us to verbalize the whole prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.'

Before he finishes the prayer the heart stops at that point of love and rejoicing.

Other times he proclaims only the "Lord..." and stops. He proclaims this mystically and without speaking."

In saying these things he gave me an answer to my first question that was not expressed verbally. I had only thought it without verbalizing it.

I was flabbergasted. I was totally amazed at his responses. A divine flame enveloped my inner being and I felt the desire to begin proclaiming within my heart the ineffable love I had for the name of our Christ.

From the Divine Flame: Elder Porphyrios Lit my Heart, by the monk Agapios, pp 25-26, Published by the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the savior, Athens 2005.

When Christ Enters Our Heart Life Changes

The Way of Love is the simplest and most direct way to join in union with Christ. Through our love of Him we are sanctified.

Elder Porphyrios says,

Whoever experiences Christ within himself, experiences ineffable things––holy and sacred things. He lives in exultation.

 

With Christ as our lover there is no loneliness. We find peace and joy. The thought of Christ permeates everything. We find patience and have endurance of everything.

Elder Porphyrios says that with our love of Christ even our passions disappear. There is no longer possibility for hatred, dislikes, anxieties or depressions. Not even death concerns us. He says this longing we have for Christ makes even death seem like a bridge what we can cross in an instant to continue our life in Christ We find ourselves in Christ and Him in us.

With our Love of Him there is no longer pain or suffering. Our craving for God, our passionate love for Him, overcomes all pain.

He says

Divine craving defeats every pain, and so every pain is transformed and becomes love of Christ. Love Christ and He will love you All pains will pass away, they will be defeated and transformed.

Everything is transformed by this love.

The love of God transforms everything; it sanctifies, amends and changes the nature of everything.

Reference: Wounded by Love, pp 99-100

Love and Fear of God

When we are called to communion in the divine Liturgy we hear, "With the fear of God, faith and love draw near." This implies two quite dimensions in our approach to God. One is fear and the other love. How can we both fear and have love?

The first requirement is faith. This is the starting point. The second is fear of God. Why? We must have total respect for His infinite power. He both gives live and takes it. With love, through His grace, we enter Paradise and without it we condemn ourselves to hell.

What is Paradise? Elder Porphyrios tells us,

It is Christ. Paradise begins here and now. It is exactly the same: those who experience Christ here on earth, experience Paradise... Our task is to attempt to find a way to enter into the light of Christ.

With this "light of Christ" we are blessed with immense joy of His love. Elder Porphyrios tells us that what Christ wants most of all is "to fill us with joy, because He is the well-spring of joy. This joy is a gift of Christ."

This gift is always waiting for us. To receive it is true life –– a life in Christ.


Elder Porphyrios says,

Christ is the source of life, the source of joy, the source of the true light, everything. whoever loves Christ and other people truly lives life. Life without Christ is death: it is hell, not life. That is what hell is––the absence of love. Life is Christ. Love is the life of Christ. Either you will be in life or death. Its up to you to decide.

The fear comes from our recognition of the awesome responsibility we have to love others. As Elder Porphyrios says, "It is up to you to decide." Do you want life or death? Do you want Paradise or hell?


It's up to each of us!

Quotes from Wounded by Love, p 96 & 97

The Way of Love: Christ is Our Love, Our Desire

One of the ways Christians seek unity with God is by what I term the Way of Love. This is where the emphasis is paced on the love of Christ. It is the way of the heart. It is a spiritual path following the first commandment:

“You hall love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind” (Matt 22:37-8).

One who lived and taught this approach was Elder Porphyrios. His teaching has been recored for us in the wonderful book put together from his talks titled, Wounded by Love.

Elder Porphyrios continually emphasizes that our first thought should always be love of God. He says,

Christ is joy, the true light, happiness. Christ is our hope. Our relation to Christ is love, eros, passion, enthusiasm, longing for the divine. Christ is everything. He is our love. He is the object of our desire. This passionate longing for Christ is a love that cannot be taken away. This is where joy flows from.

The Way of Love is the unending focus on love of Christ. Elder Porphyrios' method, is nothing more than loving Christ––Loving Him so much that nothing else takes precedence. In this way we overcome our ego, passions and evil. It is an all consuming love. Our mind has no room left for anything else but Christ.

He says,

Imagine that the person you love is Christ, Christ is in your mind, Christ is in your heart, Christ is in your whole being, Christ is everywhere.

He chooses to use the term “eros” for love. The term eros is commonly used to refer to a passionate, intense desire for someone. For Plato eros is a common desire we have for a transcendental beauty-–the beauty that exists in the world of Forms or Ideas. Platonic love is a love of the form of beauty-–not of a particular individual, but the element they posses of true (Ideal) beauty. For Plato, eros is initially the love felt for a person, but with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself.

In the case of Elder Porphryios we can think of both of these ideas. He is passionate in his love for Christ. He loves God with intensity, both as a person and also as an ideal for human kind. By his use of the word "eros" he puts the emphasis on the all consuming passion we must have for Christ.

In Greek Mythology Eros is the young son of Aphrodite depicted as a winged boy, considered to be both the most beautiful of the gods. When Eros falls in love with Psyche his radiance is such that for her own safety, he insists that she must never look upon his face, and he only visits her at night. Elder Porphyrios also sees Christ as the most beautiful of persons with a radiance that permeates all with his love and he received a radiance and gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are books filled with their testimonies to his holiness.

He says,

When you find Christ, you are satisfied, you desire nothing else, you find peace. You become a different person… Christ is in all your thoughts, in all your actions. You have grace and you can endure everything for Christ.

Saint Theophan the Recluse used the term "zeal" to express a similar thought to "eros". He wrote,

The testimony of this life that is visible or can be felt within us is the ardor of active zeal to lease God alone in a Christian manner, with total self-sacrifice...

The Way of Love is an insatiable desire to be with our lover who is Christ alone.

Reference: Wounded By Love pp 96 -97

 

 

Do We Need To Suffer?

Every physical and spiritual task which does not involve pain, toil and trouble never bears fruit for the person who engages in it, for the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by violence and the violent lay hold of it (Matt 11:12). - Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

Does this mean that must suffer to become a Christian? Well, if we really love someone, are we not willing to make sacrifices for the well being of that person? If our lover is Christ, then surely we must be willing to suffer to carry out His will. The most extreme examples we have are the many martyrs of the Church, men and women who gave their physical lives standing witness to their God. But what does this mean that the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by violence? Our violence must be against our sinful tendencies. It must be our fierce struggle to carry out His will no matter hour our own desires are compromised or threatened. For most of us our suffering is voluntary in our ascetic disciplines to purify our inner being so we can open our hearts with love to our God.


Elder Porphyrios says,

When you love Christ you exert yourself, but in blessed exertions. You suffer, but with joy. You make prostrations and pray because these are things you crave for with divine craving. They are at once pain and longing, passion and yearning and exaltation and joy and love. Prostrations and vigils and fastings are exertions which are made for the Beloved, exertions in order to experience Christ. But this exerction is not made under duress; you dont protest and rebel. Whatever you do under compulsion is very harmful both to you and to the work you are doing. The pressure and coercion provoke opposition. Exertion for Christ, true desire for Christ, is love, sacrifice and dissolution of self.

We need to ask ourselves if we are "inflamed by love for Christ." Are we willing to make sacrifices, to voluntarily suffer, to carry out the will of God?


Elder Porphyrios says,

Do we run to the beloved when we are exhausted to find rest in prayer, or do we do it as a burdensome duty and say, 'Now I have to do my prayers and prostrations...?' What is missing when we feel like this? Divine eros is what's missing. Prayer of this kind is not worth the saying. Indeed it could even be harmful.

To join with Christ in love requires a worthiness. We must be able to do what He instructs us to do––to love others. This requires a spiritual violence and much dedicated effort which involves setting aside many of our own desires and physical pleasures. In our Love of God we seek to do everything possible to perfect ourselves to become worthy of His love.


I must admit that I most often avoid suffering and most often favor my own self interests. In this I struggle.


Quotes from Wounded By Love by Elder Porphyrios

Through Prayer We Unite our Mind With God

To be able to have our mind continually turned towards God in love we must pray and meditate on His words. Elder Porphyrios advises that prayer is not based on our effort. It is only done with the Holy Spirit. He says, “In human prayer effort represents only a time millionth part.”

He says we need to have the proper surroundings

The reading of Scripture, the singing of psalms, the light of an oil lamp, and the fragrance of incense all create the appropriate atmosphere so that everything happens naturally, in simplicity of heart.

It is important to create a quiet place in our homes for our daily prayer.

He advises us to pray for the divine light to shine within us to open our spiritual eyes to understand His divine words. To pray the words, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us,” we need divine eros, he says.

Love is sufficient to bring us into a suitable frame of mind for prayer. Christ will come on His own and He will stoop over our soul as long as he finds certain little things which gratify Him: good intention, humility and love….

There are some preconditions for this to take place. He advises,

Our heart must be pure and free from all impediments. It must be devoid of hatred, egotism and malice. We must love His and He must love us…. the secret is to ask for forgiveness.

The message is always the same. Love. Love God with all your heart and you will receive His grace. You will have a pure heart and your mind will be suitable for prayer. No effort will be needed.

Christ as our Bridegroom

A common and powerful image is Christ as the Bridegroom of our soul. Of course the other side of this is that our soul is His bride. A bride's innocent and total love for the one she wishes to marry is brought to mind in this image. There are important implications of this. Christ as the bridegroom of our soul implies that our soul follows Christ in everything. There is a devotion that begs of a union with Him.


Elder Porphyrios says,

There is nothing higher in life than love for Christ. Whatever we desire we find in Christ. Christ is everything: all joy, all gladness, all Paradise. When we have Christ within us, we possess all magnificence. The soul that is in love with Christ is always joyful and happy, however much pain and sacrifice this may cost.

The Elder points out that a bride stays awake and dreams of her bridegroom. Even when she sleeps her dreams are of Him. All her actions express her love and total devotion.
He says,

She adores and worships Him. Do you understand? Worship must spring from the whole soul and whole heart. What does that mean? Your only thought must be of God. But the thought of God is unlike other thoughts. It is different. It is a kind of worship of Christ. This is the thought that beguiles and delights. It is not something that is done under duress. You feel a spiritual delight and pleasure. It's not like the homework a child does for school. It is like the passionate love between two people, but higher and spiritual.

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