Oración , Preghiera , Priére , Prayer , Gebet , Oratio, Oração de Jesus

On illness by Elder Porphyrios

2012-02-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

I thank God for granting me many illnesses. [1] I often say to Him: ‘My Christ, Your love knows no limits!’ How I am alive is a miracle. Among all my other illnesses I also have cancer of the pituitary gland. A tumour appeared there which has grown and presses against the optic nerve. That’s why I don’t see any more. I am in dreadful pain. But I pray, taking up the Cross of Christ with patience. Have you seen what my tongue is like? It has grown; it’s not as it used to be. That’s also a result of the cancer I’ve got in my head. And as time goes on, things will get worse. It will grow even more and I’ll have difficulty in speaking. I’m 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 am sinful and God is trying to purify me.

I feel illness as the love of Christ

‘My Christ, Your love knows no limits!’

When I was sixteen years old I asked God to give me a serious illness, a cancer, so that I would suffer for His love and glorify Him through my pain. I made this prayer for a long time. But my elder told me that this was egotism and that I was coercing God. God knows what He is doing. So I didn’t continue with this prayer. But, you see, God did not forget my request and He gave me this benefaction after so many years!

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 sufferings through my great love. I have the chastisement of God: For the Lord chastises the one He loves. [2] My illness is a special favour from God, who is inviting me to enter into the mystery of His love and to try to respond with His own grace. But I am not worthy. You’ll say to me, ‘Don’t all these things that God reveals to you make you worthy?’ These rather condemn me. Because these are things that belong to the grace of God. There is nothing of my own. God gave me many gifts, but I did not respond; I proved myself unworthy. But I have not abandoned my efforts, not even for a moment. Perhaps God will give me His help so that I can give myself to His love.

That’s why I do not pray for God to make me well. I pray for Him to make me good. I’m certain that God knows that I am in pain. But 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, and nor will I accept surgery. I will leave God to sort things out. The only thing I do is to try to become good. This is what I ask you to pray for me. The grace of God sustains me. I try to give myself to Christ, to approach Christ and to be one with Christ. This is what I desire, but I haven’t succeeded — and I don’t say this out of humility. But I don’t lose my courage. I persevere. I pray for God to forgive my sins. I’ve heard many people saying, ‘I’m unable to pray.’ I haven’t suffered this. Only on the day that I was disobedient on the Holy Mountain did I suffer that.

It doesn’t concern me how long I will live or whether I will live. That is something I have left to God’s love. It often happens that you don’t want to remember death. It’s because you desire life. That, from one point of view, is a proof of the immortality of the soul. But whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. [3] Death is a bridge which will lead us to Christ. As soon as we close our eyes, we will open them on eternity. We will appear before Christ. In the next life we will experience the grace of God more intensely.

I felt great joy at the thought that I would meet the Lord

Once I came to the point of death. I had suffered severe perforation of the stomach as a result of the steroids I was given in hospital when I went for an operation on my eye — which I lost in the end. At that time I was living in a little hut; the monastery had not yet been built. I was so exhausted that I didn’t know whether it was day or night. I came to the point of death and yet I survived. I lost a lot of weight and had no appetite. For three months I survived with three spoons of milk a day. I was saved by a goat!

I lived with the thought of leaving this world. I felt great joy at the thought that I would meet the Lord. I had a very deep sense of the presence of God. And God desired at that time to strengthen and comfort me with something very blessed. Every so often I would feel that my soul was about to depart. I saw in the sky a star which twinkled and emitted sweet rays of light. It was bright and very sweet. It was so beautiful! Its light possessed a great sweetness. Its colour was a light sky blue, like a diamond, like a precious stone. Whenever I saw it I was filled with comfort and joy because I felt that the whole Church — the Triune Godhead, our Lady, the angels and the saints — was contained in that star. I had the sense that in it were contained all the souls of all my loved ones, of my elders. I believed that when I would leave this life I, too, would go to that star through the love of God, not through my virtues. I wanted to believe that God, who loves me, revealed it to me in order to tell me, ‘I’m waiting for you!’

I didn’t want to think about hell and about tollgates. [4] I didn’t remember my sins, although I had many. I set them aside. I remembered only the love of God and was glad. And I made entreaty, ‘O my God, for the sake of your love, may I also be there. But if on account of my sins I must go to hell, may your love place me wherever it wishes. It is sufficient for me to be with You.’ For so many years I lived in the desert with love for Christ. I said to myself: ‘If you go to heaven and God says to you, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe? [5] What do you want here?” I’ll reply, “Whatever You want, my Lord, whatever Your love desires; place me wherever Your love wishes. I abandon myself to Your love. If You want to place me in hell, then do so, only don’t let me lose Your love.”’

I had an acute sense of my sinfulness, and that’s why I constantly repeated to myself the prayer of Saint Symeon the New Theologian:

I know, Saviour, that none other

has, as I have, sinned against You,

nor done the deeds that I have done.

But this again I surely know:

neither magnitude of errors,

nor multitude of transgressions,

can surpass my God’s great patience

and His love for man unbounded. [6]

What the prayer says are not our own words. We are unable to conceive and express such words. They were written by saints. But our soul needs to embrace these words written by the saints and to sense and experience them. I also like the other words of the prayer:

Neither tears shed in my weeping

nor the slightest falling tearlet,

O my God, escapes Your notice,

O my Maker, my Redeemer.

And my work yet unaccomplished

is to Your eyes already known

and all the things I’ve not yet done

are for You already written,

in Your book already entered.

Look down on my humbled being

look on my so great contrition

and forgive me my transgressions,

all my sins, O God of all things…

I repeated this prayer continually and intensely to escape from these thoughts. The more I repeated it, the more, up in the infinity of space, appeared the star, my comfort. It came all these days that I was suffering. And when it appeared, my soul took wings and I said to myself: ‘My star has come!’ It felt as if it were drawing me up from the earth towards it. I felt great joy when I saw it. I didn’t want to think of my sins, as I’ve said, because these would exclude me from this mystery. Only once, once only, did I sense that the star was empty, it wasn’t twinkling, it wasn’t full. I realized what it was. It was from the ‘contrary one’. I ignored him, and turned my mind elsewhere. I spoke to my sister about some jobs that were to be done. After a while I saw it shining brightly again. Joy came again even more intensely within me.

All that time I had fearful pains throughout my body. Other people saw that I was dying. I had given myself over to the love of God. I did not pray to be released from the pains. My desire was for God to have mercy on me. I had leant on Him, and I waited for His grace to work. I was not afraid of death. For I would go to Christ. As I’ve told you, I repeated constantly the prayer of Saint Symeon the New Theologian, but not in a selfish spirit, and not for my health to be restored. I sensed every single word of the prayer.

The secret in illness is to struggle to acquire the grace of God

We benefit greatly from our illnesses, as long as we endure them without complaint and glorify God, asking for His mercy. When we become ill, the important thing is not that we don’t take medicines or that we go and pray to Saint Nektarios. We need also to know the other secret, namely, to struggle to acquire the grace of God. This is the secret. Grace will teach us all the other things, namely, how to abandon ourselves to Christ. That is, we ignore the illness, we do not think about it, we think about Christ, simply, imperceptibly and selflessly and God works His miracle for the good of our soul. Just as we say in the Divine Liturgy, ‘we commend all our life to Christ our God.’

But we need to wish to ignore the illness. If we don’t wish to, it’s difficult. We can’t simply say, ‘I ignore it’. And so although we think that we are ignoring it and giving no thought to it, in point of fact we have it in our mind continually and we cannot find peace within ourselves. Let me prove this to you. We say: ‘I believe that God will cure me. I won’t take any medicine. I’ll stay awake all night and I’ll pray to God about it and He will hear me.’ We pray all night long, we make entreaty, we call on and coerce God and all the saints to make us well. We go to one place and another. With all these things don’t we show that we are far from ignoring the illness? The more we insist and blackmail the saints and God to make us well, the more acutely we feel our illness. The more we strive to get rid of it, the more we feel it. And so we achieve nothing. And we have the impression that a miracle will happen, and yet, in reality, we don’t believe it, and so we do not become better.

We pray and we don’t take medicine, but we don’t find any peace and no miracle happens. But you will say: ‘What do you mean that I don’t believe? Don’t you see I haven’t taken any medicine?’ And yet, at bottom, we have doubt and fear within us and we think to ourselves, ‘Will it really happen?’ Here the words of Scripture hold good: If you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘be lifted up and thrown into the sea’, it will be done. [7] When faith is real, whether you take medicine or not, the grace of God will act. And God acts through doctors and medicines. The Wisdom of Sirach says: Honour the physician with the honours due to him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him. The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a man of sense will not despise them. And give the physician his place, for the Lord created him; let him not leave you, for there is need of him. [8]

The whole secret is faith — without doubts, gentle, simple and artless: in simplicity and artlessness of heart. [9] It is not a question of ‘will power’ or ‘mind over matter’. A fakir can display this kind of ‘will power’. It is a question of having faith that God loves us with infinite love and wants us to become His own. That is why He allows illnesses, until we surrender ourselves in trust to Him.

If we love Christ, all things will change in our lives. We do not love Him in order to receive some reward such as health. Rather we love Him out of gratitude, without thinking of anything, only of the love of God. Nor should we pray with any ulterior motive and say to God: ‘Make such-and-such a person well, so that he may come close to You.’ It is not right to point out ways and means to God. How can we presume to say to God, ‘make me well’? What can we tell to Him who knows everything? We will pray, but God may not wish to listen to us.

A person asked me a little while ago, ‘When will I get well?’

‘Ah,’ I told him, ‘if you say, “When will I get well?” then you never will get well. It’s not right to entreat God about such things. You entreat anxiously for God to take the illness from you, but then the illness lays even tighter hold on you. We mustn’t ask for this. Nor should you pray about this.’

He was taken aback and said, ‘Do you mean I shouldn’t pray?’

‘Not at all,’ I answered. ‘On the contrary, pray a great deal, but for God to forgive your sins and to give you strength to love Him and to give yourself to Him. Because the more you pray for the illness to leave you, the more it adheres to you, winds its tentacles around you and squeezes you, and becomes inseparable from you. If, of course, you feel an inner human weakness, then you may humbly entreat the Lord to take the illness from you.’

Let us abandon ourselves in trust to the love of God

When we surrender ourselves to Christ, our spiritual organism finds peace, with the result that all our bodily organs and glands function normally. All these are affected. We become well and cease to suffer. Even if we have cancer, if we leave everything to God and our soul finds serenity, then divine grace may work through this serenity and cause the cancer and everything else to leave.

Stomach ulcers, you know, are caused by stress. The sympathetic system, when it is subjected to pressure, is constricted and suffers harm and so the ulcer is created. With stress, pressure, distress, anxiety, an ulcer or cancer comes about. When there are confusions in our soul, these have influence on our body and our health suffers.

The most perfect way is not to pray for our health — not to pray to become well, but to become good. That is what I pray for myself. Do you hear? I don’t mean to be good in the sense of virtuous, but in the sense of acquiring divine zeal, of abandoning ourselves in trust to God’s love, and of praying rather for our soul. And we mean our soul as it is incorporated in the Church, whose head is Christ, along with all our fellow men and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And I open my arms and pray for all people. When I am about to receive Holy Communion, as I am standing before the Holy Chalice, I open my soul to receive the Lord, and I bow my head and I pray for you, for this person and that, and for the whole Church. You should do the same. Do you understand? Don’t pray for your health. Don’t say, ‘O Lord, make me well.’ No! Rather say, ‘Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, with selflessness, with love and without expecting anything. ‘Lord, whatever Your love desires…’ Only in this way will you act from now on, loving Christ and our brothers and sisters. Love Christ. Become saints. Throw yourselves into becoming friends with Christ, into His love alone, into divine eros.

Isn’t perhaps this what is happening to me, since I feel this zeal and adoration? Even though I feel that my body has rotted away, I don’t succumb to my illness, not even to my cancer, I shouldn’t speak, but my love for you and for the whole world doesn’t allow me to remain silent. When I speak, my lungs remain without oxygen and that’s very bad because the heart is harmed. I have suffered something much worse than a heart attack. And yet I live. Isn’t that an intervention of God? Yes, and I am obedient to God’s will, to my illness. I suffer without complaint and… with annoyance at myself because no one is devoid of uncleanness. [10] I’m in a bad state. My spirit is also sick.

I say to a hermit with whom I am in contact, ‘Pray for me. I love you. Love me too and pity me and pray for me and God will have mercy on me.’

‘You’re the one who should pray,’ he says to me.

‘I’m beginning now to be unable to do all that I did for so many years,’ I tell him. What does the hymn say?

My mind is sorely wounded, my body has grown enfeebled,

my spirit is sick, my speech has lost its power,

my life is brought to death; the end is at the door.

And so, O wretched soul of mine, what will you do

when the Judge appears before you to investigate your deeds? [20]

This hymn reflects my present state. I think that if I hadn’t done this or that I wouldn’t be in pain now, I would be close to Christ. I say this about myself because I’m thoughtless…

If you want to enjoy good health and live for many years, then listen to what Solomon the Wise has to say: Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the counsel of saints is understanding; for to know the law is the mark of a sound mind, for in this way you will live long and years of your life will be added to you.’ [21] This is the secret: for us to acquire this wisdom, this knowledge, and then everything functions smoothly, all things are put in order and we will live with joy and health.

Footnotes

[1] The holy Elder suffered from the following illnesses: myocardial infarction (anterior diaphragm with lateral ischaemia), chronic kidney disease, duodenal ulcer (with repeated perforations), operated cataract (loss of lens and blindness), herpes zoster (shingles) on the face, staphylococcus dermatitis on the hand, inguinal hernia (frequently strangulated), chronic bronchitis and cancer of the pituitary gland. Cf. Dr. Georgios Papazachou in an article in the periodical Synaxis, 41 (Jan–Mar) 1992, 93.

[2] Heb. 12:6.

[3] Rom. 14:8.

[4] A theory that a soul after death has to pass through a series of ‘tollgates’ where it is interrogated about a variety of sins.

[5] Matt. 22:12.

[6] Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion, Prayer 7.

[7] Matt. 21:21.

[8] Sir. 38:1, 4, 12.

[9] Wisd. 1:1.

[10] Cf. Job 14:4.

[11] Great Canon by Saint Andrew of Crete (1st troparion of the 9th Ode).

[12] Prov. 9:10–11.

From Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios, pp. 224-231, as edited from an archive of notes and recordings by the Sisters of the Holy Convent of Chrysopigi (Life-Giving Spring).

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Testimony of Hieromonk Athanasios about ELDER PORPHYRIOS

2012-02-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

ELDER PORPHYRIOS

Testimonies and Experiences

Conversations with Greek and Cypriot friends

Hieromonk Athanasios,
of the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi. Principal of Mt. Athos (1/6/91-31/5/92).
Now Abbot of the Holy Convent of Panagia Machaira-Cyprus.

=============================================================

K.I.: One of the most significant elders of our day, Elder Porphyrios, passed away on Mt. Athos, at Kavsokalyvia, where he began his monastic life. I would like to ask you, Father Athanasios, to tell us a few words about the last hours of the holy Elder's earthly life.

Fr. A: The Holy Skete of Kavsokalyvia is one of the most distant and remote Sketes of Mt. Athos, and Elder Porphyrios received the monastic schema there.

Having distinguished himself with his great gifts of grace, he also foresaw his death. This is why he returned to the Holy Mountain, so his life could end there.

Truly, on the evening of Sunday, 1st December 1991, his health started to worsen. He therefore called together his company of fathers and urged them to pray in order to help his life come to end and for him to surrender his soul to God.

All the fathers gathered together at one o'clock in the morning and began to read and pray the Service of the Departure of the Soul, as Elder Porphyrios had requested. Afterwards, he himself, as the fathers who were present told me, made a public confession before all of them. When the priest read him the prayer of forgiveness, at 4.31 on the morning of 2nd December 1991, he gave up his soul to God.

On that same day, he received Holy Communion and so was totally ready. Two days earlier, knowing that he was leaving the world, he asked not to be disturbed by anyone.

He no longer received visitors or telephone calls. The only ones present were the fathers who ministered to his needs.

K.I.: You said, Fr. Athanasios, that he knew about his death. How do we know that?

Fr. A: He would say to all the fathers who went to Kavsokalyvia to visit him that he was preparing to depart from the world. He asked them to pray that he might have a "good defense before the dreaded judgment seat of Christ." This was the phrase he specifically used. He bade farewell to all the fathers who visited him. He told them he was leaving this life and he sought their prayers. "Pray, pray", he kept saying to them. What concerned him was his appearance before God.

K.I.: We'll now talk about the great gifts that Elder Porphyrios received from God.

Fr. A: Elder Porphyrios, apart from everything else, had to a great degree both the gift of discernment as well as the gift of foresight. He could see into the soul of every person and what concerned them, the problems they faced and the specific purpose why they had gone to see him in order to get his advice. He also saw events that would happen in the future or that had happened in the past.
Just as he himself would say, God's grace would show him places, buildings, faces, things and events. He would see them all as if they were present. During the last years of his life, he was blind. He could not see with his physical eyes. He could only see with the eyes of his soul.

K.I.: I had the great blessing to have known Elder Porphyrios. I personally felt from my very first encounter with him, that this holy man really lived in two worlds, while still here in this life. So, when I was informed about his death, I knew he simply withdrew.

Fr. A: Elder Porphyrios like every grace filled person, had reached such a high degree of intimacy with God that he could die at any moment he wanted, just as they said about St. Basil.

I believe that the same thing happened with Elder Porphyrios. This is the impression he gave to anyone who approached him. It even happened to me. Every time I met him, I would say that I saw a physically dead man before me. Still, here was a man of amazing clarity and with a surprising ability for prophecy and foresight.

One gets this kind of_gift after much spiritual struggle and after a cleansing of one's life. One gets it after extreme humility and complete love towards God. Man then becomes an instrument in the hands of God. That person no longer has anything that would remind us of the fallen condition of Man.

K.I.: Is it possible for us to say, Fr. Athanasios, that Elder Porphyrios, having reached such a level of holiness, is now amongst the "cloud of saints"?

Fr. A:We certainly are able to say this because the catholic conscience of the Church has already said it. All those who knew him witness and confess to the holiness of the man. The abundance of miracles performed by him proclaim that he is a saint, one of the saints of our Church.

For every person who approached him, Elder Porphyrios was a revelation. This also happened with the non-Orthodox. I would like to tell you a very characteristic story.

Once, when we were at New Skete, we were hosting a Catholic monk who had come to Mt. Athos to learn more about how the monks live, the ascetic life and the general polity of Mt. Athos. We told him about Elder Porphyrios and when he went to Athens he went to meet him.

When Elder Porphyrios saw him, without asking him anything, he began to describe this monk's monastery in Italy and their way of life there. He even described a neighboring convent. He saw all the monks and nuns there and mentioned each one of them in specific detail.
The monk was literally dumbfounded because it was the first time in his life that he had met such a man. When he returned to Mt. Athos, he told us, "If someone had told me about these things; that he had seen and heard these things, I would never believe it. How is it possible for this person who lives in Greece to describe our monastery in Northern Italy in detail, to tell me all those details, to tell me about the monks, to tell me about the nuns, each one of them individually?" As this monk told us, when he asked Elder Porphyrios how he was able to see all these things, he answered him: "God's grace reveals the mysteries to us, the Orthodox."
K.I.: "Wondrous is God in His saints."

Fr. A: I had, as I told you, God's great blessing to meet him many times and to see events of his miraculous life up close. I'll tell you just one, as an example.

One day we went by boat to see the Elder at Kavsokalyvia. He was sick, so we only visited him for a short while. We hardly spoke, and then he asked us to leave. Since we had only come for his blessing, we decided to leave Kavsokalyvia immediately.

As we left his cell and walked down towards the main church (about a ten minute walk), we were joined by one of his monks. He thought that we were upset because the Elder had asked us to leave. At one point he said "Stay a little longer. It is morning, and usually the Elder does not feel very well in the morning. He feels much better in the afternoon. I believe that he'll be able to see you in the afternoon so that you won't have come for nothing."

As soon as he said this, the phone rang there where we were by the Church. The administrator answered it, and called for the Elder's disciple, who had, as I told you, joined us. Elder Porphyrios wanted him on the telephone. So, really, he went to the telephone and answered it. He heard Elder Porphyrios say, "Why are you telling the visitors to stay until the afternoon when I’ll feel better and will be able to speak with them, since I've told them to leave? The sea will be stormy this afternoon and they won't be able to leave." We naturally obeyed and left immediately. And, indeed, a little while afterwards the sea was so rough that had we been in the boat we would have been in great danger.

K.I.: This is one incident that shows the heights which Elder Porphyrios had reached. All this, so we can see how faith talks. "I believed that which I said."

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Articles from or about Elder Porphyrios

2012-02-28T11:32:00.001-08:00

Wounded by Love - (WBL)

On Dispositions of the Heart
» On Illness

ELDER PORPHYRIOS

Testimonies and Experiences

Elder Porphyrios – Prophet of our time

Elder Porphyrios On Problematic Spiritual Fathers

1. Take care which spiritual fathers you go to

A brother told me: Once, when my job was in a rural area, my wife had gone to a very strict spiritual father. When she had confessed a weakness of hers that she would have repeated, he berated her, he intimidated her and ever since that experience, it took her a very long time to decide to go to confession again.

"Do you see", the elderly Father said to him, "what excessive austerity can do? That's why I tell you, take care which spiritual fathers you go to for confession - both you and your wife as well as your children - and above all, be honest in whatever you say, because that way, God will forgive everything and you will move up, spiritually."

[Hieromonk Elder Porphyrios, COLLECTED COUNSELS, Published by the Sacred Nunnery Retreat The Transfiguration of the Saviour, 2002, page 337].
2. Some spiritual fathers commit a crime

Look, my child! Our God, in His desire to educate His children who believe, trust, love Him and worship Him, resorts to various ways, methods and plans. Among the plans of our God is also the imposition of rules, which of course always aspire to the salvation of our souls. The same applies in your case. We cannot change or delete God's plans. What is more, we cannot impose any on Him. But we can however ask of Him and beseech Him, and He, being the philanthropist that He is, can hearken to our prayers and shorten Time - or even dispense with it. Either way, it is up to Him. We ask for something, and He is the one who will approve.

Even so, these rules do not have the character of revenge or punishment, but of education - and they have nothing to do with the rules imposed by certain spiritual fathers during Confession, who, either out of excessive zeal or out of ignorance, exhaust the limits of punishment without realizing that in that way, they are committing a crime instead of doing any good. I always scold them and counsel them: No severe punishments, just sound advice. Because severe punishments will only supply the "other one" (the devil) with a large clientele; that is exactly what he lies in wait for, and always waits with open arms to receive them! He in fact even promises them impossible things....

That is why the choice of spiritual father demands extreme attention. Just as you would seek the best possible doctor, you should do the same for a spiritual father. They are both doctors - one is for the body, the other for the soul!

[Hieromonk Elder Porphyrios, COLLECTED COUNSELS, Published by the Sacred Nunnery Retreat The Transfiguration of the Saviour, 2002, page 337].
3. Pay attention to what you say to spiritual fathers

"Be careful what you say to the spiritual fathers that you have chosen for Confession. Because they don't know everything. They must be very wise, discerning and experienced. They must have God's spirit within them, in order to be able to solve your various problems."

It should be clarified here, that he was not referring to the simple, everyday sins that we all commit, but to the more profound meanings, like the prayer of the heart, the offensives of the wicked one, etc...

[Hieromonk Elder Porphyrios, COLLECTED COUNSELS, Published by the Sacred Nunnery Retreat The Transfiguration of the Saviour, 2002, page 342].
4. Some spiritual fathers can confuse you

"When you are a long way from the city", he said to a brother, "and you can't come here regularly, you should seek out a very good spiritual father there, to confess your sins. But whatever else preoccupies you with regard to the prayer of the heart or your thoughts, do not mention it to them, because some of them do not know everything and they can confuse you. You should come here and discuss the other issues with me."

[Hieromonk Elder Porphyrios, COLLECTED COUNSELS, Published by the Sacred Nunnery Retreat The Transfiguration of the Saviour, 2002, page 341].
5. Spiritual guides who are animated by a Papist spirit

I was discussing a related subject with him: It was about a certain "strict" spiritual father, who had refused to approve the wish of his spiritual child to visit the Elder Porphyrios and talk to him about a serious personal problem of his. This incident had made a painful impression on me and I told him about it. The Elder shook his head sadly and whispered: "What can I say? You see, he is also a spiritual father". The Elder was always very careful and lenient in his judgments of others - especially when it pertained to priests who made mistakes. In lieu of a characterization, he preferred to speak to me parabolically:

"You know, when a Papist missionary receives instructions for a mission, he gets onto a plane in Rome and when he arrives at the airport of an African country, that's where he opens a sealed envelope and reads what his mission involves - which he is obliged to execute, even if he disagrees with it. With us Orthodox it is not like that."

I understood - more or less - what he was trying to tell me. Besides, it wasn't the first time I had observed that there also exist in the Orthodox sphere several spiritual guides (fortunately few), who are essentially driven by a Papist mentality; who demand that their instructions be obeyed, in total disregard of the inner resistances of their spiritual children. They tend to cultivate a totalitarian mentality; because they themselves fear freedom they impose discipline, ignoring the fact that Orthodox obedience is the fruit of freedom. It wasn't long before that bossy compulsion brought on the inevitable results: That same spiritual child of the "strict" spiritual father eventually declared to his friends (who had exhorted him to go to the Elder Porphyrios) that he no longer desired to visit him. In one of my visits to the Elder, I said to him: "I think that the reason he doesn't come to you is not so much because he doesn't want to, but because he is showing obedience to his spiritual father."

The Elder surprised me, when he replied: "He is showing obedience, because the advice of his spiritual father satisfied his ego." It was the first time that I had ever heard the Elder speak so openly about a spiritual faux-pas. I knew he wasn't doing it because he felt personally offended. The Elder himself never invited people to visit him. (I knew of one exception only, and even that was on account of the fervent pleas by the friends of a certain prejudiced person who was suffering. It was essentially a response to their direct request for a meeting). The Elder did not seek to acquire followers; he simply helped out whoever sought his help at his cell. It is possible he spoke thus openly to me, because he wanted to reveal yet another example of deceitfulness by the devil, among the Christians. And it made me think: "So, the motive behind that person's obedience was the gratification of his ego."

[Hieromonk Elder Porphyrios, COLLECTED COUNSELS, Published by the Sacred Nunnery Retreat The Transfiguration of the Saviour, 2002, pages 387-389].
Source

Elder Porphyrios: "We Ought Not To Fear the Antichrist Or 666"

One day Elder Porphyrios had told me:

"Father Athanasios (taking me by the hand tightly), I'm blind now, my eyes do not work physically because I have cancer of the pituitary gland, but I have spiritual eyes and see. Before you leave, I want you to tell me, what did Elder Aemilianos say about 666 and the Antichrist?"

This was in the days of Chernobyl. People were upset by this and went by the dozens every day, particularly to Elder Porphyrios near Athens, asking: "What will happen? Will the Antichrist come and stamp us with 666"?

The Elder asked me: "Tell me, my child, what did Elder Aemilianos say about 666 and the Antichrist?"

I told him: "He told us in a gathering a few days ago to not worry. We should be interested in having a vibrant relationship with Christ and not give much attention to the Antichrist, because then he will become the center of our lives and not Christ."

Immediately the Elder hit his hands against his bed and said: "What did you say, my child, what did you say?! Glory to You, O God, that I found a spiritual father who agrees with me! My child, these spiritual fathers here in the world, what have they done?! They have upset souls and created many problems psychologically and with families with the 666. People in the world cannot sleep and are taking psychiatric drugs and sleeping pills in order to sleep. What is this thing? Christ does not want these things, my child. And can I tell you something?"

"What Elder?" I said.

He told me: "For us Christians, when we experience Christ there is no Antichrist. Tell me something, on this bed I sit here, can you also sit on it?"

I said to him: "No, Elder."

He asked: "Why?"

I responded: "Because if I sit on you I will crush you."

He asked again: "Will you never be able to sit here?"

I said to him: "When you leave, Elder, I can sit."

He said to me: "Precisely, my child. The same happens with our souls. When we have Christ inside us, can the Antichrist come? Can anything opposite this enter our souls? For this reason, my child, today we do not have Christ within us and because of this we worry about the Antichrist.

When Christ is within us, everything becomes Paradise. Christ is everything, my child, and the Opposer we should not fear; this you should always tell people. And let me tell you something. If the same Antichrist came now with a device that shot laser beams and sealed me by force with 666, I would not be upset. You will tell me, 'Elder, is this not the seal of the Antichrist?' Yes, but even if he wrote 666 on me a thousand times with laser beams, indelibly, I would not be upset.

Why? Because, my child, the first martyrs they cast to the wild beasts, and when they did their cross the wild beasts became like lambs. They cast them in the sea, but when they did their cross the sea became like dry land and they walked on it. They cast them in the fire, but when they did their cross the fire was cooled. My blessed child, what have we become today? Do we believe in Christ? In our cross? Why did Christ come? Didn't Christ come to strengthen us in our sicknesses?

This is what you should say to the Elder, my child. And you should tell the people to not fear the Antichrist. We are children of Christ, we are children of the Church."

All this made quite an impression on me.

And he added: "Can I tell you something?"

I said: "Please, Elder."

"Patriarch Demetrios, how did he come to Athens?"

"With an aeroplane", I said.

"Well, yes, I know he came with an aeroplane. Did you think the man swam over? With what documents?"

"With a passport, Elder", I said.

"Greek or Turkish?"

"I don't know", I said.

"Well, you play the wise man. He came with a Turkish one. And what is the emblem of Turkey, you know?"

I said: "I don't know, Elder."

"Now you have overdone it, not knowing the emblem of Turkey? It is the crescent. And do you know what the Fathers of the Church called the crescent after the appearance of Muhammad?"

"No, Elder", I said.

Jokingly he said: "Well, I should take your degree and tear it up. What kind of a theologian are you?

The crescent is a symbol of the Antichrist. If the crescent is a symbol of the Antichrist and the passport of the Patriarch has a symbol of the Antichrist (and in their seals, how many seals do they put inside and out?), does this mean our Patriarch is the Antichrist?

No, my child, no! Do not restrict the Gospel message so much! Christ is not as narrow-minded as us people who want to defend our opinions.

This is what you should tell the Elder and this is what you should tell the people: We ought not to fear the Antichrist or 666."

Source: Ανθολόγιο Συμβουλών Γέροντος Πορφυρίου, σελ. 71, 72-75, δ΄ έκδ. 2003.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Elder Daniel Gouvalis Interviewed About His Elder Porphyrios

Elder Porphyrios

ELDER PORPHYRIOS
Testimonies and Experiences

Archimandrite Daniel Gouvalis
Theologian, writer.

K.I.: Fr. Daniel, you had God's great blessing to have known Elder Porphyrios very well for many years. I would like to ask you first to give us an outline of his personality, and then we shall see manifestations of God's grace within his person.

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios was a gift from God towards the Church. He sent us great light within the darkness in which we live, through Elder Porphyrios. We thank the Lord for giving us such a great gift in our times, indeed, keeping him in life for eighty-six whole years.

You felt comfortable next to Elder Porphyrios. He pressured no-one. He wanted whoever came to him to do it out of their own free will. He always told confessors that when we as spiritual fathers guide the life-journey of those who confess to us, we must always respect their freedom. He always stressed that Christianity is freedom.

He often referred to the event according to which Christ once said something that scandalized many people. The result was they all started to leave until only the disciples remained. In which case the Lord told them that if they too would like to leave, they were free to do so. He quoted the Gospel of St. John, word for word , "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?"'( Jn.6:66- 7)

Elder Porphyrios had a highly cultivated ecclesiastical awareness. He respected Church people and the Church hierarchy. He said "If I fall out with the bishop, if the bishop is angry with me, my prayer won't rise up to heaven."

He loved hymnography very much. He studied and paid attention to the Canons for the great feasts, both of the Master and of the Mother of God. He carefully studied the meaning of each and every word of the Canon.

He frequently liked to talk about love. He said, characteristically, that hate soils the soul. He also said that when our brother has a problem we should gather many of us together and say a common prayer about it.

He constantly spoke about love towards Christ. "When we love Christ" he said, "our soul is freed from fear." He frequently used the words of St. John the Divine "Love casts out fear."

Elder Porphyrios never allowed himself to be occupied with negative things; he wanted everything to be bright and positive. He typically told us, "You find yourself in a dark room and you wave your arms, trying, in that way, to drive away the darkness. The darkness doesn't leave like that though. Open the window so that the light can come in, and the darkness will leave by itself. The light will drive away the darkness. We should study Holy Scripture, the lives of the saints, the Fathers; that's the light that'll drive away the darkness." He used the image very often.

K.I.: Is there something Fr. Daniel that has moved you particularly?

Fr.D.G.: One day, during the German Occupation, Elder Porphyrios was walking towards the vicinity of Lykavittos. As he was walking along he came across an unpleasant scene. A German soldier had intentionally driven a young girl into a corner, by the basement of some house, and wanted to dishonor her. She looked like a little bird that had fallen into the claws of a hawk. You could see the horror etched on her face. She let off some weak cries of struggle and pain from her mouth. The German tried to calm her down with sweet words. The entire neighbourhood had heard the commotion, and were now looking out of their windows and doorways to see what would happen. They saw a priest walking towards the scene.

When Elder Porphyrios found himself facing this scene he felt great internal anguish. He had to find a way of saving the girl. Ignoring the danger he was in from the brutal German, the Elder directed his footsteps towards him. He prayed silently and intensely for divine strength to manifest itself. As soon as he got close enough he raised his hands up high. It looked like he was either appealing to the German or that he was asking God to show His mercy.

The sight of a priest with his hands raised high, the bright countenance of his face, and what's more the divine strength that he had hidden within him, worked its miracle.

The German softened, abandoned his intentions and let the girl free. As Fr. Porphyrios continued on his way the people who had followed events from their houses demonstrated their applause for him. They cheered as much as they could for as long as they could in those difficult times.

K.I.: What do you have to tell us about his gifts of discernment and foresight?

Fr.D.G.: Both of these gifts of his would always leave us speechless. There are countless incidences. We'll talk about just a few examples.

At the time when Elder Porphyrios was at the Polyclinic, he asked someone, who had gone there for confession, where he came from. He told him he was from a village in Eleia . He then asked him if he had a house out in the fields. When the man said yes, Elder Porphyrios told him that a river flowed underneath the property, where that house could be found. The man was lost for words, he never suspected anything of the like.

Many years afterwards a foreign company went to that area with the aim of drilling to find oil. When the drilling had reached four hundred meters deep, a huge river of water shot up. If they hadn't caught it in time, the whole area would have been flooded.

K.I.: So much

Fr.D.G.: Yes

I'll also tell you this story. A student who did his military service at a base near here where I live, asked me to take him to see the Elder.

As soon as we got there the Elder asked him where he came from. The student replied that he came from a village in the Western Peloponnese. Then the Elder said to him "What strong winds blow in those mountains by your village!" And the student said "Do you know what the villagers call those mountains? They call them the Wind Mountains."

K.I.: That's wonderful

Fr.D.G.: Once I went to his cell. It was the 19th of October, late in the afternoon, I interrupted him without wanting to, because at that hour he could be "found" in Cephallonia, at vespers for the feast of St. Gerasimos. He saw, as he told me, the priests, the bishops, countless people and heard the chanting. He described to me in exact detail what was taking place at that hour at St. Gerasimos on Cephallonia.

Once he telephoned Brussels where a spiritual child was serving in the navy there on a NATO submarine. He told him that there was a shoal-reef there where the submarine was circulating under the sea, and that they ought to be careful. The officer checked the spot that the Elder had pointed out, located the reef, and gave orders for the submarine to avoid that spot.

K.I.: The gifts of Elder Porphyrios are really so many and so surprising that one doesn't know what to mention first and which are the most wonderful!

Fr.D.G.: On the 15th July 1974 he was traveling with some spiritual children of his to Macedonia, Northern Greece. On the car radio they heard that a coup d'etat had taken place in Cyprus and that Archbishop Makarios had been murdered. He turned around and said to his spiritual children "That is a mistake. Archbishop Makarios has not been murdered." And in truth, with the next newscast they learnt that Archbishop Makarios was still alive.

K.I.: That's astonishing.

Fr.D.G.: The incidents that demonstrate his gifts of foresight and discernment could fill whole volumes, alone.

When I first met him on Mt. Athos he told me that in my village of Panourgia in the Phokhidos Parnassian mountains near Amfissa there are some caves where people lived during the Turkish Occupation. He also told me that in my village there are three country churches. He saw my village in its past, present, and future phases, because when he spoke to me there were only two churches; today there are three. On the other hand, he saw that in the past, during the the Turkish Occupation, men-of-arms and klephts had lived in the caves near my village.

He often happened to tell me something which at the time appeared puzzling and 1 couldn't understand it or interpret it. One day, as we were walking, he said, "Many people will listen to you." I thought that we would have some kind of festival, we would put up some loudspeakers, and lots of people would hear me. When, however, years later, two church radio stations went on the air with a large audience, only then, having taken on some of the programs, did I understand what the Elder meant.

Personally, I had the feeling that I had a prophet before me, like the prophets in the Old Testament, and that he had the Holy Spirit within him.

Whatever he heard, whatever was said to him, he was always completely calm. Just like the calmness of St. Anthony.

When people who were facing difficult problems came to me, I took them to the Elder and he gave them perfect advice. His advice was always faultless and perfect. I'll give you one such example.

A gentleman once visited us who came from a village in Corinth. He had a large property and was in a dilemma as to whether to plant olive trees or lemon trees. He didn't know which was best and he couldn't arrive at a decision. We took him to the Elder; note that this took place at the end of the 1970's.

The Elder told him about the needs the countries of the EEC would have regarding such produce in the future: that a method would be found for the quick harvesting of olives and so there would be an overproduction of olives. He advised him to plant lemon trees; lemons would always be in demand in those countries and in the countries of the north. That, as events proved, is what actually happened.

K.I.: The impressive thing is that Elder Porphyrios was interested in everything, in all kind of problems that concerned people.

Fr.D.G.: Very true.

K.I.: How did he himself deal with those gifts of his?

Fr. D.G.: First, we must mention that he acquired his gift of discernment at Kavsokalyvia when he was only seventeen years old. It is a surprising case because these gifts
as a rule are only acquired after many decades of ascetic practice.

Elder Porphyrios, speaking about the gifts that God had given him, said that for the Church to function, God gives different gifts to some people at times for the good of the Church. He felt that his gifts were an ecclesiastical function.

He kept these gifts until the end of his life. Others have also at times been given various gifts. Afterwards however, they were found unworthy and deprived of them.

Figures like Elder Porphyrios appear within the Church once every hundred or two hundred years. The things that we read about in the lives of the saints that amaze us, happened next to us because the Elder was a living saint. And now we're informed about miracles that he performed after death.

K.I.: Fr. Daniel, from what I know, you have many direct experiences of Elder Porphyrios' healing gift. Could you give us a few indicative examples?

Fr.D.G.: Personally, I knew different people that had cancer and were cured after a prayer and blessing from the Elder.

One high-school teacher had a breast tumor and was scheduled for surgery. She went to the Elder, who blessed her, and the tumor disappeared without needing an operation.

One other young girl in the Athenian district of St. Paraskevi had decided to commit suicide because she was severely reprimanded at home. She had bought some strong weed-killer and was going to drink it. Suddenly, Elder Porphyrios appeared before her, took the weed-killer from her hands, and said to her, "Don't be afraid. Everything will be all right. You'll marry, you'll have children and you'll be fine." That's just what happened.
K.I.: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see
God."

Fr.D.G.: Occasionally the Elder used to visit stores where business was not going too well. He gave a blessing and customers started to arrive immediately, one after the other, and indeed, to shop for things in bulk.

K.I.: What did he say about politics?

Fr.D.G.: I'll tell you this one characteristic thing, as we shouldn't get into details. He said, "When a country is in a lot of sin, then its political life, instead of being straightforwafd, will be crooked."

K.I.: Elder Porphyrios, from what I understand, had a concern for married couples, Fr. Daniel?

Fr.D.G.: Very much so. He helped countless couples whose problems were so great that their marriages had started to dissolve. He helped them with his gifts and he restored their relationship.

I remember one moving incident when he was traveling in a taxi. He had the following conversation with the driver:
"Do you have a wife?" "Yes, I do."
"How many years have you lived apart?" "Five."

The conversation continued and the ending was a happy one. The taxi-driver was so impressed with what this unknown priest had said to him that he immediately went and found his wife and re-established their marriage.

With his gifts the Elder knew what each situation required. For example, he said to one married lady, "When your husband finds himself in a difficult situation, do not say a word. Pray and ask others to pray. Because otherwise you'll make things unpleasant for him. He won't find warmth and happiness near you, and he'll start looking around." He would, each time make recommendations according to the situation which contributed to the peace of that particular family.

He talked about "mixed-up" children; children who have psychological problems because their parents have a bad relationship with one another so there isn't a good atmosphere in the home.

He talked about "mixed-up" children of "mixed-up" parents. Indeed, it happened that I myself took some of these parents of children with problems to see the Elder. He said that these children already had problems, this "mix-up", from the womb. When the child's mother was pregnant she didn't try to put her life in order, to be calm, peaceful, to pray and to partake of the Sacraments of the Church.

I remember that he once advised a mother of five children to stay away from her house for a month. Her behavior was such that her children would fight amongst themselves every day. They couldn't reason with their mother so they would take their anger out on one another.

Because of his great discernment he would treat each situation accordingly. He didn't deal with people uniformly; the Elder knew what advice each person could bear. Ten people could ask him about the same matter, and he would give them ten different answers. This is called pastoral individualization.

K.I.: He carried out his pastoral work with discernment because he had exactly that manner about him.

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios used the word "mixed-up" which I mentioned earlier, a lot, when he wanted to say that someone had internal problems. Indeed, he used that word when the subject of heresies was brought up. He said that all the "mixed-up" people join heresies.

K.I.: How did he deal with people’s external appearance, the way they dressed?

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios didn't concern himself with people's external appearances. This was confirmed by all the people who went to see him without, let us say, the proper attire. He would look to the deeper cause within the soul. He knew that if man is sorted out on the inside then the outside will sort itself out automatically.

K.I.: What other features of his personality would you like to tell us about Fr. Daniel?

Fr.D.G.: Something fundamental, that characterized Elder Porphyrios is that whatever passed through his hands he wanted it to be perfect. Just to give you one example, when he was about to build the convent at Milesi. He was concerned about the passage of the sun, so that in winter those who lived there would not have sunless rooms. He also looked into the matter of dampness, wind direction etc., so that everything would be perfect. He wanted, as much as possible, completeness and perfection.

He spoke about the work of St. Gregory of Nyssa, "Whatever St. Gregory has written is very well constructed; his words, his concepts, his paragraphs." He added, "Just like a builder who puts down strong foundations, he lays the bricks evenly, he builds the ground floor first and then goes on to the second floor. St. Gregory of Nyssa, having taken care of those things that belong to the first paragraph , then goes on to the second paragraph and then the following one."

K.I.: Personally, I have a passion for studying the works of that great Father of our Church, who, in the words of that distinguished poet of Byzantium, George Pisidis, was the "the most mystical."

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios advised me to study St. Gregory of Nyssa's works a great deal.

K.I.: Your words have filled me with enthusiasm Fr.
Daniel.

Fr.D.G.: Something especially impressive about Elder Porphyrios was that he admired and exploited technological inventions. He was amazed by the fact that God had given Man the ability to make such discoveries, and he advised his spiritual children to make use of technology. "Should it be allowed," he asked "for God to help Man make so many discoveries, then for the devil to use them and us Christians not to use them?"

K.I.: That's very good.

Fr.D.G.: He made use of the telephone a lot. He spoke to his spiritual children and others by phone on a twenty-four hour basis. Not only in Greece, but also abroad, on all the continents. He helped untold numbers of people through the telephone.

K.I.: The telephone, in the hands of Elder Porphyrios, really was a gift for all those who needed it.

Fr.D.G.: He loved the Church radio. He said that through it the wish and prophecy of St. John Chrysostomos was fulfilled, "I will rise up high to speak about Christ and all the world will hear me."

K.I.: Truth will be shouted from the rooftops.

Fr.D.G: Elder Porphyrios was very hard-working. He loved hard work and always spoke out against indolence. He characteristically said, "He can't even pick his feet up off the ground, and he comes to me for advice on how to be lifted to the heights of spiritual life." He always stressed that when we pray we ought to also pray with our body making full prostrations .

Studying both the Old and the New Testament we see that each time the Lord called a prophet or an apostle, he called them while they were working. One was called while he was shepherding sheep, another while plowing, another while threshing, yet another while mending nets etc.

He wanted people to be busy, to be constantly using all the limbs of their body, not to be idle. He would in no way accept indolence and laziness.

K.I.: We would like you to tell us, Fr. Daniel, about the Elder as priest?
Fr.D.G.: He liked his work at the Polyclinic. He comforted the sick. He heard their confessions. He gave them communion. He did serve as a consoling, guardian angel.

The liturgical life of the St. Gerasimos' Church also developed beautifully. The church had a choir, and the voice of the priest had to correspond with the singing of the choir and to avoid being musically offensive. This is why he went to a school of music where he made notable progress. He completed a course of studies. He also learnt to play the piano. However, as a musical instrument, he loved the organ the most.

Later, the place of the choir was taken in the church by the official cantor, Spyridon Peristeris, who was destined to become the chief cantor in Athens as First Cantor at the Metropolitan Church. Their harmony was excellent. If on occasion somebody at the lectern made a mistake, or said something irregular, the Elder didn't speak and didn't ruin the atmosphere of the Divine Liturgy. Once when a visiting priest took his place a great confusion was created. He started to say to the cantors "Not that apolytikion , the other one. Look for the other one." They looked for it and couldn't find it. What a commotion! This unfortunate incident made that the cantor and his helpers appreciate the politeness and tact of Elder Porphyrios.

The Alevizatos brothers were university professors. There were many university people in their circle. All of them went to church at St. Gerasimos'. Professors from the Theological School also went there, like that great religious expert Leonidas Philippides, who revered the Elder immensely. A whole University congregated in the church of St. Gerasimos. The Liturgy was truly uplifting. The Elder delivered the Gospel reading with special grace and life. Indeed, during Holy Week, at the Service of the Passion, the reading of the Twelve Gospels had that special something that remains unparalleled. Fr. Porphyrios, with the grace that he had, saw Christ suffering and was shaken. Filled with emotion, his voice would often break and he had difficulty in continuing the reading. Once he couldn't bear anymore, and he stopped reading. Then he wiped his face that was washed in tears, sought forgiveness from the congregation and making a great effort, he continued. It is needless to say what moving emotions were conveyed to the Christians present. It was like they found themselves at Gethsemane, at the Praetorium, at Golgotha, they followed the divine drama with bated breath. One certain time, he had a priest of his own with him at the Service of the Passion. He was a spiritual child of his and he had told him to be ready. If he was forced to stop reading the Gospel, then the other priest should take over.

When the time came for St. John Chrysostom's Catechetical Homily, during the Paschal Liturgy, unprecedented emotion and pious enthusiasm were created.

He recited the text from memory, slowly, solemnly, and most beautifully. He loved all of St. John Chrysostom's sermons, but he especially loved this one. He said it quietly, elegantly, little by little, without holding a book, holding only the paschal candle. The height of this grandeur was when he said, "Hades was embittered when below he met You face to face. He was embittered, for he was set at naught..." and the people repeated, "He was embittered." Unrepeatable spiritual emotions.

He adored every Church prayer, every reading from a sacred text. They had to be said in the most suitable way. Throughout his life he helped countless priests, monks, cantors and lectors to chant and to read in the best possible way, in a way worthy of God.

K.I.: One could talk with you, Fr. Daniel, for hours on end about Elder Porphyrios. Unfortunately, a radio program, as you well know, has its time limit. Of the great number of stories and examples that you didn't manage to tell us, which one would you like to end with?

Fr.D.G: At the end of his life, he asked me to bring him Holy Communion after the Divine Liturgy. During the time when he was preparing to receive the divine gifts a heavenly state prevailed; such was his love and his longing for the Immaculate Mysteries. Once he spoke to me about the aroma of Holy Communion; I understood it to mean that he sensed a fragrance in the Holy Communion.

He always urged Christians to participate actively in the sacraments of the Church.

He said that with the sacrament of Confession, whatever has fallen down is raised up again. He told us the moving story of a monk who had gone to the Holy Mountain in his youth. He had so many gifts that he felt like he lived in Paradise. One day he was disobedient to his elder. All that gracious state left him. When his elder returned, he heard his confession and read the prayer of forgiveness. The gracious state that he had lost returned to him immediately.

Elder Porphyrios always stressed that when we are within the Church, when we participate in the sacraments of the Church, then we are in Paradise. Also, as much as we participate in the sacraments, we are that much more in eternal life. That is why he always reminded us of the Lord's saying, "He who believes in the Son has life eternal."

K.I.: What did he say about our departed brethren who can now be found in the Church Triumphant?

Fr.D.G.: He said that we are all one and we should pray as much for the living as we do for the departed. He stressed that we shouldn't say, "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on so-and-so" or "have mercy on us," but that we should say "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me." As he explained, since the Christ's Church is one body, within the "have mercy on me" are included all the living and the dead. And if prayer is not extended to all people, then it is not ecclesial.

He told us that whenever he went to holy places, to Mount Sinai, to the Cave of the Apocalypse on the isle of Patmos or to Jerusalem he had indescribable life experiences. He always stressed the sanctity of the places, that the places can sanctify, that they are saturated with God's grace.

He characteristically told us that when he struggled at a certain place in order to reach a certain spiritual state through prayer, he needed a quarter to a half of an hour of struggle. But when this happened at a sanctified place things were different. "I enter, for example, a holy cave," he said, "like the caves of St. Niphon or St. Neilos on the Holy Mountain, or the Cave of the Apocalypse, and I don't even begin to pray and immediately that sanctified place lifts me up."

He said again and again that, "God is everything" and he stressed that without praying to God nothing is accomplished. "Prayer," he said "is the mother of all good things, provided that it is always done with humility, without any egotism, and with love towards Christ."

K.I.: We thank you very much, Fr., Daniel, for all the manna from heaven, that, you've had the goodness to share with us.

Fr.D.G.: May we have the blessing of Elder Porphyrios and let us give thanks to God, Who sent us such a gift in the twentieth century.

Holy Humility is Complete Trust in God – Elder Porphyrios

From the Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love.

Complete trust in God – that’s what holy humility is. Complete obedience to God, without protest, without reaction, even when some things seem difficult and unreasonable. Abandonment to the hands of God. The words we repeat during the Divine Liturgy say it all: ‘Let us commend our whole life to Christ our God.’ The secret prayer of the priest says the same thing: ‘We commend our whole life and hope to You, O loving Master, and we entreat You and beseech You and supplicate You…’ To you, O Lord, we leave everything. This is what trust in God is. This is holy humility. this is what transfigures a person and makes him a ‘God-man’.
The humble person is conscious of his inner state and, however unsightly it is, he does not lose his personality. He knows he is sinful and is grieved by the fact, but he does not despair and does not annihilate himself. The person who possesses holy humility does not speak at all, that is, he doesn’t react. He accepts to be criticized and rebuked by others, without getting angry and defending himself. He does not lose his equilibrium. The opposite happens with the egoist, the person who has a sense of inferiority. To begin with he seems humble, but if he is goaded a little, he immediately loses his calm and is irritated and upset.
The humble person believes that all things depend on Christ and that Christ gives His grace and in that way he makes progress. The person who possesses holy humility lives even now in the earthly uncreated Church. He always has the joy of Christ, even in the most displeasing circumstances…..source

Elder Porphyrios

This is the way we should see Christ. He is our friend, our brother; He is whatever is
good and beautiful. He is everything. Yet, He is still a friend and He shouts it out, "You're
my friends, don't you understand that? We're brothers. I'm not...I don't hold hell in my
hands. I am not threatening you. I love you. I want you to enjoy life together with me."

Christ is Everything. He is joy, He is life, He is light. He is the true light who makes man
joyful, makes him soar with happiness; makes him see everything, everybody; makes him feel
for everyone, to want everyone with him, everyone with Christ.

Love Christ and put nothing before His Love. Christ is Everything. He is the source of life,
the ultimate desire,He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ.

Somebody who is Christ's must love Christ, and when he loves Christ he is delivered from
the Devil, from hell and from death. source

Elder Porphyrios : Testimonies

ELDER PORPHYRIOS Testimonies and Experiences

On the Prayer of Jesus by St. Ignatius Brianchan...

Elder Porphyrios : This is the way we should see C...

Elder Paisios the New of Mount Athos.

ELDER PORPHYRIOS

Testimonies and Experiences

Elder Porphyrios – Prophet of our time

Panagiotis Sotirchos

Journalist, writer

=============================================================

K.I.: Mr. Sotirchos, you had the good fortune to know Elder Porphyrios. We therefore ask you to talk about his personality and his holiness.

P.S.: The whole of Greece mourned the passing away of Elder Porphyrios, not just geographically, but universally, throughout the whole world. It's not only my personal opinion. All his spiritual children believed that. Elder Porphyrios is a holy person of great spiritual height, a true saint. All those who had the opportunity to know him well saw his sanctity in his silence, in his words and in his actions. I don't say Elder Porphyrios is a saint because I believe it but because I feel it. I can't help saying it. I can't put it any other way, because he had all the characteristics of a saint.

We've already been honored by God with signs of Elder Porphyrios' sanctity, not only while he was alive but immediately after his passing too. I give the following testimony.read...

The Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

2012-02-28T11:15:00.001-08:00

The Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

In the Church we are all one and Christ is the head

The head of the Church is Christ and we humans, we Christians, are the body. The Apostle Paul says: He is the head of the body, of the Church. (Col 1:18)

The Church and Christ are one. The body cannot exist without its head. The body of the Church is nourished, sanctified and lives with Christ. He is the Lord, omnipotent, omniscient, everywhere present and filling all things, our staff, our friend, our brother: the pillar and sure foundation of the Church. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the basis - everything. Without Christ the Church does not exist. Christ is the Bridegroom; each individual soul is the Bride.

Christ united the body of the Church with heaven and with earth: with angels, men and all created things, with all of God’s creation with the animals and birds, with each tiny wild flower and each microscopic insect. The Church thus became the fullness of Him who fills all in all, (Eph. 1:23) that is, of Christ. Everything is in Christ and with Christ. This is the mystery of the Church.

read...

ELDER PORPHYRIOS Testimonies and Experiences

2012-02-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

ELDER PORPHYRIOS

Testimonies and Experiences

By Klitos Ioannides

Translated from the 5th Greek (revised) Edition

Published by the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Saviour - Athens 1997

(With the kind permission of the Holy Convent to post the book in electronic form)

Contents

Conversations with Greek and Cypriot friends

ELDER PORPHYRIOS – PROPHET OF OUR TIME

Talks about Elder Porphyrios

They wrote about Elder Porphyrios

Elder Porphyrios as I knew him

Accounts about Elder Porphyrios

Instead of an Epilogue

A Few Words about the Author

http://www.oodegr.com/english/biblia/Porfyrios_Martyries_Empeiries/perieh.htm

Books

2012-02-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

Books

1. The Orthodox Church. Its Faith, Worship and Life
2. Tradition and Traditions by Archmandrite Barnabas Lambropoulos. A booklet that reveals the lameness of the heretic Protestant dogma that asserts that the Holy Bible alone is the source of the Christian faith, and that the Holy Tradition of the Church must be rejected. This booklet was written in response to a misleading and fictitious Pentecostal book.
3. Dogmatics Rev. John Zizioulas Metropolitan of Pergamus. A special publication containing lessons that pertain to the Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church, in a concise and useful form, for Theology students.
4. Ecumenism - Book by the Holy Monastery of the Paraclete. The idea of unification moves every sensitive Christian soul and resounds its innermost desires. This is precisely the idea that Ecumenism has also appropriated. But this unifying vision –a par excellence spiritual vision- is mainly reliant on human efforts and not the energy of the Holy Spirit.
5. In Search of the Truth Book by Nicholas Mavromagoulos. A composite biography that narrates ACTUAL EVENTS AND THE ACTUAL PERSONS INVOLVED, exactly as they occurred. A book that you must read, before you decide to join the Watchtower organization!
6. Why I Converted to the orthodox faith Book by G. PAP. The story of a former Jesuit priest.
7. Romanity, or Barbarity? Book by Anastasios Philippides. The historical problems of the Roman Empire, Hellenism and the West.
8. PATRISTIC THEOLOGY Fr. John Romanides. Transcript of taperecorded lectures of Father John Romanides at the Thessaloniki University’s School of Theology.
9. ‘’I CONFESS ONE BAPTISM…’’ By Protopresbyter George D. Metallinos. Interpretation and Application Of Canon VII of the Second Ecumenical Council. By the Kollyvades and Constantine Oikonomos (A contribution to the historico-canonical evaluation of the problem of the validity of Western baptism).
10. Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop during the First Three Centuries - By Professor Metropolitan of Pergamus and Chairman of the Athens Academy I. Zizioulas. Historical evidence on the Administration and the evolution of the Church during the three first centuries.
11. UNIA: The Face and the Disguise By Protopresbyter George D. Metallinos
12. Elder Porphyrios - Testimonies and Experiences - By Klitos Ioannides
13. The Jesus Prayer - by fr. Lev Gillet
14. "Unity", "Division", "Reunion" in the light of Orthodox Ecclesiology - by fr. Alexander Schmemann
15. The Spiritual Father: Spiritual paternity in the light of Orthodox Tradition
16. Five types of Religious lives - One of the essays included in Essential Writings: Mother Maria Skobtsova
17. The Power of the Name - By Bishop Kallistos Ware of Diokleia
18. The Papacy: Its Historic Origin and Primitive Relations with the Eastern Churches - by Abbé Guettée
19. Baptism by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament - by N.Mavromagoulos
20. The Fall of Orthodox England - by V.Ross
21. The Way (An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith) - by Protopresbyter George Metallinos
22. The Impact of Orthodox Psychotherapeutic Interventions on Depressive Symptomatology - by Dr. Z.Vujisic
23. The Clash between Orthodox Patristic Theology and Franco-Latin Tradition
24. Sola Scriptura - by Fr. John Whiteford
25. My Exodus from Roman Catholicism - by His Grace Bishop of Nazianzus Paul de Ballester
26. The Contribution of Saint Gregory Palamas to Hesychasm - by Dr. Dimitrios Tselengides
27. The Western Rite and the Eastern Church
28. The Elder Paisios on the secularization of Monasticism
29. Basic Dogmatic Teaching - An Orthodox Handbook - by Fr. Anthony Alevizopoulos
30. The Divine Liturgy
31. The cure of the neurobiological sickness of religion
32. NIHILISM : The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age
source

Elder Porphyrios : Wounded by Love

2012-02-27T11:36:00.002-08:00

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.

http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com/

Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus Prayer

2012-02-26T14:08:00.003-08:00

Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus PrayerAn Excerpt from With Elder Porphyrios: A Spiritual Child Remembers

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We also think that it would be good to add a relevant text by the blessed and very well-known monk Paisios, the Athonite, who recently slept in the Lord (12/7/1994). He wrote this text c. 1975, as a letter to someone, who had asked him about it. He gave it to a visitor to post in an open envelope and gave him permission to read it and to keep a copy. This visitor gave it to us and we hope that Elder Paisios will no longer have an objection to us publishing it for the spiritual benefit of many and as proof that experienced Elders agree that the prayer of the heart is not subject to measurement and subjugation.
We present the text as given:
"Guidance about the Jesus Prayer,
A simple way for ceaseless prayer, if you want to you can use it too, which probably helps simple people who cannot get the true meaning of the neptic Holy Fathers, and run the risk of delusion.
Begin with Humility
Some (unfortunately) do not set the goal of putting off the old man (repentance, humility, and asceticism as a way of helping the sanctification of the soul) with a deep sense of their sinfulness. Then, they would naturally feel the need for Gods mercy, saying "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me," often. This with pain in their heart and then the feeling of the sweetness of divine comfort of the most Sweet Christ within their heart.
But unfortunately some people (as I mentioned) start off with a dry ascetic practice and seek after divine pleasure and lights and continually multiply their prayer-ropes and are sanctified by their calculation, reaching that conclusion (about their sanctity) from the mathematical reckoning of the greater amount of prayer-ropes they say.
They also (naturally) make footstools to the exact inch and all the other things, the bending of the head towards the heart. They regulate their breath and whatever else the watchful Saint Kallistuses and Gregorys of the Philokalia say. Then they create the false sensation that they are somewhere near the measure of those Saints.
From the moment they believe that thought, the tangalaki (the demon) immediately appears and sets up a television for them (with their fantasies) and devilish prophecies etc. of delusion follow.
For this reason, only certainty is repentance and let every spiritual edifice be built upon it and let us continually seek repentance from God and nothing else except that.
We should not ask for lights or miracles, or prophecies, or gifts of the Spirit, only for repentance. Repentance brings humility; humility will bring grace from God, because grace always goes to the humble, of necessity. Therefore, repentance is necessary for our salvation and when we have it, the grace of God will come and it will teach us what we need to do for salvation even of our fellows too, if it is necessary.
Say it Sincerely from the Heart many times.
In this way, which I mentioned (feeling the great need for Gods mercy), we will say the Jesus Prayer many times with our whole heart and we will feel, as I mentioned, the sweetness of divine comfort of the most sweet Jesus within our heart. The heart will (then) have our nous in tight embrace, as well as our whole being.
Then, and only then, will prayer not be tiring, but rather it will give rest, because we have grasped the true meaning of it. Only then do we pray without putting pressure on ourselves, but we are pressurized by our sense of honor and dignity (philotimo), which gives rise to all our spiritual upstanding generosity (leventia). This produces the fluttering of the heart. Then the heart (however stony it may be) breaks and tears burst forth from their ducts (without an effort being made to weep during the time of prayer).
You feel the need for this prayer like a hungry baby who opens its little mouth and runs into the arms of its mother to be suckled and at the same time feels very secure in its mothers loving care.
Precede with Patristic Study
Nobody doubts that the enemy will try to war against us and to disperse our thoughts. However, when preceded by a little bit of Patristic study (e.g. The Sayings of the Fathers) a lid is put on all our cares, great and small, and on the days temptations. So, it is transformed into another atmosphere, a spiritual one and you pray with concentration.
If the enemy wages war with blasphemous thoughts (from his usual wickedness and envy) do not get upset. Instead, use the demon as your worker in the following way, by not getting upset, but by saying to the enemy: "Its a good thing that you brought me those thoughts so that I can say the Jesus Prayer, because otherwise I forget to pray without ceasing." The enemy will then depart immediately, because he is only used to doing evil. I mentioned that because the enemy brings blasphemous thoughts to sensitive people (usually) to make them even more sensitive, to upset them and to cut them down.
The same applies to some that struggle in vigil over and above their strength, and with pride. When they slacken, and they do not have the strength to banish the thoughts of the enemy. They think that those blasphemous thoughts are their own, and so they suffer without reason, while the thoughts are not their own, but those of the enemy.
That is why young people should struggle in the matter of prayer with humility and discernment. They should prepare for the night. This, by not being distracted, by study and through moderate and simple food, which helps. As far as possible it should not be savory, to avoid drinking plenty of water, because that, too, is an obstacle, with the bloating that it causes. In this way, the person is helped with prayer.
It helps a great deal if the light evening meal, however light it may be, takes place at around 4 o'clock (European time), after study, fathers and so on, or else 3 hours after the main meal. Small and great prostrations beforehand, and in between each prayer-rope, help a great deal, unfreezing the machines oil. Later, after getting quite tired, he should sit down and say the Jesus Prayer, since he brings to mind his wretchedness and the great favors of God that our good God has done for him.
Then the nous is collected (as I mentioned, in the heart, on its own) and seeks Gods mercy with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his mind, without making a great effort.
The three hours after sunset help a lot (having read patristic books before sunset), as well as after midnight until sunrise. For young people it is good for them to sleep one hour after sunset, with less prayer, and to get up after midnight, in order to avoid scandalous sleep of the morning.
Naturally, discernment is required and guidance from their spiritual father, who is a requirement.
From With Elder Porphyrios: A Spiritual Child Remembers, by Constantine Yiannitsiotis, pp. 70-74. Published by the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior (Athens, 2001). Posted with permission by the Convent on Great and Holy Monday, 4/2/2007.
Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/blessed-father-paisios-guidance-about-the-jesus-prayer.aspx
Read also Paisios On Prayer
http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Articles_files/Paisios_Jesus%20Prayer.html

Repeating the Name of Jesus

Elder Paisios is another holy person among many who place an emphasis on the practice of what is called the “Jesus Prayer.”
He says,
We should constantly and unceasingly repeat the Jesus prayer. Only the name of Christ must remain inside our communication with God, then the devil finds the chance to confuse us with negative thoughts. Thus, we end up not knowing what we want, do, or say.
Source: Elder Paisios on the Holy Mountain, p 79

Seeking Security by Prayer

Many ask why is this Jesus prayer so important. It is not as many eastern meditation practices teach to gain a state of bliss or some psychic experience. The purpose is to keep our soul connected with God so we can live according to His will.
Elder Paisos puts it this way,
The soul must be constantly ready and alert and always in contact with the spiritual headquarters, that is, God. Only then, it will feel secure, full of hope and joy.
When we learn to pray continually, we gain an sense of security because God is always with us to guide and help us no matter what situation we encounter. We are never left to rely solely our own thoughts and reason, but always have God at our side.
The Elder says,

The more we pray, the more secure we feel, on a spiritual basis, of course.
More on Prayer
Source: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, p 79

Should We Pray While Working?

Is it possible to pray while we are working? On the surface it seems that this will distract us from our work. The reality is that it will enhance our concentration and our ability to do quality work unhindered by distractions and anxiety.
Elder Paisios says,

When someone is doing work that needs concentration, i.e. he is driving a car, or he is operating on a patient, he should also say the Jesus prayer so God can help him and enlighten him; however, he should pray with his heart, and use his mind to concentrate on his work and thus avoid doing any mistakes.
Prayer can help us concentrate and gain greater insight into our work.
The Elder says,
The more the mind concentrates on praying, and is being humbled, the more it is enlightened by the grace of God. However, the more it gets dispersed and confused due to its haughtiness, the more it becomes troubled; therefore the our mind, which is clean by nature, fills up with dirty thoughts.
It is through prayer that we act with a “clean” mind. Without prayer we are left with our own often confused thoughts. We play over and over in our minds negative thoughts about this or that person. We play over again and again scenarios about what might befall us in the future. With continuous prayer our mind become still, clean from distracting thoughts, only filled with God and the work that is in front of us as this moment. We are held in the vision of His will for us.
Source: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, p 80

Aids in Practice of Jesus Prayer - Fr. Nikodim (1)

In the recent issue of The Orthodox Word there is an excellent article on the Jesus Prayer that is filled with practical advice. It is "A Conversation with Elder Nikodim on the Jesus Prayer" by Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany. In this article I found 20 useful pieces of advice that surely can help those who practice the Jesus Prayer. I will in a series of posts share them.

Elder Nikodim was a Russian monk on Mount Athos in the Kellia of Karoulia. He was a student of the Philokalia which he read regularly. In his early life he was a noncommissioned officer in the Tsar's Army during World War I. When the Tsar was overthrown, inspired by The Way of a Pilgrim, he decided to leave the army and take up a life serving, not an earthly king, but a heavenly king. He went to Mount Athos and lived in the St. Panteleimon Monastery, as well as in its skeets, Chromitsa and New Thebaid. He took on Fr. Theodosius as his spiritual father who was known to be very strict. He taught him the essential virtue of humility. "Obedience and humility are the essential preparatory conditions for the work of mental prayer" he copied from the work of Saint Theophan the Recluse. This he learned does not come from the outward order of monastic life but from one's inner state. He asked his spiritual father how he should engage in mental prayer after he died and he replied, "engage in mental prayer in a repentant spirit, and don't seek sweet feelings of the heart or visions of th emend....Well, now by your obedience you deserve outward stillness; for inward stillness, take care to acquire zealous repentance."

Fr. Nikodim was known as a good ascetic who was kind, merciful, always helped the poor and showed hospitality to everyone. He conducted extensive correspondence with various Russian people out side of Russia and instructed them in prayer.

During World War II he was joined by Hiershemamonk Seraphim and they would keep vigil all night. One would take the first half of the night and the other the other half. They were strict in their fasting.
In the late 50's he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places there.
He had a stoke which kept him from writing. He died on February 15, 1984.

The article that contains his advice was written by Archbishop Mark who was a convert to Orthodoxy, tonsured into monasticism in 1975 and made several visits to Mount Athos where he became acquainted with Elder Nikodim. The interview he recorded was made in 1982 which was near the end of Fr. Nikodim's life.

Here are the beginning instructions as taught to Elder Nikodim by His spiritual Father Fr. Theodosius

1. Do you pull the rope quickly?
They would say the Jesus Prayer in stead of reading the daily services. Elder Theodosius instructed him on the use of the prayer rope. He said, "No, not quickly. With the breath. So that it fits with one's inhalations and exhalations––"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

2. You do the prayer sitting down?
Elder Theodosius responded, "Sitting down.... At the beginning we stand when we say, "O Heavenly King Comforter..."Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal..., Have mercy on me, O God [Psalm 50]...". and the Creed. Then you sit down––or pray with bows.

References: Article on Fr Nikodim's life, More on Jesus Prayer

What Causes Coldness in Prayer?

Many will blame the prayer or their prayer rule when they experience coldness in prayer. Saint Theophan says, "If prayer is going poorly is not the fault of the prayer but the fault of the one who is praying." He points out that it is our haphazardness in our approach to prayer that is the most common problem. For me, this occurs when I am in a hurry. I want to rush through my prayers so I can get on with a busy day. When this happens my prayer become routine and my heart is cold in relation to the words of the prayer and it is no longer prayer. It becomes simply another task for the day.

What do we do when we experience this coldness in prayer? Saint Theophan says simply, "reprimand yourself and threaten yourself with Divine judgment."

When we are in a hurry we are making God secondary in our life. Most of us spend very little time in prayer in relationship to all the other activities of our life. We really do not have any excuse for trying to rush through our daily prayers. We need to shame ourselves for this. No one else can do this for us. Our haste only leads to a compete waste of time. Prayer without feeling is not prayer.

Saint Theophan outlines what some people do in regards to prayer.

They set aside a quarter of an hour for prayer, or half an hour, whatever is more convent for them, and thus adjust their prayer time so that when the clock strikes, whether on the half hour or hour, they will know when it is time to end. While they are at prayer, they do not worry about reading a certain number of prayers, but only that they rise up to the Lord in a worthy manner for the entire set time. Others do this: Once they have established a prayer time for themselves, they find out how many times they can go around the prayer rope during that period... There are others who get so accustomed to praying that the times they spend at prayer are moments of delight for them. It rarely happens that they stand at prayer for a set time only. Instead, they double and triple it. Select whichever method pleases you best. Maintain it without fail...

A large part of my daily prayer rule is reciting the Jesus Prayer. For a while I would set a set number of prayers to accomplish my rule. I found myself rushing to complete them in a shorter and shorter time. I even came up with innovative ways to say them faster. I finally realized that I was not praying when I did this. Prayer was not about numbers but about a arm feeling in the heart in an intimate relationship with God. So I changed my practice to one based on a set time. Now I concentrate only on the words of the prayer, my Lord and Creator, and not on how many times I am repeating the prayer. This allows for a varied pace depending on your current state and allows for some spontaneity in your prayers as well.

More: Daily Prayer & Jesus Prayer

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 287-289

http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com/search/label/Jesus%20Prayer

Notes on the Jesus Prayer by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov

2012-02-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Church of St Panteleimon,

Thessaloniki, Greece

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner"
The Jesus Prayer

Warm, concise suggestions on making the prayer of the heart come alive from Moscow pastor, Fr. Artemy Vladimirov.

We very much pity those Orthodox Christians who think that the best rest for their exhausted soul is to watch television news. This isn't a bad thing, perhaps, but it's a dead thing. You may spend all of the earthly time you have been allotted with such distractions, but you will never be at peace. If you want to calm your mind and ease your heart, try calling instead on the most holy name of Jesus Christ, without haste and with only one intent: to attract His attention and repent of your sins.

To stand before the face of God, to cleanse your heart and sanctify the space of your life by invoking His name, this is your aim.We don't know how God cleanses our heart by His name, but we believe that He does so in a supernatural way. In saying the Jesus Prayer, it is not so important whether you are a monk or a drunk, but you are to be very steadfast, attentive, humble, mild, and concentrated.

Try taking a walk for ten minutes as you invoke His miracle-working name, and you will see spiritual profit. Begin in a simple, humble manner, Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner. You may even do this somewhat mechanically, knowing that this tradition has been sanctified by generations of saints, but as you walk and pray, try not to think of anything else. Just walk in the presence of God.

In these ten minutes, you will find that your fevered mind is soothed, that the noisy bazaar of your thoughts has become light, clear, and direct, and that your heart has begun to say other prayers in a manner that satisfies you. You pray, you breathe, you speak to God; you are not just repeating empty words.

What does it mean to have your mind in your heart? It means that you are to control your feelings. You are not to admit invaders into your heart, but are to check your heart with your mind, to observe everything that takes place there. To have your mind in your heart is exactly what our Lord prescribes to us in His commandment: "But thou when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret." Matthew 6:6 What does it mean to shut the door? It means to banish every earthly image or passion with the concentration of your mind and will. When we pray we should not admit feelings of lust or open our hearts to the snake of irritation; we are to rid ourselves of everything that is unpleasant. To have your mind in your heart is to control the space of your heart. It is the kingdom of God Almighty and of nothing else.
If you make progress in this humble prayer, you will begin to understand that this commandment is very complete. Your heart will be filled with a spiritual warmth that embraces the center of your feelings. You will come to understand what attentive prayer is, and that your heart has been created for ceaseless prayer. Ceaseless prayer is not a perpetual repetition of this or that word or phrase. The Holy Fathers say that it is the feeling of your heart. Just as you view the objects of this world with open eyes, so your heart, warmed by prayer to God, will partake of the spiritual world. This will be due, not to your piety, but to God's grace. Unceasing prayer may have no words, but you will walk and sleep in the presence of God.

From; Bright Faith - Father Artemy Vladimirov Talks with Western Orthodox Christians ,

pp.170-171, by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov, CSB Publishing, Ash Grove Missouri, 2010

Source

Lay People and the Prayer of the Heart

2012-02-24T11:09:00.002-08:00

Lay People and the Prayer of the Heart

To a layman who asked about Noetic Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me), Elder Ephraim of Katounakia had this to say:

Set aside half an hour out of the twenty-four to say the Prayer. Whenever you are able; but the evening is best. Say it without using the prayer rope - in supplication, pleading, and with tears. 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' Cultivate this, and you'll see what fruit it brings. From half an hour, it will become an hour. And guard this hour. Whether the phone is ringing, or you have this task you need to do now, or you're sleepy, or some blasphemy is confronting you. Nothing. Turn off the phone. Finish your tasks. Do this half hour and you'll see. You've planted a little tree, and tomorrow or the day after it will bear fruit. St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil both began like this and became luminaries for the whole world. St. Symeon the New Theologian had experiences of the Uncreated Light while still a layman. He was a layman. How many laymen appear as such exteriorly, but deep down are monastics!
Elder Ephraim of Katounakia:

From Obedience Is Life: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia, by Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi, p. 196.
Source

"Prayer without Ceasing" Is Necessary For All Christians

St. Gregory Palamas
Download pdf
Let no one think, my brother Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen.
No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain always in prayer.
For look what the most holy Patriarch of Constantinople, Philotheus, writes in his life of St. Gregory of Thessalonica. This saint had a beloved friend by the name of Job, a very simple but most virtuous man. Once, while conversing with him, His Eminence said of prayer that every Christian in general should strive to pray always, and to pray without ceasing, as Apostle Paul commands all Christians, "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17), and as the prophet David says of himself, although he was a king and had to concern himself with his whole kingdom: "I foresaw the Lord always before my face" (Psalms 15:8), that is, in my prayer I always mentally see the Lord before me.

Gregory the Theologian also teaches all Christians to say God’s name in prayer more often than to breathe.
So, my Christian brethren, I too implore you, together also with St. Chrysostom, for the sake of saving your souls, do not neglect the practice of this prayer. Imitate those I have mentioned and follow in their footsteps as far as you can.
It Only Appears to Be Diffficult at First
At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy. This is why St. Paul, who knew better than we the great good which such prayer would bring, commanded us to pray without ceasing. He would not have imposed this obligation upon us if it were extremely difficult and impossible, for he knew beforehand that in such case, having no possibility of fulfilling it, we would inevitably prove to be disobedient and would transgress his commandment, thus incurring blame and condemnation. The Apostle could have had no such intention.
Moreover, bear in mind the method of prayer – how it is possible to pray without ceasing, namely by praying in the mind. And this we can always do if we so wish. For when we sit down to work with our hands, when we walk, when we eat, when we drink we can always pray mentally and practice this mental prayer – the true prayer pleasing to God. Let us work with the body and pray with the soul. Let our outer man perform his bodily tasks, and let the inner man be entirely dedicated to the service of God, never abandoning this spiritual practice of mental prayer, as Jesus, God and Man, commanded us, saying: "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matthew 6:6).

The closet of the soul is the body; our doors are the five bodily senses. The soul enters its closet when the mind does not wander hither and thither, roaming among things and affairs of the world, but stays within, in our heart. Our senses become closed and remain closed when we do not let them be attached to external sensory things, and in this way our mind remains free from every worldly attachment, and by secret mental prayer unites with God its Father. "And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly," adds the Lord. God who knows all secret things sees mental prayer and rewards it openly with great gifts. For that prayer is true and perfect which fills the soul with Divine grace and spiritual gifts. As chrism perfumes the jar the more strongly the tighter it is closed, so prayer, the more fast it is imprisoned in the heart, abounds the more in Divine grace.
Blessed are those who acquire the habit of this heavenly practice, for by it they overcome every temptation of the evil demons, as David overcame the proud Goliath. It extinguishes the unruly lusts of the flesh, as the three men extinguished the flames of the furnace. This practice of inner prayer tames passions as Daniel tamed the wild beasts. By it the dew of the Holy Spirit is brought down upon the heart, as Elijah brought down rain on Mount Carmel. This mental prayer reaches to the very throne of God and is preserved in golden vials, sending forth their odors before the Lord, as John the Divine saw in the Revelation, "Four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8).
This mental prayer is the light which illumines man’s soul and inflames his heart with the fire of love of God. It is the chain linking God with man and man with God. Oh the incomparable blessing of mental prayer! It allows a man constantly to converse with God. Oh truly wonderful and more than wonderful – to be with one’s body among men while in one’s mind conversing with God. Angels have no physical voice, but mentally never cease to sing glory to God. This is their sole occupation and all their life is dedicated to this.
So, brother, when you enter your closet and close your door, that is, when your mind is not darting hither and thither but enters within your heart, and your senses are confined and barred against things of this world, and when you pray thus always, you too are then like the holy angels, and your Father, Who sees your prayer in secret, which you bring Him in the hidden depths of your heart, will reward you openly by great spiritual gifts.
But what other and greater rewards can you wish from this when, as I said, you are mentally always before the face of God and are constantly conversing with Him – conversing with God, without Whom no man can ever be blessed either here or in another life?
Finally, my brother, whoever you may be, when you take up this book and, having read it, wish to test in practice the profit which mental prayer brings to the soul, I beg you, when you begin to pray thus, pray God with one invocation, "Lord have mercy," for the soul of him who has worked on compiling this book and of him who helped to give it to the public. For they have great need of your prayer to receive God’s mercy for their soul, as you for yours. May it be so! May it be so!
St Gregory Palamas, from "Early Fathers From the Philokalia," translated from the Russian text, "Dobrotolubiye," by E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer, eighth edition, (London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1981), pp. 412 - 415
...more on the Jesus Prayer

Can Prayer Help relieve Headaches.

While there is no research on the use of the Jesus Prayer and relief from headaches there is some research from those who meditate.

Meditation has been shown to help offset the symptoms of chronic pain, including headaches. One study showed that 72 percent of patients with chronic pain who underwent meditation training, reported significant reductions in their level of pain. In another study, patients who practiced meditation experienced fewer migraine headaches, enhanced their pain tolerance, and reported a greater sense of well-being.
The Jesus Prayer is quite different than meditation as it is an prayer in communication with God. But there are many similarities to the regular practice of this prayer that are similar to meditation. The Jesus prayer should be much more effective than meditation as it does call on God for His mercy.

The regular practice of the Jesus prayer requires at least 15 minutes per day where you can set aside all daily cares and quietly in your mind repeat the prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me." One will find that this is not an easy task as our minds are very active and we will observe many distracting thoughts while we try to pray in this way. Gradually as we keep up a daily practice we will gain in our ability to concentrate on the words of the prayer. As we gain in this way, our mind becomes quiet, our body relaxes, and our heart opens to God. This opening then allow His grace to flow through us bringing any healing power as God wills for us.

With the practice, when we feel a headache coming on, we can stop for a few minutes and repeat this prayer until the pain subsides. We don't have to wait for the actual headache to intervene with a prayer. Here are some symptoms that are known to be precursors to and headache: Fatigue, mood changes, food cravings, loss of appetite, yawning, increased urination, and muscle stiffness. We can observe our own situation and learn to recognize these warning signs. There are also some common triggers that can be avoided. They are: Caffeine, chocolate, aged cheese, red wine, hormonal changes, stress, and too much or to little sleep.

To learn more about the practice of the Jesus Prayer in your daily life, you can go the the OrthodoxPrayer.org website and enter the section labeled Jesus Prayer.

The power in this prayer comes from the name, "Jesus". Its practice requires humility realizing that we cannot control everything in this world, including our aches and pains. Its practice is both a worship of God and a discipline with similarities to many meditation techniques. It is not an easy practice and takes patience and endurance. Research has shown that it actually causes a change in neurological networks of our brain. One must first have faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Science Studies the Jesus Prayer

Can seven words—Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me—change lives?

It may seem a lot of effort over just seven words: Finding 110 Eastern Orthodox Christians, giving them a battery of tests ranging from psychology to theology to behavioral medicine, and then repeating the tests 30 days later. But the seven words—"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me" (a.k.a. the Jesus Prayer)—are among the most enduring in history. What Boston University psychologist George Stavros, Ph.D., wanted to find out was whether repeating the Jesus Prayer for ten minutes each day over the 30 days would affect these people's relationship with God, their relationships with others, their faith maturity, and their "self-cohesion" (levels of depression, anxiety, hostility, and interpersonal sensitivity). In short, Stavros was asking whether the Jesus Prayer can play a special role in a person's "journey to the heart."
The answer—at least on all the scales that showed any significant effect compared to the control group—turned out to be a resounding yes. Repeating the contemplative prayer deepened the commitment of these Christians to a relationship with a transcendent reality. Not only that, it reduced depression, anxiety, hostility, and feelings of inferiority to others. So powerful were the psychological effects of the prayer that Stavros urges his colleagues to keep it in mind as a healing intervention for clients. He recommends that the prayer be used along with communal practices so that one's relationship with God and others is "subtly and continuously tutored." In other words, going inside to find God does not mean going it alone.
From Spirituality & Health—The Soul/Body Connection. Publication date unknown. Posted 8/21/2005.
THE OMNIPOTENT PRAYER Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me ...
By Elder Joseph, the quieter and Spilaiotou (1897-1959)

Always try to make sure that the prayer of Jesus Christ is included in your daily cycle, your work, your every breath and your every sense. Oh, then how will your heart rejoice! How delighted you will be because your mind will rise towards the heavens. Wherefore do not forget to always say: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

When you chant you will understand the chants; you will have the desire and you will likely have the voice and humility to give back, accordingly, the words of God. Therefore do not do injustice to your soul anymore, but say inwardly the prayer, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me...

When you work, do not let all your thoughts and strength be absorbed in your work, but say the prayer in a whisper. Then your works will be correct, error-free, your thoughts will be clean, and your work performance will be greater. Go ahead, then, say the prayer of Jesus Christ, so your works will be blessed, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

The Holy Spirit protects the soul that prays. It enters the depths of the soul, has control over the inner world of the soul and it directs it towards God's Holy Will. Only then the soul has the power to say, along with the Prophet: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Ps. 103, 1). Go ahead and pray: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, so you will have the protection of the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit protects your soul, you feel fulfilled and humble. You are not affected by injustice, irony or praise. You live in a spiritual atmosphere, which the virus of sin cannot penetrate. Only the Holy Spirit can judge our souls, no else has that right. The Holy Spirit gives us new eyes and new reasoning. Say the prayer frequently so you can live comfortably in any environment; Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

Jesus Prayer with Attention is the Key

The true path to union with God is one that involves the continual remembrance and God and always acting on the guidance of our conscience. It is only in this way that we can do as we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." One of the most fundamental practices to make this a reality in ones life is prayer. Saint Theophan says prayer is "a spiritual barometer for self-observation." In prayer we find out how "high or low our spirit has gone." A sound prayer life involves regular morning and evening prayers. This is supplemented with the ongoing repetition in our minds of the Jesus Prayer so that we attain continual remembrance of God through unceasing prayer.

Saint Theophan offers us some advice about prayer.
He says,

The essence of prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God...You must train yourself in remembrance of God, and the means for doing this... is short prayer, in which you continually repeat the thought, "Lord have mercy!" "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!"

In addition we need to train ourselves to focus on pray and not to let our minds wander. Saint Theophan address this as follows:

Make this your rule: always be with the Lord in mind and heart; never allow the thoughts to wander, but when they do, call them back again and force them to stay at home in the house of the heart and speak with the most sweet Lord. Once you have made this rule, you must force yourself to carry it out faithfully.

My own spiritual father gave me this simple advice when I discussed this common problem with him, "Just decide to reject them! When you do, they will stop." Prayer involves giving your full attention to God alone.

From my personal experience, the practice of the Jesus Prayer in conjunction with controlling the thoughts is the essence of a fundamental spiritual practice that will lead you continually closer to God. Everything will follow with ease once you have engaged in a regular practice of the Jesus Prayer. Once the mind has been conditioned to remember the prayer in all situation, then God will be in your presence and there is time for you to listen to your conscience and to act with wisdom instead of passion.

More on the Jesus Prayer

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 198-200

Secret to a Spiritual Life Amidst Busyness

Most of us have lives that are filled with busyness. We are constantly on the go, busy with work, caring for our family, involved in self-help activities, engaged in entertainment, following our kid's sports, caring for elderly parents and so forth. Life in today's interconnected world is very demanding. We are never out of touch and continually responding to shifting demands and needs. We are often so busy that we do not even think about God the entire day. Many of us do not even have time for daily prayer. All this leads us to a stressful life, one that is separated from God.

To transform such a life of busyness, the secret is "unceasing remembrance of God." This is our most important spiritual task, to learn how to remember God at all times no matter how busy we are. By fortifying ourselves with such remembrance, God never leaves our mind. with God in our mind at all times He is always with us and is everywhere. This is the only way to transform our lives into one that is forever spiritual. All our activities become made up of actions dedicated to the will of God. We become more able to choose those activities which are truly important and to give up those that are not so important. We even learn, though God's grace, how to make increasing time for daily prayer, regular worship and participation in the sacraments.

Saint Theophan instructs us as follows:

Nothing special is required for this, just the intention of accepting it and exerting yourself, and remembering that the Lord is in you and close by you, and looks in you and inside of you just as intently as if someone were looking right at you. So that you do not do something, just remember that the Lord is close by and watching. Work at making this a habit and you will get used to it, and as soon as it is a habit, or is almost a habit, you will see the read gaming action that comes from it in the soul. Just do not forget that remembrance of God is not like remembrance of other things, that it must be combined with the fear of God and reverence of Him.

To make it easier to acquire the habit of remembrance of God, there is a special method for fervent Christians; that is, the unceasing repetition of a short prayer... most common is “Lord, have mercy!” “Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!” If you have never heard this, then listen, and if you have never done it, then begin doing it from this moment on. Whether you are walking, sitting, working, eating, going to bed, repeat over and over the words, “Lord, have mercy!” “Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!” From long practice of this, the words will fasten themselves to the tongue so that they will repeat themselves. This has a very settling effect on the soaring and wandering of the thoughts. Again, do not forget to combine this prayer with reverence.

More on the Jesus Prayer

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 187–188

Adding Spiritual Value To Our Work

It is through prayer that we sanctify our work as well as ourselves. Therefore, it is important to teach our employees to be renewed spiritually and to work prayerfully. When work is sanctified, it gains a spiritual value above the material value of the service or product. When workers are cursing while they work their work is also cursed and its value is diminished.

Elder Paisios says,

In our days, people prefer to purchase their icons and other items from monasteries. They do so because they know that monks and nuns say the Jesus prayer while working, and every thing they do is blessed. When people visit a monastery and eat food coked without oil they find it tasty and say, “I haven’t eaten such a tasty dish even in the best restaurant. How can it be so tasty when it is cooked without oil?

When the cook of a restaurant curses while he is cooking and never goes to church, how can the food be blessed? On the contrary, the monk is praying while cooking and his hart is filled with positive thoughts; he thinks that he is preparing food for earthly angels to eat. Moreover, when monks sit at the table to eat, they say a prayer to bless the food. How is it possible then for the food not to taste good?

Therefore when someone comes to your business to start work, first see that he is spiritually revived and then show him the work, so your business will have God’s blessing and be prosperous.

With this advice, try to create a spiritual attitude in your workplace and observe the difference it makes on yourself, your employees and your customers.

Source: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, p 82

When to Pray the Jesus Prayer

The aim of prayer is to do as Saint Paul instructs us, “To pray unceasingly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This simple prayer can easily be said anywhere. Often we think of prayer as something we do in the morning and then in the evening or in church. But this is not right. We must think of prayer as something that we do continuously.

Elder Paisios says,

We should always say the Jesus prayer wherever we are; not just in the morning or at night. When we walk, we should not waste our free time, but instead take advantage of it and repeat the prayer. When we are working in a busy place and it is difficult for us to concentrate on praying, we can quietly chant without disturbing others.

There are many moments during the day when we are idle. How often do you find yourself waiting in line for something. This is the ideal time to pray, saying “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” Then as you begin to do this during these idle times you will gradually find yourself repeating the prayer at other times throughout the day. To help etch the prayer in our minds, it is also helpful to repeat it numerous times as part of our morning and evening prayers as well. With God’s help, eventually it will become continuous without any effort. What you need to begin is the intention to pray unceasingly as Paul instructs.

¿Soledad?- ALBERTO E. JUSTO - ASPECTOS DE LA VOCACIÓN EREMÍTICA

2012-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

¿Soledad?- ALBERTO E. JUSTO - ASPECTOS DE LA VOCACIÓN EREMÍTICA

No pretendo diseñar un tratado de la vida solitaria. No pretendo añadir absolutamente nada a la luminosa tradición. Sólo es mi intención ahora hablar de la ermita escondida en el corazón, de la vocación a la soledad de todo viandante. Porque nada existe en la Iglesia que no sea una suerte de arquetipo para otras realidades, ya que comulgan todas en el mismo Misterio del Único Cuerpo Místico de Jesucristo.
Los caminos de la soledad se descubren, con harta frecuencia, en las horas de dolor, de sufrimiento. Sobre todo cuando ese mismo dolor es escondido y sin testigos; cuando –en suma- se cae en la cuenta de que nadie lo conoce y pasa desapercibido para cualquier observador.
Esta es una condición que abre la profundidad: no recibir atención. Se trata, en efecto, de una vida sin testigos. Cuando el peregrino acierta a descubrir esa calidad inaudita de su tesoro, que supera cualquier estima o valoración humana, se dará cuenta de la urgencia de mudar su atención y de dirigirla hacia otro horizonte.

El asedio del enemigo, pues, es exterior, externo; está fuera y no podrá hacer nada, salvo que se la abra camino. Todo el estruendo de un mundo hueco y vano no llega a destino sin invitación previa.
El arma más eficaz del peregrino es la compasión. En efecto, es esto lo que convierte toda guerra en paz. El enojo, la ira, las vindictas, todo eso es falso, engañoso, carente de resultado, infecundo y vano. Por otra parte siempre acaba mal.
La compasión, en cambio, es modo divino. El compasivo imita a Dios. Todo el secreto está ahí. La paciencia se fortalece y alimenta de compasión, que es verdad. Porque Dios se compadece de todos y a todos quiere salvar.
Se dirá por cuál razón la injusticia triunfa con tanta frecuencia o el cinismo no halla tope o castigo. Es claro que viendo las cosas desde ellas mismas esto parece ser así. Pero vistas desde lo alto, en otra perspectiva, cuando no necesitamos reivindicaciones de ningún tipo, el cuadro ya es diferente. De todos modos es preciso meditar más en el Misterio de Dios, esperar y confiar en Él.

Por tales razones el hombre no puede ser esclavizado por su entorno o por el ambiente en el cual vive. No es el camino el que hace al peregrino sino éste quien crea y traza a aquél con su andar.
Es así que estás cerca y acabas por convertirte en aquello que amas y quieres. Aquello que amas... No dejes de amarlo ni lo abandones. Tu constancia y tu perseverancia darán los mejores frutos. Sigue..., sigue siempre.

Recuerda siempre, no lo olvides, sólo posees en verdad lo que en verdad amas. Quizá creas guardar muy bien alguna cosa, tal vez te empecines en tener sensaciones de dominio en lo que sea... Pero todo eso es extraño, lejano y sin sentido para ti. Sólo es tuyo, en una posesión abierta, pura y desinteresada, aquello que en verdad amas... Por esa razón no irás nunca a ninguna ciénaga, porque nadie podrá apartarte de lo que amas. Ten bien presente esto y no te mientas ni te engañes jamás. Más estás donde amas, más está allí el alma, que donde te parece o donde simplemente te impresiona.
En suma, aunque estés al lado puedes hallarte muy lejos, a veces con una distancia infinita.

Esto lo vivirás en las instituciones y en todas esas asociaciones humanas que han antepuesto las técnicas al orden personal y cordial. El hombre sabe que ha perdido honor y cultura; y no encuentra otro modo de salir del atolladero que arrastrando a sus vecinos en la misma ciénaga donde se ahoga con rapidez. Pero a ti, si eres creador, no podrán empujarte ni llevarte adonde no quieres. Ten siempre el coraje de tu secreto y de tu libertad.

Cuando los que te perseguían, con sus acciones o con su indiferencia, te dejaron solo, adquiriste la certísima noticia de que ya no están más. Esto es: estás solo. Comienza por alegrarte y fíjate bien: ahora se abre el panorama de las infinitas ocasiones de tu potencialidad creadora. Sí, porque el Señor creará contigo y en ti un camino totalmente nuevo. Quizá no te dará excesivas comodidades; pero ¿qué más quieres? Es nuevo y más que nuevo: lo pasado ya pasó.
Has descubierto que tu interioridad te abre a la libertad y a lo inmenso... Que todo lo más bello te es inmediato y familiar. Deja que los muertos entierren a sus muertos, tú vuelve en paz a tu corazón

Paz interior- ALBERTO E. JUSTO- http://flordelyermo.blogspot.com

Oración , Preghiera , Priére , Prayer , Gebet , Oratio, Oração de Jesus

On illness by Elder Porphyrios

Testimony of Hieromonk Athanasios about ELDER PORPHYRIOS

Articles from or about Elder Porphyrios

Wounded by Love - (WBL)

Wounded by Love - (WBL)

Elder Daniel Gouvalis Interviewed About His Elder Porphyrios

Holy Humility is Complete Trust in God – Elder Porphyrios

The Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

ELDER PORPHYRIOS Testimonies and Experiences

Books

Elder Porphyrios : Wounded by Love

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?

Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus Prayer

Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus PrayerAn Excerpt from With Elder Porphyrios: A Spiritual Child Remembers

Notes on the Jesus Prayer by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov

Lay People and the Prayer of the Heart

"Prayer without Ceasing" Is Necessary For All Christians

Can seven words—Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me—change lives?

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