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27 - 09 - 2016, 01:11 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14401 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
هل تعلم لماذا يُصوّر القديس انطونيوس دائما وهو حامل الطفل يسوع؟  يلاحظ ان القديس انطونيوس البادواني في معظم الصور والتماثيل يُصوّر في وضعية متشابهة. يكون القديس راكعاً او واقفاًُ وعلى ذراعيه يحمل الطفل يسوع. والقصة في ذلك هي ان القديس اثناء تنقلاته في البلاد لم يكن دائما يبيت في الدير القريب. فقد كان يتنقل باستمرار بين القرى والمدن يعظ عن المسيح والخلاص ويردّ الى الايمان الكثير من الملحدين والهراطقة. في احد الأيام كان كعادته خارج الدير وتأخر به الوقت فدعاه احد الرجال في تلك البلدة الى المبيت عنده، اذ كان صديقاً له. فقد خصص له غرفة كان القديس يخلو اليها حين يتعذر عليه السفر. في تلك الليلة انتاب الرجل الأرق ولم يستطع النوم. في منتصف الليل نزل من غرفة نومه وفي طريقه الى المطبخ حيث اراد شرب الماء كان عليه ان يمر امام غرفة القديس. كم كانت دهشته عظيمة عندما شاهد نوراً يتسلّل من باب الغرفة المشقوق. وبما انه قد نسي ان يضع مصباح في الغرفة ولم يترك شمعة لضيفه فقد استغرب وجود كل هذا النور، فدفعه فضوله ليعرف مصدره. كم كانت دهشته عظيمة عندما شاهد القديس ساجداً على المركع وهو يحمل الطفل يسوع ويداعبه بخشوع وحب كبيرين. فسجد الرجل وترك القديس مع الرب الطفل دون ان يزعجهما شاكرا الله على نعمته العظيمة بزيارته لبيته المتواضع. وتذكاراً لذلك الحدث نرى القديس يحمل الطفل يسوع على الهياكل وفي الصور، تكريماً من المؤمنين لذاك الذي وُجد مستحقاً ان يحمل يداعب ويتكلم مع الطفل الإلهي |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 02:03 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14402 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
لا ترسم الصليب بعجلة..لهذا السبب  إن الشياطين ترتعب من منظر الصليب وحتى من مجرد الإشارة به باليد لأن السيد المسيح له المجد ظفر بالشيطان وكل قواته ورآساته على الصليب وجردهم من رأساتهم وفضحهم علنًا.فيجب ان تكون صحيحه فيقول الاباء: الذي يرسم علامة الصليب فى عجلة بلا اهتمام أو ترتيب فان الشياطين تفرح به، أما الذي في ثبات وروية يرسم الصليب فهنا تحل عليه قوة الصليب وتفرح به الملائكة كذلك عندما يرسم المؤمن الصليب انما يعنى الاستعانة بشخص الرب يسوع المتحد بأبيه وروحه القدوس، هى استدعاء القوات السماوية باستحقاقات الرب المصلوب لاجلنا، هى صلاة موجزة للثالوث الاقدس كما هى قبول عمل الفداء أي تعبير موجز عن العقيدة المسيحية.. وجدير بالذكر انه + يقول الآباء أن الذي يرسم ذاته بعلامة الصليب في عجلة بلا اهتمام أو ترتيب، فإن الشياطين تفرح به. أما الذي في روية وثبات يرسم ذاته بالصليب من رأسه إلي بطنه ثم من كتفه الأيسر إلي الأيمن فهذا تحل علية قوة الصليب وتفرح به الملائكة! + حينما ترشم ذاتك بعلامة الصليب أذكر دائمًا أنك تستطيع بقوته أن تصلب شهواتك وخطاياك على خشبة المخلص (هوذا حمل الله الذي يرفع خطية العالم) (يو29:1).. عالمًا أن في الصليب قوة إخماد الشهوة وإبطال سلطان الخطية برحمة المصلوب عليه. + حينما ترفع نظرك إلي خشبة الصليب المعلقة فوق الهيكل أذكر مقدار الحب الذي أحبنا به الله حتى بذل ابنه حبيبة لكي لا يهلك كل من يؤمن به. |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 02:58 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14403 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
القديس البار نيلوسالكالابري (+ 1005 م )
 من قديسي جنوب إيطاليا حيث بقيت الأرثوذكسية الى القرنين 15 و 16 . من عائلة نبيلة من روسانو , عاصمة كالابريا . ترهب بعد شرود . سلك في الفقر و العزلة و الطاعة .نسك .بكاء . واجه هجمات عدو الخير بصلابة . بلغ اللاهوى . انشهر سواء بين الميسحية و المسلمين . فهمُه بعمق للكتاب المقدس و تمييزه الروحي جذبا اليه الكثيرين . كان يشفي المرضى و ينسب الشفاء الى صلاة الكنيسة . اهتم بالسعي , لدى السلطات من أجل الحق و العدالة . طلب العزلة بعدما كثر عليه الزائرون . استقبله رهبان اللاتين في دير القديس بنوا Benoit كما لو ان القديس بنوا قام من الموت . رغم تمسكه بإيمان آباء القديسين أبدى انفتاحاً كبيراً لجهة الإختلاف في الممارسة بين البيزنطيين و اللاتين . بخصوص حرم الاتين يوم السبت قال : ” سواء أكلنا أو صمتم فهذا نفعله لمجد الله “. رقد في دير القديسة أغاثي في 26 أيلول سنة 1005 م . |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:00 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14404 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
تداعياتٌ تتجدّدُ… حولَالإلهِ والإنسانِ والصّيدِ.
 تأمّلات في الإنجيل: الأحد السّابع عشر بعد العنصرة ويقفُ كلُّ إنسانٍ مكتوفَ اليدَينِ أمامَ ما بدأَهُ في قصدِ حياتِهِ… ليبقى الرّبُّ واقفًا، تاليًا، أمامَهُ لا يتحرّكُ، منتظرَهُ… وتمرُّ دقيقةٌ هي عمرُ الإبطاءِ والخوفِ الإنسانيِّ من الفشلِ والسّقوطِ من جحيمِ التّردّي أمام نفسِهِ البشريّةِ، ليهدأَ فيها وبعدَها، ينفضُ يدَيه من عمرِهِ، من طموحاتِهِ، ممّا خطّطَهُ بكلِّ وعيٍ لما يريدُهُ من يومِهِ، من عملِ يدَيه ويقفُ يقفُ طويلاً إذ ذاكَ… تتوقّفُ الحياةُ رغمَ طلوعِ النّورِ وانبساطِ الشّمسِ على التّرابِ لتدفئَ المزروعاتِ فتنمّيها إلى أفواهِ الأطفالِ والفقراءِ والعبيدِ، كما الأغنياءِ… في حكمةٍ ينظرُ الإنسانُ حولَهُ ويقولُ: فلأنتظرْ عملَ إلهي الآنَ!!. لا بدّ له أن يأتيَني حتّى لو لم أصرخْ إليهِ… الرّبُّ يقفُ أمامي وأنا لا أنظرُهُ، بل أنتظرُهُ… هكذا كان الإنسانُ يحيا بدءَ تاريخِ الحياةِ على الأرضِ… لأنّ الله هو ناظرُهُ ومنتظرُهُ، لأنّه هو أبدَعَهُ، ثبَّتَهُ على كلمتِهِ، على قصدِهِ فلن يتزعزعَ ولا الأرضُ الّتي يسكنُها… الخالقُ الكائنُ والّذي كان ويكونُ بعد أن نفخَ روحَهُ في كفِّهِ مطلقًا الإنسانَ ليزرعَ وينميَ ويُبْدِعَ ويولَدَ من روحِهِ، لم يعدْ “يستطيعُ” السّكنى وحدَهُ لأنّه خَلقَ الإنسانَ من ذاتِهِ، ذاتِهِ الّتي لن تحيا إلاّ منه وفيه، لتصيرَ الكونَ الّذي أبدَعَهُ الإلهُ… وكان الكونُ!!… وخربَ!!. خربَ بفعلِ تشييءِ المخلوقِ الإلهيِّ لخالقِهِ… إذ نسيَهُ لأنّه لم يعدْ يراه في قصدِهِ، في تداعيّاتِ حياتِهِ اليوميّةِ… فتخلّى الإنسانُ عنهُ، عن الإلهِ، متخليًّا، تاليًا، عن ذاتِهِ!!. صيّرَ إلهَهُ صورةً لوجودِهِ، هو المخلوقُ، لفعلِهِ وللكونِ ولكلِّ عظمتِهِ وإبداعاتِهِ… هكذا وقفَ الإنسانُ المخلوقُ ذاتَ صُبْحٍ على تلّةِ جبلٍ لينظرَ طلوعَ الشّمسِ فأحرقَهُ نورُها… وإذ غامتِ الرّؤيا بين عينَيه، سقطَ إلى الأرضِ… انوجعَ على ومِن الإلهِ، فسَخطَهُ، وبدأَ حسُّ الأنا فيه يتضعضعُ، فبدلَ نوئِهِ، تاليًا، تحت ألمِهِ لنقصانِ وعتمةِ حياتِهِ، انتفضَ صارخًا… أنا الإلهُ!!!… هكذا انسلَّ عدوُّ الخيرِ إلى قلبِ وحسِّ الإنسانِ… انسلّتْ قوى الظّلمةِ والحقدِ على الإلهِ، لأنّه لم يُبدعِ الشّيطانَ بقوّتِهِ فيُرئِسَهُ معه حُكْمَ الكونِ الّذي أَبْدَعَهُ الإلهُ للحياةِ الأبديّةِ من ذاتِهِ ومعه وفيه. لماذا الشّيطانُ؟!… لماذا قوى الشّرِّ؟! لماذا كلُّ الدّماءِ والإفناءِ والحقدِ والحسدِ والكذبِ للاستيلاءِ على قلوبِ أبناءِ الإلهِ، ليُبيدَ الشّيطانُ بهم، كونَهم كأنّه ليس هديّةً من الإلهِ لهم ولإخوتِهِم، فاستولوا على أرزاقِ الجماعةِ لهم بأنانيةِ وحدتهم مع الشّرّيرِ ليحيوا. من أين تفتّقتِ الإنيّةُ لمَحْقِ الآخرِ في رؤيا وحقيقةِ وجودِ الكيانِ الإنسانيِّ؟!… أمِنَ الإلهِ؟!. أم من الشّيطانِ؟!… “عظيمٌ أنتَ يا الله وعجيبةٌ أفعالُكَ وليس من قولٍ يفي بتسبيح عجائبِكَ”… وانتفضَ الشّرّيرُ أيضًا وأيضًا ليُبيدَ حتّى نَفَسَ الشّكرِ في الخلقِ والخليقةِ… كان مرادُهُ إطفاءَ جذوةِ حبِّ الإنسانِ للإلهِ واتّكائِهِ عليه… قصدُ الشّيطانِ، عدوِّ الإلهِ، كانَ قطعَ حبلِ الوريدِ بين روحِ الله وروحِ الإنسانِ، لتخربَ الحياةُ في حشا الإنسانِ، فلا يعودَ يرى أو يُحسَّ أو يحيا نَفَسَ الحبِّ الإلهيِّ الّذي أبدعَهُ الخالقُ منه… لذا صارَ يذوي، يستسلمُ للحزنِ، ييأسُ، يُشيحُ نظرَهُ عن أخيه الإنسانِ، عن أقربِ المقرّبين إليه، حتّى عن رفيقِ ورفقةِ حياتِهِ، وأولادِهِ… يملّكُهم حاجاتِهم الملموسةَ اليوميّةَ، يمنحُهم قضاءَ سعيِهم من خمائرِ الأقبيةِ المتّسخةِ المحشوّةِ بنتنِ الموتِ والقبورِ الّتي يحيا فيها ليبقى في إنيّتِهِ، في موتِهِ… وتجسّدَ الإلهُ… آتيًا ليخلّصَ ما قد هلَكَ من شعبِهِ وعشقِهِ للمالِ، للسّلطةِ، وللموتِ هذا… وسمعَ الإنسانُ الصّوتَ الصّارخَ به: ها حسُّ ونتنُ الجيفِ، الّتي هي كياناتُكم وأرواحُكم وعقولُكم تتناطحُ، ليصلَ كلٌّ منها إلى فذلكةِ الإبداعِ، بدلَ تبنّي صوتِ الإلهِ الّذي تجسّدَ لأجلِ محوِ خطاياكم وتبييضِها، لتصيرَ لامعةً بدموعِ الفجرِ والعشايا، ندًى يتقطّرُ من أرواحِكم… ثَقُلَتِ الأيّامُ عليكم وفيكم… تبدّدتْ طفولتُكم، كأنّكم ما وُلدْتُم من حشا مريمَ البتولِ والدةِ الإلهِ، امرأةِ عرسِ البتوليّةِ المولودةِ من روحِ وكلمةِ الله منذ بدءِ الكونِ، ليقولَ بعد خرابِ شعبِهِ وعلوِ مياهِ الشّرِّ على جبالِهِ اليومَ… لأجلِ أمِّ الإلهِ أُعيدُ بناءُ ما قد انهدمَ… لكنّي أُعيدُ بناءَهُ من وجعي على سقوطِهِ… فأُبدِّلُ وجهَ وماهيةَ وروحَ الأرضِ لتصيرَ أرضًا جديدةً حاملةً روحًا جديدةً، ووعدَ حياةٍ أبديّةٍ تتجدّدُ… * * * * * * * هذا هو اليومُ الّذي صنعَهُ الرّبُّ وفعلُ الكونِ الجديدِ الّذي ابتدعَهُ الإلهُ للإنسانِ الجديدِ بعد السّقوطِ!!… فَشِلَ الإنسانُ… بمحدوديّةِ كيانِهِ الحاملِ الحياةَ… بعقلِهِ، بفكرِهِ، بِنُطْقِهِ، بإرادتِهِ، بفعلِهِ، بنفسِهِ، بقلبِهِ وماذا بعدُ؟!. وبوقفتِهِ الجديدةِ أمام خالقِهِ نافضًا يدَيهِ من إنجازيّتِهِ، ليقولَ لإلهِهِ: نظّفتُ شِباكي بعد إفراغِها من صيدِ الأصفادِ لا الأسماكِ وغسلِ ثيابي المتّسخةِ بعد إقراري بواقعي الجديدِ، إنّي أنا فشلْتُ لإخراجِ ما أنا مؤتمنٌ عليه من البحرِ، لآكلَ وأطعِمَ شعبي وفقراءَهُ والّذين يبتاعون منّي الأسماكَ ليحيوا ويقتاتوا بالخبزِ الّذي سيصيرُ هو هو طبيعةَ حياةِ الجسدِ الجديدِ، والرّؤيا الجديدةَ والواقعَ الجديدَ… “أن ليس إلهٌ إلهيٌّ إلاّ المصلوبَ للحياةِ على صورةِ الرّبِّ ومثالِهِ!!”… اليومَ أتانا مسيحُنا ليطعمَنا خبزَ العبراتِ والرّوحَ الإلهيَّ إذ أشفقَ علينا، نحن جبلّتَهُ، فعمّدَنا هكذا بحنانِ حبِّهِ، علّمَنا قبولَ ذواتِنا ومحدوديّةِ اشرئبابِنا إلى عدميّتِنا لنجدَهُ في كلِّ ما نفكّرُ، ونعملُ ونعلّمُ… فنصرخَ: “لا لنا… لا لنا يا الله… بل لاسمِكَ أعطِ المجدَ!!”… اليومَ تبدأُ تجليّاتُ وأفعالُ ووعودُ إلهِنا لنا: “أنّكم تصيرون آلهةً وأبناءَ العليِّ تُدعَون… وأنا لا أدعوكم بعدُ عبيدًا، بل إخوةً لي”… ما السّرُّ “العظيمُ” هذا؟!… أن نقبلَ؟!. بل أن يصيرَ يسوعُ المتجسّدُ شريكَنا في كلِّ ما نعملُ ونفعلُ ونفكّرُ، ليأخذَ هو عنّا قَصْدَنا، وينظّفَهُ ليكثّرَهُ عشراتِ ومئاتِ أضعافِ ما نودُّ فعلَهُ وإذ نندهشُ من فعلِنا الّذي هو فعلُ يدِ الخالقِ من جهةٍ، وقبولِنا حضورَهُ فاعلاً في تفاصيلِ يوميّاتِ تفكيرِنا وفعلِنا لتنفيذِ مشيئتِهِ بالكليّةِ، نصيرُ، تاليًا، خدّامَهُ وخدّامَ البشريّةِ لنُبشِّرَ به، فيعرفوا اسمَهُ!!… هكذا يصمتُ، تاليًا، الإنسانُ عن “أناهُ”… ويذوّبُ الرّبُّ يسوعُ كلَّ ما هو مخزونٌ من السّقوطِ في الإنسانِ، ليجعلَهُ فعلاً جديدًا وحياةً جديدةً مُستمَدةً من رؤيا وهجِ شمسِ النّورِ الجديدِ الّذي إذا عاينّاه لا يُعمينا، بل يحوِّلُ خلايا عتماتِ جسدِنا هذا المائتِ إلى انبجاسِ نورانيّةٍ جديدةٍ، لا ندركُها ولا يُمكنُنا إدراكُها، لا في القلبِ ولا بالعقلِ ولا بالقصدِ، بل تصيرُ نَفسَ روحِ الله فينا!!. هكذا وبكلِّ بساطةٍ، نبدأُ نحيا إنسانَنا الجديدَ، نداءاتِ توقٍ وحبٍّ من حبِّنا للإلهِ: “أن تعالَ واسكنْ فينا وطهّرْنا من كلِّ دنسٍ وخلّصْ يا أيّها الصّالحُ نفوسَنا”… اليومَ في قبولِنا غسلِ شباكِنا الّتي لم تصطدِ السّمكَ ووقوفِنا فارغي الأيدي والأكفِّ بالفشلِ، نقبلُ أن نستقبلَ الرّبَّ يسوعَ في فراغِ قلوبِ بيوتِنا وأذهانِنا وتفاصيلِ خلايا كياناتِنا، وعملِنا، ليدخلَ هو أخدارَنا المائتةَ، فيملأَ مياهَ جرارِ عُرْسِنا معه، إلى ملءِ خمرةِ جسدِهِ المطعونِ بحربةِ الشّيطانِ، لنأكلَ من صيدِهِ هو لنا، لا من صيدِنا نحنُ لإطعامِ النّاسِ والبشريّةِ حولَنا ومنّا، بل نغرفُ للإشباعِ من جسدِهِ الطّاهرِ هذا، الّذي نتناولُهُ لنحيا، ومن دمِهِ الكريمِ، فنصيرَ جسدًا من جسدِهِ ودمًا من دمِهِ، لصيدٍ جديدٍ يتجدّدُ منه، فيه ومعه، حتّى يأتيَنا هو يومًا، فيحملَنا إلى إخلائِنا الكاملِ لذاتِنا من عتاقتِنا والتّمتمةِ له: “هلمَّ يا إلهَنا… هلمَّ واسكنْ معنا فينا مصيِّرنا صيّادين لناسِكَ الفقراءِ والغرباءِ والحزانى والمُبعدين عنكَ…”… آمين… الأمّ مريم (زكّا)، رئيسة دير القدّيس يوحنّا المعمدان، دوما – لبنان |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:05 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14405 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
Spiritual life. Sayings of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
 “What gas is to a machine, so is the heart to the spiritual life. Whenever man does something from the heart, he’s not exhausted by it. For this reason, whenever people ask me what they should study, I tell them instead what they should love. In particular certain professions, like ‘doctor’, and ‘teacher’, require that those doing them love the work a lot. This is the same in the spiritual life. The heart must participate in prayer”. *** “The spiritual life requires a great deal of self denial, and of love of virtue for virtue’s sake”. *** “When someone has low morale, we should give him courage and raise him up. However, when someone’s morale is high and he has egotism, we ought to humble him.” |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:06 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14406 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
Do you believe?
 “And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” The first article of the Symbol of Creed, speaks about God. Continuing now, we will discuss the second article. It reads, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father, through Whom all things were made.” The first word of this article is “and.” This “and” was not introduced unintentionally into the Symbol – none of the words of the Symbol are there by accident. Every word has significance. After much contemplation and by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Synods composed the Symbol and placed each word properly. The word “and” then has its own significance. It connects the second article with the first. It places the Father and the Son on the same level, the same plane. God is the Father, and God is the Son, the Christ, as well. The “and” means that we believe in God the Father and we believe in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ Those fathers with all the martyrs and confessors believed in Christ. They believed what the Symbol of the Faith proclaims about Him. Twentieth-century people, however, even those who call themselves Christians, do they really believe in Christ? If you ask poor people today, you will see that very few actually believe in Christ and strive to live in accordance with His holy will. The rest? If they went to universities and consider themselves scholars or scientists, some then say Christ was a wise man, the wisest of all; others say He was a friend of the poor; others, that He was a great orator and sociologist; others, that He was a great revolutionary figure, who came to overthrow the establishment. None of them, however, in spite of the laudations they give Him, accepts what the Church believes. They do not accept Him as God. Others in our times go even further, into unbelief and atheism, and as they maintain that there is no God, they say and write that Christ never existed, except in people’s imagination. What a horrible thing unbelief is! If one begins to question his faith, without noticing it, he will begin to fall into greater and greater doubt, until he ends up an unbeliever. Such a person is like a rock – once it begins rolling down a hill, it will never stop rolling, but will continue until it reaches the lowest place it can find. The faithless cry: “There is no God.” But no matter how much they cry out, they will never succeed in blowing out the Faith of Christ. This faith has very deep roots in the human heart, and no satanic power is able to uproot it. The “I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God” will continue being declared boldly by every pure and humble soul. An old man once came from a neighboring village to the city of Florina and entered the diocesan office. He brought a little girl with him, who was attending the second grade of the elementary school. She was his granddaughter, and he had brought her to the office because she wanted to say the Creed before the Bishop. And so, she recited it in a loud voice, and without error. I asked her if she believed in Christ, and she answered, correctly making the sing of the Cross, saying “I believe in Christ and I love Him”. I rejoiced and glorified God, because there are still pure, child-like souls. Unbelievers continue to cry out and say that Christ never existed. But, that Christ existed, that He was born in Bethlehem in the reign of Ceasar Augustus, that he lived and worked in Palestine, that he was crucified by Pontius Pilate, these events are actual and not imagined. Christ was a historical person. Historians of the First century attest to this: Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny. Although the means of communication were primitive, although He came from a despised country, His fame as an extraordinary teacher, prophet and wonderworker spread far beyond the borders of Hi native Israel and reached Rome. Foreign authorities speak of Christ’s existence. His life and deeds. These had no relations with Him, but they observed the events with an indifferent heart. It is certain that Christ was born and lived in Palestine. It is as certain as the fact that Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia, lived and was active there. We believe the few historians who bore witness to the historical existence of Alexander, and no one questions his existence. People, therefore, should not question the historical existence of Jesus Christ. They should have more faith in the testimonies that credible people wrote about Christ with truthfulness and self-denial – the four Evangelists. The four Evangelists testify to Christ. Although there are some small discrepancies among the four in some points, these discrepancies show that the four Evangelists worked separately, without consulting one another. These four witnesses are alike in describing the same event; although one might pay attention to some detail which the others overlook. Christ’s existence is witnessed to by foreign writers, and mainly by the four Evangelists, the Apostle Paul, and the other Apostles. It is witnessed to by countless martyrs and confessors, who shed their blood for the Faith of Christ. It is witnessed to by God, the Heavenly Father, through a myriad of miracles that have taken place in the past and will continue to occur forever in His holy Name. Dear friends, let us erase from our heart every question which satan puts there regarding Christ’s existence and life. By studying the holy Gospels, our hearts will be filled with admiration for the unique Icon of Christ. The questions and doubts will then be changed into exclamations of faith, and together, with child-like voices, we will say: “I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of God before all ages…” This chapter was taken from the book “ON THE DEVINE LITURGY – VOL.2” by Bishop Augoustinos N. Kantiotes. |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:07 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14407 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
Why Christianity should not change with the times
 It has reached my ears that you, it seems, consider my sermons very strict and suppose that nowadays no one should think like that, no one should live like that and, therefore, no one should teach like that. Times have changed! How I rejoiced, having heard this. It means that you listen attentively to what I say — and not only listen, but are prepared to fulfill it. What more could be desired for us who preach as we were commanded, and what we were commanded? Despite all this, I can in no way agree with your judgment, and I consider it my duty to comment on it and correct it. For it proceeds — though perhaps in spite of your desire and conviction — from an evil source, as though Christianity could be changeable in its dogmas, rules and sanctifying rites in response to the spirit of the times, and that, conforming to the changing tastes of the sons of this age, it could add something or take something away. This is not so. Christianity should remain eternally unchanging, not in the least dependent on or governed by the spirit of the times. On the contrary, Christianity itself is appointed to govern or to rule over the spirit of the age in everyone who submits himself to its guidance. To convince you of this, I will offer you a few thoughts for your consideration. It is said that my teaching is strict. My teaching is not mine own, nor should it be. From this hallowed place no one should or may preach his own doctrine. And if I or someone else should ever dare to do so, cast us out. We preach the doctrine of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, of His holy Apostles, and of the holy Church guided by the Holy Spirit. And we take care in every possible way that this doctrine be preserved whole and inviolate in your minds and hearts. We present every thought and use every word with caution, so as in no way to cast a shadow over this bright divine teaching. One cannot act in any other way. Such a law, that one’s preaching in the Church must be from God, was established at the beginning of the world and must be in force until the end thereof. The holy Prophet Moses, having set forth commandments from God Himself for the Israelite people, concluded, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it; keep the commandments of the Lord our God, all that I command you this day” (Deut. 4:2). This law of immutability is so unalterable that our Lord and Savior Himself, while teaching the people on the mount, said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For, Amen, I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt. 5:17-18). Then He gave the same authority to His own teaching, when, before interpreting the commandments in the spirit of the Gospel, He added, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 5:19). That is, whoever falsely interprets them and diminishes their authority will be an outcast in the life to come. So, said He at the beginning of His preaching. The same He testified to Saint John the Theologian, beholder of mysteries, in Revelation, where, having depicted the final fate of the world and of the Church, He says, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book, and if anyone shall take away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his portion out of the book of life and out of the holy city” (Rev. 22:18-19). For the whole of time from His first appearance to the world until His second coming, He gave the holy Apostles and their successors this law: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations … teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” — teach, that is, not what someone else might think, but what I have commanded, and that til the end of the world — “… and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world” (Matt. 28:19-20). The Apostles received this law and laid down their lives to fulfill it, responding to those who would have wished to compel them by fear of punishment and death not to preach the way they did: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). This very law was handed down by the Apostles to their successors and received by them and is forever in effect in the Church of God. And it is because of this that the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Behold what inviolate steadfastness! Who will be so bold after this to willfully touch or to shake anything in Christian doctrine and law? Now listen to what was said to the Prophet Ezekiel: “Seven days” he was in prayerful rapture “and at the end of seven days” he heard the word of the Lord: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, and thou shalt hear the word of My mouth,” (Ezekiel 3:17) and proclaim it to the people. And here is the law for you! If you see a wicked man who does wickedness and you do not tell him: leave your wickedness and turn from your way, “that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18). However, if you proclaim to the wicked man that he should turn from his wicked way and does not turn, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but you will deliver your soul. In like manner, if you see a righteous man who is beginning to waver in his righteousness and you do not support him and do not take care to bring him to his senses with your words, then that righteous man, having sinned, will die in his sins, but his soul I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous man that he should not sin and he does not sin, then the righteous man will live and you will deliver your soul (cf. Ezekiel 3:19-21). What a strict law! But it is heard in the consciences of all shepherds at their election and ordination, when a heavy yoke is laid upon them — to shepherd the flock of Christ entrusted to them, big or small, and not only to shepherd it, but also to preserve it. How could one be so bold as to distort anything in the law of Christ, when it would mean destruction for both us and you! If the saving power of this doctrine depended on our opinion of it and your consent thereto, then it would make sense for someone to take it into his head to reconstruct Christianity, making allowance for human weaknesses or the pretensions of the age, and to conform it to the lusts of his evil heart. But the saving power of the Christian dispensation depends not at all on us, but on the will of God, on the fact that God Himself established precisely this very way of salvation. Besides, there is no other way, nor could there be. It follows that to teach in any other way is to deviate from the true way and to destroy oneself and you. What sense is there in that? Behold at how severe a judgment was uttered, when something similar happened in the nation of Israel, in the troubled times of its captivity. Some Prophets, out of pity for the troubled and the suffering, spoke to the people not as the Lord ordered, but as their hearts inspired them. This is what the Lord commanded Ezekiel concerning them: “Son of man, set thy face against those which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them. And say, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe to those that sew magic charms on your sleaves and make kerchiefs for the heads of people of all ages, so as to ensnare their souls! As a result the hearts of my people have been perverted, and will ye save your own souls?” (Ezekiel 13:17-18). Woe, that is to those who prescribe every kind of preferential treatment and propose such a soft regimen that no one should feel the slightest unpleasantness, neither from above nor from below, disregarding whether this is unto salvation or destruction, pleasing to God or repugnant to Him. Woe to such as these, for “thus saith the Lord . . . , your pillows and kerchiefs,” that is, your smooth-tongued, comfort-laden teaching, “wherewith ye confound souls” I will tear from your arms, and I will set at liberty the souls perverted by this teaching and I will destroy you, seducers (cf. Ezekiel 13: 20-21). Such is the benefit of preferential treatment and indulgences, the kind you wish to hear from us preachers! Taking this to heart, you ought not to wish that we, out of a false desire to please you, make any concessions in Christian doctrine. On the contrary, you should insistently demand that we adhere to it as strictly and unwaveringly as possible. Have you ever heard of the Pope of Rome’s indulgences? That’s what they are — preferential treatment and indulgences, which he gives in defiance of the law of Christ. And what is the result? From these all the West is corrupted in faith and in way of life. And now it is perishing in unbelief and unrestrained living with its indulgences. The Pope changed many dogmas, despoiled all the Mysteries, weakened the canons regarding the ordering of the Church and amendment of morals. And everything began to go contrary to the Lord’s purpose — and became worse and worse. Then Luther appeared — an intelligent man, but self-willed. The Pope, he said, changed everything the way he wanted — why shouldn’t I? And he began to construct and reconstruct everything in his own way, and founded in this manner the new Lutheran faith, little resembling the one which the Lord commanded and the holy Apostles handed down to us. After Luther, philosophers appeared. So, said they, Luther established for himself a new faith — supposedly based on the Gospel, but actually to his own way of thinking. So why shouldn’t we compose doctrines based only on our own way of thinking, disregarding the Gospel altogether? And they began to reason and conjecture, about God, about the world, and about men, each in his own way, and churned out so many doctrines that one’s head spins just from enumerating them. And now it’s like this with them: Believe as you think best, live as you like, take pleasure in whatever delights your soul. They will not recognize any laws or constraints and they will not submit themselves to the Logos of God. Their way is broad — all barriers have been swept away. But this broad way leads to destruction, as the Lord has said! That is where slackness in doctrine has led! Deliver us, O Lord, from this broadening! Rather, let us love every narrowness which the Lord has prescribed for us unto our salvation. Let us love Christian dogmas and constrain our mind by them, having commanded it to reason in no other way. Let us love Christian mores and constrain our will by them, having compelled it to carry this good yoke humbly and patiently. Let us love all guiding, amending and sanctifying Christian rites and services and constrain our heart by them, having impelled it to transfer its tastes from the earthly and the perishable to the Heavenly and imperishable. Let us imprison ourselves, as if in some cage. Or let us drag ourselves, as though through some narrow passage. Let it be narrow, so that one cannot deviate, neither to the right or to the left. But in return, we will, by this narrow way, undoubtedly enter the Heavenly Kingdom. For this Kingdom, you see, is the Lord’s Kingdom. And the Lord prescribed this narrow way and said, go precisely by this way and you will achieve the Kingdom. How then could one doubt that the traveler will reach his goal? And what sort of mind would one have to have in order to begin to wish for any kind of countermand, when thereby he would immediately lose his way and perish? Being confirmed in this understanding, do not grieve if something in our doctrine seems strict; wish only to make certain whether it is of the Lord. And once you have made certain that it is of the Lord, receive it with all your soul, however strict or constraining it may be. Not only do not desire preferential treatment and indulgences in doctrine and mores, but flee from them, as from the fire of Gehenna, from which there is no escape for all who concoct such things, and by them entice the weak of soul to follow after them. Amen. 29 December 1863 Sunday After the Nativity of our Savior Translated by lakov Tseitlin and Maria Goetz St. Petersburg, Russia |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:09 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14408 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
Holy sayings
 We also need the rains Every man should willingly cultivate the field of his heart but also needs the rains of the Grace. St. Makarios of Egypt The humble The humble never falls. Never falls because is below everybody so has no height to fall from. St. Makarios of Egypt Everything is a zero If you fast, receive communion, read the Holy books, but you don’t have love, everything is a zero, because God is love. Elder Christodoulos Katounakiotis |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:11 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14409 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
Sunday after the Holy Cross
 The renouncing of the self is the whole ascesis ofthespirituallife. In todays gospel reading, the Lord says:”Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” There is no other way to be of the Lord and for the Lord to have faith in you and to bless you. You must deny yourself. This, the renouncing of the self is the whole ascesis of the spiritual life. More often than not, good Christians want to have everything set right with Christ, and to feel as though Christ loves them. They want this, however, at no cost to themselves. The great evil that man now experiences because of the fall –and there exists no man who is not in this condition–is that man is locked inside of himself. He holds a high opinion of himself. Despite Christ saying that we need to deny ourselves, man is in fear and terror of loosing himself. If you wish to make a good start and to enter even a little onto this road, then you must carefully guard this phrase: “deny oneself”. And this does not happen simply by having a good thought. In practice, you will see that it costs you. This is because there is no way your “ego”will give up. Man has plunged into sin in such a way –this is the egotistical condition–that, just as one who is fortified in some castle, says: “Let me die here. I will not give up”. And this happens to each one of us. As far as we can see, realistically man does not want to renounce, to overcome, himself; he doesn’t want to do this in a specific way.Man only wants to renounce himself in a theoretical and vagueway. The person who does decide to deny themself, will see that it is difficult. And this difficulty comes from man, as he has not simply fallen into this egotistical condition, but does not want to get out from it. Sure, he wants to do a few prayers, some almsgiving, and some other so-called “good works”here, at thecastle of his ”ego” but he does not want his “ego” to come out of its shell. And yet in the end,he does not experience salvation. Holy Hesychasterion “The Nativity of Theotokos” Publications. Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos |
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27 - 09 - 2016, 03:13 PM
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رقم المشاركة : ( 14410 ) | ||||
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† Admin Woman †
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رد: وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة
But I Say To You, Love Your Enemies
 Love is an interior disposition that cannot be described adequately, but one can specify conditions and manifestations. In this way it is possible, by close attention to the wisdom of the Fathers, to define different steps in the love of enemies, from the most elementary to the highest. [1] The first step, says St. John Chrysostom, is not to be the first to cause harm. [2] The second step is not to take revenge in the measure one has suffered. [3] While the two first degrees do not seem to concern the love of enemies, they are its preconditions. The tendency to attack one’s enemies or to take revenge is instinctive and spontaneous, and receives its approbation from the Old Testament law of retaliation when taken in its most literal meaning. The third step is not to take revenge at all, but to leave that to God, as the Apostle Paul said: “Recompense to no man evil for evil” (Rm 12:17); “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rm 12:19). St. Isaac the Syrian gives the same advice: “Let yourself be persecuted, but do not persecute. Let yourself be crucified, but do not crucify. Let yourself be insulted, but do not insult.” [4] The fourth step is not to resist. This attitude was advised by Christ: “But I say unto you, That ye resist no evil.” (Mt 5:39) The fifth step is not to be irritated by what our enemies do to us [footnote: St. Maximus the Confessor, Centuries on Charity I,38, II,49], but to bear [5], to show patience [6], to endure all we are made to suffer, following the example of the Apostle: “Being persecuted, we suffer it” (I Cor 4:12) and following what he describes elsewhere as an ideal: “For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.” (II Cor 11:20) The sixth step is not to get inwardly upset about insults, abuse, trials and affliction that our enemies make us suffer [7], or as St. Simeon the New Theologian puts it: “not to turn a hair during trials and to have an equable and uniform attitude towards those who abuse one face to face, who accuse, persecute, condemn, insult, spit, or even to those who make a show of friendship and behind one’s back act in the same way that they can’t completely hide.” We must add that this can happen on different planes, as this attitude also has different steps. On the lowest step it can be allied to contempt, and so be the opposite to love; one step higher it can be allied to indifference, and so still not be in accordance with love; on a higher plane it can show that one has attained impassibility, and higher still, be allied to true charity. The seventh step is to consider offenses as a gift [8], to rejoice about them [9], and to thank God for them. He who has reached this step understands the meaning of these words of Christ: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Mt 5:11) The Fathers advise us to consider the person who offends us as a physician providentially come to cure our souls of its diseases, particularly pride and vainglory [10], they emphasize the profit one can gain from what one is made to suffer. St. Zosima said: “If someone remembers a brother who has hurt, injured or insulted him, he must regard him as a doctor and benefactor sent by Christ. If you get upset in these circumstances, it means your soul is sick. Indeed, if you were not sick, you would not suffer. So give thanks to this brother, for through him you know your illness. Pray for him and receive what comes from him as medicine sent to you by the Lord.” St. John of Gaza writes, “If we are just, the trial sent us [by our enemies] is for our progress, and if we are unjust, it is for the remission of sins and our improvement; it is also an exercise and a lesson in endurance.” The eighth step is to offer yourself voluntarily to suffer offenses [11]. This attitude is advised by Christ: “Whosoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Mt 5:39) The ninth step is to want to suffer more than one is asked to endure [12]. The tenth step is to feel no hate for those who ill-treat us [13]. The eleventh step is to feel no rancor, wrath or resentment [14] towards our enemies. St. John Climacus wrote: “Charity is first of all to reject every thought of enmity, because charity thinks no ill.” (I Cor 13:5) [15] The twelfth step is not to accuse our enemies, not to criticize them, not to speak ill of them, not even to reveal the harm they have done to us [16]. The thirteenth step is not to despise them [17]. The fourteenth step is to feel no trace of aversion or repulsion towards them [18]. The fifteenth step is not to feel the slightest bitterness towards them or to the memory of what they have done to us, nor the slightest sadness [19]. The sixteenth step is not to judge them at all [20] and only to consider one’s own faults. This in answer to Christ’s teaching: “Judge not, that ye be not judged . . . And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Mt 7:1-3) The seventeenth step is to sincerely forgive them [21]. This attitude makes us worthy to invoke God for the forgiveness of our own faults in the prayer the Lord taught us: “And forgive us for our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt 6:12), and shows that we take these words of Christ seriously: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Mt 6:14). This forgiveness in its highest form does not even remember what one has suffered. St. Simeon the New Theologian notes that in this degree love of enemies consists in “covering with total oblivion what one has suffered, think of nothing that has happened, whether the persecutors are present or absent.” Still these seventeen first steps don’t yet take us into what is love proper, although they are its indispensable conditions and preparatory stages that one must pass. Love is not simply the absence of enmity and it is very superior to it [22]. In this respect St. Maximus the Confessor writes: “To feel no envy, nor wrath, nor bitterness towards the offender does not yet mean to have love for him. One can, without any love, avoid rendering evil for evil because of the commandment. Not to hate someone, does not yet mean to love him. One can feel for him something between the two: not love and not hate. It is the following steps that will bring us to real love. The eighteenth step is to strive to be reconciled with one’s enemies [23], as ordained by Christ: “First be reconciled with thy brother” (Mt 5:24), “Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him” (Mt 5:25). By this attitude we show a desire of union that is the foundation of love, contrary to this is the tendency to division and separation. The nineteenth step is to feel pity and compassion for them [24]. This attitude is in answer to Christ’s counsel, given in the context of His teaching on the love of enemies: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Lk 6:36). This is how St. Isaac the Syrian describes him who has real compassion for all beings in creation, and so also for his enemies: “When he thinks of them, and when he sees them, tears run from his eyes. So strong and so violent is his compassion, and so great is his constancy that it wrings his heart and he can’t bear to hear or to see the least harm or the slightest sadness in creation.” The twentieth step implies not only that one renounces being avenged by God, but also wishing that He will not punish our enemies. The Apostle’s instruction — “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom 12:19) — seems to have been given to beginners hardly able to give up their own revenge. This twentieth step consists positively in wanting God to forgive our enemies, to keep and save them [25]. The twenty-first step is to pray God for them [26]. This attitude is in answer to Christ’s commandment: “Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mt 5:44, Lk 6:28). It is evident that praying for enemies has been implied from the first steps, but then it was a means of avoiding undesirable attitudes like hate, spite, resentment, and pride which bound to them, and be purified of them [27]. In the higher stages, the prayer is no longer for oneself but for the other: it leads to compassion and to love for the enemy and permits to develop, to strengthen and to show these positive attitudes. It consists then in asking God to take pity on him, forgive him his sins, save him and give him what is best [28]. A sorrowful heart and tears are the sign that the prayer is deep, sincere and motivated by real compassion [29]. St. Isaac the Syrian writes: “He who is compassionate prays tearfully, at all hours, for the animals without reason, for the enemies of truth, and for all who harm him, so that they be kept and forgiven.” “He who loves his enemies,” says St. Maximus, “will even suffer for them if the chance is given him.” The twenty-second step is to have affection for them [30]. St. Simeon notes that at this level love consists in “loving them from the bottom of the soul, and more still in engraving in oneself the face of each one of them, to kiss them impassibly as true friends with tears of sincere charity.” The twenty-third step is to wish them and do them good [31]. This attitude is in answer to the commandments of Christ: “bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you” (Mt 5:44; cf Lk 6:27-28); “But love ye your enemies and do good” (Lk 6:35); “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Lk 6:31), commandments repeated by the Apostle: “Bless them which persecute you, bless and curse not” (Rom 12:14), “Provide things honest in the sight of all men” (Rom 12:17); “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink” (Rom 12:20). In their behavior the Apostles show this attitude: “being reviled, we bless” (I Cor 4:12). When a man who was being ill-treated asked him how to act, St. John of Gaza had only one answer: “Do good to him.” St. Isaac advises: “Show the greatness of your compassion by rendering good to those who were unjust to you” and he writes that “it is a great thing to do good to sinners more than to the just.” St. Maximus teaches that one only loves when one is able to “return naturally good for evil” and that “to be capable of doing good to those who hate us is only given to perfect spiritual love.” Love does not only consist of doing good to our enemies, but also in thinking well of them [32]. The twenty-fourth step is to consider those who harm us in the same way as those who do us good, and to love them in the same way [33]. St. Barsanuphios teaches that one must manage “to consider he who strikes as he who caresses, he who despises as he who esteems, he who insults as he who honors, he who afflicts as he who consoles.” More than all Fathers, St. Maximus advises us to treat all men equally and to love them all without making any difference, friends or enemies, just or sinners. He wrote: “Blessed the man who can love all men equally.” “He who is good and impassive, by the disposition of his will, loves equally all men, the just for their nature and their good disposition, the sinners for their nature [34] and with the compassionate pity one has for a fool wandering in the night.” He adds that “perfect love loves all men equally. He loves the virtuous as friends, and the depraved as enemies.” “If you detest some people, feel for others neither love nor hate, if you love these, but moderately, and if you love those very much, know by this inequality that you are still far from perfect, as this loves all men equally.” Indeed “the friends of Christ truly love all beings.” St. Isaac the Syrian gives the same teaching: “Consider all men, whether unbelievers or murderers, as equal in good and honor [35], and that each one by his nature is your brother, even if without knowing it, he has wandered from the truth.” “Compassion” he says “is a sadness born from grace; it feels for all beings with the same affection.” “He who loves all beings equally, with compassion and discernment, has reached perfection.” The twenty-fifth step is to treat our enemies in the same way as our friends. He who really loves his enemies, writes St. Simeon, is capable of “receiving them too as friends at meeting for meals, without at all returning to the past.” [36] St. John Chrysostom says the same: “We act towards them who have harmed us as towards real friends, and love them as ourselves.” [37] The twenty-sixth step is to love our enemies not only as ourselves, but more than ourselves. Charity, says St. Maximus “leads harmoniously to this praiseworthy inequality through which each prefers his neighbor to himself, as much as in the past he wanted to push him to the side and put himself forward.” [38] In the Apophthegmata, we read that the monks of Sketes in the desert west of the Nile Delta sought to love their enemies even more than themselves. This classification in steps does not of course pretend to establish a rigorous hierarchy. Some attitudes are susceptible of being on different levels and each attitude more or less implies the others. In the end love is a disposition whole and undividable. Our classification is mainly pedagogical; it tries to help us understand that the love of enemies has many components, that is acquisition is the result of numerous demands and is only possible after a gradual and multiform interior effort. It also wishes to stress that there are different levels of quality and of intensity that those who haven’t long fought to reach will barely understand. If one examines the teaching of St. Silouan on the love of enemies, one notices that he is not unaware of the elementary steps, but mostly considers the higher levels. This confirms what we have already said, that the teaching of the Starets is the expression of a personal experience at the highest level of spiritual life. For the person as yet unable to love his enemies, St. Silouan teaches that at least he must not hate them, curse them or snub them, and to refuse thoughts of anger against them. In that way at least progress is made towards love. The love of enemies implies that one not only must bear the afflictions that they make us suffer, but also that one suffers them with joy for God’s sake. It also implies correlatively that one thanks God for all these afflictions. As we have seen, they contribute to our spiritual progress and for this reason must be received as a providential gift of God for our salvation. The love of enemies also implies that, face to face with the violence one suffers, one should maintain peace of soul and body; in other words not only must one not become irritated in return, but one must not even become agitated. Starets Silouan also recommends not only that one not accuse his enemies, but also not to think badly about them and even not to judge them at all [39]. Rather than accuse others, one must feel guilty oneself.  For St. Silouan, the love of enemies supposes that one forgives them their offenses and prays for them. Yet forgiving is not yet loving; prayer can precede love and not yet be a manifestation of it: “When I was still in the world I liked to forgive with all my heart,” he said. “I forgave easily and I liked to pray for those who had offended me, but when I came to the monastery, while I was still a novice, I received a great grace and it taught me to love my enemies.”It is in compassion that St. Silouan sees one of the principal dimensions of the love of enemies. Such compassion consists first of all in feeling pity for them. This pity is partly a result of being conscious that those who harm us or want to do so have a sick soul (in the traditional patristic teaching, the passions are spiritual illnesses) and act under a demonic influence; in this situation, they suffer profoundly. To the question: “How can a subordinate keep a peaceful soul if his superior is a violent and a bad man?” the Starets answers: “An irascible man endures great suffering caused by a bad spirit. He suffers torment because of his pride. The subordinate must know this and pray for the sick soul of his superior.” On the other hand this pity results from the knowledge that he who causes harm and is opposed to the truth or doesn’t know it, lives aloof from God, deprives himself of His gifts, wanders far from the way to salvation, is heading for the plains of hell, a beginning of which he already suffers here on earth. “The soul has compassion for enemies and prays for them because they have wandered away from the truth and are going to hell. That is love for enemies.” “A good man thinks: each man who has wandered far from the truth is going to his fall, and this is why he feels pity for him… He who has been taught by the Holy Spirit to love, will suffer all his life for those who don’t save themselves; many tears run down his cheeks for man, and the divine grace gives him strength to love his enemies … Understand, it is so simple. They are to be pitied those who don’t know God and are opposed to Him; my heart suffers for them and tears run down my cheeks. We can clearly see Paradise and the torments: we know this through the Holy Spirit. And the Lord Himself said: the Kingdom of God is in you (Lk 17:21). So eternal life already starts here on earth; and the eternal torments too start here.” We see here that pity is accompanied by compassion, that it consists in suffering what others are suffering as if one felt it oneself, in showing true solidarity with them in their suffering, in putting oneself in their place in their troubles: an authentic and unlimited love. The Starets himself gives us an example of his compassion which is deeply lived; it is accompanied by pain and tears and is permanent. It is as deep as what one feels for one’s loved ones when they are in pain or trouble: “The Lord teaches us to love enemies in such a way that we will feel compassion for them as for our own children.” We must, says the Starets, be compassionate not only for our own enemies and the enemies of truth, but for the demons who suffer infernal pains for turning away from God and denying Him in their voluntary deprivation of heavenly goods, their refusal to love God and to be loved by Him. “Taught by the Holy Spirit, one will feel compassion even for demons for they are separated from goodness, they have lost humility and God’s love.” For the Starets compassion for enemies is linked to the compassion one must have for all creatures without exception: “One must feel compassion for every person, every creature and all of God’s creation.” “The Spirit of God teaches us to love all that exists, and the soul feels compassion for each being, and also loves enemies and pities demons, because in their fall they were detached from the good.” Compassion makes no exceptions. “There are people who wish damnation and the torments in the fire of hell for their enemies or enemies of the Church. They think in this way because they haven’t learned from the Holy Spirit to love God. He who has learned love weeps for the whole world. You say: ‘Let him burn in the fire of hell!’ But I ask you: ‘If God gave you a good place in Paradise and that from there you could see in the fire the man to whom you wished this torment, wouldn’t you feel pity for him, whoever he is, even if he is an enemy to the Church?’ Or do you have a heart of metal?” The Starets had so much pity for those who have to endure the sufferings of hell and felt so much compassion for them because he had himself had the experience of the beatitude of Paradise and of the dreadful wretchedness of hell, and he knew the painful distance that separated both. For him, the love of enemies implies wishing and doing good to them. He who loves his enemies wants what is best for them — that they should repent, know God, and obtain the grace of salvation. “We must only have one thought,” says St. Silouan, “that all be saved.” Another factor of the love of enemies on which St. Silouan insists is prayer. “It is a great work in God’s eyes to pray for those who offend us and who make us suffer.” For the Starets, prayer for and love of enemies are intimately connected: “The Lord has given on earth the Holy Spirit who teaches the soul to love our enemies and to pray for them.” “Lord, teach us through your Holy Spirit to love our enemies and to pray for them with tears.” “Lord, as You prayed for your enemies, teach us also, through the Holy Spirit, to love our enemies”; “the soul that has been taught to pray by the grace of God, loves with compassion all creatures, and especially man.” It is indeed prayer that awakens the love of enemies and at the same time, results from it and is a witness to it. To pray for enemies first of all permits one to obtain from God the grace to love them: “One can only love one’s enemies through the grace of the Holy Spirit. That’s why, as soon as someone has hurt you, pray God for him.” “I continuously beg the Lord to grant me to love enemies… Day and night I ask the Lord for this love.” It is through prayer that it is possible to remain peaceful before our enemies and their offenses. “To have a peaceful soul, one must get used to loving him who has offended us and to pray immediately for him. The soul cannot have peace if it doesn’t with all its strength ask the Lord the gift of loving all men.” Prayer is what permits us to retain the grace of loving enemies once it has been obtained. Prayer not only awakens the love of enemies, the love of enemies also awakens prayer. “The man who hasn’t been taught by the Holy Spirit to love will certainly not pray for his enemies.” The pity and compassion that one feels for enemies, conscious that they have wandered away from God, are deprived of divine goods and are heading for their ruin, lead one to pray for their escape from the ills they will have to suffer. They also lead one to pray God for them to repent and turn away from their bad ways, for them to know him and be saved. “The Lord has given on earth the Holy Spirit who teaches the soul to love enemies and pray for them so that they will be saved. That is love.” “The soul feels compassion for enemies and prays for them because they have wandered away from the truth and are going to hell.” “The man who carries in him the Holy Spirit (has a heart) full of compassion for all of God’s creatures and especially for the people who don’t know God or are opposed to Him, and who for this reason, will go into the tormenting fire. He prays for them day and night, more than for himself for them all to repent and know the Lord.” “Lord, all peoples are the work of Your hands; turn them away from hate and wickedness to repentance so that they all may know Your love.” Because it proceeds from compassion, but also because it is bound to the feeling full of compunction, of being oneself a sinner, and even the worst of men, prayer for enemies is accompanied by tears. This is a sign of its profundity, its sincerity, and of the fact that it is bound to authentic love. FOOTNOTES 1: St. John Chrysostom gives the most systematic classification, with nine steps (Homilies on St. Mat. XVIII,4) 2: Ibid, Hom. on Genesis XXVII,8
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العرض العادي
