By St Diadochos Of Photiki "On Spiritual Knowledge"
Whoever loves himself cannot love God;but if,because of 'the overflowing richness' of God's love,a man does not love himself,then he truly loves God (Eph,2;7).
Such a man never seeks his own glory,but seeks the glory of God.
The man who loves himself seeks his own glory,whereas he who loves God loves the glory of his Creator.
It is characteristic of the soul which consciously senses the love of God always to seek God's glory in every commandment it performs, and to be happy in its low estate.
For glory befits God because of His Majesty,while lowliness befits man because it unites us with God.If we realize this,rejoicing in the glory of the Lord, we too,like St John the Baptist,will begin to say unceasingly,
'He must increase,but we must decrease'(cf.John 3;30).
Taken from "The Philokalia" Vol 1
http://tokandylaki.blogspot.ca/2012/09/he-must-increasebut-we-must-decrease.html
Τὸ νὰ μὴν ἐμπιστεύεσαι τὸν ἑαυτόν σου (8), ἀγαπητέ μου ἀδελφέ, εἶναι τόσο ἀναγκαῖο σε αὐτὸν τὸν πόλεμο, ποὺ χωρὶς αὐτό, νὰ εἶσαι βέβαιος, ὅτι, ὄχι μόνον δὲν θὰ μπορέσεις νὰ πετύχεις τὴ νίκη ποὺ
ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἀλλ᾿ οὔτε κἂν νὰ ἀντισταθεῖς στὸ παραμικρὸ καὶ αὐτό, ἂς τυπωθεῖ καλὰ στὸ νοῦ σου.
Γιατὶ, ἐμεῖς πράγματι, ὄντας φυσικὰ διεφθαρμένοι ἀπὸ τὴ φύσι μας ἀπὸ τὸν καιρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ Ἀδάμ, ἔχουμε σὲ μεγάλη ὑπόληψι τὸν ἑαυτό μας, ἡ ὁποία ἂν καὶ δὲν εἶναι ἀλήθεια, παρὰ ἕνα ψέμα καὶ τίποτα ἄλλο, ἐμεῖς ὅμως, νομίζουμε μὲ μία ἀπατηλὴ ἐντύπωση, πὼς εἴμαστε κάποιοι (9). Αὐτὸ εἶναι ἕνα ἐλάττωμα, ποὺ πολὺ δύσκολα ἀναγνωρίζεται, καὶ ποὺ δὲν ἀρέσει στὸ Θεό, ὁ ὁποῖος ἀγαπᾷ νὰ ἔχουμε ἐμεῖς μία γνῶσι χωρὶς δόλο γι᾿ αὐτὴ τὴν βεβαιότατη ἀλήθεια.
Δηλαδή, νὰ ξέρουμε, ὅτι κάθε χάρι καὶ ἀρετὴ ποὺ ἔχουμε, προέρχεται ἀπὸ αὐτὸν μόνο, ποὺ εἶναι ἡ πηγὴ κάθε ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ὅτι, ἀπὸ μᾶς, δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ προέλθη κανένα καλό, οὔτε κανένας καλὸς λογισμός, ποὺ νὰ τοῦ ἀρέσῃ. Ἂν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀναγκαιότατη ἀλήθεια (δηλαδή, τὸ νὰ μὴ πιστεύουμε στὸν ἑαυτόν μας) εἶναι ἔργο τοῦ θεϊκοῦ του χεριοῦ, ποὺ συνηθίζει νὰ τὸ δίνη στοὺς ἀγαπημένους του φίλους, πότε μὲ ἐμπνεύσεις καὶ φωτισμούς, πότε μὲ σκληρὰ μαστιγώματα καὶ θλίψεις, πότε μὲ βίαιους καὶ σχεδὸν ἀνίκητους
πειρασμούς, καὶ πότε μὲ ἄλλα μέσα, ποὺ ἐμεῖς δὲν καταλαβαίνουμε· μὲ ὅλα αὐτά, θέλει νὰ γίνεται καὶ ἀπὸ μέρους μας ἐκεῖνο, ποὺ ἀνήκει, καὶ εἶναι δυνατὸν σὲ μᾶς.
Γι᾿ αὐτὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφέ μου, σοῦ σημειώνω ἐδῶ τέσσερεις τρόπους, μὲ τοὺς ὁποίους μπορεῖς, μὲ τὴ βοήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ, νὰ πετύχης αὐτὴ τὴν ἀμφιβολία τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σου, δηλαδή, τὸ νὰ μὴν ἐμπιστεύεσαι ποτὲ τὸν ἑαυτό σου.
Ὁ α´ εἶναι τὸ νὰ γνωρίσῃς τὴν μηδαμινότητά σου (10) καὶ νὰ σκεφθῇς, ὅτι ἀπὸ μόνος σου δὲν μπορεῖς νὰ κάνῃς κανένα καλό, γιὰ τὸ ὁποῖο νὰ γίνῃς ἄξιος της βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν.
Ὁ β´ τὸ νὰ ζητῇς γι᾿ αὐτὸ πολλὲς φορὲς βοήθεια ἀπὸ τὸν Θεὸ μὲ θερμὲς καὶ ταπεινὲς δεήσεις, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸ εἶναι χάρισμα δικό Του· καὶ ἂν θέλῃς νὰ τὸ πάρης, πρέπει πρῶτα νὰ σκεφθῇς τὸν ἑαυτό σου, ὄχι μόνο γυμνὸ ἀπὸ αὐτὴ τὴ γνῶσι τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σου, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰ πάντα ἀδύνατο νὰ τὴν ἀπόκτησεις· ἔπειτα, νὰ μιλᾷς μὲ οἰκειότητα πολλὲς φορὲς μπροστὰ στὴ μεγαλειότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πιστεύω σταθερά, ἐξ αἰτίας τοῦ πελάγους τῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας του, θὰ σοῦ τὴν δώσῃ, ὅταν αὐτὸς γνωρίσῃ, μὴν ἀμφιβάλλῃς καθόλου,
ὅτι θὰ τὴν ἀπολαύσεις.
Ὁ γ´ τρόπος, εἶναι τὸ νὰ συνηθίσῃς νὰ φοβᾶσαι πάντα τὸν ἑαυτό σου· νὰ φοβᾶσαι τοὺς ἀναρίθμητους ἐχθρούς, στοὺς ὁποίους, δὲν εἶσαι δυνατὸς νὰ κάνῃς οὔτε τὴν παραμικρὴ ἀντίστασι, νὰ φοβᾶσαι τὴ πολὺ δυνατή τους συνήθεια στὸ νὰ πολεμοῦν τὶς πανουργίες, τὰ στρατηγήματά τους, τὶς μεταμορφώσεις τους σὲ ἀγγέλους φωτός· τὰ ἀναρίθμητα τεχνάσματα καὶ παγίδες, ποὺ σοῦ στήνουν κρυφὰ στὸν ἴδιο τὸ δρόμο τῆς ἀρετῆς.
Ὁ δ´ τρόπος εἶναι, ὅταν πέσῃς σὲ κανένα ἐλάττωμα νὰ σκεφθῇς καθαρὰ τὴν ἀπόλυτη ἀδυναμία σου· ἐπειδή, γι᾿ αὐτὸ τὸ σκοπὸ παραχώρησε ὁ Θεὸς νὰ πέσῃς, γιὰ νὰ μάθης καλύτερα τὴν ἀσθένεια σου (11) καὶ ἔτσι νὰ μάθης, ὄχι μόνο νὰ περιφρονῇς ἐσὺ ὁ ἴδιος τὸν ἑαυτό σου σὰν ἕνα τίποτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ νὰ θέλῃς νὰ σὲ
καταφρονοῦν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι σὰν τέτοιου εἴδους ἀσθενῆ.
Γιατὶ χωρὶς αὐτὴ τὴν θέλησι, δὲν εἶναι δυνατὸ νὰ γίνῃ αὐτὴ ἡ ἐνάρετη δυσπιστία τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σου, ἡ ὁποία ἔχει τὸ θεμέλιό της στὴν ἀληθινὴ ταπείνωσι καὶ στὴν προλεγόμενη ἔμπρακτη γνῶσι τῆς δοκιμῆς.
Ὁπότε, καθ᾿ ἕνας βλέπει πόσο ἀπαραίτητο εἶναι σ᾿ ἐκεῖνον ποὺ θέλει νὰ ἑνωθῇ μὲ τὸ οὐράνιο φῶς, τὸ νὰ γνωρίσῃ τὸν ἑαυτό του, τὴν ὁποία γνῶσι συνηθίζει νὰ τὴν δίνη ἡ εὐσπλαγχνία τοῦ Θεοῦ στοὺς ὑπερήφανους καὶ προληπτικούς, μέσα ἀπὸ τὶς πτώσεις, ἀφίνοντάς τους δηλαδὴ μὲ δίκαιο τρόπο νὰ πέφτουν σὲ κανένα ἐλάττωμα (ἀπὸ τὸ ὁποῖο νομίζουν πὼς ἠμποροῦν νὰ φυλαχτοῦν) γιὰ νὰ γνωρίσουν τὴν ἀδυναμία τους, καὶ νὰ μὴ ἐπιστεύωνται πλέον στὸν ἑαυτόν τους καθόλου.
Ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τὸ μέσο, τὸ τόσο ἄθλιο καὶ ἀναγκαστικό, δὲν συνηθίζει νὰ τὸ μεταχειρίζεται πάντοτε ὁ Θεός, παρά, ὅταν τὰ ἄλλα μέσα, τὰ πιὸ ἐλεύθερα, ὅπως εἴπαμε, δὲν προξενοῦν στὸν ἄνθρωπο αὐτὴ τὴν
ἐπίγνωσι τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ του· γιατὶ τότε παραχωρεῖ νὰ πέσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος σὲ σφάλματα τόσο μεγαλύτερα ἢ μικρότερα, ὅσο εἶναι μεγαλύτερη ἢ μικρότερη καὶ ἡ ὑπερηφάνεια καὶ ἡ ὑπόληψις, ποὺ ἔχει γιὰ τὸν ἑαυτό του· ὥστε, ὅπου δὲν ὑπάρχει καμία ἀπολύτως ὑπόληψις, καθὼς συνέβη στὴν Παρθένο Μαρία, ἐκεῖ δὲν
ὑπάρχει παρομοίως οὔτε καὶ καμία πτῶσις· λοιπόν, ὅταν ἐσὺ πέσεις, τρέξε ἀμέσως μὲ τὸν λογισμὸ στὴ ταπεινὴ γνῶσι τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σου, καὶ μὲ ἐπίμονη προσευχὴ ζήτησε ἀπὸ τὸ Θεὸ νὰ σοῦ δώσῃ τὸ ἀληθινὸ φῶς,γιὰ νὰ γνωρίσῃς τὴν μηδαμινότητά σου καὶ νὰ μὴν δείχνῃς ἐμπιστοσύνη καθόλου στὸν ἑαυτόν σου, ἐὰν θέλῃς νὰ μὴ πέσῃς πάλι καὶ μάλιστα σὲ μεγαλύτερη βλάβη καὶ φθορά.
ΟΣΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΟΔΗΜΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΟΥ
"ΑΟΡΑΤΟΣ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ"
http://tokandylaki.blogspot.ca/2012/09/blog-post_6.html
By Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
-Geronda,for years now i have not wept for any of
my faults;I have not shed a single tear.Does this mean
that i am not truly repentant?
-Don't you grieve for a mistake you made?
-I do but perhaps the pain is shallow.
-Don't draw conclusions from tears.Certainly,tears
are a sign of repentance,but not the only one.Some peo-
ple will cry,and then laugh just as easily.Pain of heart
and the inner sigh are inner tears,which are superior to
the external ones.There was a poor man who used to say,
'O Father,I'm so hardhearted!I don't have a single tear!
My heart is like a stone.There is such hardheartedness in
me!"Although he was in fact very sensitive,he felt him-
self to be hardhearted because he didn't weep.He sighed,
however,deeply over his sinfulness,and one could see
that he was sighing from the depths of his heart!On the
other hand,another person can cry and then laugh,back
and forth,his emotions as changeable as spring weather.
For example, seeing an unfortunate person, someone may
be moved to tears and then pat himself on the back;"Oh,
how i share in the sufferings of other people!"Or,if one
prays and sheds a few tears,he'll say,"Oh,God hears my
prayer because it is accompanied by tears" and he finds
comfort in his emotions and sentimentality.
There are also the inconsolable tears. these
come from the devil.These have no repentance in them;
rather,they indicate a bruised ego.Such a person is weep-
ing egotistically for his fall.He is wounded because his
carelessness has caused him to lose face in the eyes of
others, and not because he has grieved God,and thus he
suffers doubly;loss of face,and loss of consolation from
true repentance.
Such tears are selfish tears,resembling the change
of judas's heart,,who betrayed Christ and then went to
the Pharisees and told them,I have sinned.But they re-
sponded mockingly,What is that to us?See thou to that.
Offended by this response,Judas threw the money an-
grily at them and hanged himself out of pride.However
if he had gone back to Christ and said,"Forgive and bless
me,Lord,"he would have been saved.
Taken from, Spiritual Counsels Vol3 "SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE"
http://tokandylaki.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-tears-of-repentance.html
