THE CROSS AS A SYMBOL AND THE TREE OF LIFE

The Cross as a Symbol

 Saint Gregory of Nyssa (ca.335--ca.395)   Comments,  "For  truly,  to those who are able to see,the mystery of the Cross is especially contemplated in the law. Therefore,the Gospel says somewhere that not one  iota  or  one  tittle shall pass away from the law (Mt.5;18), signifying in these words the vertical and horizontal lines by which the form of the Cross is drawn."

 At the Feast of the Cross,we chant,"The four ends of the earth are
sanctified  today by the exaltation of Thy Cross with its four arms."
Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks of the symbolic implications of the physical attributes of the Cross,saying,"This is the very thing we learn from the figure of the Cross:that He Who was stretched upon it binds together all things into Himself,and by Himself brings to one harmonious agreement the diverse natures of actual existences."Saint Paul prays that Christ might dwell in our hearts through the Faith,which has been rooted and founded in love,in order that we might be able to apprehend with all the saints what is
the breadth and length and depth and height(cf.Eph.3:17,18).

Saint Gregory of Nyssa says the apostle" is describing by the figure of the Cross the power that controls and holds together the
universe,when he expresses a desire that they may be exalted to know the exceeding glory of this power, calling it height,and
depth,and breadth,and length....It manifests a great
mystery:that both things in heaven,and things under the earth,and all the furthest bounds of the things that are,are ruled and sustained by Him Who gave an example of this unspeakable and mighty power in the figure of the Cross.

Saint Kosmas chants to the Cross,saying,"Stretched out in wondrous fashion, the Cross sent forth rays as the sun,and 'the heavens declared the glory of our God(ps.18:1),"Saint Ephraim the Syrian chants,"The Height and the depth have been reconciled in Him!"

The Tree Of Life

  
Saint Irenaeos(ca.130ca,236),Bishop of Lyons writes:The sin that was wrought through the tree was undone by the obedience of the Tree, obedience to God whereby the Son of Man was nailed to the Tree,destroying the knowledge of evil,and bringing in and conferring the knowledge of good...So by the obedience,whereby He obeyed unto death,hanging on the tree,He undid the old disobedience wrought in the tree.
And because He is Himself the Logos of God almighty,Who in His invisible form pervades us universally in the whole world, and encompasses both its length and breadth and height and depth-for by God's Logos everything is disposed and administered-The Son of God was also crucified in these,imprinted in the form of a cross on the universe for He had necessarily,in becoming visible,to bring to light the universality of His Cross,in order to show openly
through His visible form that activity of His:that it is He Who makes bright the height,that is, what is in heaven,and holds the deep,which is in the bowels of the earth,and stretches forth and extends the length from east to west, navigating also the northern parts and the breadth of the south,and calling in all the dispersed from all sides to the knowledge of the Father."

The Cross,the Tree of Life,was planted in the Place of the Skull
(Mt.27;33,Mk. 15:22, Jn.19:17),and upon it the eternal King worked salvation in the midst of the earth(Ps. 73:13).It sanctifies the ends of the world,and both angels and men rejoice.Saint Theodore the Studite(759-826) chants,"The Church has been revealed as a second Paradise,having within it, like the first Paradise of old,a tree of life,Thy Cross,O Lord.
By touching it, we share in immortality."Saint Joseph the
Hymnographer(810-886) writes: "Christ stretched out His hands upon the Cross,and so destroyed the sin of our forefather who stretched out his hand in greed.By the Tree He healed the curse of the tree(Deut.21:23).

You write about anger in the heart of a fool

Elder Joseph the Hesychast (Sixth Letter)

  "So listen to me once again. Lay a solid foundation. 
Build a beautiful  little palace in the heavens. Clean the inside of the cup, as the Lord instructs us, so that the outside becomes clean as well, because everything done with the body  resembles leaves which merely decorate the outer man.
Those works are well and good, but everything I have written
to you about previously is what cleanses a person internally.
These things will open the eyes of the soul. It is through them
that the heart is purified to see God on that day. For without 
noetic work, there is little benefit from outer works.

If you do not see tears pouring forth every time you remember God, you suffer from ignorance, which leads to pride and  hardness of heart. So let humility serve as a garment in all your actions, and become a sponge in the brotherhood that mops up every reproach and abasement. Do not water your soul with honors and praises but with reproaches and accusations, even if you are innocent.


Never seek to find what is just, because then you are unjust.
On the contrary, learn to endure temptations bravely, regardless of what kind the Lord permits. Without a lot of excuses, just say, "Forgive me !" and without actually being at fault, repent as if you were. Do so with conviction of soul; not just outwardly admitting to be at fault for the sake of praise, while inwardly judging.

Taken from, Monastic Wisdom, The
Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast

Δῶστε, δῶστε στοὺς φτωχούς!

ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ ο Χρυσόστομος

Ξέρω ὅτι πολλοὶ ἀπὸ τοὺς συγκεντρωμένους πάλι θὰ μᾶς κατηγορήσουν, ὅταν μιλοῦμε γι' αὐτά, καὶ θὰ ποῦν «Μή, σὲ παρακαλῶ, μὴ γίνεσαι φορτικὸς καὶ βαρετὸς στοὺς ἀκροατές• ἄφησέ το στὴ συνείδηση τοῦ καθενός, ἄφησέ το στὴν κρίση τῶν ἀκροατῶν• ἔτσι τώρα μᾶς ντροπιάζεις, μᾶς κάνεις νὰ κοκκινίζουμε!...».

Ἀλλ' ὄχι! Αὐτὰ τὰ λόγια δὲν τὰ ἀνέχομαι! Γιατί οὔτε ὁ Παῦλος ντρεπόταν νὰ ἐνοχλῆ συνέχεια γιὰ τέτοια πράγματα καὶ νὰ ζητᾶ σὰν ζητιάνος. Ἐὰν ἔλεγα τοῦτο, δηλαδὴ δός μου, φέρε γιὰ τὸ σπίτι μου, ἲσως νὰ 'ταν ντροπή. Ἂν καὶ οὔτε τότε θὰ 'ταν ντροπή. «Οἱ γὰρ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ», λέγει, «προσεδρεύοντες, τῷ θυσιαστηρὶῳ συμμερίζονται» (Α' Κορ. 9,13). Πλὴν ὅμως πιθανὸν νὰ μὲ κατηγοροῦσε κάποιος, ὅτι μιλῶ γιὰ τὸν ἑαυτὸ μου• τώρα ὅμως παρακαλῶ γι' αὐτοὺς ποὺ στεροῦνται, μᾶλλον ὄχι γι' αὐτοὺς ποὺ στεροῦνται, ἀλλὰ γιὰ σᾶς ποὺ δίνετε• γι' αὐτὸ καὶ μιλῶ χωρὶς νὰ ντρέπομαι.
Γιατί ποῦ εἶναι ἡ ντροπὴ σὰν πῶ, δῶσε στὸν Κύριο ποῦ πεινᾶ, ντύσε τον ποὺ γυρίζει γυμνός, φιλοξένησέ τον ποῦ εἶναι ξένος; Ὁ Δεσπότης σου δὲν ντρέπεται μπροστὰ σ' ὅλη τὴν οἰκουμένη νὰ λέγη «ἐπείνασα καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν» (Ματθ. 25,42), ὁ ἀνενδεής, ἐκεῖνος ποὺ δὲν ἔχει ἀνάγκη ἀπὸ τίποτε' καὶ ἐγὼ θὰ ντραπῶ καὶ θὰ διστάσω; Σὲ παρακαλῶ, μακριὰ τέτοια πράγματα! Τοῦ διαβόλου εἶναι αὐτὴ ἡ ντροπή!

Δὲν θὰ ντραπῶ, λοιπόν. Ἀντίθετα μάλιστα καὶ μὲ παρρησία θὰ πῶ• δῶστε σ' ὅσους ἔχουν ἀνάγκη, καὶ θὰ φωνάζω πιὸ δυνατὰ ἀπ' αὐτούς. Γιατί ἐὰν κάποιος ἔχη στοιχεῖα καὶ μπορῆ νὰ μᾶς κατηγορήση, ὅτι αὐτὰ τὰ λέμε γιὰ νὰ σᾶς παρασύρουμε πρὸς ὄφελός μας, καὶ μὲ τὸ πρόσχημα τῶν φτωχῶν κερδίζουμε ἐμεῖς, τότε πράγματι αὐτὰ δὲν εἶναι μονάχα ἄξια ντροπῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρίων κεραυνῶν, καὶ οὔτε ἀξίζει νὰ ζοῦν ὅσοι κάνουν παρόμοια.

Ἀλλὰ ἐάν, μὲ τὴ χάρη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθόλου δὲν σᾶς ἐνοχλοῦμε γιὰ τὸν ἑαυτό μας καὶ κηρύττουμε ἀδάπανο τὸ εὐαγγέλιο, χωρὶς βέβαια νὰ κοπιάζουμε ὅπως ὁ Παῦλος, ἀρκούμενοι πάντως στὰ δικά μας, μὲ ὅλο τὸ θάρρος θὰ σᾶς λέγω, δῶστε στοὺς φτωχούς• καὶ δὲν θὰ σταματήσω νὰ τὸ λέγω, καὶ ὅταν δὲν δίνετε θὰ σᾶς εἶμαι σκληρὸς κατήγορος!
 Από Αὐτοβιογραφικὲς σελίδες καὶ ἀπάνθισμα κειμένων του
Εἰσαγωγὴ καὶ ἀπόδοση στὴ νεοελληνικὴ Ἀρχιμ. Χρυσόστομος Π. Αβαγιάνος, ἔκδ. Ἀποστολικὴ Διακονία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Ἀθῆναι 1998.

 

Elder Paisios- EXCUSES TURN AWAY GODS GRACE

Elder Paisios-Excuses Hinder Spiritual Growth

Geronda,when people say that there is 'no excuse'
in Holy Scripture,what do they mean?
-They mean that in a sense,there is no justification for any excuse.
-Geronda(Elder),when I try to justify myself with excuses,I realise later that this does not befit a nun or a monk.
-Not only are excuses not befitting of a nun or a monk,they also have nothing to do with the spiritual life.I must understand that when i try to justify myself with excuses,I'm in a wrong state of mind.I cut off my communication with God and am deprived of divine Grace, because divine Grace does not come to one who is in a wrong state.

The moment a person justifies the unjustifiable,he
is separated from God.A form of insulation intervenes between God and man.Can an electric current       pass through insulation?

No.Isolation.Isolation from God and man.There is no stronger barrier to the Grace of God than excuses! It is like building a wall and separating yourself from God;by making excuses,you cut off all ties with Him.
-Geronda,you often say,"Let us at least try to attain
to the spiritual base."What is this spiritual base"?
-It is the humble acknowledgement of one's mistake,without knowingly attempting to justify himself in the least,when he is at fault and when people reprimand him.
But when one doesn't stand up for himself even when he's wrongly accused,well,then, that's when he gets an excellent grade.One who justifies himself with excuses makes no progress in the spiritual life,nor can he find any inner peace.God will not condemn us for a mistake we have made,but we must try not to justify ourselves for that mistake,and consider it to be just a natural thing.
-Geronda,if I am told that i am at fault in something,but cannot understand the nature of my fault,should i ask about it so as to be more careful next time,or should I keep silent?
-If you think that you're at fault 25 percent, when in fact you are at fault only five percent,don't you profit spiritually?Be "Generous" when weighing your faults; you don't want to short- change yourself spiritually.This is the spiritual work you must do;find and acknowledge your fault,and "catch"yourself next time.Otherwise,you are "caught" by yourself,you justify yourself but you find no peace.
-Geronda,when someone has the habit of justifying himself with excuses,but later recognizes his mistakes and deplores himself,is this of any benefit?
-At least one has gained valuable experience,and if
this experience is utilized,he can benefit from it.And if God should say,"Since he acknowledged his mistake and repented,let me give him something,"then,of course,he will receive something more from another Treasury,the Treasury of repentance.

Source- Elder Paisios of Mount Athos,
Spiritual Counsels Vol3, "SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE"

Ο ΠΑΠΑ -ΓΙΩΡΓΗΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΑΠΕΙΡΟΣ ΘΕΟΣ

Ό παπα-Γιώργης, ιερεύς σε κάποιο χωριό της πατρίδος μου, έλεγε κάποτε ότι τον κατέτρωγε ή απορία πώς είναι άπειρος ο Θεός και πώς είναι άπειρος στα ιδιώματα Του, όπως: άπειρος στην σοφία Του, στην παντοδυναμία Του, στην πανταχού παρουσία Του, στην παγγνωσία Του, στην αγαθότητα Του, στην αγάπη Του... άπει­ρος!!! άπειρος!!! αύτη ή στοχαστική και επίμονη απορία τον κατέ­τρωγε μέρα-νύχτα.
Σε μια γιορτή του αγίου Δημητρίου, τον κάλεσε ο ιερεύς του διπλανού χωρίου να συλλειτουργήσει μαζί του, για να λαμπρυνθεί" έτι περισσότερο" το πανηγύρι του Ναού. Πράγματι πήγε και προίστατο της Θείας Λειτουργίας ως φιλοξενούμενος, αλλά και ως έχων τα πρεσβεία της χειροτονίας.
Άρχισε ή Θεία Λειτουργία και ήλθε ή ώρα της αγίας Αναφο­ράς με τις εκφωνήσεις: «Στώμεν καλώς...» του ιερέως και «Ελεον ει­ρήνης...» των ιεροψαλτών. και ακολούθησε ή τριαδική αναφορά: «Ή Χάρις του Κυρίου ημών Ιησού Χριστού...» και ή απάντησης του λαού δια των ιεροψαλτών: «και μετά του πνεύματος σου...» και ευθύς α­μέσως υψώνοντας τα χέρια του ο λειτουργός παπα-Γιώργης προς τον Παντοκράτορα του τρούλου του Ναού εκφώνησε το «Άνω σχώμεν τάς καρδίας...» και τότε, σ' αυτή την στάσι κοκάλωσε!
Μετά το «Εχομεν προς τον Κυριόν...» και βλέποντας ο συλλει­τουργός του την "μαρμάρωσι" του, κατάλαβε ότι κάτι θα του συνέβη, όχι όμως κακό. Τον έπιασε απαλά και τον έβαλε μέσα στο Άγιο Βή­μα κατεβάζοντας συγχρόνως και τα χέρια του κάτω αφήνοντας τον, όπως μέσα του πληροφορήθηκε, στην έκσταση του και συνέχισε την Θεία Λειτουργία μόνος. Στον Καθαγιασμό των Τιμίων Δώρων συνήλθε ο παπα-Γιώργης, επανήλθε στη θέση του και συνέχισε κανονικά μέχρι το τέλος την Θεία Λειτουργία.
Στις επίμονες ερωτήσεις του συλλείτουργου του πατρός' Ιωάννη, α­παντούσε ότι "δεν θυμάται τίποτα".
Με αφορμή το βιβλίο «Εμπειρίες κατά την Θεία Λειτουργία», μου εξομολογήθηκε ο παπα-Γιώργης την δική του εμπειρία για πρώ­τη φορά, με την παράκληση να σεβασθώ την ανωνυμία του.
«Με το "Άνω σχώμεν τάς καρδίας..." ένοιωσα και είδα με τα μά­τια της ψυχής μου να αρπάζονται όλες οι καρδιές των εκκλησιαζόμενων χριστιανών μαζί με την δική μου και ως αστραπή να εισέρχονται σε μια απέραντη ανοιχτή ουράνια αγκαλιά του Θεού. 
Μα ήταν τόσο ανοιχτή αυτή ή αγκαλιά του Θεού Πατρός, όσο όλοι οι ουρανοί των ουρανών μαζί και πιο πλατειά...και όσο ανήρχοντο κατά εκατομ­μύρια οι καρδιές των ορθοδόξων χριστιανών τόσο και πιο πολύ πλάταινε και άνοιγε αυτή ή άπειρη σε άνοιγμα αγκαλιά του Θεού...και τότε ένοιωσα; βίωσα; κατάλαβα; δεν ξέρω . Ήρθε όμως στη ψυχή μου κάτι, πού είχα ξεχάσει "και τούτο μόνον καταληπτόν ή ακαταληψία αυτού..." και δεν χόρταινα να το απολαμβάνω μέχρις ότου συνήλθα στον Καθαγιασμό των Τιμίων Δώρων.
Αλήθεια! Ποιος ήμουν εγώ ο χωριάτης παπάς, πού ο Θεός κατα­δέχτηκε να μου λύση την απορία της ψυχής μου;
Από τότε φροντίζω, όσο μπορώ, γιατί είμαι αμαρτωλός, να μη βγω άπ' αυτή την ασύνορη αγκαλιά του Θεού Πατρός και να πεθάνω μέσα σε αυτήν!!!! Ό Θεός ας με συγχώρεση»!!!
Για το άπειρο και φοβερό μεγαλείο του Θεού ο άγιος Κύριλλος Ιεροσολύμων μας λέγει:
Ό Θεός είναι τέλειος εν τω βλέπειν.
Τέλειος εν τω δύνασθαι.
Τέλειος εν μεγέθει.
Τέλειος εν προγνώσει.
Τέλειος εν άγαθωσύνη.
Τέλειος εν δικαιοσύνη.
Τέλειος εν φιλανθρωπία.
ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ – ΓΝΩΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΒΙΩΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΠΙΣΤΕΩΣ.
ΠΡ. ΣΤΕΦΑΝΟΥ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ

ON THE REASONS WHY GOD PERMITS TEMPTATIONS TO COME UPON THOSE WHO LOVE HIM

By Saint Issac The Syrian(Homily 61)

From the love that the saints show for God on account of the things they suffer for His Name's sake(when they endure straightness and do not forsake that which God loves),their hearts acquire the boldness to gaze toward Him without a veil and to beseech him with confidence.Great is the power of bold prayer.For this reason God allows His saints to be tried by every sorrow,then to experience anew and prove His aid,and to understand how great a providence He has for them,for in their perils He is found to be their Redeemer.And again He does this so that they may gain wisdom from temptations, lest they be unlearned men and be deprived of the two parts of training,and so that they may acquire the knowledge of all things,lest perhaps they be mocked by the demons.

For if He exercised them only in that which is good,they would lack training in the other part and would be blind in battles.

If we say that God guides His saints without training and without their knowledge of it,then we are saying that He wishes them to be like oxen and asses and creatures which possess no freedom.
If a man is not first tried by the experience of evils,he has no taste for the good.Hence when in evils he meets with that which is good,he will be unable in knowledge and freedom to make use of it as being his very own.How sweet is knowledge that is gained from actual experience and diligent training,and what power it gives to the man who through much experience has found it within himself,the same is know by those who have been assured of and have seen the help it affords them.

Then they learn the weakness of their nature and the help of Divine power,when God first withholds His power from them while they are amid temptations.Thus He makes them conscious of their nature's impotence,the arduousness of temptations,and the cunning of the enemy.
Thus he gives them to understand against whom they must wrestle,what kind of nature they are clothed with,how they are protected by divine power,how far they have advanced on the way,to what height God's power has raised them up,and how powerless they  are before the face of every passion when the divine power is withdrawn from them.

Through all these things they acquire humility,cleave closely to God,look for His help with expectation,and persevere in prayer.
Whence could they have received all these boons,if they had not had experience of the many evils which God allowed them to undergo?
As the apostle says,'And lest i should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,a messenger of Satan.'But by the experience of many interventions of divine assistance in temptations,a man also acquires firm faith.Henceforth he has no fear,and he gains stout-heartedness in temptations from the training he has acquired.

Trial is profitable for every man.For if trail was profitable for Paul.'let every mouth be stopped,and all the world become guilty before God.'The diligent are tried,that they might add to their riches,the lax are tried,that they might guard themselves from what is harmful; the sleepy are tried,that they might be armed with wakefulness,those afar off are tried, that they might draw nearer to God;those who are  God's own are tried, that with boldness they might enter into His house.

The son who is not trained will receive no profit from the riches of his father's house.For this reason.then,God first tries and    afflicts,and thereafter reveals His gift.Glory be our Master Jesus Christ Who brings us the sweetness of health by stringent medicines!
There is no man who will not feel oppressed at the time of training,nor any who will not find the time bitter wherein he is given the medicine of trails to drink.

Without temptations a man cannot acquire a strong constitution,yet to endure with patience is not within our power.For how should the clay vessel endure the vehemence of the waters,if the divine fire had not hardened it?.
If we submit ourselves to God,while beseeching Him humbly with perseverance in unceasing desire,we shall certainly receive all, in Christ Jesus our Lord.Amen.

Πώς έπηρεάζουμε τούς άλλους μέ τίς σκέψεις μας

Μέσα μας ὑπάρχει ἕνα μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ποὺ λέγεται “ἠθικολόγος”. Αὐτὸς ὁ “ἠθικολόγος”, ὅταν βλέπει κάποιον νὰ παρεκτρέπεται, ἐπαναστατεῖ, ἐνῶ πολλὲς φορὲς αὐτὸς ποὺ κρίνει ἔχει κάνει τὴν ἴδια παρεκτροπή. Δὲν τὰ βάζει, ὅμως, μὲ τὸν ἑαυτό του ἀλλὰ μὲ τὸν ἄλλο. Κι αὐτὸ δὲν τὸ θέλει ὁ Θεός. Λέει ὁ Χριστὸς στὸ Εὐαγγέλιο: “Ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; Ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις;”. Μπορεῖ νὰ μὴν κλέπτουμε, ὅμως φονεύουμε, κακίζουμε τὸν ἄλλον καὶ ὄχι τὸν ἑαυτόν μας. Λέμε παραδείγματος χάριν: “Ἔπρεπε νὰ κάνεις αὐτό, δὲν τὸ ἔκανες, νὰ τί ἔπαθες!”. Στὴν πραγματικότητα, ἐπιθυμοῦμε νὰ πάθει ὁ ἄλλος κακό.
Ὅταν σκεπτόμαστε τὸ κακό, τότε μπορεῖ πράγματι νὰ συμβεῖ. Κατὰ ἕνα μυστηριώδη καὶ ἀφανὴ τρόπο μειώνουμε στὸν ἄλλο τὴ δύναμη νὰ πάει στὸ ἀγαθό, τοῦ κάνουμε κακό. Μπορεῖ νὰ γίνουμε αἰτία ν’ ἀρρωστήσει, νὰ χάσει τὴ δουλειά του, τὴν περιουσία του κ.λπ. Μ’ αὐτὸ τὸν τρόπο δὲν κάνουμε κακὸ μόνο στὸν πλησίον μας ἀλλὰ καὶ στὸν ἑαυτό μας, γιατὶ ἀπομακρυνόμαστε ἀπὸ τὴ χάρη τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τότε προσευχόμεθα καὶ δὲν εἰσακουόμεθα. “Αἰτοῦμεν καὶ οὐ λαμβάνομεν”. Γιατί; Τὸ σκεφτήκαμε ποτὲ αὐτό; “Διότι κακῶς αἰτούμεθα”. Πρέπει νὰ βροῦμε τρόπο νὰ θεραπεύσουμε τὴν τάση ποὺ ὑπάρχει μέσα μας νὰ αἰσθανόμαστε καὶ νὰ σκεπτόμαστε μὲ κακία γιὰ τὸν ἄλλο.
Εἶναι δυνατὸ νὰ πεῖ κάποιος, “ἔτσι ποὺ φέρεται ὁ τάδε θὰ τιμωρηθεῖ ἀπ’ τὸν Θεό”, καὶ νὰ νομίζει ὅτι τὸ λέει χωρὶς κακία. Εἶναι, ὅμως, πολὺ λεπτὸ πράγμα νὰ διακρίνει κανεὶς ἂν ἔχει ἢ δὲν ἔχει κακία. Δὲν φαίνεται καθαρά. Εἶναι πολὺ μυστικὸ πράγμα τί κρύβει ἡ ψυχή μας καὶ πῶς αὐτὸ μπορεῖ νὰ ἐπιδράσει σὲ πρόσωπα καὶ πράγματα.
Δὲν συμβαίνει τὸ ἴδιο, ἂν ποῦμε μετὰ φόβου ὅτι ὁ ἄλλος δὲν ζεῖ καλὰ καὶ νὰ προσευχόμαστε νὰ τὸν βοηθήσει ὁ Θεὸς καὶ νὰ τοῦ δώσει μετάνοια, δηλαδὴ οὔτε λέμε οὔτε κατὰ βάθος ἐπιθυμοῦμε νὰ τὸν τιμωρήσει ὁ Θεὸς γι’ αὐτὸ ποὺ κάνει. Τότε ὄχι μόνο δὲν κάνουμε στὸν πλησίον κακό, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κάνουμε καὶ καλό. Ὅταν εὔχεται κανεὶς γιὰ τὸν πλησίον του, μιὰ καλὴ δύναμη βγαίνει ἀπ’ αὐτὸν καὶ πηγαίνει στὸν ἀδελφὸ καὶ τὸν θεραπεύει καὶ τὸν δυναμώνει καὶ τὸν ζωογονεῖ. Μυστήριο πῶς φεύγει ἀπὸ μᾶς αὐτὴ ἡ δύναμη. Ὅμως, πράγματι, αὐτὸς ποὺ ἔχει μέσα του τὸ καλὸ στέλνει τὴν καλὴ αὐτὴ δύναμη στοὺς ἄλλους μυστικὰ καὶ ἁπαλά. Στέλνει στὸν πλησίον του φῶς, ποὺ δημιουργεῖ ἕναν κύκλο προστασίας γύρω του καὶ τὸν προφυλάσσει ἀπ’ τὸ κακό. Ὅταν ἔχουμε γιὰ τὸν ἄλλον ἀγαθὴ διάθεση καὶ προσευχόμαστε, θεραπεύουμε τὸν ἀδελφὸ καὶ τὸν βοηθοῦμε νὰ πάει πρὸς τὸν Θεό.

Βίος καὶ Λόγοι Γέροντος Πορφυρίου Καυσοκαλυβίτου, σελ. 439-441