Elder Porphyrios-On Dispositions of the Heart

An Excerpt from Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

We need always to have thoughts of love for our brothers and sisters

We need to have goodness and love in our soul

Man has such powers that he can transmit good or evil to his environment. These matters are very delicate. Great care is needed. We need to see everything in a positive frame of mind. We mustn’t think anything evil about others. Even a simple glance or a sigh influences those around us. And 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 harbour any resentment against those who harm us, but rather to pray for them with love. Whatever any of our fellow men does, we should never think evil of him. We need always to have thoughts of love and always to think good of others. Look at Saint Stephen the first martyr. He prayed, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. [1] We need to do the same.

We should never think about someone that God will send him some evil or that God will punish him for his sin. This thought brings about very great evil, without our being aware of it. We often feel indignation and say to someone: ‘Have you no fear of God’s justice, are you not afraid of God’s punishment?’ Or else we say, ‘God will punish you for what you’ve done,’ or, ‘O God, do not bring evil on that person for what he did to me,’ or, ‘May that person not suffer the same thing.’

In all these cases, we have a deep desire within us for the other person to be punished. Instead of confessing our anger over his error, we present our indignation in a different way, and we allegedly pray to God for him. In reality, however, in this way we are cursing our brother.

And if, instead of praying, we say, ‘May God repay you for the evil you have done to me,’ then once again we are wishing for God to punish him. Even when we say, ‘All very well, God is witness,’ the disposition of our soul works in a mysterious way and influences the soul of our fellow man so that he suffers evil.

When we speak evil about someone, an evil power proceeds from within us and is transmitted to the other person, just as the voice is transmitted on sound waves, and in point of fact the other person suffers evil. It is something like the bewitchment of the evil eye, when someone has evil thoughts about others. This occurs through our own indignation. We transmit our evil in a mystical way. It is not God who provokes evil, but rather people’s wickedness. God does not punish, but our own evil disposition is transmitted to the soul of the other in a mysterious way and does evil. Christ never wishes evil. On the contrary, He commands, Bless those who curse you... [2]

The evil eye is a very bad thing. It is the evil influence that occurs when someone is jealous of, or desires something or someone. It needs great care. Jealously does great harm to the other person. The person who exercises the evil eye doesn’t think for a moment that he is doing harm. Remember what the Old Testament says: For the bewitching eye of wickedness obscures what is good. [3]

When the other person, however, is a man of God and makes confession and receives Holy Communion and wears a cross, nothing does him any harm. Even if all the demons were to fall on him, they would achieve nothing.

‘The noise of murmurings shall not be hidden’

Within us there is a part of the soul called the ‘moralist’. This ‘moralist’, when it sees someone going astray, is roused to indignation, even though very often the person who judges has strayed in the same way. He does not, however, take this as an occasion to condemn himself, but the other person. This is not what God wants. Christ says in the Gospel: You, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? [4] It may be that we do not steal, but we commit murder; we reproach the other person and not ourselves. We say, for example: ‘You should have done that and you didn’t do it. So see now what’s happened to you!’ When we think of evil, then it can actually happen. In a mysterious and hidden manner we diminish the power of the other person to move towards what is good, and we do him harm. We can become the occasion for him to fall ill, to lose his job or his property. In this way we do harm, not only to our neighbour, but also to ourselves, because we distance ourselves from the grace of God. And then we pray and our prayers are not heard. We ‘ask and do not receive’. [5] Why? Have we ever thought of this? ‘Because we ask wrongly.’ [6] We need to find a way to heal the tendency within us to feel and think evil about others.

It’s possible for someone to say, ‘The way that person is behaving, he will be punished by God,’ and to believe that he is saying this without evil intent. It is a simple matter, however, to discern whether he has or does not have evil intent. It does not appear clearly. What is hidden in our soul and how that can exercise influence on people and things is a very secret matter.

The same is not true if we say with a sense of awe that another person is not living well and that we should pray for God to help him and grant him repentance; that is, neither do we say, nor deep down do we desire that God will punish him for what he does. In this case not only do we not do harm to our neighbour, but we do him good. When someone prays for his neighbour, a good force proceeds from him and heals, strengthens and revives him. It is a mystery how this force leaves us. But, in truth, the person who has good within him radiates this good power to others, mystically and gently. He sends light to his neighbour and this creates a shield around him and protects him from evil. When we possess a good disposition towards others and pray, then we heal our fellows and we help them progress towards God.

There is an invisible life, the life of the soul. This is very powerful and can have effect on the other, even if we are miles apart. This also happens with the curse, which is a power that works evil. But if, conversely, 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. Solomon the Wise says this very thing: ‘The noise of murmurings shall not be hidden.’ [7] The noise of our soul is transmitted mysteriously and affects the other, even if we don’t say a word. Even without speaking we can transmit good or evil, irrespective of the distance which separates us from our neighbour. What is not expressed generally has greater power than words.

‘My Holy Lady, make him glorify your name!’

Listen, and I’ll tell you one of my own experiences. Once I was on my way to my village via Chalkida. Near the railway station at Chalkida I saw a boy on a cart who was trying to cross the railway line. His horse was refusing to obey him and he started to curse our Lady. I was distraught at his behaviour and instinctively I said, ‘My Holy Lady, make him glorify your name!’ Five minutes later the boy’s cart overturned and trapped him underneath. The barrel that was in the back of the cart broke open and the grape must that was in it poured all over him. The boy, holding his head and trembling in shock, started to shout: ‘My Holy Lady, my Holy Lady, my Holy Lady!!!’ When I saw him from the vantage point where I was standing, I wept in remorse and said to our Lady: ‘My Holy Lady, why did you do it like this? I asked for him to glorify your name, but not in that way.’ I was distraught about the boy. I repented that I had become the cause of him suffering what he suffered. I believed that I had made that prayer to our Lady with goodness of heart when I heard him cursing her name, but perhaps in my soul some hidden indignation had been created.

I’ll tell you about another incident and you will be amazed. It’s not a figment of my imagination. What I’m going to tell you is true. Listen.

One afternoon a lady went to visit one of her friends. In the sitting room she saw a beautiful Japanese vase of great value filled with flowers.

‘What a beautiful vase!’ she exclaimed. ‘When did you buy it?’

‘My husband brought it to me,’ answered her friend.

The next morning at eight o’clock the lady who had visited her friend was sitting with her husband drinking coffee and she remembered the vase. It had made a great impression on her. So she said to her husband in a tone of admiration:

‘You should see what my friend’s acquired. Her husband brought her a most beautiful Japanese vase, brightly coloured and painted with idyllic scenes; her whole living room has been transformed.’

Later the same day she called on her friend once again to discuss something. She looked and saw that the vase was missing. She asked:

‘What did you do with your vase?’

‘What can I say?’ she answered. ‘Early this morning at eight o’clock while I was sitting quietly in the room I heard a loud ‘crack!’ and the vase shattered into pieces ? on its own, without anyone touching it, without the wind blowing, without anyone moving a finger!’

To begin with the lady said nothing. Then she confessed:

‘Well, you know... At eight o’clock this morning I was drinking coffee with my husband and I was describing your vase to him with admiration. I described it to him really vividly and passionately. What do you think? Could I have released some evil power? But that would have happened only if I didn’t love you.’

And yet that was exactly what had happened. She didn’t realize that she had jealousy within her. That was envy, jealousy, evil bewitchment. The evil power can be transmitted, however far apart we are. This is a mystery. Distance is irrelevant. That’s why the vase broke. I remember something else that also happened out of jealousy.

There was a mother-in-law who was very jealous of her daughter-in-law; she didn’t want to believe that there was any good in her at all. One day the girl bought some lovely printed fabric to make a dress. The mother-in-law saw it and was filled with envy. Her daughter-in-law locked the material in the bottom of a chest beneath all the other clothes until the dress-maker would come to make it up. The day came when the dress-maker arrived. The girl went to take out the material, and what did she see! The whole of the fabric was cut into tiny shreds and useless. And yet it had been locked in the chest.

The evil power knows no barriers; it is impeded neither by locks nor by distances. The evil power can cause a car to crash without there being any mechanical fault.

With the Spirit of God we become incapable of every sin

You see, then, how our evil thoughts, our evil disposition affect others. That’s why we need to find the way of purifying the depths of our soul from every evil. When our soul is sanctified, it radiates goodness. We then silently emit our love without words.

Certainly, to begin with this is somewhat difficult. Remember Saint Paul. That’s what it was like for him too in the beginning. He said in distress: For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want, that I do. And he continues, I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? [8] He was very weak then and couldn’t do what was good, even though he desired it and longed for it.

That is what he said at the beginning. But when in this way Paul devoted himself ever more fully to the love and worship of God, God, seeing the disposition of heart, entered into him and divine grace came to dwell in him. In this way he succeeded in living in Christ. Christ Himself entered into him, and the man who had said ‘I cannot do what is good, even though I desire it’, succeeded by the grace of God in becoming incapable of evil. At first he was incapable of doing what was good, but after Christ entered within him he became incapable of doing what was evil. Indeed he proclaimed: It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me. [9] He proclaimed boasting that ‘I have Christ in me’ whereas he had previously said: ‘I wanted to do what was good, but I couldn’t.’ Where did that ‘wretched man that I am’ go? It disappeared. The grace of God within him completed its work. From being wretched he became filled with grace. Grace permeated him, after he had first been humbled.

Do you see what happens? With the Spirit of God we all become incapable of every sin. We are made incapable because Christ dwells within us. We are henceforth capable only of good. Thus we will acquire the grace of God and become possessed by God. If we abandon ourselves to the love of Christ, then all will be overturned, all will be transfigured, all will be transformed, all will be transubstantiated. Anger, resentment, jealousy, indignation, censure, ingratitude, melancholy and depression will all become love, joy, longing, divine eros. Paradise!

Endnotes

[1] Acts 7 : 60.
[2] Matt. 5 : 44.
[3] Wisd. 4 : 12.
[4] Rom. 2 : 21.
[5] Cf. Jas. 4 : 3.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Cf. Wisd. 1 : 10.
[8] Rom. 7 : 19.
[9] Gal. 2 : 20.

From Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios, pp. 212-217, as edited from an archive of notes and recordings by the Sisters of the Holy Convent of Chrysopigi (Life-Giving Spring). Posted with the permission of the publisher and the blessing of Mother Theoxeni, Abbess of the Monastery of Chrysopigi. This remarkable book is available directly from the publisher in Greece or from Uncut Mountain Supply. Posted on 7 Dec, 2005.

π.Μωησής - Φιλέσπλαχνος πατέρας(ομιλία)

Abbess Thaisia of Leushino -On Idle Talk and Gossip

But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Matt. 12:36)

YOU COMPLAIN, Sister, about the trials which are over taking you, which are arising, according to your words, from certain misunderstandings, suspicion, and indiscretion in conversations. The last, I think, is the effective and chief cause of all your trials and the source of all the evil. On this subject I want to write you a few words about the harm arising from the idle talk and gossip so common among you. This is something you yourself don't even notice; you speak too much, without discerning whether it is necessary or unnecessary, profitable or harmful, provided only that something is spoken. It is as if you are afraid of silence, which in fact is a nun's first obligation, the chief condition of her success and the adornment of her whole life.

Deeply rooted in people is the love of idle talk, i.e., empty, unnecessary conversations, and it has become a beloved pastime among them. It seems we don't know and don't believe that idle talk is a sin, and a serious sin, which gives birth to a multitude of other sins: quarrels, conflicts, gossip, slander, condemnation, calumny, and the like. Indeed, all the various confusions which fill human life to overflowing, all the disturbances of the inner quiet of the soul, have as their source this same idle talk, which has crept into all of everyday life, as though it were its indispensable property and requirement. If any sin or any passion knows how to clothe itself in an attractive form, it is precisely—idle talk.

It begins under the pretext of conversing, of discussing some business, but then we proceed imperceptibly to an altogether unnecessary, empty, and sinful conversation. Like a deeply-rooted infection, this sickness does not easily submit to healing. It has penetrated all layers of social and private life; it is active in people of every age and gender, every class and social position, and has not even spared monasteries.

One deeply thinking pastor, contemporary to us, writes the following on idle talk, among other things: "How heedlessly, how carelessly we use our words, Which should be highly valued as a great gift from God! But on the contrary, what do we least esteem, if not the spoken word? In what are we fickle, if not in the spoken word? What do we throw out every minute, as though it were dirt, if not the spoken word? O Christian! Value your words, be attentive to them!"

In our words, which we regard so carelessly, so thoughtlessly, will be either our justification or condemnation, as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself says: By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matt. 12:37); I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matt. 12:36). If even one idle, i.e, empty, unnecessary word will be subject to accounting in the day of judgment, then to what condemnation and punishment will we be subject, who talk idly continually and constantly, restrained neither by place nor time, nor by the presence of outsiders, who, perhaps even against their will, we make participants in our empty conversations, and in such a manner draw them into sin. So, drawing them into sin, we are subject to a double condemnation—both for idle talk and for being a cause of temptation, for woe, it is said, to that man by whom the offence cometh (Matt. 18:7). We don't think about this, we don't take care at all! We misuse our natural faculty of speech, which was given to us for this purpose above all: that we might praise our Creator, thank and glorify Him with words, as is proper to a rational creature. Even mute nature glorifies Him with its grandeur and harmony, not deviating in the least from the laws appointed to it by the Creator: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands (Ps. 18:1).

The gift of speech was also given to us that we might understand one another, not through instinct, like the dumb animals, but through intellect. Thus we verbally express our ideas, which are abundantly and clearly opened to us by our God-enlightened mind, the source of thought and word, in order that we might conduct intelligent, mutual, brotherly conversation on the aim of daily life and its regulation, for mutual edification and benefit, in support and consolation of each other, and the like. It was not given to us that we might talk idly; or judge, slander, and condemn our neighbors, pronouncing judgments on them like unmerciful judges and torturers rather than considering ourselves as their brothers, weak and sinful as they, if not still worse. Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, says the Apostle, for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (Rom. 2:1, 3) He that ... judgeth his brother, says another Apostle, ...judgeth the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge (James 4:11). And what great evil results from empty and idle conversations and gossip! Sometimes one heedlessly spoken word causes a whole storm of unpleasantness and fills the heart of the one referred to with indignation and hatred. So even a word that was not ill-intentioned, one we counted as nothing, can strike a mortal sin, just as a small spark often turns into a great fire burning whole villages. How great a matter a little fire kindleth, says the Apostle James. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things (cf. James 3:5); it is a fire, a world of iniquity:... it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell (James 3:6). The tongue is an untamable evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God and therewith curse we men, which are after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing an d cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be! Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? (James 3:8-11) Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge ... let him show this out of his works, through good conduct, and not by condemning others. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth (i.e., don't consider yourself wise). This is not the wisdom that descends from above, but is earthly ... devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (cf. James 3:13-16). Behold the harm from all our idle talk and gossip! And if they are improper to Christians in general, are they not even less pardonable for nuns, who have voluntarily renounced the world with all its worldly sinful ways, who have retired within their monastic gates for a more unhindered attention to their salvation? The enemy of everyone's salvation, knowing the infirmity of men, who notwithstanding their readiness towards a life of pleasing God, are ever inclined to seek indulgences and consolations, is not slow even here to sow his tares amid the wheat of God. You nuns by your departure from the world have also left all its consolations and pleasures permitted to lay people.

The only true consolation for you should consist in your close fellowship and heart to heart talks. Your superiors, as wise and kind guides, don't restrain you, don't forbid you these innocent consolations: you are permitted to visit one another, to go for walks together in your free time, and when you gather for common monastery obediences, you may converse with one another unhindered. But you abuse this liberty, you derive from it not profit and true spiritual consolation, but the opposite: harm, quarrels, gossip, and discord, which like a spark kindles a great fire, which burns away all your monastic labors and struggles. In such a manner you lose your salvation. Or do you not know the apostolic saying: Every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12) Who is ready to judge (I Peter 4:5)? Oh, if only you would gather together, like the ancient nuns, for spiritual edification and mutual instruction, you would not converse about irrelevant things and affairs which don't concern you, but only about this, how each of you will work out your own salvation (Philip. 2:12): what sort of cell rule to have and how to perform it, what struggles to undertake. Thus you would edify and support one another on your slippery path, stretching out a helping hand to each other, and the words of the all-wise Solomon would be realized in you: A brother helped by a brother is as a strong city (Prov. 18:19). And your assembly would be like the assembly of the angels, who in spite of their great multitude have one common holy will, one striving—how to fulfill the will of the Creator.

O Sister, not for nothing is our monastic order called the angelic order!... Surely each of us who has gathered in the holy monastery in the name of the Lord has one and the same will, one striving common to us all: how he may please the Lord (I Cor. 7:32). We have no earthly fetters binding us to the world, there are no anxieties and worldly cares to entangle our wings and hinder our flight to our Heavenly Bridegroom! We are free, like the birds of the air, which sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; but our heavenly Father feedeth us (cf. Matt. 6:26). Let us then remember our angelic calling, and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3), as the holy Apostle teaches.

From Letters to a Beginner: On Giving One's Life to God (Platina, CA: St. Xenia Skete Press, 1993), pp. 70-75.

The Variety of Demonic Battles, and How to Cut Off the Entrance of Every Thought and Desire

By St. Paisy Velichovsky

Pay heed to yourself, O monk, sensibly and diligently, with a vigilant mind, as to when the demons come, by what means they catch one, and by what means they themselves are vanquished. Guard yourself with great caution, because every hour you walk in the midst of passions and nets. Everywhere the passions surround one. Everywhere are set out their traps. Pay heed lest you be attracted by the enemy into his will through passions and traps. There is a great need for us, even essential for us men of flesh, to fight with the fleshless ones—one man with ten thousand enemies.

 Many tears, much patience, much suffering and caution, and a thousand eyes everywhere are required, for the evil spirits rise up maliciously against us like a lion. They would destroy us if we did not have the Lord with us. They have been very skilled in the art of catching men for more than seven thousand years. Without sleep, food, and rest, constantly, every hour, and by all means, they seek our perdition with every trick and with great effort. Having turned out to be powerless in one way, they think up something else. They start one thing, and contemplate yet another. And they roar about everywhere looking where they might find doors to enter and from where they might begin the battle, and, as it were, trick us into doing evil. Do you not know with whom you battle? How legions of invisible enemies surround you, and every one of them wages his own battle? They sound numberless voices, and desire to swallow up your soul. Should you not be cautious? Is it possible that having drunk your fill and given yourself over to sleep, lying down and constantly consoling yourself, that you can with all this receive salvation? If you will not be attentive to this, you will not escape their traps. We have come to struggle, as it were, stepping into the fire. If we desire to be true warriors of the King of Heaven and not false participants, then let us put far away from us every passion or other. And according to our desire and fervor they tighten their traps, for the occasion to sin belongs to us ourselves, our attachment, weakness; and let us put away from ourselves every negligence and faintheartedness and effeminate weakness, and thus we shall stand against the cunningness of the demons. 

Let us labor in prayers and other virtues with all fervor and power, with soul, heart, and mind, just as someone might run swiftly on a road without looking around, or as a stingy man might fast, for such is the cunningness of the evil demons. They are constantly occupied with us. Like watchmen they notice our inclinations and our desires, what we are thinking about and what we love, what we are occupied with besides these. Whatever passion they notice in us, they arouse this in us, and thus they place their nets for us. In this way, we ourselves, first of all, arouse against ourselves every passion, being ourselves the cause of it. Therefore the demons seek in us occasion that through our own inclination and desire we might the sooner be caught. They do not compel us to do what we do not desire, to do that from which our mind inclines away and our will does not agree, knowing that we will not obey them. Rather, they test us some, whether we will accept some passion or other, And according to our desire and fervor they tighten their traps, for the occasion to sin belongs to us ourselves, our attachment, weakness, and negligence. We do not cut off the beginning of every passion, but the final cause of every evil is the demons. Through the demons we fall into every sin, and no kind of evil comes to us apart from them.

Thus the demons cast us into every passion. They compel us to fall to every sin, and we are tangled in every net. By nets I mean the first thought of desires and various foul thoughts through which we bind ourselves with every passion, and fall into every sin. This is the door of demons and passions, by which they enter into us and rob our spiritual treasury. Immoderate sleep, laziness, eating not at the proper time are a cause of the entrance of demons. And having come, they first of all knock on the doors of the heart secretly, like thieves. They introduce a thought, and they notice whether there is a watchman or not, that is, they see if the thought will be received or not. If it will be received, then they begin to cause passion and arouse us to it, and they steal our spiritual treasure. If they find a watchman at the doors of the heart who is accustomed to belittle and banish their suggestions, if one turns away in mind from the first mental impulse and has one's mind deaf and dumb to their barking and directed towards the depths of the heart and so does not at all agree with them, then to such a one they cannot do any evil, since his mind is sober. Then they begin to scheme and place various nets to catch us in passion, for example: forgetfulness, anger, foolishness, self-love, pride, love of glory, love of pleasure, overeating, gluttony, fornication, unmercifulness, anger, remembrance of wrongs, blasphemy, sorrow, brazenness, vainglory, much speaking, despondency, fearfulness, sleep, laziness, heaviness, fright, jealousy, envy, hatred, hypocrisy, deception, murmuring, unbelief, disobedience, covetousness, love of things, egotism, faintheartedness, duplicity, bitterness, ambition, and laughter. then they arouse a great storm of thoughts of fornication and blasphemy so that the ascetic might become frightened and despondent, or so that he might leave off his struggle and prayer. But if the enemies after raising all this cannot hold and take away from his struggle a firm soul and an unwavering soldier of Christ who, like a passion-bearer, has placed his foundation on the rock of faith, so that the rivers of sorrows do not cause him to waver, then they try to rob him by some seeming good, considering it more convenient under the appearance of good to introduce something of their own and in this way to deprive one of perfect virtue and struggle. Thus they try to compel us to make spiritual conversations for the sake of love, to teach men, or to sweeten the food a little for the sake of a friend or for the Feast, for they know, the deceptive ones, that Adam fell for the love of sweet things. First they begin to darken the purity of the mind and heedfulness to oneself, and by this path they suddenly throw us into the pit of sexual sins or into some other passion. If even by this way they do not cause one to waver who is sober in mind, then they arm themselves with false visions and offend and disturb him by various afflictions. A most skillful warrior lets all this go by him and regards it as nothing, as if it has no relation to him, for he knows that all this is the device of the devil.

If even thus they do not conquer, then they battle by means of highmindedness. They introduce they thought that the man is holy, saying to him secretly, "How many afflictions you have endured!" The demons, like a clever hunter, when their first means turns out to be powerless, abandon it, go away, hide themselves, and pretend to be conquered. But beware, O man, pay heed, do not be lax, for they will not depart from you until the grave. But they will prepare a great sedge and will look attentively by what means they can again begin to rise up against you, for they do not rest. When the warmth of fervor grows cold in a struggler, they then secretly, having prepared some net, come again and lay them out and try to catch him. In all the paths of virtue, the devils establish their nets and hindrances when we fulfill heedfully every deed for our salvation and not out of pleasing men, or from some other idea. But if in virtue there is hidden some kind of impurity, pride, vainglory, and highmindedness, then in such a matter the devils do not hinder us, but they even inspire us, so that we might labor without benefit. The demons strive for nothing so much as by every crafty means to steal time and make it idle. In everything that the demons do, they strive to dig three pits for us. First of all, they act against us and hinder us so that there will be no good in all our acts of virtue. In the second place, they strive so that the good will not be for the sake of God. That is, having no opportunity to bring us away from good, they make efforts through vainglory to destroy all our labors. In the third place, they praise us as if we turn out in everything to be God-pleasing. That is, being unable to confuse us by vainglory, they strive by highmindedness to destroy our labors and deprive us of rewards. Every demonic battle against us is in three forms. First, the devils darken our mind and a man becomes forgetful and dispersed in all his works. Then they introduce an idle thought, so that through it we might lose time. Finally, they bring various temptations and afflictions. Therefore, of us it is demanded that at all times we should be very sober of mind, for the enemies ceaselessly are making tricks and acting against us. If one struggles for many years, the enemy seeks a convenient time, so as in a single hour to destroy his labors. Not many men see the numberless traps, devices, and tricks of the demons. As a fleshless spirit the demon does not require rest, and through a long life he has learned to catch men. Therefore, no one can escape the tricks, the ruinous nets, and pitfalls of them, except one who remains in bodily infirmity from constant struggle, and who lives in spiritual poverty, that is, with a contrite heart and in humble thoughts. Such a one will conquer them.

Most of all, the Divine Help cooperates with us. However, in us, as we have said previously, is the beginning of all passions, attachment, weakness, and negligence, because we do not renounce in soul and thought and do not cut off the first impulse of every passion that comes. And the demons add yet more. Seek within yourself the reason for every passion, and finding it, arm yourself and dig out its root with the sword of suffering. And if you do not uproot it, again it will push out sprouts and grow. Without this means you cannot conquer passions, come to purity, and be saved. Therefore, if we desire to be saved, we must cut off the first impulse of the thought and desire of every passion. Conquer small things so as not to fall into big ones. It is evident that God allows one to be overthrown in battle by the demons or some stubborn passion because of our pride and highmindedness, when one considers himself to be holy, or strong, and trusts in himself, and exalts himself above those who are weak. Let such a one acknowledge his own infirmity, acknowledge the Help of God, and be enlightened. Let him understand that without God's Help he can do nothing, and thus he will humble his thought. Or again, this is allowed as a chastisement for sins, so that we might repent and be more experienced in struggle. Or it is allowed for the sake of crowns of victory. However, in that in which you are conquered and from which you suffer, before all other passions you must arm yourself against it and for this use all your fervor. Every passion and suffering is conquered by undoubting faith, by labor of heart and tears, by warm fervor and quick striving to oppose the present passion. This is a high and praiseworthy struggle, as taught by the Holy Fathers. Every warfare of the demons against us comes from and is reinforced by four causes: from negligence and laziness, from self-love, from love of pleasure, and from the envy of the demons. May the Lord preserve us by His Grace from all nets of the enemy and passionate works, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Ch. XXXV from Field Flowers.

Ὁ προσευχόμενος νοῦς ζητᾶ ἕνωση μὲ τὴν καρδιὰ..

Άγιος Ιγνάτιος Μπριαντσιανίνωφ

Κλείστηκαν οἱ θύρες τῶν αἰσθημάτων: Ἡ γλώσσα σωπαίνει, τὰ μάτια εἶναι σφαλισμένα, τ’ αὐτιὰ δὲν ἀκοῦνε τίποτε ἀπ’ ὅσα συμβαίνουν γύρω μου. Ὁ νοῦς, ἀποτινάζοντας τὸν ζυγὸ τῶν γήινων λογισμῶν, ντύνεται τὴν προσευχὴ καὶ κατεβαίνει στὸν ἐσωτερικὸ θάλαμο τῆς καρδιᾶς. Ἡ θύρα, ὅμως, τοῦ θαλάμου εἶναι κλειστή. Παντοῦ σκοτάδι, σκοτάδι ἀπροσπέλαστο. Καὶ ὁ νοῦς, καθὼς βρίσκεται σὲ ἀπορία, ἀρχίζει νὰ χτυπᾶ μὲ τὴν προσευχὴ τὴ θύρα τῆς καρδιᾶς. Στέκεται ὑπομονετικὰ μπροστά της καὶ τὴ χτυπᾶ· περιμένει· πάλι χτυπᾶ· πάλι περιμένει· πάλι προσεύχεται... Καμιὰ ἀπάντηση, καμιὰ φωνὴ δὲν ἀκούγεται! Νεκρικὴ ἡσυχία, ταφικὴ σιωπὴ καὶ ζοφερὸ σκοτάδι. Ὁ νοῦς φεύγει ἀπὸ τὴ θύρα τῆς καρδιᾶς λυπημένος, θρηνώντας πικρὰ καὶ ζητώντας παρηγοριά. Δὲν τοῦ ἐπιτράπηκε νὰ σταθεῖ μπροστὰ στὸν Βασιλέα τῶν βασιλέων μέσα στὸ ἁγιαστήριο τοῦ ἐσωτερικοῦ θαλάμου τῆς καρδιᾶς.
— Γιατί; Γιατί ἀπορρίφθηκες:
— Ἐπειδὴ ἔχω πάνω μου τὴ σφραγίδα τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἡ συνήθεια νὰ σκέφτομαι τὰ γήινα μοῦ ἀποσπᾶ τὴν προσοχή. Δὲν ἔχω μέσα μου δυνάμεις, γιατί δὲν ἔρχεται νὰ μὲ βοηθήσει τὸ Πνεῦμα, τὸ πανάγιο καὶ πανάγαθο Πνεῦμα. Αὐτὸ ἀποκαθιστᾶ τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ νοῦ, τῆς καρδιᾶς καὶ τοῦ σώματος, ποὺ διασπάστηκε μὲ τὴ φοβερὴ πτώση τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Μάταιες εἶναι οἱ προσωπικές μου προσπάθειες μόνες τους, χωρὶς τὴν παντοδύναμη, δημιουργικὴ βοήθεια τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἐκεῖνο, βέβαια, εἶναι ἀπέραντα φιλάνθρωπο καὶ πολυέλεο, ἀλλὰ ἡ δική μου ψυχικὴ ἀκαθαρσία δὲν Τὸ ἀφήνει νὰ μὲ πλησιάσει. Θὰ λουστῶ, λοιπόν, στὰ δάκρυα, θὰ καθαριστῶ ἀπὸ τὶς ἁμαρτίες μου μὲ τὴν Ἐξομολόγηση, δὲν θὰ προσφέρω στὸ σῶμα μου τροφὴ καὶ ὕπνο, ποὺ ἡ πλησμονὴ τους γεννᾶ στὴν ψυχὴ τὸ σαρκικὸ φρόνημα. Ντυμένος ὅλος μὲ τὸν θρῆνο τῆς μετάνοιας θὰ πλησιάσω τὴ θύρα τῆς καρδιᾶς μου. Ἐκεῖ θὰ σταθῶ ἤ θὰ καθήσω σὰν τὸν τυφλό τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου καί, ὑπομένοντας τὸ βάρος καὶ τὴ θλίψη ποὺ προξενεῖ τὸ σκοτάδι, θὰ φωνάζω δυνατὰ σ’ Ἐκεῖνον ποὺ μπορεῖ νὰ μὲ βοηθήσει: «Ἐλέησέ με!» (1).
Κατεβαίνει, λοιπόν, ὁ νοῦς στὸν ἐσωτερικὸ θάλαμο τῆς καρδιᾶς, στέκεται ἐκεῖ μπροστὰ καὶ ἀρχίζει νὰ φωνάζει δυνατὰ μὲ δάκρυα. Μοιάζει μ’ ἕναν τυφλό, ποὺ δὲν βλέπει τὸ ἀληθινὸ καὶ ἀνέσπερο φῶς, καὶ μ’ ἕναν κωφάλαλο, ποὺ δὲν ἔχει οὔτε λαλιὰ οὔτε ἀκοὴ πνευματικὴ (2). Αἰσθάνεται ὅτι εἶναι πραγματικὰ τυφλὸς καὶ κωφάλαλος, ὅτι στέκεται μπροστὰ στὴν πύλη τῆς Ἱεριχώ —τῆς καρδιᾶς, ποὺ τὴν κατοικοῦν οἱ ἁμαρτίες— καὶ ὅτι περιμένει τὴ θεραπεία του ἀπὸ τὸν Σωτήρα, ποὺ δὲν Τὸν βλέπει, ποὺ δὲν Τὸν ἀκούει καὶ ποὺ ἐντούτοις Τὸν φωνάζει, καθὼς βρίσκεται στὴν τραγικὴ αὐτὴ κατάσταση. Τὸ ὄνομά Του δὲν τὸ γνωρίζει- «Υἱὸ τοῦ Δαβὶδ» (3) Τὸν ὀνομάζει: Ἡ σάρκα καὶ τὸ αἷμα δὲν μποροῦν νὰ τιμήσουν τὸν Θεὸ ὡς Θεὸ (4).
— Δεῖξτε μου τὸν δρόμο ἀπὸ τὸν ὁποῖο θὰ περάσει ὁ Σωτήρας!
— Ὁ δρόμος αὐτὸς εἶναι ἡ προσευχή, ὅπως λέει σὲ κάθε ἄνθρωπο ὁ Θεός, τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὲ τὸ στόμα τοῦ προφήτη: «Ἐμένα μὲ δοξάζει ἡ προσφορὰ ὑμνωδίας, καὶ σ’ ὅποιον βαδίζει αὐτὸν τὸν δρόμο θὰ δείξω τὴ σωτηρία μου» (5).
— Πέστε μου, πότε θὰ περάσει ὁ Σωτήρας; Τὸ πρωί, τὸ μεσημέρι ἤ τὸ βράδυ;
— «Νὰ εἶστε ἄγρυπνοι, γιατί δὲν ξέρετε ποιὰ μέρα θὰ ἔρθει ὁ Κύριος σας» (6).
Ὁ δρόμος εἶναι γνωστός, μὰ ἡ ὥρα ἄγνωστη! Θὰ μείνω ἔξω ἀπὸ τὴν Ἱεριχώ, ὄρθιος ἤ καθισμένος στὴν πύλη τῆς πόλης, ἔχοντας στὸν νοῦ μου τὰ λόγια τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου: «Ὁ Ἰησοῦς, γιὰ νὰ ἐξαγνίσει τὸν λαό Του μὲ τὸ ἴδιο Του τὸ αἷμα, θανατώθηκε ἔξω ἀπὸ τὴν πύλη. Ἂς πᾶμε. λοιπόν, κι ἐμεῖς κοντά Του, ἔξω ἀπὸ τὸ στρατόπεδο (δηλαδὴ τὸν κόσμο τῆς ἁμαρτίας), καὶ ἂς ὑποστοῦμε τὸν ἴδιο μ’ Αὐτὸν ἐξευτελισμὸ» (7).
Ὁ κόσμος παρέρχεται (8), τίποτα δὲν εἶναι μόνιμο σ’ αὐτὸν οὔτε κἄν μὲ πόλη δὲν πρέπει νὰ τὸν παρομοιάζουμε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον μὲ χωριό. Θ’ ἀφήσω, λοιπόν, τὴν περιουσία μου, στὴν ὁποία ἔχω προσκολληθεῖ καὶ τὴν ὁποία ὅλοι ἐγκαταλείπουν ὅταν πεθαίνουν, συχνὰ καὶ πρὶν πεθάνουν. Θ’ ἀφήσω τὶς τιμὲς καὶ τὴ δόξα, ποὺ χάνονται. Θ’ ἀφήσω τὶς ἡδονὲς τῶν αἰσθήσεων, ποὺ ἀφαιροῦν κάθε ἱκανότητα γιὰ πνευματικὲς ἀσκήσεις καὶ ἐνασχολήσεις. «Γιατί δὲν ἔχουμε ἐδῶ μόνιμη πολιτεία, ἀλλὰ λαχταροῦμε τὴ μελλοντικὴ» (9), ἡ ὁποία πρέπει νὰ ἀποκαλυφθεῖ ἀπὸ τώρα στὴν καρδιά μου μὲ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ τὴ χάρη τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ Σωτήρα μου.
Ὅποιος δὲν ἀνέβει πνευματικὰ στὴ μυστικὴ Ἱερουσαλὴμ πρὶν ἀπὸ τὸ τέλος τῆς ἐπίγειας ζωῆς του, αὐτὸς δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ ἔχει τὴ βεβαιότητα ὅτι θὰ ἐπιτραπεῖ στὴν ψυχή του, μετὰ τὴν ἔξοδό της ἀπὸ τὸ σῶμα, νὰ μπεῖ στὴν οὐράνια Ἱερουσαλήμ. Τὸ πρῶτο εἶναι προϋπόθεση τοῦ δευτέρου (10).

1. Λουκ. 18:38, 39.
2. Πρβλ. Μάρκ. 7:32.
3. Λουκ. 18:39.
4. Πρβλ. Α΄ Κορ. 15:50.
5. Ψαλμ. 49:23.
6  Ματθ. 24:42.
7. Ἑβρ. 13:12-13.
8. Α' Ἰω. 2:17.
9. Ἑβρ. 13:14.
10. Πρβλ. Ὁσίου Ἡσυχίου τοῦ Πρεσβυτέρου. Πρὸς Θεόδουλον λόγος ψυχωφελὴς καὶ σωτήριος περὶ νήψεως καὶ ἀρετῆς κεφαλαιώδης, δ', ριζ'.

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“Μία συγκλονιστική ιστορία Ανθρωπιάς”! ..

Με την πρώτη ματιά έβλεπε κανείς απλώς μια γριούλα. Έσερνε τα βήματά της στο χιόνι, μόνη, παρατημένη, με σκυμμένο κεφάλι.
Όσοι περνούσαν από το πεζοδρόμιο της πόλης αποτραβούσαν το βλέμμα τους, για να μη θυμηθούν ότι τα βάσανα και οι πόνοι δεν σταματούν όταν γιορτάζουμε Χριστούγεννα. Ένα νέο ζευγάρι μιλούσε και γελούσε με τα χέρια γεμάτα από ψώνια και δώρα και δεν πρόσεξαν τη γριούλα. Μια μητέρα με δυο παιδιά βιάζονταν να πάνε στο σπίτι της γιαγιάς. Δεν έδωσαν προσοχή. Ένας παπάς είχε το νου του σε ουράνια θέματα και δεν την πρόσεξε.

Αν πρόσεχαν όλοι αυτοί, θα έβλεπαν ότι η γριά δεν φορούσε παπούτσια. Περπατούσε ξυπόλητη στον πάγο και το χιόνι. Με τα δυο της χέρια η γριούλα μάζεψε το χωρίς κουμπιά παλτό της στο λαιμό. Φορούσε ένα χρωματιστό φουλάρι στο κεφάλι· σταμάτησε στη στάση σκυφτή και περίμενε το λεωφορείο. Ένας κύριος που κρατούσε μια σοβαρή τσάντα περίμενε κι αυτός στη στάση, αλλά κρατούσε μια απόσταση. Μια κοπέλα περίμενε κι αυτή, κοίταξε πολλές φορές τα πόδια τής γριούλας, δεν μίλησε.
Ήρθε το λεωφορείο και η γριούλα ανέβηκε αργά και με δυσκολία. Κάθισε στο πλαϊνό κάθισμα, αμέσως πίσω από τον οδηγό. Ο κύριος και η κοπέλα πήγαν βιαστικά προς τα πίσω καθίσματα. Ο άντρας που καθόταν δίπλα στη γριούλα στριφογύριζε στο κάθισμα κι έπαιζε με τα δάχτυλά του. «Γεροντική άνοια», σκέφτηκε. Ο οδηγός είδε τα γυμνά πόδια και σκέφτηκε: «Αυτή η γειτονιά βυθίζεται όλο και πιο πολύ στη φτώχεια. Καλύτερα να με βάλουν στην άλλη γραμμή, της λεωφόρου». Ένα αγοράκι έδειξε τη γριά. «Κοίταξε, μαμά, αυτή η γριούλα είναι ξυπόλυτη». Η μαμά ταράχτηκε και του χτύπησε το χέρι. «Μη δείχνεις τους ανθρώπους, Αντρέα! Δεν είναι ευγενικό να δείχνεις». «Αυτή θα έχει μεγάλα παιδιά», είπε μια κυρία που φορούσε γούνα. «Τα παιδιά της πρέπει να ντρέπονται». Αισθάνθηκε ανώτερη, αφού αυτή φρόντισε τη μητέρα της.
Μια δασκάλα στη μέση του λεωφορείου στερέωσε τα δώρα που είχε στα πόδια της. «Δεν πληρώνουμε αρκετούς φόρους, για να αντιμετωπίζονται καταστάσεις σαν αυτές;» είπε σε μια φίλη της που ήταν δίπλα της. «Φταίνε οι δεξιοί», απάντησε η φίλη της. «Παίρνουν από τους φτωχούς και δίνουν στους πλούσιους». «Όχι, φταίνε οι άλλοι», μπήκε στη συζήτηση ένας ασπρομάλλης. Με τα προγράμματα πρόνοιας κάνουν τους πολίτες τεμπέληδες και φτωχούς». «Οι άνθρωποι πρέπει να μάθουν ν’ αποταμιεύουν», είπε ένας άλλος που έμοιαζε μορφωμένος. «Αν αυτή η γριά αποταμίευε όταν ήταν νέα, δεν θα υπέφερε σήμερα». Και όλοι αυτοί ήταν ικανοποιημένοι για την οξύνοιά τους που έβγαλε τέτοια βαθιά ανάλυση.
Αλλ’ ένας έμπορος αισθάνθηκε προσβολή από τις εξ αποστάσεως μουρμούρες των συμπολιτών του. Έβγαλε το πορτοφόλι του και τράβηξε ένα εικοσάρι. Περπάτησε στο διάδρομο και το έβαλε στο τρεμάμενο χέρι της γριούλας. «Πάρε, κυρία, ν’ αγοράσεις παπούτσια». Η γριούλα τον ευχαρίστησε κι εκείνος γύρισε στη θέση του ευχαριστημένος, που ήταν άνθρωπος της δράσης.
Μια καλοντυμένη κυρία τα πρόσεξε όλα αυτά και άρχισε να προσεύχεται από μέσα της. «Κύριε, δεν έχω χρήματα. Αλλά μπορώ ν’ απευθυνθώ σε σένα. Εσύ έχεις μια λύση για όλα. Όπως κάποτε έριξες το μάννα εξ ουρανού, και τώρα μπορείς να δώσεις ό,τι χρειάζεται η κυρούλα αυτή για τα Χριστούγεννα».
Στην επόμενη στάση ένα παλικάρι μπήκε στο λεωφορείο. Φορούσε ένα χοντρό μπουφάν, είχε ένα καφέ φουλάρι και ένα μάλλινο καπέλο που κάλυπτε και τα αυτιά του. Ένα καλώδιο συνέδεε το αυτί του με μια συσκευή μουσική. Ο νέος κουνούσε το σώμα του με τη μουσική που άκουε. Πήγε και κάθισε απέναντι στη γριούλα. Όταν είδε τα ξυπόλυτα πόδια της, το κούνημα σταμάτησε. Πάγωσε. Τα μάτια του πήγαν από τα πόδια της γιαγιάς στα δικά του. Φορούσε ακριβά ολοκαίνουργια παπούτσια. Μάζευε λεφτά αρκετό καιρό για να τα αγοράσει και να κάνει εντύπωση στην παρέα.
Το παλικάρι έσκυψε και άρχισε να λύνει τα παπούτσια του. Έβγαλε τα εντυπωσιακά παπούτσια και τις κάλτσες. Γονάτισε μπροστά στη γριούλα. «Γιαγιά, είπε, βλέπω ότι δεν έχεις παπούτσια. Εγώ έχω κι άλλα». Προσεκτικά κι απαλά σήκωσε τα παγωμένα πόδια και της φόρεσε πρώτα τις κάλτσες κι ύστερα τα παπούτσια του. Η γριούλα τον ευχαρίστησε συγκινημένη.
Τότε το λεωφορείο έκανε πάλι στάση. Ο νέος κατέβηκε και προχώρησε ξυπόλυτος στο χιόνι. Οι επιβάτες μαζεύτηκαν στα παράθυρα και τον έβλεπαν καθώς βάδιζε προς το σπίτι του. «Ποιος είναι;», ρώτησε ένας. «Πρέπει να είναι άγιος», είπε κάποιος. «Πρέπει να είναι άγγελος», είπε ένας άλλος. «Κοίτα! Έχει φωτοστέφανο στο κεφάλι!» φώναξε κάποιος. «Είναι ο Χριστός!» είπε η ευσεβής κυρία. Αλλά το αγοράκι, που είχε δείξει με το δάχτυλο τη γιαγιά, είπε: Όχι, μαμά τον είδα πολύ καλά. Ήταν ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ».

St.Nikodemos the Hagiorite-How to kindle the love of God in oneself by entering deeply into the sacrament of the Eucharist

Unseen Warfare

In order to kindle a great love of God in yourself by entering deeply into the heavenly sacrament of the blood and flesh of Christ,
turn your thought to the contemplation of the love, which God has shown you personally in this sacrament. For this great and
almighty God was not content with creating you in His likeness and image, and when you sinned and offended Him and so fell from
your high rank, He was not satisfied with sending His Only-begotten Son to live thirty-three years on earth to deliver you, and, by
terrible torment and painful death on the cross, to redeem and snatch you out of the hands of the devil, to whom you became
enslaved through sin, and again to restore you to your former rank; no, He also deigned to establish the sacrament of His flesh and
blood as food for you, so that the whole power of His incarnated dispensation might imbue your nature most essentially. Make this
last token of God’s strong love for you the object of your constant contemplation and deep pondering, so that, seeing its manifold
fullness and richness, you should thereby feed and inflame your heart with undivided love and longing for God.
(1) Think of the time when God began to love you, and you will see that His love for you has no beginning. For since He himself is
eternal in His divine nature, eternal also is His love for you, whereby before all ages He took counsel with Himself and resolved to
give you His Son in a miraculous and ineffable manner. Realising this, rejoice in ecstasy of spirit and cry: ‘So even in the abyss of
eternity my nothingness was watched over and loved by the infinite God; even then did He make provision for my good, and His
love, which is beyond all words, resolved to give me for food His Only-begotten Son. After this, can I permit myself for a single
moment not to cleave to Him with all my thought, all my desire and all my heart?”
(2) Think also that all mutual affections between creatures, however great they may be, have their measure and their limit, beyond
which they cannot go. Only the love of God for us is limitless. So, when it became necessary to satisfy it in a certain special way, He
sacrificed to it His Son, Who is His equal in greatness and infinitude, for His nature is one and the same. Thus His love is as great as
His gift, and conversely His gift as great as His love. Both the one and the other are so great, that no created mind can conceive
anything greater. So requite this boundless love at least with all the love of which you are capable.
(3) Reflect further that God conceived this love for us not through any necessity, but solely through His natural loving-kindness. He
loved us from Himself spontaneously, with love as much beyond measure as beyond understanding.
(4) Reflect also that on our side we could never have forestalled this love by any deed so worthy of praise or reward, that the infinite
God would requite our utter poverty with the wealth of His love; that He loved us only because in His loving-kindness He wished it;
and not only loved us, but gave Himself to us, His unworthy creatures.
(5) Look at the purity of this love and see that, unlike the love of creatures, it is unmixed with any expectation of future gain from
us. For God has no need of gain from outside, being Himself all-sufficing and all-blessed in Himself. Thus, if He wished to pour
His ineffable love and loving-kindness upon us. He did so not for the sake of any profit for Himself from us, but for our own good.

Thinking of all this, can you help crying out in yourself: ‘O the wonder of it! The Almighty God has laid His heart upon me, the
least of His creatures! What dost Thou wish of me, 0 King of glory? What dost Thou expect of me, who am nothing but dust and
ashes? I see clearly, 0 Lord my God, in the light of Thy infinite love, that Thou hast but one desire, which most reveals the radiance
of Thy love for me, namely that Thou desirest to give me the whole of Thyself as food and drink for no other purpose but to
transmute the whole of me into Thyself, not because Thou hast any need of me, but because I have extreme need of Thee; for in
this way Thou dwellest in me and I in Thee; and through this union of love I become as Thou art. In human words: through the
union of my earthly heart with Thy heavenly heart a single divine heart is created in me.”
Such thought cannot but fill you with wonder and joy, when you see yourself so highly valued by God and so beloved by Him, and
understand that in His infinite love for you He seeks and desires nothing from you, save only to attract your love to Him self and
thus to give you bliss, by delivering you from every passionate attachment to creatures and to yourself. For then you will be able to
bring the whole of yourself as a burnt offering to Him, your God, and from then onwards, for all the rest of your life, only love of
Him and an ardent desire to please Him will possess your mind, your will, your memory and all your senses. Every favour coming
from God’s love for you can produce this effect in your soul: but this effect is most natural if you look with understanding on the
most blessed sacrament of the divine Eucharist. While you look at it with your mind, open your heart to it, and pour out the
following devout prayers and loving sighs: ‘Oh, heavenly Food! When shall the hour come when I am totally immolated for Thee
and consumed, not by some other fire, but by the fire of Thy love? 0 uncreated Love, 0 Bread of Life! When shall I live by Thee
alone, for Thee alone and in Thee alone? When, 0 my life, beautiful, sweet and eternal, when, 0 Manna from heaven, shall I turn
away from all other earthly food, when shall I desire only Thee and be fed by Thee alone? When will it be, 0 my all-satisfying
sweetness, 0 my highest good! 0 my Lord, most desired and most good! Tear this poor heart of mine from every wrong attachment
and tendency, adorn it with Thy holy virtues and fill it with that good disposition which would make me, in all sincerity, do all things
solely to please Thee! Then, at last, I shall attain to opening to Thee my heart, no longer unworthy of Thee, and, invoking Thee with
love, shall make Thee enter it. And then, my Lord, having entered it, Thou wilt not meet with resistance and wilt perform therein all
the actions Thou art wont to perform in souls devoted to Thee.”
In such loving thoughts and feelings you may spend the evening and morning, preparing for communion. Then, when the sacred
hour of communion draws near, imagine most vividly, with humility and warmth of heart, Whom you are about to receive into
yourself, and who are you, who are about to receive Him.
He is the Son of God, clothed in inconceivable greatness, before Whom tremble the heavens and all the powers: He is the Holy of
holies, brighter than the sun, purity beyond all comprehension, compared with which all created purity is filth. In His love for you
He took the form of a slave, chose to be despised, scorned and crucified by the malice of the lawless world, and at the same time
remained God, holding in His hand the life and death of the whole world. And who are you? You are—nothing, who in your
corruption, evil and malice have become less than nothing, worse than the least and most unclean of all creatures, the laughing stock
of the demons of hell. Carried away by your fantasies and lusts, you have scorned your great Lord and Benefactor and, instead of
giving thanks to the bountiful God for so many and such great favours, you have trodden under foot His priceless blood, spilt for
your sake. Yet, in spite of it all, He is calling you to His divine supper in His unceasing and unchanging love for you. At times He
even forces you to approach it by fearful admonitions, reminding you of His words said to all: ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John vi. 53); and just as He does not shut to you the door of His mercy, so He
does not turn His face away from you, even though, in your sins, you are a leper, weak, blind and poor, a slave to all passions and
vices.
The only things He demands of you are:
(1) That you should grieve in your heart at having offended Him;
(2) that you should abhor sin above all things, any sin, great or small;
(3) that you should give yourself up to Him entirely and care for one thing only, with all the love and longing of your heart —to
conform to His will always and in everything you do, and be for ever fully obedient to Him alone;
(4) that you should have a firm faith in Him and an unshakeable trust that He will have mercy upon you, will cleanse you of all your
sins and will protect you from all your enemies, both visible and invisible.
Fortified by this ineffable love of God for you, approach the Holy Communion with holy fear and love, saying: ‘ I am unworthy,0
Lord, to receive Thee; for many and many a time have I angered Thee by my sins, and have not yet mourned all my wicked deeds.
I am unworthy, 0 Lord, to receive Thee; for I have not yet cleansed myself of the dispositions and attachments to what is not
pleasing to Thee. I am unworthy, 0 Lord, to receive Thee, for I have not yet surrendered in all sincerity to Thy love, Thy will and
obedience to Thee. 0 my God, all-powerful and infinitely good! In Thy merciful loving-kindness, do Thou Thyself make me worthy
of receiving Thee, for I run to Thee with faith.”

After this, when you have received the Holy Communion, shut yourself in the secret depths of your heart and, forgetting all created
things, address to God these or similar words: ‘ Almighty King of heaven and earth! Who made Thee enter my unworthy heart,
when I am accursed, and poor, and blind, and naked? No one, of course, but Thy immeasurable love for me. 0 uncreated love! 0
love most sweet! What dost Thou want of me, beggar that I am? Nothing, as I see and understand, except my love for Thee;
nothing, except that no other fire should burn on the altar of my heart but the fire of my love for Thee, which would consume all
love and all desire other than that of bringing myself to Thee as a burnt offering and fragrant incense. Naught else didst Thou ever
desire or seek from me, and naught else dost Thou desire or seek from me new. So hear now, 0 Lord, the vows of my heart! See, I
combine my desire with Thy desire; and as Thou hast given the whole of Thyself to me, so I give the whole of myself to Thee, to be
wholly in Thee. I know, 0 Lord, that this cannot be, unless I renounce myself wholly; it cannot be if any trace of self-love remains in
me, if I harbour some sympathy or disposition towards a will of my own, thoughts of my own, or some self-pandering habits of my
own. Therefore I desire and I strive from now onwards to oppose myself in all that is not acceptable to Thee, but which my soul
may desire, and to compel myself to do all things pleasing to Thee, even if everything in me and outside me should rebel against it.
By myself, I have not strength enough to succeed in this. But since from now on Thou art with me, I daringly trust that Thou
Thyself wilt accomplish in me all that is needed. I seek and strive that my heart may be as one with Thy heart; and I trust that Thy
grace wilt grant me this. I seek and strive to see nothing and to hear nothing, to think of nothing and have sympathy with nothing,
except that which Thy will, determined by Thy commandments, leads me to and shows, and I trust that it will be granted me by Thy
power working in me. I strive and I seek not to let attention stray from the heart, where Thou dwellest, there to gaze at Thee
unceasingly and be warmed by the rays of light issuing from Thee; and I trust that this will be given me by the touch and embrace of
Thy hands. I strive and seek for Thee alone to be henceforth my light, strength and joy; and I trust to be given this by Thy saving
action on my inner man. It is of this that I pray and shall always continue to pray. 0 merciful Lord, grant me this, grant me this.’
Then strive to increase from day to day your faith in this most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, and never cease to wonder at the
miraculous mystery of it, reflecting on how God manifests Himself to you in the guise of bread and wine, and becomes essentially
present in you, to make you more holy, righteous and blessed. For blessed are they who do not see, yet believe; according to the
words of the Saviour: ‘ Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John xx. 29). And do not wish that God should
manifest Himself to you in this life under any guise other than this sacrament. Try to set alight in yourself a warm desire for this
sacrament and to make progress every day both in your fervent readiness to do only God’s will, and in spiritual wisdom, making it
the queen and ruler over all your actions of the spirit, the soul and the body. Every time you take communion, while partaking of
this bloodless sacrifice, offer yourself as a sacrifice to God, that is, profess your complete readiness to endure every affliction, every
sorrow and every wrong you may meet in the course of your life, for the sake of the love of God, Who sacrificed Himself for us.
St. Basil the Great describes more fully the duty imposed on the communicant by the Holy Communion, basing it on the words of
St. Paul that those who eat the flesh of the Lord and drink His blood show the Lord’s death (I Cor. xi. 26). This death was suffered
by the Lord for the sake of all men, and so also for the communicants. For what purpose? ‘ That they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again’ (II Cor. v. 15). So those who approach the Holy
Communion with faith, love and such readiness to be faithful to God’s commandments and to every clear manifestation of His will,
that they are prepared to lay down their lives for it, undertake the task no longer to live either for themselves, the world or sin, but
for the Lord God they receive into themselves in the Holy Communion, Who died and rose again for them.
Finally, having received through the Holy Communion the Lord, Who sacrificed Himself for you, and having partaken of the force
of this sacrifice, after glorifying the Lord and rendering thanks to Him, send in the name of this sacrifice prayers and supplications
to your heavenly Father about your own needs, of the spirit, the soul and the body, then about the holy Church of God, your family,
your benefactors and the souls of those who died in faith.
Being connected with the sacrifice through which the Son of God has obtained mercy for us all from God the Father, this prayer
will be heard and will not be left without fruit.

Taken from "Unseen Warfare",Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.