See No, Hear No, Speak No Evil

Antony said, "He who sits alone and is quiet has escaped from three wars: hearing, speaking, seeing: but there is one thing against which he must continually fight: that is, his own heart."

Safe harbor

Evagrius said, "Some of our predecessors used to say that a dry and regular diet combined with love will soon bring a monk to the harbor where the storms of passion do not enter."

Not Easily Distracted

It was said concerning Amma Sarah that for sixty years she lived beside a river and never lifted her eyes to look at it.

On The Way

Abbot Pambo questioned Abbot Anthony saying: "What ought I to do?"

And the Elder replied, "Have no confidence in your own virtuousness. Do not worry about a thing once it has been done. Control your tongue and your belly."

He That Loves Me

For this reason we must first beg of God with struggle in the heart through faith that he grant us to discover his riches, the true treasure of Christ in our hearts, in the power and energy of the Spirit. In such a way, first by finding the Lord to be our help within us and our salvation and eternal life, we may be of help and profit to others also, insofar as possible and attainable, by drawing upon Christ, the treasure within, for all goodness of spiritual discourses and in teaching the heavenly mysteries.

Thus the goodness of the Father was pleased to wish to dwell within every believer who asks this of him. Christ says: "He that loves me, he will be loved by my Father and I will love him and I will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). And again: "I and my Father will come and make our mansion in him" (John 14:23).

Thus the infinite kindness of the the Father decreed; thus the incomprehensible love of Christ was pleased. Thus the ineffable good of the promised Spirit. Glory to the ineffable passion of the Holy Trinity.

Those who have been deemed worthy to become children of God and to be reborn by the Holy Spirit from above, who have within themselves Christ, illuminating and bringing them rest, are guided in many and various ways by the Spirit. They are invisibly acted upon in the heart, in the spiritual tranquility, by grace.

~Homilies of Saint Macarius the Great

~~photo by Victoria Logue

Lover of Souls

Amma Theodora said, "A teacher should not be fooled by flattery, nor blinded by gifts, conquered by the stomach, nor dominated by anger. A teacher should be patient, gentle and humble as far as possible; successfully tested and without partisanship, full of concern and a lover of souls."

Lest We Toil in Vain

Daniel used to say that Arsenius told him a story, as if he were speaking of some other man, and it went like this: Whilst a certain hermit was sitting in his cell, a voice came to him which said, "Come here, and I will show you the works of the children onf men."

So, he got up and went out. The voice led him out and showed him a man cutting wood; he made up a large bundle and wanted to take it away, but he could not do so. Then, instead of making the bundle smaller, he went and cut down some more wood, and added it to the first, and this he did many times.

When he had gone on a little further, the voice showed him a man who was standing by a pit drawing up water; he poured it out into a certain hollowed out place, and when he had poured the water into it, it ran back into the pit.

Again the voice said to him, "Come, and I will show you other things."

Then he looked, and, behold, there was a temple, and two men on horseback were carrying a piece of wood as wide as the temple between them. They wanted to go in through the door, but the width of the wood did not let them do so, and they would not humble themselves to go in one after his companion to bring it in end-wise, and so they remained outside the door.

Now these are the men who bear the yoke of righteousness with boasting, and they will not be humble enough to correct themselves and go in by the humble way of Christ, and therefore they remain outside the kingdom of God.

The man who was cutting wood is the man who labors at many sins, and who, instead of repenting and diminishing his sins, adds other wickednesses to them.

Now he who was drawing water is the man who does good works, but because other things are mingled in his good works they are lost.

It is right for us to be watchful in all we do, lest we toil in vain.

~~The Wood Cutter by Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935).