There was
a man who had a habit of getting up before dawn, going to the seashore, and
praying to God.
That man
had a son who would also get up early and go to the seashore to greet the dawn.
However, he did not say a prayer.
The son’s
son also inherited the same habit of going to the seashore at dawn.
Unfortunately, he did not know why he was doing it…
Someone
asked Paisius the Athonite whether the life of a monk is greater than the life
of a family man. The elder answered with a short parable:
– Let’s
imagine two men going on a pilgrimage. One of them treads a smooth road, and
the other walks on a path. Both of them have the same purpose. God is happy
with the first man and pleased with the second man. Things may go wrong only if
the person who walks on the path will judge the other person who took the
smooth road, or vice versa. Both ways are blessed. If you choose one of them
and follow God, any of these ways will lead you to the paradise.
Ivan
Ilyin, a Russian philosopher, said that there is an unquenched flickering coal
left in one’s heart after a genuine prayer, even if the said prayer lasted for
just one minute. This coal permeates the soul with its light and is always
ready to rekindle. A person may mind his own business, eat, drink, and sleep,
work hard and relax but the inner light won’t leave him: the light will
rekindle and shine in his soul… One may even forget about this quiet light of
prayer but it will keep doing its great work of purification, sanctification,
making one reconsider one’s life, and healing.
Someone
asked St Isaac the Syrian:
– What is
the most precious treasure for a human being?
– Peace
in one’s heart, – the saint replied without much thinking. – Don’t give up
peace in your heart for anything! Make peace with yourself, and the Heaven and
earth will be at peace with you, too.
“Look for
your lost eyeglasses on your forehead. Look for a lost bucket in a water well.
Look for a lost fish in the cat’s claws. If you are looking for the Truth, look
for it in your heart,” Monk Symeon of Mount Athos teaches.
Elder
Porphyrios from Greece possessed many gifts from God and was able to foresee
another person’s future. Once he had to scold his spiritual child for bathing
in cold water, which could cause a heart attack.
– Father,
didn’t you tell me that I will live for many years? – the latter protested. –
Why do you say that I could have died yesterday?
– I told
you the truth, – the elder replied. – The lamp of your life has enough oil to
shine for many years.
However,
if you allow it to fall down on the floor, the oil will spill and the lamp will
stop shining. Life is life! God gives us this life as a precious gift: when we
accept it, we must protect it and not to expose it to meaningless dangers. Be
careful with your lamp!
The Rev
Pavel Florensky used to call religion the art of salvation. This is how he
explained it:
–
Religion is — or at least claims to be — the creator of salvation. It has to
provide salvation. What does religion save us from? It saves us from ourselves.
It saves our inner world from the chaos hiding inside it. It overcomes the hell
that dwells inside us, the fire of which breaks loose from the cracks in our
souls and burns our conscience. It shepherds our souls and makes them peaceful.
By doing so, religion brings peace to the society and the nature as a whole.
Translated from: azbyka.ru/days
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