Little Victories
Abbess Euphrosinia (Laptik)
How can you say something in such a way that
people would understand it properly? You may be saying one thing but people
would understand it differently.
There are certain points that we fail to
appreciate. When you try to talk about them, people hardly comprehend it. For
instance, there is a sermon after an akathist but some sisters sit and talk. I
know that there is an audio recording. However, you are not listening, you are
talking. Why not stand and listen like everyone else?
I believe that these things — these small
efforts — mean a lot, even though they appear to be insignificant. If we
indulge ourselves too much, we may lose much more. Such behavior leads to
emptiness and weariness. In contrast, the Lord rewards us with joy even for the
tiniest victories, which make up a great joy.
The dreams and intentions I had when I came to
the Convent have started to materialize only recently. Elder Sophrony (Sakharov)
used to say that if you win a thousand times and lose just once, you feel upset
but if you lose a thousand times and win only once, you think you are a hero.
I would like each one of you to hear that
because this is how we can become more deeply rooted in the Church tradition,
which is what we often talk about. The Church has existed for more than two
thousand years. We have the Holy Scripture and the Holy Tradition, which is
transmitted by word of mouth and helps to preserve the orderly life of the Church
and its worship practices.
St.Elisabeth Convent in the wintertime. |
Why do we look so pathetic in comparison with old ladies? Because they
stand the entire service on crutches, while you, although you are still young,
are looking for a seat. We don't have less strength than that old lady. She is
persevering, whilst we are negligent. The Lord is capable of healing us if we
really want it, and if we put more effort into such things.
For instance, when we go on a procession with the cross and icons, some
young sisters are too lazy to go with us. Why? Well, don't justify yourself by
saying that the abbess does not go, too: I may need to skim through some books
to get ready for tomorrow's Liturgy. You must do your best. You are responsible
for what you are doing before God. This is very important.
We have a spiritual father, and the Lord has blessed him with a global
all-encompassing vision. However, there are some basic things that we also have
to pay attention to. They are essential to make our spiritual lives wholesome
and full. They must be self-evident but we ignore them. Father Sophrony used to
say that there are no things that are too insignificant to be worth our
attention, for greatness lies in small things. This is why it is so hard for us
to tolerate one another. This is why we are so impatient and annoyed. When you
make someone else do what you are expected to do yourself - it means that you
are careless, corrupt, and whimsical. What I say now is not an attempt to
condemn anyone. Not at all. We are all guilty of it. We should learn to sympathize
with each other and support each other. We simply have to admit our
shortcomings, grieve over them and admonish ourselves. When I'm saying this, I
don't exclude myself, for I am guilty, too.
***
I had a very illuminating
experience not long ago. I learned the Saviour's words, "I was in prison,
and ye came unto me. . . I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat" (Cf.
Matthew 25:35-40) from my own experience. I was driving and I saw a man
indicating that he needed a ride. He was visibly drunk. Several cars had driven
past him. I stopped and thought, "Wow, I've stopped!" (Laughs) Our ride was short. He talked
all the time; he almost wept and asked me to pray for him. You know, people
often feel inclined to repent after drinking some alcohol, and besides, I was
wearing the habit... When he got out of my car, I felt as if it was Jesus who
had visited me in such an unfathomable way. The feeling was so vivid! I had
never had such an experience, even when I visited the hospital unit. I was so
surprised! Even though that person was drunk and talked nonsense… Christ is
near, and you spend your life without noticing him.
A Special Garden for Special Kids
Donate to Support the Children |
It is
always a pleasure to learn about good ideas and about people who decide to do
some good for someone else's, not their own sake. That was why the news about
this good and nice project — a sensory garden on the territory of the boardinghome for children with special needs — made me happy. St Elisabeth Convent has
been catering for this boarding home for many years.
Winter
does not look like the perfect season for starting a new garden. However, the
sisters have a lot to do during winter: plan everything in detail in order to
use up all the land and to create something very special and unforgettable for
the young patients of the boarding home. It must be a wonderful gift to these
kids who spend so little time outdoors and know so little about the nature!
It was
Alyona Ovlashevich (she works in the boarding home and at the same time studies
towards a degree in landscape design) who came up with the idea to establish
the sensory garden. St Elisabeth Convent supported her initiative.
"There
is a vacant plot of land on the territory of the boarding home. It caught my
attention some time ago," Alyona says. "We are going to improve it
and transform it into a sensory garden next spring. I am certain that it will
bring a lot of positive feelings and new discoveries to our children!
A sensory
garden is a plot where everything is organised in a certain way and serves
certain purposes. It is organised in such a way as to create beneficial
surroundings to get in touch with nature - an opportunity that so many of big city
dwellers find missing. Such gardens have become very popular in schools and
hospitals of many European countries. So we try to adopt this new trend now.
Scholars today even speak of the so called "garden therapy." Nature
may help to improve one's health and mood, to let a person feel harmony,
develop their personality and discover the world around them."
For a child,
each day is filled up with some interesting and important discoveries.
Gradually, step by step, they learn about the world that surrounds them. Nature
plays an important role in the children's upbringing and education. A sensory
garden gives them an opportunity to get to know it better. Each visitor does
not only observe it but also actively participates in the fascinating encounter
with nature.
Alyona
smiles, "We won't tell you everything we have in mind but I promise that
children will like our garden! It will be beautiful, safe and useful at the
same time. We will plan everything meticulously so that the children with
learning difficulties would feel comfortable and secure.
We plan to
use materials, plants and objects that help one to fully perceive the beauty of
the natural environment. Our young patients will be able to look at the
beautiful plants, smell their scents, and much more. A sensory garden is a
place where visitors are allowed and even encouraged to interact with the
environment. They can touch the plants and even taste some of them. We plan to
plant some edible plants, like strawberries or ornamental apple trees, for that
purpose. We are going to set up some benches in the yard where people could sit
and relax and enjoy the nature. We will also dig out a small pond and a
waterfall where people will see the water run and hear it pour. We will use
fragrant herbs for the lawn, such as mint, balm, sage, mother-of-thyme, etc.
Natural scents are also a source of joy and an excellent mood.
Written by Tatiana Shimko
Ministry Update: The Church of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco - December 2015
Ministry Update: The Church of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco - December 2015
Main Entrance to the Church |
A short video explaining why the church is being built:
Video Blog: How vestments are made.
A story of recovery: United by common pain and common joy
UNITED BY COMMON PAIN AND COMMON JOY
Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice |
Thursday is a special day for the members of the Road to Christ support
group for those whose relatives suffer from various addictions (alcohol, drug,
or video game). They push aside all their daily routines and come to St.Elisabeth Convent from various neighbourhoods of Minsk. On entering, someone
greets the group as though they are her friends and relatives, united by common
pain and common joy, however strange this may sound. Someone else has come here
only recently and feels uneasy and uncomfortable, not quite sure why she, not
her ill relative, has to attend that group.
I came to a meeting dedicated to the first birthday of the Road to Christ
group. That meeting was a special one. It was important for the participants to
be able to speak honestly and openly about the results of the first year of the
group's existence. They recalled some memorable moments, shared their
impressions, summed up the results, planned for the future, wept and laughed
together.
"…I Thought
She Wouldn't Pull Through…"
Irina was the first to start. She has attended the Road to Christ group
since the early days of its existence. She had known Tatiana Makarova, the
group's facilitator (they had previously attended another support group
together). When Tatiana told her that a new group was soon to open in St.Elisabeth Convent, she was very excited and did not doubt, even for a single
moment, that she needed to go there. By that time, she had learned the hard way
that such support groups are a must. Each person chooses a group that suits her
best.
Irina recollects, "My daughter is addicted to drugs. My doctor advised
me to go to one such group during a difficult period in my life. He told me
that I would certainly feel better; the only thing I needed was courage. I felt
so very depressed at that time! It seemed to me that I would never be happy
again. We went to a meeting of that group together: my husband, my son, and I.
I was shocked since the very first moments: many people turned out to have
difficult situations like mine. I saw several addicts, and some recovering
addicts who managed to change their lives. No doubt, such groups are necessary
for people to realize that they are not the only ones who are in such a
trouble. One needs these groups, these attentive, concerned and experienced
people, their help, advice and friendly hugs in order to be able to help
herself and her dependent relatives.
When I learned that my daughter was into drugs, I grappled with that
painful discovery for two months, I could not help crying all the time. My
daughter felt relieved because she no longer had to conceal anything. Terrible
and unthinkable things were going on in our life! Our daughter and her husband
who was an addict, too, were no longer shy of anything. I keep asking myself
whether they were human at that time, whether they were worthy of that name at
all. They tried to seek medical assistance several times but they either did
not come to the hospital at all, or did not finish the treatment.
My daughter quit a well-paid job; her husband was jailed for robbery. I
recall one of my acquaintances say very important but literally painful words
to me, "It would be mean if you don't use strict measures towards your
daughter." I could not get it for a long time: how can I, a mother, do
harm or even be mean to my child?
I am grateful to our Road to Christ group. It has taught me a lot. They
explain how we should behave with our dependent relatives: for instance, how to
coexist with a drug addict, how to help them fight their illness, how not to enable
their drug use. I have changed — and my entire family has changed a lot, too. I
have learned to live with God in my heart, to enjoy life; I have learned to
build better relationships with my relatives. Most importantly, my daughter is
recovering! She has gone a year without using drugs, and she helps other
addicts to overcome this deadly passion, too. I am so proud of her! Every day
without drugs is a huge victory for her. She has gone through so much! Our
recovering children are so robust, so beautiful, so attentive! They hurry to
help as soon as they learn that someone is in need. My daughter visits her
husband in jail. They struggle against this dreadful vice together.
I want to improve and become a better person. This is why I attend this
group — my other family — every Thursday. This is why I learn to accept my
weakness and trust God, hoping for his mercy."
Focus on Yourself
Ekaterina began by sharing her impressions of a training session held in
the group by psychologists. Thanks to this session, she managed to see many
things differently.
"My week has been remarkable!" she says. "I came to realize
that we often don't think of what others want or need; we do not ask them about
it, thinking that we know better."
Disaster hit her trouble-free and well-established life like a thunderbolt.
One day she learned that her son took drugs. It was a painful and shameful
finding. She did not know where to run with her despair, how to deal with it,
how to live with a drug addict.
Ekaterina went to one such support group three years ago. She had thought
that no one else in the world had faced the same horror. She did not understand
why she needed to go there at all: it wasn’t her but her son who had the
problems. She just wanted to sit in the corner and listen to other
participants. The meeting, however, did not go as she planned. Each participant
honestly and sincerely shared their very personal experiences, their grief and
pain. She also opened up her soul, burst into tears and felt relieved. The
members of the group hugged her and said comforting words. These people who had
similar experiences could understand everything at a glance. They shared their
own methods of getting rid of co-dependency. She was happy to talk with some
mothers whose children had managed to overcome their drug dependency. At last,
she felt there was a hope that everything would be fine in the end.
"When the relatives of an addict hear that they also need to improve,
to change their own attitudes, most find it hard to accept," Ekaterina
says. "I know that from my personal experience. However, it is essential
to be able to cope with the nightmare of living with a drug addict. We got a
lot of things wrong in our life even before my son started taking drugs but I
did not notice that: on the contrary, I thought everything was fine.
Church in Honor of theMother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice |
I have attended the Road to Christ group for a year already. I had attended
the akathist to the Inexhaustible Chalice icon of the Mother of God in St
Elisabeth Convent every Thursday, so by the time I learned that an Orthodox
rehabilitation group for the codependent was to be opened in the Convent, I had
already been aware that neither we, nor our children could do anything without
God. I saw how it all began — it seemed so difficult to get the group going…
With God's help, a year has passed since that time. I have learned many
important things here. Most importantly, my son is recovering. We all are happy
that our children gradually break free from their pernicious dependencies and
that we manage to pull through these hardships together. Being at peace with
oneself is both simple and difficult. The Road to Christ group has become a
part of my life. I want to recover and grow together with everyone else in this
group."
Honestly and
Wholeheartedly
"Our suffering is an encounter with God," Anna believes.
"God sends us trials to make us rethink our lives, become closer to God
and our neighbours, our families, and understand ourselves."
Anna's home was also affected by this disaster: her son started drinking
heavily. The strong and resolute woman soon learned that it was impossible to
struggle with her son’s alcohol dependency on her own, however hard she tried.
She would feel only unbearable strain, fatigue, constant anxiety and fear.
Anna recalls, "My son would drink for several days. After a short
break, he would go on a binge again. I went to a twelve-step group first, and
then to the group in St Elisabeth Convent. My soul was relieved and revitalised
when I met and talked with other people like me. I felt that I was not alone.
The very fact that you can tell someone what you think and feel without being
afraid that they would get you wrong and reply that you are to blame for all
that, is crucial. We did not raise our children to be alcoholics or drug
addicts! We did not teach them to drink alcohol or take drugs.
After a meeting, I always feel better, happier, and hopeful. We pray
together, learn to improve, to love and to help our special ones in a
meaningful way. It is tough sometimes. When someone tells her story and what is
going on in her life, you cannot help taking her pain and suffering to heart.
Psychologists advise us on the ways to build our relationships with our
dependent relatives and to avoid codependency. First of all, you should heal
yourself. For instance, you should quit trying to change others. Recently, my
son has gone through a course of treatment. I thank God that he is alive and that
he is on the road to recovery!"
Anna did not have an opportunity to attend the group meetings in the last
two months. She had this long break for the first time. It made her understand
just how much the group meant for her and how she missed it. Here are her
sisters, the people who understand her well. It must be noted that the group
does not follow a rigid program: it follows the flow of the soul and the heart…
Everyone who came to the meeting on that Thursday had the chance to speak.
Their stories resembled confessions. Each of the stories was imbued with so
much sincerity and emotion that it was absolutely impossible to remain unmoved
listening to these mature people willing to change their lives, to grow and
become better and holier. Nowadays, they are always busy on Thursdays. It is on
this day of the week that they make their next, albeit small, steps on the road
leading up to God.
Moleben w/Akathist to the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice |
By: Tatiana Shimko
41 Quotes, phrases and teachings of St.Basil the Great
41 Quotes, phrases and teachings of St.Basil the Great
For the upcoming, feast of St.
Basil the Great(January 1st). Some of his quotes, phrases and
teachings:
On giving thanks to the Creator
1) “As thou takest thy seat at
table, pray. As thou liftest the loaf, offer thanks to the Giver. When thou
sustainest thy bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies thee with
this gift, to make thy heart glad and to comfort thy infirmity. Has thy need
for taking food passed away? Let not the thought of thy Benefactor pass away
too. As thou art putting on thy tunic, thank the Giver of it. As thou wrappest
thy cloak about thee, feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in
winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life,
and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has
given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up
the night and to serve the rest of the needs of life…”
On prayer
2) “Thus wilt thought pray without ceasing; if thought prayest not
only in words, but unitest thyself to God through all the course of life and so
thy life be made one ceaseless and uninterrupted prayer.”
3) “Prayer is a
request for what is good, offered by the devout of God. But we do not
restrict this request simply to what is stated in words… We should not
express our prayer merely in syllables, but the power of prayer should be
expressed in the moral attitude of our soul and in the virtuous actions that
extend throughout our life… This is how you pray continually — not by offering
prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life,
so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer.”
On heresy
4) “It
is not only one Church which is in peril, nor yet two or three which have
fallen under this terrible storm. The mischief of this heresy spreads almost
from the borders of Illyricum to the Thebaid. Its bad seeds were first sown by the
infamous Arius; they then took deep root through the labours of many who
vigorously cultivated the impiety between his time and ours. Now they have
produced their deadly fruit. The doctrines of true religion are overthrown. The
laws of the Church are in confusion. The ambition of men, who have no fear of
God, rushes into high posts, and exalted office is now publicly known as the
prize of impiety. The result is, that the worse a man blasphemes, the fitter
the people think him to be a bishop. Clerical dignity is a thing of the past.
There is a complete lack of men shepherding the Lord’s flock with knowledge.
5) “Keep striving until the fire of
heresy is put out, before it consumes the Church.”
On eating
6) “When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat
bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be
mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in
sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with
clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself
at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way.
Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or
awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your
benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.”
On The Holy
Spirit
7) “Through the
Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the kingdom
of heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our liberty to call God our
Father, our being made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called
children of light, our sharing in eternal glory, and, in a word, our being
brought into a state of all “fullness of blessing,” both in this world and in
the world to come, of all the good gifts that are in store for us, by promise
hereof, through faith, beholding the reflection of their grace as though they
were already present, we await the full enjoyment.”
On worldly
troubles
8) “Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels
that smooth the road to a good man’s fortune; and many a man curses the rain
that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away
hunger.”
On the Holy
Tradition and Holy Mysteries
9) “For
instance, to take the first and most general example, who is thence who has
taught us in writing to sign with the sign of the cross those who have trusted
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ? What writing has taught us to turn
to the East at the prayer? Which of the saints has left us in writing the
words of the invocation at the displaying of the bread of the Eucharist and the
cup of blessing? For we are not, as is well known, content with what the
apostle or the Gospel has recorded, but both in preface and conclusion we add
other words as being of great importance to the validity of the ministry, and
these we derive from unwritten teaching.
Moreover we bless the water of baptism and the oil of
the chrism, and besides this the catechumen who is being baptized. On
what written authority do we do this? Is not our authority silent and
mystical tradition? Nay, by what written word is the anointing of oil
itself taught? And whence comes the custom of baptizing thrice? And as to
the other customs of baptism from what Scripture do we derive the renunciation
of Satan and his angels? Does not this come from that unpublished and
secret teaching which our fathers guarded in a silence out of the reach of
curious meddling and inquisitive investigation?
Well had they learnt the lesson that the awful dignity
of the mysteries is best preserved by silence. What the uninitiated are
not even allowed to look at was hardly likely to be publicly paraded about in
written documents.”
10) “As we were baptized, so we profess our belief. As we profess our
belief, so also we offer praise. As then baptism has been given us by the
Savior, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, so, in
accordance with our baptism, we make the confession of the creed, and our
doxology in accordance with our creed.”
11) “All of us who desire the kingdom of God are, by the Lord's decree,
under an equal and rigorous necessity of seeking after the grace of Baptism.”
On The Psalms
12) “The dying
person, knowing only that there is only one Savior and Liberator cries out: ‘In
Thee have I put my hope, save me from my weakness’ and ‘rescue me from
captivity’. For I think that the valiant athletes of God, after having kept up
the good fight the whole course of their existence against the invisible
enemies and escaping every trap, when they arrive at life’s end, are examined
by the Prince of this world. If they are found, following the battle, to still
have some wounds, stains or remnants of sin, are detained by him. However, if
they are to the contrary whole and untainted, these invincible heroes remain
free and are admitted by Christ to the place of rest.”
13)
“So that psalmody, bringing about choral singing, a bond, as it were, toward
unity, and joining the people into a harmonious union of one choir, produces
also the greatest of blessings, charity. A psalm is a city of refuge from the
demons, a means of inducing help from the angels, a weapon in fears by night, a
rest from toils by day, a safeguard for infants, an adornment for those at the
height of their vigor, a consolation for the elders, a most fitting ornament
for women.”
14)
“A psalm implies serenity of soul; it is the author
of peace, which calms bewildering and seething thoughts. For, it softens the
wrath of the soul, and what is unbridled it chastens. A psalm forms
friendships, unites those separated, conciliates those at enmity. Who, indeed,
can still consider as an enemy him with whom he has uttered the same prayer to
God?”
15) “It peoples the solitudes; it rids
the market place of excesses; it is the elementary exposition of beginners, the
improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of
the Church. It brightens the feast days; it creates a sorrow which is in accordance
with God. For, a psalm is the work of angels, a heavenly institution, the
spiritual incense.”
On the human
life
16) “Human life is
but of brief duration. ‘All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is
as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word
of our God shall stand forever’ (Isa. 40:6). Let us hold fast to the
commandment that abides, and despise the unreality that passes away.”
17) “By nature, men desire the beautiful.”
On understanding the Holy Scripture
18) “I know the laws of allegory,
though less by myself than from the works of others. There are those truly, who
do not admit the common sense of the Scriptures, for whom water is not water,
but some other nature, who see in a plant, in a fish, what their fancy wishes, who
change the nature of reptiles and of wild beasts to suit their allegories, like
the interpreters of dreams who explain visions in sleep to make them serve
their own ends. For me grass is grass; plant, fish, wild beast, domestic
animal, I take all in the literal sense. ‘For I am not ashamed of the Gospel’
[Romans 1:16]”
19) “And there
was evening and there was morning: one day.’ And the evening and the morning
were one day. Why does Scripture say ‘one day the first day’? Before speaking
to us of the second, the third, and the fourth days, would it not have been
more natural to call that one the first which began the series? If it therefore
says ‘one day,’ it is from a wish to determine the measure of day and night,
and to combine the time that they contain. Now twenty-four hours fill up the
space of one day — we mean of a day and of a night; and if, at the time of the
solstices, they have not both an equal length, the time marked by Scripture
does not the less circumscribe their duration. It is as though it said:
twenty-four hours measure the space of a day, or that, in reality a day is the
time that the heavens starting from one point take to return there. Thus, every
time that, in the revolution of the sun, evening and morning occupy the world,
their periodical succession never exceeds the space of one day.”
On judging
others
20) “If you see your neighbor in sin, don’t look only at this, but also
think about what he has done or does that is good, and infrequently trying this
in general, while not partially judging, you will find that he is better than
you.”
On glorifying God
21) “Do not say, ‘This
happened by chance, while this came to be of itself.’ In all that exists there
is nothing disorderly, nothing indefinite, nothing without purpose, nothing by
chance … How many hairs are on your head? God will not forget one of them. Do
you see how nothing, even the smallest thing, escapes the gaze of God? ”
22) “There is nothing unpremeditated, nothing neglected by God. His
unsleeping eye beholds all things.”
23) “To lovers of the truth, nothing can be put before God and hope in Him.”
24) “We glorify the Holy Ghost together with the Father and the Son, from
the conviction that He is not separated from the Divine Nature; for that which
is foreign by nature does not share in the same honors.”
25) “God who created us has granted us the faculty of speech that we might
disclose the counsels of our hearts to one another and that, since we possess
our human nature in common, each of us might share his thoughts with his
neighbor, bringing them forth from the secret recesses of the heart as from a
treasury.
On abortion
26) “The woman who purposely destroys her unborn child is guilty of
murder. With us there is no nice inquiry as to its being formed or unformed. In
this case it is not only the being about to be born who is vindicated, but the
woman in her attack upon herself; because in most cases women who make such
attempts die. The destruction of the embryo is an additional crime, a second
murder, at all events if we regard it as done with intent. The punishment,
however, of these women should not be for life, but for the term of ten years.
And let their treatment depend not on mere lapse of time, but on the character
of their repentance.”
On good deeds
27) “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never
lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers
love.”
On fasting
28) “What is the benefit of fasting in our body while filling our souls
with innumerable evils? He who does not play at dice, but spends his leisure
otherwise, what nonsense does he not utter? What absurdities does he not listen
to? Leisure without the fear of God is, for those who do not know how to use
time, the teacher of wickedness.”
29) “Indulging in unrestrained and immoderate laughter is a sign of intemperance,
of a want of control over one's emotions, and of failure to repress the soul's
frivolity by a stern use of reason.”
On faith
30) “Liberated from the error of pagan tradition through the benevolence
and loving kindness of the good God with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by the operation of the Holy Spirit, I was reared from the very beginning
by Christian parents. From them I learned even in babyhood the Holy Scriptures
which led me to a knowledge of the truth.”
On monasticism
31) “First and foremost, the monk should own nothing in this world, but he
should have as his possessions solitude of the body, modesty of bearing, a
modulated tone of voice, and a well-ordered manner of speech. He should be
without anxiety as to his food and drink, and should eat in silence.”
On evil
32) “No one who is in this world will deny that evils exist. What, then, do
we say? That evil is not a living and animated substance, but a condition of
the soul which is opposed to virtue and which springs up In the slothful
because of their falling away from good.”
On animals
33) “Do
not despise the fish because they are absolutely unable to speak or to reason,
but fear lest you may be even more unreasonable than they by resisting the
command of the Creator. Listen to the fish, who through their actions all but
utter this word: 'We set out on this long journey for the perpetuation of our
species.”
34) “Among irrational animals the love of the offspring and of the parents
for each other is extraordinary because God, who created them, compensated for
the deficiency of reason by the superiority of their senses.”
On magicians
35) “He who confesses magic or sorcery
shall do penance for the time of murder, and shall be treated in the same
manner as he who convicts himself of this sin.”
On sin
36) “We men are easily prone to sins of thought. Therefore, He who has
formed each heart individually, knowing that the impulse received from the
intention constitutes the major element in sin, has ordained that purity in the
ruling part of our soul be our primary concern.”
37) “In truth, to know oneself seems to be the hardest of all things. Not
only our eye, which observes external objects, does not use the sense of sight
upon itself, but even our mind, which contemplates intently another's sin, is
slow in the recognition of its own defects.”
38) “If men are in a state in which they find it hard to be weaned from
their own ways and choose rather to serve the pleasures of the flesh than to
serve the Lord, and refuse to accept the Gospel life, there is no common ground
between me and them.”
On the
soul
39) “Words are truly the image of the soul.”
On charity
40) “The bread which you do not use is the bread of the
hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is
naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of
charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.”
41) “When someone steals another's clothes, we call them
a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and
does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in
your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet
belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to th poor.”
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