The Catalog of Good Deeds

The Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky (Pskov-Caves) monastery is located on the historically Russian land, 50 kilometers to the west of the city of Pskov, near the very border of Estonia and 340 kilometers from St. Petersburg.

The date of the monastery's foundation is considered to be August, 15/28,1473. It was on that day that the monastery's founder, St. Jonah (Shesnik) consecrated the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God — a church which was built into the hillside. But the monastic life had actually begun there much earlier, when a few hermits, seeking solitude, came to live in the caves. The holy relics of one of them, St. Mark the desert-dweller, still rest in the caves and many people come to venerate them. The monastery's chronicle relates that "the Most Pure Virgin herself chose this site in the valley of the Kamenets spring, blessed it, exalted it through her chosen people and has been protecting it ever since. Five centuries have passed, and the monastery has seen both glory and tragedy, but never have the holy lampadas gone out, nor prayer ceased in this blessed place.

The monastery gradually grew in size and reputation. The 16th century was the time of its flourishing, when under Abbot Cornelius the Annunciation and St. Nicholas Churches were erected as well as the stone belfry and the monastery was fortified around by a stone wall with bastions, and the brethren numbered up to 200. Abbot Cornelius collected a rich library, established chronicling and founded an icon-painting workshop. The monastery became an important missionary center and stronghold of Orthodoxy on the western border of Russia. Tradition has it that, slandered by envious people, Abbot Cornelius was beheaded by Tsar Ivan the Terrible on the 20th of February, 1570 and now numbers among the hosts of holy martyrs.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the monastery suffered from numerous attacks by the "Latins" — Polish and Lithuanian troops, as well as by the Swedish and German soldiers. The most serious attack was lead by the Polish King Stephan Batory in the autumn of 1581.

In 1920 the town of Pechory, in accordance with the Tartu Agreement, was given to Estonia, and the monastery found itself outside Russia. This new situation did not affect the church services in the monastery — they never ceased; however, the new authorities caused a lot of problems and distress to the brethren.

After the Second World War, in the 50s, the revitalization of the monastery began, and Archimandrite Alipi (Voronov, +1975) contributed much to it. It was under his abbacy that all the churches were repaired and the stone wall and bastions were restored to their original appearance.

During those years the spiritual life of the monastery also flourished. Under the Holy Protection of the Most Pure Mother of God were gathered many ascetics and elders. Through their prayerful pastoral labors lived the great tradition of Orthodox asceticism and eldership. This tradition is still carried on in the monastery by Archimandrite Adrian (Kirsanov).

Now there are ten churches in the monastery. It is in the oldest gold-domed Dormition church that one can see and venerate the miracle-working icon of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God and the relics of the Holy Martyr Cornelius. Currently the monastic community numbers over 90. The brethren celebrate daily morning and evening services, perform perpetual psalter reading and spiritually guide a large number of people seeking their wise spiritual counsel. The monks also labour in the monastery fields and stable. There are an icon-painting and an icon-restoration workshops and a Sunday school. The monks run a House of Mercy which comprises a Pilgrim's house and a hospice for aged monastery workers. The monastery is also renowned for its children's choir.

In 2013 the monastery marked the 540th anniversary of its existence and salvific work in the Orthodox Church. The years pass, governments and empires rise and fall, but the monastery ever remains a firm stronghold of Orthodoxy in a restless world.

Source: http://www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru/eng

The following represents my own personal reflections and are not necessarily representative of anyone else’s opinions. I focus on the UOC-USA because it is the Church I serve and the example I know best. With some minor modifications, these probably work for other Churches and dioceses, as well.

Requirements for Ordination

The Church is the Body of Christ. As such, all of her members are called to bring His healing and salvation to our suffering world. No Christian is exempt from this work. Everyone has a vocation in Christ. For a small group of servants, this vocation expresses itself in the priestly ministries of the deacon, priest, and bishop. Being a priest is incredibly fulfilling and brings manifold blessings. A properly-trained priest who has given himself over completely to Christ and His ministry is a source of joy to his parish and a balm to the world. But a poorly-trained priest, even one with a good heart and the best of intentions, can do a great deal of damage; and a well-trained priest who has not submitted himself to the love and disciplines of the Church can cause even more.

This paper describes some of the ways that the Church protects her people from such misfortune and how she helps ensure that those called to serve are put on the proper path.

Educational Requirements for Ordination

No amount of education at any seminary guarantees ordination. However, the UOC-USA does have minimum educational standards that constitute necessary, but not sufficient, qualifications for ordination.

Candidates for the diaconate must have completed either a Master’s degree from St. Sophia’s or any other recognized Orthodox Seminary; the Antiochian St. Stephen’s Program (to include Summer residencies and projects); or the three year post-diaconal weekend program for late vocations at St. Sophia Seminary. Graduates of non-Orthodox seminaries may be considered for ordination by augmenting their training with classes at St. Sophia Seminary.

Candidates for the priesthood must have either a Master’s of Divinity from St. Sophia Seminary, a Master of Divinity from a recognized Orthodox seminary augmented by classes at St. Sophia Seminary, or have completed both the Antiochian St. Stephen’s Program (to include Summer residencies and projects) and the three-year post-diaconal weekend program for late vocations at St. Sophia Seminary. Graduates of non-Orthodox seminaries may be considered for ordination completing the three-year post-diaconal weekend program for late vocations at St. Sophia Seminary.

Impediments to Ordination

At some point before ordination, the bishop decides whether the candidate is suitable for ordination. Impediments to ordination include both subjective elements – such as poor interpersonal skills, spiritual immaturity and general unreliability – and objective (i.e. “canonical”) concerns. The measuring of both types of impediments is serious as it involves the spiritual health of both the candidate and his potential flock. As in confession, complete honesty on the part of the candidate is essential (e.g. 1 Nicea 9 &10; II Nicea 2).

A Note on Discernment, the Canons, and Economia

Ordination is not simply about the candidate’s relationship with God or about changing an individual’s attributes; it involves the entire ecclesia and it is through the candidate’s interactions with the ecclesia that the process of discernment takes place. This begins when the candidate first talks with his parents, his spouse, his godparents, fellow parishioners, and his confessor about ordination; then continues as he talks and prays with other seminarians, professors, his spiritual director, and his bishop. This process may or may not then consummate with the service of ordination when, during the liturgical “work of the people”, the bishop lays his hands on the ordinand and the people confirm his actions through the acclimation of “AXIOS!” To reiterate, discernment is a work of the Church, performed by and within the Church.

The application of Canon Law should be viewed as part of this interaction between the candidate and the ecclesia. The application of Church Tradition allows the great fathers and theologians of the Church to be part of the discernment process. The Orthodox Church is not fundamentalist when it comes to understanding and applying the Canons. As with Scripture, she interprets the Canons within the fullness of the Faith and applies them according to the pastoral needs of the people. It should thus come as no surprise that some of the Canons are not followed “to the letter”; in those cases, economia (i.e. exceptions or dispensation) is granted so that the Faith may best be preserved and the salvation of the people best pursued.

The bishop is the pastor, servant, and leader of the local Church. It is his sacred calling to pastorally interpret and apply the canons, not the candidate’s. Bishops may grant economia in specific instances, but this comes as the result of their prayerful discernment for each case. The fact that an exception was made in one case (or even in many cases) does not mean that it will be made in another, no matter how compelling the case seems to be. Economia should neither be assumed nor expected by applicants/candidates!

The Canons list the following as being impediments to ordination (this list is not all inclusive):

Violations of faith

- Candidates for ordination must be Orthodox Christian men. No heretic or member of a heterodox group can be considered for ordination.

- No candidate may be considered for ordination who, after baptism/conversion, has denied Christ or blasphemed His servants (Apostolic 62).

- The candidate may not be a member of any other religion or secret society (Trullo 34).

Violations of purity

- The candidate must either be (and remain) celibate or married to an Orthodox Christian woman, with this being each of their first marriage and their marriage being chaste (Apostolic 17 &18; Chalcedon 14; Trullo 6; see also Apostolic 61; Neocaesarea 8 & 9).

- The candidate must be free from the stain of killing, to include murder, abortion, assisted suicide, and manslaughter, whether intentional or unintentional. This is true even if the act was legal (e.g. abortion or causing death in war).

Violations of practice and good order

- The candidate may not hold a job that would, in the normal course of his duties, lead him to violate priestly and Christian norms. This includes jobs that would require him to carry a weapon, administer abortifacients, commit usury, or generally behave in a manner that is or might be perceived as being inconsistent with Orthodox Christianity or the priestly ministry (Apostolic 83; 1 Nicea 17; Laodicea 36; Chalcedon 3; Trullo 9 & 24).

- Clergy at every level are responsible to their bishop. Candidates should not “shop around” for a bishop that is willing to ordain them or change parishes without the blessing of their bishop (e.g. 1 Nicea 5; 1 Nicea 16).

- No candidate may offer money, goods, or services in hopes of obtaining ordination (I Nicea 17).

- The candidate must run an orderly house, to include raising all the children living under his roof as Orthodox Christians (Chalcedon 14).

Considerations of age and time

- No one under thirty years of age, regardless of their maturity, should be ordained to the priesthood; no one under twenty-five should be ordained to the diaconate; and no one under twenty should be ordained to the sub-diaconate (Trullo 14 &15).

- Newly baptized Christians should not be ordained; moreover, it is best for candidates to spend some time at each clerical rank before being ordained to the next one (1 Nicea 2; Sardica 10).

If this list seems to set the bar unreasonably high (or at least higher than many of our candidates and priests are able to reach), remember that the Law serves two purposes: first, to instruct and guide us to perfection and second, to point out our need for Christ’s mercy and help. It is only through His grace that we are called Christians. None are worthy of anything good, but all are called to theosis in Christ.

It is heartbreaking when men are so wrapped up in their lust for the priesthood that they lose their humility and gratitude for salvation itself. I have even spoken with men who want to be priests so badly that they are willing to sell their soul (e.g. through apostacy) to achieve it. Like Simon Magus, such have failed the first test.

Additional Considerations

While none of the following rise to the level of canon law or constitute grounds for automatic disqualification, they do constitute challenges to the candidate’s ability to serve as a member of the clergy and should be prayerfully considered and discussed with the relevant people (e.g. spiritual fathers, bishops, and wives). The priesthood is martyrdom enough on its own, adding additional “voluntary” stressors is imprudent and dangerous.

Think of these less as “rules” and more as strong recommendations for setting oneself up for success (and avoiding failure) in parish ministry.

Financial considerations

- The UOC-USA has few parishes that provide suitable benefits to support a family without assistance. Financial stress causes temptations within a priest’s family and can compromise his ability to serve his flock with love and objectivity. Candidates should work out realistic post-ordination budgets well in advance to ensure their ability to support their families should they be ordained.

- Priests should come into their ministry without debt, to include student loans. Candidates with debt should pay it off before ordination. There is no hurry to become a priest – the Church can wait and so can candidates, especially if taking extra time sets them up for success rather than failure. In addition to paying off debt, candidates should consider building up a three to six month “emergency fund” as they prepare for ordination. The combination of no monthly debt payments and the presence of a well-funded emergency fund will improve their ability to serve their flocks without reservation.

- Priests should come into their priesthood with the kind of skills and work-ethic that will allow them to support their family with little remuneration from their parish. Most of our priests are “bi-vocational.” The worker is worthy of his wages, but St. Paul was a tent-maker.

- All of these financial considerations are multiplied for diaconal candidates as deacons are given, at most, a small stipend for their service.

- No one should consider becoming a priest because the economy is bad, he has fallen on hard times, or he cannot find a job in his preferred career.

Personal considerations

- The priesthood brings stress to marriages; more stress than a troubled marriage or a reluctant Pani Matka/Dobrodika should be expected to bear. Candidates need to be honest about the ability of their marriages and spouses to handle this.

- The priest is always under scrutiny and stress. Mental illnesses and addictions do not disappear with ordination. Breakdowns and lapses can scandalize and divide parishes.

- Physical ailments do not disappear with ordination, either. Candidates should make sure that they are physically ready to handle the isolation and physical stress of the priesthood. It is a sedentary job where the temptation is to work 24/7 and skimp on rest and re-creation. As a result, priests often suffer from “diseases of civilization” like obesity, type-two diabetes, and hypertension. Candidates who are overweight or in poor health should correct their conditions and the habits that led to them before ordination.

- Bishops and priests are looking for men who would be good shepherds for people they love and good colleagues for themselves. Gossipers, conspirators, political ideologues, bigots, and complainers do not make good guides or colleagues. Priests need not be saints, but they should be trying really hard to become perfect.

- Related to this, candidates must have a strong spiritual life, to include regular confession, a daily prayer rule, and the peace of the Holy Spirit.

- Orthodox services witness to and participate in God’s eternal beauty and the harmony of His creation. The priest’s leadership of these services should be both agile and euphonious. Candidates should develop their eyes, ears, bodies, and voices accordingly. A clumsy or tone-deaf priest is a distraction and inhibits the growth of his community.

Parish life

- Candidates should be tithing members of their UOC-USA parish, attending all her services, and participating in her Mysteries on a regular basis.

- Candidates should immerse themselves in parish life as part of their preparation. This does not just include service in the altar, at the kliros, and in the choir (although each of these is important!), but also service on the parish board, in the UOL, on committees, as teachers, and as volunteers at parish functions.

- Candidates for the priesthood should have demonstrated their love for and loyalty to the UOC-USA, her people, her priests, her bishops, and her culture. A familiarity with the Ukrainian language is useful and candidates should work to master sound liturgical pronunciation in both English and Ukrainian well before ordination. Saying portions of one’s daily prayer rule in both English and Ukrainian will help.

- Candidates should be mission-minded evangelists no matter what type of parish (e.g. ethnic, convert, mission, mixed) they hope to serve. They should be ready to seek and create opportunities to introduce people to Holy Orthodoxy and deepen the faith of their parishioners who are already Orthodox. The Church does not call priests to serve as caretakers or docents in her parishes, she calls them to evangelize.

- Candidates, and especially “late vocations” should be consistent members of a single UOC-USA parish. Some people who take their academic theology or national culture more seriously than their life in Christ move from parish to parish looking for the place that “does everything right.” Candidates should be serious about their service to their bishop and his flock. The candidate who is so devoted to the priesthood that he shops around for the perfect bishop or parish is like the man who loves marriage so much that he divorces his wife to find a better one.

- The above is especially true for those who jump from jurisdiction to jurisdiction looking for a bishop who would be willing to ordain them. This is far outside the norms of good canonical order and a sure sign of the candidate’s lack of spiritual maturity and commitment.

An article by Fr. Anthony Perkins

Source: http://www.orthoanalytika.org/2013/09/10/some-thoughts-on-the-priestly-vocation-impediments-and-advice/

The Pskov-Pechersk Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God (also called “The Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God”) is famous for defending the city of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery several times. When the people prayed to the Theotokos while standing before this icon, she protected the city and the monastery. She first protected them from an invading army in 1581 (celebrated on May 21.) She also protected the city and monastery in 1812 during the invasion by Napoleon (celebrated on October 7.)

In Pskov Caves icon of the Theotokos of Tenderness, the Virgin Mary holds the Christ child in her arms so that His right side is next to her heart. Christ’s left arm hugs across her veil, and His right arm is under the veil and his fingers hug her neck. In this way, both the Theotokos and Christ show us their tenderness, comfort, and love.

The Theotokos wears her veil over her head. In icons, a woman’s veil is a symbol of her purity. In this icon, the Theotokos’ veil and robe flow past her shoulders and across the body of the Christ child, symbolizing her pure love.

On the veil on her forehead we see a star, and also one on her shoulder. The star represents the Star of Bethlehem when Christ was born from the Virgin Mary. The shape of each star is also a Cross with four points. There is a square at the center of the star. The four points of the Cross and the square are there to remind people of the four corners of the earth illuminated by Christ who came into the world through the Holy Theotokos.

Within each star, also in a cross design are four symbols that are called firebrands, the symbols of God’s Uncreated Light, which is also called the Divine Fire. The Divine Fire is God’s love. The Theotokos brought this love to us by giving birth to Christ.

The stars and crosses are always painted in gold. Gold represents the Holiness of God’s Divine Light. The golden braid at the edges of her veil and robe shows that the Theotokos is filled with the Divine Light.

In this icon, the Theotokos’ veil is painted blue. Blue is a symbol of Heaven and Eternity. In the Virgin Mary Heaven and earth met when she accepted to become the Mother of Christ our God. When He became incarnate through her, the Cross became his destiny from the first moment of His conception. He died upon the cross and rose from the dead to make it possible for us to have Eternal Life with Him in Heaven.

In this icon of the Theotokos, her eyes are sad. She does not look toward us. She looks away to behold the world of Eternity. She had heard, on the fortieth day after Christ’s birth, the words of Saint Simeon: “a sword shall pierce your own soul.” (Luke 2:35). She knows who her Son is and what will happen to Him when he grows up. The “sword” that will pierce her soul is the sadness she will feel when she sees her Son, Christ die on the Cross. Christ’s cheek is pressed to His mother’s cheek.

Christ’s eyes look toward His mother, comforting her in her sadness. He will say to her many years later, “Do not cry for me, Mother, when you see me in the tomb. Because I, your Son, whom you conceived in your womb without seed, will rise from the dead and be glorified.” (Odion 6, from the Great Saturday Canon). This reminds us that although Christ died on the Cross (commemorated on Good Friday), we rejoice with the Theotokos on the day of Christ’s Resurrection (Pascha). It all became possible through love.

In the icon, Christ is a small child, but He wears a robe in the style of an adult and a “girdle” with golden threads around his waist and over his shoulder. The golden threads are like rays of the sun, because Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, the Giver of Light.

The Theotokos’ hand is outstretched to touch the upper edge of Christ’s girdle, which shows that she guides the people and leads us to Christ.

The Theotokos always hears everyone who prays for her intercession (her prayers to God to help us). She does this because of love. Just as she cradled the Christ child in her arms giving Him all her love and comfort, she loves everyone who loves Christ, just as God the Father loves us. Christ tells us this, “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” (John 16:27)

The Theotokos, by her example of tenderness, teaches us to also treat one another with tenderness and love. What does she want us to understand about tenderness?

Tenderness is not weakness. Tenderness shows the strength of love. Christ teaches and commands us to love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Gospel of Luke 10:27)

Source: https://stmichaeljermyn.org/files/CHURCH%20SCHOOL/TendernessIconOfTheotokos.pdf

When we give ourselves to Christ, then our spiritual organism is in peace, which allows our organs begin to function naturally. They all depend on our condition. Then we recover and stop suffering… It can also be so in case of cancer: if we trust in God and our soul is calm, then the Divine Grace together with this world can work in such a way that cancer and any other illness will go away. If you do not know, I can tell you that neurosis is the reason of stomach ulcers. The thing is that sympathic nervous system is under pressure; it collapses and suffers, which leads to ulcer. The same we can say about cancer. Both diseases depend on our nervous system. When everything is confused in our soul, it affects our body and undermines our health. (St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia)

If we are sick, it is better to give ourselves to Christ. We should think that our soul needs patience and glorification when we feel pain much more than a body of steel, which lets us perform any corporal feats. (Paisios of Mount Athos)

A nun wrote to me. She said she was suffering and needed surgery. Otherwise she would die. I wrote an answer suggesting otherwise. Then she wrote again: the doctor told her that without an operation a perforation would occur and that would lead to death. I repeated: “Have faith, hope for God's help and choose death then”. She sent me the answer, saying that her illness went away. You see? I have experienced that a thousand times. When you know you are ready for death and you wait for it to come, it runs away from you. But when you are afraid of it, it will pursue you all the time. (St. Joseph the Hesychast)

Dear child, remedy means poison. Do not think that remedies can only be for our benefit. They can cause harm too. Why do we take meds? Because we are sick. And why are we sick? Because we worry. Why do we worry? Because we sin. If we let Christ inhabit our soul, then sin, nervousness and sickness run away and we throw out our meds. (St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia)

In what era there were so many sick people? In ancient times, people were different. Whatever letter I open now, I always read about cancer, spiritual diseases, blood stroke or family breakdown. Cancer was a rare disease earlier. The life itself was natural. I do not speak now about something that was sent by God. People ate natural food and were in perfect health. Everything was clean: fruits, onions, tomatoes… But now even such a natural food harms a person. Those who eat only fruits and vegetables suffer even more because everything is polluted. If it was like that earlier, I would die young, because I was feeding on what was growing in the garden and I felt wonderful. Now everything is fertilized and sprayed… Just look at what people eat nowadays!.. Spiritual uncertainty, food surrogates – all these things make people suffer. By using science without thinking, people disable themselves. (St. Paisios of Mount Athos)

If you care more about your spiritual health, you will suffer corporally less. You have not to love being treated, but you have to love how to stay in good health. (Monk Simeon the Athonite)

Do not ask God to ease the pain you feel because of your diseases, do not make Him do this in your prayers. Withstand your illness with patience and humility, and then you will see what benefit you will get. (St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia)

If Christ sees that a person can withstand a hard disease, He gives it to him: for this small suffering, a person will get a great benefit in eternal life. We suffer here, but he will get his gain in the next life because there is Heaven and reward for any sufferings. (St. Paisios of Mount Athos)

Temptations, sorrows, grief arising from devil or people of just caused by the world we carry in ourselves – all of these are remedies, all of these are sent by God’s Providence so that we return the spiritual health that we have lost. The health of soul and heart is impassibility, absence of sin and true holiness, which will come with us in the next life. (Elder Ephraim (Moraitis))

When a body is challenged by a disease, a soul gives blessing. Our body – a small mud house – suffers because of it, but our soul - the owner of this house - will constantly rejoice in the heavenly palace, which Christ prepared for us. According to this spiritual logic, which is illogic for people of this world, I am happy with the corporal diseases and disabilities I have. The only thing I do not think about is that I will get a heavenly gain. (St. Paisios of Mount Athos)

Corporal weaknesses are the means serving various intentions of indescribable God’s love. It is appropriate to recall a simple people’s idea saying that a disease is a Divine punishment for sins, while a good health is a reward for goodness. In fact, it all can be on the contrary. The thing is that many saints were burdened with corporal afflictions; at the same time, many of the people, who live in sin and are far from repentance, are never ill. Of course, no one will argue that a soul corrupted by sinful passions is a fertile soil for numerous corporal diseases. On the other hand, a calm and peaceful soul full of Divine tenderness provides with the necessary conditions both for its own healing and for corporal health. However, the health of any person, which comes and goes just like a sea wave, serves God’s pedagogical aims, which are hidden from us but known by His saints. (St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia)

Once a man came to us, who had spent much time in a monastery in Switzerland. He had three severe and incurable diseases. He had spent a lot of money for different remedies. […] I told him the he would recover as soon as he believed that God could heal him. […] …he stayed with me, he did not leave us, but refused to believe too until the moment when God helped, and the man heard the voice clearly, “Why don’t you want to obey to be healed?” Then he became free. I asked him to eat the opposite – the food about which he said that he would die if he ate that; to leave his knowledge behind and follow the faith, to eat once a day instead of ten times a day as he used to. Three days were enough for the Lord to challenge him, while the only thing I could do at that time was to pray. (St. Joseph the Hesychast)

Source: http://pravlife.org/content/12-izrecheniy-afonskih-starcev-o-tom-kak-sohranit-zdorove-i-pobedit-bolezni

Shortly before World War I, a Turk visited Fr. Ieronymos’ humble hermitage. The Turk told the elder that his master, a judge, had sent him to invite the elder to his house.

The elder became a little worried. He was not accustomed to receiving invitations to “social receptions” and his mind began to suspect that he might experience some evil or temptation. However, he prayed to God and followed the Turkish servant.

On their arrival at the judge’s large home, the judge himself welcomed him – with much warmth, as a matter of fact. They sat on a great divan and the judge began the conversation:

“Efendi papa, I am a Turk, a Moslem. From the salary I receive, I keep whatever is necessary for my family’s support, and the rest I spend on alms. I help widows, orphans, the poor; I provide dowries for impoverished young women so that they can get married, I help the sick. I keep the fasts with exactness, I pray and, in general, I try to live a life consistent with my faith. Also, when I sit in judgment, I strive to be just, and never take a person’s position into account, no matter how great he is. What do you say? Are all these things that I do sufficient for me to gain that Paradise that you Christians talk about?

The elder was impressed by all that the Turkish judge told him, and he immediately brought to mind the Roman centurion Cornelius mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. In the Turkish judge and the Roman centurion he perceived two similar lives. He understood that the judge was a just man of noble sentiments. “Perhaps,” thought the elder, “my mission is like that of the Apostle Peter, who instructed the Roman centurion.” The elder determined, therefore, that he would bear witness to his Faith.

“Tell me, efendi cadi [Turkish for judge], do you have children?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you have servants?”

“I have servants also.”

“Which of the two carry out your orders better – your children or your servants?”

“Assuredly, my servants, because my children – with the familiarity that they have toward me — often disobey me and do whatever they wish, whereas my servants always do whatever I tell them.”

“Tell me, I pray thee, efendi, when you die, who will inherit your wealth – your servants, who executed your wishes faithfully, or your children who disobey you?”

“Well, my children, of course. Only they have rights of inheritance, whereas the servants do not.”

“Well then, efendi, what you do is good, but the only thing your good works can is place you in the category of those that are good servants. If, however, you desire to inherit Paradise, the Kingdom of the Heavens, then you have to become a son. And that can be accomplished only through Baptism.”

The Turkish judge was greatly impressed by the elder’s parable. They spoke for a long time after this, and at the end he asked the elder to catechize him and baptize him. And thus, after a little while, the good judge was baptized and became a Christian.

Translated from “The Elder Hieronymos, the Hesychast of Aegina,” by Peter Botsis, Athens, 1991

Source: http://classicalchristianity.com/2014/10/01/on-children-and-servants/

Most probably the inventors of the internet‚ which modestly started as a small information sharing network‚ did not hope‚ even in their wildest dreams‚ that in less than 50 years their invention will evolve into what is today the greatest information exchange that ever existed. The library of Alexandria? Child play! Think about all that goes through the internet today: websites‚ e-mail‚ news‚ TV‚ social networks‚ entertainment‚ financials‚ do-it-yourself‚ phone calls‚ video calls‚ encyclopedias‚ e-books‚ maps and we’re just scratching the surface. All you want is there waiting to be found at the literal touch of a finger. Nobody asks anyone anything before they “google” the information.

With an internet connection at hand one feels like a kid in a toy store‚ always ready to engage and discover. You wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is check your phone. Did I miss anything while I was asleep? How is the stock market doing? Any emergencies at work? How are my friends on Facebook‚ any silly selfies? Did anyone like my Instagram? How many likes did I get? We walk like zombies with our eyes glued to our smartphones even before we had the chance to get a cup of coffees. And who invented the rule that you can’t text and drive? Was it not enough that you can’t drink and drive? Lucky enough there are the red lights‚ where everyone checks what happened in the last three minutes from the previous red light. You don’t believe me? Look around next time you’re at a red light‚ that is if you’re not on your phone.

This avalanche of information about everything and anything has turned all of us into information junkies. We constantly check our phones waiting for the next piece of news or conversation to pop out. We live and breathe information. There is only one downside to this addiction‚ we start having less and less time. Paradoxically‚ when we can find anything quicker than ever‚ we end up having less time than ever. Work doesn’t get finished‚ conversations‚ unless virtual‚ are on the brink of extinction‚ human interactions are a bare because they take you away from the urge to know everything right now!

Where does this knowledge lead us to? One May say that if we search for the right information it is a good thing. Say one is interested in God; using just a smartphone one can find all the translations of the Bible ever imagined‚ all the writings of the Fathers‚ one can ask for spiritual advice online or even virtually attend a streamed Sunday service. Many times however we remain at the level of the search. Mesmerized of the information about the faith we don’t have time anymore to actually live the faith. With so many virtual prayers books available we find no time to pray.

Having knowledge about God however does not mean one knows God. God is not in the information about Him. To know God is to be with Him‚ to experience the unmediated communion with Him. Knowledge is good only if it leads to action‚ knowledge without action is useless or even plain dangerous. Adam and Eve knew that they would die if they ate from the tree‚ yet they got tempted with the promise of even more knowledge. They knew enough to keep them in communion with God‚ to live forever in bliss without lacking anything‚ yet they wanted more and in that temptation they lost paradise. Sometimes knowing more‚ especially before time‚ can lead us astray from practicing what we already do know. Our Christian forefathers have survived the Turks and the communists and everything else that stood against them not because they knew everything about God and their faith‚ but because they took the time to apply what they already knew in every moment of their lives.

We should not understand all this as a rebellion against knowledge and an invitation to obscurantism‚ but as a warning against the mirage of “knowing it all” that can be all consuming. Taking time for personal prayer‚ to physically be in church‚ to visit a friend in the hospital‚ to feed the hungry where they live‚ will help us more in discovering God thank accessing raw information about Him. Knowing the Scriptures and the theology is fine‚ but God is not a theoretical Being‚ He is a real Trinity of Divine Persons that interact with each other and with us. From this interaction we learn Who He is and who we are; by doing‚ by loving‚ by being together‚ now and into eternity.

A story from the monks of Egypt speaks about three brothers that were occasionally visiting an elder. Two of them always took advantage of the visits and had many questions to ask. The third one always just sat with them‚ asking nothing. After a few visits the elder asked him directly ‘Don’t you have any questions? Don’t you want to know more?’ The brother answered ‘For me is enough to be in your presence’. In the era of free but overwhelming information‚ we should consider taking the advice of the wise brother and‚ maybe‚ from time to time‚ just break free from the internet and acknowledge the presence of God around us. Share a cup of tea with a friend‚ watch a child at play‚ listen to a bird’s song‚ and‚ by taking this time to think about God‚ you might be able to hear God knocking at the door of your heart.

Source: http://dialogues.stjohndfw.info/2014/05/free-time-and-information-overload/

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