Eastern Orthodoxy: Teachings/wisdom excerpts from 'The Philokalia'

[sprinkleeninow]

-The Philokalia, published in 1782, contains enlightened explanations of what is mystically contained in the Bible according to the Eastern Church's interpretation from monastic Eastern writers that span more than a millennium from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries. The following text is from the Philokalia [a Greek word meaning "love of the beautiful"].

"Union with God is not a subsidiary issue in faith or doctrine. It is the basis of all faith and doctrine. It is the ultimate aim of God for sending his only Son to the world to become man: "For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and on earth" [Ephesians 1 and 9-10]. So the mystery of union between mankind and Christ is the ultimate aim of the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection--nay, of creation in full." Matthew the Poor

"Be attentive to yourself, so that nothing destructive can separate you from the love of God. Guard your heart, and do not grow listless and say: How shall I guard it, since I am a sinner? For when a man abandons his sins and returns to God, his repentance regenerates him and renews him entirely." St. Isaiah the Solitary

"Until a man is completely changed by repentance, he will be wise always to remember his sins with sorrow and to recall the eternal fire that they justly deserve." Evagrios the Solitary

"Stand guard, then, over your heart and keep watch on your senses; and if the remembrance of God dwells peaceably within you, you will catch the thieves when they try to deprive you of it. Those who recognize these evil thoughts for what they are remain undisturbed and continue in prayer to God." St. Isiah the Solitary "Guard your heart with all diligence." Proverbs 4:23

"When you feel the touch of the Eternal Spirit in your heart . . love streams like a light on all creation. Though the physical heart feels this love, in kind it is spiritual . . . Yet only those who keep a clear conscience not only before God but towards their neighbor, towards animals--even towards the material things which are the product of men's labor--will care for all creation. . . For the Divine Spirit draws the heart to compassion for all creation." Sophrony of Essex

"Prayer is the communion of the intellect with God." Evagrios the SOlitary

"Especially important is pure prayer--prayer that is unceasing and uninterrupted. Such prayer is a safe fortress, a sheltered harbor, a protector of virtues, a destroyer of passions. It brings vigor to the soul, purified the intellect, gives rest to those who suffer, consoles those who mourn. Prayer is contemplation of the invisible, the angelic mode of life, a stimulus toward the DIvine, the assurance of things longed for. Pray day and night. Pray at times of dejection and at times of exhilaration. Pray with fear and trembling, with a watchful and vigilant mind so that prayer may be accepted by the Lord." St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic

"Noxious foods give trouble when taken into the body, but as soon as he feels the pain, the person who has eaten them can quickly take some emetic and so be unharmed. Similarly, once the intellect that has imbibed evil thoughts senses their bitterness, it can easily expel them and get rid of them completely by means of the Jesus Prayer, uttered from the depths of the heart. This lesson, and the experience corresponding to it, have by God's grace conveyed understanding to those who practice watchfulness." St. Hesychios the Priest

"It does not lie within our power to decide whether or not the passions are going to harass and attack the soul. But it does lie within our power to prevent impassioned thoughts from lingering within us and arousing the passions to action. The first of these conditions is not sinful, inasmuch as it is outside our control, where the second is concerned, if we fight against the passions and overcome them we are rewarded, but we shall be punished if because of laziness and cowardice we let them overcome us." St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic

"There are three principal passions, through which all the rest arise: love of sensual pleasure, love of riches, and love of praise. Close in their wake follow five other evil spirits, and from these five arise a great swarm of passions and all manner of evil. Thus he who defeats the three leaders and rulers simultaneously overcomes the other five and so subdues all the passions." St Theodoros the Great Ascetic

" Christ is the capstone [Ephesians 2:20] uniting us with Himself. He is the pearl of great price [Matthew 13:46]: when one plunges into the depths of stillness and it is this for which one sells all his own desires through obedience to the commandments, so that one may acquire it even in this life." St. Gregory of Sinai

"Stillness is an undisturbed state of the intellect, the calm of a free and joyful soul, the tranquil unwavering stability of the heart in God, the contemplation of light, the knowledge of the mysteries of God, consciousness of wisdom by virtue of a pure mind, the abyss of divine intellections, the rapture of the intellect, intercourse with God, an unsleeping watchfulness, spiritual prayer, untroubled repose in the midst of great hardship, and fially, solidarity and union with God." Nikitas Sitthatos

Attribution: http://stnicholasjamestown.org/ourfaith/prayers/more

[AJT]

1. Very enlightening, thank you.

[sprinkleeninow]

2. 😍

[AJT]

3. Remind you of anyone?

There are three principal passions, through which all the rest arise: love of sensual pleasure, love of riches, and love of praise. Close in their wake follow five other evil spirits, and from these five arise a great swarm of passions and all manner of evil.

[sprinkleeninow]

4. Hmmm. Let me mull that over. Hmmm. 🤔

Exactly 'who' popped into my head the second I read that.