Daily Meditations Archives - Page 328 of 346

Father Maximos on Logismoi and the Jesus Prayer

11/05/2012

Fr. Maximos paused, waiting for another question. “I am puzzled by what the Fathers of the Ecclesia say about the Jesus Prayer,” Teresa commented. “They claim that when we pray, the mind, or nous, must be on the heart. I don’t understand what that means.” “I appreciate your puzzlement,” Fr. Maximos replied. “This is what the tradition of the Ecclesia teaches as noetic prayer or prayer of the heart. When the Fathers say that the

Letting Go, Forgiveness, and Paradox

11/02/2012

What does letting go on the practical level tell us? Letting go is different than denying or repressing. To let go of something is to admit it. You have to own it. Letting go is different than turning it against yourself; different than projecting it onto others. Letting go means that the denied, repressed, rejected parts of yourself, which are nonetheless true, are seen for what they are; but you refuse to turn them against

Two Miracles of the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian

11/01/2012

The things written below are dedicated to the glory and honor of the Holy Anargyroi [Unmercenaries] doctors Kosmas and Damian. 1. “Wondrous Is God in His Saints” For two years (1943-1945) I was sick with “vertigo”. When I would wake up I had to sit motionless for 3-5 minutes on the bed and then get up, get dressed and make my first steps with great care so as not to fall down because of a

Who’s Afraid of Halloween?

10/31/2012

I have a confession to make. And it’s a bad one …. When I was a kid … I used to get dressed up for Halloween! And it was not always something innocent either, like an astronaut or a cowboy. Once I was even a ghost! Worse yet, I would go door-to-door with my brothers and say “Trick or treat!” Idolatrous! Occultic! Satanic! Over time, of course this demon-glorifying activity caught up with me. Look

The Desert and Temptation (Part III)

10/30/2012

Temptations, the monks tell us, make us human. They bring us in to contact with the roots that bear the trunk. Facing temptations means encountering the truth. Thus one father says: “Take away temptations, and no one will be whole, for whoever flees useful temptation, flees eternal life. There are in fact temptations that have prepared crowns for the saints.” Many people might have problems with this, because when they pray the Our Father, they

SUFFERING AND GLORY

10/29/2012

WAS IT NOT NECESSARY THAT THE CHRIST SUFFER THESE THINGS AND ENTER HIS GLORY? —LUKE 24:26 Think of some of the painful events in your life. For how many of them are you grateful today, because thanks to them you changed and grew? Here is a simple truth of life that most people never discover. Happy events make life delightful but they do not lead to self-discovery and growth and freedom. That privilege is reserved

The Myrrhgushing Miracle of St. Demetrios in 1987: A Testimony

10/26/2012

It was October 26, 1987. The time was past 10:00 p.m. The city was celebrating the memory of the contest of its patron saint, St. Demetrios, and the freedom from the nearly five hundred years (1430-1912) occupation by the Ottomans. The Church of St. Demetrios with open doors received its nightly venerators, who were kneeling in front of the silver casket with the holy relics of the Myrrhgusher. At that moment there must not have

Father Maximos on How to Live a More Spiritual Life in the World

10/25/2012

Fr. Maximos then encouraged the audience to ask further questions. A young seminarian raised his hand. “Fr. Maxime,” he said, “can you give to those of us who are not monks a prescription for how to live a more spiritual life in the world?” Fr. Maximos smiled. “I believe Christ Himself has given us such a prescription. The Gospel is the prescription for our healing, assuming of course that we put it into practice. Remember

Understanding

10/24/2012

Some disciples came to see Abba Poemen and said to him: “Tell us, when we see brothers dozing during the sacred office, should we pinch them so they will stay awake!” And the old man said to them: “Actually, if I saw a brother sleeping, I would put his head on my knees and let him rest.” UNDERSTANDING — COMPASSION — is the foundation of a monastic lifestyle. Without it there is no hope at

REPENTANCE IN THE PHILOKALIA (Part II)

10/23/2012

Neilos the Ascetic (died ca. 430) was probably from Constantinople and a follower of St. John Chrysostom. He became abbot of a monastery in what is now Ankara, Turkey, and is the first writer known to make unequivocal mention of the Jesus Prayer. “In the biblical story Elisha then threw a stick into the Jordan and brought to the surface the axe head his disciple had lost (cf. 2 Kings 6:6); that is to say,