Our goal should be to take all that comes our way and make the best out of it for the sake of the spiritual struggle in which we are engaged. We must strive to acquire the inner tranquility, and to this end even noise can become a good thing if it is met with the right thought. What matters the most is handling a problem in the right way. We must face up to everything using good thoughts.
When, in very midst of noise, you manage to reach inner tranquility, you have achieved something of great value. If you cannot find tranquility in the midst of disturbance, you will not be able to be tranquil even in the midst of tranquility. When inner tranquility comes to a man, everything inside him will be tranquil, and he will not be disturbed by anything. But if he requires external tranquility in order to find inner tranquility, then, when he does find himself in such a place, he will want a cane to chase away cicadas by day and jackal by night, so they will not bother him! In other words, he will be chasing away what in fact the devil is gathering. What do you think the devil's job is after all? His job is to create difficulties and to obstruct our efforts, until he has completely turned us upside down.
~Elder Paisios
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Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Awake and Elder Porphyrios on beauty
This morning I tried to sleep a little later, yet still woke up at 5:30. Last night we attended the Great and Holy Friday services of Holy Week.
The kids went to Church at 11:00 in the morning for their annual retreat. They had a wonderful time and baked Prosphora bread
At 3:00 we came to get them and all went into the Church for
When everyone finished eating we ran through the rain to get back to Church for the Great Saturday services of Lamentations and the Procession of the Epitatphios. That finished after 10:30 and we got home after 11. The kids headed straight to bed, and I wrapped my son's presents, because today is his 9th birthday.
I have to stop and say that my kids did amazingly well with the marathon of Church services we attended this week. Last night as I listened to my boys sing the Lamentations and watched the smiles on their faces as they explained the services to me (because they remember from previous years) and helping each other keep their places in the Holy Week books, my heart nearly burst.
Tonight we go back to Church at 10:30 for the Paschal Liturgy and after the Liturgy and the Agape meal where we break our Lenten fast and eat meat (yay!!!!) we head back home. Usually we get home between 2 and 3 am. This is why it is crazy that I only had 5 hours of sleep last night.
Naps will happen later today.
Please forgive all the grammatical errors within this post...I am rather foggy still.
Here is a quote from Elder Porphyrios that i came across yesterday and love.
“For a person to become a Christian he must have a poetic soul. He must become a poet. Christ does not wish insensitive souls in His company. A Christian, albeit only when he loves, is a poet and lives amid poetry. Poetic hearts embrace love and sense it deeply. Make the most of beautiful moments. Beautiful moments predispose the soul to prayer; they make it refined, noble, and poetic. Wake up in the morning to see the sun rising from out of the sea as a king robed in regal purple. [And then] go beyond this to give glory for all beautiful things so that you experience Him who alone is comely in beauty. All things are holy—the sea, swimming, and eating. Take delight in them all. All things enrich us, all lead us to the great Love, all lead us to Christ.”
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The kids went to Church at 11:00 in the morning for their annual retreat. They had a wonderful time and baked Prosphora bread
At 3:00 we came to get them and all went into the Church for
When everyone finished eating we ran through the rain to get back to Church for the Great Saturday services of Lamentations and the Procession of the Epitatphios. That finished after 10:30 and we got home after 11. The kids headed straight to bed, and I wrapped my son's presents, because today is his 9th birthday.
I have to stop and say that my kids did amazingly well with the marathon of Church services we attended this week. Last night as I listened to my boys sing the Lamentations and watched the smiles on their faces as they explained the services to me (because they remember from previous years) and helping each other keep their places in the Holy Week books, my heart nearly burst.
Tonight we go back to Church at 10:30 for the Paschal Liturgy and after the Liturgy and the Agape meal where we break our Lenten fast and eat meat (yay!!!!) we head back home. Usually we get home between 2 and 3 am. This is why it is crazy that I only had 5 hours of sleep last night.
Naps will happen later today.
Please forgive all the grammatical errors within this post...I am rather foggy still.
Here is a quote from Elder Porphyrios that i came across yesterday and love.
“For a person to become a Christian he must have a poetic soul. He must become a poet. Christ does not wish insensitive souls in His company. A Christian, albeit only when he loves, is a poet and lives amid poetry. Poetic hearts embrace love and sense it deeply. Make the most of beautiful moments. Beautiful moments predispose the soul to prayer; they make it refined, noble, and poetic. Wake up in the morning to see the sun rising from out of the sea as a king robed in regal purple. [And then] go beyond this to give glory for all beautiful things so that you experience Him who alone is comely in beauty. All things are holy—the sea, swimming, and eating. Take delight in them all. All things enrich us, all lead us to the great Love, all lead us to Christ.”
Read more!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Hymn of Kassiani and St. Mary Magdalene
Hymn of Kassiani
According to tradition, during a dinner with the emperor Tiberius Caesar, Mary Magdalene was speaking about Christ's Resurrection. Caesar scoffed at her, saying that a man could rise from the dead no more than the egg in her hand could turn red. Immediately, the egg turned red. Because of this, icons of Mary Magdalene sometimes depict her holding an egg. from this comes the tradition of dyeing eggs red at Pascha/Easter.And here is the the Hymn of Kassiani which is incredibly moving.
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
Work is a Blessing
I am in the midst of Spring Cleaning and trying to get everything done before Pascha.
This is an excerpt from a book called Family Life by Elder Paisios the Athonite that I stumbled across today and found it a timely reminder on work and labor. Especially since I have been waking at 5ish before my family in order to clear my head and get focused before our day begins. I enjoy waking early, but I am still adjusting and sometimes the temptation for a nap is a quite strong. ;-)
—Geronta, in the old days they would say, “Better to wear out your shoes rather than blankets.” What did they mean?
—They meant, “Better to wear out your shoes by working than to stay in bed and be lazy.” Work is a blessing, a gift of God. It gives energy to the body, refreshment to the nous. If God had not given us work, man would have become idle. Hard workers do not stop even in old age. If they stop working while they still have strength, they end up suffering from depression; this is death for them. I remember one little old man in Konitsa, almost ninety years old, who worked continuously. He finally died out in the fields, two hours from home.
Besides, the state of bodily comfort which some people seek is never permanent. They may forget their stress for a time—have their food, their sweets, their baths, their leisure. But, as soon as this is over, they seek another form of comfort. They are constantly anxious because everything leaves them wanting; they feel an emptiness, and their souls seek to be filled. He who wearies from work, however, has a constant joy, spiritual joy.
—Geronta, what if you have back problems and aren’t able to do just any work?
—Fine, but doesn’t the back need exercise? Doesn’t work that exercises the back help? Listen, I’ll tell you: “If someone eats, drinks, and sleeps but doesn’t work, he starts unraveling; he wants to sleep all the time because his body and nerves slacken. Little by little he comes to the point where he can’t do anything. As soon as he walks a little, he falls apart. Instead, if he works a little and moves around, his hands and feet become stronger. Notice that those who love work don’t sleep much, and they don’t sleep from fatigue—they might not get any sleep for a time, yet they keep their strength: work has seasoned them, and they became strong in body.
Especially for a young person, work is health. I have observed that some pampered children become tough and seasoned when they go into the military. The military is good for them. Naturally, this happened more in the old days. Today they are afraid to push the soldiers, because with a little strain the veins are constricted and they suffer from nervous shock. I tell parents to pay someone to allow their children to work for them, to promote their health—this serves to give them a job they like, so that they will learn to like work in general. For, a young person who is energetic also has brains, and if he doesn’t work he will become lazy. Of course, when he sees others succeeding he is confused by his egoism and can’t take pleasure in anything. He constantly has disturbing thoughts and his mind is muddled. Later the devil goes to him and says: “Loser! What a good-for-nothing you are! So and so became a professor, and that other guy has his own business making good money, but where will you end up?” This makes him feel hopeless. If he had worked, however, he would have acquired confidence in himself, in a good sense of the word. He would see that even he is able to get along, and his mind would stay occupied on his job and free him from disturbing thoughts. That way it’s a win-win.
Read more!
This is an excerpt from a book called Family Life by Elder Paisios the Athonite that I stumbled across today and found it a timely reminder on work and labor. Especially since I have been waking at 5ish before my family in order to clear my head and get focused before our day begins. I enjoy waking early, but I am still adjusting and sometimes the temptation for a nap is a quite strong. ;-)
—Geronta, in the old days they would say, “Better to wear out your shoes rather than blankets.” What did they mean?
—They meant, “Better to wear out your shoes by working than to stay in bed and be lazy.” Work is a blessing, a gift of God. It gives energy to the body, refreshment to the nous. If God had not given us work, man would have become idle. Hard workers do not stop even in old age. If they stop working while they still have strength, they end up suffering from depression; this is death for them. I remember one little old man in Konitsa, almost ninety years old, who worked continuously. He finally died out in the fields, two hours from home.
Besides, the state of bodily comfort which some people seek is never permanent. They may forget their stress for a time—have their food, their sweets, their baths, their leisure. But, as soon as this is over, they seek another form of comfort. They are constantly anxious because everything leaves them wanting; they feel an emptiness, and their souls seek to be filled. He who wearies from work, however, has a constant joy, spiritual joy.
—Geronta, what if you have back problems and aren’t able to do just any work?
—Fine, but doesn’t the back need exercise? Doesn’t work that exercises the back help? Listen, I’ll tell you: “If someone eats, drinks, and sleeps but doesn’t work, he starts unraveling; he wants to sleep all the time because his body and nerves slacken. Little by little he comes to the point where he can’t do anything. As soon as he walks a little, he falls apart. Instead, if he works a little and moves around, his hands and feet become stronger. Notice that those who love work don’t sleep much, and they don’t sleep from fatigue—they might not get any sleep for a time, yet they keep their strength: work has seasoned them, and they became strong in body.
Especially for a young person, work is health. I have observed that some pampered children become tough and seasoned when they go into the military. The military is good for them. Naturally, this happened more in the old days. Today they are afraid to push the soldiers, because with a little strain the veins are constricted and they suffer from nervous shock. I tell parents to pay someone to allow their children to work for them, to promote their health—this serves to give them a job they like, so that they will learn to like work in general. For, a young person who is energetic also has brains, and if he doesn’t work he will become lazy. Of course, when he sees others succeeding he is confused by his egoism and can’t take pleasure in anything. He constantly has disturbing thoughts and his mind is muddled. Later the devil goes to him and says: “Loser! What a good-for-nothing you are! So and so became a professor, and that other guy has his own business making good money, but where will you end up?” This makes him feel hopeless. If he had worked, however, he would have acquired confidence in himself, in a good sense of the word. He would see that even he is able to get along, and his mind would stay occupied on his job and free him from disturbing thoughts. That way it’s a win-win.
Read more!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
I had to read this several times...and could probably stand to read it hundreds more
(Taken from "My Life in Christ" by Saint John of Kronstadt)
Value highly, and always preserve Christian meekness and kindness,
mutual peace and love, crushing by every possible means the impulses of
self-love, malice, irritability, and disturbance. Do not be disturbed
and angered, when anybody tells you a falsehood to your face, or claims
any unjust pretension, or speaks offensively, or boldly detects any of
your weaknesses or passions, the wrongfulness of which, through your
self-love, you did not suspect. Always first coolly reflect over what
your opponent says to you, as well as over your own words and conduct,
and, if, upon an entirely impartial consideration of your words and
actions, you find them just, then let your conscience be at rest, and
do not heed the words of your adversary, either remaining silent before
him, or showing him his error quietly, gently, in all kindness of
heart; but should you find yourself guilty of that, which your
adversary detects in you, then, putting aside self-love and pride, ask
pardon for your fault, and endeavour to correct yourself in future. We
are often angry with straightforward, frank people for openly
disclosing our iniquities. We ought to value such people, and forgive
them, if by their bold speaking they break down our self-love. They
are, in a moral sense, the surgeons who cut off, with a sharp word, the
rottenness of the heart, and through arousing our self-love, they
awaken, in the soul deadened by sin, a consciousness of sin and a vital
reaction.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Bear With Me.....
Quotidian: occurring every day, belonging to every day; commonplace, ordinary. From The Quotidian Mysteries: ""It is a paradox of human life that in worship, as in human love, it is the routine and the everyday that we find the possibilities for the greatest transformation."
I woke up this morning full of aggravation and irritation. My 10.5 yr old son was complaining about having to go to school an hour early for study group. My 7yo daughter snuck a piece of cake after being repeatedly told no. My husband needed me to pack his lunch. The dog was being obnoxious.
Then everyone left (except for the obnoxious dog) and I was left in a quiet house feeling incredibly lonely. Thus began the quiet, snaking thoughts..."What is the point of being at home when your kids are at school?" "You are almost 35 without a single degree to your name." "Any housework will come undone, what is the point?" "Chocolate" "Why am I doing this?" and so forth. Thoughts full of doubt, incrimination, self-defeat and incredibly de-motivating.
While washing my hands I glanced up to the prayer of St. Ephraim that I have pinned to my window frame above my sink. " take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness... " (Please!)
This internal struggle with myself against the quotidian, the daily things that never end- the cooking, cleaning, laundry, writing, rewriting, demands of children, needs of my family- push me to choose to become a better person...or not should I decide to dwell in the realm of laziness and be too faint hearted to struggle against my natural inclinations.
Church creates the same struggle within me. The term Liturgy translates as "the work of the people". When I go to Church each week it is work. I have to wake up early and dress up, fast beforehand, the Liturgy is long, there is a lot of standing-sometimes prostrations, my feet hurt, I get confused when it switches to Greek, I get really hungry- but eventually the other-worldliness of the Church and the joy of being with other people comes into focus. Without fail, every time I celebrate the Liturgy it dawns on me that thousands + around the world are doing the exact same thing. We work together. The same yearly cycle.
Housework offers the same opportunity for self transformation. It pushes us into the realm of self discipline and service. Most of the things I have to clean in my house were not from me. But I wash laundry, clean and vacuum to make my house a resting place for my family. A place where they can come and relax and be refreshed, a place where we can practice hospitality and welcome friends. The daily cycles are something to be accepted and a place to work within in order to bring order to ourselves and our surroundings.
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I woke up this morning full of aggravation and irritation. My 10.5 yr old son was complaining about having to go to school an hour early for study group. My 7yo daughter snuck a piece of cake after being repeatedly told no. My husband needed me to pack his lunch. The dog was being obnoxious.
Then everyone left (except for the obnoxious dog) and I was left in a quiet house feeling incredibly lonely. Thus began the quiet, snaking thoughts..."What is the point of being at home when your kids are at school?" "You are almost 35 without a single degree to your name." "Any housework will come undone, what is the point?" "Chocolate" "Why am I doing this?" and so forth. Thoughts full of doubt, incrimination, self-defeat and incredibly de-motivating.
While washing my hands I glanced up to the prayer of St. Ephraim that I have pinned to my window frame above my sink. " take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness... " (Please!)
This internal struggle with myself against the quotidian, the daily things that never end- the cooking, cleaning, laundry, writing, rewriting, demands of children, needs of my family- push me to choose to become a better person...or not should I decide to dwell in the realm of laziness and be too faint hearted to struggle against my natural inclinations.
Church creates the same struggle within me. The term Liturgy translates as "the work of the people". When I go to Church each week it is work. I have to wake up early and dress up, fast beforehand, the Liturgy is long, there is a lot of standing-sometimes prostrations, my feet hurt, I get confused when it switches to Greek, I get really hungry- but eventually the other-worldliness of the Church and the joy of being with other people comes into focus. Without fail, every time I celebrate the Liturgy it dawns on me that thousands + around the world are doing the exact same thing. We work together. The same yearly cycle.
Housework offers the same opportunity for self transformation. It pushes us into the realm of self discipline and service. Most of the things I have to clean in my house were not from me. But I wash laundry, clean and vacuum to make my house a resting place for my family. A place where they can come and relax and be refreshed, a place where we can practice hospitality and welcome friends. The daily cycles are something to be accepted and a place to work within in order to bring order to ourselves and our surroundings.
Read more!
The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim
O Lord and Master of my life take from me the spirit of sloth
faint-heartedness,
lust of power
and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility,
patience,
and love to thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King
grant me to see my own errors
and not to judge my brother;
for Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
On Lent
One of the most anticipated parts of the year in our house is Lent. Being Eastern Orthodox our Lenten fast is rather strict with the dietary guidelines demanding no meat, dairy, oil or wine for the duration. There are a few days where the fast is not as strict and fish is allowed or wine. Every year I get excited when Meatfare week arrives and it is hard to eat the meat that we have on hand because I am so tired of meat, then there is Cheesefare week where we eat all the dairy in the house, then the fast begins in earnest, and Clean Monday happens. Some hold to the tradition of not eating on Clean Monday, and some don't eat for the first three days of Lent (or so I have heard) this I have never done because I forget to not eat.
The first couple of days my dedication to the fast is strong- but then thoughts of rare juicy steaks invade my thoughts during the day, and I notice how many commercials on the TV or in ads advertise restaurants with meat filled meals.
This where the other elements of fast and the WHY need to come into play. Part of the fast is to increase prayer...something that literally takes minutes but is so hard. Also, the Lenten fast is to enable us to feel hunger and struggle with our body in its desires. The struggle and hunger enable us to understand just a little better what the poor and hungry experience and to line up our human experience with theirs.
I came upon this quote tonight and found it to be helpful in keeping my perspective (after seeing 100 commercials for steak while watching The Middle)
Read more!
The first couple of days my dedication to the fast is strong- but then thoughts of rare juicy steaks invade my thoughts during the day, and I notice how many commercials on the TV or in ads advertise restaurants with meat filled meals.
This where the other elements of fast and the WHY need to come into play. Part of the fast is to increase prayer...something that literally takes minutes but is so hard. Also, the Lenten fast is to enable us to feel hunger and struggle with our body in its desires. The struggle and hunger enable us to understand just a little better what the poor and hungry experience and to line up our human experience with theirs.
I came upon this quote tonight and found it to be helpful in keeping my perspective (after seeing 100 commercials for steak while watching The Middle)
Read more!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Six Years Ago Today....
On February 19, 2005 my family was received into the Orthodox Church.
We converted from Protestantism driven by a desire to have something more with a deep historical connection. I first discovered the Orthodox Church from an online parenting forum when I met our godmother Presvytera Lisa. She and her husband (who is an Orthodox Priest) were a wealth of information. With her suggestion we started attending a Greek Orthodox Church near our home with a wonderful Priest named Fr. Paul. The conversion process took many months- there was a lot of research done, questioning, discussions, reading- it isn't something that is jumped into and afterward there can be a very large learning curve.
Fr. Paul decided that we would be baptised and chrismated on February 19th which was the Feast Day of St. Philothea and it was our last chance before Lent to do it. Our godparents drove 4 hours to be there with us, and it was a very exciting, lovely day. This is where the name Eleni comes from for me, it is my Church name after St. Helen. Another wonderful this happened that day as well...our godmother, after the long drive home decided to take a pregnancy test on a whim...and discovered she was indeed pregnant! 9 months later she had a beautiful little girl.
Read more!
We converted from Protestantism driven by a desire to have something more with a deep historical connection. I first discovered the Orthodox Church from an online parenting forum when I met our godmother Presvytera Lisa. She and her husband (who is an Orthodox Priest) were a wealth of information. With her suggestion we started attending a Greek Orthodox Church near our home with a wonderful Priest named Fr. Paul. The conversion process took many months- there was a lot of research done, questioning, discussions, reading- it isn't something that is jumped into and afterward there can be a very large learning curve.
Fr. Paul decided that we would be baptised and chrismated on February 19th which was the Feast Day of St. Philothea and it was our last chance before Lent to do it. Our godparents drove 4 hours to be there with us, and it was a very exciting, lovely day. This is where the name Eleni comes from for me, it is my Church name after St. Helen. Another wonderful this happened that day as well...our godmother, after the long drive home decided to take a pregnancy test on a whim...and discovered she was indeed pregnant! 9 months later she had a beautiful little girl.
Read more!
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