“Do not believe your thoughts, neither when they tell you that you are terrible, nor when they tell you that you are a saint.”

- St Paisios, Spiritual Struggle, V.3 pg 47. 

Reflection: 

What is the beginning of every one of our opinions, feelings, actions, behaviors, decisions, and way of being?  Our thoughts.  

This matter is not simply psychological, it is our spiritual life that fuels our psychological and physical well-being. All spiritual life is based on thoughts.(1) Truly, the entirety of our life depends upon our spiritual life, therefore upon our thoughts.

This is not about simply good thoughts vs bad thoughts, since positive thoughts by themselves can be prideful and self-centered: a dead-end.  The key is to actively turn our thoughts toward a person - Christ.  

We must be vigilant to recognize when a thought in our mind is not our own, but rather a temptation. When attacked our mind is fogged with pessimistic or prideful thoughts in order to waste our time and distract us from prayer and our daily tasks.(2) 

We must choose to concentrate and direct our thoughts back to Christ.  If our mind wanders, call it back again and again. Do not allow your mind to wander.(3) 

When we turn our thoughts to God throughout our day in prayer, it is not a psychological exercise, it is deeper, engaging in a loving relationship and coming to know our Creator. 

When our spiritual well-being is grounded in love of Christ, then our psychological and physical well-being follows, and our efforts in the psychological and physical aspects of life flow more successfully.

Resources:

1) St Paisios, Spiritual Struggle, V.3 pg 63

2) St Paisios, Spiritual Struggle, V.3 pg 64

3) St Paisios, Spiritual Struggle, V.3 pg 63

“Geronda, when I ask for something from God, and He does not give it to me right away, should I persist? 

Yes, be persistent.  Within our prayer we must be persistent, just as the Canaanite Woman was with Christ…That you ask with humility and that you wait with patience. Prayer that is made with Faith, pain, persistence and patience, provided that that which we ask for is for our wellbeing, is heard.” 

- St Paisios, Περἰ Προσευχἠς [About Prayer], Volume 6, pgs 39- 40. 

Reflection: 

Have we ever considered that persistence is necessary in prayer? 

Let us follow the example of faith and humility of the Canaanite Woman(1): 

When we think we receive silence in our prayers, let us persist in faith, knowing God to have the answer(2). 

When there seems to be a roadblock, let us accept it with humility(3), and persist with faith for even the smallest consolation. 

With the Canaanite woman, "Christ showed how she does not give up even upon reproof so that the great virtue in the woman was revealed. His words were spoken not in insult, but calling her forth, and revealing the treasure within her.”(4)

Our times of struggling to wait for God's answer may be similar to the Canaanite Woman, that He may reveal something greater within us during the humble-patient waiting period. We must remain persistent as she was, running to the Church as she did to Christ.

As St Paisios describes, our prayer requires both persistent faith and humble patience. So let us never give up, while remaining humble, seeking the revelation of God's will in everything we do.

Resources:

1) Matthew 15:21-28 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

2) Matthew 15:23 & 15:25 "But He answered her not a word...Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” She persisted in Faith, even in the face of silence.

3) Matthew 15:26-27 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Even in the face of a road block, she accepted it with humility, not challenging Christ's words but continuing in Faith asking for even the smallest bit of mercy.

4) St John Chrysostom, Homily 52.

“When you read the lives of the saints, you have before your very eyes living translations of the Gospel...

and you see their courage, their love for God,

and your heart is set afire, you become inspired.”

- Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer pg 132. 

Reflection: 

“Do we know the saints of our Church?”(1)

“They are our brothers and sisters. We are members of the same family. We have the same father, God, and the same mother, the Church. We eat the same food, Holy Communion. We have all come forth from the same spiritual womb, have been nourished on the same milk, dined at the same table. Do we know our siblings, the saints of the Church?”(2) 

“Just like when your family gathers for dinner, and one of the children is late, and everyone waits for him/her, so it is with the saints, who are waiting for all of us, for me and for you.”(3)

So let us seek out and read the lives of the saints, witness the living Gospel, come to know our siblings the saints, and take in their courage and love for God.  Since they are alive in Christ, let us ask for their intercession and walk with them in our journey toward the Heavenly Kingdom.

Resources:

1) Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer pg 132.

2) Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer pg 132.

3) Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer pg 132.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

- St Paul, Galatians 5:22-23

Reflection:

Recently, have we acted in or experienced any of the fruits of the Holy Spirit?  

If we have not exhibited or experienced these attributes recently, that should wake us up to realize we are veering off the path of the Gospel of Christ.  It is not our environment, but what is within us that needs to be addressed and guided back toward a relationship with Christ. 

Let us examine(1) our: day, behavior, thoughts, feelings, words, and actions and compare them to the fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned by St Paul.  

Once we determine where we are lacking (since all people do lack somewhere in that list), let us run to Christ and re-engage our life in the Church in an even stronger way than ever before. 

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, may we strive toward growing closer to Christ and making room in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to work through us. 

Resources:

1) 2 Corinthians 13:4-6

“We enter into prayer without realizing it. Converse with Christ, conversation, the reading of Scripture, the singing of psalms, the light of an oil lamp and the fragrance of incense all create the appropriate atmosphere so that everything happens naturally, in simplicity of heart.”

- St Porphyrios, Wounded by Love, pg 114. 

Reflection: 

Have we struggled to pray or to get through our day lately?(1)  

It helps tremendously to be immersed in the environment of Christ and go to the Church to pray, relaxing with God, or when that is not available, create that environment at home as St Porphyrios describes.  

Whenever we feel off, let us immerse ourselves in the environment of the Church, reaching out to God in that prayerful environment given to us by Christ Himself.

Resources:

1) John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

- St Paul, Colossians 3:15. 

Reflection: 

What feelings do we allow to rule in our hearts? What kinds of thoughts preoccupy most of our time? 

St Paul reminds us that in order to follow Christ’s prayer(1) that His disciples (we) be united as one as He, the Father, and Holy Spirit are one: we must strive to have the peace of God rule in our hearts. 

But what leads our effort to be united to every person around us, to have true inner peace? To be thankful for each and every one of them.  

In order to be thankful for our neighbors, we must recognize the good in them, pray for them, and make a lot of efforts to reconcile as well as build up all of our neighbors (family, friends, and strangers)(2). 

Let us find ways to genuinely be thankful for every person in our life, for the work involved in reaching that place in our hearts will allow God to enter and give us His Peace and our lives will be fulfilled in ways we cannot even imagine.  

Resources:

1) John 17

2) Galatians 6:1-3

“When someone has a vice we should try to bombard him/her with rays of love and compassion so that he/she may be cured and freed. These things are achieved only through the grace of God. Think that this person is suffering more than you… we must adopt an attitude of care, respect, and prayer.”

- St Porphyrios, Wounded by Love, pg 183. 

Reflection: 

Imagine being a ray of light for someone in darkness. Our light is our gifts of love, patience and compassion. How might their outlook change? How might we feel?  

When we give our light in the face of darkness, we open the door (and keep it open) to growth, healing, and repentance for everyone involved. 

Christ sacrificed Himself for us in the face of (and for) all of our faults and sins, so we must emulate Christ’s love for His Church in all of our interactions. When someone is going down a bad path or acts toward us in negative ways - we are called to choose empathy(1), even when we do not feel like it, and our feelings will follow. 

This is very difficult to achieve, and we must constantly ask for God’s help along the way. 

Let us strive to choose empathy with all people, in all situations, so that we may follow in the footsteps of Christ and the Apostles and be the light of Christ in the world.(2)  As Christ’s light, let us become beacons of healing, keeping the door open for growth for everyone and ourselves.

Resources:

1) Matthew 5:44

2) Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."

“We enter into the Church - to unite ourselves with our fellow people, with the joys and sorrows of each and everyone, to feel that they are our own, to pray for everyone, to have care for their salvation, to forget about ourselves, to do everything for them as Christ did for us.” 

- St Porphyrios, Wounded by Love, pgs 88-89. 

Reflection: 

How do we unite ourselves like this with everyone? By loving God and neighbor.(1)

When we unite ourselves to everyone by loving God and neighbor, our life will feel more fulfilling, our purpose more clear, and joyful. By loving God and neighbor we put them first, a way of living which edifies and strengthens our heart and soul - because imitating Christ’s sacrificial love edifies and strengthens us. 

It is in the journey toward uniting ourselves with everyone else that we become our most authentic self, while becoming the one Body of Christ; the Church. 

The qualities it takes to love God and unite ourselves with our neighbor, along with the relationships formed with God and one another, shape our heart to be Christ like, resulting in the freedom to live as our truest and best self.  

The more we give, love, think of, care for, pray for, and walk along with people through their joys and sorrows (making them our own), the more Christ-like we become, the more freedom we will live in, and the most sincere joy we will experience. 

“Christ is revealed in that unity between His love and ourselves: the Church. On my own I am not the Church, but together with you.”(2)

Resources:

1) Mark 12:30-31

2) St Porphyrios, Wounded by Love, pg 88.

“Prayer - proseuche - is turning towards a person (Christ). 

Prayer of the heart - euche -  is a kind of state of being, so to speak, resting in and enjoyment of the place where God is.”

- Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer, pg 13.  

Reflection: 

The sacraments and our personal prayer necessitate each other; neither one is fully authentic if either one is absent in our lives. God, through worship and the sacraments stretches out toward us, and we through prayer, stretch out toward Him, until our total union comes about.(1) 

“When we speak of the inner prayer of the heart, we do not call it ‘proseuche’ (prayer towards someone), but rather ‘euche’, indicating (by the absence of the prefix ‘pros’) that the progression of prayer “toward” a specific person, with a goal of union with that person, has in a sense been achieved."(2)

Through worship and the sacraments we allow God to dwell within us, and we take refuge in and willfully acknowledge His direct presence. We open our hearts to freely receive Him in our lives.

Let us come to know He Whom we are praying to (worship/sacraments), and also reach out to Him expressing our love and opening our hearts (prayer). 

Then we can rest in and enjoy the place where God is: in our hearts. (Once we have let Him in via the sacraments and prayer).

Resources:

1) Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer, pg 13.  

2) Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, The Church at Prayer, pg 13.