On Repentance by St Silouan the Athonite

Archimandrite Sophrony and his Elder,  St Silouan the Athonite (sitting)

"The truly repentant man readily bears every affliction - hunger and nakedness,  cold and heat,  sickness and poverty,  humiliation and exile,  injustice and slander; for his soul is turned with longing towards God,  and he has no care for earthly things but prays to God with a pure mind.

But the man who is attached to worldly goods and riches can never have a pure mind in God,  since in the depths of his soul he is constantly preoccupied with his possessions; and if he does not repent wholeheartedly,  and mourn at having grieved God,  he will die bearing the burden of his passions,  without having come to know the Lord."  St Silouan the Athonite
From St Silouan the Athonite by Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex, p. 349, translated by Rosemary Edmonds, SVS Press, Crestwood NY, 1991

St Silouan the Athonite (sitted) and his disciple Archimandrite Sophrony (behind his left shoulder)

New Books by Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex, U. K.

This book is available from St Tikhon's Bookstore
Note: 10/5/2015 Both of these books went out of print very quickly. A new edition will be available soon.

Contents
Preface
Part 1
    The Unity of the Church in the Image of the Holy Trinity
Part 2
     The Principles of Orthodox Asceticism
Part 3
     On the Necessity of the Three Renunciations in
            St John Cassian and St John Climacus
Part4
      The Light of Tabor

Index of Scriptural References

I just began to read this book.  I have the feeling that  I should be reading it on my knees, because I am reading wondrous things about God,  the Holy Trinity,  Who dwells in Light unapproachable. Elder Sophrony,  who saw and conversed with God in the Eternal Light, even while still living; describes Him Who is known in love, beyond words and human categories of thought. I am not worthy. One clearly understands why the six-winged seraphim cover their faces and their bodies with their wings as they worship crying out,  "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord our God!"

"God is Truth and Life, and in Him the saints too become living and true.’‘Every religion, all the old and new para-religious forms, the lives of the mystics — all have their ascetic culture, which varies in accordance with the underlying dogmatic consciousness. The dependence of the ascetic act on the form of dogmatic consciousness and, vice versa, the dependence of doctrine on spiritual experience, is a theme of great interest…’

This book is a collection of texts which all demonstrate Archimandrite Sophrony’s profound conviction that true life is based on true doctrine." from St Tikhon's website

This book is available from St Tikhon's Bookstore

Contents
Foreword

Talk to His Family

Letters to Maria
    There are 69 letters in this section.

Letters to Alexandra
     There are 8 letters in this section

Index of Biblical References

"This book consists of letters Archmandrite Sophrony wrote to his family in Moscow between 1958 and 1986, addressed in particular to his sisters Maria and Alexandra, as well as a talk recorded there in 1975. The talk and letters are rich in historical interest and in spiritual teaching, as well as providing insight into Archmandrite Sophrony’s life and his understanding of the state of mankind in the modern era." from St Tikhon's website

The Fathers' Response to the Three Kinds of Impulsivity by Fr Alexis Trader

From the Orthodox blog Ancient Christian Wisdom

"In our ever-changing, fast-paced contemporary world that rewards Type-A aggressive behaviorand a results-oriented lifestyle, impulsivity can become our default mode for interacting with the world. This “ready-fire-aim” approach to life can be framed as quick reflexes and speedy adaptation needed for success and getting ahead. Of course, if one’s gut reactions are wrong, that same approach can be one’s ruin.

Impulsivity, however, is not just about being an active, carpe-diem sort of person. Acting on the spur of the moment is only one of the measures of impulsivity used by psychologists. Other expressions of impulsivity include the inability to focus on a given task and difficulty with careful planning. In technical terms used in measures of impulsivity such as the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, psychologists refer to these factors as motor, attentional, and planning impulsiveness (Dougherty, Bjork, Marsh, & Moeller, 2000).

In each case, something else other than what we started to do grabs our attention and almost immediately we “decide” or rather let our impulse decide that that thing or that thought is desirable. And so without further ado or further reflection, we move our muscles, our intentions, and our thoughts in the direction that our impulses suggest. In many cases, the reward for giving in to our impulses is immediate, and so we learn to follow this easy, effortless behavioral pathway so much so that we may find ourselves having trouble getting anything done or even worse we may feel as though we are no longer really in control of ourselves.

In our political discourse, we see planning impulsivity when simplistic solutions are favored over patience wand negotiation. In our news media, we see a tipping of the hat to attentional impulsivity when information concerning daily events is delivered in terms of sound bites and easily digestible slogans. In our online activity, we see motor impulsivity when we surf the net clicking on link after link with no real forethought of where we might really be going. Often, we see all three kinds of impulsivity in our own selves: for instance when we open the refrigerator while daydreaming and forget about plans to diet. Such innocent impulsivity may not be a major problem, but when it is, it can disrupt our lives and the lives of others.

The old adage “think-before-you-act” is meant to contraindicate relying on impulsivity. Yet, the thrill of immediate action and the pleasure of instant gratification make thinking, patience and an appreciation of the complexity of a given situation unattractive alternatives. Impulsivity has indeed garnered a certain acceptance in a world that prizes the fulfillment of desires and the attainment of happiness as the ultimate goal in life. Nevertheless, psychologists and experts in the life of the spirit warn us that such behavior is actually deleterious in the long term.

In fact, the opposite of impulsivity—controlling one’s movements, focusing one’s thoughts, and planning one’s day—can bring other blessings the impulsive do not experience such as a sense of agency and a freedom to make hard choices that are ultimately more beneficial. The holy fathers’ counsels offer an alternative to impulsivity. It is called watchfulness. It means being aware of the thoughts, not reacting to the thoughts, and acting in a way that leads towards the blessedness of the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, the fathers offer a blessed way of life that is almost the mirror opposite of the impulsivity encouraged by contemporary culture.

In order to not impulsively do this or that, the fathers suggest being attentive, guarding the heart, and being watchful. At a preliminary stage, this involves simply being aware of the thoughts without acting on them or being aware of them and deliberately not acting on them. In other words, it involves not giving in to motor impulsivity."

To read this post in full,  please go to Ancient Christian Wisdom

Contemporary Charismatic Orthodox Elders by Metropolitan Athanasius of Cyprus

What are the characteristics of a true spiritual father or elder? Listen to this talk.

Elder Arsenie Boca - the Man of God

What an amazing life! Elder Arsenie is one of the most remarkable Orthodox saints and confessors of Communist Romania. His tomb is a pilgrimage destination for thousands. Many miracles happen at his tomb. For example, the flowers over his tomb never wither throughout the year. Elder Arsenie entered eternal life on November 28, 1989. May we have his blessing!

On the Divine Liturgy by Archimandrite Zacharias

Morning Prayers from an Old Russian Prayer Book

This is the garden outside the Church of St Panteleimon in Thessaloniki, Greece. I took this photo in the year 2000. This is my favorite church in Thessaloniki.

The Morning Prayers

The First Prayer of St Isaac the Syrian
O Lord Jesus Christ my God, Who dost visit Thy creation, to Thee are manifest my passions, and the frailty of my nature, and the strength of my adversary.  Do Thou Thyself, O Master, protect me from his malice, because his power is strong, where as my nature is passionate and my strength is feeble. Do Thou, O Good One, Who knowsest my weakness and hast borne the difficulties of my impotence, guard me against disordered thoughts and the flood of passions,  and make me worthy of this holy service, lest in my passions I spoil its sweetness and be found impudent and audacious in Thy sight. But in Thy mercy have mercy on me: For blessed art Thou unto the ages. Amen.

The Second Prayer of St Stephen of the Thebaid
O Master and Lord, Jesus Christ my God, be Thought my helper, I am in Thy hands. Suffer me not to sin, for I am tempted; suffer me not to perish in my sins. Take pity upon Thy creature. Cast me not away from Thy face on account of my sins, for to Thee have I fled. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Before Thee are all they that afflict me and seek after my soul to destroy it. I have no other refuge than in Thee, O Lord, for Thou art powerful in all things, O Lord. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,  now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Third Prayer of St John Chrysostom
O Lord, whether I will it or not, save me. As a filthy lover of material things I desire sinful defilement,  but as Thou art good and all powerful,  Thou canst hold me back. For if Thou hast mercy on a righteous man, it is no great thing; if Thou savest a pure man, it is nothing wonderful,  since they are deserving of Thy mercy. Rather, make known the wonder of Thy mercy in me, who am wretched, sinful and defiled, and show Thy compassion. Poor in all good works, I am a pauper, abandoned to Thee. O Lord save me for Thy mercy's sake: For blessed art Thou unto the ages. Amen.

The Fourth Prayer
O Master, have mercy on me for the sake of Thy goodness, and suffer me not to go astray from Thy will. And cast not my poor prayers away from Thy face, but hear O Lord, the voice of my prayer when I pray to Thee in the day and in the night, and accept it as choice incense. Withhold not Thy grace on account of my sins, but save me for Thy holy Name's sake. For Thine alone is to show mercy and save us, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,  now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Dismissal
Lord Jesus Christ,  Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, through the prayers of my holy Guardian Angel,  and of al the saints, have mercy on me and save me a sinner,  for Thou art good and lovest mankind. Amen.

Christ's Person as the Foundation of Church Life by Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid