The Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian, Revised Edition NEW!

The long-awaited revised editon of THE ASCETICAL HOMILIES OF ST. ISAAC THE SYRIAN is here!  

 

(ASH) THE ASCETICAL HOMILIES OF SAINT ISAAC THE SYRIAN, Revised Edition, translated by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, are sublime treatises on the life of prayer and stillness—hesychasm—and have been treasured by monastics and layman alike. The book includes among other things an introduction discussing what we know of the Saint's life and the manuscripts of the homilies and the various translations of them, with maps, and Appendices with homilies by Saint Isaac only in the Syriac, a Glossary of special terms, and more. Includes all the homilies by Saint Isaac in the first edition plus two newly translated from the Syriac that were omitted from the first edition. A major work of scholarship.  Fine cloth bound edition, 6 x 9-3/4 in, printed in two colors on archival paper. Appendices B and D and the Epilogue on the Persian Church are not included, but are available as a free download from www.thehtm.org   608pp.   e$70.00    Order from St Nectarios Press and Bookstore

Pain of Heart according to Fr Seraphim Rose

This book is available from St Herman Press

In my search for those things that can help me in my purpose to

achieve the purification of my heart, I pay particular attention to

those words, writings and personal encounters in which I come 

face to face with real Orthodox spiritual experience. It is very hard
to describe it. The gift of spiritual discernment is given to those
advanced in the spiritual life but, at a more humble level, there is
something to be said about the simplicity of a soul that intuitively
recognizes the still small voice of her Creator, our Lord Jesus
Christ, in the humble disguise of our fellow human beings who
know Him, and in the providential circumstances of our lives.

Fr Seraphim Rose knew very well how to recognize this small

voice and the state of a heart that is perceptive and open to
divine grace. He calls it 'pain of heart'. His disciple Fr
Damascene, describes this spiritual state in page 471 of the
book 'Father Seraphim Rose His Life and Works',
"Pain of Heart. In this is found the last and most crucial key to 

Fr. Seraphim's entry into the mind of the Fathers.In the Patristic

writings, 'pain of heart' generally refers to an elemental
inward suffering , the bearing of an interior cross while
following Jesus Christ, and a spirit broken in contrition.

'Suffering', Father Seraphim stated, 'is the reality of the human

condition and the beginning of true spiritual life'. From Archbishop 

John (of San Francisco), who had utterly crucified himself in this life,
Fr Seraphim had learned how to endure this suffering in thankfulness
to God, and from him he had learned its fruits. If used in the right way,
suffering can purify the heart and 'the pure in heart shall see God'
(Matthew 5:8). 'The right approach' wrote Fr. Seraphim ' is found
in a heart which tries to humble itself and simply knows that it
is suffering, and that there somehow exists a higher truth which
can not only help this suffering, but can bring it into a totally
different dimension.'

According to St Mark the Ascetic (fifth century), 'Remembrance of God
is pain of heart endured in the spirit of devotion. But he who forgets
God becomes self indulgent and insensitive'. And in the words of
St Barsanuphius the Great of Egypt, whose counsels Fr. Seraphim
translated into English, 'Every gift is received  through pain of heart'.

Besides its general meaning, 'pain of heart' has a liturgical meaning
in the writings of the church Fathers, for when the heart is
concentrated in fervent prayer to Christ, it may be actually
pained. As Fr. Seraphim noted, in Patristic terminology the
'heart' does not mean mere 'feeling', but 'something much
deeper - the organ that knows God'. The heart is both spiritual
and physical: spirituality is the center of man's being, identified
with his nous (spirit); physically, it is the organ where the nous
finds its secret dwelling place. Concentrated within the spiritual
heart, the nous cries out to the Savior, and such a heart-cry
born in pain and desperation, yet hoping in God - calls down
Divine grace. 

This is seen especially in the Orthodox practice of the Jesus Prayer.
(Note: The Jesus Prayer reads, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have
mercy on me,  the sinner'. It is very common to use an abbreviated form
such as, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me'). When we approach
the Jesus Prayer simply, says Elder Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994),
'we will be able to repeat it many times, and our heart will feel a sweet
consolation inside our heart'.


'The Patristic teaching on pain of heart', Fr Seraphim wrote, 'is one
of the most important teachings for our days when head-knowledge is
so over-emphasized at the expense of the proper development of 
emotional and spiritual life. The lack of this essential experience is 
what above all is responsible for the dilettantism (superficiality, lack
of discipline), the triviality, the want of seriousness in the ordinary
study of the Holy Fathers today; without it, one cannot apply the
teachings of the Holy Fathers to one's own life....without pain of heart,
one can be a barren fig tree, a boring 'know it all' who is always
correct...(one) who does not know and cannot convey the true spirit of
the Holy Fathers."
From Fr Seraphim Rose - His Life and Works p. 471-472, by Hieromonk Damascene,
St Herman Press 2003
   

Sermon on St Dionysius the Areopagite

Archpriest Andrew PhillipsSermon on St. Dionysius the AreopagiteAfter the martyrdom of his spiritual father the Apostle Paul, Dionysius conceived of the desire to follow in his footsteps. Thus, he left Athens and travelled to Greek settlements in the West. According to tradition, he ended up, not among the many Greeks in Rome, but elsewhere among Greeks in the Roman Empire, in Gaul, in what is today Paris. It was here at the end of the first century that the elderly Dionysius found martyrdom.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent - A Treasure of Orthodox Christian Tradition

Available from Orthodox Christian Recorded Books

This ancient classic of Orthodox spirituality is now in audio CD
format. The writings of St John of the Ladder are deep, and
require reflection and prayer for us to be able to understand
and assimilate. The Ladder represents, in a nutshell, the
mindset of the Orthodox way of life. How wonderful that this
resource is now available in the form of this readily 
accessible media!
"Saint John's Ladder expresses the Orthodox view that spiritual
perfection, theosis, salvation is not something attained all at
once, as by a leap, but comes after a long arduous process
spiritual striving or askesis. In this process, with sustained effort
one rises gradually from lower to higher and higher levels of
spiritual development. Thus, in the ninth step, St John remarks:
"The holy virtues are like Jacob's Ladder. For the virtues, leading
from one to another, bear him who chooses them to Heaven."

Commenting on this, Saint Symeon the New Theologian says:
"Those who want to climb these steps climb the first rung of the
Ladder, then the second, then the third, and so on.... In this way
one can rise from earth to Heaven" (Tou Hosiou Symeon tou
Neou Theologou ta Heuriskomena Panta, p. 368). The first step

of spiritual ascent, says Climacos, "consists in these three 

virtues: guilelessness (or truthfulness), fasting, and temperance.
All babes in Christ begin with these virtues, taking as their
model natural babes. For in these you will never find anything sly
or deceitful. And they have no insatiate appetite, no insatiable
stomach, no body that is on fire or bestialized." These three
virtues will serve, he says, as a secure foundation for the rest."
 Source

 

 
Patriarch Jacob' Dream Source

On Slander

Source

Our Orthodox Faith has everything we need to grow and be healed.
We all, at one time or another, have been victims of unfair criticism
and judgment. Unfortunately, most of us have at some time said or
thought something negative about someone else. Our Church has
a spiritual cure for this problem.

As a general rule, we should never accept it when anyone comes to us
with negative ‘information’ about our brother. A fragment from a Church
Father from the 2nd century (Antonius, Book 2 Sermon 69) states,
“Never be afraid of the slanderer who addresses you. But rather say;
“STOP, brother; I daily commit more grievous errors, and how can I
judge him?”

For you will gain two things, healing with one plaster both yourself and
your neighbor. He shows what is really evil. Whence by these arguments,
God has contrived to make each one’s disposition manifest”.

It is not virtue what moves that person to speak against his or her brother but the evil one, the passions. St John Chrysostom says that even when the gossip is true, it is still slander because the intention is to destroy our brother. If there is something that needs our assessment we should go to our spiritual father and ask him. We should also trust our priest, the man that will answer to God for our soul, with the government of the house of God and whatever evaluation and course of action that any particular situation requires.

But more often than not, what is spread around is a lie. St John
Chrysostom in his explanation of the Gospel of St Matthew
says; “Wherefore not those that are slandered but the
slanderers have need to be anxious and to tremble. For
the former are not constrained to answer for themselves
touching the evil things that are said of them, but the latter
will, for the evil they have spoken. So that the persons
censured should be without anxiety, not having to give
account of the evil that others have said; but the censurers
have cause to be in anxiety, and to tremble, as being
themselves to be dragged before the judgment seat in that
behalf. For this is indeed a diabolical snare, and a sin having
in it no pleasure, but harm only. Yeah such a one is laying up
an evil treasure in his soul. Do not now, I warn thee, seize
upon the privilege of the Only Begotten (Jesus Christ). For
Him is the throne of judgment reserved”.

In the Homilies on First Corinthians, St John states; “Bearing in mind these things therefore let us have a care of our own members, and not sharpen the tongue against one another, nor speak words which may do hurt, undermining the fame of our neighbor, and as in war and battle, giving and receiving blows. For what after all is the good of fasting or watching, when the tongue is drunken, and feasts itself at a table more unclean than of dog’s flesh, when it is grown ravening after blood and pours out filth, and makes the mouth a channel of a sewer, nay rather something more abominable than that?

For “Judge not” said He “that ye be not judged” Matthew 7:1 since he too who spoke evil of the publican was condemned, although it was true which he laid to his neighbor’s charge.

But hast thou a fancy to avenge thyself on the other person? Why then punish thyself instead of him? Nay do thou, who art so earnestly seeking redress from those who have annoyed thee, avenge thyself as Paul recommended to take vengeance; “If thy enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink (Rom.12:20) But if thou do not so, but only plot against him, thou pointest the sword against thyself. Wherefore if that other speak evil, answer him with praises and commendations.

St John Climacus in the Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 89-92 has some very important things to say, "Slander is born of hatred and remembrance of wrongs. I have heard people slandering and I have rebuked them. And these doers of evil replied in self defence that they were doing so out of love and care for the person whom they were slandering. I said to them; ‘Stop that kind of love, otherwise you will be condemning as a liar him who said; “Him that privaly talked against his neighbor, did I drive away” Psalm 3:5. If you say you love, then pray secretly, and do not mock the man. For this is the kind of love that is acceptable to the Lord.

But I will not hide this from you: Judas was in the company of Christ’s disciples and the thief was in the company of murderers. Yet it is a wondrous thing, how in a single instant, they exchanged places.

I have known a man who sinned openly and repented secretly. I condemned him as a profligate, but he was chaste before God, having propitiated Him by a
genuine conversion. 

A charitable and sensible mind takes careful note of whatever virtues
it sees in anyone. But a fool looks for faults and defects. Do not
condemn, even if you see with your eyes, for they are often
deceived”.

Elder Ephraim writes in 'Counsels from the Holy Mountain' p.208
“Each person must bear the weaknesses of others. Who is perfect?
Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled? Hence, we are
all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that
he himself is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another
sick person”.

"Spread your cloak over the man who is falling and cover him. And
if you cannot take upon yourself his sins and receive his chastisement
in his stead, then at least patiently suffer his shame and do not
disgrace him". St Isaac the Syrian, in Homily 51 of the 1st part as
quoted by Matthew the Poor in 'Orthodox Prayer Life' p.143 no.165,
St Vladimir Seminary Press, N.Y. 2003

The Foolishness of the Cross - Love your Enemies!

Icon of Christ carrying His cross, Church of Panagia Dexia,
Thessaloniki, Greece

"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18
NASB BibleGateway.com

I have always read the following passage from the Gospel according to St Luke,  with a sense of astonishment;
"“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your
coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the
same.If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father
is merciful."Luke 6:27-36 NASB Source-BibleGateway.com 
The commandment has a sense of absoluteness. It demands total and unconditional surrender of oneself. And I have to confess that I did not understand it. What Christ is asking seems inhumane!

Does He mean this literally?, I continually asked myself. What kind of a person behaves in this way and is able to survive? And I thought, "there is no way I can fulfill this commandment!"

I read St Silouan, "Blessed is the soul that loves her brother, for our brother is our life. Blessed is the soul that loves her brother: the Spirit of the Lord lives manifest within her, affording peace and gladness, and she weeps for the whole world." From 'St Silouan the Athonite' by Archimandrite Sophrony p.371, St Vladimir Seminary Press 1991

Such words sound so simple but it takes a heart full of the Holy Spirit to understand. I thought, "Alright, maybe finding out what St Silouan means by 'love' will help, and immediately recalled 
1 Corinthians 13, where it reads,

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek it's own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” NASB 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 And I despaired of ever been
able to live and experience this love.

Then I read this passage from St Silouan;
"The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies...The Lord taught me to love my enemies. Without the grace of God we cannot love our enemies. Only the Holy Spirit teaches love,..."
And I realized that my feelings of impotence are warranted, that is, if I  think I am called to have this love in the power of my human strength. The beloved Elder knows this and he has words of
encouragement for us, "To begin with, constrain your heart to love enemies, and the Lord,
seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will show you the way. But the man who thinks with malice of his enemies has not God's love within him, and does not know God."

"If you cannot love, then at least do not revile or curse your enemies, and things will already be better; but if a man curses and abuses his
enemies, it is plain that an evil spirit lives in him, and if he does not repent, when he dies he will go to the place where evil spirits dwell.

May the Lord preserve every soul from such adversity!"  
From, 'St Silouan the Athonite', p377 to p.378


The words are comforting but also bring fear, hopefully the fear of God. It is this fear that moves me to constrain myself and struggle towards God and not away from Him. God loves us so much, that His Providence makes a plan for us. How, you may ask? 

The beloved Bishop of Zicha knows very well how, as revealed by his prayer,

"LORD, BLESS MY ENEMIES, A Prayer by St. Nikolai of Ochrid

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.
Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from Earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world. Enemies have
made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter
than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your
tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.
They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.
They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.
They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself. They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.
Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf. Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background. Whenever I have rushed
to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand. 

Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep. Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out. Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of your garment.

Bless my enemies, Ο Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitter against me: so that my fleeing to You may have no return;
so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs; so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul; so that my heart may
become the grave of my two evil twins: arrogance and anger; so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven; ah, so that I may for
once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life. Enemies have taught me to know what
hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself. One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize
that they are not enemies, but cruel friends. It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies. Therefore bless, Ο Lord, both
my friends and my enemies. A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands. For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them."
From 'Prayer LXXV, Prayers by the Lake p.142-144, Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, Trans. by Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Todor Mitka, 1999 ORTHODOX HERITAGE. APRIL 2005. BROTHERHOOD OF ST. POIMEN Source

Immediately two things seem very clear, I must pray to God with perseverance to be able to learn to love my enemies, and I must trust in, and submit to God's Providence as revealed in the 
circumstances of my life.

Father Zacharias Zacharou explains, "God's commandments are beyond man's conception and power to fulfill. We are humbled from the moment we come in contact with them. The commandments of God have the specific effect of crushing the arrogance of our darkened minds and hearts as to clear the way for grace to dwell 
within us. They shed light on our imperfection, on our spiritual poverty and weakness, so that we cry out to God from the heart, asking Him to come and fulfill His own commandments in us. This
is the only way, as He Himself said, "Without Me ye can do nothing." John 15:5
From 'Remember Thy First Love' p.318, by Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou, Stravopegic Monastery of St John the Baptist, Essex, England, 2010

"The very greatness of loving our enemies is obvious from this simple example: if we have a misunderstanding with someone and we ourselves are to blame, how difficult we find it to humble ourselves and say, 'Forgive me, I made a mistake' But how much greater the crucifixion of ourselves if we are to love someone who has provoked us, even as our conscience tells us that we are blameless. This, however is the way of Christ, Who loved us unto the end even while
we were His enemies. ..

Love for one's enemies, then, is the 'madness' of our faith, 'the foolishness of the cross'. And woe unto him who does not accept this foolishness! His is foolishness of a different kind: 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God' Psalm 14:1. There is indeed no God for him, for he is unmoved at seeing Christ-God with arms outstretched
upon the cross in love for His enemies. Such a fool is so  hardened that the word of life, the word of the cross, no longer penetrates his heart.
And this word is the one that speaks most eloquently to us of what love for our enemies truly is." Ibid p.320-321

I am speechless! With pain of heart I acknowledge that I do not yet possess this love. But I can pray, I can ask, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Transform my heart of stone. I believe, help my unbelief!"

And while I pray, there is also something else I can do, I can start to act as if I had this love... 

You Write about Anger in the Heart of a Fool

Elder Joseph the Hesychast available from Uncut Mountain Supply

Sixth Letter
You write about anger in the heart of a fool
"So listen to me once again. Lay a solid foundation. Build a beautiful little palace in the heavens. Clean the inside of the
cup, as the Lord instructs us, so that the outside becomes
clean as well, because everything done with the body 
resembles leaves which merely decorate the outer man.
Those works are well and good, but everything I have written
to you about previously is what cleanses a person internally.
These things will open the eyes of the soul. It is through them
that the heart is purified to see God on that day. For without 
noetic work, there is little benefit from outer works.

If you do not see tears pouring forth every time you remember
God, you suffer from ignorance, which leads to pride and 
hardness of heart. So let humility serve as a garment in all
your actions, and become a sponge in the brotherhood that 
mops up every reproach and abasement. Do not water your
soul with honors and praises but with reproaches and
accusations, even if you are innocent.

Never seek to find what is just, because then you are unjust.
On the contrary, learn to endure temptations bravely, regardless
of what kind the Lord permits. Without a lot of excuses, just say,
"Forgive me !" and without actually being at fault, repent as if
you were. Do so with conviction of soul; not just outwardly
admitting to be at fault for the sake of praise, while inwardly
judging.

During times of affliction do not seek human consolation,
so that God may console you.

The bridge we must all cross is to forgive the transgressions of others. However if you don't forgive them, you destroy the bridge 
that you should have crossed. So become a good model and
example to others through your good and God-pleasing deeds
and do not wish to defeat everyone with your words.

Do not think that you will find rest when you speak out
seeking justice for yourself. Justice is to endure with bravery
the temptation that comes so that you emerge victorious, whether
or  not you are at fault. But if you say, "But why?", you are 
fighting against God Who sent the afflictions because of your
passionate* (see notes below) condition. God disciplines us so
that we reach dispassion. Thus, if you do not endure it, truly you
are fighting against God.

You write about anger in the heart of a fool. Anger in itself is 
natural. Just as the body has nerves, the soul has anger. Every-
one should use it against the demons, heretics, and anyone who 
hinders us from the path of God. However, if you get angry with
your fellow brothers, or get in a rage and ruin the works of your 
hands, know that you are suffering from vainglory and are 
abusing the nerve of your soul. You are delivered from this 
passion through love towards all and true humility.

Therefore when anger comes, close your mouth tightly, and do
not speak to him who curses, dishonors, reproaches or bothers
you in any way without reason. Then this snake will writhe around
in your heart, rise up to your throat, and (since you don't give it a
way out) will choke and suffocate. When this is repeated several
times, it will diminish and cease entirely.

Since man was created rational and gentle, he is corrected far
better with love and gentleness than with anger and harshness.
after much and through testing, I have also found that with
goodness and love you can pacify many. And if someone is of 
good intentions, you can quickly make him comply and become
and angel of God.

So this is what I would say to you and to everyone: never seek
to correct each other with anger, but only with humility and 
sincere love, because one temptation does not cast out another
temptation. When you see anger ahead, forget about correcting
for the moment. Once you see that the anger has passed, that
peace has come, and that your powers of discernment are 
functioning correctly, then you can speak beneficially.

I have never seen anyone corrected through anger, but always
through love: and then he will even make sacrifices. Therefore,
this is how you should act. Take yourself for example: how are
you pacified - with curses or with love?

Don't you marvel at the words of that saint in 'The Sayings of the
Desert Fathers', "An angry and irritable man is not accepted in
the kingdom of God even if he raises the dead!" ?

For the rest of the letter please read, Monastic Wisdom, The
Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast p.60-63, St Anthony's
Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence, AZ 85232 

Available from Light & Life Publishing

Notes:
Passionate-
The word 'passionate' in this text is not used in any of the
secular senses of the word, but it is used to describe
someone or something subject to the passions.

Passion-
A passion is a spiritual disease that dominates the soul. 
When one repeatedly falls into a certain sin, it becomes 
second nature-a passion-for him to keep falling into this 
sin. Thus, one who misuses the God given powers of the
soul, of desire and anger, or one who succumbs to 
temptations of lust, hate, malice, or jealousy, or one who
succumbs to pride and vainglory, acquires those passions.
It is primarily through obedience to an experienced elder
that one is cleansed or healed of the passions and reaches
dispassion.