Category Archives: Philokalia

Prayer of Repentance

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Administrator

Shall I be allowed to live for a short time longer, so as to weep bitter tears and cleanse my defiled body and soul? Or, after sorrowing for a while, shall I then stop once more, obdurate as always?  What … Continue reading →

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Preferring Possessions

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Administrator

64. I have heard certain pious men declare that, when people rob us of what we possess for our own support or for the relief of the poor, we should prosecute them, especially if the culprits are Christians; for, it … Continue reading →

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Not my own will

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Administrator

We have to make strenuous  efforts when  we  first try  to return  to where  we fell from.  For  we  resent  abandoning our own desires, and we think  that  we can carry  out  both  God’s wishes and our  own  – which … Continue reading →

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The image of God

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Administrator

It was because of this that the holy Logos of God took flesh and, being God, He bestowed on us through His own baptism the water of salvation, so that we might be reborn. Continue reading →

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Before baptism

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Administrator

Before holy baptism, grace encourages the soul towards good from the outside, while Satan lurks in its depths, trying to block all the intellect’s ways of approach to the divine. But from the moment that we are reborn through baptism, … Continue reading →

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Two Gifts of Baptism

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Administrator

And St Diadochos writes: ‘Divine grace confers on us two gifts through the baptism of regeneration, one being infinitely superior to the other. The first gift is given to us at once, when grace renews us in the actual waters … Continue reading →

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The Three Virtues

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Administrator

17. The three most comprehensive virtues of the soul are prayer, silence and fasting. Thus you should refresh yourself with the contemplation of created realities when you relax from prayer; with conversation about the life of virtue when you relax … Continue reading →

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Dislike of Self-display

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Administrator

seeing that he could speak eloquently with as much ease as others displayed when speaking in a normal way? But it was due to his long habit of silence and his dislike of self-display. Continue reading →

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Practice

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Administrator

4. Practice where the body is concerned consists of fasting and vigil; where the mouth is concerned it consists of psalmody. But prayer is better than psalmody, and silence is more valuable than speech. In the case of the hands, … Continue reading →

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Sing Psalms Out Loud

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Administrator

For the remembrance of God, keeping its fervor because the voice is restrained, enables the heart to have thoughts that bring tears and are peaceful …. Continue reading →

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