Athonite Audio

The speaker explains that Christian patience is not passive endurance but a courageous, grace-filled acceptance of suffering that perfects faith and leads to hope. He cites Scripture and Church Fathers to show that tribulation produces perseverance, character, and a hope that does not disappoint. Isaiah 40:31 promises renewed strength for those who wait on the Lord.

John 15:2 indicates patience in trial bears fruit. Hebrews 10:36 links patience to preserving faith and prayer alive. James 1:2-4 teaches that the testing of faith produces patience, and patience's perfect work makes one complete. James 1:12 declares blessed the man who endures temptation. Romans 8:18 states present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with future glory. Revelation 3:19 describes divine discipline as a kiss of God.

St. Basil the Great teaches that God grants help from under excessive affliction; tribulation leads to hope that does not disappoint, and we should not seek human help but pray fervently. The example of Job illustrates steadfast patience amid extreme loss and pain: he endured loss, disease, betrayal, yet remained firmer than a rock, and St. John Chrysostom commends his virtues.

From exile, Chrysostom encourages patience, urging believers to rejoice in sufferings because they burn away sins and brighten virtue. The martyrs and saints demonstrate that patience is the mark of spiritual strength. St. Ignatius compares the Christian to an anvil that endures blows.

Clement of Alexandria states we must endure to the end to be saved. Ultimately, the speaker says we must endure to the end, for only then will we receive the crown of life and sit with Christ on His throne.

Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona delivered a homily on the feast of the Three Hierarchs defining Orthodoxy as the truth handed down from Christ through the apostles, evangelists, and spirit-bearing fathers from Polycarp to St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite. The homily presents Orthodoxy as a synthesis of dogma and ethos formally delineated by the ecumenical councils and confirmed by millions of martyrs from the amphitheaters of Rome to the concentration camps of Russia.

The elder describes Orthodoxy expressing itself in liturgical worship joining the natural with the supernatural, in monasticism as a spiritual army for freedom and perfection, and in philanthropy beginning with the seven deacons in Jerusalem and continuing through St. Basil's Basiliad in Caesarea, daily meals in Constantinople, and obstetric centers in Alexandria.

He recounts the Church's heroism against heresies and persecutions from Julian the Apostate to the Iconoclasts, naming St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Theodore the Studite, St. Maximus the Confessor, and St. Mark the Gentle among the confessors. The faith was transmitted to barbaric nations without proselytizing but by radiating the Gospel with love.

The Three Hierarchs shine as stars guiding this royal path that preserves moderation and harmony against Eastern mysticism, the Papal Caesarian coalition, and Protestant rationalism. The speaker urges the faithful to know Orthodoxy not in theory but in practice, to live its full breadth and depth so they can convey it to others, because it is not a museum piece but life, creation, and light.

This narration presents Hypothesis 21 from the third book of the Evergetinos: the Christian, even when deprived of life's necessities, should not become fainthearted but should give thanks to the Lord, wait on Him, and hope without hesitation that God in His goodness will unfailingly provide. The hypothesis also holds that it is shameful for an ascetic, a servant of God, to associate with worldly people and ask for what he needs, even if he is burdened by poverty.

The text draws on the lives of St. Theodosios the Coenobiarch and St. Savvas, and on sayings from St. Ephraim, Abba Isaiah, Abba Isaac, St. Maximos, and the Gerontikon. In the life of St. Theodosios, his twelve disciples had no bread or oil on the eve of Pascha, not even bread for the divine liturgy. Theodosios told them to prepare only the holy table, for the one who fed Israel in the wilderness would provide.

At sunset a man arrived leading mules laden with foods suitable for ascetics, including bread for the holy table, and the provisions lasted until Pentecost. When the disciples pestered him to approach a wealthy almsgiver while they ate carob pods and roasted date pits, he answered, 'Who among those who have placed their confidence in God has ever been completely abandoned?' citing Jeremiah, Job and David.

On another occasion a laden animal halted against its driver's will and went to the monastery as if invisibly pulled; the driver gave twice what the other benefactor was accustomed to giving. In the life of St. Savvas, God sent a vision to Marcian in Bethlehem commanding him to send provisions to the destitute brothers at the Castellion.

Lacking money for cells, Savvas gave a half solidus as a deposit; a stranger gave the fathers 170 gold solidi and left without his name, and Savvas paid for the cells and built a hospice. When the lavra lacked even the prosphoron for Sunday liturgy, Savvas cited Matthew 6:34, and before Sunday men arrived with 30 pack animals loaded with wheat, wine, oil and other food.

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, in an excerpt from the book 'Saint Joseph the Hesychast: Struggles, Experiences, Teachings' published by the Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos (pages 195-198), describes negligence as the most implacable enemy of the Christian. He calls it a terrible conspirator against our lives that has wronged him many times.

In the language of the fathers it bears the names listlessness, acedia, negligence, and sloth, all meaning spiritual death, and it is counted among the eight evil thoughts. Asked what chiefly causes man to fail in his spiritual purpose, the elder answered that it is negligence: self-esteem corrupts treasures already amassed, while negligence does not even let you collect them.

He compares negligence to a drought in which nothing grows. It impedes those who want to make a start, stops those who have advanced, prevents the ignorant from learning, and keeps the fallen from rising. Listlessness uses the pretext of physical needs and weariness to hand us over to self-love, the more general enemy. Only a courageous soul grounded in faith and hope in God can overthrow this conspiracy.

The elder notes that listlessness cannot harm those under obedience who have tasks to perform. It begins with despondency and faint-heartedness, starts with economy towards some supposed infirmity, and ends in total disbelief, shamelessness, and ingratitude. For hesychasts it starts from neglect of the rule and order of their lives; for those living with others it begins with idle talk and backbiting.

As cures he recommends eschatological meditation on reward and punishment, on the kingdom of heaven and hell, remembrance of those who struggled, and the means of grace: prayer, tears, and faith.

This is the second section of Chapter 1, 'Confronting Pain,' from Part 2, 'The Benefits of Pain,' of a book on pain, read aloud on pages 154 to 166. The section treats the relation between pain and prayer. It begins with the link between faith and prayer: faith is a prerequisite for prayer, and prayer is the result of faith, shaping it as personal conversation with God.

The holy fathers call prayer a consolation and a guard against sorrow. The psalmist cries to God in the day of trouble and from the depths, with his whole heart, and Ecclesiasticus 51 describes calling on the Lord near death, with no man to help, praying for deliverance and wisdom. Christ himself prays in agony before his passion, teaching the filial prayer 'Abba, Father' and the obedient 'not what I will, but what thou wilt,' and the Father answers by sending the strengthening angel.

The Apostle Paul urges constant prayer in tribulation. Prayer made in the name of Jesus wants what he wants, carries sacramental power, eases pain, and brings the soul toward the kingdom; frequent invocation makes the supplicating cry a sacrament. Fathers cited include John Chrysostom, Isaac the Syrian, Gregory Palamas, John Climacus, Isaiah the Hermit, Mark the Ascetic, and Nicodemus the Hagiorite.

They teach that prayer in pain must be spontaneous, constant, and unceasing, since the name of Jesus scourges the demons and is the greatest weapon in heaven or on earth. Isaac the Syrian writes that this life was given for unceasing prayer and calls prayer a haven of assistance, a source of salvation, a treasury of confidence, and a harbor that saves from storms.

Gregory Palamas calls prayer a God-making virtue. The church prays incessantly in the liturgy for the sick and suffering, and only fervent prayer to the crucified and resurrected Jesus can console and sweeten our pain.

This video presents Part 2 of a series on the benefits of pain, covering Chapter 1, 'Confronting Pain: Pain and Faith' (pages 141-154), from a book by Georgia P. Kounavi published by Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece (first English edition 2001). The speaker quotes Elder Ephraim of Philotheou of Arizona, who teaches that within pain one can detect joy and hope, just as Christ's triumph sprang from his passion, and that great souls owe their grandeur to the heavy blows of pain.

Theologically, pain is the consequence of the fall and the fruit of disobedience; ethically, it is an opportunity and a means to acquire virtue and attain perfection. Whoever faces pain with the prism of eternity is already a victor. Faith, prayer, and holy patience are named as the antidotes to all forms of pain, the soul-saving medicines by which pain becomes a means of spiritual maturity, humility, and salvation.

Pain is also a severe temptation, since Satan casts doubts into us; doubts may come but should not make a home in us, and for most people the constant prayer remains 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief' (Mark 9:24). Faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ is tested and strengthened through sorrow, and sorrow works out patience and hope (Romans 5:3-5).

The speaker notes that doubt does not always indicate a lack of faith: faith entails risk and a painful and fearless journey to meet God, being a source of doubt and struggle before it becomes a source of serenity. A Christian should not become a helpless fatalist; we may defend ourselves against injustices, but if there is no other exit, we should pray for wrongdoers to stop their bad deeds.

The Lord shows himself according to the measure of each one's faith, doing few miracles in his own country because of their unbelief. The talk cites Scripture, St. Isaac the Syrian, St. Augustine, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and St. Demetrius of Rostov, and closes with the prayer: 'Come, my King, sit in the throne of my heart and reign there.'

Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou writes about his acquaintance with Saint Iakovos of Evia in an article first published in the magazine Peiraiki Ekklisia (vol. 303) in May 2018. He first met the elder at Pascha of 1982, when Saint Porphyrios directed him, then a 19-year-old student, to Iakovos, calling him the most humble of elders and a great saint because of his simplicity.

The Metropolitan recounts the elder's gifts: clairvoyance used pastorally, including a foretelling that Neophytos would become bishop of Morphou; the casting out of demons with the skull of Saint David; prayer as a spiritual father to see into hearts and to forget what he heard in confession, which God granted; and his constant plea of 'Forgive me' toward admirers and critics alike, because he saw himself as having fooled those who admired him and scandalized those who judged him.

To hide his holiness, the elder either spoke with the words of Saint David or called himself 'a fool, a worm of the earth'. The article describes the monastery's abundant hospitality to pilgrims, with coffee and meals prepared for every bus of visitors whether or not they could pay. Elder Cyril, the successor abbot, names spiritual fatherhood as the saint's greatest gift.

The longest section concerns the Divine Liturgy: Saint Iakovos saw angels during the Great Entrance, souls of the reposed at the Proskomide, including his parents, his sister Taisia passing through the toll houses, and Archbishop Makarios III, and beheld the life and passion of Christ. Saint Iakovos told the Metropolitan that when he became a hierarch and spoke about him, he would be speaking about the Holy Spirit who was within him.

The Metropolitan closes by urging contemporary Orthodox Christians to seek the faith and patience of the saints and to experience God rather than merely talk about Him, noting that the Church begets saints in every age.