Athonite Audio
YouTube
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi: Trials as Providential Instruments for Correction
8:39
The post presents teachings from Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi's work "On Trials and the Spiritual Law," drawn from the life and teachings of St. Joseph the Hesychast. The elder's guiding principle was "Give blood and receive the spirit," meaning that resolve and daring, joined with faith in God, draw down divine energy that heals and completes what is lacking.
He judged every event by the spiritual law, tracing outcomes back to their initial provocation with such precision that his disciples were astounded at the place the law of the spirit of life held within him. The elder taught that repentance must be accompanied by painful toil to satisfy the spiritual law; when a disciple made a mistake, he assigned a penance of pointless labor and explained that without a corresponding degree of painful toil alongside repentance, the judgment of the spiritual law is not satisfied and an unknown trial may befall.
Abba Mark is cited teaching that real knowledge is patiently to accept affliction and not to blame others for our own misfortunes. The elder regarded misfortunes as providential instruments for correction, calling them trials, and repeated the patristic saying: take away trials and no one would be saved. His experience centered on a double duty: to deal wisely with the causes and occasions of temptations to forestall them, and when they occur to confront them bravely with faith and hope of the ensuing benefit.
Two titanic forces, love toward God and love of this world, create an unbreakable tug of war with man in the middle; trials are the occasions that awaken those entangled in these opposing loves. God calls all but tests those who accept in proportion to the knowledge given; the negative side is the love of this world, which is in the power of the evil one and deceives some while attempting to stifle others by open force.
Natural needs, passions, demons, and the law of sin in our members all conspire against our good intention, and only the misfortunes called trials can wake us and push us forward.
Key moments
- The elder's motto "Give blood and receive the spirit" expresses that resolve and daring, combined with faith in God, arouse divine energy which heals what is infirm and completes what is wanting.
- The elder judged everything by the spiritual law, analyzing events from their results back to the initial provocation with such precision that his disciples were astounded at the place the law of the spirit of life held within him.
- When the speaker made a mistake, the elder gave a penance of pointless labor and explained that without a corresponding degree of painful toil alongside repentance, the judgment of the spiritual law is not satisfied and an unknown trial may befall.
- Abba Mark teaches that real knowledge is patiently to accept affliction and not to blame others for our own misfortunes.
- The elder regarded misfortunes as providential instruments for correction, calling them trials, and repeated the patristic saying: take away trials and no one would be saved.
- The elder's experience centered on a double duty: to deal wisely with the causes and occasions of temptations to forestall them, and when they occur to confront them bravely with faith and hope of the ensuing benefit.
- Two titanic forces, love toward God and love of this world, create an unbreakable tug of war with man in the middle; trials are the occasions that awaken those entangled in these opposing loves.
- God calls all but tests those who accept in proportion to the knowledge given; the negative side is the love of this world, which is in the power of the evil one and deceives some while attempting to stifle others by open force.