Holy Resurrection
YouTube
St. Paisios: Self-Interest Blocks Prayer, Love Opens Heavens
5:26
The video presents a teaching from St. Paisios the Athonite, drawn from his Spiritual Counsels on Prayer, Chapter 3, 'So That God May Hear Us,' pages 17-19. The Elder explains that spiritual nobility, or philotimo, and self-sacrifice are necessary for communion with Christ because self-interest creates insulation that separates a person from God.
He states that a monastic may fulfill obediences and prayer rules yet remain spiritually impoverished if he neglects love for the brethren. Communion with Christ requires that Christ find rest in one's whole life, and Christ finds rest when a person gives rest to his neighbor. Spiritual practices performed without self-sacrifice and love for others are rendered fruitless.
The Elder illustrates this with two experiences. As a novice, he served an exhausted 80-year-old elder despite a brother's warning that it would disrupt his prayer rule. The Elder says the brick tea brought to the suffering monk counted more in God's eyes than prostrations and prayer ropes performed with ease while refusing to help.
Later at Sinai during a severe drought, the monks refused thin olive branches to Bedouins for cooking and warmth. The Elder gathered and gave all the branches to them. An elderly Bedouin said, 'You're a good man. It will rain,' and before the Elder returned to the monastery it rained heavily. The Bedouin's prayer opened the heavens.
Key moments
- Cultivate spiritual nobility (philotimo) so that self-interest departs; self-interest hinders prayers by creating insulation between a person and God.
- A monastic can fulfill spiritual duties and practice asceticism yet fall short in self-sacrifice and love for the brethren, remaining spiritually impoverished.
- Communion with Christ requires that Christ find rest in one's whole life, and Christ finds rest when you give rest to your neighbor.
- Spiritual practices performed without self-sacrifice and love for others are rendered fruitless.
- As a novice, the Elder brought soup, tea, and a warm brick to an exhausted 80-year-old elder despite a brother's warning that it would disrupt his prayer rule.
- The Elder states that in God's eyes the brick tea counted for more than the prostrations and prayer ropes performed with ease while refusing to help the suffering elder.
- At Sinai during a severe drought, the monks refused thin olive branches to Bedouins for cooking and warmth; the Elder gathered and gave all the branches to them.
- An elderly Bedouin said, 'You're a good man. It will rain,' and before the Elder returned to the monastery it rained heavily; the Bedouin's prayer opened the heavens.