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Elder Paisios of Sihla on Weariness, Falls, and Patience
23:52
What the video says
The soul can grow weary from unanswered prayers, repeated falls, and slow spiritual progress, and the most dangerous thought is that there is no point in getting back up. Elder Paisios of Sihla answered this weariness with one word: patience. He taught that Christian patience means remaining with God while waiting, continuing to pray and hope when the heart is discouraged.
He advised a small daily rule of prayer, warned that pride can hide inside spiritual efforts, and pointed to humility discovered when we are contradicted, insulted, or forced to accept our weakness. His own final years of illness showed that he lived the patience he preached, praying through pain and weakness. The video closes with his frequent farewell, 'May we meet one another at the door of paradise,' and a call to do what depends on us today and entrust the rest to God's mercy.
Key moments
- The soul becomes tired not from unbelief but from carrying too much, and the dangerous thought is that there is no point in getting back up.
- Elder Paisios constantly exhorted patience: in temptations, with other people, with ourselves, and while waiting for the grace of God.
- Prayer is a gift from God; establish a small daily rule, comparing the struggle to drawing water from a deep well with a short rope and small bucket.
- Pride can appear inside spiritual efforts when we compare our praying, fasting, or knowledge with others; real humility is discovered when we are contradicted, insulted, or forced to accept weakness.
- Do not demand to become a saint in one day; pray, go to confession and church, receive Communion with your spiritual father's guidance, and begin again and again.
- In his final years Elder Paisios suffered illness and near-blindness, yet continued to pray the Psalter, pray to the Mother of God, and call on Christ for mercy, living the patience he had taught.
- From humility comes patience, and from patience comes love, shown in caring for the suffering, serving without recognition, forgiving, and refusing to condemn.
- The remembrance of death restrains sin and helps us live deliberately; Elder Paisios' farewell was, 'May we meet one another at the door of paradise.'
The video presents teachings of Elder Paisios of Sihla, drawn from A Little Corner of Paradise: The Life and Teachings of Elder Paisius of Sihla by Archimandrite Ioanichie (Bălan), translated by the Sisters of St. Nilus Skete. It addresses the weariness a soul feels from unanswered prayers, repeated falls, and slow spiritual progress, and the dangerous thought that there is no point in getting back up.
Elder Paisios answered this weariness with patience: remaining with God while waiting, continuing to pray and hope when the heart is discouraged. He advised a small daily rule of prayer, comparing the struggle to drawing water from a deep well with a short rope and small bucket. He warned that pride can hide inside spiritual efforts when we compare our praying, fasting, or knowledge with others, and that real humility is found when we are contradicted, insulted, or forced to accept our weakness.
He told listeners not to demand to become a saint in one day, but to pray, go to confession and church, receive Communion with their spiritual father's guidance, and begin again and again. His final years of illness and near-blindness showed that he lived what he taught, praying the Psalter, praying to the Mother of God, and calling on Christ for mercy through pain and weakness.
From humility comes patience, and from patience comes love, shown in caring for the suffering, serving without recognition, forgiving, and refusing to condemn. The remembrance of death restrains sin and helps one live deliberately. The video closes with his frequent farewell, 'May we meet one another at the door of paradise,' and a call to do what depends on us today and entrust the rest to God's mercy.
Main points
- The dangerous thought is that there is no point in getting back up; Elder Paisios answered weariness with patience.
- Establish a small daily rule of prayer, like drawing water from a deep well with a short rope and small bucket.
- Pride can hide in spiritual efforts; humility is found when we are contradicted, insulted, or forced to accept weakness.
- Do not demand to become a saint in one day; pray, confess, receive Communion with guidance, and begin again.
- In his final years of illness and near-blindness he kept praying, and his farewell was, 'May we meet one another at the door of paradise.'