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Recurring Thoughts After Confession: Elder Philemon on Rejecting Temptation
What the video says
A questioner asks what to do when thoughts about past mistakes keep returning even after confession, sometimes appearing in dreams. The speaker answers that the mind is not our best friend and jokes that in English 'ideas' sounds like 'my ties', so we should not keep company with our thoughts. He advises treating a troublesome thought like a dirty fly from the toilet that lands in your mouth, rejecting it instantly so the temptation leaves quickly.
He warns that the devil often replaces prayer with anxious self-examination, and quotes an elder: when we are covered in mud, leave it to dry and it falls off by itself.
Key moments
- 0:00 A questioner says that after confessing a mistake to the spiritual father, the thought of it keeps coming back, even in dreams, and asks if prayer is the answer.
- 0:50 The speaker says the mind is not our best friend and jokes that 'ideas' in English sounds like 'my ties', so we should not keep company with our thoughts.
- 1:10 He advises picturing the troublesome thought as a dirty fly from the toilet in your mouth, so you reject it at once and the temptation leaves quickly; if it comes, let it come, do not accept it.
- 1:30 The devil often makes us think anxiously 'why did I say that' instead of saying 'Lord have mercy', and we waste time; leave it.
- 1:50 An elder said that when we are covered in mud, do not touch it; let it dry and it falls off. Do not dwell on weaknesses, because when you think about them they do not go away.
A questioner asks Elder Philemon, a confessor at the Holy Monastic Skete of the Prophet Elias on Mount Athos, what to do when thoughts of past mistakes keep returning even after confession, sometimes appearing in dreams. The elder answers that the mind is not our best friend and jokes that in English 'ideas' sounds like 'my ties', so we should not keep company with our thoughts.
He advises treating a troublesome thought like a dirty fly from the toilet that lands in your mouth: reject it instantly and the temptation leaves quickly. If the thought comes, let it come, but do not accept it. He warns that the devil often replaces prayer with anxious self-examination, making us ask 'why did I say that' instead of saying 'Lord have mercy', so we waste time.
He quotes an elder who said that when we are covered in mud, we should leave it to dry and it falls off by itself. The discussion stays on this theme: do not dwell on weaknesses, because when you think about them they do not go away.
Main points
- A questioner says that after confessing a mistake to the spiritual father, the thought keeps returning, even in dreams, and asks if prayer is the answer.
- Elder Philemon says the mind is not our best friend and jokes that 'ideas' sounds like 'my ties', so we should not keep company with our thoughts.
- He advises picturing the thought as a dirty fly from the toilet in your mouth, so you reject it at once and the temptation leaves quickly.
- The devil often makes us anxiously ask 'why did I say that' instead of saying 'Lord have mercy', and we waste time.
- An elder said that when we are covered in mud, leave it to dry and it falls off by itself; do not dwell on weaknesses.