The World

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

How Do you my fellow Christians Cope with these stupid godless people always talking with nothing to say? How do you live a christian life in Babylon and manage to keep Orthodox Virtue? Do you still preserve your Orthodox World View? Is there any righteous Moral People left out there not Corrupted by Lucifer? Dont know your past dont know your future Tommorow people how long will you last.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

Im going to Spend A month At Platina St.Herman Monastery.

 

[Photini]

How Do you my fellow Christians Cope with these stupid godless people always talking with nothing to say? How do you live a christian life in Babylon and manage to keep Orthodox Virtue? Do you still preserve your Orthodox World View? Is there any righteous Moral People left out there not Corrupted by Lucifer? Dont know your past dont know your future Tommorow people how long will you last.

When I look at sites like this one.....(Kosovo Crucified), I realise that my toils, if indeed I have any, are very minimal.

 

[Philip]

I realise that my toils, if indeed I have any, are very minimal.

Indeed. There is an Assyrian refugee who is a member of my parish. After speaking with him, I gave thanks to God that I have not faced the same trials.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

You guys seem to think Im complaining about my personal situation. Im thankful for everything The Most High God has blessed me with and Tested me with.

 

[Photini]

You guys seem to think Im complaining about my personal situation. Im thankful for everything The Most High God has blessed me with and Tested me with.

No, nothing to do with you...but your words got me to thinking about my own situation. I saw that website just before I came here and read your OP. I got to thinking about the people I come into contact with and my own life, and realised that I always moan and groan and grumble, when things actually are very easy for me. I am actually thankful for your post, because the combination of it, and that website really helped me see something in myself that isn't so good.

 

[Photini]

Im going to Spend A month At Platina St.Herman Monastery.

I pray that God will bless your time there.

 

[Alfred M]

O Lord why do I do those things that I know I should not, and not do those those things that I know I should do. Kind of hard to look at myself in the mirror sometimes...thank goodness for confession! It is a hard ol' world out there and nobody ever said anything about it all being easy. But the freedom comes from your knowledge of God's mercy for us and that a sacrifice has been made for all of those that will love the Lord.

It is easier to love those that love the Lord. Love thine enemy is a simple instruction that may take a lifetime to accomplish. Patience and stillness of your heart is what I think you are seeking and I pray for you and your upcoming pilgrimage.

May God be with you always!

Alfred, a sinner and nothing more.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

May God grant you all your prayers.

 

[nicodemus]

How Do you my fellow Christians Cope with these stupid godless people always talking with nothing to say? How do you live a christian life in Babylon and manage to keep Orthodox Virtue? Do you still preserve your Orthodox World View? Is there any righteous Moral People left out there not Corrupted by Lucifer? Dont know your past dont know your future Tommorow people how long will you last.

There are times I can say I've felt like that. However, thinking about people that way doesn't get us very far. The words of St. Siloun the Athonite help me cope with the weary world:

[font=Arial, Helvetica]I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord, saying: "O Lord, we are all Thy creatures. Have pity on Thy servants and turn their hearts to repentance," and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with, constrain your heart to love enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will shoe you the way. But the man who thinks with malice of his enemies has not God's love within him, and does not know God.[/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica]If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies - know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for, in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts - or good thoughts.[/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica]The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love his enemies.[/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Understand me. It is so simple. People who do not know God, or who go against Him, are to be pitied; the heart sorrows for them and the eye weeps. Both paradise and torment are clearly visible to us: We know this through the Holy Spirit. And did not the Lord Himself say, "The kingdom of God is within you"? Thus eternal life has its beginning here in this life; and it is here that we sow the seeds of eternal torment.[/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God.[/font]​

 

[Photini]

Thank you nicodemus...the words of St. Silouan always seem like they are speaking directly to me.

 

[nicodemus]

Thank you nicodemus...the words of St. Silouan always seem like they are speaking directly to me.

Had my parents not given me a Christian name at birth, I would've taken Silouan's name when I converted to Orthodoxy. I wanted to take it, but my priest recommended against it as he said it could be a stumbling block to my parents to take another name, when my birth name was Christian (I'm named for one of the Holy Prophets.) It was sound advice, but oh, how I'd love to have his name.

 

[Photini]

I have two books written about him. One is called "The Monk of Mount Athos" and the other is "Orthodox Spiritual Life, According to St. Silouan the Athonite". They were some of my very first books that I read on Orthodoxy, and completely shed new light on what it is to love my neighbor.

I also recently read a book about Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, and also the book this Elder wrote about the Elder Hadji-Georgis. He speaks of "philotimo", which is the love shown by humble people...where every trace of self is filtered out. What blessed holy Elders these were and are.