Avvakoúm was the son of Asaphat from the tribe of Simeon. He prophesied six hundred years before Christ, during the time of King Manasseh, and foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. When Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, Avvakoúm sought refuge in the land of the Ishmaelites. From there he returned to Judea, where he lived as a farmer.
One day he was carrying lunch to the workers in the fields, when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: Go carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lion's den (Daniel 14:34). But Avvakoúm responded: Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is (Daniel 14:34-35). Then the angel took him by the hair and instantly brought him to Babylon, over an immense distance, to the lion's den, where Daniel had been cast by King Cyrus as a punishment for not worshiping the idols. O Daniel, Daniel, cried Avvakoúm, take the dinner which God hath sent thee (Daniel 14:37), and Daniel took it and ate. Then the angel of God again took Avvakoúm and carried him back to his field in Judea.
Avvakoúm also prophesied the liberation of Jerusalem and the time of the coming of Christ. He entered into rest in ripe old age and was buried at Kela. His relics were discovered during the reign of Theodosius the Great.
Avvakoúm also prophesied the liberation of Jerusalem and the time of the coming of Christ. He entered into rest in ripe old age and was buried at Kela. His relics were discovered during the reign of Theodosius the Great.
SOUL TORTURE
I once met a man who told me that he used to make a great deal of money showing pornographic films. He was very suspicious of Christianity, and, when he first heard about Father Paisios, he supposed that he was a charlatan and decided to go to Mount Athos with two
of his friends to “expose that monk.”
When they arrived, the elder received them in his yard, saying, “Sit down and let me serve you something.” The elder served the other two gentlemen first, and then stood in front of the first man and turned the plate upside down, letting the sweet fall in the mud. “I dropped it,” he said, “but that doesn’t matter. Pick it up and eat it anyway.” The fellow was insulted: “How do you expect me to eat it when it’s filthy?” The elder sternly replied, “And why do you give people filth to eat?” Stunned, embarrassed, and in some fear, the man got up and left, but he went back again the next day and spoke with the elder. He told me he felt then as though the ground were shifting under his feet. The conversation was brief. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked. The elder responded, “First of all, shut down your business, then come back and talk to me again.” He returned to Thessaloniki, closed the business, and began to look for new work. After about a month, he again went to speak with Father Paisios, who told him to go to confession and taught him how to put his life in order spiritually.
I admired the man when I heard this — at just one call to repentance he had changed his life and followed Christ, just like Matthew the tax-collector in the Gospel.10 There are countless other instances of people whose lives have been thus changed. Simply waiting to see the elder with the other pilgrims, I would hear about their experiences with him, experiences that could fill another book if they were all written down.
When they arrived, the elder received them in his yard, saying, “Sit down and let me serve you something.” The elder served the other two gentlemen first, and then stood in front of the first man and turned the plate upside down, letting the sweet fall in the mud. “I dropped it,” he said, “but that doesn’t matter. Pick it up and eat it anyway.” The fellow was insulted: “How do you expect me to eat it when it’s filthy?” The elder sternly replied, “And why do you give people filth to eat?” Stunned, embarrassed, and in some fear, the man got up and left, but he went back again the next day and spoke with the elder. He told me he felt then as though the ground were shifting under his feet. The conversation was brief. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked. The elder responded, “First of all, shut down your business, then come back and talk to me again.” He returned to Thessaloniki, closed the business, and began to look for new work. After about a month, he again went to speak with Father Paisios, who told him to go to confession and taught him how to put his life in order spiritually.
I admired the man when I heard this — at just one call to repentance he had changed his life and followed Christ, just like Matthew the tax-collector in the Gospel.10 There are countless other instances of people whose lives have been thus changed. Simply waiting to see the elder with the other pilgrims, I would hear about their experiences with him, experiences that could fill another book if they were all written down.
The Holy Epistle of Saint Paul to 1 St. Timothy 6:17-21 KJV
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
The Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke 20:9-18 c
9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
If you give in and are defeated when a swarm of evil thoughts rises up against you in your mind, you should know that for a time you have been cut off from the grace of God, and by His just sentence abandoned you to your fate.
Make every effort, then, never through your own negligence to be deprived of grace, even for a single moment. If you manage to avoid falling, if you succeed in leaping over the barrier formed by impassioned thoughts, and if you overcome the unclean provocations that the enemy in his ingenuity continually suggests to you, do not ignore the gift conferred on you from above. As the Apostle says, "It was not I but the grace of God which was with me" (1Cor.15:10) that won this victory, raising me above the impure thoughts that assailed me. It was His grace that 'delivered me from the wicked man' (cf. Ps. 18:48. LXX), that is, from the devil and from the 'old man' within me (cf. Rom. 6:6). Lifted by the wings of the Spirit and freed from the weight of my body, I was able to soar above the predatory demons, who catch man's intellect with the bird-lime (a sticky substance spread on to twigs to trap small birds) of sensual indulgence, tempting it in a forcible and violent manner. It was God who brought me out from the land of Egypt, that is, from the soul-destructiveness of the world; it was God who fought on my behalf and with His unseen hand put Amalek to flight (cf. Exod. 17:8-16), thus giving me cause to hope that He will also drive out the other tribes of impure passions before me. He is our God, and will give us both 'wisdom and power' (Dan. 2:23); for some have received wisdom but not the power of the Spirit to defeat their enemies. He will 'lift up your head above your enemies' (cf. Ps. 27:6); He will give you 'the wings of a dove', so that you can 'fly away and be at rest' with God (Ps. 55:6). The Lord will make your arms as a 'bow of bronze' (Ps. 18:34. LXX), giving you strength and endurance against the enemy, subduing under your feet all that rise against you (cf. Ps. 18:39). It is to the Lord, then, that you should ascribe the grace of purity, for He did not surrender you to the desires of your flesh and your blood, and to the impure spirits that trouble and corrupt them; but He guarded you with His own right hand. Build Him, then, an altar as Moses did after defeating Amalek (cf. Exod. 17:15). "Therefore will I give thanks to Thee, 0 Lord, and sing praises to Thy name (Ps. 18:49), glorifying Thy mighty acts; for Thou hast redeemed my life from destruction (Ps. 103:4), and snatched me from the midst of all the specious and deceptive snares and nets of evil."
The demons in their malice revive and rekindle the unclean passions within us, causing them to increase and multiply. But the visitation of the divine Logos, especially when accompanied by our tears, dissolves and kills the passions, even those that are deep-seated. It gradually reduces to nothing the destructive and sinful impulses of soul and body, provided we do not grow listless but cling to the Lord with prayer and with hope that is unremitting and unashamed.
No comments:
Post a Comment