Purity
- Purity enables man to behold the manifestations of the Lord our God who is capable of all things.
- Purity is the illuminated feature that overpowers the mind so that the person is able to see God’s hidden and esteemed things, and the secrets of the heavens are revealed to him.
- The pure soul deserves to enter and exit through the spiritual partition of fire, of God’s Glorified Throne.
- If a man obtains purity he can lift his eyes up to heaven and he can see God’s glory, just as St. Stephen once witnessed this vision when he was being stoned.”
- If the spiritual mind unites with the pure soul which exists in a man’s chaste body, our Lord Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to him.
- Purity is being able to cleanse and purify yourself from all sin and from all wrong doing…to purify yourself from anything that will rob you from relishing the glory and the splendor of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is “…fairer than the sons of men…” (Psalm 45:2)
- If a man’s heart becomes pure, it will enable him to rejoice amidst the glory and the splendor of Christ who is the all Holy…it will enable him to see the splendor of the light of the Holy Spirit that resides within him while he lives on this earth…and his mind will be illuminated with the Divine light.
Chastity
- Chastity will not develop unless you protect yourself from lust and the love of sin – in other words don’t pursue the vein lusts, especially the lusts of the world.
- Holiness is for a person to be holy from within, holy throughout his body, and holy in his thoughts, his mind, as well as his soul.
- The pure souls are able to see the heavenly glories, and the light of the Holy Spirit shines on them. It will also unveil the Divine, heavenly secrets to them, which are invisible to the human eye.
- Through chastity we are able to see the heavenly, we are able to see God’s glory as it appears on the altar…the Divine secrets are revealed to us with clarity…we are then able to see the Cherubim and the Seraphim…we are also able to see the saints surrounding the altar.
- The main reason as to why God loves children, is because of the purity and the chastity that dwells within a child’s soul. Hence, why don’t we become pure, chaste, and simple, just like children?
- If a man obtains chastity, he will be able to see Gods angels…chastity will enable him to see the unseen through the Divine vision, and God would unveil the secrets of the spiritual world to him. In other words, he would be able to see the souls of those who have departed, our fathers the hermits would also be visible to him in their full form, including their whereabouts. He would be able to see them through the eyes of the body as well as the eyes of the soul.
The work of the Holy Spirit
- Through the works of the righteous person who is spiritually mature by the Holy Spirit, mankind is able to taste the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and this leads that particular person to be a source of joy and blessings for everyone.
- Man cannot obtain a virtue or practice it without the support of the Holy Spirit. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, no one can reach the fruits of the Holy Spirit, nor can they perform righteous works.
- A person is uplifted by the Holy Spirit, so that they become spiritual just as the saints are, and spirituality becomes imprinted on them just like the heavenly creatures. They become like the heavenly hosts – remaining in their holiness and distinguished for their praises.
- When God’s glory shines in a person’s soul, it chases away the evil thoughts, and the pleasures of the world.
- Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one who dwells within a man and prepares him for chastity, but how? It is through His precious Body and Blood.
- Chastity is illustrated when a man purifies himself from all the pleasures of the world and from the love of sin. In other words, he becomes free from the sin that dwells in him. However, he cannot do this alone, for it is the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells in him.
About monasticism
- Monasticism is an invisible type of martyrdom without bloodshed. We who are called to monasticism should not allow sin to enter in our hearts. We should not give Satan a chance to enter our minds.
- Monasticism is the advancement or the rise from the bodily to the spiritual, through the support of the Holy Spirit and our unity with our Lord Jesus Christ. We are united with His love and we praise Him and glorify Him just as the heavenly beings do.
- Through their ascetism and their struggles, monks are likened to martyrs…but how is this possible? With regards to the bodily ascetism, they struggle against sin even until blood shed or death.
- Who are the ones who surround the Throne of God? They are the ones who are likened to the Cherubim and the Seraphim, the spiritual beings, the earthly angels – those are the monks.
- God will reward us if we dwell in spirit and denounce the lusts of the body, we will be crowned like the heavenly and the spiritual beings during the second coming of our Lord – this is what we will be worthy of.
- He who does not cry on behalf of his sins while he lives here on earth, will inevitably cry in eternal perdition after the day of judgement – when all of his sins are unveiled to the world. Therefore, this is why our lives as monks are full of bitterness, exhaustion, struggles, and perseverance, along with the devil’s wiles, as well as the struggles against the nature of the body and its comforts. Through God’s strength we strive against them all, so that nothing will separate us from His love.
- The angels in heaven yearn to visit a spiritual monk in his cell.
- Every time a person pushes himself to love God more and to persevere, his crowns are multiplied, his heavenly reward will increase, and love will also overflow.
- If the lust of the flesh is ignited within us, it will spoil us. What oppresses this lust is persevering in ascetism, fasting, praying, toiling the night in prayer and praise, and putting our virtues into practice. Without exhaustion, sweat, and perseverance, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- A man can see God when he spends time with Him…this way, his heart is prepared so that the light of the Holy Spirit can shine through.
- Monasticism is the invisible martyrdom, the holy glory that belongs to the soul, it is the light for the body, it is the imprint for the soul so that it may remain in God’s image. Therefore, the fathers the monks are always ready to receive their holy crowns.
- Monasticism is the rise from the worldly to the heavenly, this way we as monks can accompany the Cherubim and the Seraphim as they praise God night and day, in addition to the reverence of their close proximity to the Lord Jesus.
Having the fear of God in one’s heart
- If God’s fear dwells in a man’s heart it purifies his soul and it prepares him for the work of the Holy Spirit within him, through the life of virtue.
- In order for a man to truly have God’s fear in his life, he must forsake evil and do good.
Befriending the saints
- The spiritual person is in control of everything and he lives by the spirit without yielding to the lust of the body. He becomes a friend to the hermits and the saints.
- The spiritual person befriends our fathers the hermits, and he is able to accompany them to every place (where God sends them), to pray with them and to take Holy Communion.
- The spiritual person who is free from the burdens of the lust of the body, and who loves purity, ascetism, holiness, and chastity is always ready to befriend the spiritual and the heavenly beings. When our Lord Jesus – our righteous God sees this, he reveals Himself to them.
- If we are able to call God ‘our Father’, whom the angels praise, saying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’, we need to be saints in every way and in every virtue.
About perseverance
- Through prayer, fasting, and ascetism, a spiritual person will find our Lord Jesus within his heart. That person will become illuminated through the light of the Holy Spirit, and he shall conquer over the devils and all his powers, as well as conquering over the lusts of the body.
- If a person does not enter through the narrow gate, he cannot be rid of the lust of the flesh, the pleasure of sin, and the pleasure of the world with all its evil, which may rage war against him.
- In order to reach very high spiritual levels we need to be at a very high level of ascetism, fasting, and prayer.
- While we are here on earth, we need to drink the cup of our righteous Saviour’s pain through our spiritual perseverance…this way we are prepared for the heavenly bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Ascetism, perseverance, struggling, and toiling the night all weaken the body; hence, the soul becomes strengthened and it uplifts the body.
- If we want to live like the heavenly beings, we need to be like them – those who succeeded us through their perseverance, their love, and their tolerance to the pain and sufferings which they faced.
- If our Creator Himself cried, we too need to cry for our many sins.
- If our Lord Jesus tasted bitterness for our sakes, we too need to taste the pain that is caused by the bitterness of sin.
- The narrow gate is a symbol of perseverance even until bloodshed, against sin, pain, and lusts, so that our Lord Jesus may train us to become like the heavenly beings and the spiritual beings in His kingdom.
- In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, you need to tread on the path of pain – the same path which our Lord Jesus trod upon while He was bearing your cross, and follow Him.
- The narrow door is to rid yourself of the old nature, and to put on the new who is renewed through the works of righteousness.
- A man’s perseverance, ascetism, love, and the righteous works that he performs during his life on earth, will all enable him to reside in heaven close to the glorified Divine Throne – for he will be deserving of that.
- If faith and righteous works are mingled together, they will lead a man to God’s love…
- Beware of the snares of the devil, do not allow the devils attacks to harass your minds or to harm your emotions or your spiritual minds. Do not allow the devils to inherit your spiritual minds through vein lusts and worldly issues that are not pleasing to God.
On taking Holy Communion without confessing your sins
The Divine sacraments – the body of our Lord and His blood, is a Divine fire. He who presents himself to take Holy Communion without being deserving (without making an account of his sins and repenting and confessing), would be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and God’s wrath will come upon him. St. Paul the Apostle says, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) Hence, because of their carelessness and because they partook in the Holy Sacraments without being prepared (through repenting and confessing their sins) – in other words being undeserving, God ends their lives early (prior to the day that He has designated for their departure from this world). This is very dangerous, very dangerous indeed. This is why the church has designated a father of confession, so that we can confess our sins and take the absolution and forgiveness for the sins we have committed.
Ref: The star of the Sheheet Desert – Fr Faltaous El Souriany – His life and miracles Part 1, p. 81 – 86 (pdf index)
The Art of Orthodoxy 