All of these are taken from the book “Elder Porphyrios Testimonies and Experiences” written by Klitos Joannidis
1) On the ego
“You’re always talking about my ego, Elder.” “Yes, because not one trace of egotism should remain in us, not a trace, do you hear?”
2) Acquiring humility
“Acquire humility, as much as you can, humility.” “It’s difficult in the world we live in, Elder. How can I acquire it?” “By loving Christ more.
3) Help people more through relieving their sorrows
“Elder, must I constantly help people in need of financial assistance all the time? I’m telling you this because, as you know, I don’t have great financial ease.” “Do that too, when you can. However help those around you much more by speaking to them, by listening when they want to talk about their problems, or express their pain. Keep them company so that they won’t feel alone.”
4) Is it necessary to study theology?
“I have studied much, as you know, Elder. Should I also study theology?” “It’s not necessary. It is quite enough to study the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers. You will find everything there.” *
5) Never argue i.e. a heated discussion with raised voices
“Your children should not hear you arguing even once, not even if you just raise the tone of your voices to one another.” “That’s not possible, Elder!” “But of course it’s possible. Just as I’m telling you it is, not even once.”
6) Prayer helps others more than our words
“You haven’t spoken to me much lately, Elder, and I worry about bothering you and asking you about my problems.” “You, my child, have known me for many years. You know by now that I can help you more with my prayers rather than with my words.”
7) How to overcome smoking (or any addiction perhaps?)
“How can I stop smoking? I tried many times but I didn’t manage it.” “Every time you have the desire to smoke, say ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’ Prayer to Christ is the solution to each and every one of our problems. Do you see that even this parrot, this beautiful bird that I keep here in my room, has see that even this parrot, this beautiful bird that I keep here in my room, has learned to say, ‘Lord have mercy on me.’”
8) The sin of jealousy
“I once spoke to the Elder about certain difficulties, anomalies and disharmony that had appeared in the relations between the nuns, caused by the passion of jealousy. The Elder told me that this passion was one of the greatest; in women it is so strong that it is only uprooted with great difficulty. Love must prevail, so that great evil, jealousy, will flee.”
9) He welcomed and accepted everyone
“A basic quality of his was that he accepted everybody. He welcomed agnostics and atheists. He even welcomed gurus, without judging or criticizing anybody for their beliefs. However, to all of them he pointed out that the truth is found in Christ and in the Orthodox Christian Faith.
One of the Elder’s major attributes was to be accepting – to accept all things and all people. He was, to put it more simply, an exact copy of the way God acts towards us in order for us to become better, to be cleansed and to advance towards salvation. That was Elder Porphyrios’ practice. He never criticized anybody but captivated everybody. He had the grace of transforming people.”
10) Study those 3 life-giving sources
“Elder Porphyrios always insisted that we always study Holy Scripture, the lives of the Saints, and the texts of the Church Fathers thoroughly.”
Comments
Admin’s comments: In another story in the same book, Elder Porphyrios encourages a young lady to complete her theology studies. His words and advice were adaptive and specific to each individual. For one person he saw theology would help them – that that mental striving of studying theology would help them push themselves to grow spiritually, that the mental effort of understanding theological teachings would fill their minds with holy thoughts, and which would lead them to corresponding spiritual, physical and mental efforts towards obedience of Christ’s commandments.
For other people, he saw that theology wouldn’t be helpful for them. That may include the following categories of people: those who are not the fastest learners or not highly educated; those who were generally simple people; and people who were going through big trials and can’t deal with the unnecessary burden of committed further studies; and maybe other categories. For such people he saw that it wouldn’t be beneficial, that it would cause them due distress, potentially ruin their Christian simplicity and unnecessarily overcomplicate their minds.
But who is the true theologian anyway? It is is the one who knows God and strives to be united to Him. How do we achieve this? By struggling to obey Christ’s commandments just as He says “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” What are Christ’s commandments? Namely, to commune reverently and consciously and regularly; to confess in detail, sincerely and regularly; to strive to pray fervently each day; to forgive, endure and tolerate others; to perform good deeds and acts of selfless services to others; to boldly endure the trials of life; and more.
The Art of Orthodoxy 