Fasting and Gorging

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A timely warning, given that Lent is nearly over…

gluttony

[Syncletica] also said, “The devil sometimes sends a severe fast which is too prolonged; the devil’s disciples do this as well as holy men. How do we distinguish the fasting of our God and King from the fasting of that tyrant the devil? Clearly by its moderation.

“Throughout your life, then, you ought to keep an unvarying rule of fasting. Do you fast four or five days on end and then lose your spiritual strength by eating a feast? That really pleases the devil!

“Everything which is extreme is destructive. So do not suddenly throw away your armour, or you may be found unarmed in the battle and easily captured. Our body is the armour, our soul is the warrior. Take care of both, and you will be ready for whatever comes.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Trust

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Money

They said there was a working gardener who gave away all his profit in alms, and kept for himself only enough to live on. Later on Satan tempted him and said, “Store up a little money, as a provision to spend when you are old and infirm.” So her made a store of coins in a big pot.

It happened that he fell ill, and his foot became gangrenous, and he spent all his coins on doctors, but grew no better. An experienced doctor told him, “Unless we amputate your foot, the gangrene will spread through your whole body.” So they decided to amputate it.

But the night before the operation, the gardener came to his senses, and was sorry for what he had done, and groaned and wept saying, “Lord, remember my earlier good works when I worked in the garden and served the poor.”

Then an angel of the Lord stood before him and said, “Where is your store of coins? Where has your trust in them gone to?

Then he understood, and said, “I have sinned, Lord, forgive me, I will not do it again.” Then the angel touched his foot, and it was healed at once. He got up at dawn, and went to the fields to work. At the appointed time the surgeon came with his instruments to amputate the foot. The people told him, “He went out at dawn to work in the fields.” The doctor was astonished and went out to the field where he was working, and he saw him digging, and glorified God who had restored his health.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Faith on Fire

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fire

Lot went to Joseph and said, “Abba, as far as I can, I keep a moderate rule, with a little fasting, and prayer, and meditation, and quiet: and as far as I can I try to cleanse my heart of evil thoughts. What else should I do?”

Then the hermit stood up and spread out his hands to heaven, and his fingers shone like ten flames of fire, and he said, “If you will, you can become all flame.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Let few of you be teachers

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Crumbling House

[Syncletica] also said, “It is dangerous for a man to try teaching before he is trained in the good life. A man whose house is about to fall down may invite travellers inside to refresh them, but instead they will be hurt in the collapse of the house.

“It is the same with teachers who have not carefully trained themselves in the good life; they destroy their hearers as well as themselves. Their mouth invites to salvation, their way of life leads to ruin.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Getting ahead of ourselves

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getting-ahead-of-yourself

Another brother spoke with the same Theodore, and he began to talk about matters of which he had no experience.

Theodore said to him, “You’ve not yet found a ship to sail in, nor put your luggage aboard, not put out to sea, and you’re already acting as if you were in the city which you mean to reach. If you make some attempt to do the things you are discussing, then you can talk about them with understanding.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Time for Confession?

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Lent, the traditional season of penance, is drawing to a close. As we enter Holy Week I thought it might be helpful if I shared some of the prayers from the Byzantine Rite. These prayers are prayed by the priest as you stand before the icon of Christ prior to confessing:

God our Savior, through your prophet Nathan You granted the repentant David the forgiveness of his sins.  You also accepted Manasseh’s prayer of repentance.  In your love now receive your servants here present who repent for the sins they have committed. 

O Lord, Who forgive offenses and pass over transgressions, overlook all that they have done.  As You have said “I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live” and, another time, that sins should be forgiven even to “seventy-times-seven.”  How incomparable is your goodness and how limitless your mercy; for if You were to take notice of iniquities, who should be able to stand?  You are the God of the repentant and we glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.

Behold my spiritual child, Christ stands here invisibly and receives your confession.  Therefore, be not afraid or ashamed and conceal nothing from your confessor, but tell without hesitation all that you have done so you shall have pardon from our Lord Jesus Christ.  Behold his holy image is before us and I am but a witness bearing testimony before Him of the things which you have to say, but if you shall conceal anything you shall have the greater sin. Take heed, therefore, lest having come to the Physician, you depart unhealed

Confession

Might it be time to go to the Sacrament of Confession?

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