Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
The justice of God sends us material loss, dishonor, and sufferings, to purify us of self-love, love of wealth, love of glory, and love of pleasure.
The world desires wealth, glory, and comforts. The Orthodox Christian desires charity, humility, and continence.
Do not be deceived by wealth, glory, and comforts. When death comes all that has value is charity, humility, and continence.
It is falsehood and delusion to think that our knowledge is ours. It is falsehood to think that our virtue is ours. It is falsehood to think that our spiritual gifts are ours. All knowledge, virtue, and spiritual gifts are the Lord’s.
From unbelief is born pride, from pride lawlessness, and from lawlessness despair. This is the path of perdition. Conversely, from faith is born humility, from humility lawfulness, and from lawfulness hope of salvation. This is the path of salvation.
The path of perdition is: Unbelief, overeating, overpossessing, non-prayer, vanity, disobedience, lying, and unchastity. The path of salvation is: Faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, truth-speaking, and chastity.
Memory of death induces faith, charity, humility, forgiveness, and continence.
Who needs the anxiety of wealth? Who needs the struggles of glory? Who needs the vanity of comforts?
Pride is useless to us, for it prevents us from being a useful member of the Orthodox Christian Church.
The Lord calls us to live a life of well-being by living in harmony with Source. Christian self-help ideas and general self-help ideas all help us to live in harmony with Source.
Live in harmony with Source. Serve as a true king or queen of the earth, ministering to all creatures in need. Be far from greed, vanity, and pleasure.
We reap what we sow. (See Gal. 6:7). If we sow greeting, giving, serving, and loving, we reap greeting, giving, serving, and loving.
Sow faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, truth-speaking, and chastity, and you will reap blessing and salvation.
External religious symbols such as beards, and hairstyles, and caps, and garments, are all secondary. What is primary is faith, greeting, giving, serving, and loving.
Beware of the things of the enemy: greed, and vanity, and pleasure. Practice always charity, and humility, and continence.
The Lord wishes us to practice virtue unceasingly.
Still your mind. Still your heart. Silence your tongue. Silence your mind. Silence your heart. Silence your desires.
Practice charity, not greed. Practice humility, not vanity. Practice continence, not pleasure.
A worldly Christian needs wealth, a good name, and comforts. A monastic has no need of wealth, a good name, or comforts. According to your mode of life you require certain things. A worldly Christian who loses wealth, a good name, and comforts, suffers. Conversely, a monastic who obtains wealth, a good name, and comforts, suffers.
If we observe the psychology of the secular church this is what we will see: Unbelief, overeating, overpossessing, non-prayer, vanity, disobedience, lying, and unchastity.
It is a life of heresy to live in unbelief, pride, lawlessness, and despair. It is a life of heresy to live in unbelief, greed, vanity, and pleasure. It is a life of heresy to live in unbelief, pride, wrath, non-mercy, envy, and hatred. It is a life of heresy to transgress the Ten Commandments. It is a life of heresy to not greet, to not give, to not serve, to not love.
The life of the heretic contains the following: Unbelief, overeating, overpossessing, non-prayer, vanity, disobedience, lying, and unchastity. Whoever chooses this life is against the Lord. (See Matt. 12:30).
The Cross of Lord Jesus is the sacrifice made for all sin. Whoever does not partake of this sacrifice dies in his sin. (See John 8:24).
Beware of the prodigal life of greed, vanity, and pleasure.
Your body must submit to your mind. Your mind must submit to the Lord. These two submissions make a person a true son or daughter of the Lord.
When the mind submits to wrong thoughts then necessarily the body practices wrong practices. The mind must never accept wrong thoughts but always good thoughts. The mind must rule the body with justice. The Lord must be allowed to rule the mind.
Always think good, feel good, speak good, and practice good.
Consider your own spiritual debt and seek to resolve it. Do not examine the spiritual debt of others. It is something foreign and not your responsibility.
It is enough! Cease from the path of perdition! Walk the path of truth! Walk the path of faith, humility, lawfulness, and hope!
Unity of religions is not possible. But a universal language, universal currency, and international relations law, is possible. Each country must be free to preserve its own language, culture, and religion.
Beware of distraction of the mind. Always think good and reject vanity and suspicion.
Beware of the psychological illnesses of pride and egoism. These illnesses will make you desolate of virtue and wisdom.
We should distinguish in religious writings which laws must be kept physically and which spiritually. We should also discern which events are physical and which events are spiritual.
We must study and practice the two laws: The Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus. Remember that each person studies and practices for himself. We cannot force another person to study and practice.
Remember the three religious institutions: The Prayer House, The Study House, and The Religious Court.
Think only of lawful and good things. Reject every unlawful thought.
Be still. Be detached from the material world. Study Old Testament and New Testament, Patrology, and other spiritual writings. Pray and meditate. Recall death and judgment. Forgive your debtors and repent, confess, and correct your debts.
Celibacy is a high form of austerity which should be practiced only by monks and nuns. Widows and the unmarried should practice celibacy only if they can, otherwise they should marry.
Who is the spiritual Moses who delivers us from slavery to the Egypt of the passions? Who else but Lord Jesus!
The false Way is: Greed, vanity, and pleasure. The true Way is: Charity, humility, and continence.
We are not permitted to judge the lawlessness of our neighbor. (See Matt. 7:1). We are only permitted to teach that law to our neighbor after practicing the law ourselves. (See Matt. 5:19).
Do not associate with persons who transgress the Law of Moses and the Law of Lord Jesus. The psychology of such persons is one of guilt and dysfunction.
Orthodox Christian mysticism goes above the realm of logic, but never below it. We should always be supported by logic and never go below it. A mystic who goes below logic ends in delusion and breakdown.
Always view the positive in other people and in life experiences. Viewing the negative only brings sorrow and complaint.
Religious experience is subjective and can only be understood by those who have a similar experience.
Are you a disciple of Lord Jesus? If you are, keep His precepts.
Before you die you must seek forgiveness of original sin and personal sin. If you die with original sin and personal sin, you will not inherit eternal life.
Are you an Adamite or a Christite? Adamites love wealth, glory, and pleasure. Christites love virtue, wisdom, and spiritual gifts.
Practice and teach the Law of Moses. Practice and teach the Law of Lord Jesus.
Remember to practice spiritual justice. Always return good for good, good for wrong, and good for neutrality.
The enemy distracts many people from their salvation by making them always think of money, and earning money.
We can bless youth by saying: “May you go to Lord Jesus for refuge. May you go to the gospel for refuge. May you go to the Orthodox Christian Church for refuge. May you enter the New Testament. May you study and practice gospel law. May you become a monastic or may you marry. May you through good deeds glorify the Lord.”
You must go to Lord Jesus through the New Testament priesthood, to be cured of your passions. Lord Jesus is the physician of the passions.
Christianity seemed to the Jews to be a sect of Judaism. Later on it became clear that the New Testament, the New Testament priesthood, and the New Testament law, were a radical new force and life in the world.
The New Testament and New Testament Law are foreign to those who do not partake of New Testament sacraments. New Testament life is alien to those not reborn through New Testament sacraments.
A natural person keeps natural law. A spiritual person keeps spiritual law.
Always seek the last place, both on earth and in heaven.
Do not meddle in the spiritual business of other people. If they do not choose to study and practice gospel law, that is their responsibility. Do not judge them, and always teach gospel law with discernment.
True culture is the culture of gospel law. Such a culture is blessed and successful. A culture of non-gospel law will only end in destruction.
Seek the last place always, and you will always be happy.
Practicing Orthodox Christians seem to the world to be fools, because they do not seek wealth, glory, or pleasure. How wise in truth is this apparent foolishness!
The deception of this world is great. Wealth, glory, and pleasure are all passing. When death comes these will have no value. What will have value at death is charity, humility, and continence.
The practicing Orthodox Christian is already dead to wealth, glory, and pleasure. When death comes he will not be unprepared, for he now is practicing charity, humility, and continence.
Who needs first-place, the cause of pride and perdition?
The world seeks wealth, glory, and comforts, and groans over poverty, non-glory, and hardship. Do you see the vanity of wealth, glory, and comforts, and the spiritual gain of poverty, non-glory, and hardship?
Canonical law concerning male sexuality is the following: 1) A voluntary flow outside wedlock is a sin. 2) An involuntary flow inside or outside wedlock has a penance of one day’s abstinence from Holy Communion. (See Canon 6, St John the Faster).
Think good. Speak good. Practice good. All to the glory of the Lord. (See Matt. 5:16).
Be detached from the material world. Use wealth, glory, and comforts for the common good. Be devoted to the Lord, keeping gospel law and Mosaic law always.
Every Orthodox Christian must humble his ego and embrace common opinion, common will, uniformity of tongue, and uniformity of heart. This uniformity will make us true kin, full of respect and love for each other.
Lord Jesus was crucified for me. Do I understand this? Why do I value wealth, glory, and comforts, and not charity, humility, and continence?
Beware not to hurt others by harsh words, harsh countenance, or harsh behavior.
To be cured of the passions of soul and body we must go to the physician of passions, Lord Jesus.
Let us repent and return to our Good and Holy Creator.
Are you reborn from a life of greed, vanity, and pleasure, to a life of charity, humility, and continence?
If there reigned humility and logic, there would be no greed, vanity, or pleasure.
Commit to Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus is our Good, Wise, and Holy Creator.
A monastic renounces a life of wealth, glory, and comforts, and vows a life of non-wealth, humility, and hardship.
We must pray only for those who seek their salvation. We pray in vain for sons and daughters of perdition. (See Jer. 11:14).
In the service of Orthodox Christian Monastic Tonsure the candidate replies to the questions with the words: “The Lord co-working.” This applies to all good. We practice all good the Lord co-working with us.
To commit to Lord Jesus is to commit to a life of chastity, charity, and obedience. What joy, what comfort, what blessedness has this commitment!
Any idea that comes to your mind, after testing it, if it is good according to your spiritual father and your own logic, put it into practice as soon as possible.
Lord Jesus calls all persons to commit to His kingdom, living a life of chastity, charity, and obedience.
If you practice unchastity, non-charity, and disobedience, you are an enemy of Lord Jesus. The friends of Lord Jesus practice chastity, charity, and obedience.
The fathers teach not to grieve about any natural evil, but only about ethical evil, that is, sin.
Reject the three great evils: greed, vanity, and pleasure. These three give rise to many evils. Practice the three antidotes to the three great evils: charity, humility, and continence.
Every person who is not devoted to Lord Jesus through faith, hope, and love, is held by three passions: love of wealth, love of glory, and love of pleasure.
Observe the three afflictions that we encounter: poverty, dishonor, and bodily hardship. These three help us acquire charity, humility, and continence.
All evil is born of unchastity, non-charity, and disobedience. Practice chastity, charity, and obedience, and you will increase in every virtue, knowledge, and spiritual gift.
Have faith, hope, and love towards Lord Jesus. Anything you need ask of Him, and He will give you what is to your benefit.
A resurrected person lives henceforth the life of common opinion and common will of the kingdom of Lord Jesus.
The fathers say that a monastic who does his own will is a son of the dragon. Likewise, a regular Christian who disobeys his spiritual father is also a son of the dragon.
Genuine Orthodox Christianity is to have a living relationship with God and other persons. If this relationship does not exist, everything else is false.
Everything in life is subjective. You cannot expect other people to easily understand your own likes, dislikes, and neutralities.
Remember death everyday. Practice everyday your charity, humility, and continence. These are what have value when death comes.
Observe secular culture. Observe Orthodox Christian culture. Observe how secular culture seems dominant in the world. Observe how Orthodox Christian culture is the culture of the renunciant, the one crucified to the world.
We must bear the cross of poverty, dishonor, psychical illness, and psychological illness. The providence of the Lord allows these because of our sins. Bear the cross of these afflictions with patience, hope, and gratitude. Remember that greed, vanity, and pleasure induce this cross.
Always have mercy for those who are held by greed, vanity, and pleasure. Always seek to help them. Always seek to raise them up. Always practice charity, humility, and continence, and seek to help others practice these.
Do not seek paradise on earth. Here is only the cross of poverty, dishonor, physical illness, and psychological illness.
Abstain from greed, vanity, and pleasure. Embrace charity, humility, and continence.
The world offers the false paradise of wealth, glory, and comforts. True paradise is charity, humility, and continence.
