Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
1. Virtue is divided into three degrees: the first or initial, the second or middle, and the third or perfect. Thus for each virtue we have the first, second, and third of that virtue. (St John of the Ladder, Discourse 26, Text 48).
2. We must strive to acquire the third virtue of every virtue: the third humility, the third love, the third patience, the third self-control, the third faith.
3. The vices are also divided into the first, second, and third. The first pride, the second pride, the third pride. The first unbelief, the second unbelief, the third unbelief.
4. Any message addressed to the world is received by a first group, rejected by a second group, and treated with neutrality by a third group. This is exactly what we learn from the Parable of the Sower. The first group are the godly who bear fruit a hundredfold, a sixtyfold, and a thirtyfold. The second group are the ungodly who reject the message and bear no fruit. The third group of neutrality to the message contains the cowardly godly, and the lovers of possessions godly who become neutral to the message and do not bear fruit.
5. Any Orthodox Christian teacher is received by only one group. He is rejected by the second group, and accepted with neutrality by the third group.
6. Every Orthodox Christian teacher has his acceptors, rejectors, and neutrals.
7. According to the Parable of the Sower, on the left are the rejectors, the first neutrals, and the second neutrals; on the right are the first acceptors, the second acceptors, and the third acceptors. So we have the rejectors, the two neutrals, and the three acceptors.
8. Have faith in Lord Jesus. Faith in Lord Jesus ignites the heart with humility, love, zeal, and every virtue.
9. Have the third, perfect rancor against the demons. (St John of the Ladder, Discourse 9, Text 8).
10. The Orthodox Christian life is a mystery.
11. The proud person is an enemy of God and an enemy of his neighbor.
12. The world has pride of opinion and pride of will. Both these cause conflict between persons.
13. Pride of opinion and pride of will give rise to wrath, rancor, hatred, enmity, and envy.
14. The person with pride of opinion and pride of will desires their neighbor to obey their opinion and their will.
15. Pride of opinion and pride of will are the two great illnesses of the human person.
16. The dragon and his angels have perfect pride of opinion and perfect pride of will. O Lord Jesus, deliver us from the portion of the demons!
17. Humility of opinion and humility of will are the two signs of the godly person.
18. The world does not understand the mystery of humility. (1 Cor. 1:19).
19. The mystery of humility contains the mystery of salvation.
20. The mystery of humility brings to an end the reign of pride and lawlessness.
21. “O how needful it is that we entreat the Lord to give the soul the humble Holy Spirit!" (“Wisdom from Mount Athos”, p. 89).
22. “He who has humbled himself has vanquished his foes (the demons)”. (“Wisdom from Mount Athos”, p. 91).
23. Tend your vessel, that is, your person.
24. ( 1 Thess. 4:4): “That each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor”.
25. (Rom. 9:22-23): “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory”.
26. The mystery of the Cross and the mystery of Humility abolishes the mystery of pride and lawlessness.
27. Orthodox Christianity contains four main mysteries. The mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of the Cross, the mystery of Repentance, and the mystery of Humility.
28. (Ex. 23:7): “Keep far from every unjust word”. (Prov. 15:26): “The unjust thought is an abomination to the Lord”. (Prov. 11:20): “Crooked ways are an abomination to the Lord”.
29. Observe the mystery of pride, wrath, envy, and hatred. Observe the mystery of humility, meekness, joy, mercy, and love.
30. Avoid glory, praise, wealth, and pleasure.
31. The mystery of the Cross is the death of the kingdom of pride and lawlessness.
32. The mystery of the Cross is the death of sin.
33. The mysteries of the Orthodox Christian Faith are the Dogmas, Ethics, Traditions, and Sacraments.
34. The mystery of Repentance and Confession abolishes sin. Therefore Repent and Confess continuously.
35. Study and practice ethical sayings of Orthodox Christianity.
36. Study and practice the traditions of Orthodox Christianity.
37. Study and practice the sacraments of Orthodox Christianity.
38. Practice the great mystery of Repentance.
39. The cross of Lord Jesus represents the death of pride and sin.
40. Down with the kingdom of pride and lawlessness! Down with falsehood! All glory to Lord Jesus! All glory to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages!
41. O Lord Jesus! Slay pride and lawlessness! Abolish the power of pride and lawlessness!
42. The secular church is held by the power of pride and lawlessness. The secular church languishes in pride of opinion, pride of will, and lawlessness. The secular church is in decay, the decay of increasing pride and lawlessness.
43. King of the secular church is the false Messiah, the son of the dragon. King of the Orthodox Christian Church is Lord Jesus, the Son of God.
44. The secular church is governed by pride and vice. The Orthodox Church is governed by humility and virtue.
45. The mystery of the secular church and its destiny is a hidden mystery.
46. The Orthodox Church is the mystery of the kingdom of God in the midst of the secular church.
47. The two churches, the secular church and the Orthodox Church, constitute the city of the ungodly and the city of the godly respectively.
48. The mystery of the two churches is a great mystery.
49. The destiny of the two churches is eternal life for the Orthodox Church and eternal punishment for the secular church.
50. O Lord Jesus! Grant us the portion of the Orthodox Church and not the portion of the secular church!
51. The sign of the Orthodox Christian is humility.
52. From faith in Lord Jesus comes the grace of God to the believer. With the power of the grace of God a believer is purified from pride and lawlessness and practices humility and spiritual law.
53. Faith in Lord Jesus gives the power to practice good works. Good works are active faith.
54. No good work can be practiced without the grace of God. Since this is so an Orthodox Christian is always humble and contrite. Humility and contrition are the sign of the true Orthodox Christian.
55. The three prides must be rejected. The first pride is to rank yourself above other persons. The second pride is to ascribe your knowledge to yourself and not to God. The third pride is to ascribe your achievements to yourself and not to God. The three humilities must be accepted. The first humility is to rank yourself below other persons. The second humility is to ascribe your knowledge to God. The third humility is to ascribe your achievements to God.
56. The dragon seeks to prevent us from returning to God. He does all to separate us from God.
57. Don’t seek earthly things: food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, romance; seek God.
58. Practice virtue and reject the love of possessions, the love of glory, and the love of pleasure.
59. Have perfect faith in Lord Jesus. Perfect faith in Lord Jesus gives birth to perfect humility.
60. All things are possible to him who believes in Lord Jesus. (Mark 9:23).
61. (Matt. 5:48): “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”. (Deut. 18:13): “You shall be perfect before the Lord your God”.
62. Keep the law of Lord Jesus. For to transgress it brings guilt and sorrow.
63. Blessed are they who keep the law of Lord Jesus.
64. First, study the law of Lord Jesus. Second, practice the law of Lord Jesus. Third, teach the law of Lord Jesus.
65. Practice humility and lawfulness, not pride and lawlessness.
66. Beware of demonic thought, demonic desire, and demonic wrath.
67. The dragon perverts the zeal for virtue into a zeal for possessions, glory, and bodily beauty.
68. Devote your life to Orthodox prayer, Orthodox study, and Orthodox work.
69. The spiritual life is the practice of spiritual law. The carnal life is the practice of carnal law. The psychical life is the practice of psychical law.
70. For 5500 years there ruled natural law: good for good, evil for evil, and neutrality for neutrality. For 2000 years now there rules spiritual law: good for good, good for evil, and good for neutrality.
71. The first faith is the acceptance of the teaching of the Orthodox Christian Faith. (Mark 16:16). The second faith is the acceptance that all knowledge is possible for him who believes. (John 14:26). The third faith is the acceptance that all achievements are possible to him who believes. (Mark 9:23).
72. Virtue is cultivated by obedience to your natural father and natural mother, and by obedience to your spiritual father.
73. What is carnal law? It is overeating, stealing and overpossessing, vanity, and unchastity. What is psychical law? It is overeating, overpossessing, and vanity. What is spiritual law? It is fasting, charity, humility, and chastity.
74. If you accept a lawless thought, speak a lawless word, or practice a lawless work, you incur guilt and must repent and confess your transgression.
75. Everything we experience has a spiritual or natural cause. Nothing occurs without spiritual law or natural law.
76. We must accept the events of our life as governed by Divine Economy. Nothing occurs without Divine Economy allowing it. Therefore have perfect trust in Divine Economy.
77. Loose the guilt of your sin thru repentance and confession.
78. We must loose the guilt of our sin before we depart from this life. After death we cannot loose the guilt of our sin. (John 8:24).
79. A natural person keeps natural law. A psychical person keeps psychical law. A carnal person keeps carnal law. A spiritual person keeps spiritual law.
80. A Mosean keeps Mosaic law. A Christian keeps Christian law.
81. A hesychast is he who does the work of a hesychast. A cenobite is he who does the work of a cenobite.
82. To live the life of virtue you must have faith in Lord Jesus. Faith in Lord Jesus gives the power to live the life of virtue.
83. The four ways of the Orthodox Philosopher are: Faith, Logic, Courage, and Love.
84. Have faith, fear, humility, hope and love. These virtues are essential for an Orthodox Christian.
85. The two great virtues are faith and humility. Of faith, Lord Jesus says: “All things are possible to him who believes”. (Mark 9:23). Of humility, Lord Jesus says: “Whoever humble himself as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. (Matt. 18:4).
86. Lord Jesus is the solution to all our problems. For He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). “Amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life” (John 6:47). “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “ Do not be afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36). “Amen amen I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Luke 7:50). “Be of good cheer daughter, your faith has made you well” (Matt. 9:22).
87. Renounce sin and live according to the law of Lord Jesus.
88. Faith, humility, and justice are mediators of eternal life. Unbelief, pride, and injustice are mediators of eternal death.
89. Learn the two mysteries. The mystery of faith and the mystery of humility.
90. Hear or read the word of God. Accept it with faith. Practice it. Then teach it.
91. All Orthodox Christian priests give general guidance in the Orthodox Christian life. It is the apostles, or spiritual fathers, who give personal guidance.
92. Only the apostles or spiritual fathers have the authority to bind and loose sins.
93. To follow Lord Jesus means to follow the guidance of an apostle; that is, a spiritual father.
94. Canonical apostolic succession is essential for salvation. Only the canonical apostles have the authority to bind and loose sins.
95. Obey your apostle, that is your spiritual father, with perfect obedience.
96. The apostle will cure our passions and guide us in the life of virtue.
97. The apostle is the physician of our soul.
98. The apostles are the true leaders of humanity.
99. Consult your apostle about all your problems.
100. The apostle or spiritual father is he who guides us to the kingdom of heaven.
