Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)

gregpantelidis@gmail.com

1. An Orthodox Christian must not accept wrong thoughts, wrong feelings, wrong words, and wrong works.

2. An Orthodox Christian must be free of wrong thoughts, wrong feelings, wrong words and wrong works.

3. An Orthodox Christian must have good and holy thoughts, good feelings, good words, and good works.

1. An Orthodox Christian must eliminate from himself the three vices: Love of Possessions, Love of Glory, Love of Pleasure.

2. An Orthodox Christian must transcend attachment to the following opposites: Wealth and Poverty, Glory and non-Glory, Pleasure and non-Pleasure.

3. An Orthodox Christian must be detached from Wealth, Glory and Pleasure.

4. An Orthodox Christian must prefer Poverty, non-Glory and non-Pleasure.

1. Which of the two must rule, love or logic?

2. Those who wish love to rule oppose those who wish logic to rule. Conversely, those who wish logic to rule oppose those who wish love to rule.

3. Love without logic and logic without love are both senseless.

4. An Orthodox Christian must have both love and logic.

5.       Q. Which of the two, love or logic, must be supreme in this life?

A.Towards God love is supreme, but towards neighbor logic is supreme.

(Fr Anthony)

6. The balance of love and logic towards neighbor varies with each person.

1. We cannot force unity on natural division.

2. We must seek unity only for unnatural division.

3. Supernatural division, as between spiritual and unspiritual men, cannot be eliminated.

4. Only unnatural division can be healed.

1. Sin is the perversion of something natural.

2. For example: Eating is necessary. But overeating is not necessary.

3. Having possessions is necessary. But stealing and possessing more than you require is not necessary.

4. Self-respect is necessary, but vanity is not necessary.

5. Procreation is necessary, but unchastity is not necessary.

6. Anger against sin and the dragon is necessary. But anger against our brethren is not necessary.

7. Rancor against the demons is necessary. But rancor against our brethren is not necessary.

8. Pride against the demons is necessary. But pride before God and our brethren is not necessary.

See  St. John of the Ladder, On Discernment Part 2, Text 41.

1. God does not change. (See Mal. 3:6)

2. God remains always simple and good.

3. Man is called through repentance to return to God.

4. When a person returns to God, God makes him simple and good.

1. Parents and elder siblings must be examples of every virtue: Faith, Obedience, Humility, Self-Control, Frugality, Chastity. (Cf. The five primary virtues).

2. Parents must be examples of the cardinal virtues of the Old Testament: Prudence, Self-restraint, Justice, Godly Courage. And examples of the cardinal virtues of the New Testament: Love, Humility, Patience, Self-Control.

1. “You shall rebuke your neighbor, and not bear guilt because of him” (Lev. 19:17).

2. Do not rebuke harshly, for “a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov. 15:1).

3. Do not rebuke harshly, for harsh rebukes can lead to despair.

1. The will to correct our faults belongs to us. But the power to correct our faults belongs to God.

2. "The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people” (Ps. 68:35).

1. From Self-denial arises joy.

2. From Obedience arises joy.

3. From Humility arises joy.

4. But from Self-love arises sorrow.

5. From Disobedience arises sorrow.

6. From Pride arises sorrow.

1. Faith 2. Fear 3. Self-denial 4. Obedience 5. Humility 6. Mourning 7. Meekness 8. Prudence 9. Justice

10. Self-control 11. Patience 12. Courage 13. Hope 14. Joy 15. Mercy 16. Purity 17. Peace 18. Love 19. Persecution 20. Revilement

See The Beatitudes, Matt. 5:3-12.

1. A secular education alone is insufficient.

2. A religious education alone is insufficient.

3. A person must receive both a secular and a religious education.

4. For a person to be complete they must receive both a secular and a religious education.

1. Eats canonically.

2. Sleeps canonically.

3. Speaks canonically.

4. Possesses (Material things and Knowledge) canonically.

5. Seeks the Glory of God, and non-Glory for himself in this life.

6. Seeks canonical Romance.

7. Guards his Mind and Heart from uncanonical thoughts and uncanonical feelings.

8. Uses all things canonically.

1. There are four virtues for dealing with all spiritual problems and all material problems.

2. These four virtues are: Self-denial, Patience, Good Thought, and Humility.

See Fr Christodoulos, Elder Paisios, p.89.

1. Asceticism is the keeping of monastic precepts.

2. A non-monastic Christian is not required to keep monastic precepts.

3. Monastic precepts are: Virginity, Poverty, Withdrawal, Complete cutting of the Will.

4. A non-monastic Christian may keep monastic precepts as a gift to God.

1. An Orthodox Christian must in self-denial abandon his likes and dislikes.

2. An Orthodox Christian must do what God likes and abandon what he likes.

3. From the denial of what we like and obedience to God arises joy.

1. The Orthodox Christian must live the canonical life.

2. First, the Orthodox Christian must have canonical thoughts.

3. Second, the Orthodox Christian must have canonical feelings.

4. Third, the Orthodox Christian must have canonical words.

5. Fourth, the Orthodox Christian must have canonical works.

6. Thus, the Orthodox Christian must have canonical thought, canonical feeling, canonical word, and canonical works.

1. An Orthodox Christian must in self-denial consider the needs of his neighbor equally as his own needs.

2. In the case of dispute an Orthodox Christian must place his needs second and tend to the needs of his neighbor first.

3. In the case of non-dispute an Orthodox Christian who places the need of his neighbor first and his need second, is indeed one who practices perfect self-denial.

1. An Orthodox Christian must in self-denial minimize his right.

2. An Orthodox Christian must in humility give God the right to help him.

3. An Orthodox Christian must not cling to his right before God and neighbor, but must in self-denial submit his right.

1. Orthodox Christians are kings and queens of the earth.

2. As kings and queens, Orthodox Christians must respect and love those things that are subject to them.

3. An Orthodox Christian must never harm anything or anyone on the earth.

4. As kings and queens, Orthodox Christians must have care for their kingdom.