Love. Saint Paisios of Mount Athos.

Conscience is the first law of God, which He deeply carved in the hearts of the First Created, and conse­quently, each one of us takes it as a "photocopy" from his parents when he is born. Those who have managed to sensitize their conscience through the daily study of themselves, feel themselves estranged from this world; and, as a result, worldly people are dumbfounded by their discerning behaviour. Those, however, who do not examine their conscience, are neither benefited by spiritual study, nor by the advice of the Elders, nor are they even able to keep God's commandments, since they quickly become insensitive.

Those who are sensitive and have “philotimo”* and who observe everything with precision, are usually wronged by the insensitive ones, due to the constant concessions they make for them out of love. However, God's love is always on their side. Oftentimes, they wrong themselves due to their hypersensitivity, over­emphasizing their minor sins or bearing the burden of others' faults; but once again, God comforts them with His heavenly kindness and, at the same time, strength­ens them spiritually.

Those who wrong or wound sensitive people in­wardly, are not human.

Those who claim they are sensitive, loving, and dis­creet and endure the injustices of others, but say, "let them receive theirs from God", are fooled by the de­ceiver without realizing it, since this is a way to curse politely. In this life everyone passes trials in order to pass on to eternal life, Paradise. It is my feeling that this polite curse is below the spiritual passing mark.

Those who wrong others wrong themselves eter­nally; those who joyfully accept the injustice of others are entitled to an eternal reward with interest from the Almighty.

Many times, the Good God leaves good people in the hands of the evil ones, in order to give them their kindness and collect their heavenly reward.

Naturally, every person will be paid by the boss for whom he had worked. Those who work for Christ shall receive a hundredfold now in this time and in the world to come, eternal life" and those who work for the black boss will receive darkness even now.

Those who work for Christ but are prideful pollute their virtues, just as fried eggs are contaminated when bird's droppings fall on them. They then can only be thrown in the trash along with the frying pan.

All those, however, who work humbly, acquire virtues and share their hidden

experiences out of humility and love, are the greatest benefactors, because they give spir­itual charity and positively help souls which are weak and unsound in Faith. Those who throw even their own selves to the world, out of love, after having driv­en out the world from within them, fly into Heaven and are not caught by the world.

Love with external poverty greatly assists in ac­quiring the inner poverty of the passions. These two kinds of poverty make man rich in God's kindness.

Good people do not keep evil in their heart, but nei­ther do they keep their

kindness to themselves. For this reason, they do not possess elegant things and are not moved by the world's beauties. In this, their fervent faith in God as well as their great love, is made manifest.

There is no man more intelligent than the merciful one who gives away earthly, perishable things and buys imperishable, heavenly things. Likewise, there is no greater a fool in the world than the greedy one who gathers things continually and yet is deprived continually; finally he buys hell with his collected savings. Those, naturally, who are lost in material things, are totally lost, for they have also lost Christ.

Sadness and stress always dominate the person who is dominated by material things, for sometimes he fears that people will take away his possessions, and other times he is afraid they will take away his soul. The miser, whose hand has become numb from squeezing it too hard, has also constricted his heart and turned it into stone. In order to be cured, he must visit improvished peo­ple and sympathize with them, so he will be forced to slowly open up his hand. Consequently, his stony heart will soften and become humane, and thus the gates of Paradise will also open for him.

Kindness softens and opens up the heart, as oil opens a rusty lock.

Those who come close to people in pain, naturally draw near to God, because God is always by the side of His children who are in pain.

God spiritually strengthens His children who have “philotimo”, who help their fellowmen carry their crosses, and He relieves them from their own crosses (trials).

Those who think about the heavy crosses of the right­eous' never worry about their own small trials, for, al­though they have made more mistakes in their life, they suffer less than the righteous.

Those who suffer trials unjustly imitate Christ; and those who face hardships due to their sins are blessed, because they are forgiven their sins in this life.

Those who do not co-suffer with those in pain, suf­fer from a fatal spiritual illness: mercilessness. Those who are annoyed by the moaning of sick people and re­act angrily because they cannot concentrate, suffer from many spiritual illnesses.

Those who truly love and struggle correctly, can also endure with love, sacrifice themselves, and give rest to their neighbour, who is Christ.

Those who wish others to provide for them but of­fer nothing in return, are constantly asking things from God without giving anything to Him, not even their sins (by repentance). Such people are completely estranged from God and deliver themselves of their own accord into the hands of the manslayer (the devil). Because they only cultivated love for their ownselves, it follows that great anguish will then develop in them and that they will suffer hell, in part, already in this life.

Those who do not put themselves in the place of their suffering fellow man, are deserted by God, experi­ence a terrible fall, and learn to feel pain. Those, on the other hand, who feel compassion, care for other people, and ignore their own self, are protected by God and are looked after both by God and men.

When someone gives his heart to God, then the mind of this man is also seized by the love of God. He is in­different towards worldly things and continually thinks about the Heavenly Father, and being divinely in love, he glorifies his Creator day and night like an angel.

Merely the thought of God's benevolent acts, is enough to make the heart of a person who has “philotimo” break; yet even more so, when he thinks of his nu­merous sins and the great mercy of God.

Those who struggle and sense their sinfulness as well as God's loving-kindness and trust in His great mer­cy, elevate their soul to Paradise with great confidence and little physical effort, if they have good intentions.

People who struggle hard, with much devotion, and have reached the angelic state to a certain extent and are nurtured with celestial honey, nevertheless offer noth­ing significant to God compared with what He has of­fered. For, they eat honey while offering Him wax. They eat sweet fruits and offer God tree resin with the censer. Therefore, we do nothing and offer nothing to God, compared with His great loving-kindness. For, while the Good God produces beautiful fruits with our rubbish or even with manure, in order to feed us, we wretched people, turn beautiful fruit into manure.

As the kindness of God renders everything useful for a good purpose, so too must we, His creatures, make good use of everything in order to be benefited and ben­efit others.

Kind people naturally derive benefit even from their fellowmen's failings, for they use them as a strong brake on themselves in order to take care not to be derailed. But those who are deceitful, unfortunately, are not ben­efited, not even by other people's virtues, because they interpret them with their wily lexicon, being darkened by the gloom of the manslayer. They spiritually wrong themselves and others, and are always upset and con­tinually upset others with their spiritual darkness; where­as, actual cloudy weather causes sadness only to people who suffer from grief.

Kindness is one of God's many qualities; therefore it always spreads joy, drives away the clouds, and opens up hearts like the spring sunshine which makes the earth blossom. It even warms up snakes and takes them out of their cold holes so they, too, can enjoy God's kindness.

Ill-tempered people are always strangled by thoughts and, with their frozen heart freeze and choke with thoughts afflicted people, who have come to them for consolation. Good-tempered people, on the other hand, with their spiritual (noble) love, contrite with pain, strangle demons, liberate souls, and spread divine con­solation to their fellowmen.

Fervent spiritual love renders sensitive people more sensitive, and makes insolent ones more insolent.

However, someone who is an orphan, especially if he or she has lost their mother, and even if they are a little porcupine, must be embraced with pain and fervent love, so as to first feel warmth, take courage, and open up their hearts.

The orphan, who has “philotimo”, should have a strong bridle on his great enthusiasm so as not to be harmed by overexertion, due to manifesting his great gratitude.

The fervent love of Christ nourishes more than any other material food and gives many calories to the soul and body. Oftentimes, it even cures incurable diseases without medication and brings rest to souls.

Those who do not sacrifice their physical health for the love of Christ, scorning their bodily rest, will not find spiritual rest, neither in this life, nor in the next, eternal life.

Those who, out of pure love, sacrifice even their own life to protect their fellowmen, imitate Christ. These people are, of course, the greatest heroes, because even death trembles before them, since they defied death out of love; thus, they triumph with immortality, and, tak­ing the key to eternity out from beneath the gravestone, proceed freely to eternal blessedness.

It is preferable for a sensitive person to be himself killed once, out of love, in order to protect his fellow­man, than to cop out or back out and be constantly slaugh­tered by his conscience for the rest of his life.

Sacrifice for our fellowman conceals our great love for Christ. Those who have good intentions to give alms, but have nothing and on this account are afflicted; give charity with the blood of their heart.

Those who want to be martyred for the love of Christ when martyrdom is not an option, can manifest this love that burns within them through bodily asceticism for the souls of those reposed which are burning, for them to find a little rest.

Indifferent and merciless people, who think only of their own selves, insensitively satisfying themselves, si­multaneously fill their heart with much anguish. With­in them, works the little worm of a troubled conscience, and they are tormented already in this life. Merciful peo­ple, on the other hand, since they are always filling oth­ers with love, are always filled with the love of God and His abundant blessings.

* The term “philotimo”, from the Greek language, means “diligent”.

Reference:

Epistles. Elder Paisios of Mount Athos. (2002). Holy Monastery of Souroti. Greece.