That which is bread

We should regard Christ as our friend… Do we fall? Do we sin? With familiarity, love and trust let us run to Him…

Everything has its meaning, its time and its place. The concept of fear is good in the initial stages. It is for beginners, those in whom our ancestral fallen nature lives on. The beginner, whose sensibility has not yet been refined, is held back from evil by fear. And fear is essential since we are men of flesh and blood and earth-bound. But that is a stage, a low level of relationship with the divine. We think in terms of a business deal in order to win Paradise or escape hell…

As we progress, the Gospel leads us to understand that Christ is joy and truth, that Christ is Paradise. Saint John the Evangelist says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. The person who fears is not perfected in love. As we exert ourselves out of fear, we gradually enter into the love of God. Then the torment of hell, fear and death all disappear. We are interested only in the love of God. We do everything for this love, as the bridegroom does for the bride.

If we wish to follow Him, then this life, too, with Christ, is joy, even amid difficulties. As Saint Paul says, I rejoice in my sufferings. This is our religion, and that’s the direction we must move in. It is not the outward formalities that count; it is living with Christ that matters. When you achieve this, what else do you want? You have gained everything. You live in Christ and Christ lives in you. Thereafter everything is easy: obedience, humility and peace.

— Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios, pp. 104–105. Boldface added.

• Some of the sailors on a ship may quarrel and fight each other, but the ship sails on and reaches its destination. The same is true of the Church, because Christ Himself is at the helm.
• Love alone is enough to make a miracle happen. Neither prayer nor the Komboskini (prayer rope) have such power.
• Experience has taught me that no one can help anyone, no matter how strong his wish and love may be. Help comes only in the Hour of God, from the One.
• We must not take decisions on behalf of others. We should leave this to the Angels for they always find the best solution.
• How easy it is to go on a diet for the sake of one’s figure! And how difficult it is to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays because our Church ordains it…
• Every morning, when a new page is opened before us, let us sign on the blank paper, and let the Lord write down whatever He wills.
• Lock your door before praying.
• Unless you reach the point of despair, you cannot see the Light.

— From The Ascetic of Love by Nun Gavrilia

• What we say remains in eternity.
• Only those who act without true love face adversities.
• God loves your enemies as much as he loves you.
• If one can live in the world and yet not mix with it — just as the oil and water do not mix in a lamp — then he can live in God. He is in this world but not of this world.
• Only when we are still do we give the Angels an opportunity to do something.
• We must not “surrender” to His Will. This is what soldiers do. We, who are His Children, must offer Him our own will along with all our being — in whatever pitiful state we may be — and tell him: “Lord, take all my faults and imperfections and set them right”.
• The Grace of God comes when we raise our hand. It is Faith that draws God’s Grace to us. God is pouring down His Grace, but where is the hand reaching out to receive it? Instead, we are wearing hats or carrying umbrellas…
• We live in Vanity, and believe that this is life. How pitiable we are!

— From The Ascetic of Love by Nun Gavrilia