How to fight passions
Once there came to the elder two young men and asked him: "Tell us, Father, how to get rid of evil inclinations and get root out bad habits?" The old man asked one of them to pull out a young tree, which he easily did. Then he asked to root out another one. The boy pulled it out too, but it was stronger, and he had to work hard. The hermit led the boy to a third tall and strong tree. Despite big effort, the young men even together failed to pull it out.
The old man resumed: "My children, evil inclinations and habits are similar to those trees, if they do not grow long and are recently rooted in the heart, a strong will is enough to eradicate them; but if they are deeply rooted, it is already very difficult or almost impossible to dominate them. So work hard, while there is time and a heavy struggle does not exceed your strength!"
Read also
The Borders of Our Humanity
“True Christianity consists in the practice of the commandments of the Gospel. Where this practice is absent, there is no Christianity, whatever the outward appearance may be.” — Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
The Wood Between the Worlds: An Interview with Nicholas Kotar
In this exclusive interview, author and Orthodox deacon Nicholas Kotar discusses tsarists, Narnia, and starting his own press.
Why Did St. Gabriel of Georgia Burn the Flag of Lenin?
Recently the Orthodox Church celebrated the feast day of St. Gabriel Urgebadze of Georgia, the fool for Christ. A hieromonk who lived during the Soviet Union, he experienced intense persecution, especially during the post Stalin era. Some mainstream liberal historians have made the Soviet Union appear to be a much nicer place after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, during the rise of Nikita Khrushchev and his policy of “de-Stalinization." However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the life of St Gabriel shows.
Roots of Orthodoxy: A Warning
Jonathan Cabada, the Roman Catholic vlogger who runs Roots of Orthodoxy , uses misleading branding to promote an ecumenical agenda that blurs distinctions between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
Why the Church of Greece Celebrates the Protection of the Theotokos on Oct. 28
Commemorating Prime Minister Metaxas’ historic rejection of Mussolini’s ultimatum and the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, Greeks celebrate faith, courage, and national unity.
The Word vs. the World
There is no longer one common word or story for man to align himself with. Instead, all views and stories of our origin and purpose are accepted as equally valid. This can be seen as nothing less than a direct rejection of truth itself. We have substituted “the Truth” for “my truth.”