Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Moments of Peace

Δε νιώθεις τον Ουρανό,γιατί δεν δοξολογείς τον Θεό.



-Γέροντα, στενοχωριέμαι γιατί έχω πολλά προβλήματα υγείας.

- Όλα να τα δέχεσαι σαν μεγάλα δώρα του Θεού. Ο Θεός δεν είναι άδικος. Στον ουρανό θα έχης πολλά να απολαύσης θα έχης σύνταξη μεγάλη, εάν δεν την μειώσης μόνη σου με τον γογγυσμό.
- Πώς, Γέροντα, αφού τώρα δεν νιώθω μέσα μου τον ουρανό;
- Δε νιώθεις τον Ουρανό,γιατί δεν δοξολογείς τον Θεό. Όταν ο άνθρωπος κινήται στον χώρο της δοξολογίας,... χαίρεται με όλα. Υπάρχουν κοσμικοί άνθρωποι που θα μας κρίνουν εμάς τους μοναχούς. Να δήτε οι Βεδουίνοι τι ταλαιπωριά περνούν, αλλά ευχαριστούν τον Θεό και είναι χαρούμενοι! Το σιτάρι δεν το καθαρίζουν, για να βγάλουν την πέτρα, αλλά το αλέθουν όπως είναι, και το ψωμί τους είναι όλο πέτρα!

Και οι τροφές τους, φαίνεται, δεν έχουν τα απαραίτητα συστατικά, ασβέστιο κ.λπ., οπότε τα δόντια τους καταστρέφονται τελείως. Και βλέπεις Βεδουίνους να έχουν μόνον ένα δόντι και να χαίρωνται σαν να είναι το δόντι μαργαριταρένιο. Και άλλος του λείπει ένα δόντι και αισθάνεται μειονεκτικά. Με όλα αυτά που ακούτε, να κινήσθε συνέχεια στην δοξολογία να δοξάζετε μέρα-νύχτα τον Θεό για τις ευεργεσίες Του.
Μου έλεγε κάποιος επίσκοπος ότι σε έναν ναό, την ώρα που ο διάκος διάβαζε το Ευαγγέλιο της θεραπείας των δαιμονισμένων των Γεργεσηνών, ένας άνθρωπος πολύ απλός στεκόταν πίσω από το δεσποτικό και έλεγε συνέχεια «δόξα σοι ο Θεός».

Αρχίζει ο διάκος : «Τω καιρώ εκείνω ελθόντι τω Ιησού εις την χώραν των Γεργεσηνών, «δόξα σοι ο θεός» λέει εκείνος, «υπήντησαν αυτώ δύο δαιμονιζόμενοι», «δόξα σοι ο Θεός» «χαλεποί λίαν», «δόξα σοι ο Θεός » «και ιδού ώρμησε πάσα η αγέλη των χοίρων ...εις την θάλασσαν», «δόξα σοι ο Θεός». «Κατάλαβα, μου είπε ύστερα ο επίσκοπος ,ότι είχε δίκαιο αυτός ο απλός άνθρωπος που έλεγε «δόξα σοι ο Θεός» γιατί το «δόξα σοι ο Θεός» ρίχνει τους δαίμονες στην θάλασσα» . Και εσείς πάντα να λέτε «δόξα σοι ο Θεός, δόξα σοι ο Θεός», μέχρι να ορμήσει η αγέλη στην θάλασσα .
Η δοξολογία αγιάζει τα πάντα. Με την δοξολογία διαλύεται ο άνθρωπος από ευγνωμοσύνη ,παλαβώνει με την καλή έννοια, πανηγυρίζει τα πάντα. Και όταν ο άνθρωπος ευχαριστή τον Θεό ακόμη και για τα λίγα, έρχεται μετά τόσο πλούσια η ευλογία του Θεού, που δεν μπορεί να την αντέξη και τότε ο διάβολος δεν μπορεί πια να σταθή και φεύγει

ΠΑΙΣΙΟΣ ΜΟΝΑΧΟΣ  

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS WRONG (PART 4)


Man, this mysterious being, was created by God as the pinnacle of
creation, in order for him to acquire knowledge of his Creator. In accordance to
his great destiny, man was formed analogously. He received the honor of being
fashioned in an entirely extraordinary and unique manner and was brought to life
through God’s Divine breath. While all of creation was brought into existence
from nothing by a single phrase—“let there be”—that externalized God’s volition,
man alone had his body formed by the hands of the Divine Creator, only he
received a living soul created through God’s inbreathing, and only he is made in
the image and likeness of his Creator. What a marvelous creation indeed! What
an honor for man! What a great destiny! Truly, his destiny is great, and his honor
is sublime; however, more marvelous is the manner in which his body and soul
were created. Because he became the image and likeness of God and was
created in order to live eternally and dwell in the same place as the heavenly
angels.
How noble was man made! How much did sin debase and ignorance
humble him! But this is not so! Man was endowed with nobility, and he will remain
noble, even if certain people degrade themselves, even if certain people have
forgotten about their sublime descent…Yes! Man is a supreme creation, and
nothing can be compared to him.
The prudent portion of the human race, all who are truly wise, confirm this
truth. Behold what M. Frederic de Rougemont states concerning man in his wise
and insightful essay entitled Primitive mankind; its religion, history and
civilization: “Man is of noble descent. He was born in Paradise and not within the
wilderness. The sound of angelic hymns, not the roars of tigers and cries of
wolves, echoed in his homeland. God was vigilantly watching over him even
before man came to know Him. It is not at all true that man created the idea of
God in order to invent a certain divinity to worship. Humanity departed not from
atheism but from faith; not from deception but from the truth; not from ignorance
but from revelation.”
Unfortunately, they who pride themselves on their resemblance to the
animals seek to recruit new followers. They seek young laborers to overturn
humanity’s moral and ethical principles; they are looking for new diggers to help
undermine the foundations of society and deprave mankind. Behold the unethical
moral principles that constitute their “civilized” mission: “Pleasure,” they say,
“debauchery, and love are good; but so is hatred…The truth is good as long as it
provides us with some enjoyment; however, deception, hypocrisy, and deceit are
also good if they can help us increase our assets. Faith is good as long as there
is something to gain from it; however, treachery is also good if it can secure for
us greater profit. Marriage is good as long as it makes us happy; however,
adultery is just as good when marriage no longer satisfies our desires…Life is
good as long as it remains an enigma; however, suicide is also acceptable when
this puzzle has been solved.”



—by St. Nektarios—

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS WRONG (PART 3)



The harmony that exists between man’s body and his rational soul is so
perfect that the careful observer will magnify in astonishment the extreme
wisdom of the divine Creator, Who made all the bodily members compatible with
and capable of fulfilling the demands of the soul…What purpose would man’s
brilliant intellectual thoughts have if they could not be externalized through the
body? What would be the purpose of man’s intellect, mind, spiritual powers,
feelings, emotions, and the entire ensemble of spiritual qualities that
distinguishes him from all the irrational animals, if man was just another
animal?...
Man advances toward perfection daily. Man not only looks after himself,
he is concerned for the well being of all of humanity in general, and he improves
both himself as well as animals. Where do we see a trace of such preoccupation
and improvement amongst the animals? Are not their accomplishments always
the same? What comparison can be made between the shelter of monkeys that
have remained unchanged for eons and the diverse range of buildings erected by
man? What is there in common between man and monkeys, even if they have
similar external characteristics? What if monkeys can build huts, if swallows can
make nests, if bees construct hives, and other animals have dens.
What relationship is there between the chimpanzee that shatters nutshells
with a stone and man who has devised an array of instruments to do the same?
What is so remarkable if a monkey’s hand was designed in such a precise way
(as was deemed necessary for its perpetuation), just as the elephant was given a
dexterous trunk, and other animals analogous body parts according to their
needs? What is so remarkable if God’s providence bestowed animals with
adroitness, in order for them to preserve, sustain, and perpetuate themselves?
Who can confirm that a monkey would have ever felt the need or thought of using
a stone to help it consume its food if its hand was not constructed the way it is.
Never will an animal benefit from the skillfulness and adroitness of another
animal. A monkey can watch a beaver build a dam for centuries; however, it will
never mimic the beaver’s accomplishment. Nor will a dog, or a bird, or any other
animal (whether it be a simple organism or a highly-developed animal) mimic the
skills of another animal….
Which intellectual accomplishment of any animal documents their ability to
contemplate, judge, and reason? Which animal ever turned an idea into
knowledge? When did an animal ever have an opinion on a certain matter?
When did any animal think about the origin of its existence, the end of its life, or
concerning life and death? None of the admirers of monkeys and the theory that
man evolved from apes can substantiate that any such thing has ever taken
place with any animal throughout the centuries. Therefore, to support the opinion
that animals and man have similar spirits that differ only in degree [of
development] is completely incorrect and illogical.



—by St. Nektarios—
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