WISE WORDS

Last Edited: June 16, 2025.

1. Most people in our time are well educated, but because they do not believe in God, they are led to the precipice. They are very troubled, and most of them are fogged. They have lost their orientation. Little by little, they are heading towards not being able to control themselves.

2. Endless are the sufferings of the world. Most homes are full of sorrow, agony, and anxiety. Only in homes where people believe in God is everyone well. In other homes, you see divorces, bankruptcy, sicknesses, car accidents, drugs, and substances. And if one or two children in such families happen to be healthy, they ultimately get sick from that situation. 

3. What misery there is in the world! When someone feels and cares about others and not for themselves, they can see the whole world through “x-rays,” the spiritual rays… When I say Jesus’ prayer, I often see little children pass before me praying to God. Their mothers make them pray because they have problems and difficulties in the family, and they ask God for help. They turn the button on the same frequency, and that’s how we communicate!

4. We have not realized that the devil has set out to destroy God’s creatures. He went berserk because people started being interested in God. He is very wild because he knows that his years are running out. Now, he acts like a criminal who, when surrounded, says: “I have no salvation! I will get caught!” and makes everything a mess.

5. Today, the world is filled with insecurities, and because it is distant from Christ, it has the greatest insecurity ever. In no era was there the insecurity that today’s people have.

6. The years we live in are very difficult and dangerous, but in the end, Christ will win. You will see how people will appreciate the Church as long as we, in the Church, are right. They will understand that otherwise, nothing can be done. And the politicians have now understood that the only ones who can help now with the mess the world is mired in are the people of the Church. It sounds strange, but it’s true. Some politicians came to me and told me: “The monks must go on a mission. Otherwise, the situation cannot be fixed. Difficult years! If you knew what situation we are in and what awaits us…

7. Today, if someone wants to be honest and spiritual, they do not fit in the world; they find it difficult. In the past, there were plenty of goodness, virtues, and good examples, and the bad “drowned” in the good. Minor disorders worldwide or in the monasteries were not seen or harmed anyone. But today, there are a lot of bad examples, and the little good that exists hardly survives.

8. Good is difficult to achieve because humans must work hard on it. But evil is easy to accomplish because the devil helps with it.

9. The coming years will be tough. However, despite the difficult times ahead and the spiritual battles we may face, we can find solace in knowing that God can turn even the most evil intentions into opportunities for good.

10. Today, sin has become a trend. That’s why if today’s people see someone who does not go with the flow, who is not a sinner, who is a little pious, they call them retarded, or regressive. Today, those who sin neither feel guilt for themselves nor respect for those who do not sin and live right. Today, people do not consider sinning to be an insult but progress. That is the worst of all. If people who live in sin would at least recognize it, God would have mercy on them, but they justify the unjustifiable and praise sin. That is also the greatest blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, considering sin progress and morality wrong and outdated. But God always rewards those who strive in the world and maintain a pure life.

11. There is nothing sweeter than having your conscience at rest. It feels like having wings within, being able to fly. But with what people do today, their conscience is constantly heavy. They try not to feel it by jumping into entertainment, rushing to parties, getting drunk, and watching TV. In other words, they fool around to distract themselves from the heavy conscience. Because of the same heavy conscience, they can’t even relax when they sleep.

12. The more one moves away from God, the more difficult things become. A person may have nothing, but if they have God, they want nothing! Whereas, if they have everything, if they do not have God, they are distressed inside. That’s why we all should be as close to God as possible; only close to God does one find real and eternal joy. One who is alienated from God is vulnerable to demonic powers. On the other hand, those who are close to God receive divine grace. Whoever has God’s grace, more will be given to them. And whoever has a little only but disdain it, it will be taken away from him. The Grace of God is missing from today’s people because, with their sins, they throw away the little they have. And when Aunt Harris leaves, all the demons rush into the man.

13. If someone finds something on the street and keeps it, saying, “This is mine,” they won’t have rest within! They neither know to whom it belongs nor wrong anyone nor steal it, yet they have no rest inside them. Imagine how worse they feel when they steal something.

14. People don’t believe in God; that’s why they sin so much. That is where all evil begins, from unfaithfulness. They don’t believe in the afterlife, so they don’t care… They wrong others, abandon their children, and commit serious sins. Not even the Holy Fathers had foreseen such sins when they wrote the Holy Canons.

15. The purpose for one is to rise spiritually, not simply not to sin.

16. The devil is making people suffer a lot today because today’s people have given him many rights and are receiving terrible demonic influences.

17. Christ has removed from the devil the right to do evil. Only if man gives him rights can he do evil. When one does not participate in the Holy Sacraments of the Church, he gives the right to the devil and receives a demonic influence. However, when the soul is purified, the Holy Spirit dwells in it, and the person is filled with God’s Grace. When one is abandoned by Grace, they become worse than the devil. Because the devil does not do some things but makes people do them. For example, the devil does not commit crimes but makes people commit them. That is how people become possessed. In such cases, they should go to a good priest to confess and force the demonic influence to go away so they can think clearly. Otherwise, they can’t think clearly because of the demonic influence. Repentance and confession cut off the rights of the devil.

18. Some time ago, a magician came to Mount Athos and blocked the entire road to my hut with stakes and nets. If an unconfessed person were to pass through it, harm would come to him. He would not know where the evil came from. As soon as I saw it, I made the sign of the Cross and went through; I destroyed it, and nothing happened to me. Then the magician came to my hut, told me all his plans, and burned his books. In one who is faithful, attends church, confesses, and receives Holy Communion, the devil has no power, no authority. He is like a dog without teeth.

19. When the devil has acquired substantial rights over a person and has dominated them, the cause must be found for the rights to be cut off. Otherwise, no matter how much the others pray, the devil does not leave. It cripples the person. The priests constantly do exorcisms, and in the end, the person is tortured more because he is tormented even more by the devil. That person must repent, confess, and cut off the rights he has given to the devil, and then the devil will leave; otherwise, they will suffer.

20. I remember that there was a very loving family. Once, the man told the woman: “I will divorce you.” And the woman said to the man: “I will divorce you.” They kept saying those words to one another jokingly. But the devil took advantage of it and created difficulty in their relationship, and they were about to separate. They didn’t even think of their children. Fortunately, a good priest told them, “Are you going to divorce because of this nonsense?”. And that’s how they overcame that problem.

21. When sin remains in one for many years, the devil, of course, acquires more rights.

22. When a person decides to change their life for the better, take strength from God, illumination, and divine consolation to begin. But, as soon as they start, the devil makes a fierce war against them. Thus, they understand that they alone cannot do anything, and they humbly ask for God’s mercy, and humiliation comes. When they are humble, they get enlightened and easily communicate with God. Humility is what cripples the devil. Patience is the spiritual defense, and humility is the greatest weapon against the devil.

23. The devil has malice and hatred, not power. God’s love is omnipotent. The devil tries to appear omnipotent, but he fails. He looks strong, but he is frail. Many of his destructive plans fail before they even begin to be realized.

24. We should not fear the devil. He has no power and is rotten, but Christ is omnipotent. Don’t you wear a cross? The devil’s weapons are weak. Our Christ has armed us with His Cross. Only when we leave our spiritual weapons does the enemy have power. Once, an orthodox priest showed a small crucifix to a sorcerer, making the demon who helped him do his magic tremble.

25. Christ crushed the devil with his crucifixion. After the Crucifixion of Christ, the devil is now like a snake whose poison has been removed or like a dog whose teeth have been removed. The poison was removed from the devil, the teeth were removed from the dogs (demons), and they are now disarmed. But we are armed with the Cross. Nothing, nothing the demons can do to God’s creatures when we don’t give them rights. They only make noise; they have no power.

26. God’s love does not allow people to see the devil! Most of them would die of their fear! Think if they saw how he acts or if they saw the “sweetness” of his looks! Some would have the best entertainment! You know what entertainment. What do they call it? Cinema?… However, for someone to watch such a film, they must pay a lot… and again, I doubt they can watch it! The devil has horns, a tale, and all the accessories!!

27. Only God knows people’s hearts, and only to God’s people does God sometimes reveal – for our good – what we have in our hearts. The devil only knows the wickedness and vices he puts on people; he doesn’t know our good thoughts. It is only through experience that he sometimes understands some of them, but even in these, he falls most of the time. And if God doesn’t allow him to understand them, he keeps falling in everything because the devil is dark, with zero visibility!!! He doesn’t know, let’s say, a good thought of mine. He knows if I have a bad thought because he put it in me. If I now want to go and do a good deed somewhere, to save, e.g., a man, the devil does not know this. But when he puts a thought on someone and says: “Go save that person,” the person will be filled with pride at the same time, which is why the devil knows the person’s thoughts.

28. But how is it possible, Elder Paisios, that a magician says about three girls that one will be married, the other will have an accident, and the other will remain unmarried, and it will be like this?
The devil has experience. For example, an engineer can say how long a house will hold when it is in danger of falling, etc. The devil also sees someone walking and, from his experience, says how they will end up. The devil has no intelligence; he is a fool. He’s all a mess. God made things that way so we can easily recognize the devil and his tricks. One must be very blinded by pride and not recognize him.

29. If we believe that Christ is the cornerstone, then nothing scares us.

30. God allows a tough thing to come to us if something good comes out. When God sees that there will be a greater good, he leaves the devil to do his job. God allows everything for our good. Let’s believe this.

31. So God allows the devil to beat us with malice because, with the blow he gives us, he drives away all our dust and dusts our dusty souls. He let him attack to bite us so that we would take refuge in Him. God calls us all the time, but we usually turn away from Him, and only if there is any danger do we run to Him.

32. When we are united with God, there is no room for the devil to enter, but there is also no reason for God to allow him to tempt us to force us to take refuge in Him.

33. The devil is now trying to gain the whole world. He thinks, “If I have more followers, God will be forced in the end to feel sorry for all His creatures and will save me, too!” That is what he mistakenly believes, that he will be saved without regretting, without asking God for forgiveness. That’s why he wants to gain as many followers as possible. Didn’t Judas do the same? He knew that Christ would free the dead. So he thought: “I will go to the dead before Christ so that he will set me free, too.” Do you see how much cunning he had? Instead of asking for forgiveness from Christ, he went to hang himself.

34. Humility has great power and destroys the devil. Where there is humility, the devil has no room. And where there is no devil, then there are no temptations.

35. A person can become an Angel or a devil in a minute. How? With humility or pride. Did it take hours for Lucifer to transform from a devil into an angel? Within seconds, it happened. The easiest way to be saved is love and humility. So, let’s start with love and humility and then move on to all the others.

36. The devil rules vanity and the people who are dominated by vanity. Vanity is the “world,” the material world. What does the word world mean in Greek? Jewelry, vain ornament. Whoever is possessed by vanity is possessed by the devil.

37. – Elder, why don’t we understand how bad the material world and worldly spirit are so we can escape them?
– Because they enter our lives gradually, as the hedgehog entered the hare’s nest. At first, the hedgehog begged the hare to put its head inside his nest a little so it wouldn’t get wet. Then it put in one leg, then the other, and finally it went in whole, and with his thorns, he pulled the hare out completely. In the same way, the worldly spirit deceives us with small concessions and slowly conquers us. The evil advances little by little. If it came suddenly, we wouldn’t be fooled. That’s what the devil does; he scalds us little by little, and finally, we find ourselves scalded without realizing it!

38. People must direct all their attention to spiritual purity and inner beauty, not outer beauty. The priority should be the beauty of the soul, the spiritual beauty, and not vain beauty because our Lord also said: “As much as one soul is worth, the whole world is not worth.”

39. When I give my heart to God, can God not give me all of Himself? God seeks our hearts. If we give him our heart, then God gives us whatever our heart loves, as long as it does not harm us. Only to Christ, when the heart is given, is it not wasted, and only to Christ do you find divine love in this life and eternal, divine joy in the next life.

40. – Elder, often worldly people, say they feel empty while having all the good things.
– Real, genuine joy is found near Christ. If you connect with Him through prayer, you will see your soul fulfilled. Worldly people seek joy in pleasures. But also, some spiritual people look for it in theological discussions, speeches, etc. And when they finish, they are left empty and wonder what they will do next. Don’t they at least go to sleep to be rested in the morning at work?

41. It is the Holy Spirit that sanctifies, informs, and supports souls.

42. A person needs to have God’s blessing—that is true wealth! What has a blessing stands and does not fall, and what does not have a blessing does not stand. There is nothing worse than unfairness. Unfairness is a great sin. Whatever you do, see that you have God’s blessing. All sins have extenuating circumstances; injustice does not; it gathers God’s wrath. It’s terrible! Those who wrong put fire on their heads. You see them doing an injustice, and then their people are dying, and they don’t care. How can people make progress with so many injustices? They do what they do, and they give rights to the devil. That’s why they go through tough times, get sick, etc.

43. Most evils result from injustices. When a property is made unjustly, for example, people live a few years like aristocrats and then give what they have made to the doctors. Rarely, it happens to very few that it is illnesses, bankruptcies, etc., a test of God. But in those rare cases, they then will have a salary from God. In this case, they usually become richer later, like Job.

44. The wrongdoer, and in general every guilty person, when he does not ask for forgiveness, suffers from his conscience but also from the wronged’s anger. But even if he asks for forgiveness but the person does not forgive him and blames him, the wrongdoer suffers a lot and is tortured. He can’t sleep. It is also possible for the wronged to have forgiven the guilty but to have a little resentment left in him. Then he himself suffers to a degree, but the guilty one suffers greatly from the anger of the other.

45. – Elder, many believe that they have been bewitched. Do they catch magic?
– If the person repents and confesses, they are protected. That cannot happen. To happen, one must give some rights. Let’s say wrong someone, deceives a girl, etc. Then, he must repent, ask for forgiveness, and confess. Because otherwise, even if all the priests read exorcisms for him, the spell will not be solved. But even if no one put a spell on him, the accusation alone from the wronged soul is enough to torture him.

46. There are two forms of injustice: material and moral. Material injustice is when someone is unjust to another in material things. It is moral when, e.g., someone deceives a girl, and if she is indeed an orphan, it weighs fivefold on his soul. In war, do you know that the bullet hunts the immoral? There you see the divine justice, the protection of God. War does not stand dishonor. An immoral person will be shot. Once during the war, one of them I remember had committed a dishonor the day before, he had raped a pregnant woman, the poor woman. In that battle, he was the only one killed!!! Terrible! Everyone said afterward: “He deserved that!” Especially those who do evil look to escape from here and from there, but in the end, they do not escape. It has been observed that those who believe a lot and live honestly, Christianly, their body is protected from fire more than if they were wearing True Cross.

47. It is possible in a family that the grandfather or grandmother committed injustices, and they are fine. However, their children or grandchildren go through tough times. They get sick and rush to give the doctors what was collected through injustices so their grandparents can atone for their sins.

48. Elder, how can we treat someone who wrongs us?
– Like a great benefactor who makes deposits for us in the Savings Bank of God. It makes us rich forever. Is this a small thing? Do we not love a benefactor? Do we not express our gratitude to him? We should do the same with the one who wrongs us. We should love and thank them because they benefit us eternally. The unjust are eternally unjusted, while those who rejoice in injustice are eternally blessed. Many times, however, we say that we are wronged, but in reality, we are the ones who wrong others. That needs attention.

49. Do not haggle with the construction workers. That’s why there were fires and disasters in the Monasteries after that.

50. Sin has become fashionable now, and injustice is considered cleverness. Those who wrong others consider it an achievement, but they suffer inside them from their conscience, the little hell.

51. One who wants to live with virtue and be honest in his work, whether he is a worker or a merchant or whatever else, must come to terms with the fact that when he starts his job, he will reach a point where he will not have to pay the rent if he has a shop, but God’s blessing will come to him. God will not abandon him. Someone else who is corrupt will get rich. Eventually, however, that swindler will reach a point where he won’t have to pay the rent and will close his shop because the world will be informed. But the honest one, little by little, will do better and hire more employees! But at first, he will be tested. When someone goes with the devil, with wickedness, God does not bless their works. What men do with cunning does not prosper. It may appear to be moving forward, but eventually it will collapse.

52. Man’s honesty is the best True Cross. If one is not honest and has a piece of True Cross, it is as if he has nothing. If one does not have a True Cross but is honest, he receives divine help. If he is honest and has a True Cross, that would be even better!

53. I have seen souls who were wronged but endured the injustice with positive thoughts, and God’s Grace showered them in this life.

54. St. Paisios’s answer to a believer who asked him what to do with the enormous wealth he acquired:
-Buy your children a house and save money for their studies until they start working.
-I have done that, but still, the money is a lot.
-Give to your poor relatives first and then to other poor people.
-I have done that, but it is still a lot.
-Give money to build or renovate the Church of your village and the chapels.
I have done that, but it’s still a lot.
Then, I will pray that Christ will enlighten you so that you can do good deeds where there are greater needs.

55. – Elder, when does the curse affect someone?
– That happens when there is injustice in the way. For example, if one laughs at a woman who has problems or harms her and this woman curses them, their family will experience bad things. In other words, when I hurt someone, and they curse me, I will get harmed by their curse. God allows that, and I will be affected. But when there is no injustice, the curse returns to the one who cursed.
– And how does one get rid of the curse?
– With repentance and confession.

56. One who is cursed is tormented in this life. But the one who curses is tortured in this life, but also in the afterlife, because he will be punished there by God as a criminal if he does not repent and confess.
Well, someone may harm you, but you with the curse you give,
it’s like taking the gun and killing him.

57. The curse has great power when it comes from a person who has been harmed.

58. Many diseases that doctors do not know what they are may result from a curse.

59. Once, some guys brought a paralyzed man to my cell. He could not sit; his body was stretched like wood. One carried him on his back, and another held him from behind. I put two logs on him, and the poor guy leaned on them a little. Those who accompanied him told me, “From the age of fifteen, this guy has been in this situation, and eighteen years have passed since then.”
“But how did that happen? There should be a reason. I finally found out that someone had cursed him. What happened? He used to go by bus to his school, and one day, he sat in one seat with his legs stretched. At a certain bus stop, an elderly priest and an old man boarded, and they stood next to him. Then a bus rider said to him: “Get up, let the old people sit.” He ignored them and stretched even more on his seat. Then the old man standing close to him said, “I wish you could remain stretched out and never be able to sit down again.” And the curse took hold. You see, the young man was disrespectful. He thought: “Why should I get up since I paid for my seat?” Yes, but the other also paid for his seat, and he is old, respectable, and standing, and you are a young guy, fifteen years old, and you are sitting. “This is the reason for your condition, I told him. You should repent; to be well, you need repentance”. As soon as he understood it a little and recognized it, the poor man immediately solved the problem.

60. When whole families are eradicated, or many people die from a family is either from injustice, witchcraft, or a curse.

61. The curse of the parents is powerful; it takes hold, even because of their anger. Even if a parent does not curse a child, but there is indignation at them, the child does not live well; their life is all suffering. Even the parents who get irritated and, due to their anger, send their children to the devil, the devil then has rights over them. “You sent them to me,” he tells you.

62. The greatest wealth for people is the good wishes of their parents.

63. Elder, if the parents curse the children and then die, how will the children be freed from the curse?
– If the children look within themselves, they will find that their parents cursed them because they were probably bad kids; they tortured their parents. Everything will be solved if they realize their mistake and sincerely repent and confess. And if the children make spiritual progress, their parents will also be helped.

64. – Elder, is it right when someone says for the one who wrongs him: “May God punish him,” or “God sees…”?
– Whoever says words like those is tricked by the devil. They do not understand that they curse with kindness that way. Some say they are sensitive, have love and discretion, and tolerate the injustices they face from others, but they say: “Let them face God’s anger.” (This implies that they don’t want to fight them back, but God will do so and punish them).

65. When slandered or wronged by frivolous or evil people who have malice and distort the truth, it is good not to want to be justified when the injustice concerns only ourselves. Not even to say: “God sees the injustice…” because that, too, is a curse. We should forgive them with all our hearts and ask God to strengthen us, to bear the burden of slander, and to continue the spiritual life.

66. When jealousy is combined with malice, it can damage others. It is demonic energy. That happens in rare cases. People who are jealous and malicious at the same time harm others, but they are few.

67. Many times, however, a child can suffer, and it is because of his mother. For example, a mother may see a skinny child and say: “What is this? What a bony child!” She then brags about her child, who looks better. Then, what she said with malice about the stranger’s child happens to her child. Then, the child suffers because of the mother, not because of his fault. The poor child suffers so that the mother understands her mistake.

68. Also, when a humble person asks you to pray for them to cope with their weakness, and you encourage them and wish them wholeheartedly to overcome that, your wish is divine. It contains so much love and pain that it is powerful. God likes that wish, and the person receives divine help. In other words, even the pain you feel for someone is like a wish.

69. Locusts, wars, drought, and diseases are plagues due to man’s distance from God. All these things happen because man runs away from God. The wrath of God comes so that man may remember God and seek help. It is not that God arranges things this way and issues an order for some calamity to come upon man, but God sees how far the wickedness of men will reach and that they will not change, and for this reason, He allows a calamity to occur so that they may come to their senses.

70. We must know that the faithful who keep God’s commandments receive God’s Grace, and God is somehow obliged to help them in those difficult years. In America, I had heard that a new disease had appeared. Many who live an unnatural, sinful life are infected by it and die. Now I have learned that this disease has appeared here as well. You see, God does not destroy people; they annihilate their race and are destroyed. It is not that God punishes them, but they create the punishment themselves with their sinful life. And one sees those people whose lives have no meaning disappearing.

71. – Elder, why is there no cure for cancer? Does God not allow it, or do people not ask for His help?
– The bad thing is that even if the cure for cancer is found, another disease will appear. It was tuberculosis; the cure for it was found, and now this one has appeared. And if God helps with this one, another disease will occur. People themselves will become the cause of another one appearing later, and there is no end to it.

72. Elder, why does God allow a disaster to happen?
– There are many cases. Sometimes God allows something so that something better can come out, and sometimes He allows something so people can learn something from it. Some are rewarded and others are punished; nothing is lost.

73. – Why, Elder, was God’s punishment so immediate in the Old Testament?
– In the Old Testament, they understood that language, that law. The same God was there then, but that law was for those who did not understand otherwise. Do not think that that law was harsh and the Gospel different. It was the law that would benefit that era. That law was not barbaric, but that generation was barbaric. Today’s people can do greater barbarities, but at least they can understand.

74. In our time, people have not experienced wars or famine, and they say they do not need God. They have everything and therefore do not appreciate anything. However, if difficult times come, famine, etc., and they have nothing to eat, they will appreciate bread and jam and whatever they are deprived of. If we do not glorify God, God allows a trial to come, so that we can appreciate things. Whereas, when we appreciate them, God does not allow anything bad to happen.

75. For God, there is neither a complex issue nor a difficult solution. Everything is simple for God. He does not use greater power for the supernatural and lesser for the natural, but the same power for everything. The main thing is for man to cling to God.

76. In two minutes, God can shake the whole world and make it change, so that everyone becomes super faithful! How? If he turns the knob on the earthquake slowly from 5 to 6 on the Richter scale… to 7… At 8, the apartment buildings will sway like drunk people; one will start hitting the other. At 10, everyone will say: “I am a sinner! I beg you, save me.” Everyone may also say: “I will become a monk!”. However, as soon as the earthquake is over, while they are still shaking a little, knowing they will not die, they will rush to their wild nightlife again because their return will not be genuine repentance. They will say so to escape evil.

77. I find God in everything! And in plants and animals, in everything! How can you not admire it? You see such a small bird traveling, going to Africa, returning without a compass, and finding its nest again! And people with maps and signs get lost! And it’s not that birds walk on land and make signs! They fly in the sky, over the sea! Where can they make signs? Also, look at the rooster. It crows at 12, 3, and 6 o’clock. It’s constant—every three hours! And it doesn’t have a clock, a battery, or a need to be wound! An old machine breaks down, and many craftsmen, technicians, etc., gather to fix it. They think of the solution, they try… And it is an old machine! While God turns the entire globe without electricity, neither the battery runs out, nor the motor stops! At what an incredible speed it turns! Man does not understand it! Awesome! If the Earth turned at a slower speed, man would do somersaults! The sea has so much water and does not spill from the movement of the Earth! And the massive stars turn dizzyingly and do not touch but hold one another at a distance! And man builds an airplane, admires it, and is proud!

78. Culture is good, but to be beneficial, the soul must also be “civilized.” Otherwise, it is a disaster. Saint Cosmas said, “Evil will come from the literate.” Although science has advanced so far and has made significant progress, with everything it does to help the world, without understanding it, it destroys the world. God left man to do anything he wants since he does not listen to Him, and thus, he harms himself. Man destroys himself with what he makes. When people escape from the harmony of God, they are tortured! In the past, people suffered from war; today, they suffer from civilization. Then, they fled from the cities to the villages because of the war and got by with a small field. Now, they will flee the cities because of civilization, and they will not be able to live in them. Then, war brought death. Now, civilization brings illness.

79. Elder, why has cancer increased so much?
– That is because of the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. That’s where it comes from. In the past, people weren’t like this. Now, in every letter I open, I read about cancer, mental issues, stroke, or broken families. In the past, cancer was rare. You see, life was natural. What God allowed is another matter. Someone ate natural foods and was very healthy. Fruits, onions, tomatoes, everything was clean. Now, even these natural foods make people sick. Those who eat only such foods suffer greater damage because everything is contaminated. If it were like this in the past, I would have died young because, as a monk, I ate everything the garden had: leeks, lettuce, onions, cabbages, all that, and I was fine. Now, they have fertilizers and pesticides. What people eat today… Stress and contaminated foods bring illness. The world is useless when it uses science indiscriminately.

80. Elder, in the past, how did people endure more exercise and be healthier? Did food help, too?
– Yes, because the food was clean back then. Does that need discussion? They ate everything ripe. Now, they cut everything unripe so it won’t spoil and leave it in the refrigerator. They pick it green and let it ripen in the fridge. In the past, the fruit used to ripen; it would fall from the tree, or, as soon as you touched it, it would fall from the tree. But besides eating good, healthy food (bread and butter or milk were great for a child), people were also smart and understood when they suffered, whether it was from the food. Now, the food is contaminated, and the mind is not working.

81. How many of the things that man makes now are useless… Wool is being gradually eliminated. It is difficult to find a woolen shirt that keeps sweat away. I wear a woolen shirt, and I immediately understand if it has synthetics because I can’t breathe, feel uncomfortable, and feel like I will burst! And they consider it better! They think it is progress! But are these things healthy? The way they make them is unhealthy. And they write “pure virgin wool”! And they will find other, even better words to advertise them! Now, we only have sheep for meat since we make wool from oil. And the silkworms say: “Since you want better silk, make it yourself”!

82. Elder, why don’t we have patience today?
– The current situation doesn’t help the world. In the past, life was calm, and people were calm, but the rush that entered the world made people
impatient. In the past, if someone knew that they would eat tomatoes at the end of June, it didn’t bother them. They waited until August to eat watermelon. They knew they would eat figs and melon then. What’s happening today? They bring tomatoes from Egypt earlier; they don’t want oranges with the same vitamins. “Look, my child, be patient and eat something else now.” No, they will bring tomatoes from Egypt. That’s why they started to build greenhouses in Crete to grow tomatoes earlier. Eventually, they built greenhouses everywhere so that they could eat tomatoes in the winter, too. They build greenhouses with all kinds of things to have everything in all seasons, and not wait! But they go even further. The tomatoes are green in the evening, and in the morning, they are red and swollen! I yelled at a minister: “Okay with the greenhouses, I tell him, but hormones, too? Hormones are put in fruits, tomatoes, etc., to ripen overnight, and those with a hormonal sensitivity suffer damage.” And they have ruined the animals. Those that are forty days old are made six months old with hormones. People eat meat, and what will they benefit from that? The hormones continue to be given so that the cows produce more milk; in the end, the producers cannot sell it. After strikes, they pour milk into the streets because the price drops. People drink milk with hormones. However, if they left it as God made it, everything would go smoothly, and they would drink pure milk. And with injections, everything becomes unhealthy. Unhealthy things, unhealthy people, everything unhealthy! Their lives are also tasteless now. You ask young people: “What makes you happy?” “Nothing,” they tell you. You, older man! “What makes you happy?” “Nothing.” Where is man led? He thinks he can correct God with what he does! They make the night day so that the hens can lay eggs. Have you seen those eggs? If God made the moon shine like the sun, people would go crazy. But God made the night so that people could rest. Look now at what point humans have reached. People have lost their peace. Greenhouses, injections in vegetables, etc., have led people to impatience. In the past, they knew they would have to go to a place on foot at certain hours. One, if he had stronger legs, he would go a little earlier. Then, they invented the carts. Then, the automobile, the airplane, and so on. A continued effort to find other faster means. They made airplanes that could take you from France to America in three hours. But the abrupt change will confuse you when you go from one climate to another at such speed.

83. Elders, some are thinking of starting to burn the dead for hygiene
reasons and to save space.
– For reasons of hygiene? Listen to me! Aren’t they ashamed to say it? They have polluted the entire atmosphere, and the bones are a problem? Space is not found in the whole of Greece. I raised my voice to a university professor about this matter. How come so much space for garbage is found and not for bones, which are sacred? And how many bones of Saints can there be among them! Do they not think about this? In Europe, they burn the dead, not because there is no room to bury them, but because they consider it progress. They do not open any forest to make room, but burn the dead, turn them into ash, to make room… They put the ash in a small box for convenience and are considering this progress. They burn the dead because the nihilists want to destroy everything, even man. To have nothing remaining that reminds people of their parents, their grandparents, and the lives of their ancestors. To cut people off from their traditions. To make them forget the other life and tie them to this one.

84. Respect is completely gone. And now you see what’s happening! Parents are thrown into nursing homes. In the past, they even cared for oxen; they didn’t slaughter them because they said, “We ate bread from them.”

85. Look how cunning some people are to collect the money of the rich! They say: “There is a hole in the ozone layer in the atmosphere, and the world will die. How will the world be saved? Science has been busy with a plan to dig deep, descend into the depths of the earth, and avoid the sun.” Since this is impossible, now they say: “There will be settlements, restaurants, hotels, houses on the moon, and people will go there. Whoever wants to be safe pays for it there”! All lies! No human can live there. However, some believe it and pay…

86. Elder, many are worried about exhaust gases.
– For this issue, they should force some factory owners to install smoke-collecting machines to save people a little from exhaust gases. In the past, these microbes, this smog, did not exist. Now, they have polluted everything. They destroy people. You go outside, and the air smells of exhaust gases. As soon as you open the window a little, the smoke comes in from outside. That smoke doesn’t come out when you wash your hands; it’s not innocent. The other smoke from the fireplace leaves the lungs with a cough because it doesn’t have oil, while this smoke sticks to the lungs.

87. And spraying the trees is poison. With this spraying, even the poor birds die. They spray the trees to deal with diseases, and then people get sick. They poison everything. Isn’t it better to spray less medicine and throw the rotten seeds and fruits in the landfills instead of the healthy ones? It’s a whole spraying cloud, and it won’t hurt people? Especially for small children, it’s death. That’s why they’re born sick. I said to someone: “What’s going on? You killed the insects, and now people are being killed.” They spray the flowers to kill the insects, and people get sick. Then they will find stronger medicines, and in the end, what do we get? It has been proven that some insects killed by spraying kill other insects. Now, we will develop them to kill others. How beautifully God has made everything! Where there are crickets, there are no mosquitoes. A man came to me who had a small motor that made a noise like a cricket, but wilder, to drive away the mosquitoes. Humans killed the crickets, which also made a sweet sound, and now do everything with a battery! Say a prayer so the disease will disappear, not only with spraying. Add a little Christ. I am not saying not to spray, but others are doing experiments. And when it is necessary to spray, wear a mask. It is better to have a little bit of fruit ruined by a disease than to spray it. Do not spray that much; reduce it. Pray reverently, read the first Psalm, and sprinkle some holy water on the tree. When you live rightly, you will have rain, and the caterpillars will be killed. God will take care of you. Reverence and trust in God are needed.

88. People don’t think about others today. In the past, if food were left for another day, it would spoil, and people would think of people experiencing poverty. “It will spoil, they said, let’s give it to the poor.”

89. In the past, people who didn’t have these means, such as telephones, faxes, and machines, among many others, enjoyed peace and simplicity. They enjoyed their lives! Now people have become lazy with machines! The many conveniences torment them; they are suffocated by anxiety.

90. New, more advanced machines are constantly being released, and people want to get the latest. Before they even pay off the first one, they get a second one and become even more in debt and tired. We need to be careful! Let’s not get into that trap.

91. Elder, now with TV, one can see events happening on the other side of the earth at the same time.
– People see the whole world, but they don’t see themselves. Now, the world is being destroyed by human minds. It is not that God is destroying them.

92. There is another television, too, the spiritual one. That means when the eyes of the soul are cleansed, then man sees farther without machines. Have parents told their children about that television? The Firstborn had the gift of insight (the ability to see more than humans see today. An ability only Saints have today). That was lost after their fall. When the children receive and retain the Gift of Holy Baptism, they will also receive the gift of insight. That is the spiritual TV. But that requires attention and spiritual work.

93. Elder, how should a monk use modern technology?
– To always try to have something a little lower than what the world uses. As monks, we should live at least a little lower than what is in the world, or at least as we lived in the world. Not to have better things than what I had at home. The Monastery should be poorer than my home. That helps the monk internally and also helps the world. Some things that are done today in monasteries are not justified. I saw monks in a monastery cutting bread with an electric knife. It is not nice! If there is a sick or someone who cannot cut bread with a knife, and it is necessary to cut it because there is no one else, then he, after all, is justified. But now you see a healthy, strong man cutting bread with an electric knife! He can handle a construction compressor but takes the electric knife to cut the bread, and he considers it an achievement!

94. Elder, why does the world suffer so much today?
– Because it avoids work. It is this comfort that makes it sick and makes it suffer. The conveniences of our time have also brought many diseases. In the past, how much farmers labored to thresh the fields! What a hard work, but how sweet the bread was!

95. You hear many rich kids say: “We have everything; why should we have everything?” They complain because they are having a good time instead of thanking God and helping any poor person! That is the greatest ingratitude! They feel empty because they lack nothing materially. A young man had everything, but he was not satisfied with anything. He secretly left home and slept on the train to suffer. He was from a good family! Whereas, if he had a job and lived by the sweat of his brow, his labor would have been meaningful, and he would be rested and praising God.

96. If no one works hard, they cannot appreciate the work of others.

97. The many conveniences, when they exceed the limits, make man useless and lazy. While he can turn something with his hand, he says to you: “No, I’d rather press a button and let it turn by itself”! When someone becomes accustomed to the easy, they want everything to be easy afterward. Today, people want to work a little and get paid a lot if it’s possible for them not to work at all, even better! This way of thinking has also advanced into the spiritual life; we want to become saints without effort.

97. Many parents come to me and tell me: “My child is paralyzed,” when in reality, he has a sensitivity in his legs. They feed him, he sits, they feed him, he sits. The more he sits, the more his legs become atrophied, and then he ends up in a wheelchair: “Pray, they say, my child is paralyzed.” But who is paralyzed, the child or the parents? I tell them to give them foods that don’t make them fat and to encourage them to walk a little. Then the weight drops and they slowly move more normally, until they even play football! God will help the truly paralyzed children who are not helped in other ways. A little child in Konitsa had been burned by a bomb. His leg had shrunk, and he could not stretch it. However, because he was restless and lively, he constantly moved it; the nerves were stretched, and he got better. Something similar happened to me when I couldn’t move my leg due to sciatica. I prayed while walking, and it got stronger. Movement often helps. If I get sick for two or three days and can’t move, I say: “Help me, God, just to get up a little, to move, and then I’ll be fine… I’ll go chop wood.” Because if I stay in bed, I’ll get worse. That’s why, as soon as I find a little strength, even if I still have a cold, I force myself to get up and chop some wood. I dress warmly, I sweat, and the cold goes away. I know, of course, that lying in bed is more restful, but I force myself to get up, and everything goes away.

98. As people move away from a natural life, a simple one, and towards luxury, human anxiety increases. And as they move away from God, the next thing is that they will not find rest anywhere.

99. From worldly well-being, from worldly happiness, comes worldly anxiety. External education with anxiety leads hundreds of people every day (even small children with anxiety) to psychoanalysis and psychiatrists, and constantly builds Psychiatric Hospitals and trains psychiatrists, while many psychiatrists neither believe in God nor the soul. Therefore, how is it possible for these people to help souls since they themselves are filled with anxiety? How can a person be truly comforted if he does not believe in God and the true life, the afterlife, the eternal? When a person understands the most profound meaning of true life, all their anxiety disappears, divine comfort comes, and they are healed. If someone went to the Psychiatric Hospital and read Abba Isaac to the patients, those who believe in God would be healed because they would know the deepest meaning of life. People seek to calm down, either with tranquilizers or through yoga practices, but they do not pursue the real calmness that comes when a person is humbled, allowing divine comfort to go within them. When we see a person with great anxiety, distress, and sadness, while he has everything – he lacks nothing – we must know that he lacks God. Ultimately, people are also tormented by wealth because material goods do not fill them; it is a double torment. I know wealthy people who have everything but do not have children, and they are tormented. They are tired of sleeping; they are tired of walking, and they are troubled by everything. And if they don’t work but only have income from their properties, they are the most tormented people. Whereas if they have at least a job, it is better.

100. May God forgive me, but the world has become an absolute madhouse. People do not think about the next life; they only seek more and more material goods. That is why they do not find peace and are constantly on the run. Fortunately, the next life exists. If people lived forever in this life, there would be no greater hell than the way they have made their lives. With this anxiety, if they lived eight hundred, nine hundred years, like in the time of Noah, they would live a great hell.

101. One day, a doctor who lives in America passed by my hut and told me about life over there. People there have become machines; they work all day. Each member of the family must have their own car. Then, at home, for everyone to move comfortably, they must have four televisions. And then they work and get tired, earning a lot of money to demonstrate their organization and happiness. But what does all this have to do with happiness? Such a life full of anxiety and a constant chase is not happiness; it is hell. What is life to do with such anxiety? If the whole world had to live this life, I wouldn’t want it. If God said to those people, “I will not punish you for the life you live, but I will let you live like this forever,” that would be a great hell for me. That is why many people cannot stand living in such conditions and go out into the open air without direction and purpose. They form groups and go out into nature, some with a fitness program, others with something else. I was told about some who go out into the open air and run or flee to the mountains, climbing to an altitude of 6,000 m. They hold their breath and then release it and inhale deeply again… That does nothing to them. That shows that their heart is crushed by anxiety and is looking for a way out. To one such person, I said: “You dig a pit, make it big, admire the pit you have dug and its depth, and… fall in and go down. At the same time, we dig a pit and find metals. Our exercise has meaning because it is done for something higher.”

102. Where there is anxiety and despair, there is the devil. Do not be anxious about anything. Anxiety is of the devil. When you see anxiety, know that the devil has set his tail there. The devil does not go against it. Also, if you have a tendency toward something, the devil pushes you to extremes to torture you. For example, he makes the sensitive person hypersensitive. When you are in the mood to repent, the devil also pushes you to do more than you can bear, and if your strength is limited, nervousness is created because you can’t cope, and then, he causes anxiety with a slight despair at first, and he goes on… When we feel anxiety in our struggle, we are not moving in God’s space. God is not a tyrant who suffocates us. Christ is all love, goodness, and comfort, and never suffocates but has abundant spiritual oxygen and divine comfort. In anxiety, a lack of faith is usually hidden. But one can also have anxiety due to pride.

103. Elder, how much decoration can one put in a Church?
– In our time, the simpler something is, even in a Church, the more it helps because we do not live in Byzantium now. As much as you can, everything should be modest and simple.

104. Now you know what should be done? Do not care about well-made buildings; build the necessities and turn to the misery of the world with prayer when you have nothing to give and with alms when you have. Do prayer and the most necessary things about work. I am not saying that these things should not be done, buildings, etc., or that they should not be done well, but first, the spiritual things, and then all the others with spiritual discernment.

105. A German once said to a Bedouin boy who was extremely intelligent in Sinai: “You are intelligent; you can learn to read and write.” “And then?” the boy asks him. “Then you will become a mechanic.” “And then?”. “Then you will open a car repair shop.” “And then?”. “Then you will expand it.” “And then?”. “Then you will hire others to work, and you will have a lot of staff.” “So,” he says, “I have one headache, then another headache, then another one? Isn’t it better now that I have peace of mind?” Most headaches come from those thoughts, to do this, to do that. If thoughts were spiritual, one would feel spiritual comfort and would not experience headaches.

106. For everyone, I emphasize simplicity a a lot. Because many of the things they do are unnecessary, and they are consumed by stress. I discuss austerity and asceticism with them. I keep shouting: “Simplify your life so that stress goes away.” And most divorces start from there. People have a lot of work and a lot of things to do, and they get dizzy. Both work, father and mother, and leave the children abandoned. Tiredness, nerves – a small matter, a big fight – automatic divorce later, that’s where they end up. However, if they simplified their lives, they would be both rested and happy. This stress is a disaster!

107. Everyone has now learned to live with the noise. You see, many of today’s children want to study while listening to rock music. That is, most of them like to study with music rather than in silence. They love restlessness because there is restlessness within them.

108. People today, because they don’t live a simple life, are very distracted. They deal with so many things at the same time and get lost in too much worry. I sort out one or two things and then think about others. I never have to do many things at once. Now I think about doing this, I finish it, and then I think about doing something else. Because if I don’t finish one thing and start another, I am not relaxed. When I have many things to do at once, I get crazy. And just thinking about them makes you feel sick.

109. Isn’t it better, Elder, for a job to be done more slowly so that one can have his peace?
– Yes, because when one works calmly, he maintains his peace and sanctifies his whole day. Unfortunately, we do not understand how, when we do a job quickly, we acquire nervousness. And work that is done nervously is not sanctified. Our goal should not be to make a lot and be all anxious. That is a demonic state. Handicrafts that are made with calmness and prayer are sanctified and sanctify the people who use them, and thus, it makes sense when laypeople ask to receive handiwork from monks for a blessing. At the same time, those that are made with haste and nervousness transmit that demonic state to others. The troubled souls who work transmit unrest with their handiwork and not a blessing. The state of man affects the handiwork he makes! Analogous to the state in which man is when he makes something is the result. If he is angry and curses, what he does will not be blessed. Whereas if he chants and says the prayer, his work is sanctified. The one is demonic, the other divine.

110. He who has sanctified his mind is the truly intelligent one. If the mind is not sanctified, intelligence is of no use. Behold, journalists and politicians are intelligent, but many of them, because they have not sanctified their minds, where they speak intelligence, they also speak nonsense. From great intelligence, they speak great nonsense! If a man does not utilize his mind, the devil exploits it. If he does not utilize intelligence for good, the devil uses it for evil.

111. In the past, Elder, was the world better?
– Not that it was better, only that the people back then had
simplicity and positive thinking. Today, people see everything with cunning because they focus only on the mind. The European spirit did considerable harm. That is what disabled people. They would now be in a perfect spiritual state, as most of them are at least somewhat educated, and they could communicate effectively. But they taught them atheism, all these satanic things, so they harmed them so much, and you can’t communicate with them.

112. If people slowed down the speed of their minds a little, their minds would be rested, but divine Grace would also easily approach them. Knowledge without illumination is a disaster. When someone engages in spiritual work on themselves and struggles, they are illuminated by God. They have divine illumination, divine experiences, and not their own thoughts. That is why they see far. Someone who is nearsighted sees things well up close, but he does not see far. And someone who is not nearsighted, at most, will see a little further, but that does not mean anything either. The physical eyes are two, and the spiritual eyes are many. Those who turn away from Christ are deprived of divine illumination because they leave the sun like fools and go to places without the sun. Thus, they are cold and spiritually sick. If man is not purified, if divine illumination has not come, no matter how correct other knowledge is, it is rationalism and nothing more. And if divine illumination is missing, even what they say and write will not help. See the Psalter, which is written with divine illumination; what deep meanings it has! Gather, if you want, all the theologians, all the philologists, and you will see that they cannot compose a psalm with such depth! While David was illiterate, it is clear how the spirit of God guided him. And the Church today is suffering because divine illumination is missing, and everyone takes things as they wish. The human element also enters, and passions are created, and then the devil is all around. Therefore, people who are dominated by their passions should not seek authority.
– So, Elder, should people persistently seek divine illumination?
– Yes, because otherwise, the solutions they give are an act of the mind.
Confusion is created afterward. Conferences, seminars… The unfortunate thing is that they did not know themselves beforehand. Because the knowledge of our own self is way superior to the knowledge of the whole world. When people humbly recognize themselves, they are then recognized by others. If some knew themselves, they would see their own mess and would not speak at all.

113. A child with the natural purity of mind and the little knowledge he has will tell you the right things. On the contrary, someone with an excellent education, with his mind smoked by the demonic influence he has received, tells you the most blasphemous things. Whoever constantly fills his mind with knowledge and lives distant from God ultimately makes it like a double-edged knife, and with one part, he slowly slaughters himself, and with the other, he cuts people with his human cerebral solutions. Human knowledge, when it is sanctified, becomes divine, and then it helps. Otherwise, it is just a human approach, mind, and worldly logic. If one does not have divine enlightenment, knowledge is useless; it brings destruction.

114. All evil begins with the mind when it revolves only around science and is completely distant from God. That is why these individuals often struggle to find inner peace and balance. Whereas, when the mind revolves around God, people use science for their inner cultivation and the good of the world, because then the mind is sanctified.
– So, Elder, does science not help people? – Science helps a lot, but it also clouds things a lot. I have known souls with greater clarity, although they have learned less. Those who have their minds clouded by science, if by the Grace of God they are cleared, then, of course, they will have more tools for work. Some people of God often have fewer degrees, but they help more because they have a lot of Grace and not many papers (degrees).

115. The wisest thing I will think of, the wisest solution I will find, is the greatest foolishness when it has selfishness in it, while humility is true wisdom.

116. Elder, when someone misinterprets the Gospel, is it because he lacks humility and reverence?
– Yes, because when humility is missing, the interpretations he gives are of the mind, of logic, and are empty of divine illumination.
– When he does not understand something, is it better to leave it for later?
– Yes, to say: “It says something good, but I do not understand it.” And that is what I did. When I was little, and I read the Gospel, if I didn’t understand something, I didn’t try to interpret it. I would think: “It says something good, but I don’t understand it.” And then, when it was needed, yes, the interpretation would come, but again, I would say: “Let me ask someone else how they interpret it.” And it was exactly as I had understood it. It is impudence when someone dares to try to interpret the Gospel, especially when they don’t understand it. Therefore, when you study, do not interpret them with your mind, but bring good thoughts until the divine illumination of discernment comes so that they will be interpreted by themselves.

117. Often, Elder, when referring to someone who is educated, people say, “This is a cultured person.” Is it always like that?
– When we say, “This is a cultured man,” we mean cultivated spiritually, mature spiritually. I have observed that there can be a very arrogant illiterate, a very humble illiterate, an arrogant educated, and a very humble educated. That is, inner cultivation is the whole basis. That is why St. Basil also says: “The most important thing is to have a high position and a humble mind.” Someone who has a high position (authority) and has little arrogance is somewhat justified. But someone who has no position, if he has pride, is entirely unjustified. The whole basis is the cultivation of ourselves, the inner cultivation. If someone is cultivated, educated, and has a humble mind, that is the best. However, for someone who isn’t very educated, having a very high opinion of themselves isn’t good.

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