WISE WORDS

Last Edited: July 13, 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.

118. Education, most of the time, harms because it develops in man a great idea of ​​himself. This idea then becomes the fence that prevents the Grace of God from approaching him. Whereas, when man throws away the idea he has of himself, the false one, then our Good and Rich Father enriches him with His divine bright ideas. However, when a man has a great idea of himself and keeps this idea in his mind, he continues to be a brain and flesh and ignores the Grace of God, the Holy Spirit. That is, much knowledge will inflate the head, turn it into a balloon, and run the risk of either bursting into the air (with mental health issues) or collapsing (with pride) and falling to pieces. Therefore, knowledge must be grounded in faith in God, ensuring balance. Knowledge alone is harmful.

119. When a person is intelligent and performs a task with ease, they must bow before God, thanking Him day and night for giving them intelligence and doing it without getting tired.

120. Europeans have made their mind dizzy, have become confused, and are going down the precipice because they have removed God from their lives.

121. Elder, what place does logic have in spiritual life?
– What logic? Worldly logic? That logic has no place in spiritual life. Angels and Saints come in through the window, you see them, you talk to them, they leave… If you try to examine these things with logic, it is not possible. In our era, when knowledge has increased, unfortunately, trust in logic alone has shaken faith to its foundations, filling souls with questions and doubts. That is why we are deprived of miracles because miracles are experienced and cannot be explained with logic. On the contrary, faith in God pulls down the divine power and overturns all human conclusions. It performs miracles, resurrects the dead, and leaves science open-mouthed. Logic can cause significant harm when applied to examine divine things, mysteries, and miracles. Catholics, with their logic, went so far as to examine Holy Communion in the chemical laboratory to see if it is the Body and Blood of Christ. The Saints, however, with the faith they had, often saw Flesh and Blood in the holy Lavida. Soon, they will even pass the Saints through the x-rays to ascertain their holiness! They threw away the Holy Spirit, put in their logic, and now they are dealing with white magic. To a Catholic who was open to hearing – the poor man cried – I said: “One of the most important differences we have is this: you work with the brain, we work with the faith. You have developed rationality and, in general, the human factor. With your logic, you limit the divine power because you throw away the divine Grace. You add a preservative to the holy water so that it does not spoil. We sprinkle the spoiled with holy water, and they become good. We believe in the Grace that sanctifies, and the holy water lasts for two hundred and five hundred years; it never spoils.”

122. When someone tries to sort things out with logic alone, he becomes dizzy. He must put God before every action. He must not do work, without trusting in God because then he agonizes and tires the mind and feels bad mentally. If I faced the issues I encounter every day in this way, do you think I could handle them? But I do what I can humanly, and then I leave it to God. “God, I say, will show, will illuminate what should be done.” Many people start: “And how will this work be done, and what will happen with this or that,” and the slightest thing gives them a headache.

123. In the spiritual life, however, things are different. Simplicity is needed. To move simply and to have trust in God.
– How can I acquire, Elder, this simplicity?
– To open the head and put in mind… of an old era! Logic tortures man. For example, I say: “This must be done this way,” and I do it because it must be done. That is, I do not do it with my heart but because logic tells me to. Logic, but also politeness, says: “I must offer my seat.” However, the heart does not say it. It is another thing if I am moved by my heart and offer my seat out of love. Then I will feel joy.

124. The Gospel and worldly logic are not compatible. In the Gospel, there is love. In logic, there is one’s benefit. In the Gospel, it says, “If someone asks you to go a mile, go two miles.” Where is the logic here? Here, there is madness! That is why those who try to explain the Gospel with worldly logic get very confused. For example, there are various groups that organize charitable activities. They hear that someone has suffered great damage, has become bankrupt, and needs money. “Let’s help him, they say, but first, let’s make sure he really needs something.” And two or three people go to visit him to see if he really needs something. And they see, let’s say, that he has a luxurious living room, and they say: “Oh, he has such armchairs, such a living room! He doesn’t need anything.” And they don’t give him help. However, they don’t understand that the other person is hungry. When someone becomes poor, it doesn’t mean that from one hour to the next, he even changes his clothes. And who knows if he hadn’t had this living room for a long time and the poor man hadn’t had time to sell it yet? Perhaps someone aware of his family’s need gave it to him. They judge by logic and get confused, and the Gospel remains out of their lives. People see externally; that’s why they interpret everything differently.

125. Young people today are like new engines whose oil is frozen. The oil must be heated so that the engines can start otherwise it won’t work. Young guys come to my hut and ask me: “What should I do, Father? How should I spend my time? I’m getting bored.” “Find a job, find a job, child.” “I have money, he says. What should I do with the job?” “But the Apostle Paul says: “If one doesn’t want to work, let him not eat.” You have to work to eat, even if you have money. Work helps a person to defrost the oils in his engine. It is creativity. It brings joy and takes stress and boredom away. So, young man, find a job that you like even a little bit and get started. Try it, and see!

126. I have noticed that today’s children, especially those who are studying, suffer damage from their homes. While they are good children, they are useless. They do not think. They are insensitive. Their parents spoil them. Because parents have gone through difficult years, they want their children not to be deprived of anything. They do not give them the right values, so they rejoice when they are deprived. Of course, they do it with good intentions. Now, with their kindness, with their indiscriminate kindness, they are damaging them. They are accustomed to having everything handed to them, including water so that they can read and not waste time. As a result, they become useless, both boys and girls. Then, even when the children do not study, they want everything handed to them. And that bad thing begins with the mothers. “You, my child, study. I will bring you your socks and wash your feet. Take the sweet, take the coffee”! And the children don’t understand how tired the mother is who offers all this, because they don’t work hard. That is how they become completely useless people. If their shoelace gets untied, “Mom, tie the shoelace for me,” they say! They step on it in the meantime! What good can such children do? That’s why I tell mothers: “Don’t let the children study all day. They study so much, and they get dizzy. “They should take a quarter, half an hour break to do some chores around the house, to relax a little.”

127. Poor children are being destroyed today with various theories. That is why they are upset and confused. One wants to do one thing; he does another. He wants to go one way; the current of the times takes him somewhere else. Great propaganda is being carried out by dark forces that lead those children who are not that smart. In schools, some teachers say: “To be strong and independent, do not respect, do not listen to your parents,” and they become useless. Then, the children do not listen to either their parents or their teachers. And they are justified because they think that is what they should do. The government supports them, and they are exploited by others who care neither for the country nor the family, nor anything, to carry out their plans. Well, this has done a lot of harm to the youth today, a lot of harm, to the point where the children end up having the devil with horns as their leader! Satanism has spread a lot. You hear in some centers singing all night long: “Satan, we worship you; we don’t want Christ. You give us everything.” Terrible! What does it give you, and what does it take away from you, poor children? Young children, wild, with coffee, with cigarettes… You cannot see a bright look and God’s Grace on their faces! An architect was right when he said to a group of young guys he had brought to Mount Athos: “Our eyes are like the eyes of a spoiled fish.” He had come to Mount Athos with about ten guys, from eighteen to twenty-five years old. Because he had taken a spiritual turn, he then felt sorry for the children who were living a dissolute life. He managed to convince some of them and got them tickets to come to Mount Athos. I was leaving my hut, and they met me on my way. I told them: “I’m leaving now, but let’s sit here for a while,” and we sat down somewhere. At that time, some other young men from the Athoniada Theological School were passing by. “You sit here for a while,” I said. They also sat there. The architect then said to his group: “Did you notice anything?” They were astonished. “Take a look at each other’s faces,” he said, “and then take a look at the other guys. See how their eyes shine and see how ours are like the eyes of a spoiled fish.” And indeed, when I noticed too, that’s how it was, eyes of spoiled fish. Cloudy, altered… While the eyes of the other children were shining! Because the children of the School do prostrations and Services. The person is reflected in the eyes. That is why Christ said: “The eye is the lamp of the body.”

128. Various trends have come to us from everywhere. From the East, Hinduism and other occult religions; from the North, Communism; from the West, a bunch of theories; from the South, from the Africans, witchcraft, and so many other “cancers.” A child struck by such things came to my hut one day. I understood that his mother’s prayers brought him. After we had talked for a while, I said to him: “Look, my young man, find a priest to confess and anoint you to help you now in the beginning. They must anoint you because you have denied Christ.” The poor guy was crying. “Pray, Father,” he told me, “because I cannot cast these things off. They have brainwashed me. I understand that my mother’s prayers brought me here.” How helpful a mother’s prayers are! Those guys become useless when all those trends, theories, and evil things wrap them up, and then fear and anxiety seize them, and then they lead them to drugs, etc. From one precipice to another. May God help!
– Elder, is it beneficial for someone to tell them that these things are satanic?
– How is it not beneficial? But it should be done in a good way.
– How will such young people learn about Christ?
– How can they learn about Christ since, before knowing Orthodoxy, they go to India to the Gurus, stay there for two or three years, and become confused with witchcraft? They then learn about the mysticism in Orthodoxy and come here to ask to see lights, experience higher states, and so on. And you ask them: “How long has it been since you received communion?” “I don’t remember, he says, if my mother had given me communion when I was little.” “Have you ever confessed?” “That doesn’t concern me.” How will someone like this get helped? They don’t know anything about Orthodoxy.
– Elder, and how will they be helped?
– Since they call the Church “outdated,” how can they be helped? You understand it is tough to understand each other! However, those young people who have good will are helped and come closer to the Church.

129. Every young person needs a spiritual guide whom they can consult and listen to, walking with spiritual security, free from dangers, fears, and dead ends. As people grow, they acquire experience both from their own experiences and from those of others. A young person doesn’t have this experience. Adults use the knowledge they have acquired from themselves and others to help inexperienced young people avoid mistakes. The young person, when he does not listen, experiments with himself. Whereas if he listens, he will benefit.

130. Two or three female students came to me today and said: “Elder, pray that we pass the exams.” And I told them: “I will pray that you pass the exams of chastity. That is the most important thing. Then, everything else will be put in order.” Didn’t I tell them right? Yes, it’s a great thing to see modesty and chastity on the faces of young people today! A very great thing! Some poor girls come, hurt. They live disorderly with young people; they don’t understand that their purpose is not pure, and they get “disabled.” “What should I do, Father?” they ask me. “Stop the relationships. If they really love you, they will appreciate it. If they leave you, it means they don’t love you, and you will save time.” The evil one exploits youth, which also has fleshly rebellion, and tries to destroy children in this challenging period they are going through. The mind is still immature; there is great inexperience and no spiritual reserve at all. For this reason, the young person must always feel the need for the advice of their elders at this critical age so as not to slip into the sweet descent. That worldly descent fills the soul with anxiety and distances it eternally from God.

131. It is true that the world has unfortunately become rotten, and wherever a soul that wants to remain pure passes through, it will become soiled. The difference, however, is that God will not ask the same things He asked in the old days from a Christian who wanted to remain pure. It takes composure, and if the young man should do everything he can to strive to avoid the causes, our Christ will help from there and beyond. Divine love, if it flares up in his soul, is so very hot that it has the power to burn every other desire and every ugly image. When that fire is ignited, then he feels those divine pleasures that no one can compare with any other pleasure.

132. How, Elder, can anyone approach young people who walk the wrong path?
– With love. If there is true, noble love, the young people immediately become aware of it and change. Children come to my hut from diverse backgrounds with various problems. I welcome them, treat them, talk to them, and in a short while, we become friends. They open their hearts and accept my love as well. Some are so deprived! They thirst for love. It is immediately apparent that they have not felt love from either their mother or father; they crave it intensely. Thus, if you feel for them, if you love them, they forget the problems, and even the drugs, the illnesses leave, they leave the wrong path, and as devout pilgrims, come to the Holy Mountain because they are informed in some way of the love of God.

133. That is why parents should do as much as they can to help their children when they are young. Children are empty containers. If they fill them with Christ, they will always be close to Him. If not, it is easier for them to stray from the right path when they grow up. If they are helped when they are young but choose the wrong path a little later, they will come to their senses again. If wood is watered with oil, it does not rot. If children are raised with reverence and the fear of God, they will stay on the right path.

134. Is it normal, Elder, for someone to respect a younger and more spiritually advanced person more than an older and less spiritually advanced person?
– No, this is not a correct position. Whatever the Elder is, one must respect him for his age.
If the younger ones correct the older ones, is that a bad thing?
– This is typical of the new generation. However, the Bible says, “correct your brother,” not “correct your father.” Today’s young people are rebellious without understanding it. They consider this behavior normal. They speak with impudence and tell you: “I just said so.” They have been influenced by this worldly spirit, which respects nothing. There is a lack of respect for the young towards the older ones, and they do not understand the severity of this issue.

135. When mothers neglect their children, they destroy them. The whole base is the mother. In Russia, if anything has changed, it is because mothers secretly kept their faith and piety, helping their children. Fortunately, there is also a little leaven from Christian families; otherwise, we would be lost.

136. Lack of respect is the greatest obstacle to the Grace of God to come. The more unruly children are, the more the Grace of God abandons them. Worldly freedom has driven away not only piety but also worldly courtesy. Some children come to my hut and call out to their father: “Hey, father, do you have any cigarettes? Mine are finished.” In the past, you didn’t see that behavior. And if anyone smoked, they would smoke secretly. How can they not then be deprived entirely of divine Grace? Today, girls curse their brothers and sisters because they are religious in front of their father and mother with such dirty words, and the father says nothing.

137. When children speak impudently to their elders, they drive away the Grace of God. And when the Grace of God leaves, evil comes, and the children become wild. Children who show reverence and respect and listen to their parents, teachers, and elders constantly receive the Grace of God and have His blessing. The Grace of God covers them. Great reverence for God, with great respect for elders, brings great divine Grace to souls.

138. If the children are good to their parents now, their kids will be good to them in the future. But if now they are bad to their parents, their children will later torment them because the spiritual laws will apply.

139. Elder, some children say that their parents’ love harms them.
– They are not right. When a child is respectful, they are not harmed by their parents’ love. If he exploits their love, he will be destroyed. If a child is harmed by his parents’ love, in essence, the child is a fool.

140. Is it right, Elder, when some people put Saints on their T-shirts?
– If it’s on T-shirts or jackets, fine, it doesn’t matter. Instead of putting a devil, that’s better. But if it’s on pants, it doesn’t fit; it’s disrespectful.

141. Someone may be a little ugly or have a disability. God knows that this will help him spiritually, because God is more interested in the soul than the body. We all have our good qualities and a few flaws – little crosses, not a cross – that help us in the salvation of our souls.

142. Some people don’t want Greece to exist. “It’s bad for us, they say. We should eliminate it.”

143. How the atheistic spirit has entered Catholicism! Catholics are slowly beginning to disregard the Saints. “Saint Catherine, they say, was not a great Saint; a small king was her father. Saint Nicholas was a small Saint. Saint George is a myth. The Archangel Michael did not exist; he was a presence of God. The same with the Archangel Gabriel.” Then they will say: “Christ is not God; he was only a great teacher.” Then they will go on to say something else: “God is a power.” And then they will say: “God is nature”! While there are tangible facts, Prophets, prophecies, and vivid miracles, some of our people even reach the point of believing such nonsense.

144. Someone came to me to get a blessing, so that he could go to Italy to study Liturgy and do a thesis. “Are you okay? I told him. You want to go to the Jesuits to do your thesis, and you came to give you a blessing? They don’t know what’s happening to them! They teach there Uniates, Jesuits, I don’t know what!” It needs attention from all sides. Why do they do that? They go, study in England, France, etc., pick up “European germs” and then do a thesis. They study, for example, the Greek Fathers in a translation that foreigners made into their language. They, either out of cunning, added their own incorrect ones. Ours, the Orthodox, who learned foreign languages, take the “foreign germs” from there and transfer them here, and then teach them all. Of course, when one pays attention, they can easily distinguish gold from amber.

145. I always tell children who go abroad to study: “Go, if you want to, but be careful not to lose your faith; take only their knowledge. And above all, do not forget to return to your Homeland. Greece is waiting for you. You have a duty to help it. Be close to the Greeks, so that they are not forced to run abroad to find a doctor or an expert in a science. Be very careful not to let your heart grow cold. The Europeans are cold. America, on the other hand, is only there to enrich some materially and bankrupt them spiritually.

146. What nonsense they are now saying in schools about Darwin’s theory, etc.! While they themselves do not believe this nonsense, they nevertheless say it to infect children, to distance them from the Church. Now, even science doesn’t admit this about monkeys. How many years ago did humans go to the moon? Monkeys haven’t evolved to ride a scooter in all those years, if not a bicycle. Have you ever seen a monkey on a scooter? Not to teach him how to do that, but evolve on his own… So the monkey was an ancestor of Christ? What blasphemy! And they do not understand that they are blaspheming.

147. I see today that children are taken away from the Church, and they have become wild! While in the Church, the child will calm down and become a good child, because he receives the blessing of God and is sanctified. They do not let them go to the Church, so that spiritual things will not influence them! Not only do they not take them away from other nonsense, but they even teach them it! But don’t they understand that children, if they are influenced, for instance, by the Church or religion, will, after all, be more likely to behave wisely, be diligent in their studies, and not be as distracted as they are now? Until they grow up, and in national matters, they will be positioned appropriately, they won’t get involved with gangs, with drugs, and become useless. Won’t all of this be a prerequisite for them to become good people? At the very least, don’t they recognize this? Don’t they respect it? But their goal now is to distance children from the Church. They poison them, contaminate them with various theories, and shake their faith. They hinder them from doing good, to make them useless. They destroy them from a young age. And the children, of course, turn from lambs into goats. Then they start to beat their parents, teachers, and those who govern them. They make everything a mess. They engage in rallies, occupations, and abstaining from classes. And finally, when they get to gut those who govern them, then they will come to their senses.

148. Elder, sometimes the difficulties educators face in the school come more from their colleagues.
– It takes a lot of discernment and enlightenment in our time, so that each one can move correctly among their colleagues. For each case, a lot of wisdom and divine illumination is needed. Even not to show that you believe sometimes. You should move quietly and instead speak to them with your correct Orthodox life. This way you will help, without irritating. Especially in education, some things are like a tumor, which can be benign or malignant at times. If we take a position based on logic, we will do more harm than good. If an operation is performed and the tumor is malignant, it will metastasize. It needs a little careful cauterization.

149. Good parents are those who give birth to many children and become parents of a large family, but even better are the right educators who nurture the world’s children and become parents of a vast and extensive family! They give reborn people to society, and thus it becomes better.

150. When Patriarch Demetrius went to the School of the Holy Cross in the US, some pious American students approached him and said, “Your Holiness, in our time, the clergy must be modernized.” And the Patriarch replied: “Saint Cosmas says: ‘when the clergy become laity, the laity will become demons!'” “Didn’t he tell them well? They prepared a luxurious room for him, complete with a stately bed, etc. As soon as he saw it, he said: “Where will I stay? In this room? Better bring me a folding bed. The clergyman, when secularized, becomes a “candidate devil.”

151. In the past, peasants working in the fields would stop their labor as soon as they heard the Vespers bell (a day before a holiday or Sunday), making the sign of the cross. The same thing happened to the women who were sitting in the neighborhood. They would get up, make the sign of the cross, and stop knitting or whatever else they were doing. And God blessed them. They had their health and were happy… Now they have abolished the holidays, they have distanced themselves from God and the Church, and finally, they give what they earn from their work to the doctors and hospitals… Once a father came to my hut and said to me: “My child gets sick often and the doctors can’t find what’s wrong with him.” “Stop working on Sundays and everything will change,” I told him. He did, and his little child got well. I always advise the laity to refrain from working on Sundays and holidays, so that they don’t encounter calamities in their lives. They don’t even go to Divine Liturgy. Divine Liturgy sanctifies. If a Christian does not go to Church on Sunday, how will they be sanctified?

152. Today, if someone tries to keep the tradition a little, to observe the fasts, not to work on the holidays, to be pious, some say: “Where is he? These things were for back then!” And if you tell them anything, they will say to you: “In what era are you living? These things are not happening now!” Slowly, they consider them fairy tales. But what do the scripts say? “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever.” At least, if someone cannot keep them, let him say: “My God, I am a sinner!” Then God will have mercy on him. But now, while he has his weakness, he goes to impose himself on another, because he feels guilty within. Take a demoniac and put him in a spiritual atmosphere. You will see, he will turn from here to there; he will not be able to stand, because he will be unrelaxed. The same thing with them; they have guilty thoughts, are uneasy, and they go to step on their conscience, which is why they say those things. And they call values outdated, and they go to replace them with disorder. There is great perversion in the world! They consider spiritual beauty to be ugliness. Spiritual beauty for worldly people is worldly ugliness. Look, if you take a monk now and cut his hair, how ugly he becomes! However, worldly people consider this ugliness to be beauty.

153. Let us trust in tradition. Today, unfortunately, European kindness has come, and it is going to show the good. It wants to show superiority, and in the end, people are going to worship the devil with the two horns. “One religion, they tell you,” and they are flattening everything. Some came to me and said: “Those of us who believe in Christ, let us make one religion.” “Now it is as if you are telling me, I told them, gold and copper, gold of so many carats and copper that they separated, let us gather them again and make them one. Is it right to mix them up again? Ask a goldsmith: “Is it good to mix again the ‘trash’ with the gold?” “There was such a struggle, so that the doctrine would sparkle, and now to make it a mess again?”

154. Some Catholic guys come to my hut with good intentions, ready to get to know Orthodoxy. “We want you to tell us something, so that we can be helped spiritually,” they tell me. “Look, I tell them; take the Church History and you will see that we were once together, and then look what point you reached… That will help you a lot. Do this, and another time we will discuss a lot.”

155. Later, people will appreciate that Christians today hold the honor, faith, and all the greatness of the Church. And look, they will return to the old days. As happened with iconography, at one time, they could not understand Byzantine art and would hit the frescoes with a hammer to remove the old plaster and rebuild it to paint other icons of the Renaissance. Now, after so many years, they have recognized the value of Byzantine art. In fact, many who have no reverence, even atheists, are slowly going to uncover the old frescoes that have been damaged. So, all that is now being thrown away as useless will slowly be sought later.

156. They were going to abolish religion because they thought that religion creates problems. Now they are slowly seeing that man, when he does not believe, has no brakes and becomes a beast; he cannot stand without ideals. The time will come when even the unbelieving rulers, not only the believers, will understand that if there is no faith, the world cannot stand, and they will impose belief somewhere, to keep the world. After years, if you do not pray for a day, they will put you in prison! You will inform the ruler whether you prayed or not!… That is how things will be placed in order.

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New content is added regularly

Last Edited: November 23, 2025.

1. Some European “diseases” are coming and are getting worse and worse. A Cypriot family head who lives in England told me: “We are in spiritual danger. I have to leave England with my family.” You see there the father marrying the daughter, the mother the son. They bless everyone. Some things…that I am embarrassed to say.

2. Be with Christ, live according to His commandments, and pray, so that you may have divine strength to face difficulties. The Good God will fix everything in the best way, but it takes a lot of patience and attention, because many times, by rushing to untangle tangles, people get them even more tangled. God patiently untangles them. That situation will not last long.

3. God will throw away what is not right, just as the eye throws away the speck of dust. The devil works, but God also works and exploits evil, so that good may come from it. For example, tiles are broken, and God takes them and makes a beautiful mosaic. Therefore, do not be sad at all, because above all is God, who rules over everything and will place everyone on the stool, to be held accountable for what he has done, and then he will reward them accordingly. Those who help a situation will be rewarded, and those who do evil will be punished. Ultimately, God will put things in their proper place, but each of us will have to give an account of how we handled these difficult years through prayer and kindness.

4. Today, they are trying to demolish faith, so they are slowly removing every stone that might cause the structure of faith to collapse. However, all of us are responsible for that demolition; not only those who remove the stones and demolish it, but also those who see it being demolished and do not try to support it. Whoever pushes another to evil will give an account to God for it. The neighbor will also give an account, because he saw someone do evil to his fellow man and did not react.

5. The people, Elder, are like beasts.
– I have no complaint about beasts. You see, animals cannot do significant harm, because they have no mind, while a man who runs away from God becomes worse than the greatest beast! He does considerable harm. Strong vinegar is made from spoiled wine. Other artificial vinegars are not so strong… It is more terrible when the devil allies himself with a corrupt man; then he does double harm to others. For the devil to cooperate with such a person, that person must have bad intentions, malice.

6. How much God loves us! What is happening today and what they are thinking of doing, if it had happened twenty years ago when the world was more spiritually ignorant, would have been very difficult. Now the world knows; the Church has grown stronger. God loves man, His creature, and will provide for his needs, as long as man believes and keeps His commandments.

7. In the past, those who ruled had God within them, while today, many of those who govern do not believe. There are many now who seek to destroy everything: family, youth, and the Church. If you are interested now and concerned about the situation in which our nation finds itself, that is a confession, because the country is messing with divine law. It passes laws against the law of God. Indifference is not allowed even to secular people, let alone spiritual people. An honest, spiritual person should not do anything with indifference.

8. Indifference to God brings indifference to everything else; it brings decay. Faith in God is a great matter. A person worships God and then loves their parents, home, relatives, job, village, county, state, and homeland. One who does not love God, his family, loves nothing; and naturally, he does not love his homeland either, because the homeland is also a big family. I mean, everything starts from there. A person does not believe in God, and they don’t care about their parents, family, village, or homeland matters.

9. In my homeland, in Farasa, people used to say: “If you have work to do, don’t leave it for tomorrow. If you have good food, leave it for tomorrow, in case a guest comes.” Nowadays, people think: “Let’s leave work, in case someone comes tomorrow and helps us. Let’s eat the good food ourselves today!” Most people today revolve around themselves. They only think about themselves.

10. Whoever is indifferent to himself, out of love for others, God’s great interest is with him, and all people are interested in them.

11. So, Elder, should we always confess our faith?
– Discernment is needed. There are times when we should not speak and other times when we should openly confess our faith, because we bear responsibility if we do not speak. In these challenging years, each of us must do what is humanly possible and leave to God what is not within our power. In this way, our conscience will be at peace that we did what we could. If we do not react, our ancestors will rise from their graves. They suffered so much for the homeland, and what are we doing for it?

12. Today’s Christians are not for fighting. The first Christians were brave; they changed the whole world. And in the Byzantine era, if an icon were removed from the Church, the faithful would react. Here Christ was crucified, so that we might be resurrected, and we don’t care! If the Church does not speak, so as not to come into conflict with the government, if the metropolitans do not speak, to be on good terms with everyone, because they help them in the Foundations, etc., if the Athonite monks do not speak, so as not to have their foundations cut off, then who will speak?

13. Elder, how can we help someone indifferent?
– To cause him good anxiety, to make him skeptical, so that they will want to be helped. It cannot be done by force. The other person must be thirsty, so that you can give him water to drink. Give someone who has no appetite to eat by force; he will vomit. When the other person does not want it, I cannot deprive them of their freedom and independence.

14. No, ignorance is not justified in today’s world. Goodwill and going the extra mile are lacking. One who has a good will to know Christ will know Him. He will change. And if neither a theologian nor a monk is found to tell them the word of God, if they have a good will, they will change the way they think, either from a snake or a beast or lightning, a flood, or some other event. God will save them. That is why I say that ignorance is not justified today. Only if one is a fool or a child is it justified to be ignorant. But even small children today are brilliant! If one wants, there are many possibilities to know the truth.

15. Elder, do the various movements and the protests that Christians make have any effect?
– The presence of Christians is now a confession of faith. Someone can help more with prayer, but others will take advantage of their silence and say, “Those did not protest, therefore they are on our side; they agree with us.” If some do not begin to strike at evil, to control those who scandalize the faithful, greater evil will occur. That will encourage the faithful somewhat, but it will also hinder those who fight the Church a little. The Church is not their boat, to take a ride on; it is the vessel of Christ. They are to be condemned. The only thing that interests them is having a big salary, a luxury car, and attending parties… And then they make it a law to marry in a civil marriage, legalize abortions… What God will do is another matter. And with the blasphemous films they show, they want to ridicule Christ. They do it to say, “This was the Christ, now the Messiah will come,” and to present their “Messiah”. That’s their intention.
– Elder, people believe them and are harmed!
– The “spoiled” person is harmed. He believes them because he wants to justify the unjustified and to rest his conscience. With all these blasphemies, they want to justify all those things that are morally wrong.

16. Elder, are there some issues for which one should defend oneself, either as an individual or as a group, and some for which one should not? For example, when you were told that you were a heretic, you responded, while you remained silent about other accusations.
– This is what the Holy Fathers say, it is not that I say it myself. Any other accusation helps me in the spiritual life, while “heretic” separates me from
Christ.

17. Elder, how will people be helped with so much that is happening in the world?
– Those who want to be helped are helped with insignificant things. For example, a sanctuary lamp moves by itself, or an earthquake shakes the whole person, and he comes to his senses. Those who do not believe become worse when they hear that there will be a war or some disaster. “Let’s have more fun, because we are losing our lives,” they say. In the past, even the indifferent, when they heard, for example, that there would be a war, would come together and change their lives. Now there are very few of them. In the past, our nation lived spiritually; for this reason, God blessed it, and the Saints miraculously helped us, and we defeated our enemies, who always outnumbered us. Today, we say that we are Orthodox, but unfortunately, we often only have the name “Orthodox” and not an Orthodox life.

18. I asked a clergyman with social activity, with a bunch of spiritual children, etc.: “What do you know about a blasphemous film?” “I don’t know anything,” he told me. He didn’t know anything, and he’s in a big city. They’re putting people to sleep. They leave them like this so that they won’t get upset and have fun. They don’t say that there will be a war or that the Second Coming will happen, and that’s why we must prepare. They don’t want people to get upset. Like some old women who say, “Don’t talk about death; only talk about joys and baptisms,” as if death weren’t waiting for them. That’s how they feel a false joy. Whereas, if they thought that this old man who lived a little further down died yesterday, that the other one is in his last days and will die, and that the day after tomorrow there will be a memorial service for this one who was much younger than them, they would think about death and say: “I must confess, prepare myself spiritually, because Christ may soon call me to the other life.” Otherwise, death comes later and takes them unprepared.

19. Elder, when the Apostle Paul said “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, does he mean that joy is evidence of a right life?
– Yes, because there is worldly joy and divine joy. When something is not spiritual, pure, there cannot be true joy and peace in the heart. The joy that a spiritual person feels is not the worldly joy that many seek today. Let’s not confuse things. Many Christians of our time do not want to hear anything unpleasant, so as not to be sad and to maintain their peace. But, if I do not want to be sad, not to disturb my peace, to be calm, then I am indifferent! Spiritual calmness is one thing, and calmness from indifference is another. Some say: “I must be happy because I am a Christian. I must be calm because I am a Christian.” These are not Christians. Do you understand? That is indifference; it is worldly joy. Whoever has these worldly elements is not a spiritual man. The spiritual man is all pain in the sense that he suffers for situations, for people, but he is rewarded for this pain with divine consolation. He feels pain, but he feels divine consolation within him, because God showers blessings from Heaven on the soul, and man rejoices in divine love. That is the joy, the spiritual joy, that is inexpressible and floods the heart.

20. Elder, should people who live spiritually in the world show the secular that they are fasting?
– When it comes to the ordained fasts of our Church, Wednesday, Friday, Lent, etc., then it is necessary, because this is a confession of faith. However, the other fasts, namely those that are done out of asceticism, for the love of Christ that our prayer may be heard, must be done secretly. The goal is to live Orthodoxly, not simply to speak or write Orthodoxly. That is why, you see, one sermon does not inform, does not change another, no matter how good it may be, if the preacher has no experience. Thinking Orthodoxly is easy; living Orthodoxly, however, requires effort. When a person has a correct life, his work informs.

21. What will positively help people today is our Christian example and our Christian life. Christians should be distinguished by spiritual excellence and nobility, as well as sacrifice. That is why I say to the laity: “Love Christ, be humble, do your duty, and Christ will betray your virtue in the eyes of men.” Virtue tends to betray man, wherever he may be. Even if he is hidden, and if he pretends to be a fool for Christ, virtue will betray him, even later, and his stored treasure, which will then be discovered, will again help many souls; perhaps then more.

22. When others are wronged and someone cries out and gets angry out of real pain, then anger is “righteous.” When one is wronged and gets angry, then anger is not pure. When a spiritual person, with indignation, goes to defend himself for a personal matter, this is purely selfish; it is an act of the devil. He is subject to external demonic influences. If someone is wronged or mocked, others should defend them, for the sake of justice, not for their own personal interests. It is not nice to argue for yourself. When you think of others and react to help them, then this is pure, because it is done out of love. Also, defending serious spiritual issues, issues that concern our faith, Orthodoxy, is another thing. That is your duty.

23. Elder, in the Holy Scripture, it says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not forgiven. What is that blasphemy?
– Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is generally contempt for the divine, when a person is, of course, mentally well. Then he is guilty. For example, someone who told me “go away, you and your gods…”, I gave him a push and threw him away because that was blasphemy. Two people pass outside a Church. One crosses himself and says to the other, “Make your cross too…” and the other responds: “Come on with those things, leave me alone…!” This contempt is blasphemy. Therefore, it is impossible for a pious person to blaspheme. But impudence is also blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The impudence distorts or tramples on, for example, a gospel truth, to justify his fall. He does not respect the truth, the reality, but he knowingly distorts it; he tramples on a sacred thing. And this gradually becomes a permanent situation. Subsequently, the Grace of God recedes, and the person receives demonic influences. And if he does not repent, what will happen to him… God forbid! But when a person becomes angry and blasphemes even against the Holy Spirit, this blasphemy is not unforgivable, because the person does not believe the blasphemy he has spoken, but he has spoken it because at that moment, in his anger, he has lost control of himself, and he immediately repents. The arrogant person, however, justifies the lie to justify his fall. Whoever justifies his fall justifies the devil. The impudent people are in the first stage of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Those who despise the divine are in the second, and in the third is the devil.

24. Elder, when some speak against the Church or Monasticism, etc., what should one do?
– First of all, if someone speaks badly, for example, about you as an individual, it doesn’t matter. Think: “Christ, who was Christ, was reviled, and He did not speak; what do I deserve, who am a sinner?” If they came to revile me as an individual, it would not bother me at all. But, when they revile me as a monk, they also revile the entire institution of Monasticism, because as a monk I am not independent, and I must speak. In such cases, one should let them vent for a while and then speak to them a few words. If someone curses, blasphemes, etc., and is impudent, it is better to pretend that you are busy and not listening, and say the prayer. Because if he understands that you are watching him, he may curse continuously, and thus, you become a reason for him to be demonized. However, when he is not impudent but conscientious, and curses out of bad habit, you can say something to him. If, on the other hand, he is conscientious but has a lot of selfishness, you must be careful not to speak to him harshly but humbly, as much as you can, and with pain.

25. Elder, how can someone live in society today correctly, in a Christian way, without being scandalized by people who live far from God?
– Why be scandalized by others who are not close to God? If he were in a family and had six to eight siblings, and one or two of them were seduced by the devil and lived a sinful life, would their sinful life scandalize him?
– No, it would hurt, because they would be his siblings.
– Well, evil is within us. We lack love, which is why we fail to see all people as our brothers, and their lives scandalize us. We are all one big family, and we are siblings because all people are children of God. If we genuinely feel that we are siblings with all people, we will grieve for those who live in sin, and their sinful life will not scandalize us, but we will pray for them. So, if we are scandalized, the evil is within us; it is not outside of us. Let us say to ourselves, when we are scandalized: “How many people do you scandalize? And you do not tolerate your brother? How does God tolerate you with all that you do?” Think of God, the Virgin Mary, the Angels, who see all the people on earth, as if they were on a balcony and see in the square the people who are gathered there – some stealing, others arguing, others sinning carnally, etc, how they tolerate them! How can they tolerate all the evil and sin that exists in the world, and we cannot not tolerate our brother? It’s terrible!

26. A spiritual person is transformed by a holy person, in a good sense, and is not irritated by a carnal person. He sees him, he feels for him, but he does not suffer harm from him, the carnal. A man in an average spiritual state is transformed by a spiritual person towards good; he is also transformed by a carnal man, but towards evil. The carnal person does not recognize a holy person and is irritated by the carnal. When he reaches the state of Sodomites, he is scandalized even by the Angels. The humble man, even if he is spiritually inexperienced, distinguishes the Angel of God from the demon because he has spiritual purity and is related to the Angel. While the selfish and carnal man, in addition to being easily deceived by the evil devil, also transmits evil and causes trouble with his carnality, and harms sick souls with his spiritual germs. When the heart, whether male or female, is purified, Christ dwells within it and neither scandalizes nor is scandalized, but transmits Grace and piety. The man who is careful and preserves his spiritual purity also preserves divine Grace. When someone begins to make concessions to sin, he darkens internally; the eyes of the soul become cloudy, and he sees dimly. Then, he is polluted by sin, and sin confuses him. He can even see things that are pure as sinful.

27. As much as we can, let us be careful not to create bad situations (and scandalize others). Let us not open cracks for the devil, because souls who have a damaged mind are harmed and seek excuses to justify themselves. That way, with one hand we build and with the other we tear down.

28. Do not easily believe what you hear, because some say it as they understand it. I never draw conclusions from what I hear without examining it. Someone may say something to accuse, another may simply say it, and another may do so intentionally.

29. When we see something ugly, let us cover it and not make it known. It is not right to make known moral transgressions. Suppose there is some excrement on the road. A prudent man, if he passes by, will take a plate and cover it, so as not to cause disgust. A foolish man, however, instead of covering it, may begin to stir it up and spread its stench even more. Thus, when we indiscriminately make public the sins of others, we cause greater harm.

30. Elder, are there other types of sins or sick conditions that need to be disclosed in some cases?
– Let me tell you. I do this with some acquaintances. For example, I see someone commit a misdemeanor and scandalize others. I tell him once, five, ten, twenty, thirty times to correct himself, but he does not do so. However, he has no right to continue a misdemeanor after repeated warnings, as others are imitating him. The evil, you see, can easily be imitated by people, but not the good. That is why I am forced to tell others who see this disorder to protect them. When I say “I don’t like what he is doing,” I do not say it to criticize, since I have said it five hundred times to him. But because others who see his flaw are influenced, imitate him, and even say, “Since Elder Paisios does not say anything to him, therefore it is good.” If I don’t express my opinion that the situation is not good, I give the impression that I approve of it. This way, the rest of the people are damaged because they can think that the other person’s tactic is correct and apply it. They believe that I haven’t told them anything. They don’t know that he has given me such a headache for so long. We also have the devil who says, “It doesn’t matter if you do it. You see, the other person does it too, and Elder Paisios doesn’t say anything to him.” That is why, when I see that someone continues their routine by committing a disdemeanor, while I have told him to correct it, then I say in a conversation to whoever knows him, “I don’t like what he is doing”, to protect him and prevent him from being harmed. That is not a condemnation. Let’s not confuse things. Then that person comes and says, “Why did you tell the other? It was a secret.” “What a secret? I tell him. I’ve told you a thousand times, and you still haven’t corrected yourself. You have no right to harm others who will think that I agree with this situation.”Of course, I would tell others, since it harms them! Especially when a child comes from a family that I know and I see that with his tactics he is destroying the family, I tell him: “Look, if you don’t correct yourself, I will tell your mother. You have no right to come to me and tell me, and then continue doing the same wrong things. I will tell your mother to protect your family.” When someone repents, fine, but when they continue their tactics, I must speak up; I have a responsibility.

31. If you want to help the Church, it is better to look to correct yourself than to look to correct others. If you correct yourself, immediately, a small part of the Church is corrected. If, of course, everyone did this, the Church would be corrected. But today, people are busy with everything except themselves. Because correcting yourself is difficult, while correcting others is easy. If we engage in self-correction and focus more on “inner” action than on outer action, giving priority to divine help, we will help others more and more positively. In addition, we will also have our inner peace, which will silently help the souls we meet, because the inner spiritual state betrays the virtue of the soul and transforms souls. When someone devotes himself to external action, before reaching the brightened inner spiritual state, he can do some spiritual struggle, but he has anxiety, sadness, lack of trust in God, and often loses his peace. If he does not do good to himself, he cannot say that his interest in the common good is pure. When he is freed from his old man and worldly attachments, he now possesses divine Grace, which brings him inner peace, and also helps others find peace within themselves. However, if he does not have the Grace of God, he cannot impose himself on himself or help others to achieve a divine result. He must be immersed in Grace, and then his now sanctified powers must be used for the salvation of others.

32. Elder, how do you think when you have to face a problem?
– I think about what can be done and what cannot be done humanly. I examine it from all sides. “I will do this; what impact will it have here, there?… What harm can it do or what benefit can it bring?” I always try to see a problem from many sides, so that the solution I give is, as far as possible, the most correct. Many mistakes can be made if one is not careful. If he understands later on what he should have done, it is of no use; it is too late! It takes a lot of attention, prudence, and discernment to do good in a good way and to benefit, because otherwise, instead of benefiting, he does bad things. Then, when someone is considering an action, it is better to let it ripen. If he decides to act prematurely, he may face problems later and be tormented. Serious matters, when delayed slightly, should then proceed quickly and correctly. Someone can be intelligent, yet still have vanity and selfishness, allowing these traits to run ahead of their actions. Action before thought is pride. Therefore, one shouldn’t rush to act but think and pray first. When prayer precedes, it is not the foam of the mind, the lightness, that acts, but the sanctified mind. It is better not to rely solely on our own human efforts, but to pray and let God act.

33. Elder, when we see someone misbehaving, should we say something to them?
– Depending on what kind of person they are. It takes a lot of discernment and divine illumination in our time. It is not easy for me to tell you. In one case, as I have seen, there are five hundred sub-cases. Some can be corrected, while others cannot, and in response to our reprimand, they react. Especially if someone has an ego and you offend them, they react badly. Although they often recognize their mistakes, their egoism prevents them from relinquishing. And when our motives are not pure, that is, along with interest, there is also pride, and the love is not pure, a great reaction is created in the other person. When we rebuke someone out of love, with pain, whether the other understands our love or not, a good change takes place in their heart, because we are moved by pure love. While a rebuke that is done without love, with ill will, makes others a beast, because our evil collides with his selfishness, and then it gives off sparks, and the fire ignites, like when steel hits a flint. When we tolerate our brother out of love, they understand it. And even when our evil is not manifested, but is internal, they still understand it, because it causes them unrest; just as the devil, even when he appears as an angel of light, brings unrest. In contrast, the real Angel brings a gentle, inexpressible joy.

34. So, Elder, when we say something and reactions are created, do we start from selfishness?
– Many misunderstandings also occur; one understands some things, another understands others. However, one should always examine oneself: “Why do I want to say this? Where do I start? Am I doing this out of pain for the other person or because I want to say it to look good, to show off?” If someone is purified, then, whether he is angry, shouting, or making a remark, his motives will be pure. Then everything goes well because he handles things with discrimination. Discernment is purification, divine illumination, and spiritual clarity. So, how can there be selfishness there? And when the intentions are pure, you have peace within. From that, you will understand whether every action of yours is good. Many times, you do not understand that the way you say something to the other has a directorial style: “This and that must be done.” Selfishness shows up, and you make the other react badly. If there are pure motives and humility, a rebuke helps the other; otherwise, selfishness shows up and brings the opposite result. Remove yourself and your selfishness from your actions. Then you will move entirely from pure motives. Indiscriminate behavior most of the time does greater harm than the behavior of madmen (who may be justified due to their condition) and break heads, because the indiscriminate with their sharp words hurt sensitive souls and many times injure them mortally, because they bring them to despair. Some behave in the same way towards everyone. However, we cannot put in a thimble as much as we put in a barrel, or load an ox as much as a horse. The ox is for pulling the plow; it is not possible to put a saddle on it and load it. Similarly, we do not put a horse on the plow, because it is for carrying weight. One animal is suited for a specific job, and the other for a different one. Let us not want to put the whole world in our mold. Everyone has their own. Let us overlook some things when they do not harm. If everyone could get into order in this life, there would be no disorder, and it would be Paradise here too. Let us not have unreasonable demands on others.

35. Elder, is there worldly honesty and spiritual honesty?
– Yes, of course. Worldly honesty has no discretion. Τhe truth is the truth; but, if you ever tell the truth without discretion, that is not the truth. For example, let’s say it is true that one is not smart. However, if you keep saying this, you are not doing any good. Another says, “To be honest, I will go and sin in the square.” That is not honesty. Whoever has much discretion has noble love, sacrifice, and humility, and speaks even the bitter truth with great simplicity and sweetens it with his kindness. The result is that it benefits more positively than sweet words, just as bitter medicines benefit more than sweet syrups. The truth, when used without discretion, can commit a crime. Some act in the name of truth and commit crimes. When someone is honest without discrimination, they can do double harm; first to themselves and then to others, because this honesty doesn’t come from the heart.

36. A Christian should not be a fanatic, but should have love for all people. Whoever throws words without discretion, even if they are correct, does harm. I knew a writer who had great reverence, but spoke to secular people with harsh language, which went deep and shook them. He once told me, “At a gathering, I said this and that to a lady.” But the way he said it to her, he harmed her. He insulted her in front of everyone. “Look, I tell him, you throw golden crowns with diamond stones at others, but in the way you throw them, you damage heads, not only sensitive ones but also strong ones.” Let us not stone people… in a Christian way. Whoever criticizes someone who has sinned in front of others or does not speak with love for a person is not moved by the Spirit of God; another spirit moves him. The way of the Church is love; it differs from the way of the legalists. The Church sees everything with longsuffering and seeks to help everyone, regardless of their actions or how sinful they may be.

37. One who has humility never acts like a teacher; he listens and, when his opinion is asked, speaks humbly. He never says “I,” but “my thought is this” or “the Fathers said.” That is, he speaks like a student. Whoever thinks he is capable of correcting others is very selfish.

38. Whatever a man does, he should do it for God. We forget God, and then the thought that we are doing something great comes in, along with people-pleasing, and we always look to be loved and admired by others. Whereas, if someone acts with the thought that God sees him, watches him, then whatever he does is certain; otherwise, if he does something to appear good to others, he loses everything, everything is wasted. For every action of his, one must ask oneself: “Well, does what I am doing give me inner peace; does God like it?” If he forgets to do this, he forgets God. If we move with the aim of pleasing others, this does us no good. Much attention is needed. Always examine the intentions from which I move and, as soon as I realize that I am moved by people-pleasing, strike it immediately.

39. One should make his life such that it relates to God. He should always examine himself and consider how to fulfill God’s will. When he does that, then he becomes close to God, and then, without asking Him, he receives; he continually receives water from the spring.

40. Elder, how does divine illumination come?
– If we remove the rust from the cables, the old man becomes a good conductor, and then the Grace of God passes through and ηε receives the divine Light of Grace. Otherwise, short circuits occur, and Grace does not work. The whole basis is for ονε to be careful that the Grace of God does not abandon him, so that he may have divine illumination. Because if there is no divine illumination, all is lost.

41. Elder, what conditions are needed for the Holy Spirit to dwell in someone?
– Fighting spirit, humility, self-respect, nobility, sacrifice. One is useless if he lacks the Grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Light, the divine Light. The whole foundation is there. If someone cannot see, they can hit the glass, fall off a cliff, into a pit, into filth, or even into a cesspool. He does not see where he is going, because he is deprived of Light. But if he sees a little, he is protected; if he sees more, he avoids all these dangers and walks safely on his path. And for the Light to come, you must want to go out of the darkness. Even if people see a little dimly, they will not fall, and God will not be sad. If a father is sad when his children fall into the mud, into thorns, into the cliff, how much more so will God! All the evil that happens in the world is because divine illumination is missing. And when divine illumination is missing, man is in darkness. Then one says, “We will go from here,” the other says, “No, I know well; we will go from here,” the other, “From here,” the other, “From there.” Each thinks that it is good to go from where he says. That is, everyone is interested in the good, but they are in a haze and cannot come to an agreement. If there were no haze, they would not argue; they would see the best way and would be drawn towards that. I want to say that everyone can move with good intentions, but because there is a blur, a lot of bad things happen both in society and in the Church. At least in the Church, most people do not have bad intentions, but divine illumination is missing. They struggle for good, but where do they end up in the end? That is why we should ask God to give us even a little divine illumination, because otherwise we will stumble like the blind. The Good God gives His divine illumination to those who have good intentions. The whole basis is divine illumination. And if divine illumination has come, then one emits peace to his environment, and he evolves spiritually. The divine Light of God’s Grace illuminates people. Those who have divine illumination see things very clearly, are informed without doubt, and neither do they get tired, but they also help others very positively.

42. Life is certainly not a camp; it has joys, but it also has sorrows. Before the Resurrection, the Crucifixion precedes. The blows of hard timers are necessary for the salvation of our souls because they illuminate the soul. Just as it happens with clothes, the more we rub them, when we wash them, the better they clean. The same with the octopus; the more we throw it on the rocks, the more it cleans and softens. And the fish looks beautiful when it swims in the sea and is alive, even when it is in the market with its scales and entrails, but it only becomes useful when it is cleaned – ugly on the outside – and then cooked.

43. Elder, people who are beginning to approach God, what books should they read to be helped?
– First, they should read the Gospel, to learn what Christ means. Let them be a little moved, and then read the Old Testament. Do you know what trouble it is when they have not read anything and ask you for help? It is like a child from primary school approaching a university professor and saying, “Help me.” What should the professor say to him? “One plus one equals two”?

44. If someone does not have reverence and humility, even if you put them inside the Chamber of the Holy Sepulchre, they will not see anything. Whereas, if they have reverence, even on Golgotha, ​​they can see the Holy Light.

45. Some say: “In this small, devout Church, I experience the Divine Liturgy; in the large Church, I do not experience it. If there is a chapel plastered white, I do not feel anything; however, if it is decorated with icons, has a good iconostasis, etc., there I experience the Divine Liturgy!” That is for a person who has no appetite to eat, and you put a little salt, a little pepper, so that he will have an appetite.
– So, Elder, do these not play a role? Do they not help?
– Yes, I do not say, they also help, but let no one step on them. Otherwise, magically, one will seek to experience Christ. They will seek a dark cell, a dimly lit lamp, a devout Church. Without this, they will not be able to pray. Whether they are on the train, in the cave, or on the road, it is the same for them. God has made every person a little church, and they can carry it with them wherever they go.

46. Everyone seeks inner peace, but that comes from within us. And those people who go from pilgrimage to pilgrimage seek to find Christ, while Christ is near them. And while they can find Him without effort, they get tired and ultimately fail to find Him. A true spiritual person does not find inner peace by going around and seeing various sights. That is for those who suffer, to forget their sorrow for a while. A spiritual person who has divine consolation does not need those things. And if he does not have divine consolation within him, then he is no different from the worldly. His aspirations and interests will again be worldly; they will not be spiritual. Again, he will look for something worldly to find inner peace. Many come to the Holy Mountain, visit various Fathers, are excited by what they hear from each one, interpret it in their own way, confuse it, and even say: “We had a great time.” Whereas, if they visited a Father, listened to him, and tried to apply what he told them, they would have positive help. Now, what they are doing is spiritual tourism; they waste their time, suffer needlessly, and do not benefit. How restful it would be if they stayed with a Father and applied what they heard! Then they would feel inner peace, whereas now they go from place to place and try to find inner peace in the green landscapes of the Holy Mountain, just like worldly people.

47. How intense is the presence of Christ in the Holy Land! On the road, for example, where someone goes to Golgotha, a good change is felt within. Even if he does not know where he is going, if he walks there, he is shocked. And in the Holy Sepulcher, you see various people; a variety. Some are clergy, others secular, others dressed modestly, others immodestly, some with long clothes, others with short clothes, others almost without clothes, others with shaved heads, others with long hair… A diverse world, with various fashions, races, and denominations; some Roman Catholic, some Armenian, but everyone goes and worships there! It made an impression on me! It is moving. However, one must study all this with a positive mindset, so that they are inspired and spiritually uplifted.

48. The man who fights with zeal, as much as he can, and does not want to act badly, but in his fight, he is defeated-wins, defeated-wins, God will not leave him. If he has some goodwill not to sadden God, he will go to Heaven “with his shoes on.” The naturally Good God will push him into Heaven. He will take him at the time when he is in a state of repentance. He can fight all his life, but God will not abandon him; He will take him at the best time.

49. The gate of Paradise is not narrow. It can accommodate all people who bow humbly and are not full of pride; they only need to repent, that is, give the burden of their sins to Christ, and then they can easily pass through the gate. Then, we also have the excuse that we are made of earth; we are not only spirit, like the Angels. However, we are unjustified when we do not repent and do not approach our Savior humbly. Man’s salvation depends on the second, not the minute. One with a humble thought is saved, while if they bring up a proud thought, they lose everything.

50. The little demons, when they see that they cannot do any more harm to the fighter, look for ways to make him useless with trivial things. Then, you should know that there are also little demons, who do great harm. Once, a little demon was asked, “What can you do?” “What can I do? I go and confuse the threads of the seamstresses, the shoemakers,” he replied, “and make them angry.” The greatest scandals are caused by trivial things, not only to us, but sometimes in countries as well. In spiritually minded people, there are no serious reasons for scandals; the devil takes advantage of the little things to cause harm. He crushes a person mentally with some stupid, childish things, so he makes their heart as he wants and harms them.

51. Does the devil fight a man who does not do fine work on himself?
– Satan does not go to a useless man, but to a fighter, to harm him and make him useless. He does not waste his time doing fine work on someone who does not do fine work. He sends to those who sew a demon who sews. To those who do fine work, he sends a demon who does fine work. To those who do wonderful embroidery, he sends a demon for very fine work. To those who do less fine work on themselves, he sends a demon for less fine work. To beginners, he sends a beginner demon.

52. People who have a delicate soul, love going the extra mile, and are sensitive, need to be careful, because the devil also puts his tail on them and makes them more sensitive. They can reach melancholy or even worse. The devil, while he makes humans go against each other and quarrel, never goes against them himself. He makes the negligent more negligent; he calms him down with the thought: “Your head hurts, you are not feeling well; it doesn’t matter if you don’t get up for prayer.” It makes the pious more pious, to throw him into pride, or it pushes him to fight more than his strength, so that he becomes exhausted and abandons all his spiritual weapons, and the former great fighter surrenders. It makes the hard-hearted even harder, and the sensitive even more sensitive. And you see how many people, some because they have some sensitivity and others because their nerves have been shaken, suffer from insomnia and take pills, or are tortured and wasted in hospitals. It is rare to see a balanced person today. People have become batteries. Most of them are as if they have electricity. Those who do not confess, in fact, accept demonic influences; they have a demonic magnetism, because the devil has power over them. Few people, whether they are boys or girls or elderly individuals, have a serene look on their faces. Demonism! Do you know what demonism is? Being unable to communicate with others.

53. I said to some doctors who were discussing the anesthesia they use in operations: “Devil’s anesthesia has ugly effects on people, while the one you use helps.” The devil’s anesthesia is like the poison a snake throws at birds or rabbits, to paralyze and swallow them without their reaction. The devil, when he wants to fight a person, first sends a little demon “anesthesiologist” to make the man unconscious, and then he himself goes and chops him up, does whatever he wants to him… But the… “anesthesiologist” comes first. He gives us an anesthetic injection and we forget. You see, we monks promise to “…be insulted, mocked,” and so on. However, the devil sometimes confuses us, and we do the opposite of what we promised. We started one way and ended up another way. We don’t pay attention. The same happens to others. They start one way and end up another way. The devil deceives them, and they lose their best years.

54. The devil is a craftsman. If, for example, he brings a sinful thought to a spiritual man during the Divine Liturgy, he will understand it, be shocked, and push it away. That is why the devil brings him a spiritual thought. “That book,” he says, “writes this about the Divine Liturgy.” Then he will draw his attention, for example, to the chandelier. He will wonder who made it. It will remind him of a sick person he needs to visit. “Wow! What an inspiration at the time of Divine Liturgy”, the person says, while it is the devil responsible. The man then continues the conversation with his thoughts, and the Divine Liturgy ends without his participation. Therefore, we should be careful not to become a cause for the distraction of others at the time of Divine Liturgy. We are causing harm to others, and we do not understand it.

55. Look what else happens during the Divine Liturgy. When the reader reaches the most sacred point, from which people will be helped, either the door will slam loudly in the air or someone will cough, and the congregation’s attention will be distracted, and they will not benefit from this sacred point. That is how the little demon does his job. Oh, if you could see the devil how he moves! You haven’t seen him, that’s why you don’t understand some things! He does his best so that people won’t be helped. I’ve noticed it at my hut when I’m talking. As soon as I reach exactly the point I want, the most sensitive one, to help those who are listening to me, then either some noise is made or others come, and I interrupt. The devil first makes visitors stare across the hut or look at something, and arranges for them to come in at the most delicate point of the discussion, so that I can change the subject and not benefit them. Because when the discussion begins, the devil knows where it will end, and because he sees that he will suffer damage, he sends someone exactly to the most sensitive point to interrupt me. “Oh, Father, where do we enter from?” one shouts. “Take some Turkish delight and water and come from there,” I tell them. Others come in at that moment, so they interrupt me, because I have to get up to greet them. Others come along later, and I have to get up again, and they start a conversation, “where are you from, etc.”… So I am forced to start again from the beginning, to repeat the example I was saying. As soon as I move forward, someone else calls out from outside the yard: “Hey, Father Paisios, where do you live? Is the door from here?” I get up again… That devil! Once, he did that six or seven times, until I was forced to put some… guards in place! “You stay there and watch that no one comes from there. You sit here until I finish the conversation”. Six or seven times to start the whole story, to bring visitors to the point where they will be helped, and the little demons mess it up! The devil keeps turning the knob to a different frequency. As soon as the fighter starts to get a little excited by something, he turns the knob to another frequency, and the person gets distracted. They forget the initial topic. When one thinks of something spiritual, the devil reminds them of something else. He constantly knocks him down. If one knew how the devil works, he would be freed from many things.

56. The world is easily influenced both toward good and toward evil. It is more easily influenced toward evil because that is where the devil does his job. Tell someone, for example, to quit smoking, because it is harmful. As soon as he decides to quit, the devil will come and tell him: “That cigarette has less poison, the other one has a filter and cleans… Smoke that one; it won’t harm you.” That is, he will find an excuse for him not to quit; he will find… a solution! Because the devil can find us a bunch of excuses. And that cigarette that he offers him can harm him even more. That is why we need to have willpower. And if one does not address their flaws when they are still young, later it becomes difficult to do so, because as age passes, willpower weakens. If a person does not have willpower, they cannot do anything. Saint Chrysostom says, “Everything depends on the will and the unwillingness”. That is, everything depends on whether a person wants it or not. That is great! God is good by nature and always wants our good. But we need to want it too. Because man flies spiritually with two wings: with God’s will and with his own will. God has permanently attached one wing – His will – to one of our shoulders. But to fly spiritually, we must also attach our own wing, the human will, to the other shoulder. If man has a strong will, he has the human wing, which balances with the divine wing, so he flies. Whereas, if his will is atrophied, he goes to fly a little and falls over. He should be cautious so the devil doesn’t pull out any feathers from his wing. When laziness and indifference slowly begin, the will weakens. What can God do if man does not have will? In that case, He does not want to intervene, because He respects man’s freedom. That way, man also wastes God’s wing. However, when he does have a will, that is, he also has his own wing intact, then God wills, man wills, and man flies.

57. The Christian is helped when he has relationships with spiritual people. No matter how spiritually one lives, they need – especially in the times we live in – good company. Contact with spiritual people helps them a lot – even more than spiritual study – because this joy of spiritual connection gives them a strong will to work on themselves spiritually. Even at work, in a public service, etc., it is good for spiritual people to know each other, to help each other.

58. Elder, when someone refuses to help us in a time of need, is it right for us to have difficulty asking them again for something we need?
– No, it is not right. Perhaps then, he did not have the opportunity to help us. It is like asking me for a little cross, and I give it to you. Another time you ask me, but I have nothing to give you, and I do not give it to you. Then I buy little crosses, so that I have something to give, and you come and do not ask me, while I wait for an opportunity to offer them.

59. In difficult times, a powerful brotherhood is created. During the war, we soldiers lived together for two years, and we became more like brothers, as we all endured the difficulties and dangers together. We were so connected that each one called the other “brother”.

60. Whatever a soul has, it is emitted to others. Passion emits passion, anger emits anger, rage emits rage. Whereas, when there are virtues and divine gifts in the soul, those will be emitted to others.

61. Even in discussions, one must be careful, because sometimes a spiritual conversation begins and ends in gossip. So, one loses their time, but they also lose their soul with condemnation, because we do not have the right to judge anyone, nor situations. Nor should we condemn the dead, because the souls of all people are luckily in the hands of God.

62. Elder, what position should one take when two people disagree and ask for one’s opinion?
– Suppose you find yourself with people who have a personal matter against each other. In that case, it is better to express your opinion in the presence of both, so that each one does not take one of your words as it suits him, and then use it as a heavy weapon to strike his opponent mercilessly, and the bullets hit you too without a reason. As much as you can, you should avoid such people, so that you may have your peace and so that you may pray for the peace of these people and, in general, for the peace of the world. When you cannot avoid these scandalous people, you should at least avoid many words, so that you may have fewer scandals.

63. One who has worldly politeness and is not genuine can do much harm, because another is deceived, opens his heart, and ultimately wastes his piety for the worldly man, who does not know what piety means. Nor should one waste his time needlessly spiritually advising people who like worldly discussions and expressing selfish opinions.

64. Elder, when someone has a problem and comes and says it over and over again, even when the issue has been somewhat resolved, what should you do?
– The first time he is justified in saying it, in sitting for hours. You should listen to him. If you don’t listen to him, he will think that you are bored with him or that you don’t understand him. Later, however, if he continues to say the same thing over and over again, you should tell him: “Not that I can’t hear you, but that doesn’t help you. You are also turning summer into winter. You are better now; it is spring. Soon it will be summer. In the summer, you think about the cold of winter, and you get angry.” Sometimes, however, the following is observed, even in the relationships of spiritual people. One goes to tell his pain to someone, and the other does not want to hear it, because he doesn’t want to lose his joy. He may pretend to be hasty or change the conversation to keep his inner peace. That is completely satanic. As if the other person were to die next to me, and I go further and sing. Especially when it comes to serious ecclesiastical issues, and as a Christian, one does not share the concern of another, then that person does not participate in the body of the Church.

65. Elder, how does the heart expand?
– When you always justify the misdeeds, the imperfections, the shortcomings of others, and in them you reflect yourself. When we place ourselves in others’ shoes, we will see them with sympathy and we will justify them.

66. If the other person is in a difficult situation and I am doing well, can I still have a positive influence on them?
– What if the devil presents it to you like this? How do you know that you are in a better situation? From the moment I believe that I am better than the other, and I pity him, I must pity myself and not the other. Those who are truly progressing do not feel their great progress, but only great humiliation and the love of God together with an inexpressible joy.

67. Reverence is a Grace from God within us. Whatever the reverent person does, they do it because they feel it within themselves. Of course, there is natural reverence within us, but if we do not cultivate it, the devil throws it into oblivion, and then there is a lack of reverence. However, if we associate with reverent people, they influence us positively, and with the behavior of those people, reverence awakens within us again.

68. Reverence is transferred from one person to another; the movements and the behavior of the reverent person are transferred like a perfume when there is natural goodwill and humility in the other. And let me tell you, if someone does not have reverence, they have nothing. The reverent person sees clearly what is sacred, as it is in reality, even if he is not educated. He will not make a mistake, for example, about anything related to divine meanings. It is like a child who does not think badly of his father and mother, because he loves and respects them, and sees everything his parents do as good and clear. How much more so when it comes to God, Who is incomparable to nothing and is perfect in everything! Whoever is not reverent falls into errors, into errors in doctrine. I see what errors those who are not reverent make and write interpretations or commentaries on sacred texts, etc. All spiritual things require reverence and heart. When everything begins with reverence, everything is sanctified.

69. When we go to a house, we knock on the door, wipe our feet, and sit timidly. Then, how should we be in the church, in the House of God, where Christ is sacrificed? We should be reverent.

70. When the chanter chants with reverence, psalmody overflows from his heart, and he chants devoutly. When a person is in a good spiritual state internally, everything goes well. Therefore, one must be well within and chant with one’s heart, with reverence, to chant devoutly.

70. Be careful; on the sofa, there was a throw with crosses; It’s not right to sit or step on the crosses. The Jews put crosses under their shoes—many times, not only on the outside but also on the inside of the heels and soles.

71. One can economize in everything except worshiping God. To God, one will offer the purest, the best.
–Elder, people do not easily understand that it does not show reverence, and it is not right to light paraffin candles.
– Tell them: “For your health, it is not good to burn paraffin candles in the churches.” That way, they will think about it a little. If the church is small, then it is even worse. It is better to light a small genuine beeswax candle than a huge paraffin candle. Many in the Churches are dizzy and fainting because of that. Some churches are small, and you have all those paraffin candles burning! But also, some want to put oils that are not edible in the lamps! In the Old Testament, it is mentioned that the oil that would be used in the Temple had to be made from olives that were collected from the trees and not from those that fell down. Does God need this oil or incense? No, but God is moved, because it is an offering, with which one expresses their gratitude and love for Him.

72. Elder, when we light a candle, do we say that it is for a specific purpose?
– You light it; where do you send it? You don’t send it anywhere? With the candle, we ask for something from God. When you light it and say, “for those who suffer physically and mentally and for those who are in the greatest need,” both the living and the deceased are included in them. Do you know how good it is for the deceased’s inner peace when we light a candle for them? In this way, one has spiritual communication with both the living and the deceased. The candle, in a nutshell, is an antenna that brings us into contact with God, with the sick, with the dead, etc.

73. Elder, why do we burn incense?
– We burn it to glorify God. We glorify Him and thank Him for His great benefits to the whole world. Incense is also an offering. And after we offer it to God and the Saints, by burning it in front of the icons, we also burn it in front of the living icons of God, the people. But, be careful! You should put your heart into it, whether it is a request or a thanks. With the candle, I say: “My Lord, I ask You with all my heart to do me a favor.” And with the incense I say: “I thank You, my Lord, with all my heart for all Your gifts. I thank You that You forgive my many sins and the ingratitude of the whole world and my own great ingratitude.”

74. As much as you can, cultivate reverence and modesty. That will help you to receive the Grace of God. For if someone has reverence and spiritual modesty, and is also humble, he receives divine Grace. If he does not have reverence and modesty, the Grace of God does not approach him.

75. It is a sin when someone has difficulty buying something they need, and someone has things they don’t use and doesn’t give them to someone who needs them! For me, this is the greatest hell. At the Judgment, Christ will tell us: “I was hungry and you didn’t give me anything to eat.” The person who loves not only gives to whoever asks for help, but also seeks out those in need to support them.

76. When someone has a lot and gives alms, you cannot understand whether he has love or not, because he may give not out of love, but to get rid of some things. When he lacks and gives, then his love is shown. Let us suppose that I have love; God, to test my love, sends me a poor man. If, for example, I have two watches, one good and one a little broken, and I give the broken one to the poor man, it means that my love is of second quality. If I have real love, I will give the good one to the poor man. But then faulty logic sets in, and we say: “What, I will give the good? For him, since he has no watch, the old is good too,” and I give him the old. But when you give the old, the “old” man still lives within you; if you give the new, you are a reborn man. It is a hellish situation when you keep both and give neither.
– Elder, how does one get out of this situation?
– Let him think: “If it were Christ himself, what would I give? Certainly the best.” Thus, he understands what true love is. He will then make a wise decision, and next time he will give his best. He may find it a little difficult at first, but if he keep trying in this way, he will reach a state of giving both the old and the new, to make things easier for others, and he will not have a watch, but will have Christ within him and will hear the sweet beating of his heart, which will sparkle with divine joy.

77. When you do a good deed, always feel that you have an obligation to do it. When you expect recognition, everything is lost. When you do not expect anything in return, then you have a true salary. Always try to do good, without expecting anything in return. Be careful because the devil always gets in the way after you do a good deed to make you lose it all. It is not your fault; the devil sets traps for you. For example, someone does alms, without intending to show it off. The devil comes in and makes others say to him, “You are a miser, who did nothing. That person did this, the other person did that,” to force him to say… humbly, “I did something small, a hospital,” or to force him to be indignant and say, “Who, me, who did this and that?” and lose everything. Or, at some point, during an argument, the devil will make the one who received the alms say, “You, exploiter, etc.”, until the other person answers, “I, exploiter? I who did you that kindness, that favor?” “How ungrateful he is, he will say later, I didn’t want him to say’ thank you’, but at least he should have acknowledged it.” But when you expect acknowledgement, you lose everything. Whereas, if you think positively and say “it’s better that he forgot the kindness I did him” or “he may have been upset or tired, that’s why he spoke like that”, you justify the other and do not lose it all.

78. The right spiritual path is to forget the good things you do and remember the good things others do to you. When a person reaches this state, he is a true human —a man of God. However, if he constantly forgets the good things others have done for him and remembers only the good things he has done for others, this is the opposite of the work Christ asks for. Also, when he thinks, “You gave me this much and I gave you this much,” it is again a grocery-store thing. I look to give to those who have greater need. I don’t calculate like a grocery store: one gave me these books, and now I owe him this much, so I have to give them to him to pay it off. Or, if the other person didn’t give me anything, I won’t give him anything either.

79. One who receives something experiences human joy. One who gives experiences divine joy. For example, someone gives me a book. He now rejoices spiritually, divinely, and I, who received the book, rejoice humanly. When I also give the book, I will also rejoice divinely, and the other person who receives it will rejoice humanly. When that person also gives it, he will also rejoice divinely, and the person who receives it will rejoice humanly. However, if he also gives it, then he will also rejoice divinely, and so on. Do you see how with one thing, many people can rejoice both humanly and divinely?

80. Elder, there are two little brothers; the younger one gives, while the older one does not.
– Let the parents also teach the older one to enjoy giving. If the older one works on it, it will receive a greater reward than the younger one, who, by nature, gives, and it will become better. If one does not get used to sharing, they learn to be stingy and find it difficult to give. It is better to be wasteful a thousand times than to be stingy. If you do not gather things, you are blessed by God. When you give a blessing (you give something), you receive a blessing in return. Blessings beget blessings.

81. If someone asks a poor person for alms and the poor person, even though he is destitute, gives it to him, regardless of whether the other person goes for a drink, then the poor person who gave will have spiritual joy, and God will enlighten someone to send him material help as well.

82. Some people, while giving a lot of money to a poor man, make bargains for little money to the poor worker who worked for them. I cannot understand: Well, you give so much money to someone you don’t know, and you leave the one you have with you and who helps you to starve? You have an obligation to love and help him first. But it seems that the alms of these people are done so that they may be praised. Another one can even take someone to court for a bit of money, because they don’t want to be seen as a fool.

83. Wealth brings destruction to man when it is not distributed to people experiencing poverty, for our souls and for the souls of our deceased. Almsgiving to the suffering, widows, orphans, etc., is also very helpful for the repose of the dead. For when someone gives alms for a dead person, others say: “God have mercy on him. May his bones be sanctified.” If someone happens to be ill, unable to work, in debt, and in such a difficult situation, you help them and say, “Take these for the soul of that person,” they will also say, “God have mercy on him, may his bones be sanctified!” In other words, they pray from the heart, which greatly helps the deceased.

84. When someone’s husband dies without communion, without confession, or her child is killed, what else can she do to help their souls?
– As much as she can, she herself should become better. That will, of course, help herself, but it will also help her husband, because, since they were married, he who died also has a share. That is the most important thing of all; to become better. Otherwise, she may do some good, but say, “I have done my duties. What else do you want me to do?” and she remains uncorrected or even gets worse.

85. Elder, some people do not believe, but feel others’ pain and do good deeds.
– When a worldly person gives genuinely and not to be seen and praised, then God will not abandon him, but will one day speak to his heart. An acquaintance of mine who lived in Switzerland once told me the following incident: A rich, atheistic lady was so pained in spirit that she had reached the point of distributing all her property to the poor and suffering, and in the end, she was left destitute. Then, those whom she had helped made sure that she entered the best Nursing Home. However, despite all the good things she did, she remained an atheist. They would go to talk to her about Christ, and she would not accept the discussion. She would say that Christ was nothing more than a good man—a social worker—and other such theories. Perhaps the Christians she had known had not helped her, so that their lives would move her. “Pray for this soul,” my friend would tell me. However, he also prayed a lot for her conversion. After some time, my friend told me, “One day, when I went to visit her in the nursing home, I found her completely changed. “I believe, I believe,” she cried out.” An event had happened to her that changed her; she later asked to be baptized.

86. Elder, when someone does not have a need but pretends to have one, should we help him?
– Christ said: “Let us give to him who asks us, without question, without doubt”. And if the one who asks you does not have need, you should still give to him. Be happy that you will give to him.

87. Elder, when another asks for irrational things, should we give them to them?
– There, discrimination is needed. When someone asks you for things,
to boast about them, give them. You see, Christ did not say to Judas, “What kind of Apostle are you? Stop your greed”, but He also gave him the treasury. However, if someone asks you for a jar of jam that you have, and you know that he has a jar full, while someone else has none and is in need, then you say to the one who has and asks for more: “If you want, brother, give a little of what you have, too, to that person.” If no one does not have, then give it, without saying anything to him, to the one who asked you for it. He may be moved by this giving, if there is a chord of sensitivity within him, and be corrected. In those cases, what happens is what the Apostle Paul mentions: “When your enemy does you evil and you do him good, you are placing burning coals on his head.” That does not mean you burn him, but when you do him good, the love that is Christ begins to work within him, and divine Grace takes effect. Then the man is transformed because his conscience bothers him —that is, he is burned by it. However, it is not right to do good to make the other feel guilty and bring him to his senses, because this also weakens good; instead, do it with love. When you avenge him with good, he is changed for the better and corrected.

88. Elder, that is, how much should one give?
– To give so much that his conscience does not bother him. Discernment is needed. Not to give a hundred and then be upset that he did not give fifty. Much attention is required when someone loves with great enthusiasm. It is good to then restrain his love and his enthusiasm a little, so that he does not regret having given much to one in need, when he should have given less, and being left empty-handed himself. Little by little, he will gain experience and will give according to the self-denial he has.

89. Elder, tell us something about the Antichrist.
– Let’s talk about Christ… But let’s be as close as we can to
Christ. If we are with Christ, will we be afraid of the Antichrist? Does the Antichrist spirit not exist now? The Antichrist spirit does evil one way or another. And if an Antichrist monster is born and makes a little noise, he will be ridiculed in the end. However, many events will happen. You may live to experience many of the signs that the Revelation writes about. Slowly, quite a few are starting to come out. I’ve been talking about them for years now! The situation is terrible, insane! The chaos has exceeded its limits. The world will become a madhouse. In the chaos that will prevail, every state will rise to do whatever it wants. May God help us; may the interests of the great countries be such as to help us. Every now and then, we will hear something new. We will see the most incredible, the most absurd things happening. But those events will pass very quickly.

90. Ecumenism, a common market, a large state, and a religion to their liking. These are the devil’s plans. The Zionists are preparing someone for the Messiah. For them, the Messiah is a king, that is, he will rule here on earth. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are also looking for an earthly kingdom. The Zionists will present someone, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses will accept him. They will say, “This is him.” There will be great confusion. In this confusion, everyone will look for a Messiah to save them. And then they will present someone who will say: “I am the Imam, I am the fifth Buddha, I am the Christ that the Christians are waiting for, I am the one that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are waiting for, I am the Messiah of the Jews.” There will be five “I’s”!

91. The Antichrist will be the expected in some way incarnate devil, who will present himself to the Israeli people as the Messiah and will deceive the world. Difficult years are coming; we will have great trials. The Christians will have great persecution. And you see, people do not even understand that we are living in the signs of the times, that the seal of the Antichrist is advancing. It is as if nothing is happening. That is why the Scripture says that even the good faithful will be deceived. Those who do not have good intentions will not be enlightened and will be deceived in the years of apostasy. Because whoever does not have divine Grace does not have spiritual clarity, just like the devil.

92. Elder, do Zionists believe in the Antichrist?
– They want to rule the whole world. They use magic and Satanism to achieve their goal. They see Satanism as a power that will help them in their plans. That is, they are going to rule the world with satanic power. They do not take God into account. Will God bless them in this way? God will come out of this very well. The other satanic theories lasted at least seventy years; these will not last even seven years.
– Elder, when I hear about the Antichrist, I feel fear within me.
– What are you afraid of? Will he be more terrible than the devil? He is a man. Saint Marina beat the devil, and Saint Justina destroyed so many demons. After all, we did not come to be comfortable in this world. (St. Paisios was talking to nuns.)

93. A sign that the fulfillment of the prophecies is approaching will be the demolition of the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem. They will demolish it to rebuild the Temple of Solomon, which, they say, was built on that site. Finally, the Zionists will place the Antichrist there as the Messiah. I heard that the Jews are already preparing to build the Temple of Solomon.

94. Elder, how come the Jews, while reading the Old Testament, do not believe in Christ?
– Go and tell them. The Jews have always been fanatical. They understand, but it is selfishness that blinds them. If they paid a little attention, no Jew would remain.
– How did they interpret what they read?
– How did they interpret it! They make the spiritual meanings material meanings. That is, for example, what the Prophet Isaiah says: “the desert of the Jordan will flourish.” See how they interpreted it. To show that the desert has blossomed, they turned a river and made terraces, gardens, planted banana trees, lemon trees, orange trees, and entire orchards, so they say “the desert has blossomed”! They interpret everything in this way. But those words of the Prophet refer to the rebirth of the world with Holy Baptism, with the bath of rebirth.
– Now they are waiting for the earthly king?
– Yes, the Antichrist. The Rabbis know that the Messiah has come and that they crucified Him. I have learned from a person that, when a Jew is about to die, the Rabbi goes and says in his ear, “The Messiah has come.” You see, their conscience torments them because they feel guilty, but they are not humbled.
– And what do they gain by saying it at that time?
– Nothing; they simply say it because their conscience is tormenting them, and they think that, since they have said it, it is all right!

95. Elder, when will these events take place?
– Because of you and because of me, they are delayed, so that we may attain a good spiritual state. God makes us patient because if they happened now, you and I would be lost. Nowhere in Christ’s teaching is a specific time mentioned. However, Scripture says that the signs of the times will warn of their coming. Let us always be ready, and we will see them when the time approaches. Then we will be more certain.

96. A book fell into my hands that had three big sixes on the cover! Oh, the dishonest ones! They do it to present the six beautifully and to familiarize the world with it. That way, little by little, the seal will come. – Elder, and the snaps (press studs) that sew on clothes are sold on some paper that has the number 666.
– Oh, that devil! They’ve been putting it on credit cards for a long time. Now on snaps too! Many people put 666 as a brand name, so people prefer their products. They support each other. That is, 666 should take 666. It is written that when the representation of the snake eating its own tail is out there spread, it will mean that the Jews will have taken over the whole world. Now they have put it on some bills. The 666 has already been found in China and India!
– How do they know and put this number, Elder?
The 666 for the Jews is a symbol of economy. The Jews, as mentioned in the Old Testament, imposed a specific tax on the nations that they enslaved through various wars. The annual tax was 666 talents of gold. Now, to subjugate the whole world, they are putting back this old tax number, which is linked to their glorious past. That is why they do not want to replace it with another number. The 666 symbolizes wealth.

97. Things are going well. In America, tagged dogs can be found. That way, they know where each dog is. Any dogs without tags who are strays are killed with laser beams. Then they will start killing people, too. They have tagged tons of fish and are tracking them by satellite to see which sea they are in! Now a disease has appeared, for which they have found a vaccine that will be mandatory, and to do it, they will tag them. How many people are already sealed with laser beams, some on the forehead and others on the hand! Later, whoever is not sealed with the number 666 will not be able to sell or buy or take out a loan, be appointed, etc. My thought is that the Antichrist, with this system, wants to capture the whole world, and that if one is not in the system, they will not be able to work, etc. It will be imposed with an economic system that will control the global economy, and only those who have accepted the seal, the number 666, will be able to have commercial transactions. But what will happen to the people who will be sealed!… An expert told me that laser rays are harmful. The people who will be sealed will attract the sun’s rays and will suffer such damage that they will bite their tongues from the pain. Those who are not sealed will have a better time than others, because Christ will help them.
That is no small thing!
– Elder, when will He help them? Later?
– No, then.
– Since Elder, they will not be able to sell and buy, so how will they live better?
– You see, God knows a way; I know it too. Well…, this matter concerned me a lot, and He sent me the… telegram. How does God save us!

98. Elder, why is the seal also called an engraving?
– Because it will not be superficial. What does engrave mean? It means deep, straight lines, incisions. The seal will be an engraving that they first put on all products, then a laser beam will place it on the hand or forehead of people. I had told a doctor from Toronto two years ago about the seal, and now he told me he read in the newspaper that, instead of a card, they are asking for impressions on the hand. They are moving forward, but we cannot say that this and that will happen. Some televisions recently sent to Greece also include a device that monitors viewers. Soon, those who have television will watch on television and be watched! In other words, they will watch and be watched. Others will be controlled by computers their entire lives, what they say, what they do, everything. You see what a dictatorship the devil has thought up! In Brussels, they have a whole mansion with 666, where they house the computer. This computer can control billions of people – six billion is almost the entire world. Confession, everyone, at the push of a button! Some Europeans have reacted because they fear a global dictatorship. We Orthodox are reacting because we do not want the Antichrist, but of course, we do not want a dictatorship either. Events await us, but they will not last long. Just as Orthodoxy was eliminated with communism, so it will be eliminated now.

99. Elder, someone said: “How come the Greek five-thousand-dollar bill has the 666 and we use it? Isn’t the ID card the same matter?”
– The five thousand is a currency, and the pound of England has Victoria on it; that doesn’t bother me. “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” But the ID card is about my identity; it is personal, not currency. Identity means what the word means; that is, someone identifies with what he declares. They put the devil in, and I sign that I accept him. How can I do that?
– Elder, what does this new identity card have to do with the seal?
– Identity is not the seal; it is the introduction of the seal.
– The world, Elder, asks what to do regarding the new identities.
– You better, when they ask you, tell them to consult their spiritual fathers and to be patient to see how the Church will act, because many ask questions, but few understand the answers. Since I clearly write them in the booklet “Signs of the Times”, let each one act according to his conscience. Of course, some said: “Well, this is the opinion of a monk; it is not the position of the Church.” However, I did not express my own opinion, but stated the words of Christ, of the Gospel, because we must subordinate our own opinion to the will of God, which is expressed in the Gospel. Others say the opposite of what I say, saying that Father Paisios said it. Some, however, who hear it, since it is such a serious matter, do not ask whether it is so or whether I really said it, but they believe it. I am not afraid; I speak out loud. The Church must take a correct position. To speak, to explain to the faithful, so that they understand that if they take the new identity card, this will be a downfall. At the same time, ask the government not to make the new identity card mandatory. If the Church takes a serious position and respects the freedom of the faithful, and whoever wants to will get a new identity card, whoever wants to will have the old one, then only a few brave ones will face the consequences, because the others will go against them. The majority will do their job. Those who want to live comfortably will have the new one, and the others, the pious, will have the old identity card, and will make them suffer.

100. Elder, they also said, because we have religious freedom, that religion should not be written on the new ID cards.
– Yes, they don’t care, but I do care, because it is my ID card. It says where I am from and what I am. If religion is not included, problems will arise. For example, someone will go to the marriage registry (for a religious ceremony). If the ID card says “Orthodox” – no matter how pious one is –, fine. However, if religion is not written, how will they give him a marriage license? For the Church, this is confusion. If religion is included optionally, it will also be like a confession. Europe is Europe. Here it is different.

101. Slowly, after the citizen card and the identity card, that is, after they know everything about us, they will proceed cunningly to the mark of the beast. With various cunning means, they will blackmail people into accepting the mark of the beast on the forehead or the hand. They will press the issue and say: “Only with the cards will you be able to live; money will be abolished.” Whoever does not have a card will be unable to sell or buy. On the other hand, they will start advertising “the perfect system”, the laser beam sealing with 666 on the hand or forehead, which will not be visible from the outside. At the same time, on television, they will show that one took another’s card and stole his money from the Bank, and they will keep saying: “The laser beam sealing on the hand or forehead is more secure, because only the owner knows its number. The sealing system is the most perfect. Neither the head can be taken by the other person, nor the hand, nor can the sealing be seen.” That way, everyone will have an opportunity to steal whatever they want. For example, if they want to steal a piece of land, they will say that it supposedly belonged to their grandfather or that they had once rented it for pasture, so it would be hard for you to find a solution. Then the authorities will say, “Unfortunately, we cannot check it; the check can only be done with the computer,” and they will proceed with the sealing. The computer will then check whether you are sealed so it can serve you. The three and a half years will be difficult, and the cost will be borne by those who disagree with that system. For them, some reason will be found, and they will be locked up in prison. After a year, they will be taken to another city for interrogation and to go through another court, from one city to another. Then they will say: “Forgive us, you are innocent. If you were sealed, we would check it in a minute. Now we cannot do the check.”

102. Elder, will they be able to force the seal?
– No! They will be noble, because they will be… Europeans. They will show superiority. They will not torture people, but people will not be able to live if they do not have the seal. They will say: “Without the seal, you will suffer! If you accepted it, you would not have any difficulties.” Neither gold coins nor dollars, if they have them, will he be able to use them. Therefore, if anyone is wise enough to live simply, frugally from now on, he will be able to live those years. They should have some land, so that they can grow a little wheat and potatoes. Let them plant a few olive trees, and then, with some animals, some goats, and a few chickens, they will be able to meet the needs of their family. Because even making provisions is of little use, since food does not last; it spoils quickly. Of course, the tough period will last a little, three to three and a half years. The days will be shortened for the chosen ones. They will not realize the passing of time. God will not leave man helpless.

103. Elder, in these difficult years, will Christ intervene?
– Yes. Here, you see, to one who has been wronged, but he is good, because he deserves divine help, the Saints, the Virgin Mary, and Christ appear many times to save him; how much more so now that the poor world will be in such a difficult situation. It will be a little burden, a small possession of the Antichrist, Satan. He will receive a slap from Christ, all nations will be shocked, and peace will come to the world for many years. This time, Christ will allow His creation to be saved. Will Christ abandon His creation? He will appear at the dead end to save people from the hands of the Antichrist. People will return to Christ, and a spiritual peace will come to the entire world for many years. Some combine this intervention of Christ with the Second Coming. I cannot say that. My thought is that it will not be the Second Coming of Christ when he comes as Judge, but an intervention of Christ, because there are so many events that have not yet happened. Christ will intervene; he will slap this whole system in the face, and he will strike down all the evil and turn it into good in the end. The streets will be filled with shrines. All buses will have icons. All the people will believe. They will pull you over, so that you can tell them about Christ! Thus, the Gospel will be preached throughout the whole world, and then Christ will come as Judge to judge the world. Judgment is another thing, and His intervention to help His creation is another thing.

104. While the Evangelist John clearly mentions the mark in Revelation, some do not understand it. What can you tell them? Unfortunately, some people hear a lot of nonsense from some of today’s “Gnostics”. One says, “I will accept the identification card with 666 and I will also put a cross on it”. Another: “I will accept the seal on the forehead and I will also make a cross on the forehead…” and a lot of similar nonsense. They think they will be sanctified that way, but these are big mistakes. Something dirty cannot be sanctified. The clean water receives Grace and becomes holy water. The urine does not become holy water. The stone can miraculously become bread. The impurity cannot be sanctified. Therefore, the devil, the Antichrist, when he is in our identity card or on our hand or on our forehead, with his symbol, can not be sanctified, even if we put a cross. We have the power of the Holy Cross, the Holy Symbol, the divine Grace of Christ, only when we retain the Grace of Holy Baptism, by which we renounce Satan, align ourselves with Christ, and accept the holy Seal; And while we see that the Apostle Peter outwardly denied Christ, but this too was a denial, they deny the holy Seal of Christ that was given to them in Holy Baptism, by accepting the seal of the Antichrist, and say that they have Christ within them!!
– Elder, what if someone accepts the seal out of ignorance?
– It will be from indifference. What ignorance, when things are clear? And if someone does not know, they must be interested to learn. If we say that we did not know, that is why we received the seal, Christ will say to us: “Hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times?”. Even if someone is sealed in ignorance, he loses divine Grace and receives demonic energy. You see, the child in Holy Baptism, when the priest immerses him in water, receives the Holy Spirit, without him knowing it, and then divine Grace dwells within him.

105. Elder, some say: “Whatever is written by God, that will happen. Why should we care?”
– Yes, they say that, but it is not like that, my child! And I hear some say: “The Jews are not so stupid as to reveal themselves with 666, since the Evangelist John says so in the Revelation. Otherwise, they would have done it more cleverly, more secretly.” Well, didn’t the Scribes and Pharisees know the Old Testament? Didn’t Annas and Caiaphas know better than anyone that it was written that for “thirty pieces of silver” they would betray Christ? Why didn’t they ask for thirty-one or twenty-nine pieces of silver and ask for “thirty”? But they were blinded. God knew that this would happen. God foreknows, he doesn’t predestinate – only the Turks believe in what is written, in kismet. God knows that it will happen that way, and man does it out of stupidity. It is not that God issued an order, but He sees how far the wickedness of men will reach, and that their opinion will not change. Not that God arranged things that way.

106. Others deal with prophecies and make their own interpretations! They do not say at least “my thought tells me this…”, but “this is it”, and they say a bunch of their own theories. Some interpret them again as they want, to justify their weaknesses. Unfortunately, again, some “Gnostics” swaddle their spiritual children like babies, supposedly so as not to worry. “It doesn’t matter; it’s nothing. It’s enough to believe inside you”! They say: “Don’t talk about this issue – about identity cards, the sealing – so that people don’t get upset.” Whereas, if they told them, “let’s try to live more spiritually, to be close to Christ, and don’t be afraid of anything,” they would prepare them somewhat. If someone learns the truth, they are skeptical. The current situation pains them; they pray and are careful not to fall into a trap. So behind the perfect system of identity cards, computer security, lies the global dictatorship, the slavery of the Antichrist. “…it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. That calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

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