Or check out my "notes" on Facebook.

Blessings..

KIXYTΘEMTA

But the main thing I kept saying was...surprise, surprise...the Name of Jesus and the Jesus Prayer. Like more spontaneous than when I started doing this a while back. Even more interesting, upon reflection, is that is wasn't rote.  I believed I was talking to the Risen Jesus every time I said the words.  It happens when I stub my toe, too. 

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/19/2010 1:01:50 PM (GMT-5)

Dude...more purity than  Fr Lazarus El-Antony is demonstrated? 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/20/2010 7:54:58 AM (GMT-5)

Basic prerequisites for ordination

Some of it...

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Indeed St. John Chrysostom writes that a priest has to have more attentiveness and spiritual strength even than the hermits themselves. For if the hermits, who are freed from "the city, the market place and its people", are not secure in the spirit, how much more strength and vigour needs to be exercised by the priest in order to be able to "snatch his soul away from all infection and keep its spiritual beauty inviolate". That is why he affirms that the clergy who live in the world need even more purity than the monks (21).

This theme of safeguarding the purity of the priesthood will engage us later. Here we wish rather to emphasise the qualities which the Christian should have if he is to be ordained a priest. For if he himself has not been healed, how will he be able to heal the spiritually weak and sick?

Preparation for the priesthood is one of the dominant themes in the works of St. Symeon the New Theologian. Anyone who has not abandoned the world and been counted worthy to receive the Holy Spirit as were the holy Apostles, who has not undergone purification and illumination and been found worthy to "contemplate the unapproachable light", - "such a man would not dare to accept the priesthood and the authority over souls, or to push himself to accept such!" (22).

We find the same teaching in St. Theognostos. If the priest, he says, has "not been assured by the Holy Spirit" that he is an acceptable intermediary between God and man, he should not "presumptuously dare to celebrate the awesome and most holy mysteries" (23).

When ordination was imminent, the Fathers fled to the mountains, as we see in the life and teaching of St. Gregory the Theologian. In his "Defence of the Flight to Pontos" he seeks to defend this action, and says that no one can undertake to shepherd the spiritual flock unless he has previously become a temple of the living God, "a habitation of Christ in the Spirit", or unless he has traversed "by experience and contemplation" all the titles and powers of Christ, and learned the "hidden wisdom of God in a mystery", - that is to say if he is still a babe "fed with milk" (24).

Certainly the holy Fathers were not unaware of the fact that many were ordained without fulfilling these ideals and were neither purified nor healed. Therefore many of the ordinations originated "not from divine grace, but from human ambition" (25). And indeed it is a well known saying of St. John Chrysostom that "God does not ordain all, but He works through all" (26).

In the Secret Place of the Most High God
by Father Stephen

"Every human being has a 'secret place' – that within them that is most intimate – that is beyond words – that is made for God. Learning to enter this place is a very difficult thing and only comes with time and practice. Our culture, the world where the most secret things in our lives are shouted from the rooftops, tells us to profane even our secrets and shout them to the world as well. And thus we lose something at the very core of our Personhood. Violated, every man and woman becomes a harlot."

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Tom hit it squarely...

We AGREE that a human being's identity as a PERSON doesn't come from the memories she has, the actions and behavior she engages in with her context, her relationships with other human beings, nor from anything else in the created realm. Nothing in creation and tell me WHO I am. Only God can do that. So there has to be a place, a moment, an experience where God and I get this done, where I experience God in Christ through the Spirit telling me that I'm a priceless beloved son, that the very sustaining core of my existence, where the potential for fulfilling my 'logos' resides, is an indestructible grace-gift from God that doesn't derive from anything in the created order.

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Meister Eckhart on "Detachment"

The man who has submitted his will and purposes entirely to God, carries God with him in all his works and in all circumstances. Therein can no man hinder him, for he neither aims at nor enjoys anything else, save God. God is united with Him in all his purposes and designs. Even as no manifoldness can dissipate God, so nothing can dissipate such a man, or destroy his unity. Man, therefore, should take God with him in all things; God should be always present to his mind and will and affections. The same disposition that thou hast in church or in thy cell, thou shouldst keep and maintain in a crowd, and amid the unrest and manifoldness of the world.

Some people pride themselves on their detachment from mankind, and are glad to be alone or in church; and therein lies their peace. But he who is truly in the right state, is so in all circumstances, and among all persons; he who is not in a good state, it is not right with him in all places and among all persons. He who is as he should be has God with him in truth, in all places and among all persons, in the street as well as in the church; and then no man can hinder him.

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Poustinia:

Ultimately, however, the poustinik's call is to the desert of one's own heart wherein he dwells with God alone, whether in the workplace or in a solitary locale. In the words of Jesus Christ, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

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"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing. "

Saint John of the Cross

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He who can see the inward in the outward, to him the inward is more inward than to him who can only see the inward in the inward.

Henry Suso

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/19/2010 1:47:07 PM (GMT-5)

The inward moment is where we embrace “what God means to us” (as ground, Lord, giver of grace, granter of sonship, and us as “created,” as God’s canvass, as “art,” etc.). On the other hand the outward moment of creative expression is “what we get to mean to God” (as creators, artists, and determiners of loving expression). So ‘who we are’ encompasses BOTH what God means to us AND what we get to mean to God. Personhood as one's MEANING in the world is comprised BOTH of what God means to us and what we meant to God. So in a sense it's only PARTLY true that "only God can tell you WHO you are." In terms common to us all--our grounding--yes, that's true. But in terms of the concrete personal existence which is unique, it's only half the truth. The other half is that "only we can determine WHO we are" when it comes to determining what the sonship common to us all LOOKS LIKE uniquely in me. So the whole truth is: Only God and you can say who you are, since who you are is 'what God means to you' + 'what you get to mean to God'.

...

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We AGREE that a human being's identity as a PERSON doesn't come from the memories she has, the actions and behavior she engages in with her context, her relationships with other human beings, nor from anything else in the created realm. Nothing in creation and tell me WHO I am. Only God can do that. So there has to be a place, a moment, an experience where God and I get this done, where I experience God in Christ through the Spirit telling me that I'm a priceless beloved son, that the very sustaining core of my existence, where the potential for fulfilling my 'logos' resides, is an indestructible grace-gift from God that doesn't derive from anything in the created order.

...

I want to agree that the fulfillment of God's intentions for us (the actualizing and fulfilling of our 'logoi') begins in the dependency relation to God in Christ via the Spirit, but for me it ends in the moment of creative expression in the world. So these two moments constitute an indivisible movement in which our 'logoi' embrace BOTH the inward and the outward, the derivation or grounding of identity in Christ AND the determination of creative expression outward toward the world. We're only FINALLY 'persons' when BOTH occur. .. For me, my 'logos', the 'person' God intends me to be, is a WHOLE MOVEMENT OF DERIVED AND CREATIVELY EXPRESSED IDENTITY. So until you've contemplated some creative expression (which can only be actualized through our natural capacities), you haven't contemplated your 'logos' IN ITS FULLNESS. Digging deep and going beyond all the dimensions of the created order can mediate an intimacy with the source and ground of my being, yes. And I have to connect to that or else I can't move on to everything else my 'logos' offers. But that grounding moment is just the first necessary moment in a movement of fulfillment that ends in the creature's ultimately being Godlike--viz., the moment of self-determined creative expression.

...

My point is that fulfilled human being is all it can be in a personal sense only when BOTH moments comprise a single movement of derivation and creative expression, of deriving our identities in Christ and determining creative self-expression.

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/25/2010 12:45:48 PM (GMT-5)

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/25/2010 12:43:30 PM (GMT-5)

"[The definition of pattern of convictional knowing] resides in Christ and it's power in his Spirit, but its enactment is the particular "duty" of each one who has been so loved [by God].  I say "duty"--the word suggested by Kierkegaard for the motive that lies behing "works of love"--not to inflict moral conscience on a gracious act of the Spirit of God.  Rather, to continue to love as one has been loved [by God] is the only way to abide in the transformation effected by his Spirit.  This is what gives ultimate sanction to our claim that convictional knowing is the way of love; the only way to participate in it is to give love as it was given.  To fail to give love is implicitly to participate in self-destruction or in the destruction of the self as spirit."

James Loder
The Transforming Moment
"From Negation to Love"
Page 180

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/25/2010 1:24:54 PM (GMT-5)

Training the mind towards unconditionally loving God, neighbor, and self (Romans 12:1-2)...is to move away from self-destruction.

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One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,  and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.  Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Then those who were at table with him began to say among  themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”  And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

[Thought: In our "hearts", in the "inward movement" before Christ's presence, we are to be like that woman.  Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. And just like that woman, we receive forgiveness of sins...and we go in (HIS) peace.

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Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.   When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.   And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.  So the servant  fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,  and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.  When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.  Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

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"And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors."

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I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him (Note: inward movement), he it is that bears much fruit (Note: outward movement), for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant  does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Post Edited (One Love) : 3/25/2010 1:55:41 PM (GMT-5)