catch hold of Him

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One example of God stooping down to our level is given to us in the Psalms. Do you remember the wonderful image of Christ stooping down in order to drink from a running stream? He shall drink of the brook in the way, it says, therefore shall He lift up His head. (Psalm 109.7). What does this mean? That “although you forget me, I, the heavenly God, stoop down just as you do. I share in your life, so that you can share in Mine. I move and act like you do to show you that I’ve become like you, so that you can become like Me.

Do you grow weary on your journey? So do I. (John 4.6) Do you thirst? (John 4.7, 19, 28) So do I. Do you stoop down to drink water? I do the same. I humble Myself. I empty Myself. (Phil 2.7). I drink and refresh Myself. What more can I do? What do you do that I don’t?

And since I am so close to you stooping down alongside of you, can’t you catch hold of Me?

Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra

joy{full}ness of heart

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In speaking of joyfulness of heart, we should say a word about the nature of the heart in question. What sort of heart is it that feels this joyfullness? A broken heart, a heart that breaks itself oopen because of the majesty that it feels. When a person lives as a true member of the Church, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail (Matt 16:18) when he lives in the state of majesty that is proper to him, then he attains his fulfillment, his authetic self-expression, the revelation of his own true self. True self discovery occurs only within the consciousness of the Church. Becoming one with the body of the Church and living within its assurances and certitude, enables one to be free from changes, anxiety and sadness.

Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra

people of eternity

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The life of the faithful should be filled with joy and gladness, which are among the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself gives these fruits both to our souls and to our community. At the same time, our life must be something that transcends the world, informed by theological thought and feeling, manifesting the experience of eternity the place and time in which we live. We are obliged truly to be people of eternity….

We are obliged to learn, to think, and to live, to rejoice and to weep, to experience God, and to be raised to the heavens, exactly as did the Saints of the Church. This follows from the unity of the Church, which is something that God grants to us when we gather together.

Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra

gladdening

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Prayer then, since it is communion with God, is gladdening. Certainly we shall have our struggle against our sins, and our passions. But not even this should depress us, once we have put our life into Jesus Christ’s hands. The struggle is necessary, however, for our life to be blessed.

Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra

what we can do in our everyday life

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“What we can do in our everyday life is something very simple. First, we should be careful not to disturb or upset our relations with others, even a little. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed by how much we like or dislike a person, which indicates the degree to which our stance is dependent on that person. For example someone might might speak to me rudely and I ignore him. Or someone else might speak to me kindly and I embrace him. In both cases my responses are determined by the other person, which means that at any moment I can be troubled, become angry, lose my inner peace, or otherwise be thrown off balance, because I have no control over what people say or do to me.

+ Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra


naturally open

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Hand holding Cross

 

 

“What is natural, simple, and easy, and makes us happy, is the love of God, which is as natural as the eyes seeing and the mouth speaking.  The mouth is not able to walk, but has been made to speak. The hand is for holding, embracing, giving alms and to make the sign of the cross.  These are their natural functions and they are all very easy.  If you try to walk on your hands it will be difficult and uncomfortable, since this is not what they are made for.  In the same way, it is natural for the mind to be turned to and focused on the love of God, because it is toward God that the human mind naturally tends.  Just as our eyes naturally open to the light, so to does our mind open naturally to God, who is the Creator of light.”

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Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra Monastery

The Mystical Marriage  + Spiritual Life According to Saint Maximos the Confessor

enchanting meadow

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“… we cross a threshold… a shift occurs, the atmosphere changes and all the essential elements are transformed.  And all of this happens in order to prepare us for the greatest and most wonderful period of the year: Great Lent.  The Triodion opens up a door which leads directly to heaven.  The Triodion is an enchanting meadow, where Christ is the shepherd and God feeds His spiritual flock.”

Elder Aemilianos

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moving within

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“Just as a child within its mother’s womb kicks and makes its presence known, so too does God move about within me. Sometimes He makes my eyes sparkle with joy, and sometimes he fills them with tears. Sometimes I cry aloud and other times I say to myself  “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”

Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra : The Way of the Spirit

 

the least cry of your soul

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Let us have confidence in God, remembrance and love toward Him  The Holy Mountain has shown us that the Grace of God is active everywhere   Do you know what Saint John Damascene calls Divine Grace : a vault of God

There where you are sitting, where for years you have been expecting God and not found Him… He all of a sudden leaps and enters you, embraces you, kisses you and fills you with the breath of His nostrils, with His love, His being, His Trinity!!

It is as easy for God to leap and come into our lives as it is for anyone to jump.

just as He leaps on the peaks of Athos, as Ge gets into the boats, the caves, the crannies… everywhere comprehending the tears and the pains of Athonites, so He comprehends the least cry of your soul, of the souls of all of us.

Elder Aemilianos

of Simonopetra Monastery

the most divine element

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Prayer is the most divine element that exists within man   It transports us to God and is the means by which we are bound to Him   Through prayer the communion of the Persons of the Trinity is made available to us and becomes the form of our own communication with God

Thus it is not a question of reciting this or that prayer, but rather that everything within us should become a prayer, that we should be praying in everything through all prayer

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elder Aemilianos of simonopetra monastery

the way of the spirit (p 224)