My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
Simplify Your Life To Avoid Anxiety
By Saint Paisios the Athonite
The more people distance themselves from natural simple life and embrace luxury, the more they suffer from anxiety. And as they distance themselves from God, they naturally cannot find rest in anything they do. This is why they go around restless; they even “spin around the moon” since earth cannot contain all their restlessness.
Worldly stress is the result of worldly happiness, of worldly pleasures and self-indulgence. Educated externally and being full of anxiety hundreds of people (even young children) are driven to psychoanalysis and psychiatrists. New psychiatric hospitals are being built and young psychiatrists go on for post-graduate studies. Many of them do not even believe in God or accept the existence of the soul. How can these people help the human soul, when they themselves are full of anxiety? How can one feel truly comforted, IF HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN GOD AND IN THE TRUE ETERNAL LIFE AFTER DEATH? When man grasps the deeper meaning of this true life, STRESS GOES AWAY, DIVINE CONSOLATION COMES AND HE IS HEALED. If someone went to psychiatric hospitals and read the Abba (Father) Isaac to the patients, those who believe in God WOULD GET WELL, BECAUSE THEY WOULD COME TO UNDERSTAND THE DEEPER MEANING OF LIFE.
People try to calm themselves with tranquilisers or with the theories of yoga, and they neglect altogether THE TRUE SERENITY THAT COMES WHEN THE SOUL IS HUMBLE AND GOD FILLS IT WITH DIVINE CONSOLATION.
When we see a person who has everything stressed, anxious and sad, we must know that God IS MISSING FROM HIS LIFE. In the end, even wealth will make people suffer, becauseTHE MATERIAL GOODS CANNOT REALLY SATISFY THEM. Theirs is a double affliction, I know wealthy people who have everything and are miserable. They do not even have children but they are still miserable. They are too lazy to lie down or take a walk. “Fine.” I told someone, “since you have some free time, do something spiritual: read one of the Hours of prayer, read a passage from the Gospel.” “I cannot,” he said. “Then,” I told him, “try doing something good; go to a hospital to visit some sick person.” Why should I go all the way there,” he says, “what will become of it?” “Go help some poor person in your neighborhood.” “No,” he says, “that does not please me either.”
Can you believe that this person is miserable despite the fact that he has everything: free time, numerous houses and so on? Do you know how many people like this are in society? And these people suffer to the point that they lose their mind. What a dreadful thing! And if they happen to be independently wealthy and do not work, then they are the most miserable of all. If they at least had a job they would feel somewhat better. [Source: Orthodox Heritage]
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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God