Liberation from Obsessions

Dear Parish Faithful,

Great Lent: The Twelfth Day

From St. John Cassian (+c. 430)

If we want to set our lives right and find peace,

it is not the tolerant attitude of others

that will do it for us.

It will come about, rather, by our learning

how to show compassion to them.

If we try to avoid this hard struggle of compassion,

by preferring a withdrawn and solitary life,

we will simply drag our unleashed obsessions

into solitude with us.

We might well have hidden them

We certainly will not have eliminated them.

If we do not seek liberation from our obsessions,

then becoming more withdrawn and less social

may even make us more blind to them,

since it can mask them.

Not even for a day...

Dear Parish Faithful,

Great Lent: The Eleventh Day

From St. John Cassian (+c. 430)

If we take St. Paul literally,
we are not allowed to cling to our anger
even for a day.
I would like to make a comment, however,
that many people are so embittered and furious
when they are in a state of anger
that they not only cling to their anger for a day
but drag it out for weeks.

I am at a loss for words to explain
those who do not even vent their anger in speech
but erect a barrier of sullen silence around them
and distill the bitter poison of their hearts
until it finally destroys them.

They could not have understood
how important it is to avoid anger,
not merely externally, but even in our thoughts,
because it darkens our intellect with bitterness
and cuts it off from the radiance
of spiritual understanding and discernment
by depriving it of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Among Frightful Chasms...

Dear Parish Faithful,

Great Lent: The Tenth Day

From Mark the Ascetic:

A young calf starts to wander after fresh grazing
and eventually finds itself stranded
among frightful chasms.
So it is with the soul,
for thoughts gradually lead it astray.

The Path of the Saints...

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

Great Lent: The Eighth Day

From Abba Philemon (6th. - 7th c.):

Set your mind on following the path of saints.
Prefer a simple style of life.
Wear unremarkable clothes.
Eat simple food.
Behave in an unaffected manner.
Don't strut around as if you were important.
Speak from the heart.

Keep A Careful Watch...

Dear Parish Faithful,

Great Lent: The Fifth Day

From Abba Philemon (6th - 7th c.):

Keep a careful watch on yourself.

Do not allow yourself to be swept away

by external obsessions.

The tumultous movements of the soul,

in particular,

can be rendered quiet by stillness.

But if you keep encouraging and stimulating them,

they will start to terrorize you

and can disorder your whole life.

Once they are in control, it is as hard to heal them

as it is to soothe a sore that we can't stop scratching.