Prayer is the mirror of the soul. As a man sees what his form looks like in the mirror, so with prayer, when it is warm and sincere, the inner man is revealed. Prayer will show you who you are.
There is nothing worse than anger, disobedience, pride, jealousy, accusation and hatred. These passions kill the soul, darken the mind, wipe away the intelligence and every kind of virtue from man and evacuate the divine grace.
The affection of the spiritual father is much higher than that of the carnal. For many times the carnal father can deliver you to Hell, while the spiritual father will take you to eternal life.
We, monks, ought to stick to three things: to play deaf, blind and dumb. These three things are the monk’s work. Physical work is a sideline. Our task is to close our eyes, our ears and our mouths, so that we can pass through the various circumstances of our lives. Be silent, to avoid the troubles and scandals and all the bad things. Be silent so that God will reveal the mysteries to you.
*The article was originally published in Greek in ikivotos.gr