Friday, June 14, 2019

Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra: "How can we have the Holy Spirit?"

Jesus Christ the Son of God the Savior of the world (source)
  
How can we have the Holy Spirit?

The answer is, for each of us to love his wife: you who are married your wife, and I who am a monk, my monastic life.

I must love my solitude, and not get depressed, not get tired, I must stand vigil, and not think that God sent me here in order to save the whole world, not to think that it is my duty to joke with this or that person, but to look after my job: I must have my eye on Christ.

When you leave your house and get married, you leave behind your father, mother, brothers, relatives, and, instead of your parents, your brothers and relatives, you find a new family. And having left, don't look behind you, as the Psalm of the Theotokos* says, do not think of anything from your former family**. For now you have a whole new world before you, which you must rejoice in, to partake of, to taste, to give life to. Therefore, all of us must give life to our family, to our love, to the divinity that we have wedded, as St. Hesychios says. Then our flesh we will be filled with divinity and we become Christ.
-Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra
(source)
  
*Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house;
11 and the king will desire your beauty. (Psalm 45:10-11)
  
*Note: The Elder is not implying that we should not try to help our families as we are able to, but that our spouses after marriage must always take the first place after God.
  
Christ, the Holy Wisdom of God (source)
  
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

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