Tag: Cassian
Prayer without Ceasing: O God, Come to my assistance
. . . this was delivered to us by a few of those who were left of the oldest fathers, so it is only divulged by us to a very few and to those who are really keen. And so for keeping up continual recollection of God this pious formula is to be ever set… Read More ›
On Prayer
Prayer changes at every moment in proportion to the degree of purity in the soul and in accordance with the extent to which the soul is moved either by outside influence or of itself. Certainly the same kind of prayers cannot be uttered continuously by any one person. A lively person prays one way. A… Read More ›
Which is the greatest of all virtues?
Some elders came to St. Antony and asked him, “Which is the greatest of all virtues?” Each one then gave an opinion, some saying that “fasting and keeping of vigils” best help one come near to God; others said “voluntary poverty” and “detachment”; others said “compassion.” Last of all, Anthony gave his reply: “All that… Read More ›
The Eight Demons of St. John Cassian
My life, along with many others (though I forget this often), has been a continual struggle with sin. I am not alone in this, and there is a kind of comfort in that. I found this out especially when I stumbled upon some writings of St. John Cassian in the Philokalia, arguably the most important spiritual… Read More ›
The Lord must guide our hearts
. . . of this much we must be sure. Never by our sole diligence or zeal nor by our most tireless efforts can we reach perfection. Human zeal is not enough to win the sublime rewards of blessedness. The Lord must be there to help us and to guide our hearts toward what is… Read More ›
Psalm 111(110): To fear the Lord
1. Today we feel a strong wind. The wind in Sacred Scripture is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We hope that the Holy Spirit will illumine us now in our meditation on Psalm 111[110] that we have just heard. In this Psalm we find a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for the many benefits… Read More ›
St. John Cassian the Roman
The Monk John Cassian the Roman, as to the place of birth and the language in which he wrote – belonged to the West, but the spiritual native-land of the saint was always the Orthodox East. John accepted monasticism at a Bethlehem monastery, situated at a place not far from where the Saviour was born…. Read More ›
Suggested Reading for Lent
“On the days of Lent, from morning until the end of the third hour let them apply themselves to their reading, and from then until the end of the tenth hour let them do the work assigned them. And in these days of Lent they shall each receive a book from the library, which they… Read More ›
Attain Perfection in Your Profession
Therefore it is beneficial and proper for each person, in accordance with the orientation that he has chosen and the grace that he has received, to strive most zealously and diligently to attain to perfection in the work that be has undertaken. He may praise and admire the virtues of others, but he should never… Read More ›
Compunction: the moment of awakening
In traditional monastic language the great means of ending our complacent slumbers was the sting of compunction. The Latin word compunctio means a piercing; it is like sticking a pin in somebody with the purpose of waking them up. Compunction, involves a moment of awakening, the first glimmer of enlightenment, the dawning of a new… Read More ›