My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only Savior Jesus Christ,
CHRIS IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL LIFE: SPIRITUAL WARFARE
by Saint Silouan the Athonite
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Saint Paul the Apostle).
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"Everyone who would follow our Lord Jesus Christ is engaged in spiritual warfare" (Saint Silouan the Athonite).
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Spiritual life entails spiritual warfare. For the majority of believers, this warfare refers primarily to the encounter with evil thoughts. [Saint Philotheos of Sinai states succinctly, "It is by means of thoughts that the spirits of evil wage a secret war against the soul. For since the soul is invisible, these malicious powers naturally attack it invisibly." Saint Silouan states, "...the enemy uses intrusive thoughts to deceive us...".] Certainly in cases of more advanced ascetics, direct encounters with demons may occur. Most believers, however, struggle with demons in an indirect way, by confronting and combating intrusive, annoying and sinful thoughts. (Saint Silouan writes, "Along with an evil thought, a hostile power enters into us, and then the soul is clouded, and evil thoughts harass her.")
It cannot be said that every sinful thought comes from demons. The human mind may also be the source of such thoughts. Certainly, regardless of where they may come from, the demons exploit these thoughts. In any case, the enemy works against the believer assaulting him through the manipulation of thoughts. (Saint Athanasius writes in regard to these assaults of the demons, "Should they see any Christian--monks, especially--laboring gladly and advancing, they first attack and tempt them, placing stumbling blocks in the way. Their stumbling blocks consist of evil thoughts". To know the enemy is half of the battle. Saint Silouan stresses the vital role of the Holy Spirit in recognizing the enemy. ("Without the Holy Spirit the soul is incapable even of embarking on the struggle, for she neither knows nor understands who and where her enemies are" writes Saint Silouan the Athonite)
The question arises: just what exactly are these 'thoughts' and how are the defined? In the original Greek the term is 'logismos' (λογισμός). It appears in Holy Scripture, where in the context of spiritual life it has a pejorative meaning. In the Septuaginst (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the translation of the 70 Hebrew scholars), the term appears in Proverbs, qualified by the adjective 'kakos' (κακός) which means 'evil' or 'wicked'. An evil or wicked 'logismos' is included in the list of things that are an abomination to the Lord. "A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (λογισμούς)..." In the New Testament, the holy Apostle Paul uses the word in reference to spiritual warfare, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of stronghold, casting down imaginations (λογισμούς) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God..." Here again, the term is found with a negative meaning. His language implies that 'logismoi" (the plural) lead man ultimately away from God.
In Greek Patristic literature the term is usually found in the plural form 'logismoi" (λογισμοί), again with mostly negative connotations. The word is often accompanied by adjectives such as 'evil', 'demonic', 'passionate', or 'sinful' and this shows the unfavorable sense with which the Holy Fathers of the Church use this term. When translated into English, this Patristic term is often rendered as 'evil thoughts'. Henceforth it is this particular meaning that will be implied whenever the term 'logismoi' is used. (Source: Orthodox Spiritual Life According to Saint Silouan the Athonite by Harry Boosalis)
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KATAVASIAI
"It is the Day of Resurrection. O people, let us be glorious in splendor. Pascha! Pascha of the Lord! For Christ, our God, hath passed us, who sing the triumphal hymn from death unto life and from earth unto Heaven."
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"--Saint John Chrysostom
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CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
With sincere agape In His Holy and Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George