The animals enjoy being with man

The animals enjoy being with man and look at him as their king. In Paradise, Adam called the animals one by one and gave them each a name according to its kind. Animals recognized man’s superiority and were happy in his presence. After the fall, however, this relationship was destroyed. Man looked at the beasts with the intention of killing them, and the animals became wild. Nevertheless, the wild animals are still more sincere than man is. If you approach them with love, they return to that pristine state. Man has ruined the animals. Even the dog that lives continually by man’s side has changed, acquiring a police mentality and distrustful character. I used to feed a little kitten around here that would come and rub itself up against my leg and purr. Although it was very tame, when one day, I tossed a piece of bread to it, the animal pulled back in fear. What had happened to it? Someone had thrown stones at it and ruined the animal’s attitude towards people. So you see, this evil state of affairs begins with man.

- Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos, From the book “The Gurus, The Young Man, and the Elder Paisios”

Not even the little birds

Not even the little birds fall down to the ground without God’s will. We should always say to God, “Thy will be done”.

-Archimandrite Cherubim

Love the Trees

Fr. Amphilochios, the geronta or “elder” on the island of Patmos when I first stayed there, would have been in full agreement. “Do you know,” he said, “that God gave us one more commandment, which is not recorded in Scripture? It is the commandment “love the trees.” Whoever does not love trees, so he believed, does not love God. “When you plant a tree,” he insisted, “you plant hope, you plant peace, you plant love, and you will receive God’s blessing.”

- Taken from an essay by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

Think good thoughts

Think good thoughts about what is good by nature, and think well of every man.

- St. Thalassius

A crime against nature

The way we respond to the natural environment is directly reflects the way we treat human beings. The willingness to exploit the environment is revealed in the willingness to permit avoidable human suffering. So the survival of the natural environment is also the survival of ourselves. When we will understand that a crime against nature is a crime against ourselves and sin against God?

- His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

Like a little bird…

Like a little bird who, when the branch he is standing on breaks, doesn’t worry but opens his wings and flies, so our faith and hope in God give us the strength and joy to fly when the twig breaks beneath our feet.

-Mother Gabriel

Spiritual Picture of the Day

The life and freshness of  nature are amazing. After so many years of ’technological progress’ we still cannot compare with it. And if we think that we are wise, why should we destroy something we cannot equal?

Orthodox theology: Saints and the animals. A pre-fall picture.

Because the lives of the earlier saints may seem somehow distant from the contemporary world, it would have been an oversight not to mention more recent saints and elders of our days.

a) Saint Seraphim of Sarov: in the life of the saint it is said that he was served by a bear which had as a “Deaconate” to “serve” the saint’s visitors: sometimes he would send the bear for some “need”. “Instead of scaring people, Misa, it is better you go and bring me something good….”. The bear would return holding in her front paws a cob of honey”.

b) In the collections of elder Hadzigeorgis, it is said that the elder made the sign of the cross on the wild boar that was destroying his garden and it remained motionless. He then took it by the ear and closed it in the stable under a “rule”. Three hours later he freed it telling it that if it stepped back he would receive a double “rule”. So it happened.

c) Saint Arsenius the Cappadocian never mounted animals because he did not wish to burden them.

d) From the life of elder Paisius we see that wild birds would approach him and feed from him. When some enlightened one told him that he believed in some power but not in Christ the Saint replied, “you are more stupid than the lizard”. To the great surprise of the man, the elder asked the lizard if Christ existed and the lizard replied by moving its head affirmatively.

Another characteristic with the elder Paisius that reminds us of the prophet Elijah, is the following: “On the Sunday of the blind, being sick, exhausted and hungry he went out to the garden somewhat unhappy because he had nothing to eat. He looked at the sea and saw a large bird rising to the sky, such as a hawk or an eagle that held in its talons a large fish. As it arrived over his cell, it let go of the fish which then dropped in front of his feet. The elder prayed, cooked it and then ate it”.

Prayers by the Lake

Detail of a painting at Holy Trinity Monastery / Seminary, Jordanville, NY.

A quote about God

Oh, God, you spend so much blue so that we cannot see you!

-Odysseas Elytis

…Maybe because, we could’n stand to see Your face…Maybe..

A great miracle: the Holy Snakes of Theotokos

Note: Today is August first. August is the month of Theotokos (Virgin Mary). At August 15 is the day that our Church honours Virgin Mary, the Holy mother of God. I’ll post more videos and greek tributes to it (with translation, even though it will be amature).

Loving Relationship with the World - Elder Paisios

(in this photo you can see a little bird in Elder’s hand)

…A few days after Pascha I decided to take an afternoon walk in the forest outside of Florina… It was a joy to be with the animals, the birds, the trees, and even the smallest blade of grass bursting with life…. I cheerfully spoke to them and they listened to me.  I tenderly caressed them and understood their intentions and the movements of their inner beings.  I loved them all.  This extraordinarily beautiful, peaceful, and loving relationship between man and the world must have characterized the genuine life of Paradise.  ”The elder must be in such a state every day,” I thought.

Indeed once he [Elder Paisios] said,

“When I was in Stomio at the little monastery near Konitsa, there were two large bears who would come to the place where I would dispose of the garbage.  The poor things were hungry, so I would go and give them some bread.  The animals can recognize your disposition when you approach them, if you intend to kill them or if you approach them with genuine love.”

At this point, the elder opened up his hand and called to a red robin that was resting in the branches of a tree, and the little bird came and happily perched on the elder’s finger.

“The animals enjoy being with man and look at him as their king. In Paradise, Adam called the animals one by one and gave them each a name according to its kind. Animals recognized man’s superiority and were happy in his presence.  After the fall, however, this relationship was destroyed.  Man looked at the beasts with the intention of killing them, and the animals became wild. Nevertheless, the wild animals are still more sincere than man is.  If you approach them with love, they return to that pristine state.  Man has ruined the animals.  Even the dog that lives continually by man’s side has changed, acquiring a police mentality and distrustful character.  I used to feed a little kitten around here that would come and rub itself up against my leg and purr.  Although it was very tame, when one day, I tossed a piece of bread to it, the animal pulled back in fear.  What had happened to it?  Someone had thrown stones at it and ruined the animal’s attitude towards people.  So you see, this evil state of affairs begins with man.”

From The Grus, The Young Man, and the Elder Paisios, by Dionysios Farasiotis pp 251-252

How could I say there is no God?

How could I say there is no God…

…When all around creation calls…

…A singing bird…

…A mighty tree…

…The vast expanse of open sea…