Humility And Obedience
The great vitures are three: humility, obedience, and love.
When there is no love and obedience to the local bishop, everything is ruined.
No one can hold two watermelons under one arm. That is, no one can seek offices and be humble at the same time. Which one of those bishops that Church or the Start clare anti canonical goes to become a male nurse in a hospital? No one, because they don’t have humility and obedience. But if some bishop would do just that, then all the people would admire him and readily believe that our Orthodox faith is a faith of works. Let then all the preachers of the world come together and go preach everywhere. They won’t have such an effect as the example of that bishop, since works are superior to any preaching.
We cannot have boldness before God when we are not obedient, humble. Our heart must be simple in order to receive the word of God. No selfishness or hard-heartedness. Simplicity of heart makes us similar to God and to the saints. Everything is simple. The simple man is neither wicked nor can he think something wicked. He is resettles. He is like a child. His prayer is readily received. He prays for the others and for his sins.
How can you not weep when you see how much you’ve grieved God, the Angels and the Saints, who wait for you in Heaven and benefit you while on earth?
-Father Dimitrios Gagastathis
