Sensul în viață, lâncezeala - părintele Teologos

and after that he reached a state
of rapture of the mind

that he began to pray in the evening
with the sun behind him,

was raptured in bliss

and woke up in the morning
with the sun in front of him.

An Athonite Cell –
Joys from the Holy Mountain

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, and now and ever

and unto the ages and ages. Amen

Through the prayers of our holy fathers,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us! Amen

At one point, long ago, a group of
physicians, university professors,

scientists from Italy or from England
came to the Holy Mountain

– I don't quite remember where from.

They gave us a questionnaire
because they were impressed

– the scientific world is impressed –

by the fact that on the Holy Mountain
we have a very balanced life,

few illnesses and we live a long time,

we are long-lived on the Holy Mountain,
generally speaking, the fathers.

They wanted to find out
what the secret of our longevity is.

They asked us what we eat,
how we eat, how we behave,

our sleep schedule, and so on.

And at the end of the questionnaire
the moment he asked,

he was taking each of us individually
asking us, he asked us:

"Do you still believe
your life has meaning?

Do you still believe
your life makes sense?"

Well, at that moment it was as if
a brick hit me in the head and I said:

"Of course, how could it not!

This thing is obvious."

The man somehow realized
he had made a blunder

and tried to explain to me that,
you know, that in the world,

many have lost their sense of purpose,
they no longer have meaning in life,

they think their life
no longer makes sense and so on.

Yes, why? Because Orthodoxy
provides the meaning of life.

God gives purpose.
Do you understand?

Orthodoxy is medical science
and what Orthodoxy heals is death.

This is the most serious illness,
brethren, death, rupture, isolation

– and Orthodoxy heals us of this.

Because people today
have strayed away from God,

that is why the meaning disappears.

The meaning of man
cannot be anything other

than eternal self-perfection
– every man desires this.

The need for victory in man
cannot be fulfilled by anything

– neither by money,
nor by social positions,

nor by fame,
nor by gold medals,

by nothing other than
the Resurrection of Christ,

by overcoming death.

You see, the Holy Scripture doesn't tell
us about dinosaurs and geological eras

in the way a science book does,
of course, if it tells us at all.

The purpose of Scripture is salvific –

namely, of fulfilling
our purpose in life,

which is, as I said, perfection,
the fulfillment of the person

in eternity and in communion,
in love.

Suddenly it becomes clear
that everything makes sense,

that value appears.

Without meaning, without purpose,
without God there is no value,

and that is because value is not
the amount of money we give.

The value of an entity, brethren,
of a thing, of an idea

is given by the percentage in which
the respective entity aids us

in fulfilling our purpose.

If purpose does not exist,
then value does not exist either.

And the goal, as I said,
is an absolute, spiritual one,

and not wasting time
scrolling on social networks

or dissipating ourselves
in the centers of attention

that have multiplied so much today.

We say that we no longer have time,
that we haven't done anything.

This is true, and it happens
because we no longer have meaning,

we no longer use time
for spiritual perfection.

The mind is scattered
in all directions

massively parallel,
broken into pieces

by these centers of attention.

We do things faster and faster:
we respond on WhatsApp,

we see on TikTok, on Facebook,
the news, Insta, YouTube, etc.

We have machines, robots
and means of communication

incomparably better than in the past,
and yet we have no time.

Why?

Because we do not use it for
our own spiritual perfection, brethren!

Let me tell you something.

In my grandparents' village it was an
event for the car to enter the village.

They would say:
"The car from the city has come!"

There was no telephone,
rather there was the cooperative’s phone

that worked and didn't really work,

people didn't have cars either,
there was only one tractor,

the cooperative’s one
which worked and didn't work,

if you wanted television
it was at the neighbor further away...

and yet they had plenty of time.

Why?

Because they knew
what are the priorities.

What the value system is.

What the meaning of life is.

Without meaning, brethren,
there is no value system.

There is nothing.

Everything is turned upside down.

Everything is chaos:
either Christ or chaos.

Time is given to us for repentance,
brethren

– time did not exist
and will not exist again.

Time is the possibility of change,
of repentance.

Here lies the capital importance of death:

the fact that after death
time disappears,

that after death we can no longer repent.

So if we have no meaning,
we no longer have time

and then we waste our time
meaninglessly, doing pointless things.

It is as if we no longer had time
and this is felt.

From a physical perspective
time is something else,

which is defined based on the
half-life of a cesium radioactive isotope,

but we are talking about
the spiritual time that man feels.

But this time disappears
and that is spiritual sloth.

The meaning is theosis, brethren,
and NOT the worship of the cellular.

If this purpose disappears,
if this meaning disappears,

then everything disappears and we have
different ephemeral definitions of value

and we have objects with chaotic,
volatile, ephemeral value

just to fulfill our passions.

That is, self-love, primarily.

Passions have an ambiguous,
absurd character.

A very interesting phenomenon
– man is fierce about passions

and yet, he has great inner turmoil.

Why?

Because there is no
fulfillment of the purpose.

This false, ambiguous character
also appears in the theme of freedom:

you see that the lustily man
is a slave to his passions.

Today he wants one thing,
tomorrow he wants another...

Even if, paradoxically,
we say that he "sees nothing else"

but the fulfillment of his passions

– for example, he does everything
for money, glory or power.

He jumps from one to another

even if, in general,
his goal is said to be money.

For freedom to be freedom,
it must have a meaning

– freedom is not an amorphous puddle
where anything is allowed.

This leads us to the
hideousness of atheism

and, therefore, ultimately
to spiritual unfulfillment,

to spiritual languor.

Well, then why don’t people
want meaning, freedom?

Ok, they want these –
we all desire them,

but we don't want
to renounce our passions.

Isn't that how Lord says?

"And this is the judgment,
that the Light has come into the world,

and people have loved the darkness
rather than the Light.

Because their deeds were evil."

Yes, that's right:
we don't want to avoid truth,

the light and meaning

but we avoid it, actually,
because our deeds are wicked

are evil.

Thus, sloth, acedia
comes from passions,

from the fact that we want to stay
embraced by our passions

like a great picky walrus –
primarily with self-love.

We are all like this, more or less.

Usually, the passion of acedia, sloth
comes from talking a lot

and forgetting God and,
of course, from the love of pleasures.

Whoever is dominated by this passion,
has a drowsiness of the mind in struggle,

a night of the mind,
an existential backwater;

blesses the worldly, secular spirit,
has disgust towards spirituality,

towards high things

and generally a disdain for God
as merciless and unloving of people,

has a boredom of reading psalms
and spiritual books.

Acedia is helpless in prayer,

but is as strong as iron
in serving material matters

– fashion and so on,

technology, news.

It is tireless in the work of the hands
when it wants to do something

and skilled in the so-called obedience,

just to get rid of prayer
and spiritual life.

Yes, good, obedience is obedience,

but let's be careful to do
everything in its own time.

Do you know what happens?

Because it is harder to pray
than to work,

the one who doesn’t like prayer

comforts his self-love
through the work of the hand,

saying that "I have work
and cannot pray now."

Brethren, we must cut off our will

- we must "un-will"

Unwilling is denial of the will.

Let us trample our will underfoot,
through obedience pleasing to God.

For this reason, the obedient man
does not know sloth

and is grace-full (industrious).

It comes from the word "grace"

because industriousness
is the bringer of grace.

Thus, in communities
where there is obedience,

in cenobitic communities for example,
languor doesn’t exist,

whereas if one is alone,

then languor is like
an inseparable consort, brethren.

In the worst case, we crawl
like a picky walrus, as I was saying

– namely, we do nothing,

and this especially if it's warm,

that is at noon
or if we have a full stomach.

You know, at noon, man experiences
a biological breakdown.

That’s why David says in the Psalter:

"Deliver me, O Lord, from the arrow
that flies by day

and the pestilence
that lays waste at noonday."

For this reason, the elders

and at least in the monasteries
of the Holy Mountain

we start very early
and we sleep at noon.

Well, in the world,
what can I say,

it's quite difficult
in certain environments.

Why is that?

That's because otherwise

the devil of spiritual dullness
brings about a tremor around noon

for about three hours,

along with headaches,
dizziness and all that.

By three in the afternoon,
these subside somewhat,

and when the meal is set,
we jump like an arch,

you know, hop and we’re up.

Of course,
when the time for prayer arrives,

again it gets heavy with the body.

And if we sit for prayer,
then it submerges us back into sleep

and snatches the verse from our mouths
with wholly inappropriate yawns.

Terrible, brethren.

You see the man at vigils
overcome by sleep

and after the vigil,
he is fresh, standing outside, talking.

Isn't that demonic energy, brethren?

Do you understand?

Also, when I speak to someone:
if I talk about something spiritual

and useful to people
that have problems in this area,

you see they are not interested,
even if they ask.

And especially if they are addicted
to TikTok or other apps like that,

after 5 seconds, not even one minute,
they are immediately elsewhere.

But if I talk to them
about something worldly,

they immediately revive.

I say the war or pandemic
or something, they immediately light up.

Brethren, the spiritual ones save us.

Especially since I am not the one
to inform you about war

or pandemic and so on.

Now, you should know that

we all want to have love, joy,
peace, long-suffering,

and all the other gifts
of the Holy Spirit,

and we desire this
with the push of a button

— in a magical way.

It cannot be, brethren!

We must renounce our passions,
we must strive

– only then will we acquire
meaning and joy.

However, people do not wish to strive,
to do something,

but only to find out things.

Good people, do something,
because if you don't,

it is the languor of the soul
– great passion acedia.

Of course it is good, that still,
you want to find out,

but you also have to do something

and you need to get started NOW.

From this instant on.

Do you understand?

We must have a schedule

and gradually occupy ourselves
to perfect ourselves.

Let us not say that
there is still a long way to go

– I know that –

but for God to help us,
we must also take a step.

Yes, okay, you listen to spiritual talks.

It is good, but not enough.

We must do something.
Do you understand?

A form of acedia, of languor,
of existential and spiritual backwater

is when someone
wants to find out news,

what this, or that one has done
or what else is happening

or simply lays like walrus, as I said.

Even if the news is still the same,
they watch it again and again

and maybe tomorrow
something will appear,

certainly not to
perfect themselves spiritually,

but to kill time.

Of course, they hunt for news,
meaning they go to one and the other

out of curiosity.
Do you understand?

So not only online,
but also through neighbors.

And they ask to find out all sorts,

leaving the struggle and order
on the last plan.

As St. Paul the Apostle says
that they live in rebellion.

They do not work,
but walk disorderly.

It even rhymes in Greek.

Brethren, curiosity as it is now,
is a parasite of Adam’s fall.

Man must be upright
and withdraw his mind from the senses,

as Abba Isaac and Abba Dorotheus say.

We must withdraw our mind
from the senses,

Namely, the thought tells me:
let me taste a little of this...

No, I won't taste! – I will say.

Let me see what's there...
No, I won't see!

Here, let me hear what it says there...
No, I won't hear!

How that perfume smells...
No!

Let me put my hand there...
I won’t put my hand! …

Let me find out what is being done
over there...

I won’t find out!
Do you understand?

We must have a mind of steel,
in order to maintain our integrity,

to not let it fragment into senses.

The moment the mind gathers and prays,
it then turns towards itself

and through itself towards God,
as St. Basil the Great says.

Although it is of steel against sin,

it has to be fluffy like a teddy bear
towards people

and loves everyone and everything
with God's love.

Do you understand?

The flight from prayer, divine,
spirituality

also take on even more subtle forms:

excessively going to visit those in need,
to help them,

to comfort them, to stay with them,
to fix something around the house,

to improve,

but, of course,

today the addiction to cell phones,
to the Internet is in the foreground.

Brethren, we must have time,
a schedule for prayer first of all,

and then the rest!

In spiritual environments it is classic
for someone to work during prayer

without necessarily needing to,
to hide their languor

– or, the other extreme,

when someone urgently needs something,
to not help him,

to not devote ourselves to him,
because – God, see! – we are praying.

Brethren, extremes are from the devil.

Of course prayer is essential

and it is in the forefront

and we avoid everything
that holds us down when we pray,

but we must have right judgement,
brethren, in love.

This is where obedience is essential:

obedience to the spiritual ruler
and to the schedule,

so that we maintain our balance
and not to forget our purpose.

On our own, it is very,
very difficult to succeed.

This is one of the main reasons
why languor fights the lonely

– because they lack obedience
to the ruler

and for them the schedule remains.

In fact, this happens not only
in the case of a hermit,

whether he is a monk or a layman,

but also in the case of communities.

If leaders do not exist,
people languish.

Leaders are needed
to push people forward.

Very few are those who have
that much zeal to advance.

And this is true in many fields,
especially in the spiritual realm

where the enemy fights so fiercely.

At this point, brethren,
I would like to tell you that,

yes, of course
a good spiritual ruler is needed.

Choose the best one you can
– even if he's not perfect –

and stick with him,

because a spiritual ruler
with a grade of 6-7

is immensely better than the absence
of any spiritual ruler.

Of course, we all want a spiritual ruler
with a grade of 10,

but let's not forget that
only One was a grade of 10

along with His Most Pure Mother,

and we crucified Him.

That is why we have, in fact,
the lives of the saints and,

above all, the deeds and life
of our Lord Jesus Christ

as they appear in the Bible.

You see, in the Bible and in the
Lives of the Saints,

it doesn’t say so much
to have courage

as we are given the reasons
to have courage,

we are given the meaning.
We are told,

"Look what can be done!"
– "Take this path!".

That's why examples are so significant:

so that we know
that there is meaning

and how to get to fulfill this meaning
and, therefore, to get rid of languor.

A huge problem here is the fact
that if we are not careful

and our meaning does not coincide
with the true meaning of life,

then we can despair,
good God forbid!

Because, as I said,
we try to search for Heaven,

for meaning where there is none.

Usually we believe that true meaning
is success in this world

and reward from people.

It isn’t like that.

Heaven is yonder, and here,
as St. Isaac the Syrian says,

we should know that if we do something
and do not have temptation afterward,

it means we didn't do it properly.

Do you understand?

We need to withdraw more or less
from the world, but loving people

and not with the feeling
of a "beaten dog",

but with the great love for God
and bewaring of the sin,

the misrepresentation
that is so present in society.

Yes, it is true, that many times
we are hurt by the lack of understanding,

by the different behaviors
of those next to us

and sometimes we feel alone
like the long-distance runner

and we feel like stopping

because of the harshness
of the people around us

who we feel are pressuring us.

However, we must be careful
to choose the right race

and not to stop because
we lose our meaning.

As I said, the meaning can be
none other than theosis,

namely, the stabilization,

the separation of the soul
from the body with a loving heart.

That is our meaning, to die
with a loving heart.

Replete with love.

Thus we pass from death to life,
trampling down death by death

and we will fulfill our purpose.

We must always think about our passing,
about our death,

how will we pass beyond

because if we lose sight of our purpose,
our love,

we will perform senseless deeds
and say meaningless words.

Languor locks us inwards,
and we will be like a wandering asteroid

without purpose,
through a meaningless cosmos.

Unfortunately, this is the nihilism
that prevails today

and torments people so much.

Let me give you a case.

On a forum,
Hacker News is called,

famous among top programmers,

at one point, a very big problem
was discussed,

it was solved and after that,
all sorts of life questions are raised.

And a very prominent programmer

who was actually
one of the directors at Google

in terms of search engine improvement,

after which for years was the director
of the advisory office at the White House

the US Government

Come on, let's not mention his name
because he is still alive,

and this top-notch programmer was asked
by someone there, on the forum,

if he had children.

And he said:
No, I don't have children.

The other one asked: Why?

And he said: Because I do not wish
to sentence my children to death.

Do you understand? This is terrible.

I mean,

the man had no purpose,

he was seeing this world as a great river

that inexorably flows towards death,

a great cemetery overflowing
into nothingness.

Do you understand?

The man was very sad, even though
I said he is a super-achiever.

He was the head of the advisory office
at the White House for years.

On the other hand,
I remember Fr. Joseph of Vatopedi,

who constantly spoke to us
with expressions like

"επι του σκοπού του προκειμένου"

– "let's focus on the purpose
of our subject"

or "το κέντρο του στόχου"

"the center of the target"

which from the perspective
of a very literary language

may not sound good, especially since
he repeated them, very often

– but from a spiritual perspective
sound very, very good –

we must be focused like a laser
on our target which is death,

the righteous death –
that is, death with a loving heart.

When Fr. Ephraim, as the abbot,
wanted to share something

from the daily life of the monastery,

Fr. Joseph did not wish,
he did not like it.

He would say:
No, I don't want that.

Because he was focused on
his own meaning, on his own purpose.