St. Paisios of Mount Athos
St. Paisios was born on July 25, 1924, in Farasa of Cappadocia and baptized by St. Arsenios the Cappadocian, who foretold that he would become a monk; his family soon settled in Konitsa, Greece, during the exchange of populations.
After army service he embraced monasticism on Mount Athos in the 1950s, also spending time at Sinai, and from 1979 he lived at the hermitage of Panagouda, where countless pilgrims sought his counsel, discernment, and prayers. He reposed on July 12, 1994, at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti, where he is buried, and was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2015. His recorded teachings, published as the Spiritual Counsels, remain among the most beloved spiritual writings of modern Orthodoxy.
Some people tell me that they are scandalized because they see many things wrong in the Church. I tell them that if you ask a fly, 'Are there any flowers in this area?' it will say, 'I don't know about flowers, but over there in that heap of rubbish you can find all the filth you want.' Now, if you ask a honeybee, 'Have you seen any unclean things in this area?' it will reply, 'Unclean things? No, I have not seen any; the place here is full of the most fragrant flowers.'
The person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought.
Patristic texts reveal the inner spiritual condition of the soul, much as axial tomography reveals the inner structures of the body.
Much reading alone will only educate you encyclopaedically.
Troparion · Tone 1
O you faithful, let us honor Paisios, the offspring of Farasa, the glory of Athos, emulator of the holy ascetics of old, and equal to them in honor; O grace-filled vessel, who hastens speedily to the pious faithful who cry out: Glory to Him Who strengthened you. Glory to Him Who crowned you. Glory to Him Who, through you, works healings for all.
Kontakion · Tone 8
Let us praise the most renowned ascetic of the Holy Mountain, and the newly-shining luminary of the Church; let us praise him with hymns with all our heart, for he guides the faithful toward a life of excellence, filling them with rivers of gifts; therefore we cry out: Rejoice, Father Paisios.
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