Feast Day: August 25th


The Life of Saint John: He was deeply knowledgeable of Holy Scripture and experienced in Hesychastic/ Neptic Spirituality…

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Prayers

Apolytikion – First Tone: An expounder of virtue, and teacher of Monastics, you were perceived as the president of Karpathos our Father John which you lived as an Angel on Earth; you were enlightened with the light of the Spirit, wherefore as a healer of Christ, we honour you crying out: Glory to Him Who gave you strength, Glory to Him Who crowned you, Glory to Him Who through you grants us an abundance of grace and mercy.

Kontakion – Second Tone: As an esteemed Ascetic of piety, and Divinely inspired Hierarch of the Saviour, the island of Karpathos celebrates you, O all-blessed John; you Sanctified it by your life, as its offspring and Divine boast, wherefore keep watch over it always with your intercessions.

Megalynarion: Rejoice, companion of the Venerable Ones, and the Divine Shepherd and guide of Karpathos. Rejoice, John the treasury of Grace, and our intercessor and mediator to the Lord.

Verse: John was filled with Divine Grace, as an Ascetic and Divine Hierarch. On the twenty-fifth John’s Earthly life was noetically raised.


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Hope in God

“To the Soul that condemns itself and despairs from excessive temptations and from the multitude of sins and says: “Our hope is lost, we are lost” (Ezek. 37, 11), it has been said by God, Who does not despair for our Salvation: “You will live and know that I am the Lord” (Ezek. 37,6). To the Soul that is in perplexity, how will it be able to give birth to Christ through great virtues, it has been said: “The Holy Spirit will come to you” (Luke 1, 35). And where there is the presence of the Holy Spirit, do not ask for consistency and law of nature and habit. Because the Worshipful and Holy Spirit, because he is omnipotent, and what does not exist, he creates for you, to admire. But it also makes the mind that was previously defeated a victor, because the Paraclete who comes from above to us out of mercy is above all (Jn. 3, 31) and raises you above natural movements and demonic passions.”

“The Bible says: “I bring you good news of great joy, which concerns all the people” (Luke 2:10), not just a part of the people. And “all the inhabitants of the Earth will worship you and sing to you” (Ps. 65,4), not just a part of the Earth. Singing is not the mark of those who are bound by tears, but of those who are cheerful. Therefore, since this is so, let us not at all despair, but let us spend the present life cheerfully, having in mind that future joy and cheerfulness. But let’s mix cheerfulness with the fear of God, as the Bible says: “Feel joy in the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2,11). The women who were with Mary left the Tomb with fear and joy (Matthew 28,8). Perhaps we too will one day with fear and joy come out of the imaginary grave. I wonder how we can have no fear, because no one is sinless, even if it is Moses or the Apostle Peter. But in them, after Divine Love wins, it drives away fear (1 Jn. 4:18) at the time of death.”

“Struggle to preserve unimpaired the light that shines within your nous.”

“If passion begins to dominate you when you look at things, this means that the Lord has left you in darkness; He has dropped the reins with which He was guiding you, and the light of your eyes is gone from you (cf. Ps. 38:10). Yet even if this happens, do not despair or give up, but Pray to God with the words of David: ‘O send out Thy light and Thy truth to me in my gloom, for Thou art the Salvation of my countenance and my God’ (cf. Ps. 43:3, 5); ‘Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the Earth’ (Ps. 104: 30; LXX).”

“Do all in your power not to fall, for the strong athlete should not fall. But if you do fall, get up again at once and continue the contest. Even if you fall a thousand times because of the withdrawal of God’s Grace, rise up again each time, and keep on doing so until the day of your death. For it is written, ‘If a righteous man falls seven times’ – that is, repeatedly throughout his life – seven times ‘shall he rise again’ (Prov. 24: 16; LXX).”

“The moon, which waxes and wanes again, is a type of man, who sometimes does good and sometimes sins, and then by repentance returns to the virtuous life. Well, the mind of the one who sinned was not lost, as some think, just as the body of the moon did not diminish, but only her light. Therefore, man regains his brilliance through repentance, just as the moon after its waning is again clothed in light. Because the Bible says: “He who believes in Christ, even if he dies, he will live” (Jn. 11,26) “and he will know that I the Lord have spoken and will do it” (Ezek. 17,24).”

“Worse than sinning is despair. Judas the betrayer was small-minded and had no experience of war, and therefore despaired; the devil rushed upon him and had him hanged. However, Peter, the solid stone, after falling into a serious transgression, of denying Christ, like a war of experience that he was, did not become paralyzed, nor did he despair from his sorrow, but after he got up, he offered bitter tears from a sad and humiliated heart. And immediately the enemy, when he saw these, as if strong flames had burned him in the face, fled away with a rush, with terrible lamentations.”

“David accepted the willingness of the inhabitants of Shikelak who went out to fight the Gentiles with him, although they remained from fatigue at the stream of Bosor (1 Kgs. 30). For when he returned to them after defeating the barbarians, and heard some saying that they should not give a share of the spoils to those who, through fatigue, remained in the stream, and while they for shame did not speak, then the good David defended them, saying that they sat and guarded the utensils. And for this reason he gave them an equal share of spoils, as he gave to the brave and spirited warriors. Consider therefore whether for any brother who at first showed zeal, but afterwards bent and fell away, can faith, repentance, humility, weeping, patience, hope, long-suffering, etc., be considered vessels of Salvation. If he sits guarding these, even though he does nothing, and endures only in the expectation of Christ, he naturally receives some Heavenly gift.”

“With all thy might keep thyself from falling: for to fall is not befitting a mighty athlete. But if you happen to fall, jump up at once and stand again in the good fight; and if you fall a thousand times from the retreat of Grace, rise again as many times; and this until your death. Because it is written: “If a righteous man falls seven times – that is, continuously throughout his life – he will get up as many times” (Prov. 24, 16). So long as you hold the weapon of the Holy Image with tears and supplication to God, you are reckoned with those who stand, even though you have fallen many times; as long as you remain among the Monks, like a valiant soldier you receive from the front wounds, for which you will be the more praised , because even when you were beaten you did not agree to retreat or leave the war. Whereas if you leave the Monks, then you receive wounds in the back as a fugitive and a coward and a deserter and a coward.”

“The Lord says to you, as he said in Matthew: “Follow Me” (Matthew 9, 9). So you, where you eagerly pursue your longed-for Lord, if on your way you trip your foot on the stone (Ps. 90,12) of no passion and fall unexpectedly into sin, or even many times, because there are muddy places, you slipped without wish it and you fell, as many times as you happen to fall and torture your body, so many times get up and run after your Lord until you reach him. “Thus have I come before Thee in the temple of the mind, to see Thy Power and Glory that save me, and in Thy Name, O Lord, I will lift up my hands to Pray, and I will hear; and I will feel as if I had been filled with fat and fat foods – and my lips will be happy to sing to You” (Psalm 62, 3-6). Because I consider it a great thing that I deserved to be called a Christian, as the Lord tells me through the prophet Isaiah: “It is a great honour for you to be called My child” (Is. 49, 6).”

“If the demon has so much power, that even without man wanting to change him and bring him to his own way, taking him out of his natural good state, how much power does the Angel have when he receives God’s order at the appointed time, to turn for the better the whole mood of man? And if the cold north has so much power as to turn water that is so soft into the hardest ice, what cannot the warm south do? And if the chill air subdues everything – for who can endure the cold? (Ps. 147, 6) – so how will heat not change everything? Why, who can stand the heat? (S. Ser. 43, 3). So let us believe that the cold and black coal of our intellect will sooner or later become warm and glowing with the influence of the Divine fire.”

“When the devil left the Lord in the desert, Angels came and served Him (Matthew 4, 11). So let us know that, just as the Bible says that when the Lord was tempted Angels were present, so also at the time of our own temptation, the Angels of God retreat for a while, but not far. Then, after the departure of the demons, the Angels come to us and serve us with Divine meanings, with illumination, consolation, patience, sweetness and with what saves and strengthens and restores the weary Soul. Because it has been said to Nathanael: “You will see the Angels ascending and descending to the son of man” (Jn. 1, 52), that is, the service and help of Angels will be richly given to the human race.”

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Praying

“Blessed is he who, with a hunger that is never satisfied, day and night throughout this present life makes Prayer and the Psalms his food and drink, and strengthens himself by reading of God’s Glory in Scripture.”

“Elsewhere the Scripture says that the Father will give goods to those who ask Him (Matt. 7, 11), elsewhere that he will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11, 13). By these words we mean that God grants not only forgiveness of sins, but also Heavenly gifts to those who ask Him with strong faith in His words. For the Lord promises these goods not to the righteous, but to sinners, saying: “If you, being full of wickedness, know how to give beneficial things to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who are they asking Him?” (Luke 11, 13). So ask persistently and without hesitation, even if you are still poor in virtues and very weak and what you ask is more than you deserve; and you will receive these great gifts.”

“Such communion will lead the Soul to ever-increasing joy in the age to come.”

“The blows that the enemy the devil inflicts on us, whether visible or invisible, we often mean and see them. But the sufferings and pains that the enemy suffers from us because we sometimes accomplish virtues, or repent of our sins, or have patience and determination in sad circumstances, or Pray and do the like, for which he gnashes his teeth and he is punished and mourned and beaten, all this we with Divine economy do not see, so as not to fall into despair. Because the Bible says: “It is just for God to reward those who grieve you” (1 Thess. 1, 6).”

“If we really want to please God and enter into a close friendship with Him, let us present our minds naked to Him, not dragging with us any thing of this age, no art, no meaning, no artifice, no excuse, even and if we know all the wisdom of the world. For God abhors those who come to Him with ambition and a great idea of ​​themselves and feed on vanity and are puffed up by it. Some commentators have rightly said, that vain speculation nourishes and inflates man.”

“The enemy the devil lies in wait like a lion in his den, and he hides snares and nets of impure and ungodly thoughts for our harm. But we too, if we do not sleep, will be able to set bigger and more terrible traps and nets and ambushes for him. For Prayer, Psalms, Vigil, humility, service to one’s neighbour and mercy, thanksgiving and listening to Divine words, become an ambush and a snare and a pit and scourges and a gallows and nets for the enemy.”

“A certain Israelite king crushed the nation of troglodytes and other barbarians with psalms and hymns and spiritual odes, that is, with the words and instruments of David. You also have barbarous troglodytes, the demons who enter your senses and members and set the flesh on fire and make you see and hear and smell passionately and speak lewd words and have eyes full of adultery and be troubled within and outward, as the land of Babylon. Take care, therefore, with great faith and with Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual odes (Eph. 5, 19), to completely exterminate those troglodytes who push you to evil.”

“I heard some brothers who are constantly sick and cannot fast, and they said to me: “How can we get rid of the devil and passions without fasting?” To them we must say that, not only by abstaining from food, but also by the cry of the heart you will be able to draw out and banish both evil and those who submit evil. Because the Scripture says: “They cried to the Lord when they were in trouble and He saved them” (Ps. 106, 6), and again: “From the belly of Hades I cried and You heard my voice; let my life rise from decay” (Jonah 2, 3-7). That’s why he says: “Until the iniquity passes away – that is, the nuisance of sin – I will cry out to the Most High God” (Ps. 56, 1-2), so that he will do me the greatest favour and remove its insult of sin by His authority and to blot out the images of the passionate mind. So if you have not received the gift of temperance, know that the Lord will hear you if you ask Him with Prayer and with hope. Therefore, when you have learned the despotic decision, do not be sorry and small-minded about the weakness of the exercise; rather, work to get rid of the enemy with Prayer and thanksgiving patience. So if the thoughts of illness and suffering drive you away from the city of fasting, you go to the other (Matthew 10, 23), that is, to Prayer and thanksgiving.”

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Watchfulness

“If you forget Paul who said: “I fear lest I, who preached to others, myself become unworthy” (1 Cor. 9, 27), and: Let him who thinks he stands beware lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10 , 12), and: “You, Spiritually qualified, take care of yourself, lest you also try temptation” (Gal. 6, 1); and if you forget the perversion and iniquity of Solomon (3 Kgs. 11, 1 -8) after so much Grace; and if you also forget the unexpected denial of the Apostle Peter, then you can have courage in your knowledge and boast about your virtuous life and boast about the many years of your practice; and so you will give place in yourself to pride. But do not neglect at all, brother! Rather fear until you breathe, even if you have reached the years of Moses; and Pray, saying, “Lord, do not reject me in the time of my old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me. My God, my Saviour, I will praise you forever” (Psalm 70, 6-9).”

“A good word, the once impure that robber, made him clean and Holy and put him in Paradise (Luk. 23, 42-43). And an inappropriate word blocked Moses from the promised land (Numbers 20,12). So let us not think that chatter is a small disease; for accusers and chatters exclude themselves from the Kingdom of Heaven. The man who has an evil tongue, even if he stumbles in this life, but there he will not stumble, but will stumble and will be captured as their prey by evil punishments and will destroy him (Ps. 139, 12). A wise man rightly said, that it is better to fall from a height to the ground, than from a tongue (S. Sir. 20,18). So we must believe the Apostle James, who writes: “Let every man be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1, 19).”

“Just as the Lord wants man to be saved through another man, so too Satan hastens man through another man to hell. Therefore one should not cling to a man who despises goddesses and is wicked and does not hold his tongue, lest he go with him to hell. Because if one associates with a righteous person, one can hardly be saved. But if he consorts with wickedness carelessly, it is as if he contracted leprosy and will be driven to shipwreck. And who, then, will have mercy on him who approaches the serpent joyfully? So avoid those who are disorderly in their language and quarrelsome and are agitated internally and externally.”

“Accept scornful criticism rather than words of praise; for a flatterer is no different from one who curses.”

“If, as John says, God is love, and whoever loves abides in God, and God abides in him (Jn. 4, 16), then whoever hates his neighbour, by being separated from love, clearly is that it lies within hatred. Therefore, he who hates his fellow man is separated from God, since God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God in him. To Him be the Glory and the Kingdom forever. Amen.”


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