THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND THE-SPERIT OF THE WORLD. ELDER PAISIOS.

THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND THE-SPERIT OF THE WORLD

"The inner purity of true human beings will beautify; even their external aspect."

CHAPTER ONE Secular Education and Knowledge

Is the Pure in Heart Who Are Truly Intelligent

When a person does not sharpen the mind think-ing about God, but instead spends his time plotting and sharpening various schemes, he surrenders himself to the devil. It would have been better for him to have lost his mind completely; at least then he would have some extenuating circumstances on the Day of Judgment.

-        Geronda, does simplicity differ from cunningness?

-        Yes, as much as a jackal differs from a fox. If the jackal sees something and wants it, it will go after it right away and get it; it has guts. But the fox will first try its sly tricks and then go after its prey.

-        Geronda, is cunningness a form of intelligence? Should one see it this way?

-        Well, they seem similar, but if we examine ourselves, we will be able to tell the nature of the one from the nature of the other. We may refer to our recognition table. What are the graces of the Holy Spirit? Aren't they love,

joy, peace and so forth?  Does what we call intelligence relate to these qualities? If it does not, then it has some-thing satanic about it, it has the marks of the devil.

It is the pure in heart, those who have been cleansed of their passions, who are truly intelligent. True intelligence requires holiness of mind. If the mind does not become sanctified, intelligence will be good for nothing. Look at the journalists and politicians, for example. They are very bright, but because their mind is not holy, they will often say a great deal of nonsense with their clever remarks. And they do so out of their great intelligence! If man does not make the best out of his mind, the devil will. If man does not put his intelligence to good use, the devil will use it for something evil.

-        You mean that if man does not make good use of his intelligence he grants the devil the right to intervene?

-        If man does not make good use of his intelligence, rights are granted to the devil automatically. When we do not work spiritually, we adulterate the good and then evil is entirely of our making; the devil has nothing to do with it. If a smart person, for example, will not use his mind, he will become la2y. If he will not put his mind to work, what use is his intelligence?

-        Can someone who is intelligent but suffers from various passions, have correct judgement?

-        First of all, he must be careful not to trust his mind, be-cause, if he is indeed a spiritual man, he will be deceived; and if he is a worldly man he will go mad. He should not trust his thoughts. He must ask around and seek advice so that he may sanctify his mind. In general, we must seek to sanctify everything we have. When our mind becomes holy, discernment follows. Without holiness, intelligence cannot lead to spiritual discernment. On the other hand, a simpleton may mistake a deceived man for a saint and an effeminate person for a pious soul. But when a bright person is cleansed of his passions, he becomes especially discerning.

-        Geronda, how does that happen?

-        In order to purify an intelligent mind, we must not accept any "telegrams" from the devil, nor have crafty, wily thoughts; instead, our mind must work with goodness and simplicity. This is how we come to think clearly, through divine illumination, and when this happens, we can look into the hearts of others and not come to conclusions using human criteria.

-        Geronda, is discernment related to knowledge?

-        Discernment comes from divine enlightenment. We may be spending most of our time reading the Fathers of the Church, having correct knowledge of certain things, striving spiritually and praying, and yet possess no discernment. Discernment comes from divine enlightenment, and that is an entirely different matter.

-        Was the world better in the old days, Geronda?

-1 would not say that it was better, but that people in the past had simplicity and good thoughts. Today people see everything with guile, because they measure everything only with their mind. The so-called European spirit has done a lot of damage; it has really ruined so many peo¬ple. You see, with everybody being more or less educated today and able to communicate better, it would have been easy for us to be in a very good spiritual state. But instead, what people are being taught is atheism, and all kinds of satanic ideas, and so all our education has become worth-less and it's difficult to understand each other. In the old days, it was difficult to relate to someone if he were not a pious person or lacked education. I remember once how a monk became scandalized when he heard the name of Gregory, Pope of Rome,  mentioned at the Presanctified Divine Liturgy. He thought they were commemorating the Pope of Rome! "I never expected it," he said. "You have become papists!" And he walked out of the Church. Do you see what ignorance can cause? Ignorance is a dreadful thing. The greatest harm is done by people who have a sound piety but lack a sound mind. Not being able to discern correctly, they create all kinds of problems.

Without Divine Illumination Knowledge Ends in Disaster

If people would only put the brakes on their speeding minds, not only would their mind find rest, but it would be more receptive to divine Grace. Without divine illu-mination, knowledge ends in disaster. Those who strive and labour for their spiritual life, have their mind illumined by God; they receive divine illumination, divine experiences, and these give them foresight, so that they don't see things only through their own understanding. A short-sighted person sees clearly the things that are close, but not what is far away. As for a person with normal vision, well, he may be able to see a bit farther, but that too is not an accomplishment. We cannot have more than two physical eyes; but we can have many spiritual eyes.

Those who distance themselves from Christ are deprived of divine illumination, because they foolishly ex-change a sunny place for a sunless one. This is why they suffer from spiritual colds and other such ailments. If man is not purified, if divine illumination does not come to him, no matter how sound his human knowledge might be, it will remain, as I see it, nothing more than rationalism. If there is no divine illumination, whatever they may write or say will not help others. Consider, for example, the Psalter, written with divine inspiration, what profound meanings it contains! Gather together, if you want, all the theologians and all the philologists of the world, and you will see that they are not able to compose one Psalm with such spiritual depth. David was illiterate, but you can see clearly how he was guided by the spirit of God.

The Church is suffering today because divine illumination is missing, and each person understands things as he wishes. The human element gets involved, passions are aroused, and the devil comes in and roams all over. This is why people who are governed by their passions should not seek to govern.

- In other words, Geronda, should people constantly seek guidance and illumination from God? - Yes, because otherwise, the solutions that they will give to their problems, will be nothing else than the work of their mind. And this will only end up in confusion. Conferences, symposia ... take place all the time. And the sad thing is that most of these people have no idea who they really are. You see, nothing can compare to our knowledge of our true self; knowledge of all other kinds is useless when we do not know who we are. To recognize our true self, and do so with humility, will bring recognition by others. 

If some people could realize who they really are, the sorry state of their soul, they would have no words to speak to anyone, nothing to say.

Once, someone complained to me, "There isn't a single Orthodox to represent Orthodoxy in conferences abroad." He went on and on, as if it were the end of the world. I said to him, "When God asked Prophet Elijah, 'What are you doing here in Horeb Elijah?'  he answered, T am the only one left and they seek my life...' And God replied, 'There are seven thousand people in Israel, who have not bowed to worship Baal.' Do you see how the Prophet felt alone even though there were seven thousand faithful there? You, likewise, are despairing despite the existence of so many faithful. What do you think our own Pantocrator* is? 


Is He like the Pantocrator on a dome of a Church cracked by an earthquake, a mere mosaic that we are trying to save from collapse with the aid of the "Archaeological Service?" "In America," he replied, "there is no one." "But I have gotten to know many faith¬ful from America," I answered. "Yes," he told me, "but the Catholics are always plotting against us." "What I know is that many Catholics are disappointed with Pa¬pism and are returning to Orthodoxy," I countered. "Isn't it true that when Patriarch Demetrios  went to America many Catholics themselves were saying, 'The Patriarch is a true Christian while the Pope is a 'merchant''? Were not these Catholics speaking out of indignation? Why, then, are you saying that Catholics are always plotting to enter Orthodoxy to adulterate it ...? What about God? Where is He in all this? Or, do you think the devil can prosper unhindered?"

Unfortunately, western rationalism has had its influence on certain Eastern Orthodox leaders, who are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church only in body. In spirit, they really belong to the West, which they consider to "reign" over the secular world. But if they were to view the West spiritually, to see it in the light of the East, in the light of Christ, then, they would be able to discern its spiritual twilight. For the light of the intelligible Sun, the light of Christ Himself is disappearing from the West and a deep darkness is slowly setting in. 


All these gatherings and conferences  are the work of the evil one; the leaders are engaging in endless discussions on issues that need no discussion, issues that even the Holy Fathers never addressed in the past. All these are meant to confuse and scandalize the faithful and drive some of them to heresies and others to schisms, so that he can gain more ground. Ah! The misery and confusion they bring to people!

And why is that? It all starts with neglecting one's spiritual work; then comes the conviction that one is really a spiritual person and finally he ends up saying all sorts of nonsense. A child does not know much, but with the natural purity of its mind, it always finds the right thing to say to you. By contrast, a highly educated person, whose mind is clouded by demonic influence, can tell you the most blasphemous things.

The person, who constantly sharpens his mind with knowledge, but lives a life apart from God, will eventually turn his mind into a double-edged sword. With the one side of the sword, he will be slowly putting himself to the slaughter, while with the other, he will be slicing people to pieces with all kinds of absolute human views, sharpened by his unyielding mind. When human knowledge becomes sanctified, it can help others. But if it lacks holiness, then it's only a human construct; it is the work of a mind ruled by secular reason. 


When the mind is not holy, it resembles an iron rod that has no magnetic power. Even though it strikes other metals to weld them together, it can only bend them out of shape; it has no welding power whatsoever.

This is the sad state of today's world. People see everything through the prism of cold logic. This kind of logic is really destructive. Doesn't the Apostle Paul write, Knowledge puffs up  we lack divine illumination, all the knowledge in the world will be useless to us, and will end in disaster.

Evil starts when the mind concentrates only on science and is totally separated from God. This is why it is difficult for people who think this way to find inner peace and balance. By contrast, when the mind revolves around God, and is illumined and sanctified, science is used both for our spiritual edification and for the benefit of the world.

- Do you mean to say, Geronda, that science does not help people?

- Science can be of great help, but it can also muddle the mind greatly. I have met souls who possessed great lucidity even though their education was limited. If those who have muddled their mind with science manage to clarify it with the Grace of God, then, naturally, they will have more tools for their work. But if these tools are not sanctified, if their knowledge lacks holiness, then it will be used only for secular work and not for spiritual work. Our tools can be sanctified very quickly if we have the right kind of concern. Scientists and educated people who give precedence to their inner formation, to the edification of the soul, and bring their secular education to the service of spiritual growth, they will experience a rapid spiritual transformation. If they also lead spiritual lives, they will be able to help many people positively, by removing from their hearts the anxiety of hell and opening the way for heavenly joy. There are people of God who do not have as many academic degrees as others, but they can help people more, because they are full of divine Grace rather than diplomas. The world is so filled with sin that what we need the most is people given to prayer and to living a spiritual life. All these books and papers are paper money, valuable only if there are gold reserves in our bank, if our lives are spiritual through and through. And so we must drill into the "mine" of the soul, for otherwise science and education will be worth nothing.

I remember an elderly monk at Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos, who was so simple, that he thought "Ascension" was the name of a woman Saint. He prayed to her on his komboschoini, "Saint of God, intercede for us!" Once, he had to feed a sick Brother in the infirmary and had nothing to offer him. He immediately went down the stairs, opened a window overlooking the sea, stretched his arms out and said, "Ascension, my Saint, give me a little fish for the Brother." And right away, as if by miracle, a big fish jumped out of the sea and into his hands. The others who saw him were astonished, but he simply looked at them smiling, as if he were saying, "What's so strange about what you've just seen?" And then look at us. We may know everything about the life and martyrdom of the Saints, or about when and how the Ascension took place and yet, we cannot even catch a tiny little fish! These are the strange and paradoxical things of the spiritual life, which the reasoning of those intellectuals that are centred on themselves and not on God, cannot explain, because their knowledge is of this world and sterile; their spirit is ill with secularism and their mind void of the Holy Spirit.

The word of the mind does not transform the soul, because it is of flesh. The word of God, bom of the Holy Spirit, has divine energy and transforms the soul. The Holy Spirit does not need engines to descend. This is why Theology has nothing to do with a sterile scientific spirit. The Holy Spirit descends on His own volition, when He finds the right spiritual preconditions in man. And these conditions exist when we remove the rust from our spiritual cables, and become good conductors for the spiritual current of divine illumination. It is then that we can become a spiritual scientist, a theologian. By "theologian", I mean those theologians who have theological reserves, whose degree has value, not those who only carry a dip¬loma as worthless as the paper money we had during the German Occupation.

Many times the mind labours for years to learn one or two foreign languages, and today most people will speak at least one foreign language. Yet these languages bear no relationship to the languages of the Holy Pentecost, and for this reason the society in which we live is the greatest Babel ever. It is a great evil when we theologize with our mind alone, as if our mind is the Holy Spirit. The name for this is "encephalology", and its offspring is Babel. Whereas with true Theology, there are many languages, many charismata, but they are all in agreement because their Leader is the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, and they are really tongues of fire.

A Stichero Idiomelo for the Feast of Pentecost. The Stichera Idiomela are chanted with verses from the Psalms and their own particular melody.

- Geronda, the hymn says, All things are provided by the Holy Spirit} - Yes, the Holy Spirit provides, but only where there is room for Him to enter. Otherwise, He will not be able to provide. The words of a humble soul with spiritual experiences, spoken with pain from the depths of his heart, have much greater value than the fancy philological talk of a man who speaks without the heart, firing the words the one after the other from his trained tongue, but being incap-able of touching other souls. For such words are spoken by a tongue of flesh and not a fiery tongue of Pentecost.

Let Us Sanctify Knowledge

Education and knowledge are good things, but if they are not sanctified, they are a waste and lead to disaster. Some university students arrived at my Kalyvi one day, loaded with books. They said, Geronda, we are here to discuss the Old Testament with you. God permits know-ledge, doesn't He?" "What kind of knowledge do you mean?" I asked them. "Knowledge acquired with the mind?" "Yes," they answered. "This kind of knowledge," I replied, "will take you up to the moon, but will not lead you to God." It is good to have the intellectual powers that take man to the moon costing billions of dollars in fuel expenses and so on, but it is better to have the spiritual powers that raise man to God, his ultimate destination, with only a bit of fuel, a mere dried piece of bread.

Once, I asked an American who visited me at the Kalyvi, "What has this great nation of yours accomplished?" "We went to the moon," he replied. "How far is that?" I continued. "Let's say it's about half a million kilometres away," he responded. "How many millions of dollars did you spend to get there?" I asked next. "Since 1950," he told me, "we have spent rivers of dollars." "Did you get to God? How far is He?" I added. "God," he said, "is very, very far." "Well," I replied, "it only takes us a dry piece of bread to get to Him!"

Natural knowledge helps us acquire spiritual know-ledge. But when man remains at the level of natural know-ledge, he is confined to nature and does not reach Heaven.

In other words, he remains on the earthly paradise, which was watered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, enjoying beautiful nature with all its animals, but does not ascend to the heavenly Paradise to rejoice with the Angels and the Saints. But in order to reach the heavenly Paradise, we need to have faith in the Landlord of Paradise, to love Him, realize how sinful we are, and be humbled. In this way, we will come to know Him, to converse with Him in prayer, and praise Him for His help but also for the ways in which He is testing us.

-        Geronda, does a person who finds peace in prostrations, fasting, asceticism, and so on, still need to study the dogmatic writings of the Church Fathers, theology?

-        A basic education is actually a very helpful tool. But one should not seek knowledge in order to help or impress others with clever remarks; he should get an education in order to help himself. If we make the effort to sanctify whatever God may have given us, the light of Grace will come and illuminate our minds. It's in that light that we will find all the dogmatics and theology that we need; there we will experience the mysteries of God. But we should also realize that other people may have a simple disposition and do not wish to learn more, being content with anything that God may give them.

-        What should we make of the fact that though we live in a Monastery, we still desire the knowledge of the world?

-        What this means is that we lack true knowledge. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.  When man is humbled and illumined, then his mind and its reasoning powers are rendered holy, whereas, before, they worked only in a carnal way - their energy was of the flesh. An unlettered man who, out of egoism, overlooks his ignorance and tries to interpret the doctrines of the faith, to read the Apocalypse and the writings of the Holy Fathers, will certainly become confused, and will end up losing his faith. God's Grace will abandon him, because he acted out of egoism. You see, humility helps in everything we do; it provides the strength we need. The wisest thing I may think of, the wisest solution to a problem I may discover, will be sheer nonsense, if it contains egoism; whereas humility will always bring wisdom. 


This is why we must struggle with philotimo and much humility. Otherwise, instead of doing us good, our efforts will bring the opposite result. When our mind becomes muddled and we end up saying blasphemous things, it's because we acted with egoism. This is something that we cannot control. Even an educated man runs the risk of being harmed, when attempting to interpret the dogmas of the Church, let alone an uneducated person who tries to penetrate into the patristic spirit without having reached a spiritual state! For, if he had reached even a low level in the spiritual state, he would not have tried in the first place. He would have thought, "If I should need something, God will send His light. In the meantime, let me practice the many things I already understand. That should keep me busy!"

- In other words, Geronda, lack of humility and piety leads people to misinterpret the Gospel? — That's right; because, when humility is missing, the interpretations we are likely to give are the product of logical reasoning alone; they lack divine illumination.

-        When we do not understand something, should we leave it for later?

-        Yes. We must say, "It says something good here, but I do not understand it." This is exactly what I did. When I was reading the Gospel, as a young man, and did not understand something, I did not try to interpret it. I would say to myself, "It says something good here, but I do not understand it." Later, I would realize that, when an interpretation was needed, it would come to me instantly. But then again I would say, "Let me ask someone else how this should be interpreted." It would turn out to be exactly the way I had understood it. It is great impudence for someone to try to interpret the Gospel, especially if he does not understand it. This is why, when you study the Gospel, you should not attempt to interpret it with your mind; instead, cultivate good thoughts until divine illumination brings you discernment. Things will then become clear on their own, with no effort from you.

-        Can we understand something at a deeper level  When we have a better spiritual state?

-        Not at a deeper level. One divine truth has many divine meanings. Some may be understood now and some later. A person may study for years and learn a lot, and yet he may not be able to grasp the meaning of the Gospel. By contrast, someone else who does not study much, but has humility and an ascetic spirit, can come to a true under-standing because his mind is illumined by God. Moreover, if we wish to study more, our motive may be vainglory or pleasure, not unlike that of a person who watches wrestling and is constantly checking his watch because he wants to catch as many games as possible. You see, he is enjoying wrestling but does not wish to learn anythingabout it. Not only will he never become a wrestler but he will remain nothing more than a spectator.

- Geronda, people often call the educated person a "cultivated person". Is this always true? - When we say that someone is a "cultivated person" we mean that he is a person who is cultivated spiritually, a spiritually mature person. I have noticed that among uneducated people there are some who are very proud and others who are very humble. It's the same among the educated; some are very proud and others are very humble. In other words, what makes the difference is how cultivated one is in spiritual terms. This is why Saint Basil the Great says, "The most important thing is to hold a high position and have a humble disposition." A person who has reached an important position in life may be justified to feel a bit proud about it; but someone who has not, has no excuse. What really matters is that we are cultivated within. If in addition to that, one is also educated and has a humble disposition, then, this is the best of all worlds. But to not be highly educated and yet to think highly of ourselves, well... that's inexcusable.

"Knowledge Puffs Up"

When only the outer man is educated, education proves to be harmful, because it gives rise to an inflated idea of self. This idea then becomes a barrier that prevents the Grace of God from coming close to us. But when we put away our false view of self-importance, then God, Who is a Benevolent and Generous Father, will enrich us with

His divine and luminous ideas.  Those, by contrast, who are not willing to give up their sense of self-importance, certainly have a brain and a body but they lack the Grace of God, the Holy Spirit. In other words, there is a danger that too much knowledge may inflate the head and turn it into an air balloon that may either explode in mid  air (from schizophrenia) or break up into pieces (from pride). This is the reason why knowledge should proceed with fear of God and in alignment with action; it should be balanced. When these elements are missing, knowledge will only cause harm.

When egoism takes charge and I start talking so that others will admire my reasoning skills, then spiritual laws go into effect that help me come to. my senses. But when this happens constantly, the outcome is not good. If a' small piece of hair falls into the eye, it will cause a minor irritation. But if it happens all the time, the irritation will be serious. This is what happens with spiritual irritation. When we are smart and do our work with ease, we must fall apart before God, thanking Him day and night that He has given us this ability, and we can work without getting tired. How could we not do that?

- Geronda, what if a person believes that he is not capable of achieving anything?

- Then that person is being tempted by the devil from the opposite side. The camel was once asked, "Do you like going uphill better than going downhill?" And the camel answered, "Why, can't I go on the straight and level path?"

Those who happen to have a weak mind fare better. God has given us brains so that we may have a better life. But look what we have done with this gift. One day we will have to answer to Him. God's providence is active everywhere! Those who are not very bright can be happy here and happier in the next life, while those who are very bright have nothing but problems.

-        Geronda, will the mentally impaired be well in the next life? Will they have a normal mind?

-        No matter how much mind one carries, lots of it or just a small amount, in the end it will turn into pulp. When it reaches Heaven the mind will become intellect.11 In Heaven, the theologian Saints and the mentally impaired will not differ in their knowledge of God. God may even be more generous to the latter, because they were de¬prived of so many things in this life.

We Must Put Our Mind to Good Use

-        Why then, Geronda, do you often say that education is an advantage in the monastic life?

-        Look, an educated person may take a work of the Fathers and, with only a little effort make great progress, because for him the text is easy to understand. An uneducated person, by contrast, especially if he is not pious, will have a hard time with it. He needs to have lived a spiritual life and have some experience of divine things, so that through them, he can understand what he is reading. Now take the educated person. All he needs to advance is a little effort, provided that his mind does its job and does not get absorbed in theory. I am not, however, suggesting that he should try to know the mysteries of God by his mind.

-        In other words, Geronda, we should use our mind against the passions?

- Not only that, but more generally, we should take notice of God's beneficence and of the universe all around us and give Him thanks and praise. You see, it was Abraham that first sought God, not the other way around.

-        What do you mean?

-Abraham's father was a pagan; he worshipped idols. But Abraham saw the universe and was puzzled that his people were worshipping inanimate idols. So he put his mind-to work: "It's not possible," he thought "that these soulless things, these pieces of wood are divine, and creators of this universe. Who made the sky, the stars and the sun? I must find the true God and once I do, I will believe and worship only Him." Then God came and revealed Himself to Abraham and said, Go from your country and your kindred and your father s house to the land that I will show you.12 And He led him to Hebron and made him a favourite son. You see an educated person will advance even without piety; all that he needs is a little humility and to engage in spiritual work. Take for instance, the time that I served in radio communications in the army. When I got there, I realized that some codes were written in English. Those who were educated and knew some English could understand them right away, but the rest of us had difficulty. The same was true of the theoretical subjects we were being taught. The educated among us understood them readily, because they had the foundation, but the rest of us again had a hard time following.

We must get to know the beneficence of God; we must understand what has been given to us. Why did God give us a mind? So that we may examine, study and observe ourselves and everything around us. God did not give us a mind so that we may constantly spend our time figuring out how to find the fastest means of transportation from one country to another. He gave us a mind because He wants us to preoccupy ourselves with the most important thing: how to reach our true destination, how to get close to God, to what is our one true country, Paradise.

How much good has God done for the people of ancient Israel! What signs! 

What events! But when Moses was late in coming down from Mount Sinai with the tablets and the Ten Commandments, the people gave their golden jewellery to make a golden image of a calf and went on to worship it.  It's difficult to find people with a calf's mind in our days. This is why an educated man who cannot tell right from wrong cannot be justified. God gave us a mind so that we can search for our Creator. The Europeans have bewildered the human mind; they are confused and going downhill because they have taken God out of their lives.

Then there are those who, while they have all the advantages to get ahead - a good and sharp mind and so on - fail to pay attention to what you tell them. 

The moment you try to give them a hint, they interrupt you, "Yes, I understand," they say, and then rush to complete your sentence. Among the young men who come to the Holy Mountain, there are some who are very intelligent. They seem to understand everything you tell them, but in reality they get nothing, because they are not paying attention. Those who are not as bright actually fare better since they pay attention, they wait prudently to hear what you have to say next, and this way they retain what they hear. Then, there are those who understand a lot, collect pieces of advice from here and there, but in the end, do nothing at all with it. They scatter and waste the mind that God has given them. They are full of pride, and they don't allow the Grace of God to come over them. By contrast, others who are not as bright come and humble themselves. "I am not very smart," they tell me, "do you mind repeating what you said?" And once they understand, they try to put the advice you give them to practice. That is why they are filled with Grace and they make progress in their spiritual life. Ahumble person is usually well-learned; but an egoist finds it so hard to humble himself by asking a question, that he never learns anything. Saint Arsenios the Great was the most educated man in the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor Theodosios the Great had him as a tutor to his children, Arkadios and Honorios. But when he went to the desert to become a monk, he sat at the feet of Abba Macarios, who was illiterate, and Arsenios used to say of him, "I do not know even the alphabet of this man"!'

- Geronda, how can we avoid examining everything only with our mind?

- Man has to make good use of his mind. He must put it to work for the grandeur of God, to seek God. He must not make his mind a god. Those who are bright should . be advanced spiritually. One quick look and they understand. When we make good use of our mind, we can be of great help to others; otherwise, we can cause them great pain. I have in mind some cases among lay people.

I once knew a little boy who had three little brothers. They lost their father, and their mother got married again. The little orphans never had any love either from their mother or their step father. So this little boy grew up and he opened a store and he started making a living. One day he heard that someone died and left behind three orphans. He felt compassion for the children and said to the widow, "Will you marry me and live with me like a sister to protect .these children?" She accepted and now they are living together a very spiritual life, reading the Lives of the Saints, the Philokalia and visiting Monasteries. They also have a Spiritual Father who guides them. This young man had the right thought and did the right thing, and thus he received divine Grace. Otherwise, the devil would have told him, "This is your chance to make these orphans suffer as you suffered when you were a child." He did not look to take revenge with malice, but "retaliated" with kindness. Some people will use their mind for good and invent good things; others, prompted by the devil, put them to work in order to destroy and harm.

We can see this in the case of Cain and Abel.15 Did God create Abel one way and Cain another? No; but Abel took the mind that God gave him and used it the right way. He thought, "God has given me an entire flock; how can I deny Him a little lamb?" So he goes and kills the best lamb he had and offered it as a sacrifice to God. Now, Cain took wheat filled with straw and offered it to God. One of them offered to God the best lamb, while the other offered useless straw. Fine! Let's say that you ido not want to offer a lamb; offer at least some clean and pure wheat. Well, that's not what he does, unfortunately. He takes wheat and straw and puts it on the fire. Compare the two offerings! God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice. So Cain became jealous and killed his brother. And then God took Abel with Him in Paradise, while Cain was left wandering in the woods like a wild beast. Of course, God gave both of them the same freedom, but only Abel used it the right way.