Christ does
not require big things from us to help us in our struggle. He expects very
little, a tiny bit. A young man was telling me that he went to Patmos to
worship, and fell into temptation's trap. A female tourist jumped on him and
hugged him while he was walking. He pushed her away saying, "My Christ, I
have come for worship... not for 'love'," and he went away. That same
night in his hotel room, during prayer, he saw Christ immersed in Uncreated
Light. Do you see the reward he received for that one little push? Others
strive for years in the ascetic life, and may never be blessed with something
like that. And he saw Jesus Christ only because he resisted temptation.
If one is
not compassionate, he may sit for hours with his komboschoini [prayer rope];
and his prayer will have no result whatsoever. If there is pain in his heart
about what he is praying for, even with a single sigh he will have prayed from
the heart. Many, who when asked to pray have no time, will sigh for the other's
problem; and that in itself is a prayer. I am not saying prayer needn't be
done; however, if there is no time, a sigh for the pain of another is a prayer
from the heart—it equals hours of prayer.
Elder Paisios the Athonite
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