Friday the 12th of June, a morning of quiet and hesychia, praying for people and reflecting on the grace of God in St. Porphyrius’ flat. Prayer and quiet provide the nourishment for our souls. We need courage to do the will of God, not just to say “Thy will be done” and leave it there.

The dynamic of the Holy Spirit is real, and if there is no movement, then there must be a threshold of tolerance, of patience, if you like, within that stagnant state. Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, the point of the highest reality. Pilate was merciful until it became risky, as C.S. Lewis points out in the Screwtape Letters.

Quiet, hesychia, is the groundwork which prepares us for the spiritual battle in the day, each day, every day. We live in a world of computers, artificial intelligence, and not real wisdom. We live in a world of war and conflict, of ideological differences, of confusion, even about identity and gender.

We, Christians need to step aside, because the word holy in Hebrew means to be separated, “kadosh”, to be set apart. We are set apart not because we are holy, but because we are called to be holy, called to steep ourselves in that atmosphere of peace, of serenity, of confidence in Christ, the one who calls us to follow Him, who is indeed the Prince of Peace, and He calls us in order for us to become, in turn, fishers of men.

Hieromonk Seraphim Rose writes, modern men have faith in machines, in material well-being, in the substantiality of all that seems obvious to common sense. This is a petty faith, the faith of petty men. The Christian has faith in God and in the world to come. Indeed, in the insubstantiality of all that is obvious, in the passing of this world and the coming of the new transfigured world, if there is a faith worthy of men, it is surely this.

I would not wish to add to the words of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, but just to reflect that even common sense seems to be missing in this present age. May the Lord grant us quiet, may He grant us His peace, in order to do His will. Amen.

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Hesychia: The Sacred Stillness. In sacred silence, the faithful becomes flame, still yet alive, consumed by divine presence.

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Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and laid out his daily spiritual routine. He asked, “Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace, and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?”

In response, Abba Joseph stood up and stretched his hands toward heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire, and he replied, “If you will, you can become all flame” (The sayings of the Desert Fathers)