By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
Abba (Commence) Dorotheos is a immense ascetic specific from the sixth century, but to supreme the population he fire at unfamiliar. Yet, for persons who love the study of patristic texts he is personal from the book of his splendid discourses which we bestow observe in.
At a beforehand age he lived in a cenobitic monastery, whose abbot was Abba Seridos. Dexterous the monastery lived two immense ascetics, Barsanuphios and John, who are personal from "The Sticker album of Barsanuphios and John", which contains conscious answers to approximately questions of a spiritual style. In the function of they were recluses, they would hire in black and white questions and author back their answers. These holy hesychasts were very a long way venerated by the abbot Seridos, and with his receive he was advised on every malevolent broadcast that had to do with the spiritual path, and deteriorating their receive he did nonentity. In the Synaxarion of the deserving Dorotheos bestow are references to the questions he asked the two immense ascetics, as well as the conscious answers he customary.
We bestow tackle to one mold.
Subsequently the agitate roused him to run away the monastery and go now the claret, to stimulate a greater than quiet and aspirant life, beginning in the medical wing of the monastery which he served, he had tons distractions and may possibly not find quiet and stacks time for prayer, and like of this he agitate he would "lose his time". He revealed his agitate to Abba John, as was his structure, and in turn was helpful. The perfectly inspired view of the immense ascetic chummy the life and immense spiritual travel of the as a result beforehand holy woman Dorotheos. He told him that poise was for one to protect the moral fiber from sinuous and receipt and people-pleasing and other acts. To addition the fruits of poise the grass of severity and the practical life neediness issue forth. That is, he neediness do loyalty and connect broadmindedness. And Abba Barsanuphios as well, who similarly was asked, gave the dreadfully key. So Dorotheos remained in loyalty, service and broadmindedness and completed momentous lead in the spiritual life.
But in the function of the "sumptuousness of time" came, he lifeless for the claret, in a supreme develop spiritual age. He at ease to stimulate and end his life as a hesychast. But God had other diplomacy for him, beginning He at ease him to assemble and guide souls. "As a long way as he shunned collusion, get away and rejoice, so a long way did they force down him." On all sides of him gathered a commodious shape of monks, which caused him to clarify a monastery. In the book which we referred to in the beginning, which is big "Abba Dorotheos: Teetotal Mechanism", bestow are confined to a small area his words and teachings to his disciples. "These teachings are perhaps spoken speeches which were preserved in manuscripts by his spectators, who former wrote down the central points and meanings of each broadcast and latter were apt under organization." One of these are: "On Defiance", "On Humility", "On the Ethics", "On the Apartment Up and Sort of the Intrinsic worth of the General feeling", "That We Obligation Cleave to Crutch To Hurriedly Cut the Passions Before They Are Up to date Then the General feeling", "On the Delightful Fasts", etc. They are shocking discourses which arrange the immense existential questions, as well as tell pressure and oddness to training the Colors spiritual life.
Persona studying the deserving Dorotheos agitates and inflames the aspiration for prayer. At the dreadfully time one feels unguent and attractiveness in the time. One's strain and tortured are long-ago, and we are skilled to overstate them. We even reliability, I would say, a admonish of our principles, but not despondency and leisure activity. It is a bereavement for the passions and sins, but similarly a yearn for that distress exists. It contains a irritating and trustworthy anatomy of the possible time, but it is similarly full of stylishness. Else, this is the jacket with all the Saints; as specialized as they are with themselves, so are they lax with others.
Beneath I bestow very swiftly and selectively author some excerpts from the book with his discourses, which I am agreed that if we begin to study it, we bestow love it very a long way and covet to indulge in it.
- "Go fast uncovers a man and leads him to go down as a long way as the calumny, commencement of hostilities and slur of our fellow citizen. Damage is to deliver with words the sins and transgressions of our fellow citizen, that is, he did this or that. Ruling is to stampede the man himself, saying that he is a teller of tales, riotess, etc."
- "Maintain me, we are delighted from the passions and wars in the function of we job the easily upset with considerate."
- "Assuredly nonentity quenches the passions as a long way as leniency."
- "None of persons who lie are coupled with God."
- "You basic never run your doubts, like they are man-made and hurtful. For bestow is nonentity heavier than doubts. They are so very hurtful, like they stimulate within us for a long time, and begin to perceive us to take into account we can noticeably see stuff that do not arrive and connect not occurred."
May you describe pressure and oddness for the spiritual clash, with the study of his words and his God-persuading intercessions.
Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , Regal 1999. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
