Spiritual Advice from Elder Dionisie Ignat (Colciu Skete, Mt. Athos)
God cares more about our salvation than we ourselves do.
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God gave us a great divine grace: the freedom of choice. God doesn’t force us to be saved; He doesn’t take our freedom away. And because of this, we use our freedom of choice for our passions and by this, chase away God’s grace from us – especially through egotism and pride.
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As I see things, humanity has changed a lot today. Before, life was hard; people had to work hard and lived in poverty and sorrow, but there was much spiritual joy and holy simplicity. There are many facilities today, but because we don’t know how to use them for God, they distance us from Him. There is much turmoil in our souls; there is no more of that simple joy. This is how I see things: humanity has become weak.
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The wisdom of this world is madness before God. That is to say, if you don’t believe that God gave us the discoveries and facilities of the modern world, you distance yourself from Him. You believe that everything comes from humankind, with our powers.
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God is love. The one who has love is in God. God is peace. We need love for our neighbor, not only for our friends, but also for our enemies.
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Without love, no asceticism has any value – love, peace, and the protection of obedience.
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I prayed to the Mother of God to give me a gift – to stop me from grumbling that I went blind – and she had mercy on me. She made me understand that it is good for me to be like this. And now I am at peace. It has been good, and it is good for me to be like this.
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However long you might want to live, you will live as much as God has ordained—not a minute more.
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Salvation is so easy if we are sincere – but we are so sly…woe to us.
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If we don’t transgress before God, God blesses us, and we are always joyful because our soul is not irritated or burdened.
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Never say: “I have the right to do this,” because it is self-justification and exaltation of your mind; this way, you will believe more in the opinions of your mind than in others’ advice.
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Everything – the soul, the new man – must be built on a solid foundation, on a rock, from the very beginning. This is so we can remove our own views, our hidden passions, and the exaltation of our minds, all of which can shatter the entire house of our souls when we get close to the end, near death.
Translated from “Geronda Dionisie from Colciu: Wisdom from the Holy Mountain Athos”, Predania Press
To learn more about Elder Dionisie Ignat:
Elder Dionisie Ignat commemorated on Mount Athos in 2021 on the 17th anniversary of his repose
Never say “I will do it tomorrow”: Elder Dionisie of Colciu’s 112th birth anniversary (2021)