Philokalia Ministries

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XX, Part II

There is a sentence here from St. Isaac that overturns almost everything we are inclined to think about asceticism: You suppose these things were ordained simply to oblig

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter IX, Part IV

There is something almost frightening about the stories preserved for us in the Evergetinos. They are frightening not because they portray extraordinary wickedness, but b

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XX

There are passages in St. Isaac that can sound almost impossible to modern ears. His words on vigil are among them. “Do not imagine,” he tells us, “that among all the wo

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter IX, Part III

There is something almost relentless about the teaching of the Fathers on watchfulness. They will not allow us to imagine that there comes a point in the spiritual life w

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XIX, Part II

There is a danger in reading passages such as this one from St. Isaac and hearing primarily a warning: Do not become negligent. Do not allow yourself to grow lax. Guard y

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter IX, Part II

There is a great mercy hidden within these unsettling sayings from the Evergetinos. The Desert Fathers do not speak to us about spiritual warfare in order to make us preo

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVIII, Part II & XIX, Part I

There is a temptation in every generation to believe that the spiritual life consists primarily in learning new methods, acquiring hidden knowledge, or discovering techni

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter VIII, Part II & IX, Part I

The Fathers never speak of the spiritual life as though it were merely the acquisition of virtues or the mastery of disciplines. At its heart, it is the slow awakening of

The Name Above Every Name, Conference Four

The Name Above Every Name Conference Four Becoming Prayer When the Name Becomes Our Life “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20

The Name Above Every Name, Conference Three

The Name Above Every Name Conference Three The Broken Heart and the Descent into the Heart Learning to Stand Before God “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spir

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVIII, Part I

There is a temptation to read St. Isaac’s description of the ascetic life as though he were outlining a ladder by which we ascend to God through effort. Nothing could be

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVII, Part III

There is a temptation when reading the closing section of Homily 17 to see it as little more than a long list of prohibitions. Do not quarrel. Do not lie. Speak little. A

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter VIII, Part I

One of the striking features of the desert tradition is the extraordinary seriousness with which the Fathers speak about the conscience. Modern readers can easily mistake

The Name Above Every Name, Conference Two

The Name Above Every Name Conference Two Guarding the Heart with the Name The Jesus Prayer and the Hidden Battle “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVII, Part II

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” — Psalm 27:4 Few passages in St. Isaa

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter V, Part II, VI, and VII, Part I

The Fathers are extraordinarily subtle here because they know that the human heart is subtle. They refuse the comforting simplicity by which we divide the world into goo

The Name Above Every Name, Conference One

The Name Above Every Name Conference One Receiving the Name The Gift Before the Method “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVII, Part I

This passage can easily be misunderstood as a catalogue of monastic etiquette or a list of ancient customs that no longer matter. Yet St. Isaac is doing something far dee

The Evergetinos: Book Three - Chapter IV, Part II and V, Part I

The Fathers insist that the spiritual life is decided long before words are spoken or actions are taken. It is decided in the hidden conversation of the heart. Every thou

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily XVI, Part II

The Christian life is not first the struggle to become better people, but the gradual unveiling of what we have already become through Christ. We have been fashioned to b