“…for waging war with the demons..”

Abbot Tryphon of All Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery on Vashon Island, Washington wrote this blog post today.  He always seems to speak to the heart of issues I have faced, or am facing. I hope you will take a moment to read these words of his.

He also has a podcast on Ancient Faith Radio (http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering/anger5) called the Morning Offering, where you can hear the Abbot read his blog posts.  His website is: http://vashonmonks.com/wp/  I hope that when holidays and birthdays, or other days of gift giving roll around, you will consider their delicious offerings of “Monastery Blend Tea and Coffee” (the coffee is amazingly yummy), available from their website.  This is the link to the Abbot’s Blog: http://morningoffering.blogspot.com/, where you can read the blog post below.  I hope it speaks to you as much as it did to me.

ANGER
In every way we must strive to restrain anger

Abba Evagrius the Monk said that, “Anger is by nature designed for waging war with the demons and for struggling with every kind of sinful pleasure. Therefore angels, arousing spiritual pleasure in us and giving us to taste its blessedness, incline us to direct our anger against the demons. But the demons, enticing us towards worldly lusts, make us use anger to fight with men, which is against nature, so that the mind, thus stupefied and darkened, should become a traitor to virtues.”

The Fathers tell us that whenever anyone takes God’s name in vain the ramifications reverberate throughout the entire cosmos. However insignificant we may think our uttered angry words may be, they impact the whole of God’s universe. Redemption is not just about us, but the whole of the universe. My salvation and your salvation are interconnected. When a Christian falls into such sin it is especially tragic, for there are many non-believers who guard their words better than many who profess Christ.

We must strive by every means to preserve peace of soul and not allow ourselves to be disturbed by offenses from others. In every way we must strive to restrain anger and remain attentive to the mind and heart. We must make every effort to bear the offenses and insults of others, and accustom ourselves to such a disposition of spirit that their offenses not concern us. By guarding our thoughts, we can give quietness to our heart and make it as dwelling for God Himself

Abba Nilus said, “Prayer is the seed of gentleness and the absence of anger.” If we truly be of Christ we have the means to change, for it is because we have Christ in us that victory over the passions can be ours. There is simply no excuse for a Christian to lose his temper.

“Do not let the sun go down on the anger of your brother (Ephesians 4:26).”

Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon