On Pleasure

Speaker 1 (00:07)
When the heart of a Christian is moved from its usual place, from Venera and sorrowful path, from the
place of voluntary or involuntary discomfort filiponia in Greek, then it behaves like a rock rolling down a
mountain side, it becomes very difficult to hold back or keep it from rolling. According to Saint Martha's,
the Saint speaks about the paralysis of the noose of the mind and or of the heart from the love of
pleasure, which is one of the three major passions, the other two being filagiriya, love of possessions or
Philadelphia love of attention or glory. The cure of philadelphonia, where the propensity toward hidonism
is love of asceticism, love of prayer, love of standing in Church, frustrations, love of fasting and self
control. All this blessed discomfort for the glory of God keeps a person from being enslaved to the lower
passion of hidonism and self indulgence. When the soul ceases to love, discomfort for God ceases to
practice the cross bearing life, and it replaces, asceticism with daily pleasure, then this addiction towards
pleasure weakens the heart and makes it unable to hold back or fight back, much like an avalanche that
rolls down a mountain.
Speaker 1 (01:44)
Sod this is precisely why Saint Mark, the aesthetic, and all the Saints teach us to fight. The thoughts the
Lord gives me that entice us toward a life of pleasure. Pursuit of pleasure. Or hedonism opens the door to
the enemy of our soul and according to Saint Theophon, the recluse, the enemy comes and throws
himself in the heart, and then he brings another seven demons, a plethora of evil spirits, spirit of anger,
greed, possessiveness, jealousy, criticism, egotism, depression, and so on. So if you fight hiddenism with
decisiveness, with resolve, and you close that door, then you will not easily become prey to the other
passions.
Speaker 1 (02:33)
The love of pleasure births gluttony and fornication. According to Saint Paisio Zwalikovsky, who teaches
to fight hiddenism, if you want to become free of all the other passions, the one who wishes to defeat the
pursuit of pleasure must deny all sinful self love in every expression of his free will. He must learn to hate
his fallen self, his old adamant nature. In this brief life, for the sake of the heavenly Kingdom, he must
possess steadfast faith and totally trusting God through all his afflictions and necessities. This is why we
cannot be Orthodox without an aesthetic mindset.
Speaker 1 (03:21)
One priest Monk enjoyed the reputation of a Holy man from those around him due to his external
Reverend form and monastic garments and appearance. The spirit of Hiddenism, however, was secretly
working and polluting his heart. It seems that he was welcome in the spirit. He was not fighting it. At least
he stopped fighting it at some point one day during Divine Liturgy, while reading the prayer of the chair
mimic hymn.
Speaker 1 (03:50)
None of those who are bound with the desires and pleasures of the flesh is worthy to come unto thee, O
King of Glory. Or to approach or to serve thee. He suddenly died and his soul left him while standing,
which was not a good thing, I suppose, because he was unworthy to finish the Divine Liturgy. It's kind of
scary. Stacey and the Roman adds, It is impossible for someone to extinguish the flame of hiddenism if
he cannot control the desire of his belly.
Speaker 1 (04:25)
The purity of the inner person depends on the progress of the virtual fasting and controlling of food
ingestion. The more one defeats the desire of the belly, the more he purifies himself and can easily defeat
hydonism from Saint Demetrius of Rostov we're reminded that many of those who lived their life in
multifarious pleasures when they came to the end of their life confessed and acknowledged that they did
not really enjoy anything. Everything was vanity. Everything was vanity, a fleeing dream that filled their
soul with bitterness and slavery. The word of God does not move the heart of the hiddenists because the
thorns of the passions choke the good seed inside them and they never come to repentance.
Speaker 1 (05:17)
The parable of the Sower attests to this. Now the ones that fell among the thorns are those who, when
they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches and pleasures of life and bring no fruit to
maturity. Loop a 14 St. John of Crunch Stan is even more direct and I quote, Consider every carnal
pleasure as a bitter fruit and every carnal loss as profit. Consider all precious earthly things rubbish,
diamonds, country clubs, cruises, vacations parties, financial success, and all of the above.
Speaker 1 (05:57)
Consider all these things rubbish, the Saint says. Consider the healthy foods as unhealthy and harmful to
the soul. Foods that excite the body and fill the belly with extra blood are going to be harmful to the soul.
Of course, Christ is the only true and real pleasure, our only hope, for he created all things from nothing.
Saint Ignatius Brazianinov sounds the alarm for those who are enslaved to their belly and excessive
sleep.
Speaker 1 (06:31)
It is not possible, according to the saying, to keep the body from carnal, stirrings with excess food or
drink. As the body and the soul are stirred up from these lower movements, their mind indulges in carnal
thoughts, and the soul of the man becomes incapable of acknowledging or perceiving the regenerating
movements of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. They stay unknown to him, according to the Book of Romans,
for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Speaker 1 (07:13)
The lover of pleasure despises accusations and constructive criticism. According to a contemporary
Athena aesthetic, the soul of man thirst for Godly spiritual pleasure. If he doesn't exercise the necessary
presuppositions to find this Godly pleasure, then he will gravitate to the other type of pleasure, the
pleasure of the flesh furnished by the devil and sin. The Holy contemporary Elder Herman of Stavrovuni
claims that those enslaved to pleasure become heretical for the love of the flesh and the love of pleasure
evaporate and pull down the Soul's love for God. Consequently, the slave of pleasure, if he fails to
brighten his passions may exit the Church and lose his Salvation.
Speaker 1 (08:05)
He can easily espouse any heresy or ideology because he ceases to love God. According to Patrick
wisdom, the eyes of the swine are made in such a way as to be constantly turned towards the mud the
ground being physically unable to look toward heaven. This is exactly what happens to the soul of the
Christian sweetened by the illicit pleasures of this life. Once he backslides into a sewer of corner
pleasure, he cannot contemplate on the heavenly realm. That's why we must constantly fight hidonism so
we can avoid the enslavement to this terrible passion which destroys our selfcontrol St.
Speaker 1 (08:48)
Mark. The aesthetic admonishes us to learn to love voluntary discomfort and toil for the love of God for
the sake of purification from this enslaved passion and for the sake of humility. This is the way to
welcome and host post the Grace of God in our lives and continue on our path to Salvation so we can
continue to give glory to our God now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.

On Pleasure

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

On Pleasure

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

On Pleasure

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Speaker 1 (00:07)

You might also like