Tag: nous

Reading Spiritual Texts: Knowing That You Don’t Know

· Fr. Michael Gillis 5 Leave a Comment on %s
“What brings sweetness is harder to perceive than that which brings bitterness” Abbess Arsenia I am reading a collection of letters by Abbess Arsenia, a nineteenth century Russian nun who acted as a spiritual mentor for Peter Brianchaninov, brother of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov.  St. Ignatius Brianchaninov is perhaps most famous today for his book, The Arena, in which he lays out some very practical and insightful advice for monks and anyone zealous…

Reforestation and The Healing Of The Soul

· Fr. Michael Gillis 4 Leave a Comment on %s
It’s August first, 14 degrees (57f) and raining: Welcome to my world. Actually it is a beautiful day, if you wear a little more than a tee shirt and if you’re somewhat at peace with yourself.  A lot of our life is like this.  On days that we expect sun and good times, it rains–sometimes it rains for days on end and it seems as if we will never see the sun…

Speaking of Silence and Boasting of Humility

· Fr. Michael Gillis 3 Leave a Comment on %s
“For even profitable words, spoken without measure, produce darkness, how much more so does vain talk.” (St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 48) I feel a little crazy sometimes, like an idiot—not a godly, holy idiot, just a plain, old-fashioned idiot: the kind that boasts of humility and speaks about the virtue of silence. It seems strange to feel compelled to talk about the virtues of silence.  Perhaps I am my own negative…