{"id":723,"date":"2018-03-07T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T14:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.smallpage.online\/2018\/03\/07\/seven-parables-and-stories-for-week-4\/"},"modified":"2019-09-12T12:53:03","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T12:53:03","slug":"seven-parables-and-stories-for-week-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/seven-parables-and-stories-for-week-4","title":{"rendered":"Seven Parables and Stories for the Week: Issue 24"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n
The Dispassion of a Stone<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Abba Ammon went to Abba Anthony one day. They had a conversation aboutsoul-nurturing things. Abba Anthony predicted to Abba Ammon after the conversation that the latter will succeed in the fear of God. Upon uttering that prophecy, Anthony led Ammon out of his cell and pointed at a rock, saying:<\/div>\n
\u2013 Insult this rock and hit it hard. Ammon did it.<\/div>\n
Abba Anthony asked him:<\/div>\n
\u2013 Did the rock react in any way? Did it fight back?<\/div>\n
Ammon replied:<\/div>\n
\u2013 No, it didn\u2019t.<\/div>\n
\u2013 You will achieve the same level of dispassion, too, – Abba Anthony said.<\/div>\n
Abba Anthony\u2019s prophecy was made true eventually.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy<\/em>
\nand beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,<\/em>
\nlongsuffering (Col.3:12)<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
God Knows What Is Good<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
A brother asked his elder:<\/div>\n
\u2013 Is there a specific good action that I can keep doing for a lifetime?<\/div>\n
The elder replied:<\/div>\n
\u2013 God knows what is good. I heard an elder ask Abba Nestorius, \u201cWhat good shall I do?\u201d The abba responded, \u201cAren\u2019t all good actions equal? The Scripture says, \u201cAbraham was hospitable, and God was with him; Elijah loved silence, and God was with him; David was meek, and God was with him.\u201d Therefore, learn what your soul desires to do for God\u2019s sake, and do it, paying attention to your heart.\u201d<\/div>\n
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u00a0And we<\/em>
\nknow that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who<\/em>
\nare the called according to [his] purpose (Romans 8:27\u201328).<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Clay Pots<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
A monk came to his spiritual counselor and complained:<\/div>\n
\u2013 Father, I come to you time and time again. I repent of my sins, and I seek your advice. In spite of that, I cannot improve. What\u2019s the reason for me to come to you then? I keep falling in the same sins after talking with you.<\/div>\n
The abba replied:<\/div>\n
\u2013 My son, take two pots, fill one of them with honey and leave the other empty.<\/div>\n
The disciple did as his master requested.<\/div>\n
\u2013 Now, \u2013 the master continued, \u2013 pour the honey from the first pot into the second pot several times.<\/div>\n
The disciple obeyed.<\/div>\n
\u2013 Now look at the empty pot and smell it, sonny.<\/div>\n
The disciple looked at the pot and smelled it. He concluded:<\/div>\n
\u2013 Father, the empty pot smells honey, and there\u2019s some honey left inside.<\/div>\n
\u2013 That\u2019s precisely how, \u2013 the elder said, \u2013 my teachings remain in your soul. If you gain at least some virtue for Christ\u2019s sake, the Lord in his mercy will add up to it and save your soul for the paradise. A cook doesn\u2019t put pepper inside the pot that smells honey. Similarly, God will not reject you if you preserve at least some righteousness inside your heart.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on<\/em>
\nhim that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Romans<\/em>
\n4:5)<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Repentance: How Long Should It Take?<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
A brother asked Abba Poemen, \u201cI committed a terrible sin and I would like to spend three years in repentance for it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s too long,\u201d Abba Poemen said. \u201cWhat about one year?\u201d the brother inquired. \u201cThat\u2019s too long,\u201d the elder repeated. The elder\u2019s disciples who witnessed their dialog, asked, \u201cWill a forty days long repentance be enough?\u201d The elder answered, \u201cIt\u2019s too much. If a person repents wholeheartedly and stops sinning from then on, God will accept him in just three days.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Repent, and turn yourselves from all your<\/em>
\ntransgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin (Ezekiel 18:30)<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
A Greater Challenge<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
There was a hermit who achieved such holiness that he could easily live with wild beasts, and they did not attack him. He would feed their cubs, and the wild animals did not harm him. One of the monks who lived in a monastery saw him and said:<\/div>\n
\u2013 If you want to be even more perfect, come to our monastery and try to avoid conflicts with the holy brethren.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord:<\/em>
\npraise and exalt him above all for ever (Daniel 3:81)<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Who Are You, a Gentleman or a Pauper?<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
There were some monks who were discussing humility. A noble man from Gaza heard them say that the closer one gets to God, the more sinful he considers himself to be. He was amazed:<\/div>\n
\u2014 How can that be?<\/div>\n
He was eager to know what these words meant.<\/div>\n
One of the monks replied:<\/div>\n
\u2014 Sir, who do you think you are in your town?<\/div>\n
The noble man answered:<\/div>\n
\u2014 I think I am the greatest and the most important man in my town.<\/div>\n
\u2014 What if you go to Caesarea, what would you think of yourself?<\/div>\n
\u2014 I would consider myself to be the last of the gentry.<\/div>\n
\u2014 Who would you be in Antioch then?<\/div>\n
\u2014 I’d be counted among the commoners.<\/div>\n
\u2014 What if you go to Constantinople to the Emperor’s Court, who would you be?<\/div>\n
\u2014 I\u2019d consider myself a tramp.<\/div>\n
\u2014 This is how saints look at it. \u2014 the monk said, \u2014 the closer they get to God, the more sinful they feel. When Abraham saw the Lord, he called himself dirt and ashes.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
. . . Behold now, I have taken upon me to<\/em>
\nspeak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27)<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Use It Right Now!<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u2013 Father! – a newly-tonsured monk addressed the abbot. \u2013 My heart is filled with love and free from temptations. What do I do next?<\/div>\n
The abbot invited the disciple to visit a terminally ill man who had requested a confession. Upon comforting the grieving family, the abbot pointed at a box
\nwhich stood in a corner of the room.<\/div>\n
\u2013 What is there in that box? \u2013 he asked.<\/div>\n
\u2013 It is full of clothes that my uncle never wore, \u2013 the dying man\u2019s niece replied. \u2013 He was always thinking that he would wear those clothes on a special occasion. As a result, they are rotting in that box.<\/div>\n
\u2013 Remember the box, \u2013 the abbot taught his disciple after they left the house. \u2013 If there are treasures in your heart, use them right now, or else they willperish.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for<\/em>
\nthe morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day<\/em>
\nis the evil thereof (Matthew 6:34)<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dispassion of a Stone \u00a0 Abba Ammon went to Abba Anthony one day. They had a conversation aboutsoul-nurturing things. Abba Anthony predicted to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[71],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-and-parables","tag-stories-and-parables"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/4-3-1.jpg","views":{"total":113,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1768403245},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paPyw9-bF","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25662,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions\/25662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalog.obitel-minsk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}