A Canonical Orthodox Church of World Wide Orthodox

A Monk's Wisdom!

This month we are priviliged to have a writing from our own Desert Monk,
Vladyka +Thaddeus the Unworthy One…
He is giving us a message for this season of lent, Vladyka +Thaddeus is the Archbishop of the American Orthodox Church/North American Orthodox Church
He is a Monk living in the desert of New Mexico.

Self-critical understanding during Lent

By: Vladyka +Thaddeus the Unworthy One…

A most difficult time is when we, as individuals, find ourselves in a quandary about ourselves because someone at some time or another has tried to make us feel that we are a bad person. 

This characteristic of people to belittle others is more because they are unsure of themselves and need to prop themselves up by belittling another who they either disagree with or do not like, or even respect.  No human being in this life can run away or escape from their having caused another to feel worse about themselves only because we were in a defensive stance to protect our own unworthiness or our inability to know our own worth. 

Yet, there have been other moments that we find ourselves wishing we hadn’t said something to another in a belittling way.  We fail or refuse to apologize only because we are afraid of what will be said against us.

Then there are those who believe and feel they are better than others and it has become a normal practice of theirs to make other people to appear as worthless human garbage which makes themselves feel better.

These things and worse assault the human mind from within, along with a host of other negative ideas and thoughts.  Why?  Many times those ideas and thoughts that we are receiving or come up with - - - come from what is happening around us, the environment, the mass of people around us can affect the way we think.  The crisis of economic proportion can affect us as we look to others and what their situations appear to us.  Notice I said “Appear” – for what appears to be better conditions or situations may be that those individuals or persons are in a worse situation than ourselves but have found different ways to overcome the problems that put them in a crises.  Each person’s crisis may be similar but surely it is not necessarily the SAME as us.

We are all going through a transformation of one kind or another.  When those heavenly spheres come closer to the realm of the earth, or earthly, which we often the material world… we don’t recognize that we are “open” to those other spheres; be they negative (hell or hellish?) or positive (heaven or heavenly?).

Sometimes we hear a friend or loved one cap off their sentences with vindictives or negative comments about another person based on what is assumed as a “knowing” by the one making the comment.  It is not necessarily meant to be a ‘put down’ of the individual altogether, so much as a perception of the thoughts about a particular aspect of that individual’s character or personality based on what thought in their perception to ‘think’ they have seen or see about them.  It can be something that is true or not… whether it is true or not really doesn’t matter in ‘real time’ as we know it… or in ‘reality’ itself as we understand it.  What should be understood at this point of the person we trust who is making the negative comment; is that it is their thought about the person being talked about or discussed.  What matters is that their statement is what they, at the moment of their comment, is what they are ‘thinking’ out-loud to us. It doesn’t mean the whole person (the one they are talking about) is wrong… just certain aspects….

Of course there is one other factor we have pointed out… based on what is out there on the wonderful wide world web, be it governmental or private web sites open to everyone… it is sometime posted that an individual is totally worthless garbage altogether … forgetting that each individual is God’s child – a hand of His creation no matter who that person is. Yet, we often are found to make horrible and yes, even detestable statements of ridicule about another person based on what we’ve heard of seen on the world wide web… without, more often than not, knowing the individual. 

Even if we have known the person for just a ‘moment’ in time and gone on our way with bad thoughts about the person; it does not mean the individual is really “horrible” or a “piece of garbage” or that what is posted is totally true that the individual is the most horrible altogether.  It means, we really don’t know the individual.  It also means that we might not like the charisma or aura a person gives off, as they used to say during the hippie days… we didn’t like the “vibes” they gave off… And to be honest, you know yourself that there are number of people you have met and do meet who you don’t like altogether because of such uncomfortable meetings.  That does not mean the person is totally “bad” – it means what it means… you don’t like them ‘personally’ – it means you have no right to ridicule or put them down to others at all… it means that if you have put them down… you’ve bitten into the anti-christian way…  If you prefaced your statements with, “I believe” or “I personally” and then made your statements based on your “belief” or your “personal” feelings… you may be on safer ground…

It is rather interesting how people have taken to the path of criticizing others, even more especially those who they have known or know… but never say a good thing about them until it is too late.  Every human being, no matter whether you have or have not known them, has something ‘good’ within them… They are, after all, a child of God’s handiwork!

But what is happening?  This is the real world!  “What is happening?” you ask yourself.

Our insights or our thoughts are finding things that are close or akin to intuition!  A semblance of a restlessness stirs within.  We find that we are going through some kind of alternative experience, one we’re not exactly sure about.  These may be moments in our lives that make us somehow feel different about people, events and other things around us.  We sometimes become angry or anger sets in for unknown reasons. 

Sometimes we find our selves being in a euphoric state because of a thought that crossed our mind which came out of the proverbial ‘blue’.  We find it to be interesting and wish it would last so we can have more of these experiences.  Sometimes the very “anger’ we feel is due to the ending of that momentary experience.  We found the experience more exciting and want it to last.  When it ends we’re left with feelings of being dissatisfied and again, restless.

All of us are looking for more fulfillment in our lives and we won’t put up with anything that seems to bring us down, so-to-speak.  And, this restless searching is what’s behind the “me-first” attitude which produces an “anger” within us which causes us to sometimes lash out with horrible statements about others who we’ve held near and dear as friends.  It’s not just ourselves that is being affected.  It happens to Wall Street people and to Street Gangsters as well.

:My personal Blessing to you!

May God in His infinite love and mercy, rain down upon you compassion so that your heart is filled with the mercy of God within you.

May you in turn bestow this mercy of God that He has bestowed upon you, upon every person that you meet in this life. May you never forget to smile from your heart so that your smile may warm the heart of another.

In this mercy may you develop compassion and love for everyone that you meet so that you may never in your lifetime leave anyone sorry to have met you, but that all who meet you in this life also meet Jesus Christ who is Himself the life emanating from your heart to theirs.

Father Michael Valentine (Sweet)
(Monk Michael).

More from Monk Michael;

You ask what in the world makes us think that we know everything, I tell you that we/I do not know everything. But there is a resource that has the earliest church writings for you to study.

It's your soul and your eternity, do with it what you like but the excuse that you just simply did not know will not be accepted on that dreaded day of judgement. Don't be one who neglects his own communion with the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ because of the subtle pride that has you trapped.

Study to show thyself approved, get rid of your pride and just do it. Knock and the door shall be opened, seek and ye shall find. Ask and it will be given unto you.

Who said these words? The person that you claim to follow, are you doing as He said? Or does your pride keep you where you are because you are the Pastor, the music director, the assistant Pastor, the youth director, the Deacon, the head of the women's committee?

Here is a resource for your re-course for a better understanding..

Early Church Fathers  


I will give you another one here, the seven Oecumenical councils that established and shaped the church. Agreed on by the whole church before schism and reformation. These two links; one above and one below will show the true church to you, it is up to you to believe the truth or to believe a lie. You'll find that the scriptures that you claim to follow will be found here in these two links, in living color.

The Seven Oecumenical Councils.

Important Links:

Daily Scripture Reading