“Christ is born—glorify Him!” We continue our study on page 198 (Hypothesis 28) exploring purity of heart, chastity, and the ordering of desire toward God. The Fathers insist the spiritual life is rooted in love—especially our desire for God expressed through the Cross and the Eucharist. That desire must be rightly ordered by asceticism and watchfulness.

In this session:

A sobering story of a monk admired by all yet enslaved inwardly through hidden consent to shameful thoughts—until prayer exposes and heals the grip of the “demon of fornication.”

St. Savas tests a novice on guarding the eyes—why a “wandering gaze” becomes an entry point for temptation.

Amma Syncletica on aiming for the “hundredfold,” resisting spiritual backsliding, guarding speech, and why frequent outings (or media exposure) can “blacken the house” of the soul like smoke through open doors.

Practical counsel on vigilance, humility in prayer when tired, the danger of nostalgia and fantasies, and helping brothers and sisters struggling with impure thoughts.

Key themes: purity of heart, desire for God, ascetic life, chastity, fornication, watchfulness (nepsis), guarding the senses, spiritual warfare, Desert Fathers, St. Savas, Amma Syncletica, Eucharistic love, humility, repentance, pastoral prudence.

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Chapters

00:00 – Opening greeting: “Christ is born—glorify Him!”
01:40 – Study resumes (p. 198, Hypothesis 28): desire, chastity, purity of heart
04:08 – Story setup: the “admired” monk and hidden consent to shameful thoughts
05:44 – External holiness vs. the truth of the heart
07:28 – Why we shouldn’t judge by appearances
08:35 – The town’s veneration and misplaced assurance
09:47 – Clairvoyant elder’s vision: the fiery trident & uprooted soul
11:00 – Strong warning: “He gave God not one day’s respite”
11:49 – “I am the demon of fornication”: prayer, stench of sulfur, deliverance
12:17 – After prayer: restoration, and counsel to aid the tempted
14:09 – Culture, hyper-sexualization, and the need for vigilance
16:34 – Prudence vs. “prudishness”; guarding the heart in small things
20:27 – Letter B: Life of St. Savas—testing the novice’s gaze
21:00 – “She had only one eye?”—a lesson on wandering eyes
22:34 – Rebuke & remedy: fixed gaze, watchfulness of sight
26:12 – How images become fantasies; guarding the senses
27:01 – Pastoral prudence & eye contact (Philip Neri example)
33:25 – Letter C: Amma Syncletica—100/60/30 and aiming higher
34:52 – Don’t backslide from greater to lesser; soldier metaphor
36:53 – Perseverance when tired; humble prayer in weakness
38:32 – Choosing God over comfort; grace for perseverance
40:21 – Excuses, speech, modesty; guarding the tongue
44:02 – “Smoke in the house”: why frequent outings/media harm purity
55:44 – Growth invites stronger warfare; unceasing vigilance
58:06 – The devil’s patience: memories, faces, and fantasies
59:55 – Do not assent to imaginations; Job’s image of the enemy
1:01:18 – On modern counsel & loneliness; clinging to grace
1:02:25 – Media & recreation; why many communities ditch TV
1:02:38 – Closing prayer: Our Father
1:03:21 – Final blessing & dismissal

For more the audio only please visit https://philokalia.podbean.com/e/the-evergetinos-book-two-hypothesis-xxvii-and-xxviii-part-ii/ & to support Fr, who does a lot of podcast here https://www.philokaliaministries.org/ please visit https://patron.podbean.com/fatherdavidabernethy & remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest

#PurityOfHeart #DesertFathers #OrthodoxSpirituality #CatholicSpirituality #Chastity #SpiritualWarfare #Watchfulness #Asceticism #Eucharist #AmmaSyncletica #StSavas #GuardYourHeart

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