AFRAID OF CHANGE? THEN YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID TO PRAY.
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- čas přidán 11. 02. 2021
- Prayer is a new creation - St Sophrony says somewhere. By that, he means that prayer will change the one who prays into a new person, a true person, the saints whom God created us to be. If we are afraid of change, we should be terrified of prayer, because prayer is deeply transformative or nothing at all.
Prayer kills the evil seeds in us and it feeds the good seeds in us. Like a series of small deaths and resurrections, prayer slowly reshapes our being, until it re-creates us according to the Image of God in us.
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The video 'AFRAID OF CHANGE? THEN YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID TO PRAY' was recorded by Fr Seraphim Aldea, at Mull Monastery (The Orthodox Monastery of All Celtic Saints), on the Isle of Mull.
If I am angry or annoyed with someone or something I find it hard to pray.... however, as soon as I pray these feelings go away. Thank you Lord 🙏
Pray for those who hurt you.
Hellllooooo Father! I always feel like I'm catching up with a friend 🙂
I remember in the early days not being afraid of prayer; but, being afraid of losing myself to God. I believe that is a tool of the devil. The same thing you speak of. When I once got a good taste of what the love of Christ could be, I gave all of myself to Him. I became and still am totally obsessed with Christ. I pray that will never change. You certainly have unique messages Father, very helpful messages. God Bless you.
🙏 The one who enters prayer, never returns 🙏
You stated this so beautifully. When I was in my early 20s I was so intensely in love with God (I still am today) and at that time I seriously considered becoming a (Roman Catholic) nun but I was afraid of what that entail, I was afraid I would end up with the stigmata, all kinds of crazy fears. This talk is the talk I wish I heard then. In fact I have never had these kinds of teachings which may be because I've never been exposed to Orthodoxy before your channel. You and your channel fill me up spiritually. Thank you!
AMHN 🙏..I feel a warm sensation in my chest every time I hear you speak..God Bless you Fr.Seraphim 🙏
Oh life is a constant change. Never static. It is a constant change on earth. The only thing that will never change is the love of Jesus for us.
Father thank you so much for your videos. They have been so helpful in drawing me closer to Christ. You truly have a God given wisdom. May God bless you and your monastery.
YES! You are right!
Ask for help! For years I would pray...”make me a saint” then my stomach would clench and my mind would continue “but not yet”. Scary things happen to saints
Finally admitted I could not do anything. So prayed to Holy Spirit....”you do it....I give up” . Flood of love . And from that second all fear of being a saint has disappeared. Live & pray today. God will take care of what will happen. Jesus I trust of you.
Your voice and words are a balm for my soul, through Christ Jesus. Amin.
Amen Amen Amen 🙏 father please pray for me from Ethiopia 🇪🇹 orthodox
💛
This was beautiful Father.
Thank you very much 🙏🏻
Love from Germany.
Please pray for me Father.
👍👍👍 AJUTORUL DE LA DOMNUL CEL CE A FĂCUT CERUL ŞI PĂMÂNTUL 👍
Father, please pray for my daughter Kim's mental health, Her son's and her safety and there moving into an affordable apartment, Please pray that laborers will come to their lives and give wise counsel and healthy friendship. Pray that she will stop lashing out and cooperate. Thank you.
Thanks Father, you are always such a blessing. This was exactly what I needed to hear 🙏
Thanks for this, it really struck close to home. I am in the middle of some big life changes and I can definitely feel myself clinging to old narratives not only because they are safe and mine, but because I have put so much energy into producing them. Both of your points touched me. I tend to lean toward living in my head and it is very easy for me to get caught up in spiritual self-transformation and yet forget the practicalities of loving those I live life with. I can come out of a deep time of prayer and meditation and yet be short with my partner for the smallest of things. If that isn't a contradiction, a waywardness, a sin, then I don't know what is. I have been trying to consciously tie each moment I find myself this way back to living love to the primacy of loving others as myself even at the expense of spiritual life/fulfillment. Second, I definitely find myself afraid of change even when I have clear moments of insight into the needfulness of the change. I fear that I will not be able to bear the uncriticality or look of foolishness that might need to come with really putting Christ first. I fear the sense of ordinariness or boredom that might ensue. I fear not being radical enough. Thanks for these videos, they have been a great support.
🙏
Letting you know how much I thank God for you and His use of you to bless me. Recently I have learned at least two major things/ thinks about myself...God using you to complete the pictures He was creating to my self. You are a blessing and I am grateful that one living in the usa can be blessed by one in Scotland... Only God does such wonderful things in such wonderful ways... So helpful! To me...imagings romantic.. Getting into the sweat of doing....and myself Number one and that making everyone else number two. Working with children I am using this last one with them to encourage them when its all about me first. Oh the snakes in a 67 years old women's heart... Yet God is doing His great work still.to Him be glory honour and blessing now and forever Amen!! Amen! Amen! Ps. Know you are in our prsyers
Thank you so much, always. You are helping so many people with these videos.
God's good timing brought your message to me just now. Thank you immensely for the guidance which you give us in this video, my dear Father Seraphim Aldea. May the Lord Jesus Christ protect anyone who chooses to pray to Christ the Lord. Amen.
Father Seraphim, I am a catechumen and it felt as if I needed to hear this. I am very grateful for your advice and encouragement.
Father, I listen to you and try to absorb every word you say as these words are true and very inspiring. I struggle a lot with prayers, especially in the evening. I also believe that changes become easier with prayers and especially the Jesus prayer. Unfortunately, we underestimate the power of prayer! God bless you, Father Serafim.🙏
This message was an answer to my prayer. Thank you for all you do, Father.
What if I'm afraid to pray because I'm afraid of change AND I'm afraid to stay the same? Prayer changes you - I know that. But that's scary. But also staying the same is unthinkable.
Thank you father for being so generous in sharing your wisdom!
Blessed be God forever ✝️✝️✝️
Doamne ajută, aveți poză cu părintele Arsenie Papacioc!
Thank you Brather for those words. Be blased you!
Thank you for articulating my own experiences with prayer Father. I've been afraid to pray.
I'm not sure how to articulate my experience without tempting my pride. But even though I'm a sinner God's only shown me Love. If God can show someone like me Love he can definitely save anyone who calls out to him 🙂
I'm blessed by your videos and God's Mercy and compassion is great. Thank you again! 🙂
Thank you so much, Father. I enjoyed a good laugh at myself when you mentioned the romantic notions we bring into the faith when we are beginning. Too true, for me. A hard prideful fall woke me up after a good deal of personal chaos. Lord, keep me out of my head and focused on trudging and praying the beautiful, sometimes painful, path ahead.
amen
You do my heart a lot of good Father. My heart had become somewhat hardened and embittered and I hadn't realised until after I'd watched a few of your videos and they softened it again and helped me to start loving God and people more genuinely and let go of irritations that had built up. When you give us a blessing and say your three Amen's at the end it blesses my heart so much. Thankyou. I will keep you in prayers Father Seraphim 🙂
Father, that is such a good point! The Saint's
Were closer to God when they went threw their experience
With the evil one! I have had wonderfull
Experiences but mainly with God/Jesus never
The enemy appearing thank God!!!
Thank you ♡ Bless you Fr. Seraphim. What we needed to hear to do our duty & complete our mission where ever we are & at whatever stage of life we are. Praise our God & Father with grateful hearts.
Thank you Brother for taking the time to share of yourself & your experiences. You possess the ability to take complex struggles & issues & simplify them. You offer possible solutions & perspectives that many need. I fear change in the forms of loved ones passing & failure. These are enevitable. Like the story of the man who in an effort to try to out run his shadow as the sun passed over head, collapsed into death. Thank you for your honesty, empathy & earthy humanity. Best teacher is example, Thank you Brother for allowing us to learn from you. Blessings to you & the folks on the isle. : )
Hello, dear one. Thank you for your encouragement.
Wonderful, as always, as I rewatch your vids from Victoria, Australia. I'm always awaiting a new one! I hope you are well.
Be blessed 🕊
I wish Father Seraphim would put each of these videos on a disk or chip. 💗🌺
Amen
Yes!!
Thanks
Thank you for the encouragement.
pretty cool drawing behind him of Mary and Jesus in Her womb
God speaks to me today ... through your words dear father Seraphim ,🙏❤️
I’ve been a follower of Christ for 48 years. Prayer has been a focus all through this time. However I often fear prayer. Although I find there is no better place to be than in prayer. I think this is a battle with the sinful nature. As St Paul says, “who will deliver me from this body of death?” The sinful nature is something we have to battle continually, as much as, or even more than, the demons / logismoi. The battle is also for the mind, as you imply. How easy it is also for pride to rise up! Hence with St Paul, we learn to crucify the flesh daily. I am nothing, so that Christ becomes everything. Thank you for your teaching!
Thank you , Father , I find myself lost with out prayer . I'm but a lowly sinner, I've done things and been lied to being told that I had no right to pray for forgiveness in the past I would listen to that lie. I've learned to pray and to ask for forgiveness and to repent and confess to a priest as soon as I'm able to do so. The changes in my life have been amazing I still struggle with many things that I pray will be changed in me. Though I'm starting to understand and see parts of me that have been lost for a long time
Much needed dose of spiritual vitamin. Came just at the right time I needed it. Thank you, Father; your words resonated deeply.
Father this is one of the many reasons why I love fasting, because it allows me to quiet my mind! God bless you!
Hello from Serbia! And yes, it is called the rib cage!
Could anyone tell me what style or artist is/does the icon in the bottom right corner of the video. I saw an icon in the same style in a skete I went to, it is so striking and oddly beautiful
Father thank you for this video and God bless you!
I'm still surprised how every time your topic relates to something that I'm going through. I'm terrified of any change and I have been tempted with both things you mentioned. And of course, have fallen in both, so now I found myself in the fear area. God bless you, Father!
Father, I pray thanks to Jesus for you and your messages and finally the Mull Monastery daily prayers. I often ask God to send me a message that I can understand. This video is giving me the courage to be brave and face my fears with acceptance. Thank you for giving me the means for saving my soul and giving me an understanding of true Christianity that finally makes sense. May God bless you Father.
Thanks..Your words are encouraging. I still don't understand why we suffer supernatural attacks like the true saints. I don't understand why when Christ said it's finished that the devil isn't always time up. I don't understand why Christ said my yoke is easy and my burden is light yet most Christian's own suffering and slander etc against themselves to be natural even expected.
Mother-Teresa said:
"i know, God will not give me anything i can't handle.
i just wish,
He didn't trust in me
so much."
[ -i'm an orthodox, how ever. ]
Amen❤
I am afraid of wrong change, a change for worse
↔️
i'm the most sinner of tellus.
so i changed for worst possible being
by praying.
B u t s t i l l ,
G o d A b s o l u t e L o v e
h a s a g r i p
from me.
Thank you
GOD BLESS YOU!!
Amen, Amen, Amen
Thank you Father..your channel is such a comfort and enlightening blessing during these challenging times..my son and i live in western Pennsylvania in the U.S. he serves the alter and these times of lockdowns and quarentines have made it difficult to get to church each week..but thanks to your channel and the monestary located in Ellwood City Pennsylvania the nuns live stream every service..we are growing and staying stronger in our faith..from within and without..you remind us of our preist at Holy Cross ...
I hope when it is allowed, that you will visit the monastery in Ellwood City, it is a wonderful place of love and peace and joy! Maybe you have already been and have been richly blessed because of it, as I have been.
Amen indeed. Thank you as always for the meaningful message.
As usual, a deeply thoughtful, and deeply thought-provoking - and helpful - meditation on positive and negative aspects of human nature.
Thank you very much. This has been there very meaningful video. I have watched it twice with great joy. My love and best wishes to you all at the monastery. Tim Marshall
Thank you for encouraging my relationship with Jesus!🙏
Thank you for this, Fr - This is helpful. On top of a fear of change on its own, I also sometimes unfortunately fear change of myself for others around me and those to whom I am close ... less “fun,” less engaging, too serious ... and less effective in my worldly responsibilities. I wonder if you could speak to how we can be “effective” in our real life (i.e., the life of true Reality and Being we attempt to make space for through our prayer life) that cultivated such change while also still maintaining effectiveness in our “false” life of nothingness that still requires us to be responsible and to pay attention, at least provisionally in the interim even while we gradually change.
For some, it's very difficult at first to even believe that there is something there that you can not see but everyone is talking about it. On listening to what they are saying you realize that to receive these, what they are calling gifts you will need to change your outlook on life completely. If you come from a family that never goes to church until one has to. Hatches, Matches, and despatches are a good way of explanation to that. Common sent is the gifts above many that one needs. Common sents is realizing through life that you have witnessed that there must be an all-seeing eye? In dynamics design Beauty and all that has been seen as creation. I had trouble once about the spirit? up until I had the same dream as another person. There was a distance between us, the night in question. But meeting up the day after and the dream was still strong in mind, I was going to say to him that he was in my dream but he beat me to it. Wow, it was exact. Him on his side and me saying what I had said? Spirit communication , Prayer. since then I know you can get through on the right channel. I tell you the truth.
How can we join the zoom meetings? Are they weekly?
Amen
God bless you, father. Can I also participate in the Zoom meetings, if they are open to the public? Thank you!
Best 17:23 minutes on CZcams. :)
Nice zoom meetings. Can we join one day? Blessings
You are on fire.
I wanted to let you know that the volume was not quite loud enough on this particular video thank you Melodie from Port Townsend Washington Saint Herman’s
Amen. God bless you Father. This was pertinent. I also experience this sometimes.
You made me think a thought that might be true but I don't know. This version of our person who knows they must die so our saintly version can live... it was created by sin, right? Before sin there was no need to die. Is this what it means that death entered the world through sin? That death is the wages of sin?
I don't mean ordinary death of the physical body but the obliteration of the sin in our soul. Physical death would only be a transition no one would fear if they know what happens next.
I have one question, and you may have something to tell us about it : what does it mean to "renounce to your own will" ? Thanks
This is something I’ve thought if since my time at a monastery. This guy in my head thats been a monk for 30 years, is humble and knows God... I don’t know this man. The things that I see in myself, those things that I think of as me, are so far from this man. The saint I’m called to be I don’t know. It is genuinely frightening. I don’t know how to decrease that God may increase. I resist it. We used to say in the monastery “Dying hurts.” 😆 It really does.
How I wish there was monasteries in Canada. God help us.
🌱 T h a n k y o u . 🌾
"" the same change that kept you away
from prayer,
is in fact the change, the tool :
that will allow you to proceed. ""
[i'm the most sinner of this tellus, so i have to try to avoid GROW any more fatter, than i already am.]
I was never afraid of change, i just don’t like change...
🙃
Such a valuable message for me, Father. Couldn't my imagination be better off in Jesus' hands? I do not trust my thinking. How can I genuinely give up my mind over to Him?
According to our apostle paul’s ministry in The King James Bible,we are only saved by believing The Gospel of Jesus Christ, 1st Corinthians Chapter 15 verse 1-4.Jesus Christ Died on the cross,shed His Blood for all of our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day.Jesus Christ Shed Blood is what saves you when you believe this plan of salvation with your heart.
Friend, you are correct in saying that having faith in this is the only way; however, even when I say that I have believe this and have faith my actions say otherwise. Faith is a gift from God. This is why my actions speak otherwise. In my form today, I have not yet denied myself and put on the image of God
When I am able to do this then god will grant me faith, but there are many things we must do to get to this point. Like prayer and fasting, which the lord tells his apostles is the reason that they are unable to cast out the demon in the gospel. Reply to me with what your opinion is I am curious.
🙏
"we read about things and we imagine doing things", I am guilty of this.
Thank you