St. Theophan the Recluse: Temptations as a Rule

More great content, memes, commenting and community not available on this site.

We are also on Facebook and Instagram which have been designated terrorist organizations by the Russian government.

25.06.2024, 01:10

Tuesday, June 25 (12), 2024
Rom. 1:1-7,13-17; Mt. 4:25-5:13

After the Lord was baptized, when the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove, He came into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil [Mt. 4:1]. Such is also the way of every Christian.

St. Isaac of Syria, a prominent author of the VI century, noted somewhere that as soon as you receive consolation by Lord’s grace, or any other gift from the Lord, ─ you have to brace for temptations. Temptations cover the shining of Lord’s grace from human eyes; if not for that, our pride and vainglory would pervert and ruin any good which we have received.

These temptations could be both external ─ afflictions, humiliations, ─ and internal ─ passions and evil thoughts, set free against us like wild beasts, on purpose. Therefore, we ought to be watchful, inside and out, to discern all causes and consequences of our temptations, to find out what they really mean for us.

Read more about the author

More great content, memes, commenting and community not available on this site.

We are also on Facebook and Instagram which have been designated terrorist organizations by the Russian government.

Publications

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Cross of Christ

As our faith and love grow stronger, so much stronger is our...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Annunciation to Communion

We receive God’s Grace unto our sanctification through the B...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: The End of His Earthly Sojourn

There is just one thing presently before His eyes ─ His deat...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Hearts Moved by the Gospel

Listening carefully to His words was sufficient for getting...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Going to Suffer with the Lord

Let us follow the suffering Lord in our mind and reflect o...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Transformation No Surprise

What a surprising transformation! But should we really be s...

Church History

St. Theophan the Recluse: Raising of the Spirit

Then your spirit will truly begin a new life, a bodiless lif...

Daily Reflections

St. Theophan the Recluse: Bottom Line of Lent

Forty days of Lent are over! In just nine days we will rea...

Related Publications

St. Theophan the Recluse: Cross of Christ
As our faith and love grow stronger, so much stronger is our hope for Lord’s eternal forgiveness.
St. Theophan the Recluse: Annunciation to Communion
We receive God’s Grace unto our sanctification through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
St. Theophan the Recluse: The End of His Earthly Sojourn
There is just one thing presently before His eyes ─ His death

Patriarch

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Repose of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia recorded a video message on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the repose of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Heritage

Greeting of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin to the participants of commemorative events on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Patriarch Tikhon's repose

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has sent greetings to the participants of the commemorative events on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the repose of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Patriarch

Patriarchal sermon before the Rite of Forgiveness in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

On the evening of March 2, 2025, in the Week of Syropustnaya, commemoration of Adam's exile (Forgiven Sunday), His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia prayed for vespers and led the rite of forgiveness at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. After the dismissal of Vespers, His Holiness delivered a sermon.

Heritage

Anatoly Torkunov: «What’s really important is how many students are blood donors»

On August 26, Mr Anatoly Torkunov, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, rector of the Moscow State Institute for International relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chairman of Trusteeship Council of the Foma Magazine, turns 70. Mr Torkunov is talking with Parsuna on Spas TV about happiness, forgiveness, normal young people, and a university church.

Patriarch

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's Christmas interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel

On January 7, 2025, the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the traditional Christmas interview of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was shown on the Rossiya 1 TV channel. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church answered questions from TASS Director General A.O. Kondrashov.

Heritage

Alexey Savvateev: "Wisdom is you take on exactly the problems that you can solve"

Life is not equal to mind, life is an irrational and a very chaotic thing, and if these bastards ever design a homo sapiens, I mean, turn a man into a robot — this will be the end of history.

Patriarch

The word of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the 15th anniversary of the enthronement after the Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

On February 1, 2024, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. This day marks the 15th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Church addressed the worshippers in the temple with a word.

Heritage

Cancel reporting, teachers’s pay and my math program, – three solutions by mathematician Alexei Savvateyev, if he were to become Minister of Education

Why mathematics is a language of God and what miracles happen in a scientist’s life? Why proof of unscientific nature of homeopathy is unscientific, and why lack of forgiveness is dangerous? These and many other very extremely interesting issues were discussed by mathematician Alexei Savvateyev and Vladimir Legoida in Parsuna TV show.

Patriarch

Thank you all for your prayer

I sincerely thank all of you for praying for me. I know that this prayer is daily, the whole Church prays, and, probably, without this prayer it would be impossible to carry out the Patriarchal ministry. But when they pray for me on this day, a personal day, with which the very appearance of a person in life is connected, then, I think, this prayer is heard by the Lord, and help is poured out on the one for whom they pray. And through those present here, I thank all of you now, my dear bishops, fathers, brothers and sisters, who today, all over the face of our earth, in all the fullness of our Church, have been offering up prayers for the Patriarch.

Heritage

Russian State Duma deputy Yevgeny Primakov: «I'm not a forgiving guy»

People who did wrong and were unjust simply cease to exist for me. Let me give you an example. One of the instigators of that campaign recently died in a tragic accident. TV channels called me on the strange assumption that I would want to comment. I said I wouldn't, what was done was done. I leave my personal feelings to myself.

Patriarch

Russia an Island of Freedom in Raging Sea of Cancelled Morality

Indeed, Russia is capable to resist alien, godless, anti-Christian forces. Those forces which aim their sting at human hearts, so that we lose our ability to tell good from evil. Gone from the political vocabulary is the concept of sin: they enforce a new model of behavior, claiming that good is what they please. But when so-called civilized world, by and large, picks up this idea, Russia, just as in the past times, has the guts to disobey. We must stick to the notion of good and evil, not from political interests or someone's ambition, but from that moral law which God has placed in our souls, in the human nature.

Heritage

Russian State Duma deputy Yevgeny Primakov: «I'm you hired employee»

Yevgeny Primakov joins Vladimir Legoida on Parsuna Show to discuss the origins and projects of the Russian Humanitarian Mission, his work as a member of parliament, and how faith found its way into his life.

Opinion