Του αγίου Διαδόχου
The Fortress of the Heart
Dwelling within the heart withdraws one from worldly beauty, enables life by the Spirit rather than the flesh, and makes the soul an impregnable fortress against demonic siege.
Anyone who constantly dwells within his heart is bound to withdraw from whatever is considered beautiful in this life. Because he lives by the inspirations of the Spirit, he can't come to know the desires of the flesh. Since this person moves about inside the fortress of the virtues, with the virtues themselves as guards at the gates, the demons' siege engines against him come to nothing.1
The Witness of the Fathers
A patristic saying confirms the teaching on deep-heart dwelling, but the author limits further citations due to lack of time, promising to conclude after one or two more.
The Saint put it well when he said that the devices of the demons come to nothing when we dwell somewhere deep in the heart—and all the more so the longer we spend there. But I know that time won't be enough for me if I try to set down here the words of all the Fathers. That's why, after recalling one or two more, I'll finish what I have to say.
Read the original Greek
Εκείνος που διατρίβει πάντοτε μέσα στην καρδιά του, απομακρύνεται οπωσδήποτε απ’ όσα θεωρούνται ωραία στη ζωή. Γιατί καθώς ζει κατά τις εμπνεύσεις του Πνεύματος, δεν μπορεί να γνωρίσει τις επιθυμίες της σάρκας. Επειδή λοιπόν ο άνθρωπος αυτός περιφέρεται μέσα στο φρούριο των αρετών, έχοντας για φρουρούς των πυλών τις ίδιες τις αρετές, μένουν χωρίς αποτέλεσμα οι εναντίον του πολιορκητικές μηχανές των δαιμόνων.
Καλά είπε ο Άγιος ότι μένουν χωρίς αποτέλεσμα οι μηχανές των δαιμόνων, όταν δηλαδή διατρίβομε κάπου στο βάθος της καρδίας, και τόσο περισσότερο, όσο περισσότερο χρόνο κάνομε εκεί. Αλλά γνωρίζω ότι δεν θα μου φτάσει ο χρόνος αν θελήσω να αναφέρω εδώ τους λόγους όλων των Πατέρων. Γι’ αυτό, αφού θυμηθώ ένα-δύο ακόμη, θα ολοκληρώσω το λόγο μου.
Notes
- 1 ↩πολιορκητικές μηχανές is military siege imagery (siege engines/engines of war); rendered as 'siege engines' to keep the fortress metaphor intact rather than flattening to generic 'schemes'.
On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
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