Foundational to any spiritual life is to have an experienced guide. St. Paisios offers answers to various questions regarding this essential aspect of Orthodox spiritual life: finding an experienced spiritual father and being healed by love and obedience.

0:00 Beginning
0:14 The Spiritual Life Requires a Spiritual Guide
2:29 Refer People to a Spiritual Father
5:38 A Spiritual Father Must Be Nearby
7:48 The Spiritual Father in the Family

This is a reading from "Spiritual Struggle: Saint Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels (Vol. III)", pp. 277-282.

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St. Paisios teaches:

The most necessary thing today is for people to find a Spiritual Father, to confess, trust him and follow his advice. If people have a spiritual guide and establish a rule of prayer and study, if they go to Church on a regular basis and receive Holy Communion, then they have nothing to fear in this life.

The soul must be attended to closely by the Spiritual Father so that it does not go astray. Spiritual study certainly helps in our struggle for the spiritual life, but if we are without a spiritual guide, we can easily give our own interpretations to what is being studied and fall into error. For example, when someone is going on a long trip and is not certain of the way, he can consult the map but he can also stop and ask for directions.

Of course, one should choose his spiritual guide carefully and not entrust his soul to just anyone. Just as one seeks the best doctor for his physical health, he should also seek out a good Spiritual Father for his spiritual health, and go to him, the doctor of his soul, on a regular basis.

Just as one takes care to have his family doctor available as nearby as possible, he should also have his Spiritual Father near him.
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Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

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