THE FRUIT TREE WANTS TO SURVIVE.

Saint Anthimos of Chios, founder and Abbot of the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Monastery of Assumption, wrote nothing by himself. However, his teachings were known for his pragmatic style and simple reasoning. These teachings were either sermons at the Divine Liturgy or monks' conventions at festivals or other religious events. These reasons of the Saint were recorded and kept in the monastery thanks to Abbot Bryain, who had the authority, when the Saint was speaking, to take notes.

One of the reasons that Saint Anthimos, who spoke on June 9, 1937, and referred to the need to support virtuous people, is as follows:

 " Fruit trees need more water and special care. The fruit tree everyone chases for it is why it wants a lot of protection. As everybody chases the fruit tree, so the virtuous one wants a lot of supervision, because the devil chases him more. The demons try to steal the human fruit. And in another they bring pride, in another gloriousness, in another self-reflection, in another anger, in condemnation, in cruelty, in hatred, in another in carnal passions and in other evils.

Therefore, the one who has the fruit needs a lot of supervision. We need to pour a lot of water to help him ripen, and then guard him well so they won't steal from us. The devil has nothing to do with the negligent and lazy, so he does not fight him. While the one who has obedience, humiliation, abandonment of will, patience, caretaker, willingness, good life, the devil fights and brings anger to one, because anger is a great obstacle to virtue, and another makes him criticize the negligent, the other bears jealousy, and as he can fight one by one, to shed his fruit, to destroy his virtues.

Therefore the virtuous must always resort to his spiritual father, for he will empower him, strengthen him, give him courage, and guard him from the traps of demons. But he must have pure confession, because he cannot be a judge of himself, but his spiritual one sees where he is and how he walks. All of this is an oversight to keep and ripen the fruit. There should be no moment missing in the spiritual supervision for the fighter of virtue.

The other, that is to say, the accuser, the proud, the half-brother, the deceitful one, he has the "supervision" of the devil and is watered in the "way" of his will and passions ...! This tree has only leaves and branches, you will not find any fruit on it. So what supervision would you do?

We must be very careful and avoid those that will prevent us from the kingdom of heaven. "

Mt. Athos