Hidden Holiness and Spiritual Gifts (Healing, Prophecy)

 

7.3: Hidden Holiness and Spiritual Gifts (Healing, Prophecy)

Opening Reflection

The Orthodox Fathers never pursued spiritual gifts—such as healing, prophecy, or visions—as ends in themselves. Rather, these blessings emerged as the natural fruit of a life united with God—a life rooted in humility, repentance, and complete surrender. This lesson examines how their hidden holiness became a channel for extraordinary grace, how they preserved humility despite receiving such gifts, and what this teaches us about reliable spiritual life today.

1. The Hidden Life: Seeking God, Not Glory

Colossians 3:3 states, – “ሞታችኋልና፥ ሕይወታችሁም በእግዚአብሔር ከክርስቶስ ጋር ተሰውሮአልና፤::”

This verse teaches that the Christian life is hidden with Christ in God, calling us to humility, inner devotion, and detachment from worldly fame or recognition.

The great Orthodox ascetics avoided fame and spiritual pride. Many lived in humble anonymity, often refusing to be known for their holiness.

St. Isaac the Syrian (613 – 700 AD) writes, “Strive to enter the treasury that is within you, and you will see things that are in heaven. For there is but one single entry to this: repentance and humility.”

Holiness for them was not external signs but the purification of the heart. Their greatness was often hidden even from themselves.

2. The Fruits of a Pure Heart: Healing and Prophecy

Although the Fathers did not seek them, the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit often appeared in the lives of the Fathers.

Matthew 5:8 affirms this truth, “ልበ ንጹሖች ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ እግዚአብሔርን ያዩታልና.”

• Healing: Many Fathers were granted the gift of healing not as a reward, but as acts of divine mercy ( መለኮታዊ ምሕረት).
• St. Macarius of Egypt (300 – 391AD) healed a paralytic by prayer, then warned the crowd: “It is not I, but Christ who healed this man, so that you may believe.”
• St. Gregory of Nyssa (335 – 395 AD records several miracles performed by his sister, St. Macrina  (324 – 379 AD)—including healings from sterility and grave illness—not to glorify her human nature, but to testify to her holiness and steadfast faith in Christ.
• Prophecy and Discernment (ማስተዋል): This was often seen in their ability to see the heart or predict spiritual dangers.
• St. Anthony the Great (251 – 356 AD) once discerned the state of a man’s soul from a distance and warned others of his spiritual dishonesty, despite being far from this man.
• St. Paisios the Athonite, a 20^th-century Eastern Orthodox saint, was often able to discern people’s hidden burdens and pray for their healing—without asking them anything.

These gifts were not proof of personal virtue, but of God’s grace at work through humble instruments.

3. Discernment: The Greatest of All Gifts

St. Paul writes, “ለአንዱ ጥበብን መናገር በመንፈስ ይሰጠዋልና፥ ለአንዱም በዚያው መንፈስ እውቀትን መናገር ይሰጠዋል፥ ለአንዱም በዚያው መንፈስ እምነት፥ ለአንዱም በአንዱ መንፈስ የመፈወስ ስጦታ፥ ለአንዱም ተአምራትን ማድረግ::” (1 Corinthians 12:8-9)

This verse emphasizes that Spiritual gifts like wisdom, knowledge, and faith come from the Spirit and equip believers to serve God and others effectively.

In Orthodox tradition, discernment (ማስተዋል) is considered a higher gift than even miracles, because it prevents delusion (false beliefs) and ensures humility.

St. John Climacus (579 – 649 AD) teaches, “Discernment is the uncorrupted conscience (ያልተበላሸ ሕሊና) and purity of perception (ግንዛቤ). It is the gateway to divine vision.”

Many Fathers who were gifted with miraculous gifts continually sought spiritual guidance to protect themselves from the deceptions of the evil one.

4. Humility as the Guardian of Grace

Spiritual gifts were always wrapped in humility (ትሕትና). The Fathers constantly warned against seeking or boasting about such experiences.

Example:

• A brother saw a vision of angels and reported it to his elder. The elder said, “You would have done better to weep for your sins than to see angels.”

St. Seraphim of Sarov, an Eastern Orthodox saint, said, “Acquire the Holy Spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.” His shining face and miraculous deeds were hidden for decades in the forest.

In the Orthodox understanding, the greatest spiritual gift is love : “በሰዎችና በመላእክት ልሳን ብናገር ፍቅር ግን ከሌለኝ እንደሚጮኽ ናስ ወይም እንደሚንሽዋሽዋ ጸናጽል ሆኜአለሁ። ትንቢትም ቢኖረኝ ምሥጢርንም ሁሉና እውቀትን ሁሉ ባውቅ፥ ተራሮችንም እስካፈልስ ድረስ እምነት ሁሉ ቢኖረኝ ፍቅር ግን ከሌለኝ ከንቱ ነኝ።” (1 Corinthians 13:1–2).

The Fathers understood that gifts without love are nothing.

5. Spiritual Gifts Today: Caution and Discernment

The Orthodox Church acknowledges that the spiritual gifts of the saints continue to exist today, yet approaches them with humble caution :

• Not every vision or prophecy is from God.
• Holiness is known by peace, love, and truth, not sensationalism.
• We should never desire spiritual gifts for personal validation.

Instead, like the Fathers, we must focus on repentance, obedience, and prayer—allowing the Holy Spirit to act as He wills.

 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” “መንፈስን አታጥፉ፤ ትንቢትን አትናቁ፤ ሁሉን ፈትኑ መልካሙንም ያዙ::” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21)

Conclusion

The Orthodox Fathers teach us that hidden holiness is more powerful than outward signs. Healing, prophecy, and other gifts of the saints are real and present this day, but they flow from deep inner purity, humility, and love. We are called not to pursue miracles, but to pursue Christ—and He will do what He pleases with our lives.

 “ እግዚአብሔር ለሚፈሩት ኃይላቸው ነው፥ ቃል ኪዳኑንም ያስታውቃቸዋል።” Psalm 25:14

Reflection Questions

1. Why is humility the safeguard for spiritual gifts?
2. How can I avoid seeking outward signs in my spiritual life?
3. Do I value being seen by God more than being known by others?

Closing Prayer

O Lord, we thank You for the holy Fathers and saints whose hidden holiness bore the fruits of Your Spirit. Grant us hearts that seek You above all, humble and pure, open to Your gifts in love. Teach us discernment, guide our steps, and help us follow Your will in all things. May Your grace work in and through us for Your glory alone. Through the Prayers of your holy mother and all the saints, Amen.

Compassion, Forgiveness, and Love of Enemies

 

7.2: Compassion, Forgiveness, and Love of Enemies

Opening Reflection

This lesson focuses on the most transformative and radiant teachings of the Orthodox ascetical life: love—especially love for one’s enemies, compassion (ርኀራኄ), and forgiveness (ይቅርታ). These virtues were not optional for the Church Fathers; they were the very expression of union with God. They taught that the true measure of a person’s spiritual maturity is revealed in their capacity to forgive, show mercy, and love without condition.

1. The Command to Love Our Enemies

Matthew 5:44–45 instructs, “እኔ ግን እላችኋለሁ፥ በሰማያት ላለ አባታችሁ ልጆች ትሆኑ ዘንድ ጠላቶቻችሁን ውደዱ፥ የሚረግሙአችሁንም መርቁ፥ ለሚጠሉአችሁም መልካም አድርጉ፥ ስለሚያሳድዱአችሁም ጸልዩ፤ እርሱ በክፎዎችና በበጎዎች ላይ ፀሐይን ያወጣልና፥ በጻድቃንና በኃጢአተኞችም ላይ ዝናቡን ያዘንባልና።”

This is not a call to moral idealism, but an invitation to imitate God. The verse emphasizes that to be children of God, we are called to love even those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who harm us.

St. Silouan the Athonite: “The soul that has come to know the Lord... has compassion for all creation, and especially for those who do not know God or oppose Him.”

The Fathers saw this love as the goal of asceticism—not asceticism for its own sake, but for the heart to become a burning hearth of divine love.

2. Compassion: Seeing Others Through God’s Eyes

The Desert Fathers were deeply compassionate toward the suffering of others. Even amidst their rigorous ascetic lives, they never became hardened or prideful.

Example:

• A monk once criticized Abba Agathon for having a small knife. Abba Agathon calmly replied, “I need this to cut my bread, but you can criticize me.” The monk noticed his kindness and calmness, not anger.

Colossians 3:12 advises, “እንግዲህ እንደ እግዚአብሔር ምርጦች ቅዱሳን ሆናችሁ የተወደዳችሁም ሆናችሁ፥ ምሕረትን፥ ርኅራኄን፥ ቸርነትን፥ ትህትናን፥ የዋህነትን፥ ትዕግሥትን ልበሱ ::”

St. Isaac the Syrian (613–700 AD): “A merciful heart is a heart on fire for the whole of creation… for every created thing.”  

Compassion (ርኀራኄ) is not sentimentality (ስሜታዊነት), but the sharing of another’s burden. It flows from deep humility and likeness to Christ.

3. Forgiveness: Letting Go as Liberation

Forgiveness in the Fathers’ teaching is both a command and a healing path.

Matthew 6 : 14 - 15  teaches,“ ለሰዎች ኃጢአታቸውን ይቅር ብትሉ፥ የሰማዩ አባታችሁ እናንተን ደግሞ ይቅር ይላችኋልና፤ ለሰዎች ግን ኃጢአታቸውን ይቅር ባትሉ፥ አባታችሁም ኃጢአታችሁን ይቅር አይላችሁም።.”

This verse highlights that forgiveness is a command because Christ requires us to forgive others as a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness. It is also a healing path because forgiving releases the heart from bitterness, restores inner peace, and opens the soul to spiritual growth.

Refusing forgiveness blocks grace in our lives. The Fathers recognized that retaining resentment (ቂም) is a form of spiritual poison.

St. John Climacus (579–649 A.D.): “Remembrance of wrongs is the peak of anger, the holder of sins, the destruction of virtues, the poison of the soul.”

Patristic Wisdom:

• Abba Zeno said, “If a man wants God to hear his prayer, let him first forgive those who have wronged him.”
• Forgiveness is not just for enemies—it is for ourselves, to free us from the chains of bitterness and spiritual death.

4. Loving One’s Enemies: The Peak of Christlikeness

Few teachings of Christ are more difficult—and more transformative.

Romans 12:20 –21 states, “ጠላትህ ግን ቢራብ አብላው፤ ቢጠማ አጠጣው፤ ይህን በማድረግህ በራሱ ላይ የእሳት ፍም ትከምራለህና።ክፉውን በመልካም አሸንፍ እንጂ በክፉ አታሸነፍ።.”

This was not symbolic for the Fathers. They literally cared for persecutors (አሳዳጆች), refused revenge, and interceded (prayed) for their killers.

Example:

• St. Stephen, the first martyr, prayed: “ተንበርክኮም፦ ጌታ ሆይ፥ ይህን ኃጢአት አትቍጠርባቸው ብሎ በታላቅ ድምፅ ጮኸ። ይህንም ብሎ አንቀላፋ።” (Acts 7:60)
• St. Dionysius of Alexandria (190–265 AD) offered aid and healing to pagans who persecuted the Church during a plague.
• St. Silouan wrote: “Loving enemies means praying earnestly for them.”

For the Fathers, this love was not mere tolerance (መቻቻል ብቻ)—it was genuine intercession, tears, and a heartfelt desire for the other’s salvation.

5. Why Ascetics Are Called to Love

The ascetical life (መንፈሳዊ ተጋድሎ) or self-discipline strips away self-will, pride, and the ego (ራስ ወዳደነት) so that the love of God may dwell richly within. Asceticism without love becomes prideful. But when love governs all things, even the toughest fasting becomes sweet, because it is done for the love of Christ and the healing of the world.

1 John 4:20-21 writes,  “ ማንም፦ እግዚአብሔርን እወዳለሁ እያለ ወንድሙን ቢጠላ ሐሰተኛ ነው፤ ያየውን ወንድሙን የማይወድ ያላየውን እግዚአብሔርን ሊወደው እንዴት ይችላል? እግዚአብሔርንም የሚወድ ወንድሙን ደግሞ እንዲወድ ይህች ትእዛዝ ከእርሱ አለችን።”

St. Maximos the Confessor (580 - 662 AD): “He who loves God will certainly love his neighbor also.”

6. Practical Ways to Grow in Compassion and Forgiveness

• Pray daily for your enemies by name, especially during the Jesus Prayer.
• Confess judgmental thoughts, even if they remain unspoken in your heart.
• Interrupt angry or resentful (ቂመኛ) thoughts with “Lord, have mercy on [Name].”
• Seek reconciliation quickly, even if it wasn’t your fault.

Matthew 5:23–24 commands, “እንግዲህ መባህን በመሠዊያው ላይ ብታቀርብ፥ በዚያም ወንድምህ አንዳች በአንተ ላይ እንዳለው ብታስብ፥በዚያ በመሠዊያው ፊት መባህን ትተህ ሂድ፥ አስቀድመህም ከወንድምህ ጋር ታረቅ፥ በኋላም መጥተህ መባህን አቅርብ።”

• Give alms (ምጽዋት) as an act of love, bringing mercy and healing to the world.

Conclusion

The Orthodox Fathers achieved true success in their ascetical life through the practice of profound love. True asceticism culminates in love—compassionate, forgiving, and Christ-like—even toward those who hurt us. This love is not a sign of weakness, but the highest triumph of grace over sin. It manifests the victory of the Cross in everyday life, transforming the heart and the world around us.

Luke 6:36 – “አባታችሁ ርኅሩኅ እንደ ሆነ ርኅሩኆች ሁኑ።”

Reflection Questions

1. Who is one person I need to forgive right now, and what holds me back?
2. Do I view love as a feeling or a spiritual discipline?
3. How can I incorporate compassion into my prayer life and fasting?

 Closing Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, Lover of Mankind, You who commanded us to love even our enemies, bless our hearts with true compassion, forgiveness, and humility. Teach us, like the Holy Fathers, to see others through Your eyes, to share their burdens, and to pray for those who oppose or hurt us. Deliver us from resentment, pride, and hardness of heart, and let Your grace transform our anger into mercy, our bitterness into love, and our weakness into strength in You. Through the prayers of your Holy Mother and all the saints, Amen!