THE EVIL WHISPERS OF THE DEVIL: SLANDER and GOSSIP. ARE WE MURDERING THE SAINTS OF CHRIST?

Summary

The video script conveys a profound message from St. Macarius the Great about the dangers of slander and gossip, comparing them to murder as they kill the soul. It narrates a story of a woman overwhelmed by negativity online and reflects on the potential loss of saintly souls due to condemnation. The speaker urges viewers to flee from slander, to see themselves as the greatest sinners, and to embrace humility and love to nurture the potential for sainthood in others, warning against the spiritual harm of gossip and its impact on the salvation of many.

Takeaways

• 🙏 The importance of fleeing from negativity and slander, as emphasized by Abba Macarius the Great.
• 🌱 The metaphorical desert as a place of spiritual refuge beyond the physical desert, symbolizing an internal escape from worldly evils.
• 📞 The impact of the pandemic and lockdowns on mental health, leading to increased feelings of isolation and negativity.
• 🌐 The overwhelming presence of negativity, hatred, and division online, affecting personal relationships and spiritual well-being.
• 💔 The destructive power of slander, equated to murder by the Holy Fathers, causing harm to both the slanderer and the listener.
• 🗣️ The comparison of slander to the devil's whisper in Eden, illustrating its corrupting influence on the soul.
• 😔 The potential loss of spiritual growth due to condemnation and gossip, hindering the journey towards repentance and holiness.
• 👼 The hypothetical fate of Saints like Mary of Egypt and Moses the Black in today's judgmental society, highlighting the need for compassion and understanding.
• 🕊️ The transformative power of love, forgiveness, and patience in nurturing the potential for sainthood in others.
• ⛪️ The Church's role as a spiritual womb, providing a nurturing environment for sinners to become Saints through repentance and self-condemnation.
• 🚫 The warning against the spiritual murder of potential Saints through condemnation, which deprives the world of their grace and intercession.

Q & A

Who is Abba Macarius the Great and what advice did he give to the brothers at Scetis?

Abba Macarius the Great is a revered figure in the Christian tradition, particularly known for his teachings and wisdom from the Desert Fathers. He advised the brothers to flee from the negativity and slander that can corrupt the soul.

What is the main issue the sister from the monastery is facing due to the pandemic and lockdowns?

The sister is struggling with the overwhelming negativity, hatred, and divisions she encounters online. This has led to feelings of isolation and separation, and even affected her relationships with loved ones.

How does the speaker describe the impact of slander and gossip on the soul?

The speaker equates slander with murder, stating that it kills the soul of both the one who spreads it and the one who listens to it, dragging them into a pit of poison.

What biblical reference is used to illustrate the destructive nature of slander?

The speaker refers to the story of the serpent in Eden, suggesting that slander is akin to the whispering that led Adam and Eve out of paradise, corrupting the soul of the listener.

What is the potential danger of slander and gossip beyond affecting the immediate parties involved?

The greater danger is the potential loss of a soul that could become a Saint. Slander and gossip can prevent individuals from reaching their spiritual potential and becoming holy figures.

How does the speaker relate the actions of those who slander to the actions of St Mary of Egypt or St Moses the Black?

The speaker suggests that if these Saints were alive today, the internet's negativity and judgment could hinder their spiritual growth and transformation, preventing them from becoming the revered figures they are known as.

What does the speaker suggest is the role of the Church in relation to sinners and potential Saints?

The Church should act as a spiritually nourishing womb, providing love, forgiveness, and examples of Christ's love to help sinners repent and grow in holiness.

What is the consequence of condemning and judging others according to the speaker?

Condemning and judging others not only harms the condemner and the listener but also potentially kills the spiritual life of the one being judged, preventing them from becoming a Saint.

How does the speaker describe the process of transformation from sinner to Saint?

The process is described as fragile, requiring time, patience, and a series of small steps. It involves moving from the depths of sin to the heights of holiness, often through years or even decades of repentance and spiritual growth.

What is the final advice given by St Macarius the Great in the script?

St Macarius advises to flee from slander and gossip, to focus on self-condemnation and repentance, and to open one's heart to God's whisper rather than the devil's.

What message does the speaker convey about the importance of not feeding on negativity and slander?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of feeding on Christ and the examples of His Saints, rather than the negativity and slander that can lead to spiritual death and the loss of potential Saints.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 The Perils of Slander and Gossip

This paragraph discusses the teachings of Abba Macarius the Great on the importance of avoiding slander and gossip, comparing their destructive effects to murder. It recounts a phone call from a sister overwhelmed by the negativity she encounters online, leading to feelings of isolation and division. The speaker emphasizes the spiritual damage caused by spreading and listening to slander, likening it to the devil's actions in Eden, and stresses the need for humility and self-awareness in recognizing one's own sins.

05:01

😔 The Potential Loss of a Saint's Soul

The speaker highlights the greater danger of slander and gossip beyond the harm to the slanderer and the listener: the potential loss of a saint's soul. It contemplates the fate of St. Mary of Egypt and St. Moses the Black in today's world, where public scrutiny and judgment could prevent their transformation into saints. The paragraph calls for compassion and love instead of condemnation, as these qualities can nurture the spiritual growth of potential saints and prevent the loss of their souls.

10:07

🕊️ The Transformative Power of Love and Repentance

This paragraph delves into the transformative journey of sinners to saints, emphasizing the time and care required for repentance and spiritual growth. It contrasts the nurturing environment of love and forgiveness with the destructive impact of condemnation and judgment. The speaker warns against the spiritual murder of potential saints through slander and gossip, which not only hinders their salvation but also deprives the Church and future generations of their spiritual gifts.

15:07

😢 The Devastating Impact of Condemnation on Spiritual Growth

The speaker reflects on the fragility of spiritual growth and the potential for condemnation to derail the process of repentance and transformation. It discusses the long-term commitment required to support sinners in their journey to sainthood, using the examples of St. Mary of Egypt and St. Moses the Black. The paragraph calls for self-reflection and repentance, warning against the enemy of God—slander—that undermines Christ's redemptive work and the salvation of countless souls.

20:13

🙌 The Call for Self-Condemnation and Divine Guidance

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker calls for self-condemnation as a path to open one's heart to God's whisper, contrasting it with the destructive influence of the devil's whisper. The speaker encourages avoiding the temptation of slander and gossip, urging the audience to seek spiritual nourishment from Christ and His saints. The message ends with a prayer for safety, health, and blessings, emphasizing the importance of repentance and the avoidance of slander for spiritual well-being.

Keywords

💡Flee

The term 'flee' is used by Abba Macarius the Great as a call to action, urging his brothers to escape from something negative or harmful. In the context of the video, 'flee' is associated with avoiding the destructive behavior of slander and gossip. The speaker uses this term to emphasize the importance of distancing oneself from negativity and focusing on spiritual growth.

💡Slander

Slander is defined as the act of making false and damaging statements about someone. In the video, it is equated with murder, highlighting its severe impact on the soul. The script discusses the harm caused by slander, both to the one who spreads it and to the one who listens to it, as it can lead to the spiritual death of both parties.

💡Gossip

Gossip refers to casual or unconstrained conversation about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true. The video emphasizes the negative effects of gossip, likening it to a venom that corrupts the soul of both the speaker and the listener, and potentially hindering the spiritual development of others.

💡Desert Fathers

The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits, monks, and ascetics who lived in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. In the video, their teachings are invoked to discuss the evils of slander and gossip, and their wisdom is sought to guide the listener in understanding the spiritual dangers of such behaviors.

💡Pandemic

The pandemic refers to the global outbreak of a disease, in this case, COVID-19. The video mentions the pandemic as a context where the speaker's sister has moved her life online, leading to her exposure to negativity and contributing to her feelings of isolation.

💡Isolation

Isolation, in the video, is described as the feeling of being cut off from others, experienced by the sister due to the overwhelming negativity she encounters online. This term is used to illustrate the emotional and spiritual consequences of being surrounded by a negative environment.

💡Repentance

Repentance is the act of feeling regret or remorse for one's wrongdoings and seeking to make amends. The video discusses the transformative power of repentance, as seen in the lives of St. Mary of Egypt and St. Moses the Black, who became saints after profound acts of repentance.

💡Saints

Saints, in the context of the video, are individuals recognized for their holy lives and exemplary spiritual journeys. The script uses the term to refer to individuals like St. Mary of Egypt and St. Moses the Black, who overcame their past sins through repentance and became revered figures in the Christian tradition.

💡Humility

Humility is the quality of being modest and respectful, not claiming more importance or value than one deserves. The video emphasizes the importance of humility in recognizing oneself as a sinner, which opens the heart to God's grace and prevents the spread of slander and gossip.

💡Condemnation

Condemnation refers to the act of expressing severe disapproval or censure. In the video, condemnation is portrayed as a destructive force that can hinder spiritual growth and the potential for individuals to become saints by focusing on their past mistakes rather than offering love and forgiveness.

💡Potential Saints

Potential Saints in the video are individuals who have the capacity to become holy and revered but may not reach their full spiritual potential due to the negative influence of others, particularly through slander, gossip, and condemnation.

Highlights

Abba Macarius the Great advises to flee from slander and gossip, comparing it to murder as it kills the soul.

Slander and gossip damage both the speaker and the listener, dragging their souls down into a pit of poison.

Desert Fathers equate slander with death, as it destroys the spiritual life of both the slanderer and the one who listens.

The devil used whispering to corrupt Adam and Eve, and those who slander act like the devil, corrupting the souls of listeners.

Slander not only harms the slanderer and listener, but also the potential saint whose reputation is tarnished.

St Mary of Egypt and St Moses the Black are examples of sinners who became saints through repentance and love, not condemnation.

Condemning and gossiping about others can prevent potential saints from reaching their spiritual potential.

Instead of condemning, we should show love, forgiveness, and patience to help others grow spiritually.

Slander and gossip can push people further into sin and despair, hindering their path towards repentance and salvation.

The Church should be a spiritually nourishing womb that feeds sinners with love, examples of repentance, and self-condemnation.

Condemning others is like committing spiritual murder, as it deprives them of their potential for holiness and salvation.

By showing mercy and love to sinners, we help them grow into saints, benefiting ourselves and future generations.

Slander and gossip are enemies of God, as they compromise the saving work of Christ and hinder spiritual growth.

We should flee from slander and gossip, focusing instead on self-reflection, repentance, and seeking God's grace.

Feeding on Christ and the examples of His saints leads to spiritual growth, while feeding on the devil's whispers leads to sin and despair.

The speaker concludes with a call to action for listeners to stay safe, healthy, and blessed, and to seek God's guidance and love.

Transcripts

Abba Macarius the Great said to the  brothers at Scetis: Flee! my brothers, flee!  

One of the old men asked him: Where  could we flee to beyond this desert?  

And Abba Macarius put his finger  on his lips and he said: Flee  

that; and he went into his cell,  shut the door, and sat down praying.

Yesterday, yesterday I had a phone  call from one of the people whom  

we all love dearly at the monastery, a  sister of ours who is in the world and  

she called to ask for help because obviously like  all of us being stuck in the house through this  

pandemic and the lockdowns and everything  that happens she has moved her entire life  

online and she feeds everything in her life  from the internet and sources from the internet,  

and she called to say that she simply  feels overwhelmed with all the negativity  

and all the hatred and all the divisions that  she sees and that she herself has begun to  

accept and see at work in her own  heart against people whom she loves,  

against her parish, against her parish priest,  against her bishop, against her friends,  

even against her family, members of her family  who have different opinions about different topics  

in the world today. She said that everywhere she  looks online all she finds is negative thoughts,  

negative words, slander and gossip against  everything and everyone to the point that now  

she feels isolated and separated from everyone  as if she were an island, not belonging to any  

group of islands, to any continent just an  island by herself lost in, in the ocean,  

and I instantly remembered what the Holy  Fathers, particularly the Fathers of the Desert,  

whom you know how much I love, have to  say about slander and about gossip, and  

we talked a bit about how damaging this  is to the soul of the one who actually  

promotes and puts out the slander and the gossip,  but also to the soul of the one who, who listens,  

and the Holy Fathers were very, very clear  about it: they actually equal slander  

with death, with murder; just like a murderer will  kill the body of his brother or of his sister,  

a slanderer kills the soul of his brother and of  his sister because the soul of the one who listens  

is being dragged down in the same  poison and the same pit as his own soul;  

actually the fathers compare this with what  the devil did through the snake in Eden;  

there is somewhere---I had found it this morning  trying to think about what I would say to you;  

here it is---It was through whispering that  the serpent drove Adam and Eve out of paradise,  

so he who speaks against his neighbour will be  like the devil and the serpent, for he corrupts  

the soul of him who listens to him  and he does not save his own soul  

so two souls are being lost because of slander  and because of gossip, because of condemnation  

of your brother s or your sister s mistakes and  sin and because you do not find the humility  

to see yourself, as we confess again and  again in all the prayers of the Saints,  

that I---not my brother or my  sister---I am the chief among sinners.  

But then at the end of this phone conversation  as I continue to think and to pray for the peace  

of the soul of our sister, whom again we love  dearly and, and her pain and her struggle becomes  

our own, in this love I realize that there is  in fact a greater danger than just the loss of  

the soul of the one who slanders and the loss  of the soul of the one who listens and opens  

himself to the slander which he hears: the greater  danger than losing those two souls is the loss,  

the potential loss of the soul  of a Saint, because you see,  

in a gossip or in a slander there are three  people involved: on the one hand there is the  

one who puts out the slander, and the Fathers  are very clear about what happens to his soul;  

then there is sort of the  one who opens to the slander,  

receives it, and becomes himself or herself a  bearer and a further promoter of that condemnation  

of one's brother or sister and again the Fathers  are clear what happens to the soul of that person;  

but then there is also the soul of the one whom we  condemn, the soul of the one against whom we speak  

slander, against whom we put out this gossip,  and this third person could be a Saint.  

You know I've often wondered, and this occurrence  last night, this phone conversation reminded me,  

this thought I often wondered what would happen if  someone like for instance St Mary of Egypt would  

be alive today, what would happen if the internet  would be filled with photographs and videos  

of this child living in prostitution since she  was 12 or 13 years old, what would her fate be  

if she were to be alive today, and you know  how many Marys of Egypt live among us today,  

young women and young men who live a life of lust  and fallenness and who instead of being cared for  

and surrounded with love and forgiveness and not  judgment, instead of being surrounded by examples  

of Christ's love whom we should become, we should  be the ones witnessing to the love of Christ,  

instead of being surrounded by these examples of  love and patience and care and forgiveness and  

non-condemnation, are surrounded by condemnation,  by them being put down in a corner and put  

down and slandered against and then  their mistakes being constantly being  

thrown into their faces every time they want to  get themselves up and make that new beginning and  

make that gesture of repentance, instead of being  welcomed by the love of Christ they are received  

by angry faces, faces who can hardly wait to  condemn them, to laugh at them, to spit at them;

what would be the fate of St Mary of Egypt if  she were to make that first confession of hers  

in one of our parishes today or if she were to  enter one of our parishes dressed as she was, the  

prostitute by definition.

What happened to St Moses the Black, a thief,  a robber, a rapist, a murderer who became  

not only one of the holiest Elders of the  Egyptian desert but the one whom the fathers  

chose and ordained as their priest, I think,  I think slander and gossip and this evil  

demonic feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment we  feel when our brother and our sister has fallen  

and we can rejoice at their  fallenness, this hideous face of ours  

not only kills me, the one who slanders  my brother, and not only murders  

all those who open themselves to the slander and  receive it and then share it and take it further,  

but the greatest loss is that we also  murder a soul that belongs to a Saint,  

because if St Mary of Egypt or St Moses  the Black or thousands and thousands of  

other Saints who have become Saints and have found  their holiness through repentance after having  

experienced the depth of hell in their bodies,  in their minds, in their actions in the world:  

all of these would no longer become the Saints  they could become if they were surrounded by  

love instead of condemnation, if they were  surrounded by Saints who look at our own sin,  

Saints who self-condemned, who condemned  ourselves for our sinfulness, our fallenness  

and the sins and the falls of our brothers and  our sisters; if this is what they encountered  

we would become that spiritually nourishing womb  that the Church should be so that these sinners,  

the greatest among sinners could enter this womb  and be fed by our examples, be fed by our love,  

be fed by our examples of repentance and  self-condemnation so that they reach their own  

potential and from the greatest among sinners  they could become the greatest among Saints,  

but when we condemn them and when we decide  this is who they are we actually kill them  

and we think that we are serving God in doing  so, and this is no novelty of course, Christ has  

told us this will happen: They will take you into  synagogues and they will take you before emperors  

and judges and they will even kill you thinking  that they bring worship to God; this has happened  

in body---Saints have been killed as Martyrs from  the very first centuries of the Orthodox Church  

to the century we live in today; look what  happened during Communism, look what happens  

in the Orthodox countries today in Syria and  so on---but this also happens spiritually, all  

these potential Saints, all these potential Marys  of Egypt and these potential Moses the Black who  

fail to reach their potential of holiness because  of us, although we have not put a dagger through  

their hearts, although we have not killed them in  their bodies we have killed them in their souls  

and when we kill them we deprive them of their  potential and their salvation and we deprive us of  

the gifts of grace they would have bestowed upon  us if we had acted as agents for their salvation;  

do you think that any of the people who showed  mercy and care and love towards the sinner who  

Mary of Egypt was or towards the sinner who  Moses the Black was before they became the  

Saints we know of today, do you think any of  these people who showed compassion and love and  

forgiveness towards them have been forgotten in  the Kingdom of God and do you think any of these  

have missed on receiving the right just payment  for their good hearts and for their love, and do  

you think that any of those who spit upon them and  condemned them and put them down and compromised  

an opportunity for them to lift up from their sin  earlier and to make their movements towards God  

earlier than what happened, do you think they have  remained without their just judgment? It takes  

time for a human being to grow, it takes  time and for many of us it takes mistakes,  

it takes fall after fall after fall, it takes the  experience of hell and the depth of despondency  

before the light of Christ shines through and  overtakes all that we are and we finally gather  

the strength to see the light and to be able  to walk towards the light of Christ, that life  

that will overcome us, overtake us, become who  we are and transform our being in repentance;  

it takes time, years and sometimes decades: St  Mary of Egypt lived in the desert for 47 years;  

St Moses the Black died in the desert in his old  age---it takes time and it is such a fragile,  

such a fragile process to lift a sinner up from  his or her sin and to gently and carefully,  

in steps that are so small that are almost  impossible to perceive from the outside,  

it takes so much time to care for the soul  of a Saint, and when Christ has invested the  

time and the love and the care to raise them up,  to call them from their fallenness, from their sin  

to a point where they see the light of His love  and they are almost ready to open up, almost ready  

to welcome Him into their hearts, and then I come  along or you come along and we spit on them and  

we condemn them again for what they have done 20  years ago or two years ago and we take them down  

and it just pushed them back into the despondency  and all the sin that comes with despondency,  

when we compromise all the work of love that  Christ has invested in these potential Saints,  

why are we surprised that the Fathers call those  who slander their brothers and their sisters  

the enemies of God, because where God came  to bring life they purposely and knowingly  

compromise the saving work of Christ and  they not only fail to save their souls,  

not only pour the poison of their  slander in the hearts of all those who  

open themselves up to hear this and to condemn  their brother and sister, but they also compromise  

the soul of potential Saints of the Church and all  those who in the generations to come would have  

benefited from the examples of the lives of  the Saints and from their prayers and their  

intercessions before God. How many millions of  us have benefited from the prayers of St Mary  

of Egypt or St Moses the Black or St Silouan, who  experienced the depths of despondency, and so many  

other Saints who before they became the Saints,  these glorious stars of heaven, were in the depths  

of one passion or another? How many millions and  millions of us have found our hope for salvation  

looking at their examples and  feeding ourselves from their prayers?  

When you put down one of your brothers or one  of your sisters, when your evilness and your  

slander compromises the work of love that Christ  has invested in them in order to drag them from  

the depths of hell and bring them to the height of  heaven, you not only compromise your soul and the  

ones who listen to you and even just the soul  of that Mary of Egypt or that Moses the Black,  

but you compromise the salvation of the millions  and millions who could have found hope and  

love and courage to move towards Christ in the  generations to come by praying to these saints  

whom I have killed through my gossip,  through my slander, through my condemnation.  

Flee, my brother! Flee, my sister!  said St Macarius the Great.  

Where further can we flee? asked the old  men of the Egyptian Desert. Flee this;

said St Macarius, and then he went back into  his cell, he shut the door, and in silence  

he went back into his prayer of remorse  and repentance over his own sin.  

When you condemn yourself, when you see yourself  as the Saints teach us---that we are the greatest  

among sinners---you open your heart to the  whisper of God in your being. When instead of that  

you open yourself to the whisper of the  devil, to the whisper of the serpent who by  

another whisper compromised the life of our  forefathers in Eden, the same happens to us  

and we fall from the little Eden of our  hearts, we fall from the grace of God,  

from the womb of the Church and we drag down with  us in the depth of our sin those who listen to us  

and unfortunately all those who we slander and  whose potential for holiness we compromise, again  

and again. Feed yourselves from  Christ and the examples of His  

Saints, my brothers and my sisters; don't feed  yourselves from the devil and his servants.  

Stay safe, stay healthy, and be blessed,  wherever you are in the world. Amen, amen, amen.