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Philokalia Ministries

Father David Abernethy

Philokalia Ministries is the fruit of 30 years spent at the feet of the Fathers of the Church. Led by Father David Abernethy, Philokalia (Philo: Love of the Kalia: Beautiful) Ministries exists to re-form hearts and minds according to the mold of the Desert Fathers through the ascetic life, the example of the early Saints, the way of stillness, prayer, and purity of heart, the practice of the Jesus Prayer, and spiritual reading. Those who are involved in Philokalia Ministries - the podcasts, videos,

religion & spirituality spirituality

All Episodes

01:02:45

The Evergetinos: Book Two - Part XXXV, Part II

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/19

The Fathers are unyielding in their teaching: anger must never be given room in the heart. It is a passion rooted in pride, and when indulged, it blinds the soul, drives away the Holy Spirit, and turns one into a worshipper of rage as if it were an idol. Abba Poimen reminds us that it is not enough to endure the turmoil anger creates—we must learn to drive it out entirely. Left unchecked, anger deceives us with excuses and pretexts, but humility demolishes the very foundation of its power.Abba

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01:06:13

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/15

St. Isaac’s counsel confronts the modern temptation toward self-promotion, verbal dominance, and the illusion of expertise. In a time when our culture prizes quick answers, visible influence, and a polished public persona, his words cut against the grain. He reminds us that the deepest authority is not rooted in rhetoric or clever disputation, but in the quiet radiance of a virtuous life. Humility, expressed in meek speech, modest bearing, restraint in judgment, and continual learning, guards the

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01:05:37

The Evergetinos: Book Two - Part XXXV, Part I

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/13

Synopsis Of Tonight’s Group on The Evergetinos Volume II Hypothesis XXXV Section A paragraphs 1-5:“One should never become angry or shout at anyone. An irascible man, even if he should raise the dead is not acceptable before God!” Such thoughts from the fathers already set the tone of this hypothesis and begin to challenge our sensibilities; the way that we deal with annoyances, direct attacks against ourselves or the faith or in a broader way the way the way we deal with violence in the world

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01:04:42

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/08

St Isaac the Syrian’s words strike with such power and seek to draw us away from what we desperately cling to as human beings - vainglory. Our focus upon ourselves, our particular needs and desires, makes us gather “abominable treasures“ for ourselves that defile our hearts. But more than defiling our hearts, such a vainglory prevents us from experiencing the love and mercy of God in all of its fullness. Thus, Saint Isaac does not hold back in emphasizing the need to purify the heart from all

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01:01:01

The Evergetinos: Book Two - Part XXXIV, Part II

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/05

Synopsis of Tonight’s Group on The Evergetinos Volume II Hypothesis XXXIV Sections A6-F Conclusion: When we come across the high standards of the desert fathers, especially if they are jarring to our own sensibilities, we can tend to not just to read their writings critically but to dismiss them as hyperbolic or extreme. Yet it is precisely the internal dis-ease that their writings create within us that brings us back to the heart of the gospel and what it means to be a Christian. What does it

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01:07:00

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/01

In the writings of Saint Isaac the Syrian, we see so beautifully the desert fathers emphasis on praxis; that is, how we concretely live out our faith in our day-to-day life and relationships. They knew that Christ can be lost to the mind and the heart not only through sin but also simply in the warp and wolf of day-to-day life. We surround ourselves with things that provide us with a sense of security and identity. This goes beyond material goods and includes our being driven by busyness and the

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01:02:02

The Evergetinos: Book Two - Part XXXIV, Part I

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/08/01

The desert fathers were incredibly sensitive to the simple things in life that we often take for granted; the ways that we speak with others and treat them. In this sense, they were psychologically astute; realizing that in the warp and woof of day-to-day life, it is often the small things that affect relationships the most and so also a place where we are provoked to sin. We often describe these aspects of our life as normal or natural; that is, being human. Yet, even that which is good must be

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01:04:58

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/24

Renunciation: The word has certain connotations that are often tied to deprivation or unhappiness. What we find in the writings of the great ascetics, St. Isaac especially, is something quite different; the weaning of ourselves from the things that we are attached to in the world in order to become more attached to God, to what endures and fills the soul with consolation and strength. For example, we are called to embrace the practice of vigils, to rise during the night to pray and thereby humbling

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01:18:34

The Evergetinos: Book Two - XXXII, Part X and XXXIII,...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/22

As we completed hypothesis 32 and considering the fathers’ teaching on contrition being a source of spiritual labor and protection, we made a segway into the most beautiful and compelling of stories found in the Evergetinos. The story captures why we must maintain a spirit of humility and contrition to the very end of our lives. Regardless of the depth of our love and mercy or our gratitude toward God and others for their care, the evil one through his relentless provocation can throw us back on our

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01:09:44

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/17

Saint Isaac the Syrian begins this homily with the words: “The soul that loves God finds rest only in God.“ This thought permeates all that is to follow. Our weaning ourselves from our attachment to the things of the world and our own self-esteem and judgment opens our eyes to the love and freedom that is ours in Christ. To see this, Saint Isaac tells us, one must engage in the ascetic life; that is, we must discipline the body through vigils, prayer fasting and the like; cultivating the heart in

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01:04:53

The Evergetinos: Book Two - XXXII, Part IX

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/16

The Desert Fathers make it very clear that in every element of our faith life we are being drawn into the mystery of God and the kingdom. Therefore, we must become comfortable with living in mystery; of being immersed in a reality that is beyond intellect and reason and comprehended solely through the gift of faith and the light that God bestow upon us. We often move very quickly to dissect what has been revealed to us by God, both for ourselves and others. Discussing matters of faith and reading

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01:57:37

Phronema: Having the Mind of Christ

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/13

Links provided to the group: Outline: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/250d23a5-4286-ca11-aa97-511cb2db99e7/Phronema_Outline_2025.pdf Phronema in the Teachings of Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/bcb1bdd1-e77a-1f58-b90d-8070e0f7f9d5/Phronema_in_Teachings_of_Zacharias_Zacharou.pdf Quotes:

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01:05:55

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/13

Perhaps there has been no greater or more beautiful exhortation written than Saint Isaac the Syrian’s homily on temptation. This may seem to be a rather bold statement, but Isaac’s words draw us into the very heart of a reality that even many men and women of faith do not see; that is, we are engaged in a spiritual warfare against the Evil One. Evil is not an abstraction or a story meant to instill fear as a means of control. Isaac speaks of it from the perspective of experience and like the other

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57:37

The Evergetinos: Book Two - XXXII, Part VIII

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/08

The beauty of the writings of the fathers and in particular the lived experiences of the monks as described in the Evergetinos brings to life the spiritual life in an unparalleled fashion. They show us that there is no part of the spiritual life that can be seen outside the context of our relationship with God. In other words, there is no spiritual practice or discipline, no spiritual fruit or experience that does not begin and end with God and his grace. Contrition is love! It is rooted in the

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01:06:22

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/03

Knowledge of God comes through the experience of God. When faith remains an abstraction, an idea, it is destined to remain lifeless and loses its capacity to transform and heal. It is the Lord Himself - He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - who must teach us. Outside this path, we will lack all understanding. What we are called to contemplate is not simply what we can see with our eyes, perceive through our senses or conceive through our intellect. It is the mind of God, the mind of Christ,

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01:01:44

The Evergetinos: Book Two - XXXII, Part VII

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/07/01

When reading the fathers, it is as if we are swimming in the living waters of their faith and love for God. In this sense we are in a privileged position: we are able to catch a glimpse of what might otherwise be completely incomprehensible to us. Yet the warmth of the light of their faith is undeniable; for contrition is often understood and experienced as the coldest of realities, expressing only the poverty of our sin and the distance from God that it creates. When reading the fathers, however,

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01:27:18

Thirst for God

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/06/26

Text of chat during the group: 00:15:43 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/7dc24fb1-6e46-0667-4ec1-01790064a60b/Thirst_for_God_Zacharou.pdf 00:16:31 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://mcusercontent.com/c38acab568d650f7ef65f39df/files/7dc24fb1-6e46-0667-4ec1-01790064a60b/Thirst_for_God_Zacharou.pdf 00:16:48 Fr. Charbel Abernethy:

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01:01:35

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/06/26

Saint Isaac the Syrian asks the question that has been put forward for centuries - “how are we to pray?” In fact, our Lord himself was asked by his disciples to teach them how to pray as John the Baptizer taught his disciples. Within a few beautiful paragraphs Isaac opens up for us not only what we are to pray for but why. What Isaac would have us understand is that our prayer should be a reflection both of who God is and what he is revealed already in regard to his desires for us and a reflection

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01:03:51

The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian -...

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/06/26

As we listen to St. Isaac the Syrian in Homily Three his focus shifts from speaking of the necessary foundation to be laid in the spiritual life, purity of mind, to drawing us further to purity of heart. Purity of mind is established through the toils of the ascetic life, including vigils, fasting, prayer and meditation upon the scriptures, etc. One’s attraction to the life of virtue grows. However, Isaac warns us that as quickly as it is formed within us, it can be lost. A soul may allow into the

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01:03:07

The Evergetinos: Book Two - XXXII, Part VI

Philokalia Ministries ·

2025/06/24

Contrition is love! To many this will seem to be an absurdity, but when we look not only to the writings of the fathers, but to the life of Christ himself something far more beautiful begins to emerge. Contrition, in order for it to be genuine and not to lead to despair, must be tied to a depth of love that does not allow for any other response from the heart than to weep. One of the perfect examples came tonight through the teaching of Abba Poimen. “On one occasion, as he was returning to Egypt,

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