Elder St Porphyrios on Attaining Natural Holiness…
Your most intense effort should be how you will encounter Christ, how you will be united to Him and how you will keep Him in your heart. Forget about all your weaknesses so that the adverse spirit does not
realize what is going on and grab you and pin you down and cause you grief. Make no effort to free yourself from these weaknesses. Make your
struggle with calmness and simplicity, without contortion and anxiety…
Don’t say: ‘Now I’ll force myself and I’ll pray to acquire love and become good.’ It is not profitable to afflict yourself to become good. In this way your negative response will be worse…everything should be done in a natural way, calmly and freely. Nor should you pray, ‘0 God free me from my anger, my sorrow, etc.’ It is not good to pray about or think
about the specific passion; something happens in our soul and we become even more enmeshed in the passion. Attack your passion head on and you’ll see how strongly it will entwine you and grip you and you won’t be able to do anything.”
– Wounded by Love