Many of us think of passion as something that we should desire.  If we are passionate about something, it means that we driven with desire to fulfill the task at hand.  The meaning of the word "passion" in the early church meant "to suffer."  When we speak of Christ's passion, we speak of his suffering during the events of his crucifixion.

Each of us are afflicted by the passions that occurred after the fall of Adam and Eve.  This is the disease that was passed down.  Also from the word "passion" we derive the word, "passive."  The passions are sin sicknesses that have occurred in our hearts after the fall that feel so natural we can have them operate in our lives and we are its passive victim.  Because of this, to be healed from them, we have to fight.  We don't fight in our own strength, but in the Grace of Jesus Christ.  It is still a fight, however, because healing from the passions feels very unnatural.  But in fact, the effects of the passions in our life is quite unnatural.  We were never made for this.  Many of the passions feel natural and pleasurable to us, like gluttony, pride, lust, anger, and avarice.  But in reality, these things cause us to suffer and are pulling us away from God.  We cannot serve two masters Christ teaches us. (Matt. 6:24)

"What a man loves, that he certainly desires; and what he desires, that he strives to obtain."

  - Abba Evagrius, Directions on Spiritual Training

In this life, we either strive to obtain God, or we strive to obtain the things that are opposed to God and are controlling us.  St. Innocent of Alaska (1879) wrote:

"Every individual instinctively strives for happiness. This desire has been implanted in our nature by the Creator Himself, and therefore it is not sinful. But it is important to understand that in this temporary life it is impossible to find full happiness, because that comes from God and cannot be attained without Him. Only He, who is the ultimate Good and the source of all good, can quench our thirst for happiness."

St. Innocent of Alaska, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven

As pleasurable and deceptive as the passions are, we can be healed from them and find the eternal happiness that is in Christ.  This process is often painful, but as St. Paul writes,  "for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Rom. 8:18)

There are certain paths of healing for each type of passion.  The Church fathers defined each of the passions and laid out the way of healing.  St. John Cassion lays them out in this way:

gluttony

fornication (lust)

love of money (coveteousness)

anger

dejection,

despondency

vainglory

pride

Out of these 8 main passions arise all other sins.  The Church fathers assist us by defining these principle passion and the treatment for each.

This article is under construction and will be finished soon.

On The Passions from Elder Ephraim in the book, "Counsels from the Holy Mountain"

Struggle, my child, for God's road is narrow and thorny; not inherently, but because of our passions.  Since we want to eradicate from our heart the passions, which are like thorny roots, so that we may plant useful plants, naturally we shall toil greatly and our hands will bleed and our face will sweat.  Sometimes even despair will overcome us, seeing roots and passions everywhere!

But with our hope in Christ, the Repairer of our souls, let us diligently work at clearing the earth of our heart.  Patience, mourning, humility, obedience, cutting off one's will -- all these virtues help cultivate it.  We must apply all our strength, and then God, seeing our labor, comes and blesses it, and thus we make progress.

Take courage, for the toil is temporary and ephemeral, whereas the reward is great in heaven.  Struggle and be vigilant with your thoughts.  Keep a firm hold on hope, for this shows that your house is founded on the rock -- and the rock is our Christ.

Do not feed your passions by yielding to them, so that you do not suffer pain and affliction later!  Labor now, as much as you can, because otherwise, if the passions are not tended to, in time they become second nature, and then try and deal with them!  Whereas now, if you fight against them lawfully, as we advise you, you will be freed and will have happiness by the grace of God.

The thing that should preoccupy us above all is how to cleanse our heart from the passions and how to abate some passion or vice!  The visitations of grace that God sends us from time to time for consolation do not play an important role, because they come and go.  Ah, those passions! They are like roots with thorns.  How much toil, how much pain, what tears, what prayers are necessary for a person to find slight relief -- it is a real martyrdom!

I pray to the merciful God that He will show you the path of salvation and guide you as a hart to the springs of the living water of refreshment.  Man is full of passions, shortcomings, etc., and in order to be freed of them, he must engage in a bloody battle.  Once he wins, with God's help, he will receive here in this life the promise of the future marriage with the Lamb, Who was ruthlessly slaughtered by cruel hands accursed by God. 

Counsels from the Holy Mountain, by Elder Ephraim