I saw the snares
that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can
get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me,
"Humility."
--St. Anthony the Great
The Seraph could
not touch the fire's coal with his fingers, but
just brought it close to Isaiah's mouth: the Seraph did not hold
it, Isaiah did not consume it, but us our Lord has allowed to do both.
--St. Ephraim the Syrian
Blessed the one who has become wholly free in the Lord from all the
earthly things of this vain life and loved God alone, the good and
compassionate.
--St. Ephraim the Syrian. "The 55 Beatitudes"
Let us charge
into the good fight with joy and love without being afraid of our
enemies. Though unseen themselves, they can look at the face of our
soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they take up arms against us
all the more fiercely. For the cunning creatures have observed that we
are scared. So let us take up arms against them courageously. No one
will fight with a resolute fighter.
--St. John Climacus
"Those who possess the fear of God are the
furthest from telling lies, because they have an honest judge, their own
conscience."
--St. John Climacus
When a man walks in the fear of God he knows no fear,
even if he were to be surrounded by wicked men. He has the fear of God
within him and wears the invincible armor of faith. This makes him
strong and able to take on anything, even things which seem difficult
or impossible to most people. Such a man is like a giant surrounded by
monkeys, or a roaring lion among dogs and foxes. He goes forward
trusting in the Lord and the constancy of his will to strike and
paralyze his foes. He wields the blazing club of the Word in wisdom.
--St. Symeon
the New Theologian
The Practical and Theological Chapters
When we lay
bare the hidden meaning of the history, scripture is seen to teach that
the birth which distresses the tyrant is the beginning of the virtuous
life. I am speaking of the kind of birth in which free will serves as
the midwife, delivering the child amid great pain. For no one causes
grief to his antagonist unless he exhibits in himself those marks which
give proof of his victory over the other.
St. Gregory
of Nyssa
The Life of Moses.
O strange and
inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we were not really buried,
we were not really crucified and raised again, but our imitation was but
a figure, while our salvation is in reality. Christ was actually
crucified, and actually buried, and truly rose again; and all these
things have been vouchsafed to us, that we, by imitation communicating
in His sufferings, might gain salvation in reality. O surpassing
loving-kindness! Christ received the nails in His undefiled hands and
feet, and endured anguish; while to me without suffering or toil, by the
fellowship of His pain He vouchsafed salvation.
St. Cyril of
Jerusalem
On the Christian Sacraments.
Repentance is
the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract
with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of
humility. Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance
is self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is the
daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent is an
undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by the
practice of good deeds contrary to the sins. Repentance is purification
of conscience. Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions.
A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a
mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul
into vigorous awareness.
St. John
Climacus
Those who
seek humility should bear in mind the three following things: that they
are the worst of sinners, that they are the most despicable of all
creatures since their state is an unnatural one, and that they are even
more pitiable than the demons, since they are slaves to the demons. You
will also profit if you say this to yourself: how do I know what or how
many other people's sins are, or whether they are greater than or equal
to my own? In our ignorance you and I , my soul, are worse than all men,
we are dust and ashes under their feet. How can I not regard myself as
more despicable than all other creatures, for they act in
accordance with the nature they have been given, while I, owing to
my innumerable sins, am in a state contrary to nature.
St. Gregory
of Sinai
Philokalia, Vol. IV.
He,
therefore, who sets himself to act evilly and yet wishes
others to be silent, is a witness against himself, for he wishes
himself to be loved more than the truth, which he does not wish to be
defended against himself. There is, of course, no man who so lives as
not sometimes to sin, but he wishes truth to be loved more than himself,
who wills to be spared by no one against the truth. Wherefore, Peter
willingly accepted the rebuke of Paul; David willingly hearkened to the
reproof of a subject. For good rulers who pay no regard to self-love, ,
take as a homage to their humility the free and sincere words of
subjects. But in this regard the office of ruling must be tempered with
such great art of moderation, that the minds of subjects, when
demonstrating themselves capable of taking right views in some matters,
are given freedom of expression, but freedom that does not issue
into pride, otherwise, when liberty of speech is granted too generously,
the humility of their own lives will be lost.
St. Gregory
The Great
Pastoral Care
The Lord of
all gave to His apostles the power of the gospel, and by them we also
have learned the truth, that is, the teaching of the Son of God - as the
Lord said to them, `He who hears you hears Me, and he who despises you
despises Me, and Him Who sent Me' [Luke10:16]. For we learned the plan
of our salvation from no other than from those through whom the gospel
came to us. The first preached it abroad, and then later by the will of
God handed it down to us in Scriptures, to be the foundation and pillar
of our faith. For it is not right to say that they preached before
they had come to perfect knowledge, as some dare to say, boasting
that they are the correctors of the apostles. For after our Lord
had risen from the dead, and they were clothed with the power from
on high when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were filled with all
things and had perfect knowledge. They went out to the ends of the
earth, preaching the good things that come to us from God,
and proclaiming peace from heaven to all men, all and each of
them equally being in possession of the gospel of God.
St. Irenaeus
Against the Heresies, III
The Lord's
Day is a mystery of the knowledge of the truth that is not received by
flesh and blood, and it transcends speculations. In this age there is no
eighth day, nor is there a true Sabbath. For he who said that `God
rested on the seventh day,' signified the rest [of our nature] from the
course of this life, since the grave is also of a bodily nature and
belongs to this world. Six days are accomplished in the husbandry of
life by means of keeping the commandments; the seventh is spent entirely
in the grave; and the eighth is the departure from it.
St. Isaac of
Syria
The Ascetical Homilies
The wicked
one, on the watch, carried me off as booty as I lazily slept. He led my
mind into error; he plundered my spirit and snatched away the wealth of
Thy grace, this arch robber. So raise me up, as I am fallen, and summon
me, Saviour, Thou who dost will that all men be saved.
Kontakia of
St. Romanos,
A Prayer
The roof of
any house stands upon the foundations and the rest of the structure. The
foundations themselves are laid in order to carry the roof. This is both
useful and necessary, for the roof cannot stand without the foundations
and the foundations are absolutely useless without the roof - no help to
any living creature. In the same way the grace of God is preserved by
the practice of the commandments, and the observance of
these commandments is laid down like foundations through the gift
of God. The grace of the Spirit cannot remain with us without
the practice of the commandments, but the practice of the
commandments is of no help or advantage to us without the grace of God.
St. Symeon
the New Theologian
I shall speak
first about control of the stomach, the opposite to
gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat. I shall
say nothing on my own account, but only what I have received from the
Holy Fathers. They have not given us only a single rule for fasting or a
single standard and measure for eating, because not everyone has the
same strength; age, illness or delicacy of body create differences. But
they have given us all a single goal: to avoid over-eating and the
filling of our bellies... A clear rule for self-control handed down by
the Fathers is this: stop eating while still hungry and do not continue
until you are satisfied.
St. John
Cassian
In
Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a
theory, a teaching, or a system, but rather, it is the living
theanthropic hypostasis - the historical Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since they
did not possess it. With Christ as the incarnate divine Logos the
eternally complete divine Truth enters into the world. For this
reason the Gospel says: "Truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
St. Justin Popovich
God is a fire
that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts.
Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the
devil - for the devil is cold - let us call on the Lord. He will
come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but
also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will
flee before the heat of His countenance.
St. Seraphim of Sarov
+ + +
In the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and
work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an
obstacle even for those who do not devote themselves to it. Yet,
when we must put aside our wrath, quench our envy, soften our
anger, offer our prayers, and show a disposition which is
reasonable, mild, kindly, and loving, how could poverty stand in
our way? For we accomplish these things not by spending money but
by making the correct choice. Almsgiving above all else requires
money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms
are given from our poverty. The widow who paid in the two mites
was poorer than any human, but she outdid them all.
St. John Chrysostom
+ + +
Every day you provide your bodies with good to keep them from
failing. In the same way your good works should be the daily
nourishment of your hearts. Your bodies are fed with food and your
spirits with good works. You aren't to deny your soul, which is
going to live forever, what you grant to your body, which is going
to die.
St. Gregory the Great
"Remember, O
my soul, the terrible and frightful wonder: that your
Creator for your sake became Man, and deigned to suffer for the
sake of your salvation. His angels tremble, the Cherubim are
terrified, the Seraphim are in fear, and all the heavenly powers
ceaselessly give praise; and you, unfortunate soul, remain in
laziness. At least from this time forth arise and do not put off,
my beloved soul, holy repentence, contrition of heart and penance
for your sins."
St. Paisius Velichkovsky
+ + +
This is the mark of Christianity--however much a man toils, and
however many righteousnesses he performs, to feel that he has done
nothing, and in fasting to say, "This is not fasting," and in
praying, "This is not prayer," and in perseverance at prayer, "I
have shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to practice
and to take pains"; and even if he is righteous before God, he
should say, "I am not righteous, not I; I do not take pains, but
only make a beginning every day."
St. Macarius the Great
+ + +
Be strong in Me; and you, too, Andrew; just as you were the first
to find Me, you were found by me; so find the one who has
wandered;
Do not forget your first skill; from it I shall educate you for
this new art.
Formerly, naked into the deep sea, now naked into life;
Formerly, hunting with a fishing-rod, now taught to fish with the
cross;
Formerly, you used a worm as bait; now I order you to hunt with My
flesh.
I alone know what is in the heart.
Kontakia of St. Romanos, On the Mission of the Apostles.
+ + +
Why do you trouble yourself in a house that is not your own? Let
the sight of a dead man be a teacher for you concerning your
departure from hence.
St. Isaac the Syrian
+ + +
Beguiling and deceptive is the life of the world, fruitless its
labor, perilous its delight, poor its riches, delusive its honors,
inconstant, insignificant; and woe to those who hope in its
seeming goods: because of this many die without repentance.
Blessed and mos blessed are those who depart from the world and
its desires.
Elder Nazarius
+ + +
Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great
and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with
joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this,
the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the
world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses
them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them.
But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his
learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and
worshipper of the world.
St. Innocent of Irkutsk, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
+ + +
The demons are sleepless and immaterial, death is at hand, and I
am weak. Lord, help me; do not let Thy creature perish, for Thou
carest for me in my misery.
St. Peter of Damascus
+ + +
You cannot destroy the passions on your own, but ask God, and He
will destroy them, if this is profitable for you.
St. Anatoly of Optina
+ + +
The soul that really loves God and Christ, though it may do ten
thousand righteousnesses, esteems itself as having wrought
nothing, by reason of its insatiable aspiration after God. Though
it should exhaust the body with fastings, with watchings, its
attitude towards the virtues is as if it had not yet even begun to
labour for them.
St. Macarius the Great
+ + +
Souls that love truth and God, that long with much hope and faith
to put on Christ completely, do not need so much to be put in re
membrance by others, nor do they endure, even for a while, to be
deprived of the heavenly desire and of passionate affection to the
Lord; but being wholly and entirely nailed to the cross of Christ,
they perceive in themselves day by day a sense of spiritual
advance towards the spiritual Bridegroom.
St. Macarius the Great
+ + +
An old man was asked, 'How can I find God?' He said, 'In fasting,
in watching, in labours, in devotion, and, above all, in
discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without
discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing.
Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by
heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that
which God seeks: charity and humility.'
Apophthegmata Patrum
+ + +
The hour of death will come upon us, it will come, and we shall
not escape it. May the prince of this world and of the air (cf.
John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) find our misdeeds few and petty when he
comes, so that he will not have good grounds for convicting us.
Otherwise we shall weep in vain. 'For that servant who knew his
lord's will and did not do it as a servant, shall be beaten with
many stripes' (cf. Luke 12:47).
St. Hesychius the Priest
+ + +
Do not seek the perfection of the law in human virtues, for it is
not found perfect in them. Its perfection is hidden in the Cross
of Christ.
St. Mark the Ascetic
+ + +
Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but
stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who
guards you will honour your patience.
St. John of the Ladder
+ + +
Behold, this is the true and the Christian humility. In this you
will be able to achieve victory over every vice, by attributing to
God rather than to yourself the fact that you have won.
St. Martin of Braga
+ + +
We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that "the
eyes of the Lord are looking on the good and the evil in every
place." But we should believe this especially without any doubt
when we are assisting at the Work of God. To that end let us be
mindful always of the Prophet's words, "Serve the Lord in fear"
and again, "Sing praises wisely" and "In the sight of the Angels I
will sing praise to Thee." Let us therefore consider how we ought
to conduct ourselves in the sight of the Godhead and of His
Angels, and let us take part in the psalmody in such a way that
our mind may be in harmony with our voice.
St. Benedict
+ + +
Humility is the only thing we need; one can still fall having
virtues other than humility -- but with humility one does not
fall.
Elder Herman of Mt. Athos
+ + +
When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you
are wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as
always, that God the Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter
than the sun; also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and
all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God,
and where God is, there are they also. Where the sun is, thither
also are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means.
St. John of Kronstadt
+ + +
God descends to the humble as waters flow down from the hills into
the valleys.
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
+ + +
Our holy fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and
concentrated wholly on this one doing, that is, on guarding the
heart, convinced that, through this practice, they would easily
attain every other virtue, whereas without it not a single virtue
can be firmly established.
St. Symeon the New Theologian
+ + +
If you are praised, be silent. If you are scolded, be silent. If
you incur losses, be silent. If you receive profit, be silent. If
you are satiated, be silent. If you are hungry, also be silent.
And do not be afraid that there will be no fruit when all dies
down; there will be! Not everything will die down. Energy will
appear; and what energy!
St. Feofil, the Fool for Christ
+ + +
When anyone is disturbed or saddened under the pretext of a good
and soul-profiting matter, and is angered against his neighbour,
it is evident that this is not according to God: for everything
that is of God is peaceful and useful and leads a man to humility
and to judging himself.
St. Barsanuphius the Great
+ + +
What, then, are the things which are being prepared for those who
wait for Him? The Creator and Father of the ages, the All-holy
One, Himself knows their greatness and beauty. Let us then strive
to be found among the number of those that wait, that we may
receive a share of the promised gifts.
St. Clement of Rome
+ + +
Even if an angel should indeed appear to you, do not receive him
but humiliate yourself, saying, 'I am not worthy to see an angel,
for I am a sinner.'
Apophthegmata Patrum
+ + +
We should zealously cultivate watchfulness, my brethren; and when,
our mind purified in Christ Jesus, we are exalted by the vision it
confers, we should review our sins and our former life, so that
shattered and humbled at the thought of them we may never lose the
help of Jesus Christ our God in the invisible battle.
St. Hesychius the Presbyter
+ + +
Let us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were formed,
who we are, and with what nature we came into the world, and how
He Who formed and created us brought us into His world from the
darkness of a grave, and prepared his benefits for us before we
were born. Since, therefore, we have everything from Him, we ought
in everything to give Him thanks, to Whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
St. Clement of Rome
+ + +
Prove your love and zeal for wisdom in actual deeds.
St. Callistus Xanthopoulos
+ + +
What purposelessness, oh the deceit of life; truly in vain does
each man vex himself, and truly blessed and thrice-blessed are
those who have left everything for the Lord, that they may attain
the good things announced in the Gospels. For what profit will it
be for a man to enjoy the whole world, but lose his soul, to which
the whole universe is not equivalent? All the splendor of man is
like the blossom of grass. For the grass departs and the blossom
dies, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever.
St. Nicon "Repent Ye"
+ + +
It depends on us whether we wish to be saved.
Apophthegmata Patrum
+ + +
When the blessed Eulogius saw an angel distributing gifts to the
monks who toiled at all-night vigils, to one he gave a gold piece
with the image of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to another a silver piece
with a cross, to another a copper piece, to another a bronze
piece, and to another nothing. The others who had remained in the
church, left the church empty-handed. It was revealed to him that
the ones who had obtained the gifts are those who toil at vigils
and are diligent in prayers, supplications, psalms, chants, and
readings. Those who received nothing or who left the church
empty-handed are those who are heedless of their salvation, are
enslaved to vainglory and the clamors of life, and stand feebly
and lazily at vigils and whisper and jest.
St. Joseph of Volokalamsk
+ + +
Chastise your soul with the thought of death, and through
remembrance of Jesus Christ concentrate your scattered intellect.
St. Philotheus of Sinai
+ + +
Do we forgive our neighbors their trespasses? God also forgives us
in His mercy. Do we refuse to forgive? God, too, will refuse to
forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us.
The forgiveness, then, of your sins or unforgiveness, and hence
also your salvation or destruction, depend on you yourself, man.
For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation. You can see
for yourself how terrible it is.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, Journey to Heaven.
+ + +
What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to
climb hills and the summits of mountains! What, that we may ascend
to heaven! If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is
less. Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting
life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.
St. Cyprian
+ + +
A man may seem to be silent, but if his heart is condemning
others, he is babbling ceaselessly. But there may be another who
talks from morning till night and yet he is truly silent, that is,
he says nothing that is not profitable.
Abba Pimen
+ + +
The way of humility is this: self-control, prayer, and thinking
yourself inferior to all creatures.
Abba Tithoes
+ + +
The body is a slave, the soul a sovereign, and therefore it is due
to Divine mercy when the body is worn out by illness: for thereby
the passions are weakened, and a man comes to himself; indeed,
bodily illness itself is sometimes caused by the passions.
St. Seraphim of Sarov, Spiritual Instructions
+ + +
Make glad, O Jerusalem, and all ye who love Sion, keep feast.
Today the ancient bond of the condemnation of Adam is loosed.
Paradise is opened to us: the serpent is laid low; for of old he
deceived the woman in Paradise, but now he seeth a woman become
the Mother of the Creator. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom
and knowledge of God! The instrument of sin that brought death
upon all flesh hath become the first fruits of salvation for the
whole world through the Theotokos. For God the All-perfect is born
a babe of her, and by His birth He doth set a seal upon her
virginity. By His swaddling bands he doth loose the bands of sin,
and by becoming a child He doth heal Eve's pangs in travail.
Wherefore, let all creation sing and dance for joy, for Christ
hath come to restore it and to save our souls.
Glory of the Aposticha of the Feast
+ + +
Christ is Risen!
O the marvel! the forbearance! the immeasurable meekness!
The Untouched is felt; the Master is held by a servant,
And He reveals His wounds to one of His inner circle.
Seeing these wounds, the whole Creation was shaken at the time.
Thomas, when he was considered worthy of such gifts,
Lifted up a prayer to the One Who deemed him worthy,
Saying, "Bear my rashness with patience,
Have pity on my unworthiness and lighten the burden
Of my lack of faith, so that I may sing and cry,
`Thou art our Lord and God.'"
Kontakia of Romanos, V. 1, On Doubting Thomas
+ + +
There is nothing impossible unto those who believe; lively and
unshaken faith can accomplish great miracles in the twinkling of
an eye. Besides, even without our sincere and firm faith, miracles
are accomplished, such as the miracles of the sacraments; for
God's Mystery is always accomplished, even though we were
incredulous or unbelieving at the time of its celebration. "Shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" (Rom. 3:3).
Our wickedness shall not overpower the unspeakable goodness and
mercy of God; our dullness shall not overpower God's wisdom, nor
our infirmity God's omnipotence.
St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
+ + +
It was said about John the Little that one day he said to his
older brother: I want to be free from care and not to work but to
worship God without interruption. And he took his robe off, and
went into the desert. After staying there one week, he returned to
his brother. And when he knocked at the door, his brother asked
without opening it: Who is it? He replied: It's John, your
brother. The brother said: John has become an angel and is not
among people anymore. Then he begged and said: It's me! But his
brother did not open the door and left him there in distress until
the next morning. And he finally opened the door and said: If you
are a human being, you have to work again in order to live. Then
John repented, saying: Forgive me, brother, for I was wrong.
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
+ + +
Long ago, the wily one cast his weapon and wounded Adam and killed
him;
Indeed, he completely destroyed the weak man.
But now, even if he struck the bodies of the noble men,
he did not destroy their spirits.
He persuaded the first-created man to fall by words,
but not even by deeds, the noble ones.
Bewitching the former, he made promises; he made offers to the
latter:
For Adam, the making of a god; for the martyrs, honor.
He offers what he does not have; he suggests bestowing things not
in his authority.
Therefore, saints, having shattered his scheme,
You gained crowns.
Kontakia of Romanos, On the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia I.
+ + +
First of all it must be understood that it is the duty of all
Christians - especially of those whose calling dedicates them to
the spiritual life - to strive always and in every way to be
united with God, their creator, lover, benefactor, and their
supreme good, by Whom and for Whom they were created. This is
because the center and the final purpose of the soul, which God
created, must be God Himself alone, and nothing else - God whom
Whom the soul has received its life and its nature, and for Whom
it must eternally live.
St. Dimitry of Rostov
+ + +
Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice
the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ,
mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,
a sinner.
St. Seraphim of Sarov
+ + +
Let us go forward with the heart completely attentive and the soul
fully conscious. For if attentiveness and prayer are daily joined
together, they become like Elias' fire-bearing chariot, raising us
to heaven. What do I mean? A spiritual heaven, with sun, moon and
stars, is formed in the blessed heart of one who has reach a state
of watchfulness, or who strives to attain it.
St. Philotheus of Sinai
+ + +
My poor soul! Sigh, pray and strive to take upon you the blessed
yoke of Christ, and you will live on earth in a heavenly manner.
Lord, grant that I may carry the light and goodly yoke, and I
shall be always at rest, peaceful, glad and joyous; and I shall
taste on earth of crumbs which fall from the celestial feast, like
a dog that feeds upon the crumbs which fall from the master's
table.
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
+ + +
When despondency seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather,
fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great
courage say to the spirit of evil: "What are you to us, you who
are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave of evil?
You dare not do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has
dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are
made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we
trample on your head."
St. Seraphim of Sarov
+ + +
Even a pious person is not immune to spiritual sickness if he does
not have a wise guide -- either a living person or a spiritual
writer. This sickness is called _prelest_, or spiritual delusion,
imagining oneself to be near to God and to the realm of the divine
and supernatural. Even zealous ascetics in monasteries are
sometimes subject to this delusion, but of course, laymen who are
zealous in external struggles (podvigi) undergo it much more
frequently. Surpassing their acquaintances in struggles of prayer
and fasting, they imagine that they are seers of divine visions,
or at least of dreams inspired by grace. In every event of their
lives, they see special intentional directions from God or their
guardian angel. And then they start imagining that they are God's
elect, and often try to foretell the future. The Holy Fathers
armed themselves against nothing so fiercely as against this
sickness -- prelest.
Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
+ + +
Go and have pity on all, for through pity, one finds freedom of
speech before God.
Abba Pambo
+ + +
We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing
away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of
trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life. . . I was an
infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too
has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The
strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white,
I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will
go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I
may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom!
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
+ + +
It is better to eat meat and drink wine and not to eat the flesh
of one's brethren through slander.
Abba Hyperechius
+ + +
Wine makes glad the heart of man' (Ps. 104:15). But you who have
professed sorrow and grief should turn away from such gladness and
rejoice in spiritual gifts. If you rejoice in wine, you will live
with shameful thoughts and distress will overwhelm you.
St. Theodore of Edessa
+ + +
Acts of charity, almsgiving and all the external good works do not
suppress the arrogance of the heart; but noetic meditation, the
labor of repentance, contrition and humility -- these humble the
proud mind.
Elder Joseph the Hesychast
+ + +
Oh, what great happiness and bliss, what exaltation it is to
address oneself to the Eternal Father. Always, without fail, value
this joy which has been accorded to you by God's infinite grace
and do not forget it during your prayers; God, the angels and
God's holy men listen to you.
St. John of Kronstadt
+ + +
What we need is a little labor! Let us endure this labor that we
may obtain mercy.
St. Dorotheus of Gaza
+ + +
For Christians above all men are forbidden to correct the
stumblings of sinners by force...it is necessary to make a man
better not by force but by persuasion. We neither have autority
granted us by law to restrain sinners, nor, if it were, should we
know how to use it, since God gives the crown to those who are
kept from evil, not by force, but by choice.
St. John Chrysostom
+ + +
They went down to Egypt and provided food when famine reigned;
they came to the obstinate sea, and taught it wisdom with a rod;
they went out into the hostile desert and adorned it with a
pillar;
they entered the furnace, fiercely heated, and sprinkled it with
their dew;
into the pit where they had been thrown an angel entered and
taught its wild beasts to fast.
St. Ephrem
+ + +
While the Bridegroom tarried, they slumbered and slept:
Give ear, ye prudent, to our Lord's parable, for it is all light.
All of them slept, both the foolish and the wise --
Which signifies that the good and the wicked die until the
resurrection.
The same sleep comes upon the ten of them, which is as much as to
say,
That death is the same for all creation without distinction.
One was the sleep of the wise and of the foolish,
For one is death, both of the righteous and of sinners.
The good die, as the wise virgins slept;
And the bad die, as the foolish also slept.
Behold, all creation looketh for the coming of the Bridegroom,
Christ, Who cometh at the end with His angels.
But since He hath tarried, all generations slumber and sleep
With the sleep of death, while looking for when He cometh.
A Homily on the Ten Virgins by Mar Jacob, Bishop of Serugh
+ + +
Do all in your power not to fall, for the strong athlete should
not fall. But if you do fall, get up again at once and continue
the contest. Even if you fall a thousand times because of the
withdrawal of God's grace, rise up again each time, and keep on
doing this until the day of your death. For it is written, 'If a
righteous man falls down seven times' - that is, repeatedly
throughout his life - 'seven times shall he rise again' [Prov.
24:16].
John of Karpathos
+ + +
No one on this earth can avoid affliction; and although the
afflictions which the Lord sends are not great men imagine them
beyond their strength and are crushed by them. This is because
they will not humble their souls and commit themselves to the will
of God. But the Lord Himself guides with His grace those who are
given over to God's will, and they bear all things with fortitude
for the sake of God Whom they have so loved and with Whom they are
glorified for ever. It is impossible to escape tribulation in this
world but the man who is giver over to the will of God bears
tribulation easily, seeing it but putting his trust in the Lord,
and so his tribulations pass.
Archimandrite Sophrony
+ + +
The evil one cannot comprehend the joy we receive from the
spiritual life; for this reason he is jealous of us, he envies us
and sets traps for us, and we become grieved and fall. We must
struggle, because without struggles we do not obtain virtues.
Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
+ + +
For those who believe in Him, Christ will become all this and even
more, beyond enumeration, not only in the age to come but first i
this life, and then in the world to come. Thou in an obscure way
here below and in a perfect manner in the Kingdom, those who
believe see clearly nonetheless and receive as of now the
first-fruits of everything they will have in the future life.
Indeed, if they do not receive on earth everything that was
promised to them, they do not have any part of foretaste of the
blessings to come, their higher hope being set on the hereafter.
However, it is through death and the resurrection that God in His
foresight has given us the Kingdom, incorruptibility, the totality
of life eternal. Given these conditions, we unquestionably become
partakers of the good things to come, that is, incorruptible,
immortal, sons of God, sons of the light and of the day,
inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven, since we carry the Kingdom
within.
St. Symeon the New Theologian
+ + +
Self-accusation before God is something that is very necessary for
us; and humility of heart is extremely advantageous in our lives,
above all at the time of prayer. For prayer requires great
attention and needs a proper awareness, otherwise it will turn out
to be unacceptable and rejected, and `it will be turned back
empty' to our bosom.
Martyrius of Edessa
+ + +
The enemy of our salvation especially strives to draw our heart
and mind away from God when we are about to serve Him, and
endeavours to adulterously attach our heart to something
irrelevant. Be always, every moment, with God, especially when you
pray to Him. If you are inconstant, you will fall away from life,
and will cast yourself into sorrow and straitness.
St. John of Kronstadt
+ + +
There was a man who at a lot and was till hungry, and another who
ate little and was satisfied. The one who ate a lot and was still
hungry received a greater reward than he who ate little and was
satisfied.
Apophthegmata Patrum
+ + +
For to despise the present age, not to love transitory things,
unreservedly to stretch out the mind in humility to God and our
neighbor, to preserve patience against offered insults and, with
patience guarded, to repel the pain of malice from the heart, to
give one's property to the poor, not to covet that of others, to
esteem the friend in God, on God's account to love even those who
are hostile, to mourn at the affliction of a neighbor, not to
exult in the death of one who is an enemy, this is the new
creature whom the Master of the nations seeks with watchful eye
amid the other disciples, saying:"If, then, any be in Christ a new
creature, the old things are passed away. Behold all things are
made new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
St. Gregory the Great
+ + +
The knowledge of the Cross is concealed in the sufferings of the
Cross.
St. Isaac the Syrian
+ + +
The work of prayer belongs to the angels, and is, therefore, the
special concern of the Church. Every other work, i.e., charity,
nursing the brethren, visiting the sick, caring for prisoners,
releasing captives, and other similar things, is done by the
brethren in love and offered by them to God. Similarly, poverty,
fasting, sleeping on the ground, prostrations, vigils, etc., are
good and like a sacrifice to God, because they aim to subdue and
humble the body so that we may be purified and approach God and
become friends of God -- yet these things do not present us
directly to God, whereas prayer does so and unites us with Him. A
person praying acts towards God like a friend -- conversing,
confiding, requesting -- and through this becomes one with our
Maker Himself.
St. Symeon of Thessalonica
+ + +
He who really keeps account of his actions considers as lost every
day in which he does not mourn, whatever good he may have done in
it.
St. John of the Ladder
+ + +
We truly love God and keep His commandments if we restrain
ourselves from our pleasures. For he who still abandons himself to
unlawful desires certainly does not love God, since he contradicts
Him in his own intentions. . . Therefore, he loves God truly,
whose mind is not conquered by consent to evil delight. For the
more one takes pleasure in lower things, the more he is separated
from heavenly love.
St. Gregory the Great
+ + +
A greedy appetite for food is terminated by satiety and the
pleasure of drinking ends when our thirst is quenched. And so it
is with the other things. . . But the possession of virtue, once
it is solidly achieved, cannot be measured by time nor limited by
satiety. Rather, to those who are its disciples it always appears
as something ever new and fresh.
St. Gregory of Nyssa
+ + +
Observe your thoughts, and beware of what you have in your heart
and your spirit, knowing that the demons put ideas into you so as
to corrupt your soul by making it think of that which is not
right, in order to turn your spirit from the consideration of your
sins and of God.
Abba Elias
+ + +
Have unfeigned love among yourselves, keep the tradition, and may
the God of peace be with you and confirm you in love.
St. Paul of Obnora
+ + +
Bringing doxology to the One born of the Virgin in church hymns
and spiritual songs, we must, outside the church as well,
unceasingly praise Him and give Him thanks for His ineffable
lovingkindness to us sinners, who are atoned by His honourable
blood and who have received through this promise life eternal,
blessed, and unceasing.
St. Amvrosy of Optina
+ + +
If we wear our heavenly robe, we shall not be found naked, but if
we are found not wearing this garment, what shall we do, brethren?
We, even we also, shall hear the voice that says, "Cast them into
outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." (Matt.
22:13) And, brethren, there will be great shame in store for us,
if, after having worn this habit for so long, we are found in the
hour of need not having put on the wedding garment. Oh what
compunction will seize us! What darkness will fall upon us, in the
presence of our fathers and our brethren, who will see us being
tortured by the angels of punishment!
Abba Dioscorus
+ + +
When an archer desires to shoot his arrows successfully, he first
takes great pains over his posture and aligns himself accurately
with his mark. It should be the same for you who are about to
shoot the head of the wicked devil. Let us be concerned first for
the good order of sensations and then for the good posture of
inner thoughts.
St. John Chrysostom
+ + +
Lord God, have mercy on me a sinner: I am not worthy to stand
before Thee, seeing that I have never tried to embellish my soul
for T ¾?Ä 2¿ µhÝt that prost ¾?@e accomplished in a single
day in beautifying herself surpasseth everything I have ever
achieved during all the years of my life. How can I have the face
to look upon Thee, my God? I do not know what words to use in the
attempt to justify myself in Thy presence, Lord. What excuse have
I before Thee, seeing that all my hidden secrets are laid open
before Thee? No, alas for me the sinner who, as I enter the
threshold of Thy sacred temple and appear before Thy glorious
altar, have failed to offer the beauty in my soul that Thou
wantest.
St. Nonnus (Life of St. Pelagia, the former harlot)
+ + +
Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit,
our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His
love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is
by mercy that we shall be saved.
St. John Chrysostom
+ + +
Monasticism itself is a perpetual labor of conquering passions and
uprooting them in order that, being in a pure and immaculate
state, one may preserve oneself before the face of God. This,
then, is your task! Give your attention to it, and direct all your
powers towards it.
St. Theophan the Recluse
+ + +
If the soul is vigilant and withdraws from all distraction and
abandons its own will, then the spirit of God invades it and it
can conceive because it is free to do so.
Abba Cronius
+ + +
The Holy Eucharist is the first, most important, and greatest
miracle of Christ. All the other Gospel miracles are secondary.
How could we not call the greatest miracle the fact that simple
bread and wine were once transformed by the Lord into His very
Body and His very Blood, and then have continued to be transformed
for nearly two thousand years by the prayers of priests, who are
but simple human beings? And what is more, this mystery has
continued to effect a miraculous change in those people who
communicate of the Divine Mysteries with faith and humility.
St. Ambrose of Optina
+ + +
Strive as well as you can to enter deeply with the heart into the
church reading and singing and to imprint these on the tablets of
the heart.
Abbot Nazarius
+ + +
The man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he
who praises Christ amid the congregation of men.
St. Isaac the Syrian
+ + +
For to despise the present age, not to love transitory things,
unreservedly to stretch out the mind in humility to God and our
neighbor, to preserve patience against offered insults and, with
patience guarded, to repel the pain of malice from the heart, to
give one's property to the poor, not to covet that of others, to
esteem the friend in God, on God's account to love even those who
are hostile, to mourn at the affliction of a neighbor, not to
exult in the death of one who is an enemy, this is the new
creature whom the Master of the nations seeks with watchful eye
amid the other disciples, saying:"If, then, any be in Christ a new
creature, the old things are passed away. Behold all things are
made new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
St. Gregory the Great
+ + +
Blessed is he who always has before his eyes that "the earth is
the Lord's and the fulness thereof" (Ps. 23:1), and keeps in mind
that God is powerful to arrange for His servants as is pleasing to
Him.
St. Barsanuphius
+ + +
As a pilot calls on winds and a storm-tossed mariner looks
homeward, so the times call on you to win your way to God. As
God's athlete, be sober; the stake is immortality and eternal
life.
St. Ignatius the God-bearer
+ + +
Why do you increase your bonds? Take hold of your life before your
light grows dark and you seek help and do not find it. This life
has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain
pursuits.
St. Isaac the Syrian
I pray Thee,
compassionate Lord, do not allow me to be condemned because of the
unworthy and ungrateful manner in which I contemplate the great
mysteries that Thou hast revealed to Thy saints and through them to me,
a sinner and Thy unworthy servant. For see, Lord, Thy servant stands
before Thee, idle in everything, speechless, as one who is dead; and I
do not dare to say anything more or to presumptuously contemplate
further. But as always I fall down before Thee, crying from the depths
of my soul. . .
--St. Peter of Damascus
+ + +
At the Last Judgment the righteous will be recognized only by
their humility and their considering themselves worthless, and not
by good deeds, even if they have done them. This is the true
attitude.
Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
+ + +
Death's awful mystery comes upon us suddenly, and soul and body
are violently severed, divorced from their natural union by the
will of God. What shall we do at that hour if we have not thought
of it beforehand, if we have not been instructed concerning this
eventuality and find ourselves unprepared?
St. Nil Sorsky
+ + +
The Holy Spirit often visits us; but if He does not find rest how
can He remain? He departs. Joy is in the hearts of those who are
cleansed and who are able to maintain within themselves the grace
of the Holy Spirit of the All-holy Trinity. There is no greater
joy and happiness for man. I am not able to describe to you how
one feels then.
Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
+ + +
Keep the body properly slim so that you reduce the burden of the
heart's warfare, with full benefit to yourself.
St. Philotheus of Sinai
+ + +
I consider those fallen mourners more blessed than those who have
not fallen and are not mourning over themselves; because as a
result of their fall, they have risen by a sure resurrection.
St. John of the Ladder
+ + +
I shall tell you something strange, but do not be surprised by it.
Should you fail to attain dispassion because of the
predispositions dominating you, but at the time of your death be
in the depths of humility, you will be exalted above the clouds no
less than the man who is dispassionate.
St. Theognostus
+ + +
One of the old men said, "It is written concerning Solomon that he
loved women, but every male loveth the females, and we must
restrain and draw onwards our nature by main force to purity."
Paradise of the Fathers
+ + +
O monk, take thou the greatest possible care that thou sin not,
lest thou disgrace God Who dwelleth in thee, and thou drive Him
out of thy soul.
Abba Epiphanius
+ + +
We were created for eternal life by our Creator, we are called to
it by the word of God, and we are renewed by holy Baptism. And
Christ the Son of God came into the world for this, that He should
call us and take us there, and He is the one thing needful. For
this reason your very first endeavor and care should be to receive
it. Without it everything is as nothing, though you have the whole
world under you.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
+ + +
My soul, seek the Only One . . . My soul, you have no part with
the earth; for you are from heaven. You are the image of God: seek
your First Image. For like strives after like. Each object finds
its rest in its center and element -- fish in water, fire in its
upward movement everything strives to its center. My soul, you are
an immaterial spirit, immortal. . . In Him alone you will find
your rest.
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
+ + +
It is by warfare that the soul makes progress.
Abba John the Short
+ + +
Why do you beat the air and run in vain? Every occupation has a
purpose, obviously. Tell me then, what is the purpose of all the
activity of the world? Answer, I challenge you! It is vanity of
vanity: all is vanity.
St. John Chrysostom
+ + +
When you pray to God in time of temptation do not say, 'Take this
or that away from me', but pray like this: 'O Jesus Christ,
sovereign Master, help me and do not let me sin against Thee. . .'
Abba Isaiah the Solitary
+ + +
The evil one cannot comprehend the joy we receive from the
spiritual life; for this reason he is jealous of us, he envies us
and sets traps for us, and we become grieved and fall. We must
struggle, because without struggles we do not obtain virtues.
Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
+ + +
For now is the time to labour for the Lord, for salvation is found
in the day of affliction: for it is written: 'In your patience
gain ye your souls' (Luke 21:19)
Abba Isidore of Skete
+ + +
"But Adam did not wish to say, "I sinned," but said rather the
contrary of this and placed the blame for the transgression upon
God Who created everything "very good," saying to Him, "The woman
whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I
ate." And after him she also placed the blame upon the serpent,
and they did not wish at all to repent and, falling down before
the Lord God, beg forgiveness of Him. For this, God banished them
from Paradise, as from a royal palace, to live in this world as
exiles. At that time also He decreed that a flaming sword should
be turned and should guard the entrance into Paradise. And God did
not curse Paradise, since it was the image of the future unending
life of the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. If it were not for this
reason, it would have been fitting to curse it most of all, since
within it was performed the transgression of Adam. But God did not
do this, but cursed only the whole rest of the earth, which also
was corrupt and brought forth everything by itself; and this was
in order that Adam might not have any longer a life free from
exhausting labors and sweat..."
St. Symeon the New Theologian
+ + +
"Fortunate is the man who has come to have God as his helper and
to have his hopes in Him alone. Let the Devil bear malice towards
him, let all men persecute him and plot against him, let all his
adversaries fight against him - he never fears anyone, because his
has God as his helper. He remains always a victor, always
glorified, always happy, always rich, always cheerful and joyful,
even if he happens to fall into extreme poverty and into a great
many adverse and grievous circumstances of this present life. For
inasmuch as he hopes in Almighty God, he does not despair, he is
not sorry, is not anxious, but expects help from Above. Fortunate,
then, is such a man and worthy to be deemed happy, just as the
Prophet-king David regards such a man as happy, saying: "Blessed
is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hoe is in the Lord
his God." Such were all the Prophets, the Apostles, the Martyrs,
the Holy Ascetics and all the Saints from the beginning of time."
St. Nikephoros of Chios
+ + +
The soul has followed Moses and the cloud, both of these serving
as guides for those who would advance in virtue; Moses her
represents the commandments of the Law; and the cloud that leads
the way, its spiritual meaning. The soul has been purified by
crossing the Sea; it has removed from itself and destroyed the
enemy army. It has tasted of the waters of Marah, that is, of life
deprived of all sinful pleasure; and this at first had seemed
bitter and unpleasant to the taste but offered a sensation of
sweetness to those who accepted the wood. Next it enjoyed the
beauty of the palm trees of the gospel and the springs; it filled
itself with the living water, that is, the rock. It took within
itself the bread of heaven. It overwhelmed the foreign host - a
victory due to the extended arms of the Lawgiver, which thus
foreshadowed the mystery of the Cross. Only then can the soul go
on to the contemplation of transcendent Being.
St. Gregory of Nyssa
+++
