Blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness.
·
Abba Copres
·
St. Barsanuphius
· St. Ephraim the Syrian: Hymns on the Ascetic
Abraham
·
St. John of Kronstadt
·
Bishop Theophan the Recluse
· St. Symeon of Thessalonica, On Prayer
·
Elder Hilarion
·
St. Joseph, abbot of Volokalamsk
·
St. Barsanuphius
·
St. Thalassius
·
Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
·
St. Barsanuphius
·
Abba Alonius
·
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
·
St. Hesychius the Priest
·
Apophthegmata Patrum
·
Elder Moses of Optina
·
St. Isaac the Syrian
·
St. Thalassius
·
St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk
·
St. Makary of Optina
·
St. Germanus of Constantinople
·
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
·
Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
·
St. Theodore the Sanctified
·
St. Nilus of Sora
·
Elder Joseph of Optina
·
Abba Arsenius the Great
·
Apophthegmata Patrum
·
Elder Makary of Optina
·
Abba Paphnutius
·
Fr. Alexei of Bortsumany
·
St. John Cassian
·
St. John of Kronstadt
·
St. Macarius of Corinth
·
Abba Isidore the priest
· St. Gregory of Sinai
The
conflict which we must undergo with the vice of fornication is especially
painful and fierce, for it engages both body and soul. Therefore we should
strive ceaselessly and with all our strength to keep our heart sober and free of
sensuality. This is most imperative during the Liturgy, when we are about to
receive Holy Communion, for it is then that the enemy essays every sort of
device in order to soil our conscience.- St. Nilus Sorsky
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Martin of Braga
- Abba Serapion
- St. John of the Ladder
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. John of the Ladder
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- Abba Paul the Simple
Where it says "daily" it shows that without it we cannot live a spiritual life for a single day. Where it says "today" it shows that it must be received daily and that yesterday's supply of it is not enough, but that it must be given to us today also in like manner. And our daily need of it suggests to us that we ought at all times to offer up this prayer, because there is no day on which we have no need to strengthen the heart of our inner man, by eating and receiving it.
- St. John Cassian
- St. John of Karpathos
- Abba Bessarion
- Abba Peter the Pionite
- St. Leo the Great
- St. Peter of Damascus
- Abba Isidore the priest
- St. Barsanuphius
- Amma Syncletica
- Abba Isidore of Pelusia
- Abba Ammonas
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
- St. Basil the Great
- St. Athanasius the Great
- Sayings of the Fathers
- Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh
- St. Paisy Velichkovski
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
The
time flies by, and it remains only to leave time to inspect the storerooms
wherein our provisions for eternity are stored up, so that, the time having
passed, we may not go hungry when the time of rejoicing shall come.
He
who has not acquired physical works cannot acquire spiritual ones. (The latter come from the former.)
Pray
simply. Do not expect to find in your heart any remarkable gift of prayer.
Consider yourself unworthy of it. Then you will find peace. Use the empty cold
dryness of your prayer as food for your humility. Repeat constantly: I am not
worthy; Lord, I am not worthy! But
say it calmly, without agitation.
He
who has not acquired physical works cannot acquire spiritual ones. (The latter come from the former.)
Pray
simply. Do not expect to find in your heart any remarkable gift of prayer.
Consider yourself unworthy of it. Then you will find peace. Use the empty cold
dryness of your prayer as food for your humility. Repeat constantly: I am not
worthy; Lord, I am not worthy! But
say it calmly, without agitation.
The
purpose of the Church is a constant battle; this is why it is called the
'militant Church', battling with the prince of this world— that is, with all
those who by all possible means and ways press the spirit of man.
Pleasure
has two aspects: one is effected in the soul by freedom from passion, and
another by passion in the body. Of these two, the one which free will chooses
has power over the other. If a person pays attention to the senses and is drawn
by pleasure in the body, he will live his life without tasting the divine joy,
since the good can be overshadowed by what is inferior.
If
you say to someone, "Forgive me", in humiliating yourself, you are
burning the demons.
Let
there be in us a love of light and an esteem of goodness, so that, as if
walking in daylight, we may desire that our works shine in the presence of God.
How
blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality,
splendour in righteousness, truth in boldness, faith in confidence, continence
in holiness: and all these things are submitted to our understanding.
It
makes no difference what it is that has soiled the purity of the soul; the time
comes and one must clean it and wash away the uncleanness with repentance.
If
you acquire silence, do not consider yourself as having gained a virtue, but
say, "I am unworthy to speak".
He
who sufficiently knows and judges himself has no time to judge others.
Give
blood and receive the Spirit.
The
beginning of every action pleasing to God is calling with faith on the
life-saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . together with the peace and
love which accompany this calling. These two, peace and love, not only make the
prayer propitious, but are themselves reborn and shine forth from this prayer,
like inseparable Divine rays, increasing and coming to perfection.
The
men of that [the last] generation will not accomplish any works at all and
temptation will come upon them; and those who will be approved in that day will
be greater than either us or our fathers.
He
who sufficiently knows and judges himself has no time to judge others.
If
a man cannot bear being reviled, he will not see glory.
A
person does not become deified through words or visible actions moderated by
foresight, for all this is earthly and human, but through maintaining silence,
thanks to which we reject and free ourselves from the earthly and ascend to
God. Abiding on the heights of a silent existence, laboring patiently, day and
night in prayer and worship, somehow draw near to the unapproachable and
blessed Essence.
Efforts
and endeavours should simply be regarded — for such they are in truth — as
efforts and endeavours and no more, and the fruit as fruit. But if, because of
insufficient knowledge, anyone comes to regard his effort and endeavour as the
fruit of the Spirit, he deceives himself utterly; and by this false opinion
deprives himself of the real fruits of the Spirit.
As
a bubble on the water is lost, thus everything of this world is corrupted.
Never
seek consolation that lies outside the heart. Raise yourself above all
consolation that the senses provide, so that you may be accounted worthy to
receive that [consolation] which is within, beyond the senses.
Who
is as strong as the lion? And yet, because of his greed he falls into the net,
and all his strength is brought low.
I
have come from the All-night Vigil. . . O Lord, what happiness! What marvellous
words are proclaimed to us in church! Peace and quiet, the spirit of sanctity
are sensibly felt in church.
When
someone asks something of you, even if you do violence to yourself in giving it
to him, your thought must take pleasure in the gift according to that which is
written, "If someone asks you to go a mile, go two miles with him."
That is to say, if someone asks something of you, give it to him with your
whole soul and spirit.
He
who esteems life in this world and judges its values as worth protecting does
not know how to discern what is his own from what is alien to himself. Nothing transitory belongs to us.
If
the demons attempt to capture a man's spirit through his own impetus, they draw
him in this manner until they lead to an invisible passion. Then, at that
point, if the spirit returns and seeks after God and if it remembers the
eternal judgment, immediately the passion falls away and disappears. It is
written, "In returning and rest you shall be saved." (Isaiah 30:15)
It
is truly a great deed: the tonsuring into the holy angelic order. It is a great
and mysterious power that is embodied in this sacred act, an act which is
directed to the angelic order so that the man will become an angel in the image
of his inward life; for angels are bodiless, and the material order cannot
become like them.
If
your hands are cramped from toil, just wash them with prayer.
Our
humility is our surest intercessor before the face of the Lord. It is by dint
of humility and penance that the last shall be first.
No
man has been entrusted with great things without having first been tried in
small ones.
See
my child, how good obedience is when it is undertaken for the Lord. . . Oh,
obedience, salvation of the faithful! Oh, obedience, mother of all the virtues!
Oh, obedience, discloser of the Kingdom! Oh, obedience, opening of the Heavens,
and making men to ascend there from earth! Oh, obedience, food of all the
Saints, whose milk they have sucked, through you they have become perfect! Oh, obedience, companion of the Angels!
Lord,
Thou continually conquerest hell in me, in accordance with my prayer; and if I
am not yet in hell, it is through Thy mercy, O Conqueror of hell, my Lord! Glory to Thee, our Benefactor, our
Saviour!
He
who is within the walls of a monastery is not necessarily a monk. No, it is
still necessary to build within oneself also the spirit of monastic life. This is where you should put your zeal.
This
age is not rest and repose, but a battle, warfare, a marketplace, trading, a
school, a sea voyage. For these reasons you must labor in asceticism, not
become despondent, not be idle, but exercise yourself in the works of God. Look
carefully: here they sell crowns; acquire them, lest you return empty without a
purchase. Strive not to deprive yourself of God's grace. Otherwise you will be
a stranger to reward, and, more than that, you will be evilly judged and will
perish.
When
you are in church, and are going to partake of the divine Mysteries of Christ,
do not go out until you have attained complete peace. Stand in one place, and
do not leave it until the dismissal. Think that you are standing in Heaven, and
that in the company of the holy angels you are meeting God and receiving Him in
your heart. Prepare yourself with great awe and trembling, lest you mingle with
the holy powers unworthily.
Someone
asked an old man, "How is it that some say, 'We see visions of
angels'?" — and he replied, "Happy is he who always sees his
sins."
—
My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.—
Reflect, dearly beloved, how great a dignity this is: to have the Lord come and
abide in our heart. Should some rich and powerful friend enter your home you
would make haste to clean the whole house, lest there be anything to displease
the eye of the one who is coming. Let you then cleanse the stains of evil doing
from the house of your soul, in preparation for the coming of God.
Think
good thoughts about what is good by nature, and think well of every man.
God
demands only one thing from us — that our heart be purified by means of
attention.
Remember
the time which is past and the years of your life which were lost in the vanity
of this world. Can you return of them even a single day or night? And likewise,
if the end of your life comes, can you add or beg back a day for repentance, or
even a single hour? We shall wish to seek out the time we have poorly spent of
our life, and we shall not find it.
An
old man one day received the grace of being able to see what passed, and he
said, "I have seen a brother meditating in his cell and the demons
standing outside the cell. While the brother was meditating they were not able
to enter, but when he stopped meditating, then the demons entered the cell and
strove with him."
How
near is our Lord unto him who believes!
The
only way that a man who wishes to be wise in the eyes of God can do so is to become
a fool tot he world and a despiser of human glory.
We
should consider, dearly beloved brethren — we should ever and anon reflect that
we have renounced the world, and are in the meantime living here as guests and
strangers. Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which
snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world, and restores
us to paradise and the Kingdom. Who that has been placed in foreign lands would
not hasten to return to his own country? Who that is hastening to return to his
friends would not eagerly desire a prosperous gale, that he might the sooner
embrace those dear to him?
A
brother asked an old man: "How is it that God promises good to the soul in
the Holy Scriptures, yet the soul does not wish to remain in the good, but
inclines to what is transitory and unclean?" The old man answered:
"Because it has not yet tasted the sweetness of heavenly things;
therefore, it turns more quickly to what is unclean."
When
you go to your spiritual father for confession, do not bring yourself as an
accuser of other people, saying, "he said this," and "so-and-so
said that". . . but speak about your own doings, so that you may obtain
forgiveness.
Let
us enter into the words of St. Paul 14:15 , 19).
I am unable to express how fortunate we are that we have become worthy to utter
these five words. What joy! "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a
sinner." Just think! O Lord! Whose Name am I pronouncing? That of the
Creator, the Founder of everything, before Whom all heavenly powers tremble!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! Thou hast shed Thy blood for me, hast saved me,
hast come down to earth. . . Put your understanding and heart together, close
your eyes, raise you mental eyes to the Lord. . . O sweetest and dearest Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God. . . .
A
great old man had become clairvoyant, and he affirmed with great vigour,
"The power that I have seen at the moment of baptism, I have also seen at
the clothing of a monk when the habit is put on him."
A
wise man is one who pays attention to himself and is quick to separate himself
from all defilement.
There
is no prayer so quickly heard as the prayer whereby a man asks to be reconciled
with those who are wroth with him. For when he charges himself with the
offence, this prayer is immediately answered.
Abba
Poemen often said, "We do not need anything except a vigilant spirit.
Take
heed to yourself, child; if you wish to be saved, take care that you not talk
during the services; that you not go from cell to cell. Become as one that is
invisible; guard your mind so that it does not wander here and there; rather,
have it think on your sins and eternal damnation.
The
blessings for which a seeker of the Kingdom of Heaven
An
old man said, "He who lives in obedience to a spiritual father finds more
profit in it than one who withdraws to the desert.
A
brother asked an old man, "How is it that in these days some afflict
themselves in their manner of life and do not receive grace as the ancients
did?" The old man said to him, "In those days there was love, and
each one caused his neighbour to make progress, but now that love has grown
cold, each one pulls his neighbour back, and that is why we do not receive
grace.
Just
as the demons recognize that it is very important for them to hide themselves
from a person, so also for a person himself it is important to understand that
they are the original committers of sin, the source of our temptations, and not
our neighbours, not we, when we lead a life of service to God— by accident.
Human
life extends cyclically through years, months, weeks, days and nights, hours
and minutes. Through these periods we should extend our ascetic labours—
watchfulness, our prayer, our sweetness of heart, our diligent stillness— our
departure from this life.
The
hardest thing of all is to subdue the flesh for God's sake.
The
flesh revolts when prayer, frugality and blessed stillness are neglected.
The
more closely attentive you are to your mind, the greater the longing with which
you will pray to Jesus; and the more carelessly you examine your mind, the
further you will separate yourself from Him. Just as close attentiveness
brilliantly illumines the mind, so the lapse from watchfulness and from the
sweet invocation of Jesus will darken it completely. All this happens
naturally, not in any other way; and you will experience it if you test it out in
practice. For there is no virtue — least of all this blessed light-generating
activity — which cannot be learnt from experience.
To
the Lord a single repenting sinner is more pleasing than ten self-satisfied
righteous men.
Fire
makes iron impossible to touch, and likewise frequent prayer renders the
intellect more forceful in its warfare against the enemy. That is why the
demons strive with all their strength to make us slothful in attentiveness to
prayer, for they know that prayer is the intellect's invincible weapon against
them.
The
vain desires of this world drive us away from our homeland; love of them and
habit clothe our soul as if in a hideous garment. The Apostles called it the
external man. We, travelling in the voyage of this life and calling on God to
help us, ought to be divesting ourselves of this hideous garment and clothing
ourselves in new desires, in a new love of the age to come, and thereby to
receive knowledge of how near or how far we are from our heavenly homeland.
Be
true to God always and in everything. If you say the prayer "Our Father. .
." pronounce each word sincerely, with reverence, fixing your mind and
heart upon God alone, not paying attention to anything or anybody around you.
If you say any other prayer, say it also with all your soul, not with your
heart divided, not paying undue attention to anything or anybody.
"Come,
come," said this good friend, "come and dwell with us, and for living
water drink derision at every hour. For David, having tried every pleasure
under heaven, last of all said in bewilderment: Behold now, what is so good or
so joyous as for brethren to dwell together in unity."
God
comes to him who reproaches himself and does violence to himself in everything.
All
sin is due to sensual pleasure, all forgiveness to hardship and distress.
God
comes to him who reproaches himself and does violence to himself in everything.
If
you wish to be untroubled by anything, be dead in relation to every man, and
you will find peace. I speak here touching thoughts, touching all kinds of
activities, relationships with men and cares.
How
many trifling and incessant pretexts the hater of mankind offers us for hating
our neighbor, so that we are almost constantly angry with others, almost
constantly bearing malice against others, and living in accordance with his infernal
all-destructive will. But do not let us chase his phantoms; let us put aside
all enmity, and love everyone, for love is of God.
The
eyes of pigs have a natural conformation which makes them turn towards the
ground and they can never look up to heaven; so is the soul of one who lets
himself be carried away by pleasure. Once the soul is allowed to slip into the
slough of enjoyment, she can no longer get out again.
When
the soul humbles herself the enemy is vanquished, and the soul finds deep rest
in God.
One
should, as far as it is proper and necessary, be sometimes a child, and
sometimes a lion, this latter especially when passions or evil spirits rise up
against us; because "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).
If you wish to pray as you ought, imitate the dulcimer player; bending his head a little and inclining his ear to the strings, he strikes the strings skillfully, and enjoys the melody he draws from their harmonious notes.
It
is no loss that you have prayed without using artificial techniques to engraft
the prayer; for such techniques are not indispensable. What is important is not
the position of the body but the inner state. Our whole aim is to stand with attention in the
heart, and look towards God, and cry out to Him.
Awesome
is the man who conceals the greatness of his labour by self-reproach; at such a
man the angels marvel.
Wherefore,
children, let us not faint nor deem that the time is long, or that we are doing
something great, 'for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.' Nor let us think,
as we look at the world, that we have renounced anything of much consequence,
for the whole earth is very small compared with all of Heaven.
Keep
hell's torments in mind; but know that your Helper is at hand. Do nothing that
will grieve Him, but say to Him with tears: 'Be merciful and deliver me, O
Lord, for without Thy help I cannot escape from the hands of my enemies.' Be
attentive to your heart, and He will guard you from all evil.
Prepare
yourselves for labors and for fasting and for spiritual deeds and for many
sorrows, for we must enter into the Kingdom of God
Obedience
is above fasting and prayer.
Struggle
until death to fulfill the commandments; purified through them, you will enter
into life.
If
a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything
else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards
God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God
will hear everything that he asks.
Forgive
me, O my brethren, because I see that I am going backwards rather than
forwards.
Let
your soul, then, trust in Christ, let it call on Him and never fear; for it
fights, not alone, but with the aid of a mighty King, Jesus Christ, Creator of
all that is, both bodiless and embodied, visible and invisible.
That
which delights the outer does most harm to the inner man, and the more one's
fleshly substance is kept in subjection, the more purified is the reasoning
soul.
Who
is it that so wisely, delicately and beautifully arranges and transforms the
ugly— is, the sightless, formless substance of the earth into flowers? Who give
them their wonderful forms? Creator, grant that we may salute in the flowers
Thy wisdom, Thy goodness, Thine omnipotence.
To
one who is attentive to his own salvation and is sober, every place is a place
for saving the soul.
It
is impossible for sin to enter the heart without first knocking at its door in
the form of a fantasy provoked by the devil.
Let
us go forth again and labor, that we may escape what is to come, for death
draweth nigh. Let no one cause thee to err, for in that hour thou shalt have
none to help thee. For every man shall eat the labor of his own hands at the
hour when he departeth from his body. Therefore, run thy way with toiling,
being despised in this present world, that we may receive praise and glory from
our Heavenly King, Jesus Christ the Son of God.
The
Saviour of the world calls the poor in spirit blessed, that is, those who have
a humble idea of themselves, who regard themselves as fallen creatures who are
here on earth in exile, outside their true home, which is heaven.
The
Lord mercifully watches over us, and not one prayer nor a single good thought
is lost with God.
The
more the rain falls on the earth, the softer it makes it; similarly, Christ's
holy name gladdens the earth of our heart the more we call upon it.
I
saw two men travelling to the Lord by the same way and at the same time. One of
them was old and more advanced in labours; but the other was his disciple, and
soon outran the elder and came first to the sepulchre of humility.
Brethren,
believing in the resurrection to come, we ought also to know about the
spiritual resurrection.
The
monastic schema is in imitation of the desert-dweller and Baptist John, whose
cloak was of camel hair and the girdle about whose loins was of leather. This
is also because of the grave, severe, sorrowful, suffering, humble, and poor
way of life of those who enter upon the monastic way. For they all go into
mourning and are dressed in black, expecting to receive the white, divine robe
of glory and joy in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For
although our practice is beyond endurance, yet because by God's grace we cling
with much exactness to the doctrines of the truth, we are above the malice of
the evil spirits.
Holy
Scripture speaks everywhere about the guarding of the heart.
A
heart full of sorrow on account of its feebleness and impotence regarding
outward physical deeds takes the place of all physical works. Deeds of the body
performed without sorrow of mind are like a body without a soul.
What
is more, it has been a tradition that the community of those who are chaste is
God's unbloody altar: so great and glorious a thing is virginity.
Where
there are obedience, humility and struggles, the demons are never able to take
a man captive. Hardness, disobedience and pride give birth to despondency and
negligence, whence come all the demons who make a dungheap and cowshed out of
the soul of that man. And they will not rest until they have rendered him
guilty of old and new sins and have finally made him a captive.
This
is a mighty science not quickly to be mastered. One must reckon oneself the
worst of men, and condemn oneself to hell. In this way is the soul humbled, and
the tears of repentance are made to flow which give birth to joy.
Let
this especially be the common aim of all, neither to give way having once
begun, nor to faint in trouble, nor to say: We have lived in the discipline a
long time: but rather as though making a beginning daily let us increase our
earnestness. For the whole life of man is very short, measured by the ages to
come, wherefore all our time is nothing compared with eternal life.
"Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!" If one with desire and
ceaselessly as the breath from his nostrils forms this prayer, soon there will
dwell in him the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and make a
dwelling in him, and prayer will devour the heart, and the heart prayer, and a
man will begin day and night to perform this prayer and will be delivered from
all the nets of the enemy.
It
seems that the time has come when our Lord is calling His people and purifying
them with sorrows in order to cross over into heavenly life; after all, this is
the purpose we live for. May the will of God and His mercy be done! Let us hope
for that, and let us prepare ourselves every day to meet God, and to live as
during Passion Week.
When
a man penetrates the depths of humility and recognizes that his is unworthy to
be saved, his sorrow releases springs of tears, and as a consequence spiritual
joy floods out in his heart. In this way, hope rises out of this spring, grows
with it, and strengthens our certainty of being saved.
"Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God' (Matt. 5:8). They shall see God
and the riches that are in Him when they have purified themselves through love
and self-control; and the greater their purity, the more they will see.
God
despises nothing else so much as unlawful sensual uncleanness of the body. And
that man who commits adultery with shameful thoughts altogether stinks like a
dead dog.
When
you approach your bed, say to it, 'This very night, perchance, you will be my
tomb, O bed; for I know not whether tonight instead of a transient sleep, the
eternal sleep of death will be mine.' And so, as long as you have feet, run
after work, before you are bound with that bond which cannot be loosed again
once it is put on.
The
monastic life is called the art of arts and the science of sciences; for it
does not bring perishable blessings akin to the things of this world, which
drive the mind from what is best and engulf it; but monasticism promises us
wonderful and unspeakable treasures which the 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man' (I Cor. 2:9). Hence 'we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world' (Eph. 6:12 ).
Avoid,
then, all these wicked snares of the devil and hold nothing in greater honor
than your entrance into the Church. Let us have great zeal for virtue along
with our abstinence from food and our abstinence from evil. Let us spend the
whole day long in prayers and confessions, in reading and compunction; let all
our zeal be so directed that our discourse be of spiritual things. We must be
very careful not to be caught in the traps of the wicked one. For if justice is
demanded of us for an idle word, how much more will this be so for ill-timed
nonsense and worldly conversation?
Christians
have a glory and a beauty and a heavenly wealth which is beyond words, and it
is won with pains, and sweat, and trials, and many conflicts, and all by the
grace of God.
Our
earthly life is a preparation for the future life, and this preparation ends
with our death.
There
is no need to weep much over the destruction of a church; after all, each of
us, according to God's mercy, has or should have his own church — the heart. Go
in there and pray, as much as you have strength and time. If this church is not
well made and is abandoned (without inward prayer), then the visible church
will be of little benefit.
David
did not say, 'I have fasted,' 'I have kept vigil,' or 'I have lain on the bare
earth,' but 'I humbled myself, and straightway the Lord saved me.'
Nothing
pains the soul more than slander, whether directed against one's faith or one's
manner of life. No one can be indifferent to it except those who like Susanna
have their eyes firmly fixed on God (cf. Sus. verse 35). For only God has the
power to rescue from peril, as He rescued her, to convince men of the truth, as
He did in her case, and to encourage the soul with hope.
Fastings,
vigils, meditation on the Scriptures, self-denial, and the abnegation of all
possessions are not perfection, but aids to perfection; because the end of that
science does not lie in these, but by means of these we arrive at the end.
At
the approach of the great festivals you must be especially watchful over
yourself. The enemy endeavors beforehand to chill the heart towards the subject
of the event celebrated, so that the Christian should not honour it by the
heartfelt consideration of it reality. He acts upon us either through the
atmosphere, or through the food and drink we have taken, or through his fiery
arrows, plentifully darted at the heart and violently inflaming the entire man,
at which time evil, impure and blasphemous thoughts occur to us, and we fell a
hearty aversion to the subject of the solemnity. We must overcome the enemy by
forcing ourselves to devout meditation and prayer.
Take
provisions for your long way, O wise man! Remove the heaviness of sleep from
your heart, O invited guest! Set your baggage in order for departure, O
sojourner! The morningtide is night at hand, O wayfarer; why do you sleep?
Arise and prepare yourself, O mariner who is to voyage on the sea! Arise and
make ready the tackle of your ship, for you do not know at what hour the wind
will carry you out!
If
some shameful thought is sown in your heart as your are sitting in your cell,
watch out. Resist the evil, so that it does not gain control over you. Make
every effort to call God to mind, for He is looking at you, and whatever you
are thinking in your heart is plainly visible to Him.
The
seeing and evaluating of one's own achievements and deeds will only increase
sinful and deceitful self-esteem and diminish our sole hope on God's mercy.
What is more reliable and pleasing to God from us is the following: "O
Lord, I have nothing and dare not even lift up my eyes; have mercy on me
according to Thy great mercy!" The more there will be contrition and trust
in God, and not in deeds or something else of our own, the more God's mercy
will increase in us.
When
at prayer in church it is profitable to stand with closed eyes in internal mindfulness,
and to open your eyes only when you become downcast, or when sleep should weigh
you down and incline you to doze; then you should fix your eyes upon an icon
and the candle burning before it.
'Come,
my people, enter into your inner room' — the shrine of your heart, which is
closed to every conception derived from the sensible world, that image-free
dwelling-place illumined by dispassion and the overshadowing of God's grace;
'shut your door' — to all things visible; 'hide yourself for a brief moment' —
the whole of man's life is but a moment.
God
cannot be known except by devotion.
There
is no sweeter life than the spiritual life. Love our Christ greatly. We shall
depart, perhaps tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we know not when. And
afterward, where we shall be, we will yearn for this life, but will not be able
to come back. We shall long to be able to live it again in order to struggle
more and better, to repent, to love our Christ more, but we shall not be able.
Therefore, let us pray now so that we not grieve our Christ.
When
you approach your bed, say to it, 'This very night, perchance, you will be my
tomb, O bed; for I know not whether tonight instead of a transient sleep, the
eternal sleep of death will be mine.' And so, as long as you have feet run
after work, before you are bound with that bond which cannot be loosed again
once it is put on.
I
am neither a faster nor a man of prayer nor a struggler, but on the contrary, I
eat and drink and have contact and speak with everyone; but I do everything to
the glory of God. In all my sorrows I often remember and cry out with heartfelt
sighs the favorite words of Chrysostom: "Glory be to God for all
things!"
It
is folly for a man who has a dead person in his house to leave him there and go
to weep over his neighbour's dead. To die to one's neighbour is this: To bear
your own faults and not to pay attention to anyone else, wondering whether they
are good or bad.
Persevere,
virgins, persevere in what you have begun to be. Persevere in what you will be.
A great recompense is reserved for you, a glorious prize for virtue, a most
excellent reward for purity.
Repentance
is the way and the key to the Kingdom of Heaven
An
old man said, "What condemns us is not that thoughts enter into us, but
that we use them badly; indeed, through our thoughts we can be shipwrecked, and
through our thoughts we can be crowned."
My
Master! Let us not accept so readily disturbance from evil thoughts, so as to
rise up and be disturbed against our brother: this comes only from the activity
of the devil. What has become of "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation, for he hath been proved" (James 1:12 ) and the rest?
Humility
is as learning compared with self-satisfied ignorance; for one who learns in
this school of divine wisdom, the more he partakes of divine gifts the better
he sees his spiritual misery and, out of real want, he seeks in sighing. Then
the lowly path of humility leads man to the Most High.
With
all your mind and the longing of your soul love the Lord. Thus His grace will
protect you. Adore only your God; worship only Him. Ah then! Then Christ will
enter within you, where dwells the Word and the Father and the Spirit, and
where He promised to make us alone, and you will become a shrine where the
prayer will rule and make the mind obedient.
Give
me ears to hear Thee, eyes to see Thee, taste to partake of Thee, sense of
smell to inhale Thee. Give me feet to walk unto Thee; lips to speak of Thee,
heart to fear and love Thee. Teach me Thy ways, O Lord, and I shall walk in Thy
truth. For Thou art the way, the truth and the life.
Let
us fortify ourselves and work with enthusiasm while we have time.
"Where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21 ). If the treasure
after which you strive is high rank, or money, or sinful love, then your heart
will not be delighted by intercourse with God, but standing at prayer, you will
think only of how to finish it more quickly.
In
every trial and in all warfare use prayer as your invincible weapon, and by the
grace of Christ you will be victorious.
We
must vigilantly guard our heart from unfitting thoughts and impressions,
according to the word of the writer of Proverbs: "Keep thine heart with
the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23 ).
The
Lord rejoices with the incomprehensible joy of God at the success of men. He
declares that the mysteries of the Christian faith are revealed not to the wise
and exalted of the world, but to those who are children as regards civil
affairs, such as were the Lord's disciples, taken from among the simple people,
unlearned, illiterate.
Just
as an unskilled artist is in danger of ruining his work if he converses while
being occupied with it, so is it with those who give themselves over to a good
mood. Such a one must have a great guarding of and heedfulness to his words and
outward joyfulness of face, so as not to depart completely from the path of
lamentation.
Let
us behold only our sins, repenting of them daily and taking care that they may
be forgiven.
Let
us attend to ourselves, brethren, let us learn self-control while we have time.
Why do we neglect ourselves? Let us be doing something good all the time so
that we may find help in the time of trial. Why do we fritter away our lives?
We are always hearing a great deal about the spiritual life and we don't care
about it, we even despise it. We see our brethren snatched away from our midst
and we don't abstain [from passion and excess] even when we know that in a
little while we too shall be near death.
Ever
watch over your field, my dear one, and clear it of thorns, and take heed as a
true Christian to labor for that which abideth in eternal life.
Guard
your conscience from all evil with regard to your neighbor and you will be
saved.
It
is a marvellous thing that God rained manna on the fathers, and that they were
fed by daily nourishment from Heaven. Therefore, it is said 'Man hath eaten the
bread of Angels' (Ps. 77:25). Yet all those who ate that bread died in the
desert but this food which you receive, this 'living bread, which came down
from Heaven,' furnishes the substance of eternal life, and whoever eats this
bread 'will not die forever'; for it is the Body of Christ.
What
good is a soldier without battle? He remains inexperienced and cowardly.
Similarly, without struggle a monk cannot gain his soul in patience and be
crowned by the Setter of the contest.
If
we are concerned with our salvation, there are many things the intellect can do
in order to secure for us the blessed gift of humility. For example, it can
recollect the sins we have committed in word, action and thought; and there are
many other things which, reviewed in contemplation, contribute to our humility.
True humility is also brought about by meditating daily on the achievements of
our brethren, by extolling their natural superiorities and by comparing our
gifts with theirs. When the intellect sees in this way how worthless we are and
how far we fall short of the perfection of our brethren, we will regard
ourselves as dust and ashes, and not as men but as some kind of cur, more
defective in every aspect and lower than all men on earth.
A
heart that has been completely emptied of mental images gives birth to divine,
mysterious intellections that sport within it like fish and dolphins in a calm
sea. The sea is fanned by a soft wind, the heart's depth by the Holy Spirit.
'And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying: "Abba, Father"' (Gal. 4:6).
Our
prayer begins to be of value only when grace comes. As long as we have only the
natural fruits of prayer, what we achieve is valueless, both in itself and in
the judgment of God. For the coming of grace is the sign that God has looked on
us in mercy.
Pray
that you may be granted the grace to read the Fathers with the right
understanding, the grace to live up to the standards they put before you, and
the grace to clearly see your own frailty. You will not long be left wanting
and waiting. God will give you help.
I
beg you all, I entreat you, my dear brethren, consider the Lord's precepts and
the teachings of our holy fathers. Those shining lights wrote nothing they had
not first practiced, and by practicing it succeeded in it.
Spiritual
reading and prayer purify the intellect, while love and self-control purify the
soul's passible aspect.
When
shall I come and see the One Who for the sake of me the sinner came into the
world, bore hardships, suffered and died. . . Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? .
. . I desire nothing in Heaven or on earth but Thee alone, the Word of God and
the Son of the Virgin, Jesus Christ, my God, God of gods, my Lord.
Practice
silence, be careful for nothing, give heed to your mediation, lie down and get
up in the fear of God, and you will not need to fear the assaults of the
impious.
Impel
your intellect continually to prayer and you will destroy the evil thoughts
that beset your heart.
At
first the practice of the prayer of Jesus appears to be extraordinarily dry and
seems to promise no fruit. As the mind strives to unite with the heart, it
meets at first with impenetrable darkness and gloom, hardness and deadness of
the heart, which is not quickly aroused to sympathy with the mind. This should
not cause despondency and cowardice; it is mentioned here since to be
forewarned is to be forearmed. The patient and diligent worker will not fail to
be satisfied and consoled; he will rejoice at an infinite abundance of
spiritual fruits such as he can form no conception of in his carnal and natural
state.
A
warrior is rewarded for having stood up for his homeland against the enemy. But
the enemy of our souls is infinitely more dangerous than all the enemies
encountered in ordinary battles.
The
enemy lurks like a lion in his den; he lays in our path hidden traps and
snares, in the form of impure and blasphemous thoughts. But if we continue wakeful,
we can lay for him traps and snares and ambuscades that are far more effective
and terrible. Prayers, the recitation of psalms and the keeping of vigils,
humility, service to others and acts of compassion, thankfulness, attentive
listening to the words of Scripture — all these are a trap for the enemy, an
ambuscade, a pitfall, a noose, a lash and a snare.
Because
Christ was sacrificed, let each of us feed upon Him, and with alacrity and
diligence partake of His sustenance; since He is given to all without grudging,
and is in every one 'a well of water flowing to everlasting life.'
As
the body cannot live without air, so the soul cannot live the true life without
the Holy Spirit. By means of a pure and abstentious life try to be continually
with God, for without Him, the soul dies!
The
Lord says: 'In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 20:19 ). He did not say:
in your fast or in your vigil. By patience I mean that patience which is of God
and is the queen of virtues and the basis of manly valour. It is in itself —
peace amid strife, stillness in the midst of storm and an impregnable position
for those who have acquired it. He who has attained it in Christ cannot be
harmed by any weapons, or javelins, or attacking armies, or even the hosts of
demons or the legions of hostile powers.
The
demons always lead us into sin by means of deceitful fantasies. Through the
fantasy of gaining wealth they led the wretched Judas to betray the Lord and
God of all; through the deceit of worthless bodily comfort and esteem, gain and
glory they put the noose around his neck and brought him to age-long death. The
scoundrels requited him with precisely the opposite of what their fantasy, or
provocation, had suggested to him.
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.
Humility
is the only thing we need; one can still fall having virtues other than
humility — but with humility one does not fall.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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 remembrance 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.
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.'
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.
You
cannot destroy the passions on your own, but ask God, and He will destroy them,
if this is profitable for you.
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.
It
is very important to know how we should pray. What is the right way? You can
learn it from the publican; and do not be embarrassed to have as a teacher one
who had mastered the art so well that only a few simple words were enough for
him to obtain perfect results. . . He called himself wretched, he beat his
breast, he did not presume to raise his eyes to heaven. If you pray as he did
your prayer will become lighter than a feather. For if this way of praying
could justify a sinner, how much more easily will it lift a just man to the
heights!
Honour
flees away from before the man that runs after it; but he who flees from it,
the same will it hunt down, and to all men become a herald of his humility.
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."
This
is the mark of Christianity— 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."
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.
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.
Have
unfeigned love among yourselves, keep the tradition, and may the God of peace
be with you and confirm you in love.
In
the world, if we commit an offense, even an involuntary one, we are thrown into
prison; let us likewise cast ourselves into prison because of our sins, so that
voluntary remembrance may anticipate the punishment that is to come.
Sitting
at meals, do not look and do not judge how much anyone eats, but be attentive
to yourself, nourishing your soul with prayer.
Come,
then, soldier of Christ, conceive the desire of everlasting goods. Set before
yourself a life without house, homeland, or possessions. Be free and at liberty
from all worldly cares, lest desire of a wife or anxiety for a child fetter
you. In the celestial warfare this cannot be, 'For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty to God."
How
great is the wisdom which the Lord has infused even into little creatures! The
turtle-dove covers her nest with onion sprouts to prevent wolves from attacking
her fledglings. She knows that wolves usually shun these sprouts. . . Why are
you heedless in not making provision against the onslaughts of the iniquitous
wolves of the spirit by providing greater security for the life which will
follow this?
When
you read the Gospels, Christ speaks to you; when you pray, you are speaking to
him. O sweet discourse, joyous and amiable discourse! God speaks to man, the
King of Heaven converses with his corruptible servant!
Everything
in the Gospel and the Church is the breath of the Spirit of Truth; it is
spiritual peace, life and sweetness.
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!
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.
Prove
your love and zeal for wisdom in actual deeds.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
The
evil demons attentively and unfailingly watch over us, see to what we are
inclined, and arouse us to do this. Noticing our sinful desire, they darken our
mind, and day after day steal our time. Like thieves they secretly penetrate
into our thoughts and compel us to be concerned for corruptible things and to
leave off God and one's own soul.
We
have put the light burden on one side, that is to say, self-accusation, and we
have loaded ourselves with a heavy one, that is to say, self-justification.
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.
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 Thy presence. What that
prostitute 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
God
descends to the humble as waters flow down from the hills into the valleys.
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.
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.
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.
The
man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he who praises
Christ amid the congregation of men.
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.
Keep
the body properly slim so that you reduce the burden of the heart's warfare,
with full benefit to yourself.
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.
If
prayer is cold, it does not mean that it is unpleasing to God. Sometimes such
prayer can take the place of struggle if a person humbles himself and condemns
himself in everything before God.
From
this spring which you perceive with your senses, let faith lead your mind
upwards to the fair and desired Spring which God has promised through His word.
That Spring, in which the bodies of the faithful who have slept like seeds
since the beginning of the world, will bud forth and rise and clothe themselves
with beauty. Then will they receive the crown of goodness from the hand of God;
they will shine with beauty like a bride and will flourish like the earth
bringing out its blossom. And their heads shall be crowned with eternal joy. So
this corruptible shall put on incorruption. Thus, rapt in spirit to this
desired Spring, sow now in faith and hope, and with the help of God, the seeds
of the blessed harvest, that then you may reap with joy.
As
long as a young girl is living in her father's house, many young men wish to
marry her, but when she has taken a husband, she is no longer pleasing to
everyone; despised by some, approved by others, she no longer enjoys the favour
of former times, when she lived a hidden life. So it is with the soul; from the
day when it is shown to everyone, it is no longer able to satisfy everyone.
Since
this 'land' consists of such beautiful works, how much more truly the heavenly
country must also consist of such; for the other is ever new, and grows not
old. For this 'land' passes away, as the Lord said; but that which is ready to
receive the saints is immortal.
Concerning
the various kinds of food: we should take a little of everything, even sweets.
This is a wise rule, says Gregory of Sinai. We should never pick and choose or
push our food aside, but should thank God for everything and perfect ourselves
in humility. We shall thus avoid the pride which disdains the good fruit
created by God.
For
this, the Only-begotten Son of God took on the form of our weakness; for this,
the Invisible not only appeared visible, but even despised; for this, He bore
mockeries and insults, derisions and disgrace, suffering and torments, namely,
that the humble God could teach man not to be proud. Therefore, how great a
virtue is humility, when Christ, Who was great beyond measure, was made small,
even unto suffering, in order to teach this virtue truly?
One
who desires salvation must first of all suffer at the hands of other men all
vexations and insults and ignominies, and other tribulations, in the likeness
of our Lord, and come in this manner to perfect silence, which is hanging on
the Cross — in other words, complete mortification.
God
judges our repentance, not by our labours, but by our humility.
It
is necessary to take great pains, and anyone who does not do so, cannot come to
his God. For He Himself was
crucified for our sake.
Mourn,
weep, do not seek to be regarded as somebody, do not compare yourself to others
in anything. Leave the world, mount the cross, discard all earthly things,
shake the dust from off your feet, 'despising the shame' (Heb. 12:2).
Confess
your guilt if you wish to be pardoned.
Winter
passes and spring approaches. You can regard this as a resurrection of all
nature which died by frost: bless Him Who thus appointed it.
We
fast meditating on death, that we may be able to live.
And
why am I daily forced to drink bitter things, when I can hasten to the sweet?
What therefore remains except to give thanks with tears amidst the scourges we
suffer for our sins? For the very One Who created us is also made our Father
through the spirit of adoption whom He has given. Sometimes He nourishes His
sons with bread, other times He corrects them with the scourge, since through
sorrows and wounds and gifts He trains them for their eternal inheritance.
Who
first cried that he should not be led to the punishment, afterward begins to
cry more bitterly since he is delayed from the kingdom. For the mind
contemplates what the choirs of angels, the very society of saints, and the
majesty of inward vision of God might be like and it laments more being removed
from these everlasting blessings than it cried earlier when it feared eternal
punishment. So it happens that when the compunction of fear is perfect it draws
the soul to the compunction of love.
Those
things which are of secondary importance, such as fastings, vigils, withdrawal
from the world, meditation on Scripture, we ought to practice with a view to
our main object, that is, purity of heart, which is charity, and we ought not
on their account to drive away this main virtue.
The
trees which in winter nearly all look alike under the snow, blossom in spring.
So shall it be with our bodies when they rise again. Now we do not clearly
distinguish between good and evil, but in the resurrection all things will be
clear.
Go,
make your thoughts like those of the evildoers who are in prison. For they are
always asking when the magistrate will come, awaiting him in anxiety. Even so
the monk ought to give himself at all times to accusing his own soul, saying,
"Unhappy wretch that I am. How shall I stand before the judgment seat of
Christ? What shall I say to Him in my defence?" If you give yourself
continually to this, you may be saved.
This
alone is the fruit of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, that we
pass over into That which we receive, and bear with us in all things, both in
our soul and in our body, Him in Whom we have died, been buried, and risen
again.
A
brother who shared a lodging with other brothers asked Abba Bessarion,
"What should I do?" The old man replied, "Keep silence and do
not compare yourself with others."
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. . .
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Believe
me when I say, I have never been so sure of my heart in peacetime as in the
times of persecution. For I have confidence that if I should die while suffering
for Christ and being strengthened by His mercy, I will find still greater mercy
with Him.
He
who always concentrates on the inner life becomes restrained, long-suffering,
kind and humble. He will also be able to contemplate, theologize and pray. That
is what St. Paul 5:16 ).
When
shall we fully acknowledge the necessity for our temporal and eternal good — to
live in accordance with the Gospel? But now how few there are who even read the
Gospel!
This
is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before
God and to expect temptation to his last breath.
Kingdom of Heaven
Only
the poor in spirit who cling constantly to the Lord by prayer on account of the
constant sense of their poverty and need are capable of discovering within
themselves the greatness of the name of Jesus.
Glory
be to God on high, Who has not permitted the hater of good, the enemy, to pour
out upon us all his malice as he would wish; for he would like to swallow men
up alive, as the chief Apostle Peter testifies, saying: "As a roaring lion
he goeth about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8).
A
brother asked Abba Poemen a question and said unto him, "What shall I do?
for my thoughts disturb me, and they say unto me, 'Thy sins have been forgiven
thee,' and they make me to pry into the shortcomings of the brethren."
Then Abba Poemen spake to him about Abba Isidore, who dwelt in a cell; and the
disciple came to the old man, and finding him weeping, said unto him, "My
father, why weepest thou?" And the old man said unto him, "I am
weeping for my sins." Then the disciple said unto him, "And hast thou
any sins, father?" And the old man said unto him, "Indeed I have, my
son, and if I were permitted to see my sins, not three or even four men would
suffice to weep with me for them." Then Abba Poemen said, "Thus it is
with the man who knoweth himself."
For
'what hast thou that thou hast not received?' Do not these things pass like a
shadow? Is not this home of yours but dust and desolation? Are not all these
things false? Are not the treasures of the world mere vanities? Are you not
yourself just ashes? Look into the sepulchres of men and take not that nothing
will remain of you but bones and ashes. Look inside, I repeat, and tell me who
in there is rich and who is poor? Distinguish now between the needy and the
powerful. Naked we come into this world and naked we leave it. There are not
distinctions discoverable among the bodies of the dead, unless, perchance, it
may well be that those of the wealthy give forth a stronger odor because they
were bloated with luxurious living.
When
we are incapable of scaling the peaks of virtue, all we have to do is descend
into the ravine of humility.
The
mouth of a humble man speaks the truth; but he who speaks against the truth is
like the servant who struck the Lord on the face.
One
cannot befriend a snake and carry it about in one's shirt, or attain holiness
while pampering and cherishing the body above its needs.
Often
God takes away His blessings from us, just as He deprived Job of his wealth:
'The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away' (Job 1:21 ). But it is equally true that God will
also remove from us the adversities He has brought upon us. 'Both blessing and
adversities come from God' (Eccles. 11:14 ); He
has caused us to suffer adversities, but He will also give us eternal joy and
glory. 'As I watched over you,' says the Lord, 'to destroy and afflict you, so
will I build you up again and will not pull you down; I will plant you and I
will not uproot you' (cf. Jer. 31:28; 24:6). Do not say: 'It is just my bad
luck'; for the Lord, Who changed our situation for the worse, can unexpectedly
alter it again for the better.
These
are the gracious gifts of the Father, by which the Lord honours and nourishes
those who abide with Him, and also those who return to Him and repent. For He
promises, saying, 'I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto Me shall not
hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.' We too shall be
counted worthy of these things, if at all times we cleave to our Saviour, and
if we are pure, not only in these six days of Pascha, but consider the whole
course of our life as a feast, and continue near and do not go far off, saying
to Him, 'Thou hast the words of eternal life, and whither shall we go?'
The
Passover is abstinence from evil for exercise of virtue, and a departure from
death unto life. This may be learnt even from the type of old time. For then
they toiled earnestly to pass from Egypt Jerusalem
Oh
what a feast and how great the gladness in Heaven! How must all its hosts joy
and exult, as they rejoice and watch in our assemblies, those that are held
continually, and especially those at Pascha? For they look on sinners while
they repent; on those who have turned away their faces, when they become
converted; on those who formerly persisted in lusts and excess, but who now
humble themselves by fastings and temperance; and, finally, on the enemy who
lies weakened, lifeless, bound hand and foot, so that we may mock at him;
'Where is thy victory, O Death? where is thy sting, O Grave?' Let us then sing
unto the Lord a song of victory.
Since
the world hates the Christian, why do you love that which hates you? and why do
you not rather follow Christ, Who both redeemed you and loves you?
When
we turn our spirit from the contemplation of God, we become the slaves of
carnal passions.
"My
children and my heart, knowing that after death here below, repentance has no
power, make care for your own souls a matter of importance.
Intellect
is invisibly interlocked in battle with intellect, the demonic intellect with
our own. So from the depths of our heart we must at each instant call on Christ
to drive the demonic intellect away from us and in His compassion give us the
victory.
He
who wishes to tear up the account of his sins and to be inscribed in the Divine
book of the saved, can find for this purpose no better means than obedience.
How
blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality,
splendour in righteousness, truth in boldness, faith in confidence, continence
in holiness; and all these things are submitted to our understanding. 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.
An
old man was asked, "Why are we thus warred against by the demons?" He
said, "Because we have cast away our arms; I mean, contempt of honours,
humility poverty, and endurance."
If
thou art a Christian, no earthly city is thine. Of our City "the Builder
and Maker is God." Though we may gain possession of the whole world, we
are withal but strangers and sojourners in it all! We are enrolled in Heaven:
our citizenship is there! Let us not, after the manner of little children,
despise things that are great, and admire those which are little!
The
mind that realizes its own weakness has discovered whence it might enter upon
salvation and draw near to the light of knowledge and receive true wisdom which
does not pass away with this age.
The
man who is deemed worthy to see himself is greater than he who is deemed worthy
to see the angels.
The
enemy rejoices over nothing so much as over those who do not manifest their
thoughts [to their spiritual father].
It
is dangerous to assume that our dreams are revelations; this leads to spiritual
pride. Ponder calmly: is it likely that a heart and mind, both fully under the
influence of all the wildest human passions, can truly mirror divine revelations?
Does not such an assumption betray undue reliance on your own worthiness? For who can esteem himself worthy of such
grace?
An
old man said: 'He who is honoured and praised more than he deserves suffers
great harm thereby; whereas one who is not honoured by men at all will be
glorified above.'
Wondrous
are Thy works, O Lord! Wondrous art Thou Thyself, sitting on the throne of Thy
glory in Christian temples. Lord, most righteous Judge, most merciful and
Almighty Saviour! Glory to Thine invincible goodness, glory to Thine
immeasurable power, King of all the ages.
Pray
to be among the few, for the good is rare; wherefore, few, also, are they who
enter into the Kingdom of Heaven
What
is the sign that a man has attained to purity of heart, and when does a man
know that his heart has entered into purity? When he sees all men as good and
none appears to him to be unclean and defiled, then in very truth his heart is
pure.
To
love is easy and sweet. Oh! if we could only see the heart of a man who bears
the evangelic yoke of Christ, you would see in it a paradise of joy and
gladness, you would see there the Kingdom of God, even though on the surface he
was worried and surrounded by grief and tribulations, as a rose is surrounded
by thorns. There can be nought but comfort and true joy in a heart in which
reigns the Kingdom of God
Our
soul cannot yield spiritual fruit unless our heart is dead to the world.
According
to the teaching of the Fathers, any impression which, touching the heart, fills
it with a great agitation, must come from the region of the passions. Therefore
impulses which spring from the heart should not be followed at once, but only
after careful examination and fervent prayer. God preserve us from a blind
heart! It is well know that passions do blind the heart and screen the shining
sun of the mind that we should all strive to gaze at.
God
is at all times nearer to us than any man, nearer than garments, than air or
light. . .I live through him in body and soul, I breathe through Him, I think,
reason, purpose, talk, venture and act through Him. . . We must condition
ourselves in such a way that nothing can displace Him in our thoughts and
hearts, nothing, no obstacle of any sort, can obstruct His presence. . . But,
when I sin, or when I have a predilection for something, then I am far away
from Him, not in distance but in my heart. . .then I am left without His grace.
One
of the brethren asked Abba Poemen, saying, "Father, what shall I do in the
matter of my sins?" The old man said unto him, "Whosoever wisheth to
blot out his offences can do so by weeping, and he who wisheth to acquire good
works can do so by means of weeping; for weeping is the path which the
Scriptures have taught us, and the fathers have also wept continually, and
there is no other path except that of tears."
When
we wish to build a house we do not put on the roof before building the
foundations, for to build a house this way is impossible; first lay the
foundations, then build the house and only then put on the roof. So also must
we do in relation to spiritual things; first lay the foundations, that is,
start to guard the heart and cleanse it from passions; then build the spiritual
house, that is, repulse the insurrection against us, raised by evil spirits
through the outer senses, and learn to cut off such attacks as quickly as
possible; and only then should we put on the roof, that is, complete
renunciation of everything in order to give ourselves up entirely to God.
Whatever
we do without prayer and without hope in God, turns out afterwards to be
harmful and defective.
If
you wish to correct anyone from his faults, do not think of correcting him
solely by your own means: you would only do harm by your own passions, for
instance, by pride and by the irritability arising from it; "but cast thy
burden upon the Lord," and pray to God "Who trieth the hearts and
reins," with all your heart, that He Himself may enlighten the mind and
heart of that man.
One
of the fathers asked a young brother, saying, "Tell us, O brother, is it
good to hold one's peace or to speak?" Then that young brother spake unto
him, saying, "If the words [to be said] be useless, leave them [unsaid],
but if they be good, give place to good things, and speak them. Yet, even
though the words be good, prolong not thy speech, but cut it short, for silence
is best of all."
Be
slow and dull for idle talk, but knowing and wise in hearkening to the saving
words of the Holy Scriptures.
Simplicity
is given by the Spirit of God. Man cannot obtain anything himself if God does
not give it to him. He will give it if you will be like a child, who receives
everything simply and who lives by his feelings. We who know a lot and
understand a lot are confused and divided by our knowledge.
Every
temptation and disturbance of the enemy are consumed by prayer.
The
Saints all said: "I shall suffer torments in hell" — even though they
performed great miracles. They had learned by experience that if the soul
condemns itself to hell, but trusts the while in God's compassion, the strength
of God enters into it, and the Holy Spirit bears clear witness of salvation.
Dwelling
with the mind and heart in Heaven and in God — that is the chief fruit, that is
the end of prayer. The repulsion and defeat of the enemies which oppose the
attainment of this end is a secondary matter; it should not deflect to itself
all our attention lest the realization and consideration of victory should give
entry to pride and self-confidence and we suffer a crushing defeat through our
very victory.
Read
holy writings, reflect upon them, absorb all that is useful, applying it to
your life and to your soul.
Unlike
animals which after death disappear, human beings were created for more than
life on earth. We were created for a life with God and in God, a life which
would last not just a hundred or a thousand years, but for all eternity. Only
those, however, who are Christians are capable of this life with God. That is,
only those WHO RIGHTLY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.
Know
this, brethren: do not creep out of the church before the dismissal prayer, for
he who exits from the divine chant or converses or whispers has been seduced by
demons, as the Divine Scriptures bear witness.
Anyone
who bears humiliation, scorn, and punishment can be saved.
I
entreat you: labor in your prayers and do not grow faint, and let us allow God
to take care for us.
He
is a foolish traveller who sees pleasant meadows on his journey and forgets
where he is going. Therefore let our hearts yearn with all our desire for our
heavenly home, let them desire nothing in this world which they must leave
quickly. If we are truly sheep of the heavenly Shepherd, and are not arrested
by any delight alone the way, we shall be satisfied with eternal pastures on
our arrival there.
Thou
wishest to live whilst thou art asleep! Go, and labour. Go, and work. Go, seek,
and ye shall find. Awake and stand up. Knock, and it shall be opened unto thee.
All
sin is due to sensual pleasure, all forgiveness to hardship and distress.
This
is why I always say to you: when a passion arises, when it is young and feeble,
cut it off, lest it stiffen and cause you a great deal of trouble. It is one
thing to pluck out a small weed and quite another thing to uproot a great tree.
It
is written that the Son of Man is coming 'with His angels in the glory of the
Father' (Matt. 16:27 ).
Similarly, in those found worthy, the Word of God is transfigured to the degree
to which each has advanced in holiness, and He comes to them with His angels in
the glory of the Father.
Lord,
show us mercy that we may meet there where God is seen face to face, where
those who see are made alive, comforted in joy, gladness and eternal bliss!
There do men shine like the sun, there is true life; there, true honour and
glory, there gladness and joy; there true blessedness and all that is eternal
and endless. Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us for we put our trust in Thee.
Let
us, when we come to the feast, no longer come as to old shadows, for they are
accomplished, neither as to common feasts, but let us hasten as to the Lord,
Who is Himself the Feast.
Just
as the soldier and the hunter when they go to fight are not concerned about
knowing whether others are wounded or saved, but each one fights on his own
account, so must the monk be.
Meditate
more often, O Christian, on eternity, that you may the better escape sin. One
cannot think of eternity without sighing and fear. Meditation upon eternity
makes weeping and tears sweet, it lightens every toil, it teaches us to accept
with thanksgiving any temporal punishment, sorrow, offence, dishonour,
banishment and death itself; it prevents us from falling into the snare of
lawlessness. He who thinks of eternity will seek the word of God and
instruction to salvation more than he seeks his daily food.
If
you are the active secretary of a diocesan council, the manager of a candle
factory or take part in the administration of a seminary, all these respected
labors are worth nothing in comparison with returning even one soul from the
path of perdition into the way of salvation.
A
wise man pays careful attention to himself, and by freely choosing to suffer
escapes the suffering that comes unsought.
There
is nothing which even Satan fears so much as prayer that is offered during
vigilance at night. And even if it is offered with distraction, it does not
return empty, unless perhaps that which is asked for is unsuitable.
It
is shameful to be proud of the adornments that are not your own, but utter
madness to fancy one deserves God's gifts. Be exalted only but such
achievements as you had before your birth. But what you received after your
birth, as also birth itself, God gave you. Only those virtues which you have
obtained without the co-operation of the mind belong to you, because your mind
was given you by God. Only such victories as you have won without the
co-operation of the body have been accomplished by your efforts, because the
body is not yours, but a work of God.
From
my youth, O Saviour, I have rejected Thy commandments; all my life have I
passed in passions, carelessly and idly; wherefore, I cry, O Saviour: Save me
even at the end.
Without
the power of the Spirit which our Lord gave us in Baptism for the fulfilling of
His commandments, the which is confirmed in us each day by the taking of His
Body and Blood, we cannot be purified from the passions, and we cannot vanquish
demons, and we cannot perform the works of spiritual excellence.
Sweet
is the enjoyment of the good things of life, but it is not equal to the delight
of Paradise .
The
demons fear hunger and thirst, the saying of the Jesus Prayer, the sign of the
Cross, frequent Communion, and doubting hope in God.
When
we remain in silence, our enemy the devil will have no success with regard to a
man with a hidden heart; this, however, must be understood of silence of the
mind.
God
needs not toils, but obedience.
If
the mind becomes exhausted by saying the words of the prayer, then pray without
words, bowing down before the Lord inwardly in your heart and giving yourself
to Him. This is true prayer. Words are only prayer's expression and are always
weaker in God's eyes than prayer itself.
In
the struggle against temptation, prostrate yourself before God again and again
saying, "Be willing to help me, O Lord, because I am weak and cannot keep
up this battle."
Of
all the arts, the most complicated is the spiritual life. How many perished in
spiritual delusion and pride; how many despaired and left it. For this reason
one needs stability, steadfastness, patience, and deep humility. When we love
God with full devotion. He will help us.
God
creates out of nothing; and if we sincerely recognize ourselves as being
nothing, He will recreate our hearts.
Lord,
I confess to Thee that neither in the country nor in the forest are to be found
life, and health, and vigour of the spiritual and material powers, but with
Thee in the temple, and, above all, during the Liturgy and in Thy Holy
Life-giving Mysteries! O, greatest blessedness of the Holy Mysteries! O,
Life-giving Mysteries! O, Divine Mysteries, that are love unspeakable! O,
Divine Mysteries, that are the Lord God's constant and wonderful Providence
My
children, every day you should apply yourselves with zeal to save your souls,
for therein is the gain which you shall take with you from this earthly
sojourn: for all other things remain here.
The
whole spiritual meditation of the Scriptures is given to us as salt which
stings in order to benefit, and which disinfects, without which it is
impossible for a soul, by means of reason, to be brought to the Almighty.
If
the practice of prayer is to proceed successfully, it is always essential at
the outset to lay everything else aside, so that the heart is completely free
of distraction. Nothing should obtrude on the mind: neither face, nor activity,
nor object. At such a time all is to be driven out.
If
a man does not guard his heart well, he will forget and neglect everything he
has heard, and thus the enemy, finding room in him, will overthrow him.
Unless
the inner man meditates upon the law of God and is nourished thereby, unless he
is strengthened by reading and by prayer, he is conquered by the outer man and
he serves his master.
No
one can rejoice here with the world, and reign there with the Lord.
This
especially must we reflect upon, dearest brethren, on this great solemnity,
that on this day the
handwriting of the decree of
our condemnation was blotted out (Col. II 34); the sentence of our death was
altered. For that nature to which it had been said: "Dust thou art, and
unto dust thou shalt return" (Gen. 3:19), has this day entered heaven.
Because of this exaltation of our flesh the blessed Job in figure called the
Lord "a bird". For he beheld that Judaea did
not understand the mystery of His Ascension, and he pronounced sentence on its
unbelief, saying: "The bird hath not known the path" (Job 28: 7).
When
we see a special disturbance and excitement of the passions accompanying the
prayer of Jesus, let us not be dejected or perplexed by it. On the contrary,
let us take courage and prepare ourselves for the struggle and for the most
diligent prayer in the name of Jesus as having received a clear sign that the
prayer of Jesus has begun to produce its proper effect in us.
Before
the war begins, seek after your ally; before you fall ill, seek out your
physician; and before grievous things come upon you, pray, and in the time of
your tribulations you will find Him, and He will hearken to you.
If,
in listening to the church singing and reading, you cannot understand them,
then with reverence say to yourself the Prayer of the Name of Jesus, in this
way: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."
Strive to put this prayer deeply into your soul and heart; say it with your
mind and thought, do not allow it even for a short time to depart from your
lips; unite it as well as you can to your breathing and with whatever strength
you have strive at the same time to force yourself to heartfelt contrition, so
that you will repent of your sins with tears. If there are no tears, there
should at least be contrition and moaning of heart. See to it that the church
services do not proceed without this.
Receive
willingly and carry out effectively your loving father's advice, that by the
labor of obedience you may return to Him from Whom you had departed by the
sloth of disobedience.
A
monk is a man who prays for the whole world. . . Perhaps, you will say that
nowadays there are no monks who would pray for the whole world; but I tell you
that when we have no more men of prayer the world will come to an end and great
disaster will befall — as, indeed, is happening already.
I
have the testimonies of the Lord in writing, that say, I desire not the death
of the sinner, but his repentance, and that he should turn from his wickedness
and live. It was for this that He came down, to save sinners, to raise the
dead, to quicken lost lives, to give light to those in darkness. In truth He came,
and called us to the adoption of sons, to a holy city which is ever at peace,
to the life that never dies, to glory incorruptible.
Meditate
upon His Passion: it helps the fulfillment of Christian duty. . . The suffering
of Christ is like a saving book from which we learn all the supreme Good:
repentance, faith, devotion to God, love of our neighbour, humility, meekness,
patience, detachment from worldly vanities; like a spur it stimulates one.
Whenever
we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to
approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the
angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation; for as the
Angels are said to have stood by the Lord's body when it lay in the tomb, so we
must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His
most sacred Body at the time of consecration.
If
an unbaked brick is put in the foundations near to the river, it does not last
for a single day, but baked, it lasts like stone. So the man with a carnal
disposition of soul, who has not been in the fire through fear of God like
Joseph, utterly disintegrates.
Abba Orsesius
A
slave does not demand his freedom as a reward; but he gives satisfaction as one
who is in debt, and he receives freedom as a gift.
According
to the Fathers, if our inner self is watchful it can protect the outer self.
But we and the demons combine in committing sins. The demons work through evil
thoughts alone by forming in the intellect what fanciful pictures they wish;
while we sin both inwardly through evil thoughts and outwardly through our
actions. Lacking the density of physical bodies, the demons through deceitfulness
and guile are purveyors of torment, both to themselves and to us, by means of
evil thoughts alone. If they did not lack the density of physical bodies, they
would always be sinning through outward actions as well, for their will is
always disposed to ungodliness.
St. Hesychius the Presbyter
There
is no venom more poisonous than that of the asp or cobra, and there is no evil
greater than that of self-love. The winged children of self-love are
self-praise, self-satisfaction, gluttony, unchastity, self-esteem, jealousy and
the crown of all these, pride. Pride can drag down not men alone, but even
angels from Heaven, and surround them with darkness instead of light.
Just
as the dolphin stirs and swims about when the visible sea is still and calm, so
also, when the sea of the heart is tranquil and still from wrath and anger,
mysteries and divine revelations are stirred in her at all times to delight
her.
Imitate
the publican, and you will not be condemned with the Pharisee. Choose the
meekness of Moses and you will find your heart which is a rock changed into a
spring of water.
Let
us put a good finish to our beginning. Let us abide in poverty, in the
condition of strangers, in suffering affliction, in petition to God, knocking
importunately at the door. Near as the body is to the soul, the Lord is nearer,
to come and open the locked doors of the heart, and to bestow on us the riches
of Heaven. He is good and kind to man, and His promises cannot lie, if only we
continue seeking Him to the end.
When
you fall down before God in prayer, become in your thought like an ant, like
the creeping things of the earth, like a leech, and like a tiny lisping child.
Do not say anything before Him with knowledge, but with a child's manner of
thought draw near to God and walk before Him, that you may be counted worthy of
that paternal providence which fathers have for their small children.
Fire
descended in wrath and consumed sinners, the Fire of mercy descended and dwelt
in the bread. Instead of that fire which consumed mankind, you have consumed
Fire in the Bread and you come to life.
Let
us then seek above all things to have the brand and seal of the Lord upon us;
because in the day of judgment, when the severity of God is shewn, and all the
tribes of the earth, even all Adam, are gathered together, when the good
Shepherd calls His own flock, all those who have the brand recognize their own
Shepherd, and the Shepherd takes knowledge of those who have His own seal, and
gathers them together from all the nations. Those that are His hear His voice,
and go behind Him.
We
have eaten Christ's Body in place of the fruit on the Tree of Paradise, and His
altar has taken the place of the garden of Eden for us; the curse has been
washed away by His innocent Blood, and in the hope of the Resurrection we
already walk in this new life, in that we already have the pledge of it.
We
must have our loins girt, lest, when the day of our setting forth comes, He may
find us hindered and entangled. Let our light shine in good works; let it glow,
that He may lead us out of the night of this world to the light of His eternal
brightness.
How
deadly it is for the soul not to celebrate in Church, especially not to
participate in Christ's Divine Mysteries; how overgrown the soul becomes with
weeds of sin, how it weakens.
If
you truly desire to be saved, then show obedience in every deed; separate your
feet from the earth, raise your mind to Heaven, and may your instruction be
there day and night.
We
celebrate the service unwillingly, hurriedly and with omissions in order to
finish the holy work sooner and to return more quickly to every-day worldly
life! What a terrible illusion! In our blindness we disregard the words of the
Holy Spirit which live in the prayers recited during the services and in the
ministrations of sacraments; we neglect what could be for us the source of
sweet peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and even physical health. It is a great
sin to perform the sacraments negligently. We blaspheme when we do. What, then,
are we to do in order to celebrate the Sacraments and the services befittingly?
We must firmly believe that our God, reverenced in the Holy Trinity, is always
with us, that He always sees us and that at our first word of prayer for help
He is ready to help us in our holy work.
Join
humility to temperance, because without the former the latter is useless.
When
you read Holy Scripture, perceive its hidden meanings. "For whatever was written
in past times was written for our instruction" (Rom. 15:4).
One
of the old men said concerning the lustful thoughts which come into the heart
of a man, and which are not carried into effect, that they are like unto a man
who seeth a vineyard, and who desireth to eat the grapes thereof, but is afraid
to go in lest he be caught and suffer death. If he be caught outside the hedge
he will not die, because he hath neither gone into the vineyard nor hath eaten
the grapes, but hath only desired; now he shall be beaten with few stripes,
because he hath coveted, but he shall not die.
Drink
we of "living water, springing up into everlasting life; but this
spake" the Saviour "of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him
should receive." For observe what He says, "He that believeth on
Me" (not simply this, but) "as the Scripture hath said" (thus He
hath sent thee back to the Old Testament), "out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water," not rivers perceived by sense, and merely
watering the earth with its thorns and trees, but bringing souls to the light.
What
hinders us from communing more often? Our negligence, our indolence, overcome
by which we do not prepare ourselves as much as possible for Communion.
Our
parents according to the flesh are good and it is fine to serve them, but it is
incomparably better to be well-pleasing to the Heavenly Father. Brethren
according to the flesh are excellent, but spiritual ones are better. The
friends in Christ which you had in the world were good but it is better to have
as friends the Saints who will intercede with the Master. Good are those
advocates you had, to stand before the rulers in time of need, but that is not
like having the Holy Angels interceding for us.
Orthodoxy
is life; one cannot talk about it, one must live it.
At
them times when you remember God, increase your prayers, so that when you
forget Him, the Lord may remind you.
We
should constantly be examining and comparing ourselves with the holy Fathers
and the lights who lived before us, and we should then find that we have not
yet entered upon the path of the ascetic life, and have not kept our vow in
holy fashion, and in disposition are still living in the world.
Learn
by heart the words of the Gospels and the sayings of the holy fathers, and
study their lives in order to have all this as subjects for meditation during
the nights.
Let
us imitate our fathers and, like them, let us seek the treasure existing within
our hearts and, having found it, let us hold fast to it in doing and
guarding—for which task we were destined from the beginning.
You
are, I am sure, aware that for you penitence is now no longer limited to
disclosing your sins to your confessor, but that you must now bear your sins in
mind always, until your heart nearly breaks with their ugly load; and would
break, were it not for your firm faith in the mercy of our Lord.
If
you want to be free of all the passions, practice self-control, love and
prayer.
It
is not irrational beasts, which God does not desire, that one must offer in
sacrifice; rather, we must mortify ourselves every day, just as all the saints
mortified themselves for the sake of Him Who died for us. They loved not the
world nor what is in it, but brought a gift pleasing to God from a pure heart,
and for this they were called the sons of God. Do even as they, if you wish to
be called a son of the Holy One.
The
man who despairs of himself when he hears of the supernatural virtues of the
saints is most unreasonable. On the contrary, they supremely teach you one of
two things: either they rouse you to emulation by their holy courage, or they
lead you by way of thrice- holy humility to deep self-contempt and realization
of your inherent weakness.
The
most deadly weapon of the combatant and champion is this, to enter into the
heart and make war there upon Satan, and to hate himself and to deny his own
soul, to be angry with it and rebuke it, and to resist the desires that dwell
there, and grapple with his thoughts, and fight with himself.
8:34 ).
We
can attain humility of spirit only when we see the fall of mankind in
ourselves: its bondage and cruel domination by the demons and eternal death;
only then can we cry out to God with prayer and weeping from the depths of our
heart and with all our soul, and with such a wail, such an awareness of our
peril and helpless weakness . . . and attract to ourselves divine grace!
Lest
we be concerned with human things, let us concern ourselves with things divine,
and as pilgrims ever sigh for and desire our homeland; for the end of the road
is ever the object of hopes and desires, and thus since we are travellers and
pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of
our life, for the end of our roaming is our home. . . . Let us not love the
roadway rather than the homeland lest we lose our eternal home; for we have
such a home that we ought to love it. Therefore let this principle abide with
us, that on the road we so live as travellers, as pilgrims, as guests of the
world, entangled in no lusts, longing with no earthly desires, but let us fill
our minds with heavenly and spiritual impressions, singing with grace and
power. When shall I come and appear before the face of my God?
Temptations
procure crowns for us if we use them well.
Our
Lord Jesus Christ requires those who love Him to be accurate investigators of
whatsoever is written concerning Him; for He has said, 'that the Kingdom of Heaven
Better
a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he knows, merits
life in Heaven than one who though being distinguished for his learning in the
Scriptures, or even holding the place of a doctor, lacks the bread of love.
Like
the animals who labor and sweat in a mill with their eyes blindfolded, we go
about the mill of life always going through the same motions and always coming
back to the same place again. I mean that round of hunger, satiety, going to
bed, getting up, emptying ourselves and filling ourselves — one thing
constantly follows the other, and we never stop going round in circles until we
get out of the mill.
The
law of freedom teaches the whole truth. Many read about it in a theoretical
way, but few really understand it, and these only in the degree to which they
practise the commandments.
Just
as a treasure that is exposed loses its value, so a virtue which is known
vanishes; just as wax melts when it is near fire, so the soul is destroyed by
praise and loses all the results of its labour.
The
soul that through the grace of its calling resembles God keeps inviolate within
itself the substance of the blessings bestowed upon it. In souls such as this
Christ always desires to be born in a mystical way, becoming incarnate in those
who attain salvation, and making the soul that gives birth to Him a Virgin
Mother; for such a soul, to put it briefly, is not conditioned by categories
like those of male and female that typify a nature subject to generation and
corruption.
The
single-phrased Jesus Prayer destroys and consumes the deceits of the demons.
For when we invoke Jesus, God and son of God, constantly and tirelessly, He
does not allow them to project in the mind's mirror even the first hint of
their infiltration — that is to say, their provocation — or any form, nor does
He allow them to have any converse with the heart. If no demonic form enters
the heart, it will be empty of evil thoughts, as we have said; for it is the
demons' habit to converse with the soul by means of evil thoughts and so
deceitfully to pervert it.
When
Scripture says, 'He will reward every man according to his works' (Matt. 16:27 ), do not imagine
that works in themselves merit either hell or the Kingdom. On the contrary,
Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with faith or
without faith in Himself; and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God our
Creator and Redeemer.
If
sometimes our Orthodox Christians cannot contain our Faith and its Mysteries,
this is evidence that the hearts of men are unclean and passionate and cannot
endure purity and its light, just as weak eyes cannot endure the light of the
sun.
If
we want to do something but cannot, then before God, Who knows our hearts, it
is as if we have done it. This is true whether the intended action is good or
bad.
Impassioned
thoughts follow hard upon thoughts that appear to be innocent and
dispassionate: the latter open the way for the former. This we have found
through years of experience and observation.
The
blessed woman Eugenia said, "It is helpful to us to go about begging, only
we must be with Jesus, for he who is with Jesus is rich, even though we be poor
in the flesh. For he who holdeth the things of earth in greater honour than the
things of the Spirit falleth away both from the things which are first and the
things which are last. For he who coveteth heavenly things must, of necessity,
receive the good things which are on the earth. Therefore it belongeth unto the
wise to await not the things which now exist [here], but the things which are
about to be, and the happiness which is indescribable, and in this short and
troublesome life they should prepare themselves therefore."
Even
though knowledge is true, it is still not firmly established if unaccompanied
by works. For everything is
established by being put into practice.
O
brethren, let us forget the earth and all that is therein. The earth entices us
from contemplation of the Holy Trinity, Which our minds cannot apprehend but
Which the Saints in Heaven behold in the Holy Spirit.
May
your labors be seeds of heavenly fruits of patience unto eternity! May they be crowned by a crown of
immortality!
Some
people when praised for their virtue are delighted, and attribute his
pleasurable feeling of self-esteem to grace. Others when reproved for their
sins are pained, and they mistake this beneficial pain for the action of sin.
O
brethren, let us forget the earth and all that is therein. The earth entices us
from contemplation of the Holy Trinity, Which our minds cannot apprehend but
Which the Saints in Heaven behold in the Holy Spirit.
May
your labors be seeds of heavenly fruits of patience unto eternity! May they be crowned by a crown of
immortality!
Some
people when praised for their virtue are delighted, and attribute his
pleasurable feeling of self-esteem to grace. Others when reproved for their
sins are pained, and they mistake this beneficial pain for the action of sin.
_________________________________________________________________________
—St Symeon the New Theologian
________________________________________________________________________
—Abba Philemon
_______________________________________________________________________
—St Isaac of Syria
_____________________________________________________________________
A full stomach abhors examining spiritual matters, just as a prostitute dislikes talking about chastity.
—St Isaac of Syria
______________________________________________________________________
Nothing so puts you in communion with God and unites you with the divine Word as pure noetic prayer, when you pray undistractedly in the Spirit, your soul cleansed by tears, mellowed by compunction and illumined by the light of the Spirit.
—Nikitas Stithatos
___________________________________________________________________________
Before you pray, first forgive all those who have offended you. Then you may pray. Only in this way will your prayer rise up into the presence of God. If you do not forgive, it will simply remain on the earth.
—Aphrahat the Persian
__________________________________________________________________________
—Saying of St Antony the Great
________________________________________________________________________
- St. Herman of Alaska
- Abbot Eustratius
- St. Macarius of Optina
- St. Herman of Alaska
- Abbot Eustratius
- St. Macarius of Optina
- Holy New Hieromartyr Damascene
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Ambrose of Milan
- St. Clement of Rome
- Holy New Hieromartyr Archbishop Barlaam
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow
- Abba Longinus
- SS. Ignatius and Callistus Xanthopoulos
- Abba Ischyrion
- Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. Gregory Palamas
- Bishop Theophan the Recluse
- St. Paisy Velichkovski
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Abba John the Dwarf
- Holy New Hieromartyr
Nikon of Optina
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
- Abba Cronius
- Abbess Thaisia
- Feofil, the Fool for
Christ's Sake
- Saint Macarius of Optina
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Abba Rufus
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Theophan the Recluse
- Elder Nazarius
- Abba Philemon
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Gregory, On Pentecost
- St. Thalassius
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. Paisius Velichkovski
- Elder Nazarius
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Cyprian of Carthage
- Patrum Aegyptiorum
- Elder Daniel of Kantounakia
- Elder Nazarius
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Thalassius
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Sayings of the Fathers
- St. Symeon the Pious
- St. Macarius the Great
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- Staretz Silouan
- St. Thalassius
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. John of Karpathos
- St. Herman of Alaska
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. John of the Ladder
- Abba Or
- St. Thalassius
- Abba Or
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- Staretz Silouan
If you wish to pray as you ought, imitate the dulcimer player; bending his head a little and inclining his ear to the strings, he strikes the strings skillfully, and enjoys the melody he draws from their harmonious notes.
- St. Callistus the Patriarch
- St. Theophan the Recluse
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Anthony the Great
- St. Isaiah the Solitary
- St. Sergius of Radonezh
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. Thalassius
- Abba Zeno
- Abba Joseph
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Leo the Great
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Elder Hilarion
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Andrew the Fool for
Christ
- Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov
- Staretz Silouan
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. John Climacus
- St. Pachomius the Great
- St. Germanus of Constantinople
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Isaiah the Solitary
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Methodius of Olympus
- Elder Joseph the
Hesychast of
- Staretz Silouan
- St. Anthony the Great
- St. Paisius Velichkovsky
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- Elder Joseph the Hesychast
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Peter of Damascus
- St. Nicephorus the Solitary
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Macarius the Great
- Saint John Maximovitch
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. John Climacus
- St. Maximus the Confessor
- St. John Cassian
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Isaiah the Solitary
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
- St. John of Karpathos
- St. Hilary of Poitiers
- Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Elder Hilarion
- Abba Moses
- St. Cyprian
- St. Alexander Svirsky
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- Abba Barsanuphius the Great
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- Elder Joseph the
Hesychast of
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- St. Dorotheus of Gaza
- Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
- St. Theodore of Edessa
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. Moses of Optina
- St. Dorotheus of Gaza
- St. Moses of Optina
- St. Joseph
- St. Ambrose of Milan
- St. Moses of Optina
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Thalassius
- Saint Macarius of Optina
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. Thalassius
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Thalassius
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- Father Alexei of Bortsurmany
- St. John of Karpathos
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Gregory of Sinai
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Martin of Braga
- St. Benedict
- Elder Herman of Mt. Athos
- St. John of the Ladder
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. John of the Ladder
- St. Macarius the Great
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Peter of Damascus
- St. Anatoly of Optina
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Anthony the Great
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
- Abba Elias
- St. Paul of Obnora
- Amma Syncletica
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
- St. Basil the Great
- St. Ambrose of Milan
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Amvrosy of Optina
- Abba Dioscorus
- St. Clement of Rome
- St. Callistus Xanthopoulos
- St. Nicon "Repent Ye"
- St. Clement of Rome
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- St. Paisius Velichkovski
- Abba John the Dwarf
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Nonnus (Life of St.
Pelagia, the former harlot)
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Theophan the Recluse
- Abba Cronius
- St. Feofil, the Fool for
Christ
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. Ambrose of Optina
- Abbot Nazarius
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
- St. Philotheus of Sinai
- St. John of the Ladder
- St. Pachomius the Great
- St. Joseph of Optina
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- Abba Arsenius
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Nil Sorsky
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. John Climacus
- Abba Elias
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. Braulio of Saragosa
- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. John Cassian
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- Abba Ammonas
- St. Leo the Great
- Abba Bessarion
- St. Peter of Damascus
- Holy New Hieromartyr Barlaam
- St. Nil Sorsky
- St. Barsanuphius
- St. Ignatius the God-bearer
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Ephraim the Syrian
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Maximus the Confessor
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Anthony the Great
- St. Gregory Palamas
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Ambrose of Milan
- St. Makary of Optina
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. Hesychius the Priest
- St. John of Karpathos
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Athanasius the Great
- St. Cyprian
- Abba Theonas
- St. Nicon "Repent Ye"
- St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- SS. Callistus and Ignatius
- St. Clement of Rome
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Gregory Palamas
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Abba John the Short
- St. Makary of Optina
- Job 12:7-10
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Basil the Great
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Makary of Optina
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. John of Kronstadt
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Basil the Great
- Elder Gabriel of
- Elder Hilarion
- Startez Silouan
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- Bishop Theophan the Recluse
- Bishop Innocent Veniaminov
- St. Joseph of Volokolamsk
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Alexander of Svir
- St. Gregory the Great
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Thalassius
·
St. Isaac the Syrian
·
St. Dorotheus of Gaza
·
St. Maximus the Confessor
·
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
·
St. Athanasius the Great
·
Apophthegmata Patrum
·
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
·
Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
·
St. Thalassius
·
St. Isaac the Syrian
·
St. John of the Ladder
· St. Andrew of Crete , Great
Canon
·
Paradise of the Fathers
· Elder Nicon (Life of St. Symeon, Fool for
Christ)
·
Abbot Eustratius of Glinsk Hermitage
·
St. Seraphim of Sarov
·
St. John Chrysostom
·
Bishop Theophan the Recluse
·
St. Isaiah the Solitary
· St. Elizabeth (Feodorovna), the New Martyr
·
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
·
St. John of Kronstadt
·
St. Hypatius
·
St. Methodius of Olympus
·
Bishop Theophan the Recluse
· Abba Orsesius
The
practice of virtues, even though performed with care and effort, does not
afford complete security to the soul unless grace transforms them into an
essential disposition of the heart.- St. Gregory of Sinai
- St. Moses of Optina
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Gregory the Great
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Elder Nazarius
- St. Benedict of Nursia
- Startez Silouan
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. Tikhon of Voronezh
- Venerable Bede
Abba Orsesius
- St. Mark the Ascetic
St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- Amma Syncletica
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. Isaac the Syrian
- St. Ephraim the Syrian,
Hymn on Faith
- St. Maximus of Turin
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. Ephraim the Syrian
- St. Cyprian
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Barsanuphius the Great
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. John Climacus
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem
- St. Macarius of Corinth
- Elder Nicon (from the
Life of St. Symeon the Fool for Christ)
- St. Nektary of Optina
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. John Climacus
- Theoleptus, Metropolitan
of
- St. Nicephorus of Mt. Athos
- St. Makary of Optina
- St. Thalassius
- Elder Nazarius
- St. John Climacus
- St. Macarius the Great
- St. Andrew, the Fool for
Christ
- Bishop Ignaty Brianchaninov
- St. Columban
- Apophthegmata Patrum
- St. Cyril of Alexandria
- Venerable Bede
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- Amma Syncletica
- St. Maximus the Confessor
- St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. John of Kronstadt
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- St. Hesychius the Presbyter
- Paradise of the Fathers
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- Staretz Silouan
- St. Herman of Alaska
- St. Mark the Ascetic
- Staretz Silouan
- St. Herman of Alaska
- St. Mark the Ascetic
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From the moment your start
praying, raise your heart upward and turn your eyes downward. Bring your focus
to your innermost self, and there pray in secret to your heavenly Father.
—Aphrahat the Persian
—Aphrahat the Persian
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The Father of all has no
name given to Him, since He is unbegotten. For a being who has a name imposed
on him has an elder to give him that name. 'Father', and 'God', 'Creator',
'Lord' and 'Master' are not names but appellations derived from His benefits
and works. His Son (who alone is properly called Son, the Word who is with God
and is begotten before the creation, when in the beginning God created and
ordered all things through Him) is called Christ because He was anointed and
God ordered all things through Him. The name Christ also contains an unknown significance,
just as the title 'God' is not a name, but represents the idea, innate in human
nature, of an inexpressible reality.
—St Justin the Martyr
—St Justin the Martyr
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No man has understanding if
he is not humble, and whoever lacks humility is devoid of understanding. No man
is humble if he is not peaceful, and he who is not peaceful is not humble. And
no man is peaceful without rejoicing.
—St Isaac ofSyria
—St Isaac of
—St Symeon the New Theologian
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Do not despise Christ's
commandment of love, for it is the means whereby you can become the child of
God.
—St Maximus the Confessor
—St Maximus the Confessor
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Set your mind on following the path of the saints. Prefer a simple style
of life; wear unremarkable clothes. Eat simple food; behave in an unaffected
manner. Do not strut about as if you were important. Speak from your heart.—Abba Philemon
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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 Klimakos
—St John Klimakos
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Do not approach the mystery-filled words of the Scriptures without
prayer and a request for assistance from God. Say, 'Lord, grant me to become
aware of the power in these words'. Consider prayer to be the key to insights
into the Truth in the Scriptures. —St Isaac of Syria
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A full stomach abhors examining spiritual matters, just as a prostitute dislikes talking about chastity.
—St Isaac of Syria
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Nothing so puts you in communion with God and unites you with the divine Word as pure noetic prayer, when you pray undistractedly in the Spirit, your soul cleansed by tears, mellowed by compunction and illumined by the light of the Spirit.
—Nikitas Stithatos
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Before you pray, first forgive all those who have offended you. Then you may pray. Only in this way will your prayer rise up into the presence of God. If you do not forgive, it will simply remain on the earth.
—Aphrahat the Persian
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Fasts and vigils, the study
of Scripture, renouncing possessions and everything worldly are not in
themselves perfection, as we have said; they are its tools. For perfection is
not to be found in them; it is acquired through them. It is useless, therefore,
to boast of our fasting, vigils, poverty, and reading of Scripture when we have
not achieved the love of God and our fellow men. Whoever has achieved love has
God within himself and his intellect is always with God.
—St John
—
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Thus we become God's
temple, when the continuity of our recollection is not severed by earthly
cares; when the mind is harassed by no sudden sensations; when the worshipper
rites from all things and retreats to God, drawing away all the feelings that
invite him to self-indulgence, and passes his time in the pursuits that lead to
virtue.
—St Basil the Great
—St Basil the Great
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Someone asked Abba Antony, 'What must one do in order to please God?'
The old man replied, 'Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be,
always have God before your eyes, whatever you do, do it according to the
testimony of the Holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live do not easily
leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.'—Saying of St Antony the Great
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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 so
until the day of your death. For it is written, 'If a righteous man falls seven
times' -that is, repeatedly throughout his life- seven times 'shall he rise
again' (Prov 24.16 LXX).
—St John Karpathos
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