Christ is Risen!’ Young and old, maidens,
everyone, little and great, prepare!
Inside the laurel-covered churches,
gather in the light of joy!
Open your arms and with them offer peace,
that the icons of the saints may see.
Embrace and kiss each other sweetly, lip on lip,
let friend and foe proclaim, ‘Christ is Risen!’
- Dionisios Solomos, “The day of Easter” (an excerpt)
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.
- St. Macarius the Great
Do not undertake to explain the Gospels or the other books of Holy Scripture yourself. The Scriptures were not expressed arbitrarily by the prophets and apostles, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How mindless then is it to explain them arbitrarily? The Holy Spirit, having expressed the Word of God through the prophets and apostles, explained it through the Holy Fathers. Both the Word of God and its explanation are a gift of the Holy Spirit. The holy Orthodox Church and its true children accept only this patristic interpretation!
- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, On Reading the Gospel
There is nothing better than peace in Christ, for it brings victory over all the evil spirits on earth and in the air. When peace dwells in a man’s heart it enables him to contemplate the grace of the Holy Spirit from within. He who dwells in peace collects spiritual gifts as it were with a scoop, and he sheds the light of knowledge on others. All our thoughts, all our desires, all our efforts, and all our actions should make us say constantly with the Church: “O Lord, give us peace!” When a man lives in peace, God reveals mysteries to him..
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
Prayer is the test of everything; prayer is also the source of everything; prayer is the driving force of everything; prayer is also the director of everything. If prayer is right, everything is right. For prayer will not allow anything to go wrong.
- St. Theophan the Recluse
When we bravely and quietly endure the afflictions sent to us, we participate a little, albeit not fully, in the sufferings of Christ.
- St. Macarius of Optina
The soul that loves God has its rest in God and in God alone. In all the paths that men walk in in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God.
- St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 56, 89
The work which you do is spiritual, but forces yourself to study one or two chapter of the Holy Scripture, the lives of the Saints, patristic writings, and writings of the Holy Prophets, Apostles, and Teachers of the church. Also do not neglect your obligation to prayer and fasting and continence according to your strength, and especially forcefulness, because the kingdom of the heavens is taken by force and the forceful grab it.
- Father Philotheos Zervakos
Christ manifested Himself to the world; He filled it with light and joy; He sanctified the waters and diffused His light in the souls of men.
- St. Proclus
Studying the holy and sacred Gospel, I found in it many and different teachings which are all pearls, diamonds, treasures, riches, joy, gladness-eternal life. Among the other things I also found this teaching in which Christ says to us: no Christian, man or woman, should be concerned only with himself, how he can be saved, but must be concerned also with his brethren so that they may not fall into sin.
- St. Cosmas Aitolos
Devote all your energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ, especially today, when unbelief and atheism are audaciously attacking the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of you!
- St. Tikhon of Moscow, martyred by the Atheists in 1925
There is no divine mercy or hope of dispassion for the soul that loves this world more than its Creator, and is attached to visible things and clings wholly to the pleasures and enjoyments of the flesh.
- St. Theognostos
If you become rich, consider whether or not you could worthily bear poverty.
If you are happy, imagine how you could worthily meet unhappiness.
When people praise you, think how you might worthily bear insult. And, all your life, think how you might worthily meet death.
- St. Nicholai of Serbia, “Thoughts on Good and Evil”
Miracles happen every minute, but we don’t perceive them because we are stone-hearted.
- Father Demetris Gagastathis
It is a sin for someone to lie. When he lies for a good cause, i.e. to save someone else, this is half a sin, because the lie is for the benefit of his fellow man and not for himself. However it is also considered a sin; therefore, we should keep it in mind, and not fall into the habit of telling lies for insignificant things.
- Elder Paisios
