In the measure to which a man cuts off and humbles his own will, he proceeds toward success. But insofar as he stubbornly guards his own will, so much does he brings harm to himself.
- St. Ephraim the Syrian, Counsels to a Novice Monk
A young monk said to Abba Sisoes: “Abba, what should I do? I fell.” The elder answered: “Get up!” The monk said: “I got up and I fell again!” The elder replied: “Get up again!” But the young monk asked: “For how long should I get up when I fall?” “Until your death,” answered Abba Sisoes. “For a man heads to his judgment either fallen or getting back up again.”
- Taken from “Confession: Dooway to Forgiveness” by Jim Forest
He cannot move away from us, for He is life. All of Him is love. Oh, if we men could have the same love toward Him, and approach Him as our only true friend! Alas, that is not how we come before Him. Instead, we are reserved, we approach Him with formality. When we pray, and when we do something good, we are altogether very formal. … He, in turn, wants us to be natural. When He came to dwell among us, He showed us the way to live: simply, humbly and meekly. We should approach Him just as He created us — as innocent children.
- Elder Thaddeus of Serbia
In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with tears and effort.
- Amma Syncletica
My heart only has entrances. It doesn’t have exits. Whoever enters remains there. Whatever he may do, I love him the same as I loved him when he first entered into my heart. I pray for him and seek his salvation.
- Elder Epiphanios
A group of little children were playing. They were running about, picking flowers, singing, and rejoicing, because the grace of God made them happy. Then they saw a monk who was crying.
“Look,” they said to him, “the Lord decorated the heavens with stars and the earth with rivers and gardens; hawks fly high above the clouds and enjoy the beauty of nature; birds sing beautifully in the fields, but you, a monk, sit in your cell and do not see the whole beauty of God. You just sit and cry. What are you crying about in your little cell, when the sun is shining, the world is full of beauty, and there is joy everywhere on earth?”
“Children,” replied the monk, “you do not understand my tears. My soul cries for you because you do not know God, Who created all this beauty. My soul knows Him, and I want all of you to know Him, too. That is why I am sorrowful, and with tears I pray to God for you, that you would also come to know the Lord through the Holy Spirit.”
“What does it mean, to come to know the Lord through the Holy Spirit?” “You cannot know God with your mind. But when you read the Holy Scriptures, where the Holy Spirit dwells, it will delight you, and so you will come to know God and will serve Him with joy day and night. When you know God, the desire to think only about the things of this world will leave you, and your soul will strive to see the glory of God in the heavens.”
- Saint Silouan the Athonite
Once a pilgrim came to him and asked him about “the mysteries of spiritual and heavenly things.” The elder emphasized repentance and humility. Again, the man tried to get him to speak about spiritual states and gifts, but the elder brought the conversation back around to repentance. The pilgrim became almost despondent, since he had heard so much about the holiness and charismatic gifts of the elder, and yet he would talk to him only about repentance.
- Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos
… It says somewhere at Evergetinos, that a monk had the following characteristic, whatever you asked him for a service, he always wanted to help. If you told him “I would like to remove my bed but I cannot do it alone, he said I am coming, let’s go!”. Someone else asked ” I would like your help for that activity”, ” I am coming to help you”. Someone: “Come to the garden for a while, I would like to dig…” “I will come” he used to say. Continuously. Sacrifice, Love. That is Christianity.
- From the lovely book of Andreas Konanos “Strengthen your soul” (only available in Greek)
“From the Little Mountain” takes you through a year at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross in West Virginia. This video is an attempt to portray some of the beauty and struggle of monastic life using quotes from the Scriptures and the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church.
Above all we ought at least to know that there are three origins of our thoughts, i.e., from God, from the devil, and from ourselves… We ought then carefully to notice this threefold order, and with a wise discretion to analyze the thoughts which arise in our hearts, tracking out their origin and cause and author in the first instance, that we may be able to consider how we ought to yield ourselves to them…
- St. Moses the Black Hermit
Monasticism is Christ’s army and Satan’s enemy. The monasteries are the outposts of the Church. Without outposts, the enemy will capture us. Prayer in monasteries reaches God like a bullet. As a foreign army fears the aircraft and hides, so also Satan fear the prayer of the monastics and goes away.
- Father Dimitris Gagastathis
Monks and nuns are already living that future existence in this life, rather than considering themselves bound by our present postlapsarian existence. Monasticism (and, more generally, asceticism in all its forms) asserts that it is possible, to some degree, to live eschatologically even now, within our fallen stage of existence: acts of fasting and celibacy are ways of exercising self-control over our biological bodies to create unity and harmony between body and soul, and are simultaneously a foretaste of the future freedom from biological necessities.
- Valerie A. Karras in “Thinking Through Faith: New Perspective from Orthodox Christian Scholars”
Talanton or Toaca, is a wooden board instrument to call worshipers to prayer in the Orthodox Church. It is used especially at monasteries. Here, you can see a monk with the talanton.
It’s sound is amazing, especially as it becomes faster and faster!!!!
As abba Macarius was returning to his cell from the marsh carrying palm-leaves, the devil met him with a sharp sickle and would have struck him but he could not. He cried out, “Great is the violence I suffer from you, Macarius, for when I want to hurt you, I cannot. But whatever you do, I do and more also. You fast now and then, but I am never refreshed by any food; you often keep vigil, but I never fall asleep. Only in one thing are you better than I am and I acknowledge that.” Macarius said to him, “What is that?” and he replied, “It is because of your humility alone that I cannot overcome you.”
30 day Orthodox challenge
Day 19 — have you ever considered ordination/entering monachism?
Yes, in the past. I know some people around my age that have become monks/nuns but I don’t think I have the strenght to do it. I think that I can serve Lord better in the world. No matter if someone stays in the world or he chooses monasticism, as soon as he dedicates his life to God is blessed.
