When we do not experience warfare, we ought so much the more to humiliate ourselves. For God seeing our weakness, protects us; when we glorify ourselves, He withdraws His protection and we are lost.
- From the Desert Fathers
The only place where modern man does not like to visit - is himself. He cannot hear the silence, he does not want to hear the voice of his conscience. But without knowing yourself you can not know God. Modern man lives in a shadowy world of TV, the media, the Internet, but the greatest reality in the world is the human soul. Inside we can open up the kingdom of heaven, in our heart God wants to be born!
- Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov), 21st Century Russian Hierarch
One should live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be right, otherwise bad.
- Saint Ambrose of Optina
Fasting is not the aim, but the means towards it. See, it was your aim to come to Mount Athos, it was your destination. The boat which brought you was the means by which you arrived. Such is fasting; it is one of the means given to us by the love of God to crave for Him. God is our destination.
- An Athonite monk on fasting
What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to climb hills and the summits of mountains! What, that we may ascend to heaven! If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.
- St. Cyprian
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.
- Abba John
The greatest sickness of our age is the vain thoughts of secular people, which bring stress. Only Christ can provide a cure with spiritual serenity, along with eternity, provided you repent and turn to Him.
- Elder Paisios
The nearer a man draws to God, the more he sees himself a sinner. It was when Isaiah the prophet saw God, that he declared himself “a man of unclear lips”.
- Abba Matoes
A wise man is one who accepts advice, especially that of a spiritual father counseling him in accordance with the will of God.
- St. Thalassios the Libyan
We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. If someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. It is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.
- St. Euthymius the Great
The holy fathers… were great ascetics who existed only on the roots they found in the desert, and they often fought the devils. One of them was working on weaving a basket and the devil came to him in the form of Christ, but he ignored it. The devil shown like the sun, but the elder closed his eyes.
The devil called to him, ‘Elder, look at me!’
‘And who are you?’ asked the monk.
‘Don’t you see that I am Christ?’
The monk clenched his eyes shut even tighter and said, ‘I am a sinner and am not worthy to look upon Christ.’
‘You cursed old man! You knew who I was!’ And with that the devil fled because he saw that the monk recognized him.
- Elder Cleopa of Sihastria, “Counsels to Laity”
Being bountiful and full of love, God awaits with great patience the repentance of every sinner, and He celebrates the return of the sinner with celestial rejoicing. But when someone sees this generosity and patience, and how God awaits repentance and so does not punish sins one by one, he may neglect the commandment and make such generosity an excuse for indifference, adding sin to sin, offence to offence, laziness to laziness. In this way he will reach the furthest limits of sin, and fall into such transgression that he is not able to recover himself. On the contrary, sinking into the lowest depths and finally committing himself to the devil, he destroys himself. That is what happened in the time of Noah: people had surrendered so unrestrainedly to the impulses of evil, piling up such a load of sin on themselves and showing not the least sign of repentance, that the whole earth became corrupt (cf. Gen 6:5).
- St. Makarios of Egypt
The brothers praised a monk before Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, “You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers.”
God gave people the word “love” so that they could call their relationship to Him by this name. When people misuse this word to refer to their relationship with earthly things, it loses its meaning.
- St. Nicholas of Serbia
Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modestly, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.
- Elder Athanasius of Grigoriou
