Orthodox Echoes

Anger takes us where we do not want to go

2012-02-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

"For the impatient...while they neglect to bridle their spirit...are hurried through many steep places of iniquity which they seek not after, inasmuch as fury drives the mind whither desire draws it not, and, when perturbed, it does, not knowing, what it afterward grieves for when it knows."

Saint Gregory the Great

Pastoral Rule

One act of wishing

2012-02-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

"The power of becoming bad resides in the will; one act of wishing is often the sufficient occasion for a finished wickedness; and this ease of operation is more especially fatal in the sins of the tongue."

Saint Gregory of Nyssa

Against Eunomius

No trifling aim

2012-01-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

"For ours is no trifling aim, but our endeavour is for eternal life."

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Catechetical Lectures

On avoiding heresy

2012-01-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

"So then, like the prudent pilots, let us set the sails of our faith for the course wherein we may pass by most safely, and again follow the coasts of the Scriptures."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Exposition of the Christian Faith

Friend or flatterer?

2012-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

"The chief difference between a friend and a flatterer is this; the flatterer speaks to please, the friend will not leave out even what is disagreeable....At all events any one would rather see his friend angry with him than any one else flattering him."

Saint Basil the Great

Letters XX and XXI to Leontius the Sophist

In need of much sunshine

2012-01-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

"People who have been buffeted by rough winds, either because God allowed it in order to rein them in, or because of the devil's envy, are in need of much sunshine before they can blossom and bear fruit. They are like trees that have grown bold during winter's halcyon days, only to face the cold north wind afterwards; they will need constant spring sunshine and showers for their sap to circulate again and to blossom and bear fruit."

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Spiritual Awakening

Quiet as an argument

2012-01-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

"Confute those who dispute with you by the strength of your virtues and not by the persuasiveness of your words. By the meekness and quietness of your lips put the impudence of the obstinate to silence. Reprove the wanton by the nobility of your life, and those who are shameless as regard the senses, by the modest curbing of your eyes."

Saint Isaac the Syrian

The doors of God's mercy

2012-01-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

"The doors of God's mercy open before the thieves, murderers, fornicators, publicans, and all other sinners, but they close before the spiteful."

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

Enduring slights with thanksgiving

2012-01-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

"The Holy Fathers always endured with thanksgiving all misfortunes in their lives. They knew that the man who endures patiently every suffering, unjust insult, or intentional harm to their personal interests is saving his soul with patience. By losing the temporal, he gains the eternal.....Patience and longsuffering toward their personal enemies were important virtues in the development of their holy personal life....[I]f, remembering about your enemies, you shake your head with disapproval because you cannot imagine how you could forgive...then you are not on the right road -- for it is exactly these personal and hateful enemies that we are commanded to forgive. If you are still tormented by malevolent moods, you have not yet tasted the sweetness of forgiving; your fleshly interests still stand higher than your spiritual ones."

Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev

Strife and Reconciliation

The most precious thing you have: your mind

2012-01-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

"It is a noble thing to do one's kindnesses and duties toward the whole of the human race. But it is ever most seemly that thou shouldest give to God the most precious thing thou hast, that is, thy mind, for thou hast nothing better than that. When thou hast paid thy debt to thy Creator, then thou mayest labour for men, to show them kindness, and to give help; then thou mayest assist the needy with money, or by some duty, or some service that lies in the way of thy ministry..."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Duties of the Clergy

Argumentativeness versus silence

2012-01-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

"And enter upon no controversy with the heretics, but overcome their argumentativeness with silence, their ill-will with courtesy. For thus your speech shall be 'with grace, seasoned with salt,' while they [will be judged] by the conscience of all...."

Saint Athanasius

Letter LXIV To Diodorus

Irrational expectations

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

"Just as we need both sweet and sour foods, even bitter herbs, because each food has something to contribute in substance and vitamins, so too the Body of the Church needs every one of us. Each person complements the character of the other, and we are all obliged to tolerate not only the spiritual temperament of others, but also their human weaknesses. Now, unfortunately, there are those who have irrational expectations from other people. They expect everyone to be like them, to have their spiritual temperament; and if the other person does not meet their standard, if they are a bit more lenient or more austere, they are eager to find them non-spiritual."

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Spiritual Counsels, Volume II

With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man

Neither judging saints nor falling into snares

2011-12-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

"Christian ascetical instructors command us generally...to observe a prudent coldness and a saving caution towards all phenomena in general...They instruct on the one hand not to judge visions, so as not to judge a saint, but on the other hand not to believe in a vision or hastily accept it as true, in order to avoid falling into the snares of an evil spirit."

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

Predestination does not preclude free will and personal responsibility

2011-12-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

"But perhaps someone will say, if all that the Father gives, and whomever He shall draw comes to You, if none can come to You, except it be given from above, then those to whom the Father does not give are free from any blame or charges. These are mere words and pretences. For we require our own deliberate choice as well, because whether we will be taught is a matter of choice, and also whether we will believe. And here, by saying 'which the Father gives Me,' He declares nothing other than that 'believing in Me is no ordinary thing, nor one that comes of human reasonings, but needs a revelation from above, and a well-ordered soul to receive that revelation.'"

Saint John Chrysostom

Homily XLV on John VI

God's help is close

2011-12-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

"And even to this day the help of God is not removed from men who have totally dedicated themselves to pleasing God, but is close to all who call on Him."

Abba Isaac the Syrian

The Evergetinos

Who is able?

2011-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

"Who is able to enter into the secret judgments of God? Wherefore those things which in divine examination we cannot comprehend, we ought rather to fear than curiously discuss."

Saint Gregory the Great

Dialogues

Integrity remains

2011-12-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

"If we have compassion, we are not stained with the sin of others, but we gain the restoration of another to the increase of our own grace, so that our integrity remains as it was."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Concerning Repentance

A cautionary tale

2011-12-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

"It happens that one may have grace, although his heart is not yet pure. That is why some men could not but fall: they did not believe that smoke and sin were abiding in them along with grace."

Saint Macarius the Great

In praise of keen intellect

2011-12-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

"Your intellectual eyes are indeed as numerous, it may perhaps be said, as the hairs of the head; their keen unerring gaze is on everything alike; the distant is foreseen; the near is not unnoticed; they do not wait for experience to teach expedience; they see with Hope's insight, or else with that of Memory; they scan the present all over; first on one thing, then on another, but without confusing them, your mind works with the same energy and with the same amount of energy that is required."

Saint Gregory of Nyssa

On Infants' Early Deaths

Walking without falling

2011-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

"Whoever walks lowly always walks securely and never falls. This is why we should uproot, as far as we can, the worldly concern to project ourselves and achieve worldly success, which leads to spiritual failure. We should reject hidden and obvious egoism and the superficial need to be liked by others, so we can come to love Christ most sincerely. Our time is not characterized by what is discreet and noiseless. It is good to do what is well within our means, quietly, without ambitious displays beyond our capabilities, because otherwise it will be at the expense of our soul and body, and often at a high cost to the Church as well."

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Spiritual Counsels, Volume II

Spiritual Awakening

Marriage of soul

2011-11-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

"Do not forget that a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. It is good when they are also of one soul."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom!

The Letters of Father John Krestiankin

Cadences of Old Georgian Chant

2011-11-28T04:53:00.000-08:00

"The cadences of Old Georgian chants, which cannot be transcribed musically or put into words, sound like the broken cry of a longing soul that pierces the heart like a sweet pain, and if the soul can grieve thus, then surely within this very cry is the promise of consolation."

Valeria Alfeyeva

Pilgrimage to Dzhvari: A Woman's Journey of Spiritual Awakening

Danger and solace

2011-11-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

"The heart is but a small vessel, yet there are lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasure of evil. And there are rough uneven roads; there are precipices. But there also is God, also the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the Apostles, the treasures of grace -- there are all things."

Saint Macarius the Great

Fifty Spiritual Homilies

Discerning spirits

2011-11-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

"Human nature is endowed with the ability to contemplate and to communicate with God....Mystical perception of the supernatural world contains also the possibility of contact with the powers of evil. A man who is not purified by repentance, and whose spiritual vision is not illumined by passionlessness, cannot have the 'gift of discerning spirits'....The only true path to contemplation is the path of Christian asceticism."

I.M. Kontzevitch

The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia

The man who hears it often...

2011-11-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

"The nature of water is soft and that of stone is hard, but a goatskin hung above a stone, letting the water fall drop by drop, will bore through stone. So it is with the Word of God: it is gentle and our hearts are hard, but the man who hears it often will open his heart to the fear of God."

Saint Poemen the Great

Every age

2011-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

"What will you answer to these words? That you who have fallen are but a boy? Every age is perfect in Christ, every age is full of God. No childhood is allowed in faith, for even children have confessed Christ against their persecutors with fearless mouth."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Shuffling spirit

2011-11-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

"A shuffling spirit is displeasing to the heathen themselves, for everyone ought freely to defend and maintain the faith and purpose of his own mind."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Strongly defended: not necessarily true

2011-11-21T12:58:00.000-08:00

"...[H]e defends vain things with all the passion of truth."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

2011-11-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

"...the soul is goaded to forbearance by the adversities which it meets..."

The Evergetinos

We do our work not knowing what will prosper

2011-11-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God Who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

Ecclesiastes 11:5

"Worldly joy brings anxiety to spiritual people"

2011-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

"Real, genuine joy and delight can only be found in Christ. If you unite with Him through prayer, your soul will find fulfillment. Secular people seek joy in self-indulgence. And some spiritual people look for it in theological discussions, speeches and so on. And when it's over, they are left with a void, wondering what to do next. Regardless of whether the things they work on are sinful or indifferent, the bottom line is the same. Why don't they at least go to sleep early and be fresh and rested at work in the morning?

"Satisfying the worldly desires of the heart does not bring us spiritual joy; it only brings anxiety. Worldly joy brings anxiety to spiritual people...."

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

With Pain and Love for

Contemporary Man

(Spiritual Counsels, Volume II)

The true goal

2011-11-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

"The disciple of a correct spiritual school never sets contemplation as an object, but rather strives for purification from passions."

I.M. Kontzevich
The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia

Far from Divine Love and the Providence of God

2011-11-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

"He who does not endure or bear afflictions, or accept sorrows, or put up with difficulties, assuredly strays far from Divine love and the Providence of God; for love makes a man long-suffering and good. If one is faint-hearted in the face of troubles that befall him, and for this reason bears malice towards those who have grieved him, ceasing to love them and being estranged from them, how will he not fall away from the purpose of the Divine Providence? .... A long-suffering man is very wise, for in all that happens to him, he looks to that recompense which he awaits from God -- and it is for this reason that he endures sorrows. The goal of our struggle is eternal life....Do not adulterate the praise due to your brother in conversation with other brothers on account of the sorrow that is hidden in your soul, mixing reproach into your words without realizing it. But use pure praise in your encounters and pray sincerely for him, as though you were praying for yourself; and, thereby, you will receive speedy deliverance from destructive hatred.

"And even if the brother, tempted by the Devil, persists in maligning you, do not in the least retreat from a loving disposition, but repel the demon who vexes your mind. You will not depart from this love if you praise when you are maligned, and think favorably about him who seeks to harm you. This is the path indicated by the philosophy of Christ, and he who does not follow it does not abide with Christ."

The Evergetinos

Our responsibility? Consummate determination

2011-11-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

"It does not take a great effort to lay a foundation, but it is difficult to complete the building. The taller the building , the more work it presents for the builder right up until it is finished. This is what happens to those who come to work for the Lord: first there is temptation, then sorrows, and next follow labor, despondency, nakedness, suffering, lack of privacy, and humiliation. He will prevail who with all his heart dedicates himself to God's guidance and God's will. God requires from us only our consummate determination; it is He Who gives us strength and grants us victory."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom!

Our faults

2011-11-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

"Often we feel compunction for our faults and, nevertheless, once our lamentations are over, we return to these same faults.

Saint Gregory the Great

Parables of the Gospel XV

What's important

2011-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

"Finally, what is important is to wait upon God with all your heart and all your strength, to be compassionate with all people, to be full of compunction and pray to God for His help and mercy."

Abba Isaiah of Scetis

Ascetic Discourses

(Discourse 8)

How to live without guidance

2011-11-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

"He [Hieromonk Nektary] placed a high value on human labor. When one of his spiritual daughters was distressed as to how she was going to live without guidance after he died, he answered, 'Work! Work makes the years fly by unnoticeably!'"

Elder Nektary of Optina

Elder Nektary of Optina by I.M.Kontzevich

Loss by neglect

2011-10-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

"For all things which are acquired and retained by carefulness may be likewise lost by neglect. Therefore it is said, 'Call no man blessed before his death' (Ecclesiasticus 11:30), because, that is, so long as a man is still struggling and wrestling, however often he may come out conqueror and however frequent the palms of victory he may gain, yet he can never be quite safe from the fear and suspicion of an uncertain issue....So then there is no virtue that can be possessed by a man without possibility of change, but in order that he may keep it when he has acquired it, he must guard it with the same carefulness and application wherewith it was first gained."

Saint John Cassian

Selected Writings of St. John Cassian the Roman

One of the greatest victories

2011-10-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

"Victory over anger is one of the greatest victories of a soldier of Christ. We generally become angry either at those we wish to turn back from sin, or at those who slander us. However in doing so we forget that anger is a mortal sin, and in desiring the salvation of of others we lose out own..."

Saint Nicholai of Zhica

Prologue of Ohrid

Humility by experience

2011-10-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

"But experiential humility comes when a person forces himself to fulfill the Gospel commandments and repents. As Saint Symeon the New Theologian says, 'Careful fulfillment of the commandments of Christ teaches man about his infirmity.' Knowledge of one's own helplessness to become spiritually or morally healthy or holy without God's help creates a firm psychological base for the unshakable acceptance of God as the source of life and all goodness. Experiential humility excludes the possibility for a new prideful dream of becoming as gods (Genesis 3:5), and a new fall."

Alexei Osipov

The Search for Truth on the Path of Reason

Accept sorrows

2011-09-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

"He who does not endure or bear afflictions, or accept sorrows, or put up with difficulties, assuredly strays far from Divine love and the Providence of God; for love makes a man long-suffering and good. If one is faint-hearted in the face of the troubles that befall him, and for this reason bears malice towards those who have grieved him, ceasing to love them and being estranged from them, how will he not fall away from the purpose of the Divine Providence?....A long-suffering man is very wise, for in all that happens to him, he looks to that recompense which he awaits from God __ and it is for this reason that he endures sorrows. The goal of our struggle is eternal life....Do not adulterate the praise due to your brother in conversation with other brothers on account of the sorrow that is hidden in your soul, mixing reproach into your words without realizing it. But use pure praise in your encounters and pray sincerely for him, as though you were praying for yourself; and, thereby, you will receive speedy deliverance from destructive hatred.

"And even if the brother, tempted by the Devil, persists in maligning you, do not in the least retreat from a loving disposition, but repel the demon who vexes your mind. You will not depart from this love if you praise, when you are maligned, and think favorably about him who seeks to harm you. this is the path indicated by the philosophy of Christ, and he who does not follow it does not abide with Christ."

The Evergetinos

On correcting others -- or not

2011-09-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

"But answer your own self as to whether or not you are an experienced surgeon; will you not hack to death many for whom you will have to make an answer, for they were walking to God, but instead met you on the road with a sword?

"Many do not realize the basics of the Faith as they should. Aren't we called to teach, instruct, bring to reason, and cure them? A surgical operation is performed only in extreme cases, when all other means of cure are exhausted."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Father John Krestiankin

Don't try to deceive your conscience

2011-08-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

"Search your conscience in detail...and do not attempt to deceive it, for it knows your secrets well; for this reason it will accuse you at the hour of the departure of your soul and will become an impediment for you at the time of prayer."

The Evergetinos

Silver and gold

2011-08-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

"Brethren, has anyone ever been able to purchase a medicine against sin with silver and gold? No one, ever.

"Brethren, has anyone ever been able to forge arms against the devil with silver and gold? No one, ever.

"Brethren, has anyone ever been able to redeem from death with the help of silver and gold? No one, ever."

Separated by evil

2011-07-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

"The purpose of Divine Providence is to reunite, through right faith and spiritual love, those who have become separated by evil in various ways."

Saint Maximos the Confessor

The Evergetinos

What kind of work?

2011-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

"One of the fathers asked Abba Nastir...'What is the best work for me?' And he said to him, 'Not all kinds of labor are the same. For the book says that Abraham was a lover of strangers, and that God was with him; and Elijah was a lover of silent contemplation, and God was with him; and David was a humble man, and God was with him; therefore whatsoever work your soul wishes to do, provided that it be of God, that do, and keep your heart from evil things.'"

Abba Nastir

Paradise of the Holy Fathers

Greatest joy of the sinner

2011-07-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

"The greatest joy for a sinner is to draw a righteous man into his own mire and to share his sin with him."

Saint Nikolai of Zhica

Not even with good friends

2011-07-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

"Nonetheless, a person must pray a great deal before God, with great humility of heart and body, not considering himself as doing any good through any of his works, feeling neither convinced by compliments, nor sad on account of blame, but instead allowing the remembrance of his sins to make peace in his heart with his enemies. He should not permit any bitter word from his mouth to be spoken against anyone and should not blame anyone, even before good people who love him."

Saint Isaiah of Scetis

Ascetic Discourses

What is love?

2011-07-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

"In the final analysis, the modern understanding of love does not at all correspond with the podvig of love."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom!

Unyielding in what concerns God

2011-07-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

"Although in what concerned himself Saint Theodosius, in his humility, would give way and submit to contradiction in all things, he was unyielding in what concerned God and the holy dogmas of the Church."

On Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch

Synaxarion, January 11

Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch

Make haste to help me....

2011-07-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

"'O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me." ...This verse....will not suffer those who find themselves in moroseness or anxiety of mind, or borne down by sadness or any despondent thoughts, to despair of regaining salvation, showing as it does that He Whom we invoke has His eye on our struggles and is not far from His suppliants....This verse is found necessary and advantageous to each one of us in whatsoever state we may be. For whoso desires always and in all things to be helped by God, shows clearly thereby that not only in things hard and sorrowful, but even when they are happy and joyous, he needs alike God to be his helper, both to deliver from sadness and to make joy continue, for he knows that human frailty can endure neither state without assistance...Let meditation on this verse be constantly on your mind."

Saint John Cassian

Accusing Adam

2011-07-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

"There are many who accuse Adam....But it is not so serious to wish to taste a deadly plant before you have tried it, as to want to eat it all knowing by experience that it is deadly ... Thus every one of us deserves, more than Adam to be blamed and condemned."

Saint Gregory Palamas

Another reason for patience

2011-07-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

"Gather patience, so that you can endure your own imperfections."

Father John Krestiankin

Neither ridicule nor condemn

2011-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Neither ridicule nor condemn those who fall into temptation; rather pray more frequently that you might not fall into temptation yourself. A man whose heart is clouded by a storm of thoughts and conquered by passions does not know shame before men, not does he fear God."

Saint Ephraim the Syrian

Reflections on God (A Spiritual Psalter)

No hurry!

2011-07-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

"Our plans and interests often interfere with our lives. We make all these plans, believing that we will never succeed in anything unless we arrange everything meticulously. We truly must try to do everything as our conscience tells us, but we must not do anything in haste. It is when we are in a hurry that the enemy traps. In haste we cannot be aware of whether we have said something to offend our fellow man or whether we have ignored him, because we have no time to think of him; we are too busy with the plans inside our head. In this matter, it is easy to sin against our neighbor. And when we sin against our neighbor, we are actually sinning against God, for God is everywhere. He dwells in the souls of each and every one of us."

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

Limited correction

2011-07-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

"You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself."

Saint Athanasius the Great

On the Incarnation

Interior occupations and exterior passions

2011-07-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

"Insofar as you are able, make an effort to see that your interior occupation is pleasing to God, and you will thus be able to conquer the exterior passions."

Saint Arsenios the Great

Finish well

2011-06-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

"It is not he who has begun to do what is good who is blessed, but he who has remained steadfast in goodness until the end; for the serpent who crawls on the ground is always dogging our heels, that is, contemplating how to prepare some evil for us at the moment of our death, and he tries to overwhelm us until the very end of our lives. For precisely this reason, it is no help to us if we but make a good beginning; nor will our initial withdrawal from the world and our initial fervor do us any good, if our end is not commensurate with them. Similarly, the humility which you have now promised for the sake of Christ will not be made secure unless you exhibit it until the end."

The Evergetinos

Poor vision

2011-06-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

"For just as our earthly eyes, when they are healthy, are able to see everything (even the mosquitoes or gnats that fly in the air) but, when they are blurred or covered with fluid, see dimly only the large objects they may encounter, and cannot perceive small objects by the sense of sight, so it is with the soul. If by prayer the soul diminishes the blindness that afflicts it from love for the world, and then supposes its extremely small faults to be extremely big, it unceasingly sheds tear after tear in great gratitude; for 'Thy righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name (Psalm 139:14); but if the soul abides in its worldly attitude, and commits murder or something worthy of severe punishment, it lightly faces these without upset, while other faults, of a secondary kind, it considers not only unworthy of attention, but often regards them as accomplishments. For this reason, the wretched soul boasts about them, without feeling any remorse."

Saint Diadochos

The Evergetinos

Not in subtleties of the mind

2011-06-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

"Walk before God in simplicity and not in subtleties of the mind. Simplicity brings faith; but subtle and intricate speculations bring conceit; and conceit brings withdrawal from God."

Saint Isaac the Syrian

To lighten the burden

2011-06-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Submit yourself to trials, and trials to you, and for your humility and patience the Lord will lighten your burden. After all, nothing happens without God's Providence, and whatever is from God is always to our benefit."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom

Seeking a lie

2011-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

"Whoever searches for something else after already having found the truth is searching for a lie."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom!

Entrusting the hidden things of our hearts

2011-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

"However, we must not entrust the hidden things of our hearts to just anyone, but to spiritual Elders who have discernment and to whose worthiness many have testified -- and not just by the number of years they have had grey hair. For many, attending only to age and external appearances, have entrusted their hearts to inexperienced and undiscerning men, and in this way have fallen into despair on account of their Elders' inexperience...
"...If a person has by chance dealt with some Elder or other person less skilled or experienced, he should not, for this reason, hide his thoughts and fail to confess to more capable Fathers. Dealings with a few inexperienced confessors should not shake one's trust towards everyone. Just as we examine a medical doctor's scientific capability beforehand, so we should examine the Elder to whom we are about to reveal our thoughts; and only then should we reveal to him our spiritual wounds and submit to the therapy which he recommends, accepting it willingly, even if for the moment it causes us pain."

Abba Cassian

The Evergetinos

What place is holy?

2011-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

"Holy places are found wherever one can succeed in living a blessed life."

The Evergetinos

Wise parental love

2011-05-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

"A wise mother does not consider her children as her own, but rather as God's. They are God's, both when God gives them and when He takes them, but they are mostly God's when a mother herself dedicates them to Him. God's gift is returned to Him as a reciprocal gift, for we have nothing of our own to give Him but only that which we receive from Him."

Saint Nikolai of Zhica

Prologue from Ochrid

Fear nothing except...

2011-05-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

"...do not be afraid of anything in life but sin."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom!

Not justified or condemned by the deeds of others

2011-04-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

"...[W]hen you see those who are advanced in the monastic life being negligent, watch out and fortify yourself, lest in emulating them you traverse the same path yourself and inherit eternal punishment with them. Or again, do not make a show of your own temperance and vaunt yourself against them, thereby falling into haughtiness; if you do, you will be in the Enemy's hands. But attend to yourself and guard yourself intently; for we are not justified or condemned by the deeds of others. Rather, when we are brought before the Judge naked and with our necks bowed, each will give an account of himself and bear his own burden. This is why it is always good to attend to yourself and to imitate those who live their lives according to God, looking to them and becoming like them."

Saint Ephraim

The Evergetinos

Allegory?

2011-04-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

"If the meaning of Scripture is revealed to you through allegory, then go ahead and allegorize; but guard yourself in order not to abolish the literal [interpretation], so that you may not believe that your knowledge is above holy Scripture, for this is a sign of pride."

Abba Isaiah of Scetis

Ascetic Discourses

Do not abandon me...

2011-04-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

"If you pray to God about a particular struggle in order for Him to remove it from you, do not lose heart, for He knows better than you what is of benefit to you. If you pray to God generally in the time of spiritual warfare, do not say 'Take this from me,' or 'Give me this,' but pray as follows, 'Lord Jesus Christ, help me and do not allow me to sin before You, for I am deceived. Do not let me follow my own will. Do not let me become lost in my sins. Have compassion on Your creature. Do not overlook me, for I am weak. Do not abandon me for I have sought refuge with You. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. All those who trouble me are before You, and I have no other refuge but You Lord. Save me, Lord, on account of Your mercy. Let all those who have risen against me be put to shame, for they seek to destroy my soul. For You, Lord, are mighty in all things, and through You is glory given to God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.' Then your conscience will speak in secret with your heart as to the reason God is not listening to you."

Abba Isaiah of Scetis

Ascetic Discourses

Lest a worse fault ensue...

2011-04-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

"The patient therefore should be told to study to love those whom they must needs bear with; lest if love not follow patience, the virtue exhibited be turned to a worse fault of hatred."

Saint Gregory the Great

Pastoral Rule

Utter madness

2011-04-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

"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 by 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 to 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."

Saint John Climacus

The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Which virtue to choose?

2011-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

"It is virtue therefore before men to bear with adversaries; but it is virtue before God to love them..."

Saint Gregory the Great

Pastoral Rule

Lest we lose what we have done well...

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

"...[L]et the mind of the elect keep patience, lest, stirred with the wind of impatience, it lose even that which it has wrought well.

"On the other hand the patient are to be admonished that they grieve not inwardly for what they bear outwardly, lest they spoil with the infection of malice within a sacrifice of so great value which without they offer whole; and lest the sin of their grieving, not perceived by men, but yet seen as sin under the divine scrutiny, but made so much the worse as it claims to itself the fair show of virtue before men."

Saint Gregory the Great

Pastoral Rule

Certain defects

2011-04-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

"...[C]ertain defects are connected with certain temperaments; ...the joyful have lechery close at hand, and the sad wrath. Hence it is necessary for every one to consider not only what he suffers from his peculiar temperament, but also what worse thing presses on him in connection with it; lest while he fights not at all against that which he has, he succumb also to that from which he supposes himself free."

Saint Gregory the Great

Pastoral Rule

Good separation

2011-04-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

"For it is possible to do well in separating. Wherefore also He has said, 'I have come not to bring peace upon the earth but a sword' (Matthew 10:34). For there is an evil concord, and there is a good disagreement. So those who built the tower (Genesis 11:4) agreed together to their hurt, and these same again were separated, though unwillingly, yet for their good. So also Korah and his company agreed together for good...So division may be good and agreement may be evil...Now if we must separate ourselves from an ill-joined limb, must we not much more from friends united to us for evil? So that agreement is not in all cases good, just as division is not in all cases an evil."

Saint John Chrysostom

Homily LXVII on John IX

Don't be clever

2011-04-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

"But if a man shows himself clever rather than spiritual, it would surprise me if he escaped the judgment reserved for boastfulness."

Saints Barsanuphius and John

Philokalia

Relationship of mutual love

2011-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

"The Pharisee knows all about action, but nothing about being. In all his life of righteousness there is one thing he has never come across, never perceived: that between God and him there can be a relationship of mutual love. He never sought it and never met the God of Isaiah...He believes that between God and His creatures there is a relation that is fixed, fossilized, immutable. He has never discerned in the Scriptures the love story of God and the world He created and so loved that He would give His only-begotten Son that it might be saved...Of God he knows the law -- not the Person."

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Meditations

Patience!

2011-04-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

"To admire the labours of the saints is good; to emulate them wins salvation; but to wish suddenly to imitate their life in every point is unreasonable and impossible."

Saint John Climacus

The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Throw to the dogs absurd gods

2011-04-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is also assuredly profitable for our souls....In these we find both exhortation to every virtue and dissuasion from every vice....Here let us luxuriate, let us revel insatiate; for the Scriptures possess inexhaustible grace. But if we are able to pluck anything profitable from outside sources, there is nothing to forbid that....Let us keep the fairest sayings, but let us throw to the dogs absurd gods and strange myths."

Saint John of Damascus

Imitate the bee

2011-04-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

"Altogether after the bees must we use these writings, for the bees do not visit all these flowers without discrimination nor indeed do they carry away entire those upon which they light but rather, having taken so much as is adapted to their needs, they let the rest go. So we, if wise, will take from heathen books whatever befits us and is allied to the truth and shall pass over the rest."

Saint Basil the Great

Conducive to sweet quiet of the heart

2011-04-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

"If you wish to be truly good and gentle, and always united with God...cultivate with all your power the virtue of attention, which is the guarding and watching of the mind, conducive to sweet quiet of the heart -- a blessed state of the soul, free of fantasies."

Saint Hesychios

Feeble shadows and rest

2011-03-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

"What earthly sweetness remains unmixed with grief? What glory standeth immutable on earth? All things are but feeble shadows, all things are most deluding dreams: yet one moment only, and death shall supplant them all. But in the light of Thy countenance, O Christ, and in the sweetness of Thy beauty, give rest unto him/her whom Thou hast chosen: forasmuch as Thou lovest mankind."

Not even if that person is very wise...

2011-03-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

"Do not ask to receive advice from someone who does not have experience with the type of life you live, even if that person is very wise. It is preferable to entrust your problems to an individual who has experience in such matters, than to a philosopher, who speaks with logic based on a theoretical examination of matters, without, however, having experience of them...[A]n experienced person feels directly the benefit and harm of things, having spent a lot of time involved in them. Indeed, in many cases something may seem to be damaging, but may have a great benefit hidden inside. And conversely, other times may externally seem full of benefits, and yet be totally harmful internally. For this reason, many people have been harmed a great deal by things which only appear to be of profit."

Abba Isaac

The Evergetinos

God listens to our heart

2011-03-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

"God listens, not to our voice, but to our heart. He does not need to be prodded with shouts, since He sees our thoughts, as the Lord proved when He asked, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?' And elsewhere He stated: 'All the churches shall know that I am He Who searches minds and hearts.'"

Saint Cyprian of Carthage

The Lord's Prayer

In need of learning

2011-03-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

"Always, and in all matters, believe yourself to be in need of learning, and throughout your whole life you will be shown to be wise."

Saint Isaac the Syrian

The Evergetinos, volume I

Sincere love for God

2011-03-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

"To abstain from stealing and murdering is a trifling sort of acquirement, but to believe it is possible for God to do things impossible requires a soul of no mean stature and earnestly affected toward Him. This is a sign of sincere love."

Saint John Chrysostom

Homily VIII on Romans 4

Restraint should temper righteousness

2011-03-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

"If the highest end of virtue is that which aims at the advancement of most, gentleness is the most lovely of all, which does not hurt even those whom it condemns....For he who endeavours to amend the faults of human weakness ought to bear this very weakness on his own shoulders, let it weigh upon himself, not cast it off....And Solomon says: 'Be not overmuch righteous' [Ecclesiastes 7:16]; for restraint should temper righteousness. For how shall he offer himself to you for healing whom you despise, who thinks that he will be an object of contempt, not of compassion to his physician?

"Therefore had the Lord Jesus compassion upon us in order to call us to Himself, not frighten us away. He came in meekness, He came in humility, and so He said: 'Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you.' So, then, the Lord Jesus refreshes, and does not shut out or cast off, and fitly chose such disciples as should be interpreters of the Lord's will, as should gather together and not drive away the people of God. Whence it is clear that they are not to be counted amongst the disciples of Christ, who think that harsh and proud opinions should be followed rather than such as are gentle and meek; persons who, while they themselves seek God's mercy, deny it to others..."

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Concerning Repentance

What is the will of God?

2011-03-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

"Now the will of God is precisely what Christ both did and taught. It entails being humble in our lifestyle, steadfast in our faith, modest in our words, just in our actions, merciful in our dealings, disciplined in our conduct, incapable of inflicting a wrong, but able to bear one inflicted on us; loving God with all our heart, cherishing Him as Father while fearing Him as God; putting absolutely nothing before Christ, since He put nothing before us; clinging tenaciously to His love; standing bravely and confident, by His cross; and whenever His name and honor are involved, displaying in our speech the constancy to confess Him, under torture the courage to fight for Him, and in death the patience for which we shall be crowned. This is what it means to want to be coheirs with Christ; this is what it means to carry out the commands of God; this is what it means to do the Father's will...And therefore, we pray daily -- or rather continually -- that God's will for us be done, both in heaven and on earth, because this is His will: that earthly things should give way to heavenly ones and that spiritual and divine realities should prevail."

Saint Cyprian of Carthage

Stable thoughts

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"Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."

Proverbs 16:3

Who doesn't make mistakes?

2011-03-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

Who does not make mistakes in life? Do not stigmatize yourself. You have repented, and, glory to God, you have been forgiven, but you need to extract experience from your mistakes, so that you will be wiser in the future."

Father John Krestiankin

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Father John Krestiankin

The most profound meaning of life

2011-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

"The most important thing is for man to grasp this most profound meaning of life, which is the salvation of the soul. When man believes in God and in the future life, then he understands the vanity of this present life and prepares his passport for the other life. We forget that all of us will leave this life. None of us are going to put down roots here. This present life...is meant for us to be tested and to pass over into the future, eternal life. Our goal here must be to prepare ourselves so we can depart with our conscience at ease when God calls us close to Him."

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Spiritual Awakening

Causes of anger

2011-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

"[T]he causes of anger are giving and taking, wanting to do one's own will, taking delight in teaching and showing off to other people, and thinking oneself to be intelligent and wise. If one cuts off these causes, the passion of anger is weakened."

Abbot Sergius from the Jordan Plain

Evergetinos

Anger cured

2011-03-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

"...anger [is cured] by kindness, charity, love, and mercy."

Saint Maximos the Confessor

Evergetinos

First and earliest thoughts

2011-03-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

"When men consecrate their first and earliest thoughts as divine offerings, what are they doing indeed but rendering the firstfruits of their produce through the High Priest, Jesus Christ for the enjoyment of this life and a figure of the daily resurrection...And this kind of devotion many even of those who live in the world observe with the utmost care, as they rise before it is light to consecrate in the sight of God the firstfruits of all their actions and doings."

Saint John Cassian

First Conference of Abbot Thomas, Chapter XXVI

No matter how just your words may be

2011-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

"If we are to have boldness, we must flee from wrath, that none may impute our words to anger. No matter how just your words may be, when you speak in anger, you ruin all..."

Saint John Chrysostom

Homily XVI on Acts VII

Causes of our inner turmoil

2011-02-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

"It is from pride, from not being willing to accuse ourselves, and from not ascribing to ourselves the causes of our own inner turmoil that we desire to flee from our brothers; as long as we have this inclination and this mentality, and as long as we ascribe the causes of our indolence and spiritual debility to others, we will be unable to attain to perfect forbearance. for our correction will not be accomplished by the forbearance of our neighbor towards us, but by our own long-suffering..."

Saint John Cassian

Evergetinos

Forcing oneself to pray

2011-02-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

"Every virtue, from practice, becomes a habit, but one must force oneself in prayer to one's very death. It is opposed by our 'old man,' and the enemy especially rises up against one who prays. Prayer is the insinuation of death to the devil; it defeats him. Even the saints, such as Saint Seraphim, had to force themselves in prayer, not to mention us sinners."

Saint Barsanuphius of Optina

Conscience's approval

2011-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

"There is nothing more burdensome than to suffer the reproach of conscience, and nothing more desirable than conscience's approval."

Saint Maximos the Confessor

Need for icons

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"...And we commend you indeed for your zeal against anything made with hands being an object of adoration; but we signify to you that you ought not to have broken these images. For pictorial representation is made use of in the Churches for a reason; that such as are ignorant of letters may at least read by looking at the walls what they cannot read in books. [You] therefore should have both preserved the images and prohibited the people from adoration of them, to the end that both those who are ignorant of letters might have wherewith to gather a knowledge of the history, and that the people might by no means sin by adoration of a pictorial representation."

Saint Gregory the Great

Letter to Serenus, Bishop of Massilia (Marseilles)

The Spirit of the Law

2011-02-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

"For although the new yoke is easy and the burden light, as you are told, yet this is on account of the hope and the reward, which is far more abundant than the hardships of this life. If it were not so, who would not say that the Gospel is more full of toil and trouble than the enactments of the Law? For, while the Law prohibits only the completed acts of sin, we are condemned for the causes also, almost as if they were acts. The Law says, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but you may not even desire, kindling passion by curious and earnest looks. Thou shalt not kill, says the Law; but you are not even to return a blow, but on the contrary are to offer yourself to the smiter. How much more ascetic is the Gospel than the Law! Thou shalt not forswear thyself is the Law; but you are not to swear at all, either a greater or a lesser oath, for an oath is the parent of perjury. Thou shalt not join house to house, nor field to field, oppressing the poor; but you are to set aside willingly even your just possessions, and to be stripped for the poor, that without encumbrance you may take up the Cross and be enriched with unseen riches."

Saint Gregory Nazianzen

The Second Oration on Easter