| |
Pearls from the Holy Fathers
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew vii 6
Thus, we are not ourselves, saith He, to strivealone, but also to invoke the help from above: and itwill surely come and be present with us, and will aid us inour struggles, and make all easy. Therefore He both commandedus to ask, and pledged Himself to the giving.
However, not simply to ask did He command us, butwith much assiduity and earnestness. For this is the meaningof “seek.” For so he that seeks, putting all things outof his mind, is taken up with that alone which is sought,and forms no idea of any of the persons present. And thiswhich I am saying they know, as many as have lost eithergold, or servants, and are seeking diligently after them.
By “seeking,” then, He declared this; by “knocking,”that we approach with earnestness and a glowing mind.
Despond not therefore, O man, nor show less of zealabout virtue, than they do of desire for wealth. For thingsof that kind thou hast often sought and not found, but nevertheless,though thou know this, that thou art not sure tofind them, thou puttest in motion every mode of search;but here, although having a promise that thou wilt surelyreceive, thou dost not show even the smallest part of thatearnestness. And if thou dost not receive straightway, donot even thus despair. For to this end He said, “knock,”to signify that even if He should not straightway open thedoor, we are to continue there.
And if thou doubt my affirmation, at any rate believeHis example. “For what man is there of you,” saith He,“whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?”
Because, as among men, if thou keep on doing so, thouart even accounted troublesome, and disgusting: so withGod, when thou doest not so, then thou dost more entirelyprovoke Him. And if thou continue asking, though thoureceive not at once, thou surely wilt receive. For to thisend was the door shut, that He may induce thee to knock:to this end He doth not straightway assent, that thoumayest ask. Continue then to do these things, and thouwilt surely receive. For that thou mightest not say, “Whatthen if I should ask and not receive?” He hath blocked upthy approach with that similitude, again framing arguments,and by those human things urging us to be confident on these matters; implying by them that we must notonly ask, but ask what we ought.
“For which of you is there, a father, of whom if his sonshall ask bread, will he give him a stone?” So that if thoureceive not, thy asking a stone is the cause of thy not receiving.For though thou be a son, this suffices not for thyreceiving: rather this very thing even hinders thy receiving,that being a son, thou askest what is not profitable.
Do thou also therefore ask nothing worldly, but allthings spiritual, and thou wilt surely receive. For soSolomon, because he asked what he ought, behold howquickly he received. Two things now, you see, should bein him that prays, asking earnestly, and asking what heought: “since ye too,” saith He, “though ye be fathers, waitfor your sons to ask: and if they should ask of you anythinginexpedient, ye refuse the gifts; just as, if it be expedient,ye consent and bestow it.” Do thou too, consideringthese things, not withdraw until thou receive; until thouhave found, retire not; relax not thy diligence, until thedoor be opened. For if thou approach with this mind, andsay, “Except I receive, I depart not;” thou wilt surely receive,provided thou ask such things, as are both suitablefor Him of whom thou askest to give, and expedient forthee the petitioner. But what are these? To seek the thingsspiritual, all of them; to forgive them that have trespassed,and so to draw nigh asking forgiveness; “to lift up holyhands without wrath and doubting.” If we thus ask, weshall receive. As it is, surely our asking is a mockery, andthe act of drunken rather than of sober men.
St John Chrysostom, Homily XXIII
On St Matthew’s Gospel
He who does not receive at once, is the morekindled through God’s delay and patience, and themore desirous of the good things of Heaven, and everyday adds to his longing and diligence, his running andstriving, and every disposition of virtue, his hunger andthirst after that which is good, not slacking for the sinfulsuggestions which are present in the soul, or turning asideto despise or forget or despair; nor again under pretence ofpatience will he give himself over to slackness, using thisargument, that “Some day or other I shall receive the graceof God,” and from this enticed by sin into carelessness.On the contrary, so long as the Lord Himself in His delayis patient over him, testing the faith and love of his will, theman himself ought the more keenly, the more laboriously,without giving in, without turning faint, to seek the giftof God, having once for all believed and assured himself,that God is true and cannot lie, Who has promised to giveHis grace to those who ask with faith to the end, in all perseverance.
St Macarius the Great, Homily XXIX, §3
The prudent soul, when in miseries and affliction, neverdespairs, but holds what it hold, and whatever [the devil]may bring to bear, it endures amidst ten thousand temptations,saying, “If I die for it, I will not let Him go.” Then, if the manendures to the end, the Lord begins to argue with Satan, “Thou seesthow many miseries and afflictions thou hast brought to bear uponhim; and he has not listened to thee, but serves Me, and fears Me.”Then the devil is ashamed, and has nothing more to say. In Job’s case,if he had known that in spite of falling into temptations Job woulddare and not be worsted, he would never have desired him, for fear ofbeing ashamed. So it is still with those who endure afflictions andtemptations; Satan is ashamed and sorry, because he has got nothingby it. The Lord begins to reason with him, “Behold, I gave thee permission;behold, I suffered thee to tempt him. Wast thou able to doanything? Did he listen to thee at all?”
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XXVI, §8, pp. 188-89
There never was and there never will be a place on earthfree from sorrows. The only sorrowless place possible is theheart, when the Lord is present there.
Saint Nicon of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
page 109
In coming to the Lord, a man must force himselfto that which is good, even against the inclinationof his heart, continually expecting His mercy withno doubtful faith, and force himself to charity, when hehas no charity—force himself to meekness, when hehas no meekness—force himself to pity, and to have amerciful heart—force himself to be looked down upon,to bear it patiently, and when he is made light of or putto shame, not to be angry, as it said, Beloved, avenge notyourselves [Rom. xii. 19]—to force himself to prayer,when he has not spiritual prayer; and thus God, beholdinghim thus striving, and compelling himself byforce, in spite of an unwilling heart, gives him the trueprayer of the Spirit, gives him true charity, meekness,bowels of mercies [Col. iii. 12], true kindness, and inshort fills him with the fruits of the Spirit.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XIX, §3, pp. 158-9
In our sorrows, people are merely the instruments,but they have no power over us. And so, letus endure everything.
Saint Nicon of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
page 164
Let this especially be the common aim of all, neither to giveway having once begun, nor to faint in trouble, nor to say: Wehave lived in the discipline a long time: but rather as though makinga beginning daily let us increase our earnestness.
For the whole life of man is very short, measured by the ages tocome, wherefore all our time is nothing compared with eternal life.And in the world everything is sold at its price, and a man exchangesone equivalent for another; but the promise of eternal life is boughtfor a trifle.
For it is written, The days of our life in them are threescore years and ten, butif they are in strength, fourscore years, and what is more than these is labor andsorrow.Whenever, therefore, we live full fourscore years, or even a hundredin the discipline, not for a hundred years only shall we reign, butinstead of a hundred we shall reign for ever and ever.And though we fought on earth, we shall not receive our inheritanceon earth, but we have the promises in heaven; and having put off thebody which is corrupt, we shall receive it incorrupt.
St Anthony the Great, Life, p. 200
Animals without reason are much more sagacious thanwe. They are all joined each to its own kind, wild to wild,and sheep to their own species; and you—you do not ascendto your heavenly kin, which is the Lord, but give yourselfover and consent in your thoughts to the thoughts of evil, makingyourself an ally of sin, and fighting on its side against yourself,thus making yourself prey for the enemy to devour; as if a birdwere caught by the eagle and eaten up, or a sheep by the wolf, or achild that knows nothing were to stretch out its hand to the serpent,and were bitten by it and killed.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XLV, §6, p. 285
Sorrows are allowed so that it will be revealed who reallyloves God. Without enduring sorrows, even a grateful soul isnot fit for the Kingdom of God. The steadfast endurance ofsorrows is equal to martyrdom. Sorrows are insignificant in comparisonto spiritual blessings.
Saint Nicon of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
page 164
He that hath small understanding, and feareth God,is better than one that hath much wisdom,and transgresseth the law of the Most High.
The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach, 19:24
A brother asked Abba Poemen, “If I stumble and commita few minor sins my mind afflicteth me, and blamethme, and maketh accusations against me, saying, ‘Whydidst thou fall?’” The old man said unto him, “Every time a manfalleth into any shortcoming or folly, if he saith, ‘I have sinned,’ immediatelyGod will receive him.”
Paradise of the Fathers, Vol. II, p. 206, #252
If the heart at all times desires god, He is the Lordof his heart. But if a man after renouncing and making himselfwithout possessions, and without home, and fasting—if thisone is still tied to the man that he is, or to worldly affairs, or tohouse, or to the charm of parents, where his heart is tied and hismind is captive, that is his God, and he is found to have gone out ofthe world by the front door, but to have entered and thrown himselfinto the world by the side door.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XLIII, §3, p. 270
For true repentance not years and days are needed, but oneinstant.
Staretz Amvrosy by John Dunlop, p. 55
When Abba Macarius dwelt in the great desert, he was the only one living as an anchorite, butlower down there was another desert where several brothersdwelt. The old man was surveying the road when hesaw Satan drawing near in the likeness of a man and hepassed by his dwelling. He seemed to be wearing somekind of cotton garment, full of holes, and a small flaskhung at each hole. The old man said to him, ‘Where areyou off to?’
He said, ‘I am going to stir up the memories of thebrethren.’
The old man said, ‘And what is the purpose of thesesmall flasks?’
He replied, ‘I am taking food for the brethren to taste.’
The old man said, ‘All those kinds?’
He replied, ‘Yes, for if a brother does not like one sortof food, I offer him another, and if he does not like thesecond any better, I offer him a third; and of all these varietieshe will like one at least.’
With these words he departed. The old man remainedwatching the road until he saw him coming back again.When the old man saw him, he said to him, ‘Goodhealth to you.’
The other replied, ‘'How can I be in good health?’
The old man asked him what he meant, and hereplied, ‘Because they all opposed me, and no one receivedme.’
The old man said, ‘Ah, you did not find any friendsdown there?’
He replied, ‘Yes, I have a monk who is a friend downthere. He, at least, obeys me and when he sees me hechanges like the wind.’
The old man asked him the monk’s name.
‘Theopemptus,’ he replied. With these words he wentaway.
Then Abba Macarius got up and went to the desertbelow his own. When they heard of it the brothers tookbranches of palm to go to meet him. Each one got ready,thinking that it was to him the old man was comingdown. But he enquired which was the one on the mountaincalled Theopemptus, and when he had found out hewent to his cell. Theopemptus received him with joy.When he was alone with him the old man asked him,‘How are you getting on?’
Theopemptus replied, ‘Thanks to your prayers, allgoes well.’
The old man asked, ‘Do not your thoughts waragainst you?’
He replied, ‘Up to now, it is all right,’ for he wasafraid to admit anything.
The old man said to him, ‘See how many years I havelived as an ascetic, and am praised by all, and though Iam old, the spirit of fornication troubles me.’
Theopemptus said, ‘Believe me, Abba, it is the samewith me.’
The old man went on admitting that other thoughtsstill warred against him, until he had brought him to admitthem about himself. Then he said, ‘How do you fast?’
He replied, ‘Till the ninth hour.’
‘Practise fasting a little later; meditate on the Gospeland the other Scriptures, and if an alien thought ariseswithin you, never look at it but always look upwards, andthe Lord will come at once to your help.’
When he had given the brother this rule, the old manthen returned to his solitude. He was watching the roadonce more when he saw the devil, to whom he said,ÔWhere are you going this time?’
He replied, ‘To arouse the memories of the brothers,’and he went away. When he came back the Saint askedhim, ‘How are the brothers?’
He replied that it had gone badly. The old man askedhim why. He replied, ‘They are all obdurate, and theworst is the one friend I had who used to obey me. I donot know what has changed him, but not only does henot obey me any more, but he has become the most obdurateof them all. So I have promised myself not to godown there again, at least not for a long time from now.’
When he had said this, he went away leaving the oldman, and the Saint returned to his cell.
The Desert Christian, pp. 126-7
Often I have heard the evil spirits speakingof their wiles against men in this manner. Onewould say, “I am assigned to a hard man. When I suggestan evil thought to him, he immediately stands to pray,and I go out ablaze.” And another demon says, “Mine iseasy. He listens to me and does what I suggest to him; andI love him very much.” Therefore watch yourselves always,and sign yourselves [with the Cross] in the Nameof Christ.
Saint Pachomius the Great, Pachomian Koinonia, Vol. I., p. 347
By means of some earthly and carnal affection,by which a man in his natural will is bound, sin enticeshim, until it becomes to him a fetter and a chain and aheavy weight, sinking and stifling him in the world of wickedness,and not allowing him to come to the surface and get toGod.Whatever a man has loved in theworld,weighs down hismind, and holds it down, and will not let him come up. ¶ Inthis balance, with its bias to the scale of evil, all mankind hangsand is tested, Christians and all, whether dwelling in cities, orin mountains, or in monasteries, or in fields, or in deserts; becausethe natural will of man entices him to set his affection,say, on property, another on gold and silver, another on the wisdomof the eloquence of the world for the sake of the glory frommen; another has loved power, another glory and honoursamong men, another wrath and anger—for yielding quicklyto it is loving it—another unseasonable conversations, anotherjealousy; . . .Whether it be a little thing of the world or a greatthat ties him, the man is kept down by it, and not allowed torise. Whatever passion a man does not bravely war against, is anobject of his affection; and it holds him fast, and weighs himdown, and becomes to him a hindrance and a fetter, preventinghis mind from going up to God and pleasing Him, and fromserving Him only and thereby proving fit for the kingdom andobtaining eternal life.
Saint Macarius the Great, Fifty Spiritual Homilies,
Homily V, pp. 45-6
Abraham, the disciple of Abba Sisoes the Great, saidunto him, “Father, if there happen to be a congregationon the Sabbath, or on Sunday, and a brother drink three cupsof wine, is that too much?” The old man saith unto him, “IfSatan did not exist, three cups would not be too much todrink, but since he doth exist three cups is too much.”
The Paradise of the Fathers, Vol. II, #85, pp. 19-20
From kindness, people see things entirely different.
Saint Ambrose of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy, page 74
The Holy Virgin Martyrs Flora and Mary
Flora’s mother was a Christian from the village of Ausinianos,and her father was a Moor from Seville. Shortly after they wentto Cordova to live, her father died, and her mother raised heras a pious Christian. So deeply did faith in Christ take root inthe young virgin’s heart that during Great Lent Flora secretlygave her food to the poor, and only after her mother had oftenthreatened her with punishment, fearing for her health, did sheconsent to eat, and then only in the afternoon. Flora was theyoungest child, and had a brother who held to the Moors’ religionand watched his little sister lest she keep the Christianfaith. So Flora left home and lived secretly with Christians topractise her faith freely. But when she found that her brotherwas persecuting the Church, even having clerics arrested, becauseof her, she gave herself up to her brother who, after beatingher and still being unable to convert her, presented her beforethe judge. After her absolute refusal to deny Christ— Islamiclaw requires that the children of mixed marriages embraceIslam, even though one parent was a Christian— thejudge had her flogged so savagely that the skin was torn fromthe back of her head and her skull was exposed. Her brotherthen took her home and locked her up. But a few days later, aftershe had recovered, she made a daring escape by leapingfrom a wall by night, and hid in the village of Osaria. SaintEulogius of Cordova, who recorded many of the martyrdomsthat occurred between 850 and 857, says that he touched withhis own hands the scars of her “most venerable and delicatehead.” Mary’s father was a Christian who married an Araband converted her to Christ, for which reason they left theirhome to avoid persecution. They had two children, Walabonsusand Mary, and after their mother had fallen asleep in theLord, their father committed Walabonsus to be trained in themonastery of Saint Felix, and consecrated Mary to the conventof Cuteclara. Walabonsus, not long after being ordained deacon,also became a Martyr, being beheaded for his confessionof Christ before the Moors. Mary wept much for her belovedbrother, until a nun told her that Walabonsus had appeared toher, bidding her tell Mary not to mourn for him any more,since she would soon be united to him in the Heavens. Fromthat moment on, Mary’s heart was ablaze with longing formartyrdom. So one day she left her convent and went intoCordova, where so many others received the crown of martyrdomby confessing Christ, and went to the church of SaintAcisclus to ask the Lord’s help. Here by God’s providence shemet Flora, and the two immediately bound themselves with abond of friendship, agreeing to go to martyrdom together.They appeared together before the judge who, infuriated bytheir bold confession, sent them to prison saying he would havethem put in a brothel to be defiled. Saint Eulogius wrote themto strengthen them when they were daunted by such a fate; theywere not subjected to the brothel, and after a third interrogationin which they valiantly confessed Christ, they were beheadedand their bodies were thrown into the River Quadalquivir. Mary’s body was recovered and buried at Cuteclara;Flora’s body was never found, but her head, with Mary’s, wasenshrined at the basilica of Saint Acisclus. At the time of theirmartyrdom, Saint Eulogius was in prison, and asked themthrough others, as soon as they appeared before Christ, to freehim from prison: which came to pass. They were beheaded onNovember 24, 851, and Saint Eulogius was released fromprison five days later, on November 29.
Despondency is especially sinful when it rejectsGod’s consolation. When a capricious child gets cross hebreaks his favorite toys, and some abnormal people find satisfactionin aggravating small wounds on their hands and so causingthemselves pointless suffering. In such a state of soul a sinful feelingis already playing part, insubmission to Providence and anger, if notdirectly against God, then at least opposed to God, approachinggrumbling. You must fear this state and ask God’s forgiveness andhelp. Then the spirit of despondency will depart from you, and yoursoul will no longer turn away from consolation. The exhortations ofyour close ones and their very sympathy seemed inept to you and theythemselves stupid and burdensome. In this case value holy love evenin a stupid person, and turn a kind face to him. He takes it as a kinddeed done to himself that you do not reject his sympathy: see howmuch humility and patience he has and how much better he is thanyou, who are tormenting him and others with your sadness; and howeasy it is for you to replace this common torment with common joyand mutual love.
Confession, by Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky,
pp. 77-8.
In the outer world, the husbandman tills the ground; butin spite of his tilling, he needs rain and showers from above. If nomoisture comes from above, the husbandman has no profit fromhis tilling of the ground. So is it with the spiritual world. There aretwo factors to be taken into consideration. The man must cultivatewith a will the ground of his heart, and labour upon it—for God requiresthe man’s labour and toil and travail. But unless clouds ofheaven make their appearance from above, and showers of grace, thehusbandman does not profit by his toil.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XXVI, §10, pp. 189-90
If you desire to be delivered from sorrow, do notlet your heart be attached to anything or anyone. Sorrow comesfrom attachments to visible things.
Saint Nicon of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy, Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
page 109
I advise you not to stop readingspiritual books, for it happens sometimesthat one line, read at the right time, becomesmore dear than a year of publications and remainsin your memory for ever.
Saint Anthony of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
page 204
When Saint Shushanik consented to go tobe imprisoned in the castle,] she carriedher Gospel with her, as well as theholy books of the Martyrs. . . . She was not releasedfrom her shackles until her death. For she remainedsix years in the castle, and blossomedforth with her religious observances, ever fasting,keeping vigil and watching, in unwearying adorationand assiduous reading of holy books.
Lives & Legends of the Georgian SS, pp. 49, 5
If it is true that the recollection of virtuousmen renews virtue within us when we ponderover them, then it is evident that the recollectionof the licentious, when we dwell upon them,renews shameful desire in our mind. For the memoryof each imprints and inscribes in our reflectionsthe distinctive nature of the deeds of thoserecollected, and shows us as with a finger, eitherthe shame of their deeds or the loftiness of theirmanner of life accordingly as they are virtuous orlicentious. This strengthens in us thoughts andmovements belonging either to the right or to theleft. We meditate upon them in the secret place ofour mind, and in our mind's meditation the peculiarityof their way of life is depicted, so that we arealways obliged to behold them. Therefore not onlydoes meditation upon evil harm the man who isengaged in it, but also the sight and the recollectionof those who do evil things. And again, notonly does the working of virtue greatly help himwho accomplishes it, but he is also helped by theimagination of the mind which is fashioned fromthe recollection of the persons who perform virtue.
St Isaac, Homily 254, p. 267
After giving [a certain scriptural] interpretation,the brother said, “I heard thissaying and the explanation from theholy man, our father Pachomius, who has assembledin Tabennisi many brothers progressing inChrist. And I am confident that the Lord willforgive some of my sins because I have just nowbrought to mind a righteous man.”
Pachomian Koinonia, Vol I, p. 322
While Epiphanius was reading(a work of Saint Basil the Great's),suddenly there came to his nostrils thefragrance of spices, so that he was trembling andamazed for some time. And the blessed Andrewsaw him invisibly taking in the perfume; but whileEpiphanius was reading, the righteous one saidnothing. And when he finished the sermon, thefragrance ceased. And Epiphanius marvelled,and asking the blessed one, said, ‘I pray thee, mylord, tell me what that fragrance was that came alittle while ago, when we began the sermon?’ Andthe righteous one said, ‘It was an Angel of theLord. Not only one, but many appeared togetherhere as thou wast reading. But one of them, glorifyingthe words of the Holy Spirit, offered incensein a manner befitting God, and rejoicing.’
The Life of St Andrew the Fool
At the Church of Coolbanagher,Oengus had a vision of angels who seemedto surround a particular tomb, singinghymns of celestial sweetness. Inquiry from the localpriest elicited the fact that the tomb was that ofa poor old man who formerly lived at the place.“What good did he do?” asked Oengus. “I saw noparticular good done by him,” recounted thepriest, “but that his customary practice was to recountand invoke the saints of the world, as far ashe could remember them, both at his going to bedand his getting up, in accordance with the godlymen of old.”
Butler's Lives of the Saints, vol. I, p. 559
An old man said,“Whensoever a man readeth the Divine Books, the devils are afraid.”
The Paradise of the Fathers, Vol. II, p. 24, #107
The holy fathers offer the following example: when a kettleboils, no creature, not even a small insect, can approach itsince it would be scorched by the heat of the kettle; if, however,the fire goes out and the kettle cools off, then not only is it pleasant forinsects to sit in it but also various foul reptiles can boldly crawl in andcalmly lie about it. So also the fire of true Divine love drives away allunclean thoughts, and when such thoughts strongly attack a man, it isan obvious sign that he has not yet achieved a measure of the Divinelove.
Saint Ambrose of Optina,
letter of October 10, 1867
Staretz Amvrosy,
by John Dunlop, p. 143.
No tribulations could have come to us except byGod's permission and because of our sins. And these very tribulationspreserve us from other temptations.
The Elder Moses of Optina,
p. 234
An irritable spiritual state stems, firstly, from self-lovewhich wants nothing to be done apart from our desire and viewof things and, secondly, from unbelief, since we feel that the fulfilling ofthe Divine commandments will not bring us any benefit in this particularsituation.
Saint Ambrose of Optina,
letter of April 22, 1861
Staretz Amvrosy,
by John Dunlop, p. 142.
A place does not save you. There is no place where youcan flee from yourself.
Saint Nicon of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the
Holy Elders of Optina,
page 108
Watch out for complaining and faintheartedness,which worsen and increase sorrows.
Saint Macarius of Optina,
Ibid., page 146
The Lord arranges everything for our benefitand spiritual instruction, according to His mercy and wisdom,but we, owing to our weakness and passionate habit, understand poorly,like infants.
Saint Leo of Optina,
Ibid.,
page 137
They do not love you—you love them. The fact that they do notlove you does not depend on you; but your loving them is within yourpower and is your duty, for the Lord commanded: do not love onlythose who love you, but also your enemies (Matt. 5:44). But when there is nolove in us, so much more must we humble ourselves, drive away pride, andpray about this to the Lord.
Saint Macarius of Optina,
Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the
Holy Elders of Optina,
page 75
The devil has no access to the soul, if the soul itself harboursno passions. In such a state it is transparent and the devil cannotsee it. But when it admits the movements of a passion and consents tothis movement, it becomes darkened and the devil sees it.
Theophan the Recluse,
The Art of Prayer, p. 211
Each man is tested more or less, in one way or another in accordancewith his make-up and attributes. I will give you an example.In damp, cold weather several men are travelling on one and the sameroad. The healthy man shivers and that is all. The man who has weaker healthcatches a cold and gets a headache. And the man who is sickly becomes completelyill from that which the healthy man passed through without harm.
Saint Ambrose of Optina,
letter of October 10, 1867
Staretz Amvrosy,
by John Dunlop, p. 142.
As the eye is little in comparison of all the members,and the pupil, small as it is, is a great vessel, because it sees at oneglance sky, star, sun, moon, cities, and other creatures, and likewisethese things, seen at the glance, are formed and imaged in the little pupil of theeye; so is the mind in the heart, and the heart itself is but a little vessel, and yetthere are dragons, and there lions, and there venomous beasts, and all the treasuresof wickedness; and there are rough uneven ways, there chasms; there likewiseis God, there the angels, there life and the kingdom, there light and theapostles, there the heavenly cities, there the treasures, there are all things.
Saint Macarius the Great,
Homily XLIII, §3, pp.272-3
If enemies surround you, and you are in spiritualdistress, call immediately upon our Most Holy Lady. Sheis Queen in order that she may reign, by her sovereignpower, over the powers that oppose us, and may mightilysuccour us, for we are her inheritance.
St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p. 239
Doth the lord take pleasure in whole-burntofferings and sacrifices, as in the hearing of the voice ofthe Lord? Behold, obedience is better than a good sacrifice,and hearkening than the fat of rams.
The Prophet Samuel to Saul, i Kings 15:22
Whatever our mind has been thinking ofbefore the hour of prayer, is sure to occur to us whilewe are praying through the activity of the memory. Whereforewhat we want to find ourselves like while we are praying,that we ought to prepare ourselves to be before the timefor prayer.
St John Cassian, First Conference of Abbot Isaac
Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two
Vol. xi, Book ix, Ch. iii, p. 388
A man who suffers cannot enjoy pleasure.Hence, as sin entered through pleasure, it is exterminatedby the opposite. So if men persecute othersfor confessing the Lord and invent the most intolerable tortures,they bring, through these sufferings, a remedy to souls,for by applying pain they heal the disease caused by pleasure.. . . The Saints have embraced [all forms of torture] withjoy as a purification from sin. And so pleasure has left notrace impressed on the heart, for the piercing sensation ofpain effaced all the imprints it had stamped on the soul.Therefore, Blessed are they that are persecuted for My sake.
St Gregory of Nyssa, On the Beatitudes, Sermon Eight
(Ancient Christian Writers, The Newman Press, p. 172)
The beginning of a man's true life is the fearof God. But the fear of God does not consent to dwell ina soul that is distracted over outward things.
St Isaac the Syrian, Homily i:10, p. 4
The world that you see round you, fromthe king to the beggar, are all in confusion and disorderand battle, and none of them knows the reason, orthat it is the manifestation of the evil which crept in throughAdam's disobedience, the sting of death [1 Cor. xv. 56]. Forthe sin which crept in, being a kind of invisible power ofSatan, and a reality, implanted all evils. Without being detectedit works upon the inner man and upon the mind, andcontends with the thoughts; but men are not aware that theyare doing these things at the instigation of an alien force.They think it all to be natural, and that they do these thingsof their own determination, while those who have the peaceof Christ in their minds, and His enlightenment, know verywell the source of these movements.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XV.49, pages 130-31
I do not merely say that Mary gave birth to one whohad existed before her—not only, I say, One Who hadexisted before her—but One Who was the Author of herbeing; and that in giving birth to her Creator, she became themother of Him Who gave her being.
St John Cassian, On the Incarnation, Book iv, Ch. ii
When you feel yourself to be an impious, impure,wicked, blasphemous sinner, and, therefore, donot feel worthy to draw near to our Lady and pray to her,then is the very time to pray fervently to her, just because youfeel yourself such a sinner; do not lie in the mire of sin, butcome to our Lady, stand before her image in the hope thatshe herself is there present, show her without shame yoursinful sores, have a loathing for them, ask her to cleanse youfrom this spiritual leprosy, and you shall not be shamed. Theall-merciful one will not despise you, the most pure and themost speedy Helper will cleanse you, as the Lord Himselfcleansed the ten lepers.
St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p. 415
They used to say that when Abba Macarius waswalking in the desert, he went and found a beautifulspot which was like unto the Paradise of God; andthere were in it fountains of water, and numerous palm trees,and trees of various kinds which bore fruit, and when he hadcome and told the brethren about it, they begged and entreatedhim to go and settle them there. Then the old men,the aged members of the congregation, who led lives of sternlabour, entreated them not to leave their place, and they said,“If pleasure and delight be found in that spot, and if a manmay live therein without vexation and labour, what pleasureand delight do ye expect to receive from God? Nay, it is rightfor us to endure the hardness of this place wherein we dwell,and to suffer tribulations, so that we may enjoy pleasure inthe world to come.” And when he had said these things thebrethren were restrained and departed not.
Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Vol. II, p. 239, #419
Question: Is it by degrees that evil is diminished and rootedout, and a man advances in grace? or is evil rooted out atonce, when he receives a visitation?
Answer: As the unborn babe in his mother's womb is not atonce fashioned into a man, but the image is formed by degreesand born, and even then is not full grown, but takesmany years to develop, and become a man; and again, as theseeds of barley or of wheat do not root the moment they areput in the ground, but storm and wind pass over them, andthen in due time the ears form; and the man who plants apear tree does not at once partake of the fruit; so likewise inspiritual things, where there is so much wisdom and delicacyemployed, it is only little by little that a man grows andcomes to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature, [Eph.iv. 13] not, as some say, “Off with one coat, and on with another.”
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XV.41, page 126
When you pray, say in your heart, againstthe various thoughts and provocations thatcome from the enemy: “The Lord is everythingto me.” Likewise, during all your life, when passionsattack you, and during every oppression of the enemy,and during sickness, afflictions, misfortunes, and disasters,say: “The Lord is everything to me; I myself can donothing—cannot bear anything, cannot surmount, conqueranything—He is my strength.”
Saint John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, page 165.
I know that thou art now admiring thegrace of Hermione, and thou judgest that there isnothing in the world to be compared to her comeliness;but if you choose, O friend, you shall yourself exceedher in comeliness and gracefulness, as much asgolden statues surpass those which are made of clay. Forif beauty, when it occurs in the body, so fascinates and excitesthe minds of most men, when the soul is refulgentwith it what can match beauty and grace of this kind? Forthe groundwork of this corporeal beauty is nothing elsebut phlegm, and blood, and humor, and bile, and the fluidof masticated food. For by these things both eyes andcheeks, and all the other features, are supplied with moisture;and if they do not receive that moisture, daily ascendingfrom the stomach and the liver, the skin becomingunduly withered, and the eyes sunken, the wholegrace of the countenance forthwith vanishes; so that ifyou consider what is stored up inside those beautiful eyes,and that straight nose, and the mouth and the cheeks, youwill affirm the well-shaped body to be nothing else than awhited sepulchre; the parts within are full of so much uncleanness.Moreover when you see a rag with any of thesethings on it, such as phlegm, or spittle, you cannot bearto touch it with even the tips of your fingers, nay you cannoteven endure looking at it; and yet are you in a flutterof excitement about the storehouses and depositories ofthese things?
Saint John Chrysostom, Letters to the Fallen Theodore,
Letter I.14, NPNF, Vol. IX, pp. 103-4
Suppose there were a king, who entrusted histreasure to some poor man. The man who receivedthe charge of it does not hold it for his own, but alwaysacknowledges his poverty, not daring to squanderout of another's treasure. He bears continually in mind,not only that the treasure is another's, but “it was amighty king who entrusted me with it, and whenever hepleases he takes it away from me.” So ought those whohave the grace of God to esteem themselves, to be humble-minded and to acknowledge their poverty. As thepoor man who received the charge of the treasure fromthe king, if he presumes upon the treasure that is another's,and is proud, as of wealth of his own, and his heartconceives arrogance, the king takes away his treasure,and the man who had it in charge is left poor as he wasbefore; so if those who have grace presume, and theirhearts are puffed up, the Lord takes His grace from them,and they are left such as they were before receiving thegrace from the Lord.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XV, page 119
Go to prayer, and observe thy heart and mind,and determine to send up prayer to God pure,and look well there, whether there be nothing tohinder it, whether the prayer be pure, whether thy mindis wholly occupied with the Lord, as the husbandman'swith his husbandry, the married man's with his wife, themerchant's with his merchandise; or whether thou bendestthy knees to prayer, while others pluck thy thoughtsasunder.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily XV, page 112
All my happiness and unhappiness are containedin the thoughts and inclinations of myheart. If the thoughts and inclinations of myheart are in accord with God's truth or with the will ofmy God, then I am at rest, filled with divine light, joy, andblessedness; if not, I am uneasy, filled with spiritual soulcorruptingdarkness, heaviness and despondency. If Icompletely change the false, impious thoughts and inclinationsof my heart into true ones, pleasing to God, thenI again obtain rest and blessedness.
Saint John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, page 118.
Speak not to me of those who have committedsmall sins, but suppose the case of one who is filledfull of all wickedness, and let him practise everythingwhich excludes him from the kingdom, and let ussuppose that this man is not one of those who were unbelieversfrom the beginning, but formerly belonged tothe believers, and such as were well pleasing to God, butafterwards has become a fornicator, adulterer, effeminate,a thief, a drunkard, a sodomite, a reviler, and everythingelse of this kind; I will not approve even of this man despairingof himself, although he may have gone on to extremeold age in the practice of this great and unspeakablewickedness.
For if the wrath of God were a passion, one might welldespair, as being unable to quench the flame which hehad kindled by so many evil doings; but since the Divinenature is passionless, even if He punishes, even if Hetakes vengeance, He does this not with wrath, but withtender care, and much loving-kindness; wherefore it behoovesus to be of much good courage, and to trust in thepower of repentance. For even those who have sinnedagainst Him He is not wont to visit with punishment forHis own sake; for no harm can traverse that divine nature;but He acts with a view to our advantage, and to preventour perverseness becoming worse by our making apractice of despising and neglecting Him. For even as onewho places himself outside the light inflicts no loss on thelight, but the greatest loss upon himself being shut up indarkness; even so he who has become accustomed to despisethat almighty power, does no injury to the power,but inflicts the greatest possible injury upon himself.
And for this reason God threatens us with punishments,and often inflicts them, not as avenging Himself,but by way of attracting us to Himself. For a physicianalso is not distressed or vexed at the insults of those whoare out of their minds, but yet does and contrives everythingfor the purpose of stopping those who do such unseemlyacts, not looking to his own interests but to theirprofit; and if they manifest some small degree of self-controland sobriety, he rejoices and is glad, and applies hisremedies much more earnestly, not as revenging himselfupon them for their former conduct, but as wishing to increasetheir advantage, and to bring them back to a purelysound state of health. Even so God when we fall intothe very extremity of madness, says and does everything,not by way of avenging Himself on account of our former deeds; but because He wishes to release us from our disorder;and by means of right reason it is quite possible tobe convinced of this.
Saint John Chrysostom, Letters to the Fallen Theodore,
Letter I.4, NPNF, Vol. IX, pp. 93-4
Just as when you leave the womb you nolonger remember what pertains to the womb,so when you leave the body you will no longerremember what pertains to the body.
113. When you left the womb you grew in bodilystrength and excellence; equally, when leavingthe body, if you are pure and unblemishedyou will grow in strength and incorruptibility,living in heaven.
114. Just as the body has to be born when it hascompleted its time in the womb, so the soul hasto leave the body when it has completed the timeassigned to it by God.
115. According to how you treat the soul whileit is in the body, so will it treat you when it leavesthe body. He who has treated his body here softlyand indulgently has treated himself ill afterdeath. For, like a fool, he has condemned his soul.
116. Just as a body cannot grow perfectly if itleaves its mother's womb in a crippled state, so asoul cannot be saved or united with God if itleaves the body without attaining to knowledgeof God through a virtuous way of life.
Saint Anthony the Great
Philokalia, Volume I, pp. 346-7
A heart that is continually moved to thanksgiving isa guide that leads the gifts of God to a man. A murmuring dispositionalways active in the heart is a guide that leads trials to thesoul. God bears with all the weaknesses of men, but He will not suffer toleave without chastisement a man who murmurs continually. A soul that isdevoid of every illumination of knowledge will be found in such dispositions.A mouth that always renders thanks receives a blessing from God, andgrace descends into the heart that perseveres in thanksgiving. Humilityruns in advance of grace, and conceit runs in advance of chastisement.
St Isaac the Syrian, Homily XLVIII
If the devil will not dare to approach a house where a Gospelis lying, much less will any evil spirit, or any sinful nature, ever touch orenter a soul which bears about with it such sentiments as it contains.Sanctify then thy soul, sanctify thy body, by having these ever in thy heart,and on thy tongue. For if foul speech defiles and invites devils, it is clearthat spiritual reading sanctifies and draws down the grace of the Spirit.
Saint John Chrysostom,
Homily XXXII On Saint John's Gospel, NPNF, Volume XIV, p. 114
It is very wrong that you do not love your mother, and harborthis feeling of suspicion against her. Pray for the strength, thecourage, the goodness, to forgive. You must stop these endless recriminations,this reverting to—this endless dwelling upon—her mistaken attitudeto you in the past. Accept that past as part of God's pattern for yourlife, and forget your grudge. Forget it all. In keeping keen within you thishostility to your past and to the tools that shaped it, you are only wagingwar against the will of God. What folly!Besides, you cannot honestly consider your fate to be a hard one. Therehave been bitter moments, I know. But, surely, the right thing to do is to forgetabout them and train yourself to think of no one as their author, of noone as the one person responsible for them. Seen from on high, men arenought but instruments in the hand of God.
St Macarius of Optina,
Russian Letters of Direction, p. 91
The Lord comes to death, and discourses with him, and bidshim bring the souls out of Hades and death, and give them back to Him.Behold then, death, troubled at these things, goes in to his ministers, andgathers together all his powers; and the prince of wickedness produces the bonddeeds,and says, “See, these obeyed my words; see how men worshipped us.”
But God, Who is a just judge, displays His justice here also, and says to him,“Adam [that is, Adam and all his descendants] obeyed thee, and thou didst take possessionof all the hearts of him. Humanity obeyed thee. What is My body doing here?This is without sin. That body of the first Adam was under obligation to thee, andthou hast a right to keep the bond-deeds of it; but to Me all bear witness that I neversinned. I owe thee nothing, and all bear witness that I am the Son of God. . . .Therefore I purchase the body that was sold to thee through the first Adam; I cancelthy bonds. I paid the debts of Adam, when I was crucified and descended intoHades; and I command thee, O Hades and darkness and death, bring out the imprisonedsouls of Adam.” Thus the evil powers, stricken with terror, give back theimprisoned Adam.
But when you hear that at that time the Lord delivered the souls from hell anddarkness, and went down to hell, and did a glorious work, do not imagine that thesethings are so very far from your own soul. Man is capable of admitting and receivingthe evil one. Death keeps fast hold of the souls of Adam, and the thoughts ofthe soul lie imprisoned in the darkness. When you hear of sepulchres, do not thinkonly of visible ones; your own heart is a sepulchre and a tomb. When the prince ofwickedness and his angels burrow there, and make paths and thoroughfares there,on which the powers of Satan walk into your mind and thoughts, are you not a hell,a tomb, a sepulchre, a dead man towards God? There it was that Satan coined reprobatesilver. In this soul he sowed seeds of bitterness. It is leavened with old leaven;a fountain of mire springs there. Well, then, the Lord comes into souls that seekafter Him, into the deep of the heart-hell, and there lays His command upon death,saying, “Bring out the imprisoned souls that are seeking after Me, which thou detainestby force.” So He breaks through the heavy stones that lie on the soul, opensthe sepulchres, raises up the man that is dead indeed, brings out of the dark jail theimprisoned soul. . . . In His own person He enters into two quarters, into the depthof Hades, and into the deep gulf of the heart, where the soul with its thoughts isheld fast by death, and brings up out of the darksome hole the Adam that lay dead.
St Macarius the Great,
Homily XI, pp. 84-6
It was then [at the Lord's Ascension], Dearly Beloved, that the Son ofman, the Son of God, became known in a more perfect, a holier, manner:when He betook Himself to the majestic glory of the Father, and in anineffable way began to be more present to us in His Divinity, as His humanitybecame more remote to us. Then a more instructed faith began, by wayof the soul, to draw nigh to that Son Who was equal to the Father, withoutneed to touch and handle the bodily substance in Christ, in which He is lessthan the Father.
St Leo the Great, Pope of Rome
Second Homily On the Lord's Ascension, part IV
The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, Volume II, p. 453
When the soul cleaves to the Lord, and the Lord pitiesand loves, coming to it and cleaving to it, and the intention fromthat time remains continually faithful to the grace of the Lord,they become one spirit, one composite thing, one intention, the soul and theLord; and while the body belonging to it is prostrate upon earth, the intentionof the soul has its conversation wholly in the heavenly Jerusalem,mounting even to the third heaven, and cleaving to the Lord, and ministeringto Him there. And He, while sitting in the throne of majesty on high, inthe heavenly city, is wholly in company with the soul, in the body that belongsto it. He has set her image above in Jerusalem, the heavenly city of theSaints, and has set His own image, the image of the unspeakable light of HisGodhead, in her body. He ministers to her in the city of the body, while sheministers to Him in the heavenly city. She has inherited Him in heaven, andHe has inherited her upon earth. The Lord becomes the soul's inheritance,and the soul becomes the inheritance of the Lord.
Saint Macarius the Great
Homily XLVI, p. 288
Come, as we all gladly celebrate theall-festive, glorious, radiant Resurrection ofChrist, let us also celebrate the shining festivalof the holy Great Martyr George; withflowers of springtime, come, let us now crown himwho hath proved invincible, that by his most mightyentreaties we may be redeemed from afflictions, tribulations,and all our iniquities.
First Sticheron of the Praises for Saint George, April 23
We are not justified by correctingourselves, nor by good deeds; all this isundermined by our common sinfulness,and in any case we are obliged to do it by our Godlikenature. But we are justified by humility and repentance:A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that isbroken and humbled, God will not despise. You will find thissomewhere in the letters of Optina Elder Macarius.Therefore, it is good that you have failings and weaknesses;with repentance and contrition they will leadyou into Paradise. But if you do not have any, then atrust in your own correctness can hinder you greatlythrough secret self-esteem and a pharisaical trust inthe labors and virtues you have borne: “I have earnedit—pay me.”
The seeing and evaluating of one's own achievementsand deeds will only increase sinful and deceitfulself-esteem and diminish our sole hope on God'smercy. What is more reliable and pleasing to Godfrom us is the following: “O Lord, I have nothingand dare not even lift up my eyes; have mercy on meaccording to Thy great mercy!” The more the contritionand trust in God, and not in deeds or somethingelse of our own, the more God's mercy will increasein us.
Holy New Hieromartyr Archbishop Barlaam
Russia's Catacomb Saints, pages 277 & 281
All well-pleasing and all service are in thethoughts. Therefore endeavour to please theLord, always looking for Him within, seekingHim in thy thoughts, and forcing and constrainingthine own will and purpose to stretch upwardscontinually towards Him. Then see how He comesunto thee and makes His abode with thee. In proportionas thou gatherest up thy mind to seek Him, Heis far more constrained by His own tender compassionand kindness to come to thee and give thee rest.He stands contemplating thy mind, thy thoughts, thyintentions, observing how thou seekest Him, whetherwith thy whole soul, not indolently, not carelessly.
Saint Macarius the Great, Homily xxxi, 3
The truly intelligent man pursues onesole object: to obey and to conform to theGod of all. With this single aim in view, hedisciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounterin the course of his life, he gives thanks to God forthe compass and depth of His providential orderingof all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctorswho give us bitter and unpleasant medicines tocure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God forwhat appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that allwe encounter is for our benefit and in accordance withHis providence. For knowledge of God and faith inHim is the salvation and perfection of the soul.
Saint Anthony the Great
177 Texts on the Character of Men and on the Virtuous Life, #2
Philokalia,Volume One, page 329
Until you have eradicated evil, donot obey your heart; for it will seek more ofwhat it already contains within itself.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
On the Spiritual Law, #177,
Philokalia, Volume One, page 122
Holy Week
Judas hastened to the lawless scribes saying:What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you?But in the midst of those who struck this agreement,didst Thou Thyself stand invisibly, agreeing thereunto.O Knower of hearts, spare our souls.
Matins of Holy and Great Friday, Antiphon Two
O Lord, as Thou didst ascend the Cross,fear and trembling fell upon creation; Thoudidst forbid the earth to swallow up them thatcrucified Thee, and Thou didst permit Hades to send upits captives for the rebirth of mortals. O Judge of the livingand the dead, Thou camest to grant life and notdeath. O Friend of man, glory be to Thee.
Matins of Holy and Great Friday, Doxasticon of the Praises
O Lord, Who didst accept as Thy fellowtravellerthe thief whose hands were defiledwith blood: Do Thou number us also withhim, since Thou art good and the Friend of man.
Matins of Holy and Great Friday, Antiphon Fourteen
The thief upon the cross uttered but a fewwords, and found great faith; in a moment's timehe was saved, and was the first to open the gates ofParadise. O Lord, Who didst accept his repentance, glorybe to Thee.
Matins of Holy and Great Friday, Antiphon Fourteen
O Thou Who wast smitten for the race ofman, and wast not wroth: Free our life fromcorruption, O Lord, and save us.
Matins of Holy and Great Thursday,
Troparion of the Prophecy
In the grave bodily; in Hades with Thy soul,though Thou wast God; in Paradise with the thief; andon the throne with the Father and the Spirit wastThou Who fillest all things, O Christ the Uncircumscribable.
Prayer from the Paschal Hours
It is wrong to draw particular attention tooneself, during public prayer, through excessivekneeling or mistimed bowing. Bowing andprostrations should only be performed duringthose parts of the service where they are customary.Then most of the people present will be doinglikewise and no one will pay attention toyou. As a rule, outward signs of emotion andcompunction should be mastered in public andthe effort to master them offered to God as ahumble sacrifice.
Saint Macarius of Optina,
Russian Letters of Direction, p. 48
What keeps grace in the soul more thananything else? Humility. What makes itwithdraw more than anything else? Feelings ofpride, a high opinion of oneself, self-reliance.Grace departs as soon as it senses this evil stenchof inner pride.
Bishop Theophan, The Art of Prayer, p. 259
As a handful of sand thrown into thegreat sea, so are the sins of all flesh in comparisonwith the mind of God. And just as astrongly flowing spring is not obstructed by ahandful of dust, so the mercy of the Creator isnot stemmed by the vices of His creatures.
Saint Isaac the Syrian, Homily 51, p. 244
Today is the fountainhead of oursalvation and the manifestation of themystery which was from eternity. TheSon of God becometh the Virgin's Son and Gabrielannounceth the good tidings of grace; forthis cause, let us cry to the Mother of God withhim: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace; the Lordis with thee.
Dismissal Hymn of Annunciation
How shall I paint the image of this most fair Maiden
With dull colors of a blending unfit for her?
The image of her beauty is too high and glorious for mixtures such as mine,
Nor dare I rashly paint the image of her that my meager understanding could depict.
Easier were it to paint the sun with its light and its heat,
Than to tell the account of Mary in all its glory.
Had there been another purer than she and meeker,
He would have dwelt in her, and declined to dwell in Mary.
If there had been any soul nobler and holier than hers,
Then He would have chosen that one, and left Mary alone.
When our Lord came down to earth, He regarded all women,
But chose one only, who was the most well-pleasing of them all.
Mary's virtue is of such a stature
That another greater than she hath never arisen in the whole world.
On the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary
By Mar Jacob of Serugh, True Vine issue no. 17. lines 60-64, 117-122, 207-208
A brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do? For the love of praise iskilling me.” The old man said unto him, “Thou doest well, for behold, thou hast madethe heavens and the earth.” Then the brother was sorry because of what the old man hadsaid unto him, and he expressed contrition, and said, “Father, forgive me, but I have done nothingof the kind.” The old man said unto him, “If now He Who did make them came into this world inhumility, why dost thou who art mud boast thyself?”
The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Vol. ii, p. 110, #467
Evil attaches itself to us like a contagious disease. If you will frequently bewith a person who loves to talk, with a gossip, with a lover of the world, you yourself, imperceptibly,will begin to fall into those same faults. And the opposite is true: turn frequently toa spiritual person and a man of prayer, and those same virtues will be poured into you also.
Spiritual Counsels of the Staretz Parfeny, ORTHODOX LIFE
Vol. 27, No. 5, September-October 1977, p. 18
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba, as far as I can I say my littlerule of prayer, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purifymy thoughts. What else can I do?” Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towardsHeaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, “If you will, you can becomeall flame.”
The Desert Christian, p. 103, #7
In order to attain patience in sorrows andtemptations, believe that all that happens to us isby the will of God.
Spiritual Counsels of the Staretz Parfeny, ORTHODOX LIFE
Vol. 27, No. 5, September-October 1977, p. 14
As soon as you turn away—howeverslightly—from God, and no longer placeyour trust in Him, things go awry; for thenthe Lord withdraws, as though saying, “You haveput your trust in something else—very well, rely onthat instead.” And whatever it may be it proves utterlyworthless.
Bishop Theophan, The Art of Prayer, p. 259
Consider everyone to be better thanyourself, and reproach and scold yourself inevery way, and do not be ashamed to bowdown and ask forgiveness from your neighbor foryour weakness when you have something againsthim. Consider every day as possibly your last and,in your thoughts, place yourself more often at thejudgement of God. In your heart unceasingly say theprayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, through the Theotokoshave mercy on me, a sinner.”
Saint Ambrose, Living Without Hypocrisy
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina, p. 153
A certain brother went on one occasionfrom Egypt to Syria to visit AbbaZeno, and the Egyptian began to makeaccusations against his thoughts before the old man.And when Abba Zeno heard this, he marvelled andsaid, “The Egyptians always hide the spiritual excellenceswhich they possess, but they describe theshortcomings which they do not possess; on the otherhand, the Syrians and the Greeks declare that theypossess the virtues which they do not have, and theyhide the shortcomings which they do possess.”
Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Vol. II, p. 110, #465
THEY used to speak of a certain solitarymonk who went out unto thedesert carrying his apparel on hisshoulder, and having gone a journey of threedays, he climbed a rock, and saw beyond himan old man who was grazing like the beasts,and he came down secretly and gave chase tohim. And the old man was naked, and his soulhad been refined to such a degree that he couldnot bear the smell of men, and he was able toremove himself from them and to make hisescape by flight. And when he had taken toflight, that brother pursued him, and he criedout to him and said, “I am following afterthee for God's sake; wait for me.” Then theold man answered and said unto him, “And I,for God's sake also, am fleeing from thee”;and finally, casting away from him the garmentwhich was on his shoulder, he pursuedhim with all his might. Now as soon as theold man saw that he had cast away his garments,he waited for him, and when thebrother came up with him, the old man said,“As thou didst cast away from thee the thingsof the world, I waited for thee.” Then thatbrother entreated him, saying, “Speak to me aword, that I may be saved thereby”; and theold man said to him, “Flee from the childrenof men, and keep silence, and thou shalt besaved.”
The Paradise of the Holy Fathers,
Vol. I, pp. 235-36
ABBA Macarius said unto the brethrenwhen the service in the churchwas ended, “Flee, O ye brethren”;and one of the old men said, “Father, whithercan we flee farther than this desert?” ThenMacarius laid his hand upon his mouth, saying,“Flee in this manner,” and straightwayhe went to his cell, and, shutting the door, satdown.
The Paradise of the Holy Fathers,
Vol. II, p. 11
ABBA Poemen used to say, “A manwill be always tripped up by thatthing which he will not cut off fromhimself.”
ABBA Alonius used to say, “Unless aman saith in his heart, ‘Only Godand myself exist in this world,’ hewill not find rest.”
The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Vol. II, p. 13
Do not take on any kind of prayervows and prayer rules without theapproval of your spiritual father,with whose advice one prostration will bringmore benefit than a thousand performed fromself-will. Believe this without a doubt.Saint Anthony of Optina, Living Without Hypocrisy,
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina, p. 66
BEWARE of passionate attachmentsto the world. Although they deceiveyou with peace and comfort, they areso fleeting that you do not notice how you aredeprived of them, and in their place come sorrow,longing, despondency, and no comfortwhatsoever.
Saint Leo of Optina, ibid., p. 81
SEEK and you will find. Seek God:such is the unalterable rule for allspiritual advancement. Nothingcomes without effort. The help of God is alwaysready and always near, but is only givento those who seek and work, and only to thoseseekers who, after putting all their own powersto the test, then cry out with all theirheart: Lord, help us. So long as you hold on toeven a little hope of achieving something byyour own powers, the Lord does not interfere.It is as though He says: “You hope to succeedby yourself—Very well, go on trying! But howeverlong you try you will achieve nothing.”May the Lord give you a contrite spirit, ahumble and a contrite heart.
Bishop Theophan, The Art of Prayer, p. 133
Do the saints, whom we call upon, prayfor us? They certainly pray for us. If I, a sinfulman, a cold-hearted, sometimes wicked and malevolentlydisposed man, praying for others who have instructedor have not instructed me to pray for them anddo not doubt, do not weary of saying their names duringprayer, although sometimes not heartily, then will notGod's Saints—those lamps and torches, burning in Godand before God, full of love to their earthly brethren—pray for me and for us when we call upon them with faith,hope, and love, according to our strength? They, ourspeedy helpers, pray also for our souls, as our divinely enlightenedMother, the holy Church, assures us. Pray,therefore, undoubtingly to God's Saints, asking their intercessionbefore God on your behalf. They hear you inthe Holy Spirit; only pray in the Holy Spirit, from yoursoul, for when you thus sincerely pray, then the HolySpirit breathes in you, Who is the Spirit of truth and sincerity,and is our truth and sincerity. The one same HolySpirit is in us and in the Saints. The Saints are holythrough the Holy Spirit, Who sanctifies them and eternallydwells in them.Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses thelove of every father, of every mother, of the tenderestwife, have mercy upon us!Holy Virgin, our Lady! Thou, whose love to Christianssurpasses the love of every earthly mother, of every wife,hear our prayers and save us! May we constantly rememberthee! May we always pray fervently to thee! May weever undoubtingly and unfailingly take refuge beneaththy holy protection!
My Life in Christ by Saint John of Kronstadt, pages 89-90
Just as there is a “cup of calamity, and a cup ofwrath” (Esaias 51:17, lxx), so there is a cup of weaknesswhich, at the proper time, the Lord takesfrom our hands and puts into the hands of our enemies.Then it is no longer we but the demons who grow weakand fall.
Saint John of Karpathos, Philokalia Vol i., p. 311.
The brethren asked Abba Agatho,“Amongst all good works, which is the virtuewhich requires the greatest effort?” He answered,“Forgive me, but I think there is no labour greater thanthat of prayer to God. For every time a man wants topray, his enemies, the demons, want to prevent him, forthey know that it is only by turning him from prayer thatthey can hinder his journey. Whatever good work a manundertakes, if he perseveres in it, he will attain rest. Butprayer is warfare to the last breath.”
Abba Agatho, The Desert Christian, pp. 21-22
He [Saint Anthony] was also mindful ofthe words spoken by the Prophet Elias, “theLord liveth before Whose presence I stand today.”For he observed that in saying “today” the prophetdid not compute the time that had gone by: but daily asthough ever commencing he eagerly endeavoured to makehimself fit to appear before God, being pure in heart andever ready to submit to His counsel, and to Him alone.
Life of Anthony, by Saint Athanasius, 7
A brother came to see Abba Macariusthe Egyptian, and said to him, “Abba, give me aword, that I may be saved.” So the old man said,“Go to the cemetery and abuse the dead.” The brother wentthere, abused them and threw stones at them; then he returnedand told the old man about it. The latter said to him,“Didn't they say anything to you?” He replied, “No.” Theold man said, “Go back tomorrow and praise them.” So thebrother went away and praised them, calling them, “Apostles,saints, and righteous men.” He returned to the old manand said to him, “I have complimented them.” And the oldman said to them, “Did they not answer you?” The brothersaid no. The old man said to him, “You know how you insultedthem and they did not reply; and how you praisedthem and they did not speak; so you too, if you wish to besaved, must do the same and become a dead man. Like thedead, take no account of either the scorn of men or theirpraises, and you can be saved.”
The Desert Christian, page 132
No matter how much the waves oftemptation rise up against your soul, always hastento Christ. The Saviour will always come toyour aid and will calm the waves. Believe that the Lord hasprovidentially arranged such experiences for your soul'shealing and do not reject them, seeking bodily peace andimaginary tranquility, for it is better to be shaken and yet toendure. If you will gain an insight from this, it will greatlylighten your struggle and you will gain more peace than ifyou do not.
Living Without Hypocrisy
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
Saint Leo, page 12
What have you to fear above all else?Self-satisfaction, self-appreciation, self-conceit,and all other things beginning with self.
The Art of Prayer
Bishop Theophan the Recluse, page 187
Instead of an avenger, be a deliverer.Instead of a faultfinder, be a soother. Instead ofa betrayer, be a martyr. Instead of a chider, be a defender.Beseech God in behalf of sinners that theyreceive mercy, and pray to Him for the righteousthat they be preserved [in their righteousness]. Conquerevil men by your gentle kindness, and makezealous men wonder at your goodness. Put thelover of justice to shame by your compassion. Withthe afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, butkeep distant from all men.
St Isaac, Homily 64.
An old man said, “Whensoever a man readeththe Divine Books, the devils are afraid.”
The Paradise of the Fathers, Vol. II, p. 24, #107
Nor was the Lord then forgetful of Anthony'swrestling, but was at hand to help him. Solooking up he saw the roof as it were opened, and aray of light descending to him. The demons suddenlyvanished, the pain of his body straightwayceased, and the building was again whole. But Anthonyfeeling the help, and getting his breath again,and being freed from pain, besought the visionwhich had appeared to him, saying, ‘Where wertThou? Why didst Thou not appear at the beginningto make my pains to cease?’ And a voice cameto him, ‘Anthony, I was here, but I waited to see thyfight; wherefore since thou hast endured, and hastnot been worsted, I will ever be a succor to thee, andwill make thy name known everywhere.’ Havingheard this, Anthony arose and prayed, and receivedsuch strength that he perceived that he had morepower in his body than formerly.
St Athanasius the Great, Life of Anthony
To Eve our mother a man gave birth, who himself had hadno birth. How much more should Eve's daughter be believed tohave borne a Child without a man! The virgin earth, she bare that Adamthat was head over the earth: the Virgin bare today that Adam which isHead over the Heavens. The rod of Aaron, it budded, and the dry woodyielded fruit: its mystery is made clear this day, for the virgin womb aChild hath borne!
Saint Ephraim the Syrian On the Nativity Hymn 1
What moves Thee that Thou didst let all that saw Thee have Thee, both rich and poor? Thou helpedst them that called Thee not. Whence came it that Thou hungeredst so for men?
On the Nativity Hymn 8
To whom art Thou like, glad Babe, fair little One,Whose Mother is a Virgin, Whose Father is hidden, Whom eventhe Seraphim are not able to look upon? Tell us whom Thou art like, OSon of the Gracious!
On the Nativity Hymn 9
Thou art wonderful, in all parts where we see Thee. —Near art Thou—and far—and who may attain unto Thee? Noseeking avails, that its stretch should reach unto Thee. Wherever it maystretch to reach Thee, it is checked and stops—it falls short of Thy mountain:Faith reaches thither; and Love with prayer.
On the Nativity Hymn 14
Fire commended Thy Birth, which drew away worship from it. The Magiused to worship it: they who have worshipped before Thee. They left it and worshippedits Lord; they exchanged FIre for the Fire. Blessed is He Who hath bathed us in His light!
In place of the senseless fire that eats up its own body of itself, the Magiadored the Fire Who gave His Body to be eaten. The Live Coal drew near and sanctifiedthe lips that were unclean. Blessed is He Who has mixed His Fire in us!
Delusion blinded men, to worship created things: fellow servants were worshipped,and the God of all was wronged. He Who is to be worshipped came down tobirth, and gathered to Himself worship. Blessed is He Who by all is worshipped!
On the Nativity Hymn 15
If enemies surround you, and you are in spiritual distress, call immediatelyupon our Most Holy Lady. She is Queen in order that she mayreign, by her sovereign power, over the powers that oppose us, and maymightily succour us, for we are her inheritance.
St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p. 239
Doth the Lord take pleasure in whole-burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in the hearing of the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is betterthan a good sacrifice, and hearkening than the fat of rams.
The Prophet Samuel to Saul, i Kings 15:22
Whatever our mind has been thinking of before the hour ofprayer, is sure to occur to us while we are praying through the activityof the memory. Wherefore what we want to find ourselves like while weare praying, that we ought to prepare ourselves to be before the time forprayer.
St John Cassian, First Conference of Abbot Isaac
Eerdmans Vol. xi, Book ix, Ch. iii, p. 388
The beginning of a man's true life is the fear of God. But thefear of God does not consent to dwell in a soul that is distracted overoutward things.
St Isaac the Syrian, Homily i:10, p. 4
God has done all things for our benefit.We are guardedand taught by the angels; we are tempted by the demonsso that we may be humbled and have recourse to God, thusbeing saved from self-elation and delivered from negligence…ThusGod in His unutterable goodness has arranged all things in a marvellousway for us; and if you want to understand this and to be as youshould, you must struggle to acquire the virtues, to be able to acceptwith gratitude everything that comes, whether it is good or whetherit appears to be bad, and to remain undisturbed in all things.
St Peter of Damascus, Philokalia, Vol. III, pp. 173-74
The Lord allows the enemy to tempt us in order toprove us, in order to strengthen our spiritual powers inour struggle against the enemy, and so that we ourselvesmay see more clearly towards what our heart inclines,whether it inclines to patience, hope, and love and in general tovirtue, or to irritability, incredulity, murmuring, blasphemy, malice,and despair. Therefore we must not be despondent, but must goodhumouredlyand patiently bear spiritual darkness that descends uponour soul, the fire that weakens and inclines us to impatience and malice,the affliction and oppression, knowing that all these are indispensablein the order of our spiritual life, that by these the Lord isproving us. Do not let us blaspheme against the true way—the wayof holy faith and virtue—and do not let us prefer the evil way. We arefree, and must strengthen ourselves by every means and with all ourpower in faith and virtue, unto the laying down of our life for theway of truth; and how can this be if we have no temptations?
St John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p. 172
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams,and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wondercome to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go afterother gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thoushalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer ofdreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye lovethe Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy, 13:1-4
At the first wisdom will walk with a man by crookedways, and bring fear and dread upon him, and torment himwith her discipline, until she may trust his soul, and try him by herlaws. Then will she return the straight way unto him, and comforthim, and shew him her secrets.
Ecclesiasticus(Wisdom of Sirach), 4:17-18
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 monkhood promises us wonderful and unspeakable treasures which the ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man’ (1 Cor. 2:9). Hence ‘we wrstle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world’ (Ephesians 6:12).
St. Nicephorus the Solitary On Sobriety (p. 23)
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?
St. John Chrysostom, Bapt. Instr. 1,46
If this ephemeral world, which is said to be a place of exile and punishment for those who have transgressed the commandments of God, is so beautiful, how much more beautiful must be the eternal, inconceivable blessings ‘that God has prepared for those who love Him’ (1 Cor. 2:9). And if these blessings are beyond our conception, how much more so must be the God Who created all things from nothing.
St. Peter of Damascus (Philokalia 3,99)
Who now, having become god by the grace of the Trinity and favored with the glory from above, from the prime glory, would think that there is something even more glorious than to celebrate the Liturgy and to contemplate the Most-High Nature…?
St. Symeon the New Theologian (Hymns 19)
 |
|
| The Holy Orthodox Metropolis of Boston |