Really, if God asks you to defend yourself over the indifference and irreverence you display at liturgical assemblies, what will you say? At the time when he’s talking to you, instead of praying you start a conversation with the person next to you about trivial things. Even if God overlooks all our other sins, this is enough to deprive us of salvation. Don’t think it’s just a minor transgression. Saint John Chrysostom
For God to answer our request and for him to give us what we ask for, we must first have humility, but we don’t. All of us, young and old, are very full of ourselves and won’t accept advice or chastisement. We know everything, we’re all so wise. Saint Païsios the Athonite
If even only one person had become obedient to the commandments of the incarnate Word of God, our savior and renewer, and had observed them, that by itself would be enough to prove the truth that ‘the Lord is faithful in his words’ (Ps. 144, 13).But from then to today millions of people have struggled to confirm this unique truth, on a daily basis, every hour and every minute. Elder Iosif Vatopaidinos
As we know, the feast of the Ascension seals the first coming of Christ to the world, in the flesh. It thus completes the plan of God’s divine dispensation in the incarnation of his Son and Word as a human being. The nativity, the teaching, the miracles, the passion, the crucifixion and burial and the resurrection of Christ re divine occurrences which are related to Christ’s presence in the world. With the Ascension, however, the healing of the human race through all these works and deeds is sealed, but also generalized to the whole of the human race, because the Lord didn’t merely ascend into the heavens in glory but, as we confess in article 6 of the Creed: ‘And ...
The important thing is for us to be with Christ. For our soul to wake up and love Christ, to become holy. To surrender to burning divine love. Then he’ll love us, too. Then our joy will never be taken from us. This is what Christ wants most: to fill us with joy, because he’s the source of joy. Saint Porfyyrios Kavsokalyvitis
The feast of the Ascension seems not to present any particular interest, but rather a certain sadness in our hearts that the Lord is departing from us. Nevertheless, the following points emerge from the Gospels and from our lives as Christians: 1. Each of us, in the person of Christ as God and human, is in the Holy Trinity and, indeed, in a place of honor- on the right hand of the Father. This is an indication of the esteem and honor which surround each of us. Even if other people denigrate us, reject us or are hostile towards us, we have a God who loves us and accepts us as we are, raising us up to the glory of the ...
People fall into delusion either though inexperience or pride. If it’s out of inexperience, then the Lord quickly heals those who’ve gone astray. But if it’s out of pride, their soul will suffer for a long time, until they learn humility. And then the Lord will cure them. Saint Silouan the Athonite
Hesychasm isn’t only for monastics and those who’ve renounced the world; it’s for every true Christian. Hesychasm is an inner state. It’s ‘dwelling constantly in God and in purity of mind’. Hesychasm is the way in which the space of the heart is revealed, the center of human existence, what we call the person. Elder Efraim Vatopaidinos
Try to look back calmly, make a critique and reassess the whole of your life, in an effort to see it in the way God does. Then carefully root out every wickedness which such an investigation will inevitably reveal. And avoid judging others, even in your innermost thoughts. Sanctimonious thoughts kill our inner peace, without serving any other purpose. Saint Makarij of Optina
When you react to anybody at all, before you judge and answer, put yourself in their place. At that precise moment, see why they’re cursing you, why they’re angry with you, even why they’re saying something nice about you. Put yourself in their place. Never be in a hurry to draw a conclusion. Elder Amvrosios Lazaris
People who submit to God, subject everything to him, because he engenders peace in their heart. If we don’t humble ourselves, God will humble us. Real humility is the product of knowledge of temptations. Saint Isaac the Syrian
Let’s not be flexible as regards our conscience. Let’s pass strict judgment on ourselves and then we’ll see that we ourselves are the cause of our estrangement from God. Let’s repent, weep over our wretched condition and strive now to clothe ourselves in the ‘heavenly image’. Saint Symeon the New Theologian
The main task for us people is prayer. We were made to praise God. That’s the task to which we’re best suited. It’s the only thing that explains our spiritual hypostasis. It’s the only thing that justifies our preeminent role in creation. We were made to worship God and to share in his goodness and blessedness. Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis
Some people who don’t keep the commandments think they believe correctly. Others keep the commandments and expect the Kingdom as a reward owed to them by God. Both of them are far from the truth. Saint Mark the Ascetic
Take care to guard the joy of the Holy Spirit in your heart and not to allow the evil one to pour out his poison. Take care! Be careful, lest the paradise which is within you be transformed into hell. Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis
Sitting at ease in comfortable rooms, talking about ascetic accomplishments and the gifts of the elders, but at the same time insisting on retaining your own will is a waste of time. Wanting to wander off here, there and everywhere probably leads to greater confusion and vacillation. Elder Moisis the Athonite
Those people for whom sin’s an everyday need and who live in wickedness aren’t bothered by the evil spirits, because they belong to them anyway, since they live carelessly and pay no heed to the salvation of their soul. But if they recognize and confess their sin and turn to God, that’s when war breaks out and its merciless and relentless. Saint John Kronstadtskij
There are many times when we don’t receive what we want from God. This is to keep us close to him, for our faith and endurance to be tested, so that we’ll appreciate what we’re given. God doesn’t act as we want him to, but as he wants to. And his guiding principle is always our best interests. Dimitrios Panagopoulos
We have to learn that our relationship with God isn’t one of sinlessness. In other words, it’s not that, from the outset we’re going to be sinless beings and perfect moral personalities, so that, out of this will emerge joy, though this will be based on egotism and pride. Our relationship with God is one of love, a relationship of children with their father. To put it in Patristic terminology, it’s a relationship of repentance. In the Orthodox Church there’s no sinlessness; there’s repentance. Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol
Don’t look at the sins of other people, just watch out for your own wickedness. Because you won’t have to answer for other people, only for yourself. There’s no need to pay attention to other people, how they live and what sins they commit. Look to yourself: are you pleasing to God? Is your life like that of the saints? Are you following the same path in your life as they did in theirs? Are your works satisfactory to God? Saint Dimitri of Rostov
