Quotes from the Saints

[Shiranui117]

A bit of a thread-rez...

Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.

Enter eagerly into the treasure house that is within you.
And so, you will see the things that are in heaven,
for there is but one single entry to them both.

The ladder that leads to the Kingdom
is hidden within your own soul.

Free from sin; dive into yourself
and in your soul you will discover the stairs
by which to ascend.
​

-St. Isaac of Syria
​

 

[Shiranui117]

Do not grow despondent and enfeebled in spirit, seeing the constant struggle within you of evil against good, but like a good and valiant soldier of Jesus Christ, our great Founder, struggle courageously against evil, looking at the crown, prepared by the Lord for all who conquer evil in this world and in their flesh. "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne" (Rev. 3:21). - St. John of Kronstadt

 

[Shiranui117]

 

[Shiranui117]

We often hear a lot about when Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." The prayer below is one of the most beautiful and profound examples I've ever seen of this teaching being put into practice.
-----
Bless my enemies, O Lord.

Even I bless them and do not curse them.

They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.
They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.
They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.
They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself.
They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.

Bless my enemies, O Lord,
Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.
Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf.
Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.
Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.
Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.
Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.

Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of Thy garment.

Bless my enemies, O Lord.
Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me:

so that my fleeing to You may have no return;
so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs;
so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul;
so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins, arrogance and anger;
so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven;
ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.

Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.

One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.

It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies.

Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and enemies. A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands.

For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.

-St Nikolai Velimirovic

 

[Shiranui117]

This is for all of us who forget the sermon and/or Scripture readings that we heard during divine services, to ease that feeling of guilt and forgetfulness. :angel2:

A young monk was washing lettuce leaves. Another monk approached him, a wanting to dare him, asked, "Can you repeat what elder said in a sermon this morning?" "I do not remember," the young monk replied. "So why were you listening to the sermon if you already do not remember it?" "Look, brother: water washes lettuce, but does not stay on its leaves. Salad, however, keeps becoming cleaner."

 

[Shiranui117]

Once when I was there where I was, some foreign missionary came and said to me, "You may be a good woman, but you’re not a good Christian."
I said, "Why?"
"Because you have been here so long and you only go about speaking English. What local languages have you learned?"
I said to him, "I haven’t managed to learn any of the local languages, because I travel a great deal from place to place. As soon as I learn one dialect, they start speaking another. I've only learned 'Good morning' and 'Good evening.' Nothing else."
"Bah, you're no Christian. How can you evangelize? All the Catholics and Protestants learn all the local dialects in order to . . ."
Then I said, "Lord, give me an answer for him." I asked it with all my heart, and then I said, "Ah. I forgot to tell you. I know five languages."
"Really? What are these five?"
"The first is the smile; the second is tears. The third is to touch. The fourth is prayer, and the fifth is love. With these five languages I go all around the world."
Then he stopped and said, "Just a minute. Say that again so I can write it down."
With these five languages you can travel the whole earth, and all the world is yours. Love everyone as your own--without concern for religion or race, without concern for anything.
Everywhere are people of God. You never know if the one you see today might tomorrow be a saint. -Mother Gavrilia

 

[Shiranui117]

"To a certain brother, who asked what to do when he had temptations or evil thoughts in his mind, the same elder [Abba Moses] answered: "Run, weeping, to the goodness of God, crying out with all of the power of your soul, asking aid. God is near to one who appeals to Him, the Holy Scriptures tell us."

"The good Christian," says the wise Abba Nistheros, "must take account of himself morning and evening and say: 'What, from all that God desires, did I do, and what did I neglect to do?' Only in this manner will one succeed in conducting himself in accordance with the will of God."

The holy Theodora was in the habit of telling her disciples very frequently how neither great asceticism, nor extremely hard work, nor any other sufferings whatsoever can save a man as much as true humility of the heart. She also related the following anecdote:
A certain hermit had a gift from God to cast out evil spirits. One time he asked to learn what they feared most and what compelled them to flee.
"Perhaps it is fasting?" he asked one of them.
"We," the evil spirit replied, "neither ever eat nor ever drink."
"Sleepless vigils, then?"
"We do not sleep at all."
"Flight from the world?"
"Supposedly an important thing. But we spend the greater part of our time wandering around the deserts."
"I implore you to confess what it is that can subdue you," insisted the elder.
The evil spirit, compelled by a supernatural force, was pressed to answer: "Humility - which we can never overcome."

You can read more such sayings here: The Ancient Fathers of the Desert: Section 1

 

[Shiranui117]

1. Once a brother in a community of Elias fell when he was tempted. He was expelled from the community, and went to the mountain to Antony. When he had been with him for some time, Antony sent him back to his community, but when they saw him, they sent him away again. So he went back to Antony and said, "They won't have me, abba," So Antony sent a message to them saying, "A ship was wrecked in the ocean and lost its cargo, and with great difficulty the empty ship was brought to land. Do you want to run the ship that has been rescued onto the rocks and sink it?" They realized that Antony had sent him back, and at once accepted him.

2. A brother sinned and the presbyter ordered him to go out of church. But Bessarion got up and went out with him, saying, "I, too, am a sinner."

3. When Isaac of the Thebaid visited a community, he saw that one of the brothers was sinful, and passed sentence on him. But when he was returning to his cell in the desert, the angel of the Lord came and stood in front of the door of his cell, and said, "I will not let you go in." He asked, "Why not?" The angel of the Lord replied, "God sent me to ask you, 'Where do you tell Me to send that sinful brother who you sentenced?" At once Isaac repented, saying, "I have sinned, forgive me." The angel said, "Get up, God has forgiven you, In future take care to judge no man before God has judged him."

4. In Scetis a brother was once found guilty. They assembled the brothers, and sent a message to Abba Moses telling him to come. But he would not come. Then the presbyter sent again saying, "Come, for the gathering of monks is waiting for you." Moses got up and went. He took with him an old basket, which he filled with sand and carried on his back. They went to meet him and said, "What does this mean, abba?" He said, "My sins run out behind me and I do not see them and I have come here today to judge another." They listened to him and said no more to the brother who had sinned but forgave him.

5. Joseph asked Poemen, "Tell me how to become a monk." He said, "If you want to find rest in this life and the next, say at every moment, 'Who am I?' and judge no one."

6. A brother asked Poemen, "If I see my brother sin is it really right not to tell anyone about it?" He said, "When we cover our brother's sin, God covers our sin. When we tell people about our brother's guilt, God does the same with ours."

 

[SageTree]

Nice instruction on how this all plays out in Christian theology of the scriptures.

I don't post in here, but LOVE reading these.

:namaste

Thanks, Brother.

 

[Shiranui117]

Nice instruction on how this all plays out in Christian theology of the scriptures.

I don't post in here, but LOVE reading these.

:namaste

Thanks, Brother.

Thank you! I'm glad to know that someone's benefitting from these/enjoys reading them.

 

[Shiranui117]

"In order to follow the commandments of Christ, you must know them! Read the Holy Gospel, penetrate its spirit and make it the rule of your life." -St. Nikon of Optina

"Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent." -St. John Chrysostom

"A place cannot save you... Because there is no place where you can flee from yourself." -St. Nikon of Optina

"Years are not needed for true repentance, and not days, but only an instant." -St. Ambrose of Optina

"There is more mercy in God than there are sins in us. Confess your sins at once, whatever they may be." -St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

"Love bestows prophecy; love yields miracles; love is an abyss of illumination; love is a fountain of fire, in the measure that it wells up, it inflames the thirsty soul. Love is the state of angels. Love is the progress of eternity." -St. John Climacus

"And I, a sinner, have been trying to love God for more than forty years, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him. If we love someone we always remember him and try to please him; day and night our heart is occupied with that object. Is that how you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments? ‘For our good, for our happiness at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all else and to fulfill His holy will." -St. Herman of Alaska

 

[Shiranui117]

A hunter happened to come by and saw Antony talking in a relaxed way with the brothers, and he was shocked. The hermit wanted to show him how we should sometimes be less austere for the sake of the brothers, and said to him, "Put an arrow in your bow, and draw it." He did so, and Antony said, "Draw it further," and he drew it further. He said again, "Draw it yet further," and he drew it some more. Then the hunter said to him, "If I draw it too far, the bow will snap." Antony answered, "So it is with God's work. If we always go to excess, the brothers quickly become exhausted. It is sometimes best to not be rigid." The hunter was ashamed when he heard this, and profited much from it. The brothers were encouraged and went home.

From Sayings of the Desert Fathers, page 88, chapter 10, "Discretion."

 

[SageTree]

< Thanks

 

[Shiranui117]

Sorry for not getting back to this thread! I've had a lot on my plate the past several days.

"The truly blessed are not those who can work miracles or see angels; the truly blessed are the ones who can see their own sins." -St. Antony the Great

"My brother, if your soul were pure and upright before the Lord, you would be able to profit from all things of this life. If you were to see a wandering peddler, you would say to yourself: 'my soul, from the desire to earn fleeting, earthly goods, the peddler toils a great deal and endures much, concentrating on things which will not ultimately remain under his domain. Why, then, do you not look after those things which are eternal and incorruptible?' Once again, if you were to see those who dispute in court over financial matters, you would say: 'My soul, these people, often having not a single need, show such ardor and quarrel with such shouting between themselves. You, who owe to God a myriad of talents, why do you not implore God, bowing down as one should, to obtain cancellation of that debt?'
"If you were to see a builder making houses, you would again say: 'my soul, these same, even if they build houses from mud, show such great zeal to finish the work they have laid out. You, why are you indifferent to eternal structures and why do you not struggle to erect the abode of God within the soul, forming and joining the virtues by the will?'
"Now, in order not to be prolix in citing various circumstances one by one, let us say that we must take care to transform our worldly thoughts and observations, which are born of our material perspective on things of the present life, to spiritual ones. Thereby, we shall profit from all things with the help and assistance of Divine Grace." -St. Ephraim of Syria
_______
It is said by the Fathers of Abba John the Persian that malefactors once went into his hut with the apparent intent of killing him. The blessed one prepared a basin and stooped down to wash their feet, as he would do for his best friends. At this, the malefactors, embarrassed, left him alone and departed.
____________
One night thieves went to a certain hermit.
"We came to take your things," they said to him viciously.
Without losing composure, he said to them, "Come in and take whatever you like."
They emptied his poor hut of every last thing and left hurriedly. They forgot, however, to take a small flask that was hanging from a beam of the roof. The hermit took it down and, running behind the robbers, shouted for them to listen and to stop.
"Come back, brothers, to take this too." And he showed them from afar the small flask.
They were amazed by his forgiving nature and returned, not to take the flask, but to offer repentance and to return all of his things.
"This is, indeed, a man of God," they said among themselves.
_____________

Then there was a woman who was suffering from cancer and, having heard of the reputation of Abba Longinos, decided to find him that he might restore her health. While she was looking for him here and there in the desert, she encountered an elderly monk cutting wood. She approached him and asked him where Abba Longinos stayed.
"What do you want with him?" the monk asked. "I advise you not to go to him because he is not a good man ... But maybe something is troubling you?"
The unfortunate woman then showed him an open sore which gave off an unbearable odor. The monk made the sign of the cross over her and told her: "Return to your home and God will heal you. Longinos cannot help you in anything."
She left, receiving the words of the unknown monk with faith. By the time she reached her home, not a trace of her fearful illness remained. She later learned from the other brothers that the one who made her well in this strange way was Abba Longinos himself.

You can read more here: The Ancient Fathers of the Desert: Section 1 &mdash; Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

 

[Shiranui117]

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"For such is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15).

Brethren, it is difficult to argue with an atheist; it is difficult to talk with an unreasonable man; it is difficult to convince an embittered man.

It is difficult to convince the atheist, the unreasonable man and the embittered man with words. You will convince them easier by deeds. "They may through observing you by reason of your good works glorify God" (1 Peter 2:12).

Do good deeds to those who wish to argue with you and you will win the argument. One deed of compassion will bring the unreasonable man to his senses and will pacify the embittered man quicker than many hours of conversation.

If atheism, unreasonableness and bitterness stem from ignorance, that ignorance is as a fury, which can quickly be restrained by good works. If you argue with an atheist in his own rabid manner, you strengthen the fury of atheism. If you converse with the unreasonable by derision, the darkness of unreasonableness is increased. If you think you will overcome the embittered man with anger, you will stir up a greater fire of bitterness. A meek and good deed is like water over a fire.

Always remember the holy apostles and their successful methods of behavior with men. If an atheist provokes you, the man does not provoke you but the devil provokes you: man by nature is religious. If the unreasonable man scolds you, the man does not scold you but the devil scolds you: man by nature is reasonable. If the embittered one persecutes you, then it is not the man who persecutes you but the devil who persecutes you: for man by nature is good. The devil provokes you to lengthy arguments and unfruitful conversations and flees from good deeds. Do good work in the Name of Christ and the devil will flee and only then will you have dealings with men, with true men; religious, reasonable and good men. Therefore whatever you do, do in the Name of the Lord.

O All-Good Lord, help us to do good and by good to conquer in Your Name. To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.

 

[Shiranui117]

Well, now that it's Lent in Eastern Orthodoxy, I thought I'd revive this thread and post daily prayers, inspiration and food for thought.

The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which is one of the most beloved and oft-recited prayers during Lent:

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit
of laziness, despair, lust for power, and vain talking.
(prostration)
But give to me, Your servant, the spirit of purity, humility,
patience and love.
(prostration)
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and
not to judge my brother. For blessed are You forever and
ever. Amen. (prostration)

And this quote from St. John Chrysostom:

"Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words, because what gain is there when, on the one hand, we avoid eating chicken and fish, and on the other, we chew up and consume our brothers?''

 

[Shiranui117]

This is an article I read a while back, and it's beginning to influence how I try and interact with others on this forum. It seems very appropriate for Lent. I'll bold some things that particularly struck me, and maybe you all can give some feedback on this:

"I was told that your Elder [Fr. Justin Popovitch] was a zealous man, a fighter, with a fiery nature. He gave his all for Christ. He was fearless towards everyone and towards the Communists also. Some of his spiritual children and admirers strive to emulate him in confrontations there [in Serbia]. They voice their opinions with very caustic words. But I would like to say the following. He was a holy man, and as such, could act that way. But not the others, who albeit zealous, are inclined to confront their opposition and say "Let them cut off my head - I will remain steadfast and will not budge." It is easy to say "let them cut off my head" - it is a good thing - but that is not how Christ's labours should be undertaken. Fr. Justin was something else. He had that outspokenness; he could say things like that, but I don't think that you should. I would advise you, Fr. Irenaeus [Bulovitch], to follow a somewhat different course. For Christ's work to be achieved, so that even atheists, communists and others may be saved, you should not be confrontational with them. Do not stand up to them and do not provoke them."

Well, you can imagine at my age at the time, and with my youthful euphoria, how those words sounded to me! You see, we had that simple, black-and-white image of the prevailing situation: there are persecutors here - persecutors of the Church - and we are here to defend Her is what we believed. And now, all of a sudden, the Elder was reminding us that Christ also wants the salvation of those persecutors and enemies, as much as He wants ours and the others'.
"Don't say too many things", he continued to advise me. "Don't infuriate them, don't make them your enemies, because that way, they will isolate you and you will not be able to do anything thereafter. Many will come there; they will create various problems for you, and they will say all sorts of things to you. Do not reciprocate, do not try to defend yourself and give explanations about our faith. For as long as they are attacking you, you should remain silent and pray. Pray secretly. Even if someone spits on the icon of Christ in front of you, you should remain silent. Do not defend Christ. Christ does not need you to defend Him. What do you think about all this? Does Christ want atheists and communists to be saved also, or not?"

"Of course He does, Elder" I replied.
"Well, that is what Christ wants: for those who also deny Him to become acquainted with Him, so that they too might be saved."

(...)

That atheist who spat on Christ's image,may very well think to himself on his way home: "Imagine, I said all those things to that priest; I even spat on something so sacred to him, and yet, he never said a word; he never retaliated, even though he could have." And it is not improbable that he might come and find you, and say: "I need you, for my soul". That way, it is quite possible that you might win him for Christ, and that is far more important than displaying heroism and outspokenness. You should work secretly, noiselessly, and not become involved in politics. Preach Christ. Speak only about Him. That is the only way you will be of benefit to others - by saving people; even when you find yourself in the company of Christians who might be talking about different matters and expressing their own opinions, which you may not agree with or have another position, another opinion - and it may well be a better one. You should not seek to voice your opinion however. You can give your opinion, humbly, without imposing it on the others, but only when asked for it. That is how people are best benefited. They will then say: "Did you notice how well he spoke? And if we hadn't asked him, he would have kept silent."

(...)

"Over there", he said, "you also have heterodox and other religions. You must behave to everyone with subtlety, with love. Do not offend anyone. You must perceive and address all of them as brethren - even those who belong to other religions. We are all children of the same Father. Do not comment on the beliefs of those who belong to other religions. -Source

To me, this is turning the other cheek par excellence, and a prime example of Jesus' teachings about being peaceful and non-resisting... Yet I know some of the verses in the Epistles can (rightly) be used to take a more active approach in talking with others about our Faith. What do you guys think of this article?

 

[Shiranui117]

I found this on my Facebook feed. It's an excerpt from the Great Canon of St. Andrew the Crete, which is a popular canon to pray in church during Lent--usually as part of its own stand-alone service.

From the first canticle of St. Andrew's Canon, a poetic hymn written in the 8th century, which weaves together Old and New Testament Scriptures with prayers of hope and repentance:

"I am the man who fell among thieves, even my own
thoughts; they have covered all my body with wounds,
and I lie beaten and bruised. But come to me, O Christ
my Savior, and heal me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

The priest saw me first, but passed by on the other side;
the Levite looked on me in my distress, but despised my
nakedness. O Jesus, sprung from Mary, do Thou come
to me and take pity on me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

It is time for repentance; to Thee I come, my Creator. Take
from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion
grant me remission of sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

All mine offenses, voluntary and involuntary, manifest
and hidden, known and unknown, do Thou forgive, O
Savior; for Thou art God; be merciful and save me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me."

You can read more of the canon here. This excerpt comes from Wednesday of the First Week.

 

[Shiranui117]

“A dog is better than I am, for he loves and he does not judge.” — Abba Xanthios, Sayings of the Desert Fathers

 

[Shiranui117]

Do not say that faith in Christ alone can save you, for this is not possible if you do not attain love for Him, which is demonstrated by deeds. As for mere faith: "The demons also believe and tremble" (James, 2:19). -St. Maximos the Confessor