Quotes from the Saints

[Sees]

That is a good article...intelligence and maturity well beyond what many people show during interfaith dialogue.

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]

That is a good article...intelligence and maturity well beyond what many people show during interfaith dialogue.

Including myself!

 

[Shiranui117]

I ask you to try something.
If someone grieves you, or dishonors you, or takes something of yours, then pray like this:
“Lord, we are all your creatures. Pity your servants, and turn them to repentance,” and then you will perceptibly bear grace in your soul.

Induce your heart to love your enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, shall help you in all things, and will Himself show you experience. But whoever thinks evil of his enemies does not have love for God and has not known God.

+ St. Silouan the Athonite
Writings, IX.21

 

[Shiranui117]

 

[Shiranui117]

“What does our Christ instruct us to do? Meditate on our sins, on death, on hell, on paradise, and on our soul, which is more precious than the entire world. We are to eat and drink moderately, similarly, to clothe ourselves moderately, and to use the remaining time for our soul-to make it a bride for our Christ. And then we can call ourselves human beings and earthly angels. But if we concern ourselves with what we shall eat and what we shall drink, how we shall commit sin, how to dress up this stinking body which tomorrow will be eaten by worms, and do not concern ourselves about our soul which is eternal, then we can’t be called human beings, but animals. So make your body a servant of the soul, and then you can call Yourselves human beings.” – St. Kosmas Aitolos

 

[Shiranui117]

"Not all baptized with water are Christians
Without the baptism of the life of the world to come;
In Christ the peoples of the earth have been baptized
Though some of them afterward showed hypocrisy.
They became like a body’s parts in its natural state—
Some helpful, some unreliable.
How many patriarchs are unpraiseworthy in their service,
Miserable bishops and metropolitans,
Who are among the heretics, in place of truth,
Preferring falsehood and slander!
Over them, God has favored a Church
Whose stones are gathered from all corners and climbs.
Truth has built her edifice
Rising to heaven on pillars and columns,
Fashioned from chrysolite,
Precious stones, sapphires, and pearls.
Her foundation is the rock of faith,
Rooted deep with pillars and walls.
All bodily creatures are pleased to see it
When it appears in races and colors,
Byzantines, Russians, and Franks
Joined with Indians, Khuzestanis, Abkhaz, and Alans
Armenians and Pechenegs in agreement
With the people of the Jazira, namely Harran.
And Copts too, in the Lower Egypt father together
From Upper Egypt to Qus and Aswan.
People of Shiraz and Ahwaz in harmony
With Iraq, unto furthest Khorasan.
From the place of the sunrise to the place of its setting,
To the Euphrates, to Sihon and Gihon.
White, blond, and brown in their churches
Praise God with the yellow and the black.
All of them have come to the religion of Christ
And are guided, gaining profit from loss.
Seventy nations, each with a language
Branching off from one Syriac tongue.
[*]
Hebrew was the speech of God’s apostles
Before they set out with the mission of the Gospel.
Each apostle gained a language,
Beautiful, reliable, and clear.
Not out of weakness but having heard proof,
Those to whom they preached responded with faith.
So they spread out among their nations,
None fearing the devil’s wiles.
When their service to God was done, they slept,
Having roused many sleepers."


-Suleyman al-Ghazzi, from “Not All Baptized with Water Are Christians” (trans. Samuel Noble), in The Orthodox Church in the Arab World 700-1700: An Anthology of Sources, pp. 163-164

 

[SageTree]

*thumbs up*

 

[Shiranui117]

"We shouldn’t blackmail God with our prayers. We shouldn’t ask God to release us from something, from an illness, for example, or to solve our problems, but we should ask for strength and support from Him to bear what we have to bear. Just as He knocks discretely at the door of our soul, so we should ask discretely for what we desire and if the Lord does not respond, we should cease to ask. When God does not give us something that we ask for insistently, then He has His reasons. God, too, has His ‘secrets.’ Since we believe in His good providence, since we believe that He knows everything about our lives and that He always desires what is good, why should we not trust Him? Let us pray naturally and gently, without forcing ourself and without passion. We know that past present and future are all known, ‘open and laid bare’ before God. As Saint Paul says, ‘Before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to His eyes.’ We should not insist; such persistence does harm instead of good. We shouldn’t continue relentlessly in order to acquire what we want; rather we should leave all things to the will of God. Because the more we pursue something, the more it runs away from us. So what is required is patience, faith and composure. And if we forget it, the Lord never forgets; and if it is for our good, He will give us what we require when we require it." - St. Poryphyrios (d. 1991)

 

[Shiranui117]

“Christian religion is not a certain philosophic system, about which learned men, trained in metaphysical studies, argue and then either espouse or reject, according to the opinion each one has formed. It is faith, established in the souls of men, which ought to be spread to the many and be maintained in their consciousnesses.”
-Saint Nektarios of Aegina

“[On what young husbands should say to their wives:] I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us... I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.”
- Saint John Chrysostom

"In them [the Lives of the Saints] it is clearly and obviously demonstrated: There is no spiritual death from which one cannot be resurrected by the Divine power of the risen and ascended Lord Christ; there is no torment, there is no misfortune, there is no misery, there is no suffering which the Lord will not change either gradually or all at once into quite, compunctionate joy because of faith in Him."
-Saint Justin Popovich

“If from one burning lamp someone lights another, then another from that one, and so on in succession, he has light continuously. In the same way, through the Apostles ordaining their successors, and these successors ordaining others, and so on, the grace of the Holy Spirit is handed down through all generations and enlightens all who obey their shepherds and teachers.”
-Saint Gregory Palamas

 

[Shiranui117]

“Do not ever say: ‘These beggars annoy me!’ So many millions of men live on earth and all are beggars before the Lord; emperors as well as laborers, the wealthy as well as servants, all are beggars before the Lord and the Lord never said: ‘These beggars annoy me!’”
-Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic

 

[Shiranui117]

“Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honor your patience.”
-Saint John Climacus

'When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.'
St. Basil the Great

 

[Shiranui117]

"If you do not feel like praying, you have to force yourself. The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is higher than prayer unforced. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force. (Matt. 11:12)" - St. Ambrose of Optina

 

[Shiranui117]