Holy quotes help us in difficult life situations, make our thoughts go in the right direction, teach humility and gaining a Peaceful spirit. Many people turn to them for help and comfort, and they give it to them. God gave the holy fathers the wisdom they deserved by deep study of the Gospel and the Bible, meditation on the word of God, regular prayer and fasting.
Reflections on the soul
The Holy Fathers, of course, could not ignore the human soul. It is useful to read their quotes about the soul - a holy place in the human flesh, where the spirit lives. It is through her that a person can speak with God. Many are well aware of the words of St. John Chrysostom that the object of God's love is a meek and humble soul. Saint John of Kronstadt said that before embarking on a task, one should think carefully whether this is necessary for the soul, whether it will be useful to it. And only if you understand that yes, then go for it, and success will accompany you in everything.
How to do it? Just talk to your soul, meditate. If doubts appear, it means that the soul does not want you to do this. Remember the expression “the soul does not lie”, do not go against it, once again weigh the pros and cons. St. Theophan the Recluse has such statements about the soul, where he advises after each prayer to talk with his soul, since “... the enemy of our souls is not afraid of anything as much as attention, that is, conversations with the soul, for then a person comes to knowledge his bad position."
In the reflections of this recluse, there are also such quotations about the soul, where he says that the soul takes part in every deed and every thought. But God lives in it only when a person leads pious thoughts about him. He said that empty and vain thoughts give rise to empty and vain deeds. Good fruit is born from good and righteous thoughts.
Purification of the soul
The soul, like the body, must be kept clean. The quotes of the holy fathers contain a list of those human traits that can pollute the soul. According to St. John Chrysostom, this is laziness, excessive rest and gluttony, condemnation of loved ones and strangers, envy and filth. In addition, unforgiven insults pollute the soul, which give rise to anger, a sense of revenge, as well as hopelessness, depression. How to clean it?
The quotations from the holy fathers give instructions on how to do this. According to St. John Chrysostom, there are three actions that must be observed. The easiest of them is to live according to the commandments of Christ. The next is forgiveness, in which you need to comprehend your actions and confess sins. Confession assumes that a person has realized his sin before the Lord and people and asks forgiveness for him from the Son of God. By this he cleanses his conscience and soul.
Next comes the acquisition of the peaceful Spirit. According to the holy quotes of St. Seraphim of Sarov, this involves bringing oneself into such a state that nothing disturbs the human spirit: neither sorrow, nor slander, nor persecution, nor reproach. We must remember that the grace of God is in the soul. According to the Lord, the kingdom of God is within us. By the kingdom of God he meant the grace of the Holy Spirit.
About the benefits of fasting
Quotations about religion tell us that the holy fathers in their writings thought about how to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. One way is to post. The statements of St. Seraphim of Sarov about what constitutes fasting are interesting. According to him, it does not consist in eating rarely, but in eating little. You should not eat once a day, you need to eat often, but not enough. Refusal to eat pleasant food is necessary to subdue the flesh and give freedom to the Spirit.
True fasting consists in giving that part of the food that you want to eat yourself to those in need. He said, especially referring to weak women, that one should not exhaust oneself strict fasting and remember that the grave sin- it's despondency. He advised him to beware in every possible way: "Run, be afraid like fire, and be kept from the main thing - despondency."
About food for the weak during fasting days, he said that no one died from bread and water, but lived for a hundred years. He considered it a sin not to observe the fasts. In the holy quotes of St. Theophan the Recluse, one can read that the exploits of the body (fasting) are necessary in order to get rid of the passions that overwhelm it. It is necessary to humble the body, because without this it is impossible to achieve humility of passions. Spiritual feat also constitute good thoughts, which should be constantly present. And, of course, during fasting it is necessary to read the Bible and the Gospel.
Bible and Gospel Quotes
The storehouse of human wisdom is concentrated in the Bible and the Gospel, which teach a person love and faith. They encode the path of unity with God. Here you can find the answer to any everyday question that seems unsolvable, you just need to read, passing everything through your heart and mind. People who constantly read the Gospel are surprised to note that the same text is perceived differently every time. Words written thousands of years ago have magical power, which acts on a person in an incomprehensible way, depending on the state of the person's soul.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) wrote that about all your thoughts, as well as about the thoughts of your neighbor, you must definitely consult the Gospel, since it is in it, as mentioned above, that you can find answers to any questions. Saint Ignatius also owns the following words: “The path to God is prayer, the soul of prayer and attention.”
St. John Chrysostom spoke thus about the gift to mankind Holy Scripture that it was given to us from above not by chance, but for the correction of the soul. That God is not so irritated by human sins as unwillingness to change. God grants his love to those who, realizing their sins, repent of them, trying to cleanse their souls and not repeat their mistakes in the future.
Holy Fathers on slander
A person has many sins, for which, if a person does not realize them and does not repent, God's punishment awaits him. One of them is perjury. According to St. Basil the Great, the slanderer harms not only the slandered person, but also himself and his listeners. He also said that if a complaint is unfair, then it is slander. St. Efim the Syrian said: "If someone in your presence speaks against your brother, humiliating him with malice, then do not speak out against him, so as not to get what you do not want."
According to him, it is not necessary to belittle the honor of a neighbor when he is slandered: "Do not reduce it in your eyes, this will protect you from the sin of slander." Do not pass on to others information heard from a slanderer and discrediting your neighbor. Since in this case the person himself becomes a slanderer. How often can we meet such situations in our life when people endure gossip with enthusiasm and interest, not suspecting that they are becoming slanderers.
patience in life
The greatest grace in life is considered to be patience, which strengthens the spirit, makes it strong. Many holy fathers devoted their thoughts to this quality of a person, whose Orthodox quotations speak of this. Saint Ephraim the Syrian characterized patience as a miraculous gift that frees a person from anger, temper, and contempt. These feelings destroy the human soul. With the help of patience comes the purification of the soul.
Everyone has faced insults and humiliations in life, which, in his opinion, were inflicted unfairly. What to do in this case? The Monk Nil of Sinai said on this occasion that if an offense is inflicted, then one should resort to patience, and the harm will pass to the offender, God's punishment awaits him.
Holy Fathers about peace of mind
How to gain peace of mind, which makes a person strong and gives him the love of God? St. John Chrysostom wrote that if a person wants, then no one can offend him, and even with his attacks, the offender brings great benefit to those who endure insults meekly. To achieve such a state, one needs: firstly, the remission of sins; secondly, generosity and patience; thirdly, philanthropy and meekness; fourthly, getting rid of anger, which destroys a person from the inside, brings him a lot of trouble.
How to restrain yourself and not respond to the attacks of the offender? John Chrysostom also said: "If someone offends you, insults you, then you just need to imagine what God's punishment will be for your offender, and you will not be angry, but shed tears in sorrow for them." There is no need to be afraid that others will accuse you of cowardice, as this is wisdom.
Is it necessary to show immeasurable sorrow for one's sins?
Reading Orthodox quotes, you can find tips on how to pass this or that test. It is very difficult to live according to God's covenants. Although the Holy Fathers believe that this is the easiest of the trials given to us by the Lord. Every evening a person, reflecting on the day he has lived, can count many deeds that violate this commandment. Their number or severity can cause feelings of grief or guilt. This is fine. But is it worth it to grieve over it?
The immeasurable sorrow for one's sins is rejected by the Holy Fathers, since God has given man hope. Saint Ambrose of Optina said that one should grieve over one's sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness and hope for His mercy. In the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given the all-powerful physician of our sins.
Meditations of the Holy Fathers on Love
Love is a holy feeling that God gives us. It would seem that love is easy. It is difficult to hate, because this feeling is painful and destructive. But look around and you will see that in this world there is no less hatred than love. But the Lord commanded: “Love one another”, while reminding us: “... My yoke is good. My burden is light” (Matthew 11-30). Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk said that one must follow the Lord and take upon oneself the blessed yoke and lightly bear its burden.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) repeated in his sermons that not only and not so much we seek the love of the Lord, but he wants us to become able to accept his love. We can confirm that we are ready to receive the love of the Lord through prayer, keeping all of his commandments. Jesus Christ commanded us to love everyone, but most of all our enemies. A person capable of this has known the love of the Lord.
Lord, your will be done!
Often, tired of another problem, a person begins to grumble at the Lord, assuming even the worst thing that God has forgotten, turned away from him. It can bring despair to a person. It must be remembered that despair is a great sin. The Lord never leaves those who believe in him.
Elder Alexy Zosimovsky said on this occasion that there was no need to grumble, because if God forgot a person, then he would not be alive. We must learn to see the grace of God. Each person prays for his own, but the Lord knows better what a person needs, what is more useful. Praying for deliverance from sorrows and sins, a person at the end of the prayer should say the words: “Lord, thy will be done.” Completely entrust yourself into the hands of the Lord and with humility overcome any trials that God always gives according to the strength of a person.
Words are backed up by deeds.
Gold is known in fire, man is in trouble.
The dawn of God's deliverance often breaks when the darkest hour of trials arrives.
There is peace in the soul when Christ rules the heart.
Faith in Christ is the bridge over the abyss of death.
The more you strive for heaven, the less you will like this world.
What matters is not how much we give, but how much we give.
Love never asks: "What will it cost me?"
God demands loyalty and rewards it richly.
In God's plan there is a place for every child of God.
If you know the truth, you will recognize the deceit.
Pray to know God, not just to get something from Him.
We praise God's name when we call Him Father and live like His Son.
To love God means to obey God.
The most reliable cleaning agent in the world is an honest confession before God.
When we are filled with pride, there is no place for wisdom in us.
There is nothing stronger than the truth. (Webster)
The one who loses his temper, then finds no place for himself anywhere.
Be tolerant of the shortcomings of others, because they also have to tolerate you.
The less we do today, the more we have left for tomorrow.
When we stumble, God sustains and leads us forward.
When Christ enters into someone's soul, He changes everything in it.
Our spirit will surely fail us if we are not filled with God's Spirit.
If we take care of our character, our reputation will take care of itself! (D.L. Moody)
It's never too early to plan for eternity.
If you get to know Christ, you will want others to know him too.
Is what you live for worth dying for?
Christ cares about us!
Take God's promises to heart, but never take them for granted.
We can stop forgiving others only when Christ stops forgiving us.
Big wins come from big challenges.
Your most expensive capital, life, invest in something that promises eternal dividends.
A good father shows the love of the Heavenly Father.
The noblest reason to be obedient to God is the desire to please God.
We don't have to be victims of circumstance, because Christ conquered all circumstances.
Plan how to pray and pray how to plan.
A good word can say more than whole volumes.
Peace can only be found by submitting to the will of God.
God's love both strict and gentle.
God operates in the shadows, but has complete control over everything that happens in the light.
If grief is shared with someone, it will be half as much.
Live as if Christ died yesterday and will come again today.
Christ takes away our sin and in return gives His salvation.
Christ gave everything for us. Do we give everything for Him?
We must consecrate ourselves to God every day, not once in a lifetime.
When Christians take on a task all together, the burden is shared and the result is multiplied by all.
The affairs of the family are the affairs of God.
Freedom gives us the right to do not as we want, but as God wants.
God's heirs cannot but be interested in the work that the Father has left them.
If we don't bring sin to clean water we encourage him.
We can get through everything if we know that Jesus is with us.
He who justifies his sin will never be justified for his sins.
If you avoid sin, you will never fall into it.
God can give you everything you need, just let Him give it to you.
If you are familiar with Christ as Savior, you have nothing to fear from Him as Judge.
If you look only at God, you will see the whole world more clearly.
The greatest joy on earth is a firm hope in heaven.
The more you love Christ, the more you will strive for heaven.
When we glorify Christ with our lives, even our silence speaks volumes.
In vain we hide our sin - then it turns out that we have warmed a snake on our chest.
Only God has the right to say who is right and who is wrong.
Believers are like coals: together they blaze with heat, but individually they die out.
What someone's life is worth is determined by the One who gives life.
Without labor there is no fruit. With difficulty - it happens, and what else!
Only he who believes is obedient, only he who is obedient believes.
We cannot live like a Christian by our own strength, by our own willpower.
God does not see any other meaning of human life than to bear fruit.
To love God, to love Him truly, means to live according to His commandments, no matter what it costs you.
I decided to follow the Lord with all my heart. I also decided: it doesn’t matter if others are faithful to God, I will be faithful.
Likeness to Christ, spiritual maturity is obedience.
Our relationship with our Heavenly Father, although reliable, is not static. He wants His children to know Him more and more.
Relationship with God is not lower, but higher than any other.
It is not difficult for the God Who created this world to reveal Himself to those who sincerely want to know Him.
God is where the humble heart is.
Those who have met God now will have eternity ahead of them to know Him.
All our knowledge of God and all that we need from Him depends very much on how we relate to Christ.
When we accept Jesus Christ, holiness begins. When we revere Christ, holiness increases. But when we cannot even imagine life without Christ, this is complete holiness.
A relationship with God begins with fear, which leads us to security, confidence, and joy in His love.
You can distinguish the right fear of God from the wrong if you look at where this fear leads you - closer to God or away from Him.
To know God closer and closer means to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
Of one thing you can be sure. Your relationship with the Lord will change - either for the better or for the worse, but they will definitely change.
Knowing that Christ died is history. To believe that He died for me is salvation.
We are saved not by diligence, but by faith.
We find the strength we need in the one whom the Father has sent to give us all the fullness of life.
St. Apostle Paul(1 Corinthians 13:4)
“Love is longsuffering, is merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, does not pride itself, does not act rudely, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth: everything loves, believes everything, trusts, everything endures. Love never goes away."
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
And will open on the Last Judgment that the only meaning of life on earth was LOVE!
It is love - neither faith, nor dogmatics, nor mysticism, nor asceticism, nor fasting, nor long prayers that constitute the true image of a Christian. Everything loses its power if there is no main thing - love for a person.
Archimandrite Raphael Karelin
When the Lord allows you to experience love, you understand that this is true life, and the rest is a gray dream. Only love makes life deep, only love makes a person wise, only love gives strength to bear suffering with joy, only love is ready to suffer for others.
Saint Nicholas of Serbia
When love rushes towards love, everything loses its meaning. Time and space give way to love.
Saint Nicholas of Serbia
“The one who truly loves you is the one who secretly prays for you to God.”
Reverend Sergius of Radonezh
“Be careful, brethren. First, have the fear of God, purity of soul and unfeigned love.”
Monk Simeon of Athos
“Casting bells and gilding the domes of churches is good, but this is still far from Love.
Building temples and erecting monasteries is even better, and this is already not far from Love.
Comforting children, the elderly, the sick and prisoners is very close to true Love.
Helping at least one suffering person all your life - this is true Love.
You must have love, and love with wings: on the one hand, humility, and on the other, almsgiving and all indulgence towards your neighbor.
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
To love means to stop seeing in oneself the center and purpose of existence. To love means to see another person and say: for me he is more precious than myself.
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
“If a person carries great love in himself, this love inspires, and all life's trials are endured with greater ease, since a person carries great light in himself. That's what faith is: to be loved by God and to let God love you in Christ Jesus."
About life
Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky)
“I have come to love suffering, which so wonderfully purifies the soul. For I must testify to you that when I walked along a very difficult path, when I carried the heavy burden of Christ, it was not at all heavy, and this path was a joyful path, because I felt quite realistically, quite tangibly, that the Lord Himself was walking beside me. Jesus Christ supports my burden and my cross.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova
"Life is too short to be wasted fighting and quarreling, especially in the sacred circle of the family."
Rev. Ambrose of Optina
Each of us should take more care of himself, of his soul and of his own spiritual benefit, because, according to the word of the Apostle, each of us will give God a word about himself. With us, however, confusion occurs because we are more and more inclined to admonish others and try not only to convince, but also to dissuade and prove by various arguments.
Monk Simeon of Athos
"The true door is always open, but people fight against the doors painted on the wall by themselves."
Reverend Seraphim of Sarov
“We must remove discouragement from ourselves and try to have a joyful spirit, and not a sad one.”
Rev. Ambrose of Optina
Living the simplest is the best. Don't break your head. Pray to God. The Lord will arrange everything. Don't torture yourself thinking about how and what to do. Let it be, as it happens - this is to live easier.
The Lord does not bring us into contact with people in vain. We all treat people we meet in life with indifference, without attention, but meanwhile the Lord brings a person to you so that you give him what he does not have. I would help him not only materially, but also spiritually: he taught him love, humility, meekness - in a word, he attracted him to Christ by his example.
If you refuse him, if you do not serve him in anything, then remember that he will still not be deprived of this. The Lord gives you an opportunity to do good, to draw closer to God. If you do not want, He will find another person who will give the one who requires what is due and what he needs.
Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer
When a person condemns, drives away the grace of God from himself, becomes defenseless and therefore cannot be corrected.
When you go to visit one of your relatives or friends, go not in order to eat and drink well with them, but in order to share a friendly conversation with them, in order to revive your soul from the bustle of life with a conversation of love and sincere friendship, to confer with the common faith.
On the relationship to the neighbor
Archimandrite John Krestyankin
May every person whom the Lord sends to you today life path, will become the most important, dearest and closest to you. Warm his soul!
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
Accustom yourself at the first glance at a person to always sincerely wish him well.
Saint Nicholas of Serbia
If you can help a person - help, if you can't help - pray, if you don't know how to pray - think well of a person! And this will already be a help, because bright thoughts are also weapons!
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
When in your eyes people fall into various sins against you, against the Lord, against your neighbors and against yourself, do not be angry with them, for even without you there is a lot of malice in the world, but pity them from the bottom of your heart and forgive them when they offend you saying to himself: Lord! let them go, for sin confuses them, they do not know what they are doing.
Rev. Ambrose of Optina
“... It is necessary to adhere to the advice of St. Isaac the Syrian: “try not to see the malice of a person.” This is the purity of the soul."
Saint Silouan of Athos
"I never come to people without praying for them."
Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
Try to do good to everyone, what and when you can, without thinking about whether he will appreciate it or not, whether he will be grateful to you or not.
About marriage and family
Saint John Chrysostom
“A wife is a harbor and the most important remedy for mental disorder. If you keep this harbor free from winds and waves, you will find great peace in it, and if you disturb and agitate it, you will prepare for yourself the most dangerous shipwreck.
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
"If you let God be the master in the house, the house becomes a paradise."
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
Which child is not warmed (with love) by parents and neighbors to the root of the soul, to the roots of all his feelings, he will remain dead in spirit for God and good deeds.
Priest Alexander Elchaninov
Every day husband and wife should be new and extraordinary to each other. The only way for this is the deepening of the spiritual life of everyone, constant work on oneself.
Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer
The greatest treasure for people living in the world is a parent's blessing.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
If you want your children to be pious and kind, be pious and kind yourself, and set yourself as an example to them.
Saint John Chrysostom
No matter how annoyed you are, never reproach your spouse for the damage you have suffered, because he himself is the best acquisition for you.
Saint Theophan the Recluse
How much someone loves their parents, so much will be loved and respected by their children when God sends them.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
Children look more at the life of their parents and reflect it in their young souls than listen to their words.
Saint John Chrysostom
Do you want your wife to obey you, as the Church obeys Christ? Take care of it yourself, as Christ cares for the Church.
Saint Gregory the Theologian
If you have an unbridled tongue, you will always be hated by your husband. A daring tongue did harm often to the innocent. It is better to be silent when the very thing calls for a word, than to speak when even time does not give room for an immodest word.
About God and the Knowledge of God
Elder Ephraim the Holy Mountaineer
The purpose of prayer is to connect a person with God, to bring Christ into the heart of a person. Where the action of prayer is, there is Christ with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the consubstantial and indivisible Holy Trinity. Where Christ is the Light of the world, there is the eternal light of the world: there is peace and joy, there are angels and saints, there is the joy of the Kingdom.
Blessed are those who have put on the Light of the world—Christ—while still real life because they have already begun to wear the garment of incorruption…
St. John Chrysostom
Listen to God in commandments so that He hears you in prayers.
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
“God is always drawing near to us, He is always close, but we feel Him only with a loving and humble heart. We have a spark of love, but there is very little humility.
Saint Nicholas of Serbia
For spiritual man there are three windows in heaven: the believing mind looks into the first, the second is open to the trusting heart, the third - to the loving soul. He who looks out only one window will see only a third of the sky. Whoever looks at three at once, the whole sky is open to him. Saint Barbara cut through three windows in the tower into which her pagan father imprisoned her in order to confess her faith in the Holy Trinity. To see the Divine Trinity in Its Unity, we must know ourselves as a trinity in unity. For only a trinity can contemplate the Trinity.
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh
"IN Old Testament to see God was to die; in the New Testament, meeting God means life.”
Wise Sayings, read in a timely manner, will open your eyes to many things, save you from mistakes, for which you have to pay so bitterly and for a long time later. No matter how much you re-read them, you always find something new that you need right at the moment.
Saint Ambrose of Optina:
- Don’t be like a pesky fly that sometimes flies around uselessly, and sometimes bites and annoys both of them, but be like a wise bee that diligently began its work in the spring and finished honeycombs by autumn, which are as good as correctly stated notes. . One is sweet and the other is pleasant.
- Do not like to hear about the shortcomings of others, then you will have less of your own.
- There was no sadness, but the crafty enemies pumped up, presenting themselves either as Efremka or as a toothy crocodile.
- Grief is like the sea: the more a person enters it, the more it sinks.
- Who gives in, gains more.
- Why is a person bad? Because he forgets that God is above him.
- Where it is simple, there are a hundred angels, and where it is tricky, there is not a single one.
- From affection, people have completely different eyes.
- Whoever reproaches us gives us gifts, and whoever praises us steals from us.
- She herself was not Julia and did not lead others.
- Sidor and Karp live in Kolomna, but it’s a sin and trouble with whom they don’t go.
- If you listen to other people's speeches, you have to put the donkey on your shoulders.
- We must live without hypocrisy and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be right, otherwise it will turn out badly.
- To live is not to grieve, not to condemn anyone, not to annoy anyone, and all my respect.
- Some are beaten for polishing, and others for correction.
- One of our monks knew how to deal with jasmine. In November, he completely cuts it off and puts it in a dark place. But then the plant is covered abundantly with leaves and flowers. So it happens with a person: first you need to stand in the dark and cold, and then there will be a lot of fruit.
- The saints were, like us, sinful people, but they repented and, embarking on the work of salvation, did not look back, like Lot's wife. ... For this they drive us with rods and whips, that is, sorrows and troubles, so that we do not look back.
- If the sun always shines, then everything will wither in the field, so rain is needed. If everything rains, then everything will trample, because the wind is needed to blow it through. And if there is not enough wind, then sometimes a storm is needed to carry everything through. All this is useful to a person in due time, because he is changeable.
- No matter how plausible and reliable the incoming thoughts may seem, but if they lead to confusion, then clear sign that they are from the opposite side and, according to the gospel word, are called wolves in sheep's skins. Right thoughts and reasoning soothe the soul, and do not revolt.
- Our mental and spiritual unsatisfactoriness comes from ourselves, from our lack of art and from an incorrectly formed opinion, which we do not want to part with. And it is this that brings on us both confusion, and doubt, and various bewilderment, and all this torments and burdens us and leads us into a desolate state.
- If you are healthy and she is healthy, you like each other, and the bride is of a trustworthy behavior, and the mother has a good, meticulous character, then you can marry her.
- It is not always done as one wishes, but for the most part with waiting and various obstacles, so that some learn patience and long-suffering, while others, seeing this, do not hasten and do not dare to judge and condemn whom they should not.
- God often arranges something useful out of human mistakes... don't regret in vain what has been done one way or another, just try to use things properly in advance.
- It is said: The kingdom of God is within us. We, leaving the search for it within ourselves, turn outside, occupied with the analysis of other people's shortcomings. That is why our business is going badly, both spiritually and economically.
- God alone knows the future, and therefore it is impossible to say in the affirmative how circumstances will turn out. People assume, but only God disposes of fate.
- To speak well is to scatter silver, and prudent silence is gold.
- To sin is a human thing, but to be and lie in sin is a devilish thing ( Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk).
- Do not be horrified if you fall every day, and do not deviate from the path of God, but stand courageously and without a doubt ( Reverend John Ladder).
- Doing good to someone, do not expect retribution from him ( Abba Isaac).
- Just as fornication is born from gluttony, so from verbosity and countless conversations a storm of thoughts and a frenzy of mind ( Abba Isaiah).
- Get away from thin people, as from an evil infection ( Abba Isaiah).
- With tears, I ask and pray you: be the suns that warm those around you, if not all, then the family in which the Lord has made you a member. Be warm and light for those around you ... so try to keep your lamp burning brightly ( Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev).
- About the good deed that you intend to do, do not tell anyone in advance, but do it ( Venerable Anthony the Great).
- Young children are more attentive to the deeds of their parents than to their instruction. Therefore, if you want your children to be pious and kind, be pious and kind yourself, and set yourself as an example to them, and so educate them in the teaching and admonition of the Lord ( Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk).
- You should never force the course of events, but watch carefully how they flow, and use it to your salvation ( Saint Theophan the Recluse).
- Don't put off until tomorrow, there's no end to this tomorrow Saint John Chrysostom).
Do not ask for earthly
It is necessary to say for everything: “Glory to God!” We are not worthy to receive what the Lord sends us.
(hieroschemamonk Aristokliy,
courtyard of the Athos Monastery in Moscow)
How to be saved? Some answer that we should pray to God. And do not leave this circle. Meanwhile, the prayer of a passionate person will not save him. The only purpose of our life is to eradicate passions and replace them with virtues. All passions are inherent in us, but some to a greater extent, and others to a lesser extent. It is necessary to determine what passion dominates in us, and to arm ourselves against it. It is impossible to fight all passions at once - they will strangle. Having conquered one passion, it is necessary to move on to the eradication of another, and so on.
(Reverend Barsanuphius, Optina Hermitage)
Do not condemn your neighbor: you know his sin, but his repentance is unknown. In order not to condemn, one must run from those who condemn and keep one's ear. Let us take the rules for ourselves: do not believe those who condemn, never speak ill of those who are absent. Let's remember the old folk sayings: "Whatever you condemn, you yourself will stay", "Know yourself - and it will be with you"
(Elder Simeon, Pskov-Caves Monastery)
Never ask the Lord for anything earthly. He knows what is good for us better than we do. Pray like this: “I commit, Lord, myself, my children, relatives and neighbors to Your holy will.” The prayers of relatives, mothers, friends are especially strong - they have great power
(Reverend Seraphim Vyretsky, was the confessor of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra)
Salvation is given only through the realization of sins and heartfelt repentance, as well as through the patience of sorrows. If people knew what awaits them after death, they would pray to God day and night. And then they think - he died, and the end of everything. Our life after earthly death is just beginning, by earthly suffering we earn Eternity. Who knows God, he endures everything
(Reverend Theodosius of the Caucasus)
Seek no peace until death. A person is born not for peace, but in order to work hard, to endure for the sake of future life(rest). Here we are wanderers, aliens, and wanderers have no rest in a foreign country. They move forward step by step in order to reach their native fatherland as soon as possible - the house of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. Death is inexorable! Not a single rich man in wealth, nor a hero in strength, nor a king, nor a warrior can pay off death. No one can take with them anything acquired by them. Naked man was born, naked and departs. Only faith and good deeds go with him to the future life, and no one will help - neither friends nor relatives.
(Reverend Elder Sebastian of Karaganda)
