Church Fathers V3 - Fr George Grube - Saint Mina Coptic Orthodox ...

More— 

What the Church Fathers Say 

VOLUME 3 

About. 

By Fr. George W. Grube

More — 

Wpat tl?e cl?urcl? Fathers 

Say About... 

VOLUME 3 

Compiled by PR.GEORGE W.GRUBE 

Reflections by Fr. George 

% 

n 

O 

LIGHT AND LIFE PUBLI/HING 

MINNEAPOLIS MINNE/OTA

Light & Life Publishing Company 

P.O. Box 26421 

Minneapolis, MN 55426-0421 

Copyright © 2007 

Light & Life Publishing Company 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a 

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, 

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written 

permission of Light & Life Publishing Company. The only exception is 

brief quotations in printed reviews. 

ISBN No. 1-933654-09-0

Dedication 

To my students over thirty-seven 

years, wl)o taugfat me more tban 

I will ever know in t(?is life. 

- iii -

INTRODUCTION 

The Church depends on Holy Tradition for her teachings. Contributing to this 

Tradition are writings of venerable men and women throughout the ages. 

These writers present us with the living Faith of our ancestors-those who 

have gone before us in the sure knowledge of the Truth. The Fathers, and Holy 

Women of the Church weave a tapestry of unchangeable Truth, and secure for 

us continuity with the early Church of the apostles and martyrs. In the most 

limited sense the Fathers are identified with the first days of Christianity. 

However, we cannot relegate the teachers of the Faith solely to the earliest 

era of Christianity. We must also recognize the same Faith of the Fathers in the 

words of a few pre-Christian texts and in the writings of contemporaries, even 

if they speak to us through the echoes of the last few centuries. To do otherwise 

would be to admit that the Holy Spirit has left us bereft and impoverished in 

these present times. The Holy Spirit lives in the Church and speaks to us this 

very day. “Harden not your hearts and learn the truth of the Lord... Fear not, 

here is your God, He comes to save you" (Isaiah 35:4). 

This collection of sayings is gleaned from many sources-over many years. 

Some of the quotations herein have been slightly modified to make them more 

understandable to the modern reader, without doing violence to the original 

meaning. Since they were collected from various places, over such a long span 

of time, it may be possible that a few come from copyrighted sources although 

the compiler has taken pains to assure that this has not happened. If so, kindly 

notify the publisher so that future editions may be corrected and proper credit 

given. 

+ + + 

“ The friends of Christ love all truly, but are not themselves loved by all; the 

friends of the world neither love all nor are loved by all. The friends of Christ 

persevere in love to the end; the friends of the world persevere only until they 

fall out with each other over some worldly thing." 

- St. Maximos the Confessor 580-664 A.D. 

- iv -

INCLUDES TEACHINGS ON: 

CHRISTIAN LIVING MIRACLES 

CHRISTIAN CONDUCT GOD’S MERCY 

WORLDLY GOODS AND MATERIALISM ATTAINING HOLINESS 

LUST 

HABITUAL SIN 

PUNISHMENT FOR SIN 

DEPRAVITY 

TRUTH 

LYING 

GOSSIP/FALSEHOODS 

RUMORS 

SINS OF THE TONGUE 

ANGER 

HATRED 

REVENGE 

SELF-DISCIPLINE 

OBEDIENCE 

PERFECTION 

TEMPTATION 

FREE-WILL 

SELF-ESTEEM 

DEATH 

GRIEF 

THE AFTERLIFE 

THE CHURCH 

WORSHIP 

EUCHARIST 

ILLNESS 

SUFFERING 

FEAR OF LOSING GOD 

ETERNAL LIFE 

HAPPINESS 

GOOD WORKS 

PATIENCE 

CHARITY 

- v - 

GRACE (GOD’S HELP) 

HOPE 

VIRTUE 

DESPAIR 

OPPORTUNITY 

TALENTS 

HUMILITY 

PRIDE 

VANITY 

MARTYRDOM 

SALVATION 

FORGIVENESS 

GOODNESS 

MERCY 

LOVE 

REPENTANCE 

DIVINE MERCY 

SIN 

POVERTY 

RICHES 

EXCESS 

IDLENESS 

SATAN 

DEMONS 

ANTICHRIST 

IGNORANCE 

OLD AGE 

WISDOM 

DUTIES OF PARENTS 

RAISING CHILDREN 

DIVORCE 

MARRIAGE

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF SOME CHURCH FATHERS 

ST. CLEMENT OF ROME -101 A.D. - Clement was a disciple of the Apostles 

Peter and Paul. He was a martyr for the Christian Faith. Commemorated on 

November 25th, his works are among the earliest Christian writings. 

ST. IGNATIUS of ANTIOCH - 107 A.D. - Second bishop of Antioch after 

St. Peter. His feast is commemorated on December 20th and January 29th. 

Ignatius was martyred in Rome. 

ST. JUSTIN MARTYR - 165 A.D. - The leading Christian apologist (defender) 

of the 2nd century. Commemorated on June 1st. 

THEOPHILUS OF ANTIOCH - 180 A.D. - Sixth bishop of Antioch. He was a 

convert from paganism and wrote works defending Christianity from pagan 

attacks. 

ST. IRENAEUS OF LYONS - 202 A.D. - Disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna. 

His chief work was “Against Heresies”, a defense of Orthodox Christianity and 

a response to the Gnostics. Commemorated on August 23rd. 

ST. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA - c.223 A.D. - Convert from paganism, head 

of a school of catechumens in Alexandria, Egypt. Clement was a father of the 

allegorical school of theology and tried to define Christian knowledge vis-a-vis 

paganism. 

TERTULLIAN OF CARTHAGE - c. 230 A.D. - Pagan lawyer in Rome. He was 

a great defender of Christianity against the Gnostics. His writings tell much of 

early Christian life, teaching and practices. Tertullian joined the Montanists, a 

heretical sect, in 207 A.D. Although he left Orthodox Christianity his writings still 

have value for what they tell of the early Faith. 

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM - c. 347-407 A.D. - One of the most beloved and 

celebrated of the early Church Fathers. Born at Antioch, his great talent in 

public-speaking earned him the name “Golden-mouthed”. St. John was 

Patriarch of Constantinople and known for his charity and frequent calls for 

Church reform. St. John angered the governing powers and was exiled for his 

calls that the powerful avoid worldliness. His homilies on the Scriptures are 

among the best of early Christian teachings. 

- vi -

ST. BASIL THE GREAT- c. 330-379 A.D. - A great teacher and leader of 

monasticism, St. Basil established many communities and wrote rules for 

monastics. He was a staunch opponent of Arianism, an early heresy which 

taught that only God the Father was Divine. Six members of St. Basil’s family 

have been proclaimed saints. St. Basil was a bishop at Caesarea. His feast 

is commemorated on January 1. 

ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA - 378-444 A.D. - St. Cyril was the most 

outstanding Christian theologian of the early 400’s. St. Cyril formulated the 

Christian doctrine of the Incarnation, re: Jesus’ Divinity and humanity. He 

vigorously attacked former Christian heretics and pagans with great vigor. 

ST. CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE - An African of noble birth. His early life was 

less than inspiring but he converted to Christianity, was ordained a priest and 

made Bishop of Carthage. Cyprian desired martyrdom for the Faith which 

resulted in his death in 258 A.D. He was surrounded at the end of his life by 

many faithful followers. 

ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM - Born near Jerusalem about 315 A.D. St. Cyril 

wrote instructions for the newly-baptized. His writings give us an intriguing 

insight into early Christian teachings about the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments). 

He was driven from his Episcopal See as bishop and persecuted by the Arians. 

Note: A few of the writings contained in this book are from ancient Christian 

writers such as Tertullian and Origen whose late teachings are not entirely 

Orthodox. Nevertheless, those of their words which are authentically within 

the Orthodox Tradition deserve to be heard. 

- vii -

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

wfaat the Church Fathers Say About... 

Christian Living and Conduct ............................................ 1 

Worldy Goods and M aterialism........................................11 

Lust, Habitual Sin, and Depravity ....................................20 

Truth, Lying, Falshoods, Rumors, 

and Other Sins of The Tongue ........................................30 

Anger, Hatred, and Revenge............................................ 39 

Discipline, Obedience, Perfection, 

Temptation, Free Will, and Self-Esteem ......................... 48 

Death, Grief, and The Afterlife..........................................57 

Miracles and God’s M ercy................................................ 67 

Attaining Holiness, Grace (How God Helps Us), 

Hope, and Virtue ...............................................................73 

Despair, Talents, and Opportunity....................................83 

Humility, Pride, and Vanity................................................ 92 

Martyrdom, Salvation, Atonement, 

and The Sacrifice of Christ ............................................ 102 

Goodness, Forgiveness, Mercy, 

Love, and Repentance.................................................... 112 

The Church, Worship, Holy Scripture, 

and The Eucharist (Part 1) ............................................ 119 

The Church, Worship, Holy Scripture, 

and The Eucharist (Part 2) ............................................ 129 

Illness and Suffering (Part 1 ) .......................................... 136 

Illness and Suffering (Part 2 ) .......................................... 145 

Happiness, Works, Patience, and C harity.....................150 

Marriage, Divorce, and the Raising of Children ...........161 

About Old Age, Wisdom, Ignorance, 

and Fear of The Lord.......................................................169 

Eternal Life, Punishment, and Divine M ercy.................179 

Sin-Living Life Apart From God ....................................186 

Poverty, Riches, Excess, and Idleness......................... 194 

Satan, Demons, Anti-Christ, and 

Punishment for Sin .........................................................200 

- viii -

W yat tpe Cywrcy Fathers Say About... 

CHRISTIAN LIVING AND CONDUCT 

With excerpts from writings of: 

Lactantius 

St. joljn Chrysostom 

St. clement of Alexandria 

St. Cyprian of Carthage 

St. Basil the Great 

St. Isaac tf?e Syrian 

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk 

... and others

PRAYER BEFORE STUDY: 

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. In every hour of the day 

reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me 

to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with a 

firm conviction that Your will governs all. 

In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen 

events let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and 

wisely, without embittering or embarrassing others. Give me the strength to 

bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will and 

teach me to pray. Amen. 

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES: 

REFLECTION: 

> St. Matthew 5:1-12 > Ephesians 4:31 

> St. Matthew 5:13-48 > 1 Peter 1:13-16 

> St. Matthew 6: 1-34 > Philippians 4:8 

> St. Matthew 7:1-27 > 1 John 2:6 

> St. Mark 7: 6-23 > Romans 8:38-39 

> St. Mark 12:28-31 > Romans 12:1-21 

> St. Luke 12:22-34 > Romans 6:1-23 

> St. John 12:35-36 > 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 

> St. John 12:44-50 

The Christian life is a series of steps to perfection. It is a journey to the Lord. 

Yet it can often be a path on which there are many detours and wrong turns. 

These detours to our eternal destiny are often simple and, at times, un-noticed 

in the racket and distractions of daily life. These simple detours, such as 

procrastination, gossip, skepticism, lying and the like, can actually threaten 

our relationship with the Lord and our steady direction in life. 

There is an old axiom that we do daily penance for daily faults. Just as a forest 

path can be littered and made impassible by small bits of untrimmed debris and 

overgrowth, so our lives can be clogged by seemingly innocuous faults that 

eventually accumulate to form an impenetrable barrier to God. The more 

innocent these sins may seem, the more danger they can bring to us. We 

seldom are afraid of that which looks innocent or puny. 

“Simple” sins such as putting off doing good which should be accomplished 

NOW , telling “little white lies” to avoid an unpleasant situation, arguing, holding 

grudges, cheating, viewing pornography, jealousy, gossip and the like, can 

prevent you from obeying God until “later”, when it is usually too late. 

-2-

Spreading gossip, or listening to unproven “stories” about others can easily 

lead to calumny or libel. Telling “little white lies” often reaches the point of being 

untruthful with ourselves and eventually affects our relationship with Almighty 

God. While we tell ourselves all is well with God we stray even further from His 

will for us. 

Also, skepticism can affect your ability to pray. Do you look at prayer as 

ineffective or doubt that it is even real? Refusing to believe in anyone, or 

anything, begins with simple doubts about that we cannot see or touch. 

We should look to the habits we are forming now, and root out the harmful ones 

no matter how small or insignificant, so that new growth will occur in fertile soil 

and a well-tended garden. 

WRITINGS OF THE FATHERS: 

++++++++++ 

+ For if we think little things about God, we can only hope to receive small 

things from Him. 

- Second Epistle of Clement 

+ How must we confess God? Namely in doing those things that he told us to 

do, not disobeying His commandments, by worshipping Him not only with our 

lips, but with all our heart and all our mind. For God says in Isaiah, “This people 

honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ” 


+ Let us also have a mutual sense of one another’s sufferings, and not be 

covetous of money, but let us, by our good works, confess God and not by 

anything otherwise. 


+ Brethren. Let us confess the Lord by our works, by loving one another, in not 

committing adultery, not speaking evil against others, not envying one another, 

but by being moderate, temperate and good. 


+ So we, while we are in this world, should repent with our whole heart for 

whatsoever evil we have done in the flesh, while we yet have time for 

repentance, that we may be saved by the Lord. 


+ We should select and possess what is useful out of all cultures. 

-St. Clement of Alexandria

+ To be subjected to our lusts, and to yield to them, is the most extreme form 

of slavery. To keep those lusts in subjection is the only liberty. 

- St. Clement of Alexandria 

+ Loving your enemies is not the same as loving wickedness, ungodliness, 

adultery or theft. Rather, it refers to loving the thief, the ungodly, and the 

adulterer. 


+ We are commanded to be masters not only of the wild beasts outside of us, 

but also over the wild lusts within ourselves. 


+ We were not given eyes with which to lust after others, nor the tongue for 

speaking evil of others. 

- Tertullian 

+ The more you are inclined to maliciousness the more likely and ready you 

are to believe evil. 

- Tertullian 

+ Among Christians, he who is most just is the man or woman who is most 

religious. 

- Mark Minucius Felix 

+ Christians do not speak great things, we live them. 


+ Christians are philosophers-not merely in words-but in deeds. We do not 

speak marvelous things, we actually live them. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ Men either adopt religion and pay no heed to wisdom, or else they devote 

themselves to wisdom alone, and pay little attention to religion. However, one 

cannot be true without the other. 

- Lactantius 

+ The very things you teach will not, and cannot, have any weight unless you 

are the first to practice them. 

- Lactantius 

+ The most foolish men and women are those who think it is criminal to die for 

God-yet, extol to the heavens, with the utmost praise, the person who is willing 

to die for a man. 

- Lactantius 

- 4 -

+ Let us honor the aged among us. 

- St. Clement of Rome 

+ Let us keep away from insulting others. For this is the originator of true 

contentiousness, and enmities burst forth from insults. As I have noted before, 

insult is the servant of drunkenness. So a man is not judged solely by his deeds 

but also by his words. 


+ Jealousy has no limits. It is like an evil that continually endures. It is like a sin 

without end. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The lower in status your neighbors may be, Christ comes to you in them all 

the more. For those who seek and receive the so-called “great” do it out of 

vainglory. But those who receive the simple do it purely for Christ’s sake. 

- St. John Chrysostom 

+ The minds of good people aren’t empowered by the deceitful spirit of the 

Devil. For the angel of peace guides their souls. They don’t gaze passionately 

on corruptible things or gather riches for their pleasure. They don’t delight solely 

in pleasure. They don’t hurt their neighbors. They don’t gorge themselves with 

food. They don’t sin through prideful eyes, for the Lord is their portion. The good 

mind doesn’t accept the glory and dishonor of people and it doesn’t deceive, lie, 

fight, or curse. For the Lord dwells in these people and lights up their souls. 

They are always joyful towards everyone. The good mind doesn't have two 

tongues of blessing and cursing, insult and honor, sorrow and joy, quietness and 

trouble, hypocrisy and truth, or poverty and wealth but they have one frame of 

mind toward everyone; pure and uncorrupted. They don’t have double-hearing 

or double-sight because in everything they do, speak, or see, they know the 

Lord is watching their souls. They cleanse their minds so they won’t be 

condemned by God or other people. 

- "Testimonies” of the Ancient Prophets 

+ Live in such a way that won’t blaspheme the Holy Name of God. On the one 

hand, don’t care about human reputation. On the other hand don't give reason 

for others to speak poorly of you. Be moderate on both issues. 


+ We should go about as angels among people, as adults among children, 

as spiritual people among those who are natural. In this way we become as 

seeds bearing copious fruit. There is no need to speak if we live exemplary lives 

and our works shine in the darkness. There is no need for teachers if we 

demonstrate our faith through our works. There would be no unbelievers if we 

were the Christians we should be. Everyone would convert to godliness if we

generally kept the commands of Jesus Christ, suffered through insults, allowed 

others to take advantage of us, bless when we are cursed, and did good things 

when treated poorly. 


+ For if our enemies find us to be weak and cowardly, they increase our terror 

by delusions and threats; the unhappy souls are then tormented by these 

things. But if they see us rejoicing in the Lord, contemplating future bliss, 

mindful of the Lord, regarding all things to be in His hands, and knowing that 

evil has no strength against Christians, nor power over anyone-our enemies are 

defeated and turned back by the strength of these thoughts. 

- St. Athanasius 

+ There are some people who, like worms wallowing in marshes and mud, feed 

on foolish and useless pleasures. People are like pigs. For pigs, it is said, like 

mud better than pure water. Let us not, therefore, be enslaved or become like 

pigs. Instead, as true children of the light, let us raise our eyes and seek the 

things from above, lest the Lord discover us to be superficial. Therefore, let us 

repent and move from ignorance to knowledge, from foolishness to wisdom, 

from self-indulgence to self-restraint, from unrighteousness to righteousness, 

from godlessness to God. 


+ Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or 

in speech or in customs. For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their own, 

neither do they use some different language, nor practice an extraordinary kind 

of life. Nor again do they possess any invention discovered by any intelligence 

or study of ingenious men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some 

are. But while they dwell in cities of the Greeks and barbarians as the lot of 

each is cast, and follow the native customs in dress and food and the other 

arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their own citizenship, which they 

set forth, is marvelous, and confessedly contradicts expectation. They dwell in 

their own countries, but only as sojourners; they bear their share in all things 

as Citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers. Every foreign country 

is a fatherland to them, and every fatherland is a foreign country. They marry 

like all other men and women and beget children; but they do not cast away 

their offspring. 

They have their meals in common, but not their wives. They find themselves in 

the flesh, and yet they live not after the flesh. Their very existence is on earth, 

but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, and they 

surpass the laws in their own lives. They love all men, and they are persecuted 

by all. They are ignored, and yet they are condemned. They are put to death, 

and yet in dying they are endowed with life. They are poor, and yet they make 

many rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they abound in all things. 

They are dishonored, and yet they are glorified in their dishonor. They are 

- 6 -

slandered, yet they are vindicated. If they are reviled, they bless; they are 

insulted, and they respect. Doing good they are punished as evildoers; being 

punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby given new life. The Jews war 

against them as heretics, and the Greeks persecute them, although none of 

those that hate them can tell the reason of their hostility. 

In a word, what the soul is to the body, so are Christians to the world. The soul 

is spread through all the members of the body, and Christians through the 

diverse cities of the world just as the soul has its abode in the body and yet 

is not of the body, so Christians have their abode in the world and yet they 

are not of the world. The soul, which is invisible, is guarded in the body, which 

is visible; so Christians are recognized as being in the world, and yet their 

religion remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul and wars against it, though 

it receives no wrong, because it is forbidden to indulge in pleasures; so the 

world hates Christians, though it receives no wrong from them, because they 

oppose its pleasures. Nevertheless, the soul loves the flesh and its members 

in spite of this hatred: so, too, Christians love those that hate them. The soul 

is enclosed in the body and yet holds the body together, Christians are 

confined within the world as in a prison house, and yet they are the ones who 

hold the world together. The soul, though it is immortal dwells in a mortal 

tabernacle; so Christians sojourn amidst perishable things, while they look for 

the imperishability that is in heaven. The soul when hardly treated in the matter 

of food and drinks is improved; so Christians when punished, increase more 

and more. So great is the office for which God has appointed them, and 

which it is not lawful for them to decline. 

- From the Second Century Epistle of Mathetes “To Diognetus” 

+ Peacefulness, humility, and the tranquility of a life well-lived is appropriate for 

all Christians according to the word of the Lord. He regards only those who are 

“poor and of a contrite spirit, and who tremble” at His word. ...(A Christian's) 

character should provoke everyone to imitate your life and conduct. ...Your 

good works are, indeed, the greatest part of you. They are improved by the 

honor of your confession itself; guard and preserve your confessions by 

peaceful and virtuous lives. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The true Christian ought not to grudge another’s reputation, nor rejoice over 

other man’s faults. He ought, in Christ’s love, to grieve and be afflicted at his 

brother's faults, and rejoice over his brother’s good deeds. He ought not to be 

indifferent or silent before sinners. He who shows another to be wrong ought 

to do so with all tenderness, in the fear of God, and with the object of converting 

the sinner. He who is proved wrong or rebuked ought to take it willingly, 

recognizing his own gain in being set right. 

- St. Basil the Great

+ In writing to a young man, a holy bishop defined the ultimate spiritual 

question facing all Christians in this way : “Within you there arises the enormous 

question; Christ or the world?” 

- A Church Father 

+ A greedy soul is deprived of wisdom, but a compassionate soul is made wise 

by the Spirit. 

- St. Isaac the Syrian 

+ One stone doesn’t make an entire tower any more than obeying just one 

Commandment lifts the soul to the required height of perfection. 

- St. Gregory of Nyssa 

+ Be persecuted, rather than persecute. 

Be crucified, rather than be a crucifier. 

Be treated unjustly, rather than treat others unjustly. 

Be oppressed, rather than be an oppressor. 

Be gentle, rather than zealous. 

Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice. 


+ Let us love one another, and we shall be loved by God. Let us be 

longsuffering toward one another, and He will be longsuffering toward our sins. 

Let us not render evil for evil, and He will not render to us according to our sins. 

We shall find remission of our sins in forgiving our brethren; for God’s mercy 

toward us is concealed in our mercifulness toward our neighbor. This is also 

why the Lord said, “Forgive and you shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). and, “If you 

forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” 

(Matthew 6:14). After this, our salvation is already in our power. 

- St. Maximos the Confessor 

+ “If love does no ill to one’s neighbor” (Romans 13:10), then does not he who 

envies his brother, who begrudges him his good reputation, and who tarnishes 

him with libel - make himself alien to love and liable to eternal condemnation? 


+ If you give something to a person in need, then let a cheerful face precede 

your gift, along with kind words and encouragement for his suffering. 


+ A person who, while having God in mind, honors everyone, will find everyone 

to be his helper, thanks to the hidden will of God. 


+ Whoever gives a hand to help his neighbor is helped by God’s own hand. 


-8-

+ Let it be known that those who are not living by Christ’s teachings are not 

Christians at all-even though they might profess His teachings with their lips. 

- St. Justin Martyr 

+ It is better for a man to be silent and yet be a Christian, than to talk and not 

be one. 

- St. Ignatius of Antioch 

+ When you converse with another be aware that God is listening. 

- Tertullian 

+ The Lord withdraws when He is denied. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ Christians are lambs of the royal flock. 


+ Christians are not born, but made. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Be pleasing to Him whose soldiers you are, and whose pay you receive. May 

none of you be found to be a deserter. Let your baptism be your armament; 

your faith, your helmet; your love, your spear; your endurance, your full suit of 

armor. 


+ Each day examine yourself. What have you sown for the age to come: wheat 

or weeds? Having tested yourself, arrange to become better the next day, and 

spend the rest of your life in that manner. 

In the event you spent today badly: 

You did not honestly pray to God 

You did not once feel contrition for your sins 

You did not practice humility 

You gave no alms and did no act of charity 

You did not refrain from anger 

You did not fast or measure your intake of food or drink or, 

You sank your mind in unclean thoughts 

Then, honestly examine all of this, condemn yourself for your laxity, and firmly 

resolve that tomorrow you will be more careful to do good and avoid evil. 

- Elder Moses

+ God created us in His image and likeness; and every Christian is obligated to 

keep himself, and to preserve and honor in himself God’s image, and to be 

sanctified by good works. 


+ He who does not acknowledge his sinfulness, his fall, his perdition - cannot 

accept Christ, cannot come to believe in Christ, and cannot be a Christian. 

- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov 

+ All they that commit iniquity and act against their conscience do not keep 

their Baptismal vows. These include fornicators, adulterers, and all defilers, 

robbers, thieves, brigands, the sly and crafty, deceivers, the guileful, revilers, 

men of evil speech, drunkards, fault - finders, the hateful and the malicious: 

they that live in the pride and pomp of this world, and all that do not fear God. 

They have all lied to God and have not kept their vows, and are outside the 

Holy Church, though they may even go to churches, pray and receive the 

Mysteries. They may also build churches and adorn them and display other 

signs of a Christian. Since they shall be powerfully put to the test at the 

Judgment of Christ and tormented more there than Turks and idolaters, avoid 

these deeds, Christian, and do not imitate the aforementioned doers of iniquity, 

lest you be condemned with them...by the just judgment of God, where “their 

worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched ” (Mark 9:44,46,48). By all 

means endeavor so to live and act as the word of God teaches, as was said 

above. Keep in mind those vows of yours, and this will guide you toward the 

Christian life and restrain you from every evil and do you good. If you notice 

that you do not keep those vows, then repent and begin the Christian life anew, 

lest you appear before God in a lie, and perish with liars. 

- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk 

- 10 -

W pat tpe Cyurcy Fathers Say About... 

WORLDLY GOODS AND MATERIALISM 


St. Isaac the Syrian 

Leo, EIder of Optina 

Lactantius 

St. Maximos the Confessor 


St. Gregory Palamas 

St. Symeon tye New Theologian 

St. John of Kronstadt 

St. Seraphim of Sarov 

...and others 

-11 -


Prayer of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow 

My Lord, I do not know what I ought to ask of You. 

You, and You alone know my needs. 

You love me more than I am able to love You. 

0 Father, grant unto me, Your servant, all which I cannot ask. 

For a cross I dare not ask, nor for consolation: 

1 dare only to stand in Your presence. 

My heart is open to You. 

You see my simple needs of which I myself am unaware. 

Behold and lift me up! 

In Your presence I stand, awed and silenced by Your will and Your judgments, 

into which my mind cannot penetrate. 

To You I offer myself as a sacrifice. 

No other desire is mine but to fulfill Your Holy Will. 

Teach me how to pray. 

Do Yourself pray within me. 

Amen. 


> Job 20:15 

> St. Matthew 16:26 


> St. Mark 10:23 

> 1 Timothy 6:17-19 

> James 5:1-6 

> Psalms 37:16, 49:6-9 

REFLECTION: 

, 52:7, 62:10 

> St. Matthew 23:1-36 

> Proverbs 11:4, 11:28, 22:1, 22:4, 23:5 

> 1 Peter 4:3-4 

> Galatians 6:6-10 

> St. John 12:25 

In our present society everyone from governments, social organizations and 

even the Church, is concerned with the quantity and quality of the things men 

and women possess. Organizations seem to compete with each other in 

offering monies outside their accepted purview of responsibility, i.e. loans and 

grants of every kind, payments for sundry programs, research, subsidies, etc. 

and they are given to as many people as is humanly possible. Even when 

money is tight, massive payments in kind are made at every level of society and 

government. A Midwestern governor recently stated, while slashing payments by 

the state to thousands of programs, that “The cash cow is dead.” He added that 

government could no longer afford to fund all segments of society and their 

needs, simply to feel good, respond to demands of every group, or “buy” votes. 

Why? Simply because the abundant life, or massive amounts of money, are 

equated with the “good life”. Today we place little value on spiritual poverty. 

- 12 -

We think that if a man has enough things he will be happy, and at peace, free 

from all problems and wants. 

This concept is directly at odds to what Christ taught: “Seek ye first the Kingdom 

of God” , He said, and “all these things will be added unto you. ” Notice Christ 

did not say, seek first money and contentment - and all other things will be 

added . 

However, we go blithely along, offering everyone security in the form of things. 

Then we look surprised when things are not enough to keep people from 

suicide, drugs, alcohol, rampant crime and truly empty, directionless lives. 

We are called to minister first to the spiritual element of men, their souls, and 

then to their temporal needs. When the spiritual needs of a person are met then 

a natural joy of living will come from a firm bond with God followed by purpose 

and meaning, which eventually leads to a full, abundant and happy life. 


++++++++++ 

+ Prayer is a great weapon, a rich treasure, a wealth that is never exhausted, 

an undisturbed refuge, a cause of tranquility, the root of multiple blessings and 

their source. 


+ A man whose head is under water cannot inhale pure air, so a man whose 

thoughts are plunged into the material cares of this world cannot absorb the 

sensations of a new , spiritual world. 


+ One of his disciples asked the Elder, “How have you acquired the spiritual 

gifts we see in you?” The elder answered, “Live simply, and God will not forsake 

you and will show you His mercy.” 

- Leo, Elder of Optina Monastery 

+ A holy monk tells us that he was taught the following by an Elder, “Taking 

pride in not accepting money from others leads to far worse sins than greed. 

Accepting money too willingly from others leads to pride and greed. This is why 

it is said that evil is rooted in money.” 

- From a Desert Father 

+ If anyone thinks that clothes, jewels, and other material things (that men 

esteem as being precious) are valued by God, he is altogether ignorant of 

what God is. 

- Lactantius 

- 13-

+ Glory is like the human shadow; if you follow, it runs away, if you run away, 

it follows. 

- St. Martin of Braga 

+ Make Christ a partner with you in your earthly possessions, so that He may 

also make you a fellow- heir with Him in His heavenly Kingdom. 

- St. Cyprian of Carthage 

+ He who chooses transient things will be without eternal things. He who 

prefers earthly things will not have heavenly things. 

- Lactantius 

+ Rather than laying down our souls for money , we lay down our money for 

our souls. 

- Tertullian 

+ Those who glory in their looks, not in their hearts, dress to please others. 


+ Christians have no country on earth, and this enables us to scorn earthly 

possessions. 


+ If someone who shows excessive love of money gets gold and silver, his 

need for it grows, and the more it flows in, the more it increases his desire. 

The whole world might just satisfy one greedy, power- hungry man, but then 

again, it might not. 

- St. Gregory Palamas 

+ Guard yourself from that mother of all vices, which is self- love or a mindless 

love for the body. For it gives birth ...to the three , and major, impassioned 

thoughts. I mean those of gluttony, avarice, and self- esteem, which take as 

their pretext some imagined need of the body. All other vices are generated 

by these three. You must therefore be on your guard, and fight against self- love 

with great vigilance. For when this vice is eradicated, all the others are wiped 

away too. 


+ We must pray that we may be constantly and firmly assured in our hearts 

that everything we have-both of soul and body, in both prosperity and 

adversity-comes from God, from His power, and not from nature, chance, 

or from ourselves. 

- St. John of Kronstadt 

- 14-

+ When you find your intellect occupied with material things, and become fondly 

attached to conceptual images of them, then you may be sure that you love 

these things more than God. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will 

be also” (Matthew 6:21). 


+ Be firmly persuaded that your life is not just money and food, but is grounded 

in love for Almighty God. Remember that God is love, uniting all things 

animated by the laws of love, and bringing forth life from the union of love. 


+ Earthly riches, when distributed, are diminished. Yet the more the heavenly 

riches of God’s grace are distributed, the more they increase in him who 

distributes them. 

- St. Seraphim of Sarov 

+ It is not food that is evil but gluttony, not the begetting of children but 

unchastity, not material things but avarice, not esteem but unbridled selfesteem. 

This being so, it is only the misuse of things that is evil, and such 

misuse occurs when the intellect fails to cultivate its natural powers. 


+ There are three things that produce a love of material wealth. These are 

self- indulgence, excessive self-esteem and a lack of faith. The last, an absence 

of faith, is more dangerous than the other two. 


+ He who seeks fame and pleasure, as well as a love of riches that exists 

because of them and which increases them, cannot avoid occasions of anger. 

And he who does not cut off these desires cannot attain perfect love. 


+ We see many men who are moved by the desire for transitory things and 

willing to endure many toils and labors. They will travel great distances and 

even disregard wife and children and every other glory and enjoyment. They 

prefer nothing to their purpose in order that they may secure the attainment 

of their goal. If, then, there are some who make every effort to attain these 

transitory and temporal ends, even to the point of laying down their very lives, 

can we not deliver our souls and bodies, even to death, for the sake of the 

“King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15), the Creator and Sovereign 

of all things. 

- St. Symeon the New Theologian 

- 15-

+ What is “the world”? What are “the things that are in the world”? Listen! It is 

not gold, silver, horses or mules. All these things that serve our physical needs 

we possess ourselves. It is not meat, nor bread, nor wine, for we partake of 

these things and eat them in moderation. It is not houses, or public facilities, 

nor fields, nor vineyards, nor suburban properties...Therefore, what is “the 

world”? It is sin, my brothers and sisters, and the attachment to material things 

and passions. Let John the Theologian, the beloved disciple, speak of “the 

things that are in the world”. He says, “Do not love the world or the things of 

the world.. .for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the 

eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15). 


+ Why do we trouble and torment ourselves because we have not received 

some treasure we desired, or fear losing it? Because that which we expected or 

which we have lost was the idol of our heart, because our heart has withdrawn 

from the Lord, the Source of Living Waters, who alone can fill and give peace 

to it. Let us cling to God with our whole heart, and then no earthly loss, or 

disappointment at not receiving earthly goods such as money or honors, which 

are...perishable things, will grieve us. Let us learn to live an inward life. Let us 

turn our thoughts to the highest blessings, to the heavenly recompense which 

alone is desirable and true. This alone makes those who obtain it, truly happy. 


+ Nothing that is God’s is obtainable by money. 

- Tertullian 

+ It is possible that gold may never be in your possession, even though you 

desire it. But God will possess you as soon as you desire Him. 

- St. Augustine 

+ In the fashioning of our clothes, we must keep clear of all strangeness, so 

that in the use of them we will avoid all extravagance. 


+ If you despise riches, you will be radiant in the House of the King. 


+ Don’t let the desire to possess things take hold of you. For what do we gain 

by acquiring things we cannot take with us? 


+ In great households, the servants who disregard their own interests and 

zealously and promptly promote their master’s interests are favored. 


- 16 -

+ Always remember that we have renounced the world and are living here as 

guests and strangers in the meantime. 

- Sf. Cyprian of Carthage 

+ Don’t let the desire to possess things take hold of you. For what do we gain 

by acquiring things we cannot take with us? Why not get the things we can take 

with us instead - namely wisdom, justice, self- control, courage, understanding, 

love, kindness to the poor, faith in Christ, freedom from wrath, and hospitality? 

If we possess these things, they will prepare a welcome for us in the land of 

the humble. 


+ Wealth will not stand in the way of a rich man, if he makes good use of it; 

and poverty can be no recommendation to the poor if in the midst of squalor 

and want, he fails to keep clear of doing wrong to his neighbor. 

- Sf. Jerome 

+ There is no fault to be found with money; but be cautious not to make a bad 

use of what is good. 

- Sf. Cyril of Jerusalem 

+ Earthly riches are full of poverty. 

- St. Augustine of Hippo 

+ No matter how wealthy one might be in this life, one is still God’s beggar...Is it 

not so that many have laid down as wealthy men, and risen up as paupers? 


+ The lust which commits fornication with gold becomes an idol. 

- St.. Clement of Alexandria 

+ It is the glory of the bishop to make provision for the needs of the poor, but it 

is the shame of clergy to amass private fortunes. 

- St. Jerome 

+ If a monastic talks to you always, or nearly always, about money...treat him 

as a broker rather than a monk. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The wealthy man does not see, poor wretch, that his life is but a gilded 

torture, that he is bound fast by his wealth, and that his money owns him rather 

he owns it. 


+ Your purse ought not to remain full while I am in want. 

- St. Jerome 

- 17-

+ Show forth all your wealth in giving. 

- Commodianus 

+ The Christian prefers to despise wealth rather than possess it. 

- Minucius Felix 

+ It is not he who has and keeps, but he who gives away, that is rich. 


+ How can anyone be considered poor who does not feel any want, who does 

not covet what belongs to others, who is rich in God's eyes. 

- Minicius Felix 

+ The only true wealth is the poverty of desire. 


+ Faith and love, which are gifts of the Holy Spirit, are such great and powerful 

gifts that a person who has them can easily, with joy and consolation, go the 

way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to 

resist the vain delusions of the world so that, although he makes use of earthly 

goods, he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. 

But a man who has not yet gotten the Spirit, despite all his learning and 

prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world. 

- St. Innocent of Irkutsk 

+ Jesus teaches us not only that riches are to be despised, but that they are full 

of danger. They are the root of seducing evils and deceive the blind human 

mind by hidden deception. 

However, the Lord tells us that those who sell their possessions and distribute 

them for the poor become perfect and complete. In doing so, they lay up 

treasures for themselves in heaven. He says that those who follow Him...and 

aren’t ensnared by worldly possessions ...accompany their possessions which 

are delivered directly to God. 


+ Those who reject not only everything they have, but everything they hoped to 

possess, truly give up everything. 


+ Don’t trust in riches, for such things are left here on earth. Only faith will 

accompany you. Righteousness will also go with you if faith has led the way. 

Why do riches entice you? Christ said, “You are not redeemed with gold and 

silver”. Nor are we saved with grand possessions or silk garments, or with vain 

conversation, but with the precious blood of Christ. 

- 18 -

Don’t reject a poor man. For when Christ was rich, He became poor. He 

became poor because of you so that, by His poverty, He could make you rich. 

Silver and gold I have not, but I have faith in abundance. I am rich enough in 

the name of Christ, which is above every other name... I don’t have silver and I 

don’t need any. I don’t have gold and I don’t desire it. But I have what the rich 

don’t have. I have what even you would consider more valuable and I give it to 

the poor. If you want to be rich, you must become poor. 

- St. Ambrose of Milan 

+ How great and wonderful is the joy of Christian generosity we obtain when, 

in obedience to the Gospel of Christ, we cheerfully sacrifice what the rich man 

grieved over and refused to give up. 


+ Simplicity provides for sanctity. 


+ Clothe yourself with the silks of honesty, the fine linen of righteousness, and 

the royal purple of chastity. Thus adorned you will have God for your partner. 

- Tertullian 

+ My child, do not become a lover of money, nor puffed up with vanity. For out 

of these thefts are born. 

- The Didache 

+ It is not a virtue to be frugal. This word beguiles and deceives under the 

appearance of virtue ...Frugality is a vice in this respect: that it arises from the 

love of possessing. In contrast, we should both abstain from pleasures and yet, 

by no means withhold money. To use money sparingly, that is, moderately, is a 

form of weakness of the mind. It reveals someone fearing lest he will be in 

need. Or, it revels someone who despairs of being able to recover it, or 

someone incapable of expressing contempt for worldly things. 

- Lactantius 

+ Someway, or another, those who please the world most are those who please 

Christ least. 

- St. Jerome 

- 19-

W pat tye Qnwcy Fathers Say About... 

LUST, HABITUAL SIN AND DEPRAVITY 


Lactantius 

Ven. Epfaraim tlje Syrian 

St. J o(?n Chrysostom 


St. Isaac tlbe Syrian 

Abba Poemen 


St. Theodore of Edessa 

St. Anatoly of Optina 

Tê Desert Fathers 

...and otfaers 

-20 -


In my foolishness, O God, I plead with You for many and great things. 

Yet I am ever- mindful of my wickedness, my baseness, my vileness and my 

disobedience in sin. 

O God, have mercy on me. Cast me not away from Your presence because 

of my presumption. Grant unto me, the worst of men, to love You as You have 

commanded, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, with all my 

strength; with my whole being. 

Establish me in the path of Your Commandments, and to my last breath let 

me not stray from the light of Your ordinances, that Your Commandments 

may become the sole law of my being on this earth and all eternity. 

Lord, I pray to You, have pity on me. Spare me in my affliction and my misery 

and hide not the way of salvation from me. 

Amen. 

- Archbishop Sophronios 


REFLECTION: 

> Jeremiah 6: 27-30 > Romans 1:28-32 

> St. St. Matthew 5:28 > 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 

> Romans 13:11-14 > 2 Timothy 3:1-8 

> 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 > Titus 1:16 

> 2 Timothy 2:22-26 > Job 14:16-17, 20:4-7, 33:27-28 

> Galatians 5:16-26 > Psalms 32:5, 39:1-13, 51:1-19 

> Titus 3:3-8 > St. Matthew 12:31-32, 18:21-35 

> James 4:1-6 > St. Mark 4:13-20 

“Whoever knows what is right to do, and fails to do it...for him it is sin” 

(James 4:17). 

Sin is not simply an act - it is also an attitude, a mindset. It is an attitude borne 

of pride. Sin can be an omission, i.e. failing to do the right things, as well as a 

commission, or committing a disobedient act itself. When we realize that a thing, 

or series of things, are morally or physically wrong, and yet continue to do them 

- then our disobedience becomes sin. And we cannot fail to understand that our 

indifference in failing to do something we know is right, is also sin. We must 

also know the effect of guilt (due to sin) on a man or woman. When one feels 

guilty his entire attitude about life changes. One becomes difficult, defensive, 

irritable or mean- spirited in everything they do and say. Sin, and the attendant 

guilt it engenders, soon affects our dealings with all those around us. 

When we continue in our sin we are sometimes asked to pay a price. How 

- 21 -

much is one willing to pay, and do we stand ready to accept the sometimes 

tragic results of our prideful disobedience? Because of sin we can risk our 

relationships with family, friends, all those we love-and more importantly-with 

Almighty God. Is this price too high, or don’t you care about the stresses and 

strains of your sin? Is sinning worth the wasted energy, worry, or the emotional 

strain it enacts? 

Sin, and the attendant guilt for sin, wastes our energies and abilities. Therefore, 

before one continues to make poor choices, or selfishly holds on to so- called 

“individual freedom” you might want to count the cost of sin. It may be worth 

more than one is willing to pay. 


++++++++++ 

+ A young monk sadly told his holy elder: “My body, Abba, has been weakened 

by ascetic practices, but my passions do not yield.” The wise elder replied, 

“The passions, my son are similar to tough thorns. In the process of uprooting 

them, you hands will definitely bleed.” 

- Wisdom of the Desert Fathers 

+ It is a general practice not to speak of sins against purity, as if this matter 

does not require confession. People say, “These are private concerns.’’Many 

people living in illicit liaisons do not even speak of them, considering this 

situation quite natural. 

- Alexander Elchaninov 

+ Many people, tempted by pleasures of the body, commit fornication, not in 

their bodies but in their spirit, while preserving bodily virginity. They, in fact, 

commit prostitution in their soul. Thus it is good to do that which is written, 

and for each one to guard his own heart with all possible care. 

- Abba Gerontius of Petra 

+ If you wish to leave sinful desires and avoid foul language, then do not make 

foolish choices. Avoid all circumstances in which these weaknesses arise. 

- A Desert Monk 

+ There is no tyranny so unbearable as a sinful habit. It is with true wisdom that 

it is called “second nature”. 


+ Immoral habits are like shackles, they deprive man of his moral freedom and 

forcibly keep him in the stinking swamp of the passions. 

- St. Ignaty Brianchaninov 

-22-

+ Some are ashamed and blush when it is necessary to tell your sins to a priest 

at confession. It is better to be ashamed to sin than to confess. Consider this: 

if confession is not offered here, then everything will be confessed there (at the 

judgment) before the whole world. Where is there more torment? Where is there 

more shame? In doing the deed, we are bold and shameless, but when we 

ought to confess, then we are ashamed and slow. 

- St. Ephraim the Syrian 

+ Chastity comes from a spiritual heart and spiritual wisdom. 


+ The beginning of evil is indifference. 

Abba Poeman 

+ How much better it is for men not to desire forbidden things from the start, 

than to obtain their desires. 


+ The rewards of evil are temporary, the rewards of godliness are eternal. 

- Lactantius 

+ Let no man trust in riches, nor in symbols of authority, nor even in places of 

royalty. For none of these things make a man immortal. 

- Lactantius 

+ When wicked thoughts begin to war within me, I do whatever a traveler would 

do if he were walking in the wilderness and suddenly noticed a wild beast 

pursuing him; find a tall tree and climb to the top, so that you will be saved. 

And so likewise, when chased by temptation I flee to God in prayer and escape 

the attack of wicked thoughts. 

- Abba John the Short 

+ “Wine makes the heart of man glad” (Psalm 104:15). But to you who have 

expressed sorrows and grief should turn away from such gladness and rejoice 

instead in spiritual gifts. If you take refuge in too much wine, you will live with 

shameful thoughts and distress will surely overcome you. 

- St. Theodore of Edessa 

+ Those who seek the heavenly bread must first rule the belly, which is beneath 

heaven. 


+ Abbot Pambo journeyed to the city on a mission from the Patriarch 

Athanasios. The first person he met when entering the city was a woman 

dressed up to ensnare her victims. Seeing her, the elder became tearful. 

-23-

“Why are you crying, Father?" the young brother accompanying him asked. 

“For two reasons,” the elder replied, “First for the loss of her soul, and then 

because I do not take as much care to please my Lord as she does to please 

depraved men.” 

- From the Desert Fathers 

+ There are quite a few people who refrain from becoming Christians-not 

because they are afraid of losing their lives-but because they are afraid of 

losing their pleasures. 

- Tertullian 

+ The eyes of pigs have a natural configuration which makes them turn towards 

the ground, so that they can never gaze into heaven. So is the soul of one who 

lets himself be carried away by vice. Once the soul is allowed to sink into the pit 

of carnal pleasures, it can no longer get out again. 

- From the “Apop(h)thegmata Patrum” 

+ All sin is due to sensual pleasure, all forgiveness to hardship and distress. 

- St. Thalassius 

+ You cannot destroy passions on your own, simply ask God and He will 

destroy them, if this is profitable to you. 

- St. Anatoly of Optina 

+ Our wickedness shall not overpower the unspeakable goodness and mercy of 

God. Our dullness shall not overpower God’s wisdom, nor our weakness God’s 

omnipotence. 

The more resolutely, the more constantly, your heart is turned towards God and 

His saints, the more it will be enlightened, purified and vivified. 


+ As a handful of sand thrown into the sea, so are the sins of all flesh as 

compared with the mind of God. 

Just as a strongly flowing fountain is not blocked up by a handful of earth, so 

the compassion of Our Creator is not overcome by the wickedness of His 

creatures. 

Someone who bears a grudge while he is at prayer is like a person who sows 

seeds in the sea yet expects to reap a harvest. 


+ Sinners are delivered to Satanic forces to destroy the flesh. Although the 

serpent can lick the dust of their flesh, he can’t hurt their souls. So then, 

our flesh must die to lusts. It must be captive to and subdued by, and not war 

-24 -

against, the law of our mind. Instead it must die as a slave to a good service. 

For the flesh dies when the Spirit swallows its wisdom. Then it no longer has a 

taste for the things of the flesh, but for the things of the Spirit. I want to see my 

flesh weakening. I don’t want to the dragged into captivity to the bondage of sin. 

I don’t want to live in the flesh, but in the faith of Christ! So then, there is greater 

grace in the body’s pain than in its health. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ You shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven if you will not become a king over 

your lust and thoughts. 

- Abba Dorotheus 

+ We must not pursue foolish, vain or worldly things, or yield to fear in the 

midst of trouble. We are, no doubt, flattered by deception and weighed down 

by troubles, but because “the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.” ... So then, 

whether we fight against the world’s ambition, the lusts of the flesh, or against 

the darts of heresy, we must always arm ourselves with the Lord’s Cross. 

- Pope Leo of Rome 

+ If our physician, God in Christ, having rescued us from our desires, regulates 

our flesh with His own wise and temperate rule, it is evident that He guards it 

from sins because it has a hope of salvation, just as physicians do not allow 

people whom they hope to save, to indulge in whatever pleasures they desire. 


+ He who is ruled by lust of money is judged covetous, even though he 

possesses nothing at all. He who lusts after many and costly dishes is a 

glutton, even though he, on account of poverty, feeds on nothing but bread 

and water. He who is an adulterer or fornicator, who attaches himself to his 

imaginations, is so defiled, even though he has never seen the face of anyone. 

So too, he who says in his heart, “This has been done badly, and has not 

turned out right, and “Why has this happened? Why hasn’t this happened?” 

-le t him not deceive himself. He is a slanderer and will be judged as one who 

condemns, even though he does not utter a single word with his tongue and 

no one hears his voice. 


+ Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise on a full stomach, all snuggled 

up, as in a feather- bed, but what is required is to carry one’s Cross along the 

way, for the Kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, 

but many! 

- Anthony, Elder of Optina 

+ Do not pay attention to fantasies or dreams, but be guided by trust in the 

all- powerful grace of Christ. 

- Elder Moses of Optina 

-25-

+ A young monk confessed to his elder, “My unclean thoughts are about to kill 

me.” 

The elder replied, “Do you know what mothers do when they want to wean their 

young babies? They put a bitter herb on their breast. Likewise for you, instead 

of some bitter substance keep the memory of death and eternal damnation 

before you and you will immediately cut- off any unclean thought. 


+ If you are friendly with someone who happens to commit the sin of fornication, 

offer him your hand, if you can, and deliver him from it. But if he falls into heresy 

and you cannot dissuade him from abandoning his false beliefs, separate 

yourself quickly from him, in case, if you delay, you too may be dragged down 

with him into the pit. 

-Abba Theodore 

+ We truly love God and keep His Commandments if we restrain ourselves 

from our pleasures. For he who still gives himself to unlawful desires certainly 

does not love God, since he contradicts Him in his own intentions...Therefore, 

he loves God truly, whose mind is not conquered by consent to evil delight. 

For the more one takes pleasure in base things, the more he is separated from 

heavenly love. 

- St. Gregory, Pope of Rome 

+ Though I have left the city’s haunts, the source of innumerable temptations 

and ills, yet I have not yet learned to leave myself. 

- St. Basil the Great 

+ For souls become purer the more they rise to spiritual things. They rise 

more to spiritual things the more they die to things of the flesh. So while we 

are absent from the Lord and walk by faith instead of sight, we should see 

the flesh of Christ. By that very faith we stand on the solid foundation and rock 

of faith and we observe it from a safe watch tower. For we come to love to see 

the face of Christ even more as we recognize how much Christ first loved us in 

His flesh. 


+ If you want to do something good, do it! And if you cannot do it, then 

resolve to do it, and you will have achieved the resolution even if you do not 

fulfill the action itself. Thus a habit, whether good or bad, can gradually and 

spontaneously be overcome. If this were not the case, no criminals would 

ever be saved, whereas in fact not only have they been saved, but many 

have become conspicuous for their excellence. Think what a great gulf 

separates the criminal from the saint; yet resolution finally overcame habit. 

- St. Peter of Damascus 

-26-

+ If rulers don’t terrify those who do good works, how will God, who is by nature 

perfect, terrify those who don’t sin ? 

Healthy people don’t need doctors when they are strong, but those who are sick 

need a doctor’s skill. In the same way, we who are sick from shameful lusts, 

excesses and other flames of passion need the Savior. And He administers not 

only mild, but also stringent medicines. 

All of humanity stands in need of Jesus so that we may not remain as obstinate 

sinners to the end, and be condemned. 


+ Let us toil, carrying each other’s burden, as Christ carried our diseases in His 

body without flinching. If Christ is truly our master, then let us imitate Him and 

bear His injuries, lest in the age to come we be separated from our brothers 

who suffered afflictions. Such was also the fate of others because they wanted 

to give themselves not to virtue but rather to vices. 

- St. Pachomius 

+ Vice is the incorrect use of our conceptual images of things, which leads us 

to misuse the things themselves. In relation to women, as an example, sexual 

intercourse, rightly used, has as its purpose, the begetting of children. He, 

therefore, who seeks in it only sensual pleasure uses it wrongly, for he reckons 

as good that which is not good. When such a man has intercourse with a 

woman, he misuses her. The same is true with regard to other things and our 

conceptual images of them. 


+ Almost every sin is committed for the sake of sensual pleasure, and sensual 

pleasure is overcome by hardship and distress arising either voluntarily from 

repentance, or else involuntarily as a result of a sincere, God- inspired change 

of mind. “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged; but when 

we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be 

condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31- 32). 


+ The Lord reigns everywhere, in the whole visible world (being in every place) 

and in all the angelic hosts. He also reigns by His infinite power and Truth over 

the spirits of evil, and over evil and unrighteous men ...But He, the truth, does 

not reign in demons and in unrighteous men by His Truth because falsehood is 

in them. He does not reign in them by His love, because malice is in them. He 

does not reign in the unrighteous by faith, neither by hope, but He reigns in 

them by the strict fulfillment of His laws. 


-27-

+ An anchorite who, going to a spring for water, fell into sin with a woman at 

the spring, and returning to his cell acknowledged his sin, and began to lead an 

ascetic life as before...The Lord revealed this incident to a certain father, and 

commanded him to glorify the brother who had fallen into sin, for such a victory 

over the Devil. 


+ Do not steal anything from anyone, and take nothing, and be content with 

what you earn by your own labors. Be diligent and avoid idleness. For as 

diligence is pleasing to God, so idleness is the source of every evil, and a 

sin which is very offensive to God. Never lie, but always tell the truth. For all 

falsehood and deceit are the most harmful of all vices, and the customary 

work of the Devil. 


+ We make ourselves a ladder out of our vices if we trample the vices 

themselves underfoot. 


+ No one administers drugs until he has rubbed the rim of the cup with honey. 

So too, vice puts on the semblance of virtue, the better to deceive us. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Human desires are tempted only by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 

or the pride of life. The Devil tempted the Lord by these three. 


+ “Everyone who looks lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart” 

(Matthew 5:28), and again, “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s” 

(Exodus 20:17). Thus it is clearly proven that, even if one is deprived of 

everything and commits no sin whatever in action, but merely likes it and favors 

it and, so to speak, is attached to it, he is an enemy of God. Thus John says, 

“If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). So 

the Lord Himself says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your mind, 

and with all your strength, and with all your soul” (Matthew 12:30) . 


+ If we have the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of our 

thoughts, how shall we be able in their midst to escape from any kind of sin, 

without in any way being harmed by its sting? I know well that many of the 

saints of old guarded themselves from this, and those of the present still do so. 

They spend their lives in the midst of the things of this life, its concerns and its 

cares, and yet complete their lives in perfect holiness. 


-28 -

+ Every man who loves purity and chastity becomes a temple of God. 


+ Offer to the Lord the weakness of your nature, fully acknowledging your own 

powerlessness, and imperceptibly you will receive the gift of chastity. 

- St. John Climacus 

+ O Lord Our God...stop the rushing of passions, and quench the burning of 

bodily tension. Grant us to live chastely in word and act, that we may live a life 

of heroic virtue and not fall away from Your promised blessings. 

- From the “Evening Prayers” 

+ I write to you in the midst of life, yet in love with death, for my love (eros) has 

been crucified. There is within me no fire of material longing, but living water 

within me and springing up, crying aloud , “Come to the Father”. 


-29-

Wlpat th)e cbrwrcl) Fathers Say About... 

TRUTH, LYING, FALSEHOODS, RUMORS 

AND OTHER SINS OF THE TONGUE 


St. Hilary of Poitiers 


St. Ambrose 

Bishop Tlfeophan the Recluse 

St. John climacus 

St. John chrvsostom 

St. Ephraim the Syrian 


...and others 

-30-


Christ Our God, Who is worshipped and glorified at all times, and in every hour 

in heaven and earth; Who is most patient, loving and kind; Who loves the just 

and shows mercy to sinners; Who calls all to salvation through the promise of 

the blessings to come. Lord, at this time, receive our prayer and direct our lives 

according to Your will. Bless our souls and bodies. Correct our thoughts and 

purify our minds. Protect us from all evil and distress. Surround us with Your 

Holy Angels, that guided and guarded by them, we may attain the unity of the 

Faith and the knowledge of Your unapproachable glory, for You are blessed 

forever and ever. Amen. 

(Here add your own private prayer and intercessions...) 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have 

mercy on us and save us. Amen. 


REFLECTION: 

> Job 5:21 

> Psalm 34:19 

> Proverbs 15:4 

> 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 

> James 1:26, 3:1-18 

> 1 John 3:18-23 

> 2 Corinthians 11:10 

> 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 

> 1 Timothy 2:3-4 

> Psalm 31:18, 109:2, 119:29,163 

> Proverbs 6:16-19,13:5, 21:6 

> Isaiah 30:9 

> Jeremiah 8:4-6 

> Ephesians 4:25-27 

> Exodus 18:21 

> Psalm 15:2, 25:5, 43:3, 86:11, 117:2 

> Proverbs 12:17-22 

> 1 Peter 3:10 

We are aware that not all men and women necessarily tell the truth, no matter 

how intelligent or persuasive they may seem. All of us are capable of lying. It is 

a major human flaw. And yet, we seek the truth in all things. 

What was the truth that Christ spoke? Well, we have His words in the Gospels. 

We know what He said and what it reveals about Him. We must also realize that 

the more we read these words of the Lord the deeper our understanding of the 

true Christian Faith. 

A friend may describe someone to you and give you as much information as is 

possible about his or her personality, attitudes, and deeds. Yet, until you hear a 

person speak, or watch what they do, or spend time with them-you really do not 

know them. This is also true about Our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

- 31 -

While we cannot meet Christ in the flesh, the more we read about His words 

and deeds, and solidify His words in our hearts - the more the Holy Spirit will 

make Him come alive for us. The Lord comes to us in the Eucharist, of course, 

and He becomes part of us, to strengthen us, and become food for our earthly 

journey. Still we are not able to sit down and converse with Him, so we rely on 

His words to make Him real. Christ will become a reality because the Spirit acts 

on our minds and hearts to bring Him to us. We will trust Him because, in 

Christ, truth becomes real! 

It is no accident that a phrase has come down to us in the English language, 

“The Gospel truth”. The Gospels are Truth itself and the spiritual wisdom within 

their pages is as precious as gold. In its pages read what Christ says, follow His 

word, let the Spirit act on your consciousness, and you will put yourself in 

Christ’s presence. Answer within your own mind the same questions He asks of 

His disciples, pay close attention to what He says about important issues in life. 

Nothing in this life will give you greater understanding, greater hope, or more 

assurance than the ultimate Truth one finds in Jesus Christ. 


++++++++++ 

+ Our confession must not contain lazy or deliberately vague words. There 

must not be any space between our heart and lips, lest what should be the 

confession of true reverence becomes a mask for evil. 

- St. Hilary of Poitiers 

+ Hold your tongue in check with a tight rein. Restrain it and call it back to 

moderation. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ In suffering, we should not threaten in return. When we are verbally assaulted, 

we should not abuse in return. Instead, we should bless those that curse us 

and commit ourselves to God in all things. For God judges righteously. Those 

who do this conform themselves to the Gospel. They will have a part with Christ 

(and) will become imitators of apostolic conversation. 


+ Restrain your tongue from speaking evil. Put the bridle of law on your mouth 

so that, if you speak, you will speak only when it would be sinful to remain 

silent. 

Accustom your tongue to always speak good about people. Use you ears to 

hear the praises of good people rather than their condemnation. Make sure that 

all your good actions are done for God’s sake. Let every good and pious deed 

-32-

e done only for God’s sake, since every good deed brings a reward if done out 

of fear and love for Him. 

- Sulpitius Severus 

+ He who has become aware of his sins has learned to control his tongue. Yet, 

a talkative person has not come to know himself as he should. 


+ If Moses, who was a god to Pharaoh, was shut out of the Promised Land 

because of one word, how much more will the evil words from our tongue, by 

which we offend God and abuse our fellow men, shut us out of heaven? 


+ Many abstain from meat, milk and other food which God has not forbidden 

and even gave as a blessing to people - who have learned the truth and know 

how to “partake of these things with thanksgiving”, (1 Timothy 4:34). But these 

same devout people, give scandal by their actions, and spread scandal with 

their tongue like a roaring fire. 


+ In general, excessive wordiness opens the doors of the soul, and the warmth 

of the heart escapes. Empty talk does the same, but even more so...Empty talk 

is the door to criticism and slander, the spreader of false rumors and opinions, 

the sower of discord and strife. Empty talk stifles the taste for mental work and 

almost always serves as a cover for the absence of sound knowledge. 

- Bishop Theophan the Recluse 

+ Slander is an offspring of hatred, a subtle, yet course disease, a leech lurking 

unfelt, wasting and draining the blood of love. It is, simulation of love, the patron 

of a heavy and unclean heart, the ruin of chastity. 


+ Wherefore, not those that are slandered, but the slanderers, have need to 

be anxious, and to tremble. For the former are not constrained to answer for 

themselves, touching the evil things which are said of them, but the latter will 

have to answer for the evil they have spoken, and over the slanderer hangs the 

whole danger. 


+ For everything give thanks to God, because thanksgiving intercedes before 

God for human weakness. 

- Saints Barsanuphius and John 

+ Let there be a door on your mouth so that it can be shut when necessary. Let 

it be closed carefully so that no one can rouse your voice to anger and make 

-33-

you pay back abuse with abuse. You have heard it read, “Be angry but do not 

sin.” Therefore, although we are angry (as a result of our nature, not our will), 

we must not utter one evil word with our mouths, lest we fall into sin. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ Nothing pains the soul more than slander, whether directed against one’s faith 

or one’s manner of life. No one can be indifferent to it except those who, like 

Susanna, have their eyes fixed on God. For only God has the power to rescue 

from danger, as He rescued her, to convince men of truth, as He did in her 

case, and to encourage the soul with hope. 


+ If anyone reproaches, grieves or offends you in any way, do not become 

angry with that brother, but going away, pray to God for him in this way, “O Lord 

forgive him, and ascribe this insult to the Devil, for it is a demon who teaches us 

to offend one another.” 

- Elder Hilarion of Sarov 

+ The unjust person, or the malicious person, or the slanderer, is no different 

from the Devil. 


+ To speak evil of the righteous is a sin not easily pardoned. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The sin of the man who tells a lie to help another is not so heinous as that 

of the man who tells a lie to injure another. 


+ There is a difference between lying and being a liar. A man may tell a lie 

unwillingly, but a liar loves to lie, and inhabits in his mind the delight of lying. 


+ Since by lying - eternal life is lost, never for any man’s temporal life must a 

lie be told. 


+ The tongue is to be moderately bridled, not to be bound immoderately. 

- St. Gregory of Rome 

+ Make it your object, therefore, to keep your tongue chaste as well as your 

eyes. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Blessed are the lips, which never utter what they would wish to recall. 


-34-

+ The man who cannot restrain his tongue is most like an open city ...it is much 

easier to overcome, because it fights against itself with useless talk, helping the 

adversary. 

- St. Gregory of Rome 

+ If you are ever slandered and your innocence is subsequently revealed, do 

not be arrogant. Serve the Lord with humility and thank Him for freeing you from 

the calumnies of men, observing His Commandments faithfully and from the 

heart. 

- Sf. Ephraim the Syrian 

+ “With great difficulty I work to control my tongue”, a young monk confessed to 

Abba Nistheros. 

“When you talk, do you find peace?” 

“Never.” 

“Then why do you talk? Learn to be silent. When it is a matter of something of 

profit, it is better to listen to others than to speak.” the wise elder advised him. 


+ Many lies are apparently told out of kindness, not malice, the object being 

someone’s safety or advantage. Such were the lies told by the midwives in the 

Book of Exodus who gave a false report to Pharaoh in order to save the male 

infants of Israel from death. 

But even here what is praiseworthy is not the lie but the reason the lie was told. 

Not the act but the motive. 


+ There are two kinds of lies which are no serious sin, but not free from all sin, 

the lie spoken in jest, and the lie spoken to offer some service. 


+ The supreme act of worshipping God is praise toward Him from the mouth of 

a righteous person. 

- Lactantius 

+ When passion blows hard and storms rage, people throw out words without 

knowing how to be appropriate and measured in speech. But when the passion 

has ceased, they remember the kinds of words they spoke. They consider the 

loss and cannot be at peace. They remember the words that have disgraced 

them. They are robbed, not of money, but of self- control and gentle character. 


- 3 5 -

+ It is useless to try to teach what you don’t know, and is worse still to be 

ignorant of your ignorance. 

- Theodoret 

+ Let us discipline our tongues to administer the Spirit’s grace and empty our 

mouths of every trace of bitterness, malice and disgracefulness. For we have 

the power to make each part of our bodies to be instruments of wickedness or 

righteousness. 

We see the same thing with our mouth. Those with mouths full of filth and 

wickedness are accused. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. But 

this isn’t the case with the righteousness man: “My mouth will speak of wisdom 

and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding” (Psalm 49:3). 


+ Just as mischievous boys lock out their teacher, false teachers shut out true 

teachings from their Church, looking at them with suspicion. In fact, they stitch 

together a mass of lies and fabrications so that they may appear as though they 

are acting reasonably by not admitting the Scriptures. So then, they do not 

practice piety since they are uncomfortable with the promptings of the Holy 

Spirit. They are deprived of the faithful counsel of God, the traditions of Christ, 

and are bitter like wild almonds. Their doctrine (except for the evident truths 

they could not discard or conceal) begins with themselves. 


+ It is an old saying, “Liars are disbelieved even when they speak the truth.” 

- St. Jerome 

+ It is, beyond all doubt, worse to swear falsely by the true God than to swear 

truly by the false gods. 


+ For the guarding of the inner man, one must strive to restrain the tongue from 

much idle talk. 


+ Truth always shines brighter when thoroughly ventilated. 

- St. John Cassian 

+ It is in our power, when we are examined, to deny that we are Christians; 

but we could not live by telling a lie. 


+ Seek for yourself, O man - search for your true self. “He who seeks shall find 

himself in God.” 


-36-

+ A certain monk was slandered by another who was perceived to be a very 

holy man. The slandered monk was puzzled and fell into such despair that even 

his health began to suffer. He asked himself, “How is it that this so- called holy 

man, respected by others, could have such little comprehension and hurt 

another person, under the guise of protecting the Faith. After all, the slandered 

monk thought, “I am being attacked for supposed personal immorality, not 

heresy.” The torment of being attacked overtook the monk’s mind. 

Finally, a very wise monk, a man with great spiritual discernment, told the monk, 

“If your attacker were really holy, he would probably not cause you this great 

spiritual and physical harm. However, if you judge him in return and proclaim 

that he is not really holy, then the spiritual harm to you would be much greater. 

Leave the final judgment to God alone!” 

- The Desert Fathers 

+ Hell itself bubbles up with rumors and slander. 

- Commodianus 

+ A fire of straw quickly dies out and a spreading flame soon expires if fuel is 

not added to the fire. 

- St. Jerome 

+ It is not lawful for you to patiently listen to evil- speaking against another, 

inasmuch as you would not wish that to be done by others against yourself. 


+ Beware of babbling tongues and itching ears. Don’t gossip about others or 

listen to gossips. “You sit” says the psalmist, “and speak against your brother; 

you slander your own mother’s son. These things have you done quickly and I 

kept silence; you thought wrongly that I was such a one as yourself, but I will 

reprove you and set them in order before your eyes.” 

Keep your tongue from frivolously expressing disapproval and watch over your 

words. Know this; when you judge others, you are sentencing yourself. For you 

are also guilty of the things of which you accuse them. Isn’t it an excuse to say, 

“If others tell me things, I cannot be rude to them ?” No one wants to talk to an 

unwilling listener. 

An arrow never lodges itself in a stone. Instead, it often recoils on its shooter. 

Therefore, let the gossip learn not to be so quick to gossip because of your 

unwillingness to listen. Solomon says, “Meddle not with them that are given to 

gossip for their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the destruction of 

them both?” That is, the person who knows the destruction of the gossip and of 

the person who listens to this gossip. 

- St. Jerome 

-37-

+ For the preservation of peace of soul one must...by every means flee from 

the judgment of others. 

- Sf. Seraphim of Sarov 

+ Do not speak evil of your brother, even if you see him transgressing all 

the Commandments. Otherwise, you yourself will fall into the hands of your 

enemies. 

- St. Anthony the Great 

+ Because of the words of the serpent, Eve was expelled from paradise - such 

also is speaking of one’s neighbor. It destroys the hearer and destroys also the 

soul of the speaker. 

- Abba Agathon 

+ For an offense, whatever kind may have been given, one must not avenge 

oneself, but on the contrary must all the more forgive from the heart, even 

though it may resist this, and must incline the heart by conviction of the word 

of God: “If you do not forgive men of their trespasses, neither will your Father 

forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15). 


+ A monk of a large monastery, who was somewhat lax in spiritual matters, 

became seriously ill and was nearing death. The brothers of the monastery 

gathered around to give him courage in his last hours, and noticed that the 

brother was facing death with great calmness. 

The abbot said, “My son, we all know that you were not always diligent in your 

spiritual duties. How is it that you leave this life for the other with such 

courage?” 

“It is true, Abba”, murmured the dying monk, “that I was often negligent, and not 

a good monk. I have, however, observed one thing with exactness in my life. 

I never judged anyone. Because of this, I intend to plead my case before my 

Divine Master and say, ‘Lord you said, do not judge in order not to be judged’, 

and I hope that He will not judge me strictly.” 

The abbot said in wonderment, “Go in peace on your eternal journey my 

brother. You have succeeded without toil in saving yourself.” 


+ It is more virtuous to eat meat and drink wine than to consume the flesh of 

one’s brethren through slander. 

- Abbot Hyperechius 

+ A monk of our day said, “One commandment could cure the ills of those who 

cause turmoil in the Church today, ‘Judge no one!’ should be the motto of those 

who hold firm to the ancient Orthodox tradition.” 

- From a Commentary 

- 3 8 -

W pat tl)e Cyurcy Fathers Say About, 

ANGER, HATRED AND REVENGE 


Metropolitan philaret of Moscow 

St. Isaac tê Syrian 

Abba Isidoros 


St. clement of Rome 

Abba Poemen 

The Desert Fathers 

... and others 

- 39 -


Dear Lord, the storms of life are sweeping down on me, the winds and rains 

of adversity, guilt, hurt, misunderstanding, failure, insecurity, hardship, anxiety, 

tension, doubt, rejection. They are pummeling me like hailstones in an open 

field. I feel so threatened, lost and alone. 

0 Lord, please hear my prayer and save me or I perish, for there is salvation 

only with You, for You only can still the storms and bring me tranquility. Please 

help me to relax in Your loving care and keeping. 

1 know You are Lord of the Universe and Master of our lives. And I know that I 

am infinitely precious in Your sight. Give me the strength to understand that 

nothing will happen to me except if it passes through Your knowledge and will. 

Be my shelter and preserver through every storm I may face and bring me, by 

Your strong hand, to a place of peace, through Him who is my peace, My Lord 

and Savior Jesus Christ. 

This I ask through the prayer of Our Holy and Almighty Father, and that of Our 

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, have mercy o me and save me. Amen. 


REFLECTION: 

> Psalm 37:8, 103:8-10, 94 

> Proverbs 15:18, 19:11, 15:1, 27:4 

> Psalm 34:21, 35:19, 97:10, 101:3 

> Proverbs 1:22, 1:29,6:16- 19,13:5 

> Isaiah 35:4 


> St. Luke 6:22 

> Colossians 3:8, 3:21 

> Ephesians 4:31 

> Hebrews 10:30-31 

> 1 John 2:9, 3:15, 4:20-21 

> Romans 7:15 

> St. John 3:20 

Just how does a believing Christian keep from succumbing to the vices of 

anger, fear and hatred in this age when the world seems to drift aimlessly, 

morally bankrupt, and heading for what seems sure to be generations of 

terrorism and fear? 

We look around us, at schools, government, even in some Churches and 

it appears that the front lines of defense have crumbled and we are left 

alone - deserted in a world gone mad! Simple values such as peace-making, 

forgiveness, truthfulness, dependability, and concern for the welfare of others 

seem swallowed up in a culture of selfishness and greed. We would rather 

sue than solve problems in a conciliatory spirit. The fort seems deserted, and 

it appears that we are left alone! 

-40-

It is very natural for a Christian to feel he is alone on this devastated human 

wasteland. One cries out in desperation, “Lord, help me!” or “My God, why have 

You forsaken me?” This desperation has been felt before in Holy Scripture, 

figures such as Elijah, David and even Our Lord Himself called out the familiar 

cry of anguish, “My God, why have You forsaken me?” 

Often, in the pages of Scripture we see that evil must be allowed to ferment and 

“come to a head”. Farmers do not harvest until a crop is ready, physicians will 

not lance an abscess until the infection has localized - and God will not deal 

with the evil in this world until it is ready to be neutralized and destroyed forever. 


++++++++++ 

+ He who sufficiently knows and judges himself does not have time to judge 

others. 

- Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow 

+ Someone who speaks up in defense of a person suffering injustice, will find 

an advocate in his Creator. 


+ A man prone to anger, even if he is capable of raising the dead, will not be 

received into the Kingdom of Heaven. 


+ The person who accuses his brother for committing evil deeds, will find God 

as his accuser. 


+ If you feel that hatred has overwhelmed you, remain silent. Say nothing until, 

by ceaseless prayer and self- recrimination, you have calmed your heart. 

- St. Hilarion 

+ How many trifling and incessant pretexts the Devil offers us for hating our 

neighbor, so that we are almost constantly angry with others, almost constantly 

bearing malice against others - and living in accordance with his infernal 

all- destructive will. Do not chase his phantoms, put aside all enmity, and love 

everyone, for love is of God. 


+ To bear a grudge in hate and attempt to pray, means to sow seed on the sea 

and expect a harvest. 


-41 -

+ Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes of men, let us rejoice that we are 

honored in the eyes of God. 

- Abba John 

+ A complaining, vindictive monk, prone to anger, cannot exist. That is to say 

that, anyone who has such faults is not actually a monk, even if he wears the 

great habit. 

- Abba Poimen 

+ An enemy must be aided, so that he won’t continue to be an enemy. 


+ If anyone abuses you, bless him. If he accepts the blessing, it is good for both 

of you. If, however, he does not accept it, you receive a blessing from God and 

the abuse rests on him. 

- A Desert Father 

+ A rebuke stemming from envy is a poisoned arrow. 

- St. Isaac to Syrian 

+ When malice against anyone is roused within you, then believe that this is 

the work of the Evil One working in your heart. Hate him and his brood and the 

malice will leave you. Do not acknowledge it as anything of your own, and do 

not sympathize with it. This is from experience. 


+ When anyone is disturbed or saddened under the pretext of a good and 

soul- profiting matter, and is angered against his neighbor, it is evident that this 

is not according to God. For everything that is of God is peaceful and useful for 

perfection, which leads a man to humility and judging himself. 

- St. Barsanuphius 

+ Do not make things worse for those who are bitter, lest you be scourged by 

the same rod that they are; then you will seek someone to console you, but you 

will find no one. 


+ When we see a person who has committed serious sins and crimes escaping 

with impunity, we react with indignation. We want to see that person answer 

for his crimes and punished. We feel anger when this does not happen. But at 

moments such as these we should reflect on our own misdeeds: indeed we 

should turn that sense of indignation inward against ourselves. Each of us 

should ask, “How many sins have I committed against others, when I have 

escaped with impunity?” There are, no doubt, many examples in all our cases. 

Recognizing this fact will cause our anger, directed towards others, to melt 

away. More importantly, it will make us turn to God and ask forgiveness of these 

-42 -

sins. It may be due, however, to a difference between our own sins and the sins 

we notice in others. Our own sins are probably quite subtle and inconspicuous, 

whereas the sins of others are obvious and gross. Should we, therefore, 

regard our own sins as less important or dire? On the contrary, we should 

realize that subtle sins are frequently most harmful. Obvious sins, such as 

burglary and manslaughter, are easily recognized, and so can be guarded 

against by physical means. The more subtle sins, such as lying or slander, 

and power- mongering, are frequently hard to spot and so difficult to prevent. 


+ Irritability of temper proceeds from a want of self- knowledge, from pride, 

and also from the fact that we do not consider the great corruption of our 

nature, and know little about the meek and humble Jesus. 


+ Dislike, enmity, or hatred should be unknown among Christians, even by 

name. How can dislike exist among Christians? Everywhere you should see 

love, everywhere you should breathe the fragrance of love. Our God is the 

God of love. His Kingdom is the kingdom of love. Out of love for us He did not 

spare His only- begotten Son, but delivered Him up to die for our sake, to be a 

propitiation for our sins. 


+ When someone wishes to repay evil- with evil, he can injure his brother’s 

soul even by a single nod of the head. 

- Abba Isaiah 

+ A monastic who had quarreled with another monk went to an elder and 

confessed to him, “A brother greatly embittered me and the thought of seeking 

revenge plagues me. What shall I do?” The wise elder replied, “Lock yourself in 

your cell and do not cease, day or night to pray for him. Only in this way will you 

be released from the passion that seethes inside you.” 

The brother obeyed and, within one week, he found peace in his soul. 


+ One day, the brothers were sitting in front of the church and consulting an 

elder about their thoughts. An elder told Brother John, “Your vessel is full of 

poison.” Abba John said, “That is very true, and you have said that when you 

see only the outside, but if you were able to see the inside, too, what would 

you say then?” 


-43-

+ The wrath of man is a terrible, unnatural phenomenon deep inside him: it is 

often aroused in the heart by the most unimportant causes - mostly through 

the self- love or pride concealed in our heart. We must recall the words of Holy 

Scripture, “The wrath of man does not work to the righteousness of God” 

(James 1:20). 

- St. John Kronstadt 

+ Most people think that idolatry is only burning incense, sacrificing a victim, 

committing to sacred ceremonies or priesthoods. Similarly, some believe that 

adultery consists only in kisses, embraces and actual fleshly contact, or murder 

only in the shedding of blood and the actual taking of life. But the Lord looks 

at these crimes in much wider terms. He proclaims that adultery exists even in 

lustful thoughts or desires, “If one shall cast an eye lustfully on another...” He 

sees murder even in a curse or reproach, in every impulse of anger, and in the 

neglect of kindness toward a neighbor. As St. John teaches, “He who hates his 

neighbor is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). 

- Tertullian 

+ Anger is foolish, fickle and senseless. Now folly gives birth to bitterness, 

bitterness to anger, and anger to frenzy. This frenzy, the product of so many 

evils, ends in great and incurable sin. For when all these spirits dwell in one 

vessel, in which the Holy Spirit also dwells, the vessel cannot contain them 

but overflows. 

- “The Shepherd of Hermas” 

+ God isn’t pain, He is pleasure 

He isn’t cowardice, but boldness. 

He isn’t fear, anger, or any other emotion that sways the unguided soul. 

But, as the Apostle Paul says, “God is Wisdom, Sanctification, Truth, Joy, 

Peace, and everything in their realm.” 


+ Resist anger and bitterness, and you will be found in company with the purity 

which is loved by the Lord. 


+ Concerning God’s love and mercy, we shouldn’t be bitter, cruel or inhuman 

toward sinners. Instead we should mourn with those that mourn, weep with 

those that weep, and raise them up by the help and comfort of our love as much 

as we can. We should be neither too rigorous in rejecting their repentance nor 

too lax in allowing communion. 


+ Every day we should consider what we have done that day and night. If we 

have sinned, we must stop. But if we haven’t, we must not be full of false pride. 


-44 -

+ People don’t look at what happens to others in the same way as what 

happens to them. So when the disciples saw others benefiting and not 

themselves, they became apathetic. Because they couldn’t see or enjoy 

their own blessings from Him, Christ allowed the storm. Then, by their 

deliverance from it, they could gain a better perception of their benefits. 


+ Fear isn’t caused by approaching trials, but by weakness of the mind. 


+ Envying is even worse than fighting, since those who fight end their hatred 

when the cause of the war ends. But those who hold grudges would never 

become our friends. 


+ It is natural for one to be angry because generally there is good reason. 

However, it is our duty to restrain anger. We must not be carried away by fury 

like a lion, unable to settle down. We must not spread tales or make family 

quarrels worse, for it is written, “A wrathful man digs up sin.” One who is 

double- minded won’t be consistent. Therefore, even though we are angry, we 

must only admit that our emotion is natural and must not sin. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ Hatred is evil, because it always tolerates lying or speaking against the truth; 

it makes small things great, considers darkness to be light. It calls sweet things 

bitter, and teaches slander, war, violence, and evil. It fills every heart with 

devilish poison. 

Righteousness negates hatred and humility destroys hatred. For if one is 

righteous and good, he will be ashamed to do wrong. Righteous men aren't 

rebuked by someone else, but by their own heart, because the Lord sees their 

motives. They don’t speak against anyone, because their fear of the Most High 

overcomes hatred. Because they fear offending the Lord, they won’t do anything 

wrong to anyone, even by their thoughts. 

- “Testimony” from the Ancient Prophets 

+ If we detect any trace of hatred within our hearts, against any man, for 

committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since true 

love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man. 


+ He who is insolent towards men is insolent towards God, as many of us are. 

Respect in mankind the grand, inestimable image of God and be forbearing 

towards the faults and errors of fallen man, so that God may be forbearing 

towards your own, because the enemy of God and of mankind, being unable 

to vent his malice upon God, endeavors to vent it upon His image-man, - as 

- 4 5 -

well as his impurities, his darkness, pride, envy, hatred, etc. Respect, therefore, 

man and save him; watch yourself also, do not become irritable, nor malicious, 

do not envy, do not offend, do not retaliate, do not commit adultery, do not steal, 

do not harbor hatred, and so on. 

- St. John of Kronstadt. 

+ For an offense, whatever kind may have been given, one must not only refrain 

from avenging himself, but on the contrary must forgive from the heart, even 

though it may resist this, and must incline the heart by conviction of the word of 

God, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive 

your trespasses” (St. Matthew 6:15). 

- St. Gregory the Theologian 

+ One should nourish the soul with the word of God, for the word of God is 

angelic bread, by which souls who hunger for God are nourished. Most of all, 

one should be occupied with reading the New Testament and the Psalter, and 

this should be done while standing. 

- Sf. Gregory the Theologian 

+ “I have never gone to sleep with a grievance against anyone, and, as far as 

I could, I have never let anyone go to sleep with a grievance against me.” 

A man who is angry, even if he were to raise the dead, is not acceptable to God. 


+ One must, by every means, strive to preserve peace of soul and not to be 

disturbed by others, for this, one must strive to restrain anger in every way and 

by means of attentiveness to keep the mind and heart from improper feelings. 

If, however, it is impossible not to be disturbed, then at least one must strive to 

restrain the tongue, according to the Psalmist, “I was troubled, and did not 

speak” (Psalm 76:5). 


+ When you are insulted by someone or humiliated, guard against angry 

thoughts, lest they arouse a feeling of irritation, and so cut you off from love 

and place you in the realm of hatred. 


+ When anyone is disturbed or saddened under the pretext of a good and 

soul- profiting matter, and is angered against his neighbor, it is evident that this 

is not according to God. For everything that is of God is peaceful and useful 

and leads a man to humility and judging himself. 

- St. Barsanuphius the Great 

-46 -

+ “If you are troubled by evil spirits”, a desert Father said, “reveal them in 

confession, so as to be released from them quickly. Just as a snake is 

destroyed as soon as it comes out of hiding, so too an evil thought comes to 

ruin as soon as it is open expressed and exposed.” 


+ A brother was tormented by carnal desire. For many years, he labored alone, 

but saw no profit to himself. Finally, in order to conquer his passion, he stood in 

the middle of the church one Sunday after Divine Liturgy and said loudly, so that 

all the monks could hear; “Pray for me brothers, that God may have mercy on 

me, because for fourteen whole years I have warred against the flesh.” 

Saying these things, he felt immediately freed from the passion. What he could 

not do with years of toil and asceticism, confession accomplished in one 

moment. 


-47-

Wlyat tbe C \)w c\) Fathers Say About... 

DISCIPLINE, OBEDIENCE, PERFECTION, 

TEMPTATION, FREE WILL, AND SELF-ESTEEM 


Elder Paisios 

St. Makarios of Egypt 

St. Cyril of Alexandria 


St. Simeon the New Theologian 

Monks Callistus and Ignatius 

St. Gregory Nazianzen 

...and others 

-48-


O Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, teach me good judgment, knowledge, self- 

discipline, and obedience. Grant me to know Your truth before I go down into 

the grave. Maintain my life in this world until I may offer unto You worthy 

repentance. 

Take me not away in the midst of my days, nor while my mind is still blind from 

sin. When You shall be pleased to bring my life to an end, forewarn me that I 

may prepare my soul to come before Your heavenly throne. 

Be with me, O Lord, at that dread hour and grant me the joy of salvation. 

Cleanse me from secret faults, from all temptation and iniquity that is hidden in 

me, and give me a right answer before Your judgment- seat. 

Lord, of Your great mercy and immeasurable love for mankind grant me pardon 

and remission of my sins and give me peace. Amen. 

- Archbishop Sophronios 


REFLECTION: 

> Job 36:10, 11:7, 28:3 > Romans 5:19, 16:19 

> Corinthians 13:9 > Hebrews 5:8-10 

> James 1:17, 2:22 > Hebrews 6:1-3 

> Romans 15:18 > 1 Peter 5:10-11 

> 1 Peter 1:13-14 > St. Matthew 6:13, 26:41 

> St. Luke 8:13 > 1 Timothy 6:9 

> 2 Peter 2:9 

A young child dashed in front of a speeding car as her mother cried out, “Stop” 

and the youngster halted immediately just inches from being killed. 

A bystander exclaimed, “How lucky you are that the child obeyed you.” The 

shaken mother replied, “ That was not just chance, it was habit. My daughter 

has been taught to obey first and ask questions afterward.” 

This is a lesson that most Christians need to learn. How often we wait to 

obey God until we contemplate the consequences and weigh the decision. 

Most times we wait too long and thus God’s will is thwarted, and our lives are 

permanently altered or damaged. 

Sometimes our firm obedience to God could mean spiritual life or death. 

A sudden jolt of conscience that we ignore could bring immediate disaster on 

us, or our family/friends. Obedience then, is an act of the will that we are able 

-49 -

to perform or refuse. An example of this is the neglect of necessary prayer- a 

deliberate act of the will, whereby we could experience a serious breakdown in 

our intimate relationship with Almighty God. 

Real obedience is not just agreement, it is a free response to legitimate 

authority out of respect, honor or love. True obedience acts without questioning, 

and it is one of the most essential qualities in maintaining spiritual harmony with 

God. God cannot be paramount in our lives, and cannot function there without 

obedience to Him anymore than a parent, civic society, or other type of 

community unit can succeed if obedience to authority is missing, or ignored. 


++++++++++ 

+ There is nothing that hinders us from finding faith. If we heartily desire it, faith 

at once becomes active. It is a gift of Our Master and a natural thing, even 

though it remains subject to our own freedom of choice. 


+ Earthly service is a test, an obedience, a preparatory service for our heavenly 

home. We remember the words of Christ, “You have been faithful over a few 

things; I will make you ruler over many things” ( St. Matthew 25:21). 


+ Temptation is like a raging winter stream that is difficult to cross. Those who 

aren’t overwhelmed by temptations pass through. They show themselves to be 

excellent swimmers and aren’t swept away at all. Those who are not competent, 

however, enter into the waters of temptation and are lost. As an example, Judas 

entered into the temptation of loving money. He didn’t swim through it but was 

overpowered, and both his body and spirit were strangled. 

- St. Cyril of Alexandria 

+ We do not reach the final stages of spiritual maturity through Divine power 

and grace alone, without making any effort ourselves. But neither, on the other 

hand, do we attain the final measure of freedom and purity as a result of our 

own diligence and strength alone, apart from any Divine assistance. “If the Lord 

does not build the house, and protect the city, in vain do the watchmen keep 

awake, and in vain do the laborer and the builder work” ( Psalm 27:1- 4). 

- St. Makarios of Egypt 

+ The holy elder said, “It is not freedom when we say to people that everything 

is permitted. That is slavery. To improve one must have difficulties. Let’s look 

at an example. We have a small tree, we take care of it. We place a stake 

and tie it with a rope. Naturally we don’t tie it with wire because that way we 

would injure it. With that method we would not constrain the tree, and it 

-50-

would not develop properly. Now look at the child. We limit his freedom from 

the beginning. When he is first conceived the poor thing is limited to his 

mother’s womb, and remains there the whole nine months. Later he is born 

and immediately they wrap him in a blanket, they tie him up, and as soon as 

he begins to grow they set a railing, etc. All of this is necessary for him to grow. 

It appears to take away freedom, but without these protective measures the 

child will die in the first moment.” 

- Elder Paisios 

+ The new man, in Christ, finds pleasure in obedience, while the old man 

wishes to resist...Therefore, 0 Lord, Your will be done. I accept, as an 

expression of Your Will, all that is required of me by the authorities set over 

me, all that others do to me ( patience ), all that happens to me, for nothing 

happens without You. You are in everything, throughout all and everything. 


+ Every affliction reveals the disposition of our will, whether it inclines to the 

right or to the left. An affliction is therefore called temptation, because it puts 

to the test the man afflicted by it, proving his inner strength and obedience. 

- Monks Callistus and Ignatius 

+ There is a good reason why everything is attributed to God. For no matter 

how much you run, or how much you wrestle, you need someone to give you 

a reward. If the Lord didn’t construct the house, those who build it have labored 

in vain. If the Lord doesn’t watch over the city, those who watch over it, protect 

it in vain. “I know”, Solomon says, “that the race isn’t to the swift, or the battle to 

the strong, the victory to the fighters, or the harbors to the good sailors. But it is 

God who brings about victory. He brings the ship safely into the good harbor. ” 

- St. Gregory Nazianzen 

+ It is impossible for us to reach the other side unless we have endured the 

temptations of waves and hostile winds. 

- Origen 

+ I don’t know what temptations I can resist, and which ones I can’t. But there 

is hope because You are faithful O Lord. You won’t allow us to be tempted 

beyond what we are able to endure, but will always make a way to escape 

the temptation so that we can bear it. 


+ Those who are rebuked when chastised must not become angry, for we 

are all human and have faults. Those who rebuke must not rejoice over the 

person and make a scene, but do it privately and with gentleness. Those who 

rebuke need to be very gentle, in order to persuade the rebuked to bear the cut. 

Don’t you see how gently surgeons treat their patients when they must cut 

them? Those who rebuke must act in this way even more. For rebukes are 

-51 -

even sharper than fire and knives. They make people react. As a result, 

surgeons take great care to make their patients bear the cutting well. So should 

we offer rebukes so that the rebuked do not run away. 


+ When a man comes to know that he can fall away from God as a dry leaf 

falls from a tree, then he knows the power of his soul. 


+ It is for love’s sake that he who is in a state of obedience obeys what is 

commanded; and it is for love’s sake that he who is rich and free sheds his 

possessions and becomes a servant, surrendering both what he has (and 

him self) to whoever wishes to possess them. Likewise he who fasts does so 

for love’s sake, so that others may eat what he would otherwise have eaten. 

In short, every work rightly done is done out of love for God or for one’s 

neighbor. The things we have spoken of, and others like them, are done out of 

love for one’s neighbor, while vigils, psalmody and the like are out of love for 

God. To Him be glory, honor and dominion through all the ages. 

- St. Peter of Damaskos 

+ When people say that it is impossible to attain perfection, to be once and for 

all free from the passions, or to participate fully in the Holy Spirit, we should cite 

Holy Scripture against them, showing them that they are ignorant and speak 

falsely and dangerously. For the Lord has said, “Become perfect, as your 

Heavenly Father is perfect” (St. Matthew 5:48). 


+ The tongue is a dangerous thing if it is not governed by reason. Believe 

that listening is always safer than talking. Worship a little through words, but 

even more by your actions. Worship more by keeping the Law than by admiring 

the Lawgiver. Show your love for God by running from wickedness, pursuing 

righteousness, living and walking in the Spirit, drawing your knowledge from 

Him, and building on the foundation of faith. 


+ Abba Anthony said to Abba Poemen, “This is the great work of a man, always 

to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his 

last breath.” 

He also said, “Whosoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter the 

Kingdom of Heaven.” He then added, “Without temptation, no one can be 

saved.” 

Again he said, “I saw all the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world 

and I said groaning, what can get one through such snares? Then I heard a 

voice saying to me, humility.” 


-52-

+ Abba Rouphous says that a greater glory awaits the monk who is obedient to 

an elder than to the hermit who lives by his own will in the solitude of the desert. 


+ A holy woman said, “While a person is in a monastery, obedience is preferred 

to ascetic practice. The former teaches humility, the latter teaches pride.” 


+ Take away temptations and no one will be saved. 


+ Discretion is the greatest of all the virtues. 


+ Sound doctrine does not enter the heart that is hardened and disobedient. 


+ Even though the Fathers often reduced their practice of bodily discipline 

because of age or lack of physical strength, they never relaxed their practice 

of the moral virtues at all. For in the place of bodily asceticism they had bodily 

weakness, which is able to constrain the flesh. But we cannot keep the soul 

sinless so that the intellect may be illumined unless we practice the virtues of 

the soul. 


+ The love of God lies in the love of people, and there is no other way. At the 

Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic 

exercises, how many bows and prostrations I made in the course of prayer. 

I shall be asked, Did I feed the hungry? Clothe the naked? Visit the sick and 

the prisoners? That is all I shall be asked. About every poor, hungry and 

imprisoned person the Savior says “I”: “I was hungry and thirsty, I was sick 

and in prison.” To think that He puts an equal sign between Himself and anyone 

in need...I always knew it, but now it has somehow penetrated into my sinews. 

It fills me with awe! 

- Mother Maria 

+ One must be in obedience to a superior; for through that he who is obedient 

prospers mightily in the formation of his soul: and in addition he obtains by this 

means understanding of things, and comes to heartfelt contrition. 


+ There are three things especially pleasing to God. Illnesses suffered with 

patience, works done without ostentation and for His love only, and submission 

to a spiritual elder with perfect self- denial. The last thing will gain the greatest 

crown. 

- Abba Joseph the Thebite 

-53-

+ He that is freed owes obedience to his deliverer. Therefore, we who desire to 

be Christians should imitate what Christ said and did. 


+ There is no obedience beyond obedience to the Church. And if we only wipe 

the floor in the Lord’s house with a rag, this is set by God higher than any other 

work. There is no obedience higher than to the Church. And everything done 

in it, no matter what (both as you go in and go out) everything must be done 

with fear and trembling and with unceasing prayer, and nothing should ever 

be spoken in that sacred place, save that pertaining to that which is absolutely 

necessary. 


+ If a man does not say in his heart, in the world there is only God and myself, 

he will not gain peace. 

- Abba Alonius 

+ Complete freedom from cares lies in complete obedience, in faith, to one’s 

spiritual father. 

- Nikon of Optina 

+ If someone were especially dear to me, but I realized that he was causing me 

to do something less than good, I should put him far from me. 


+ Even a pious person is not immune to spiritual sickness if he does not have 

a wise guide - either a living person or spiritual writer. This sickness is called 

“p r e ie s ior spiritual delusion, imagining oneself to be near to God and to the 

realm of the Divine and supernatural. Even zealous ascetics in monasteries are 

sometimes subject to this delusion, but of course, laymen who are zealous in 

external struggles (podvig) undergo it much more frequently. Surpassing their 

acquaintances in struggles of prayer and fasting, they imagine that they are 

seers of Divine visions, or at least of dreams inspired by grace. In every event 

of their lives, they see special intentional directions from God or their guardian 

angel. And then they start imagining that they are God’s elect, and often try to 

foretell the future. The Holy Fathers armed themselves against nothing so 

fiercely as against this spiritual sickness -pretest. 

- Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky 

+ For Christians above all men are forbidden to correct the mistakes of sinners 

by force-it is necessary to make a man better not by force, but by persuasion. 

We neither have authority granted us by law to restrain sinners, nor, if it were, 

should we know how to use it, since God gives the crown to those who are kept 

from evil, not by force, but by choice. 


- 54 -

+ Do all in your power not to fall, for the strong athlete should not fall. But if you 

do, get up again at once and continue the contest. Even if you fall a thousand 

times because of the withdrawal of God’s grace, rise up again each time, and 

patiently keep on doing this until the day of your death. For it is written, “If a 

righteous man falls down seven times”-that is, repeatedly throughout his life- 

“seven times shall he rise up again” (Proverbs 24:16). 

- John of Karpathos 

+ No one may call himself a Christian but he who perseveres even to the end. 

- Tertullian 

+ All people love those who love them. It is peculiar to Christians alone to love 

those who hate them. 

- Tertullian 

+ No man has been entrusted with great things without having first been tried 

in small ones. 


+ He who does not acknowledge his sinfulness, his fall, his perdition, cannot 

accept Christ, cannot come to believe in Christ, cannot be a Christian. 

- Hierarch Ignatius Brianchaninov 

+ Tend to yourself, and it is enough. 

- Elder Joseph of Optina 

+ One does not notice that he loves, just as one does not notice that 

he breathes. 


+ When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels, not bearing anything 

and doing its own will, he then allows it to suffer that which it does not want, in 

order that it may seek him again. 

- Abba Isaiah 

+ A man becomes a Christian, he is not born one. 

- A Desert Father and Tertullian 

+ A pious, God-loving ascetic without compassion, is a tree that bears no fruit. 


+ We have put the light burden on one side, that is to say, self-accusation, and 

we have loaded ourselves with a heavy one, that is to say, self-justification. 

- Abba John 

-55-

+ The Lord helps us amid sorrows and temptations. He does not free us from 

them, but imparts to us the power to bear them easily, even to ignore them. 

- Nikon of Optina 

+ I think that for those living in community, obedience is a greater virtue than 

chastity, however perfect. Chastity carries within it the danger of pride, but 

obedience has within it the promise of humility. 

- Holy Father Syncletia 

+ If someone has faith in another and hands himself over to him in complete 

submission, he does not need to pay attention to God’s Commandments but 

he can entrust his whole will to his father. He will suffer no reproach from God, 

for He looks for nothing from beginners as much as renunciation through 

obedience. 


+ Obedience responds to obedience. When someone obeys God, then God 

obeys his prayer requests. 

- Abba Mios of Belos 

+ An inexperienced monk consulted a certain holy elder regarding what rule 

of fasting he should follow. “Avoid excesses, my child ”, he advised him. “Many 

have tried to fast beyond their powers and did not endure for very long.” 


+ Without temptations it is impossible to acquire a strong constitution of the 

soul. But again, to withstand them is not in our power. How could perishable 

clay withstand the action of water unless the Divine fire makes it strong? If we 

submit to the yoke of God’s will and pray with constant desire and humility, then, 

through patience, we also shall receive everything from Our Lord Jesus Christ. - 


+ When temptation comes upon you, do not seek where it came from or why, 

but be concerned about enduring it thankfully, without sorrow and without 

remembering evil. 

- St. Mark the Ascetic 

-56-

W(?at t\)e Cyurcy Fathers Say About... 

DEATH, GRIEF, AND THE AFTERLIFE 


Metropolitan Plîfflret of Moscow 

Optina EIders 

The Desert Fathers and Mothers 

St. Ambrose 

St. Athanasios the Great 

St. Jol^n Chrysostom 


Monks Callistus and Ignatius 

...and others 

- 5 7 -


An Athonite Prayer 

O Lord, my God, help me to see the insignificance of everything earthly, the 

majesty of the heavenly, the shortness of time and the duration of eternity. 

Cause that I would prepare myself for death, that I would fear Your judgment, 

that I would escape Hades and that I would enter into the paradise of eternai 

blessedness; so that all Your saints and Your Apostles might rejoice over my 

salvation, and glorify Your name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy 

Spirit. Amen. 


REFLECTION: 

> Psalm 23:4, 55:4-8, 56:15-16 > Hebrews 13:17 

> Psalm 116:8, 118:18-20 > St. Luke 1:69, 1:77, 3:6, 19:9 

> Proverbs 8:36 > Acts 16:17 

> Acts 2:24-28 > 2 Corinthians 7:10 

> Hebrews 13:17 > St. John 14:27-30 

> Isaiah 53 > Ephesians 2:1-10 

> Psalm 31:10-13 > St. Matthew 25:13 


In Orthodox belief there is no separation between the living and those who have 

gone on to be with the Lord. All are members of the Church and loved equally 

by the Father. Those here on earth and beyond, as members of the Church, 

have an obligation to share the burdens of one another. With this in mind, we 

can see the common sense of praying for both the living and the dead,,while 

asking the prayers of these same faithful members of Christ's Church. In doing 

so, we fulfill the obligation of mutual concern and caring. We ask prayers of the 

living and the faithful departed and offer our loving prayers in return. Practically 

we show that the bonds of brotherly love cannot be separated by death and 

why we must continue to maintain this golden link which holds us together as 

a Church, a Church existing both on earth and in heaven. 

Orthodox Christians know the value of prayer for the departed and we are 

confident that our prayers help those who have reposed. Although we cannot 

know exactly what the state of the dead may be at any particular time, we are 

sure that our humble prayers are beneficial for their spiritual progress in the 

afterlife. We know the dead who reach the portals of heaven do not suffer and 

that their progress is in the hands of a loving God. We know from the majority 

of the Church Fathers that our gracious God exacts no expiatory penalty once 

we go on to be with Him in paradise, yet we must not be caught up in the 

intricate details of just how this happens, or when. We are reminded of 

-58-

St. Anthony of Egypt who was found contemplating the mercy and providence 

of Almighty God concerning the departed, when a voice was heard saying, 

“Anthony, care for yourself, for the state of the dead are the judgments of God, 

and it is not for you to know them.” 


++++++++++ 

+ If you wish to be delivered from grief, do not become attached in heart to 

anything, or anyone. 

- Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow 

+ One should always endure any grief, or trial, for the sake of God and with 

gratitude. Our life is a single minute in comparison with eternity, and therefore, 

according to the Apostle Paul, “...the sufferings of this present time are 

not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” 

(Romans 8:18). 


+ The Lord helps us amid sorrows and temptations. He does not free us from 

them, but imparts to us the power to bear them easily, even to ignore them. 

- Optina Elders 

+ A wise Father said, “Most people fear the loss of a loved one because, not 

attending to their own salvation, they have time to waste thinking about the 

salvation of others. 


+ As a wrestler constantly engages in bodily exercises, so also the pious 

struggler ought to exercise himself in every good work to prepare for death. 


+ The Christian sees the grave as the mystical door that leads us to the new 

world, the world of heaven. He sees the grave as a sweet mouth, in spite of its 

apparent ugliness, through which the earth will exchange the kiss of love with 

heaven. 

- The Brotherhood of Orthodox Theologians 

+ Death is not only an evil but also a good thing. For we see that death is 

advantageous and life is a penalty. Therefore, St. Paul says, “To me, to live is 

Christ and to die is gain.” What is living to Christ but the body’s death and the 

breath of life? We must die with Him in order to live with Him. So then, let us 

daily practice and incline ourselves toward dying. 

- St. Ambrose 

- 59 -

+ The constant welcome expectation of death should be a necessary practice 

of silence. A man who embraces silence without this thought cannot endure 

what we have to bear and suffer at all costs. 


+ Before Christ nothing was stronger than death, and nothing was weaker 

than us. Now the opposite is true, nothing is weaker than death and nothing is 

stronger than us. 


+ In Adam, death was not the separation of the soul from the body, but the flight 

of the Holy Spirit from the immortal soul. 

- Nickodimos of the Holy Mountain 

+ As the death of the body is its separation from the soul, so also the death of 

the soul comes when the grace of the Holy Spirit of God is removed from it. 


+ It is precisely through undergoing many trials and temptations, through 

grief and suffering, and through patiently enduring them, that a man acquires 

experience. As a result he comes to know both his own weakness and the 

power of God. In becoming aware of his own weakness, and ignorance, he 

recognizes that he has now learned what once he did not know. This allows 

him to see that just as he used not to know these things, and was unaware 

that he did not know, so there are many other things which he may later be 

able to learn. 


+ The resurrection of the dead appeared contrary to nature, whereas...it is not 

contrary to nature but transcends nature. This, at least, is how it appears to us. 

However, in God's eyes the resurrection of the dead does not transcend nature, 

but is quite natural. 


+ Ever since the God- Man was resurrected and ascended, all the faithful can 

trample death as if it did not exist. They prefer to die rather than deny their faith 

in Christ. Now there are no dead. Now the only dead one is the Devil, who in 

the past used to boast about the death of men. The Devil is the only one truly 

dead, since the “pangs of death have been loosed”, (Acts 2:24). Therefore, 

the proof of this is the following: People who were once afraid of death before 

believing in Christ, once baptized and members of the Church, despised death 

so much that they would readily rush toward it and become martyrs. Death 

became so weak that (those) who were at first deceived by it in the person 

of Eve, can now mock death as something truly eliminated and altogether 

weakened. 

- St. Athanasios the Great 

-60-

+ Though you may be dead for a little while, God reserves an inheritance for 

you when you are tamed. He will raise you to life again. He will restore your 

body to you, down to every hair. He will place you with the angels forever, 

where you won’t need His taming hand anymore. You will only need His 

abundant mercy. For God will then be “all in all”. Unhappiness won’t drive us 

to exhaustion, but happiness alone will feed us. 


+ “The hour of death will come upon us. It will come, and we shall not escape it. 

May the prince of this world and of the air” (St. John 14:30, Ephesians 2:2), 

discover that our misdeeds are few and petty when He returns, so that He will 

not have good grounds for convicting us. Otherwise, we shall weep to no use, 

“For that servant who knew his Lord’s will, and did not do it as a servant, shall 

be beaten with many stripes”, (St. Luke 12:47). 

- St. Hesychius, Presbyter 

+ Plato seems to have learned from the prophets not only the doctrine of the 

judgment, but also of the resurrection, which the Greeks refused to believe. 

For his saying that the soul is judged along with the body, proves nothing more 

clearly than that he believed in the doctrine of the resurrection. Since how could 

certain individuals have undergone punishment in Hades, if they left on earth 

the body, with its head, hands, feet and skin? For certainly they will never say 

that the soul has a head, hands, feet, or skin. However Plato, having fallen in 

with the testimonies of the prophets in Egypt, and having accepted what they 

teach concerning the resurrection of the body, teaches that the soul is judged 

in company with the body. 

- Justin’s “Address to the Greeks” 

+ Human life is the “shadow of death”. If then, anyone is with God and God 

is with him, clearly such a man can say, “For though I walk in the midst of the 

shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, O Lord” (Psalm 23). 


+ When you undertake to begin any task, whatsoever, ask yourself this 

question: “If I were visited by the Lord at this moment, what would I do?” 

Take care to listen well what your conscience says to you. If it reproves you, 

immediately forsake what you have decided to do and begin some other task 

of which it approves and which is intrinsically rewarding. The virtuous worker 

must at every moment be ready to face death. 

- A Desert Elder 

+ When you fall into your bed to sleep, or get up from sleep, when you eat or 

work, when you are thinking or your mind is idle, constantly say to yourself, 

“If the Lord were to call me at this moment, would I be ready?” Listen also with 

care to what your conscience tells you and do not fail to comply with its 

directions. Your heart will, indeed, assure you that God has had mercy on you. 


-61 -

+ A Christian has great difficulty in attaining three things. They are, grief over 

one’s sins, tears, and the continual memory of death. Yet these three contain all 

the other virtues. 

- Abba Isaias the Anchorite 

+ Of the remembrance of death specifically, he who succeeds in saying to 

himself each day, “Today is the last day of my life”, will never willingly sin 

before God. He, however, who expects to have many years to live, without fail, 

entangles himself in the nets of sin. God sanctifies the soul which is always 

prepared to give an accounting for its deeds. Whoever forgets the judgment 

remains in bondage to sin. 


+ When Arsenios the Great fell ill and understood that, at last, he had reached 

the end of his earthly life, he began to cry. 

“Are you afraid, Abba?" his disciple asked with perplexity. 

“This fear, my child, has never left my heart, since the time I became a monk,” 

Arsenios answered, and this great friend of God closed his wise lips forever. 


+ A certain Father taught that the man who succeeds in having death continually 

before his eyes will conquer faint- heartedness. One day, while spinning, he 

said, “I have brought death to mind as many times as this spindle has turned, 

up to the present.” 


+ The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be always preparing 

for death. 

- St. Irenaeus 

+ Discipline your soul with the constant thought of death, and through the 

remembrance of Jesus Christ concentrate your wandering intellect. 

- St. Philotheus of Sinai 

+ The greater our trials and grief, the greater our rewards. 

- Tertullian 

+ Why do you cause anxiety for yourself in a house that is not your own? 

Let the sight of a dead man be an instructor for you - concerning your 

departure from here. 


+ The Lord’s Day is a mystery of the knowledge of the truth that is not received 

by flesh and blood, and it transcends speculations. In this age there is no eighth 

day, nor is there a true Sabbath. For he who said, “God rested on the seventh 

-62-

day”, signified the rest of our nature from the course of this life, since the grave 

is also of a bodily nature and belongs to this world. Six days are accomplished 

in the maintenance of life by means of keeping the commandments; the seventh 

is spent entirely in the grave, and the eighth is the departure from it. 

- St. Isaac the Syrian. 

+ It is better for me to die on behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the 

ends of the earth. 


+ A hermit who was living the ascetic life in the desert, had not been tempted by 

the Devil for many years. This emboldened him to say that the Devil would only 

tempt the lazy and negligent, not those who were “strugglers” in piety. Once the 

Devil appeared to him and said, “What have I done to you that you play me 

down so? Did I ever tempt you?” 

“Get out of here, evil spirit”, the hermit yelled, picking up a staff to strike the 

Devil. “You have no right to bother the servants of Christ. Go to those who invite 

you with their inattentiveness.” 

“So that is what you think?” the Devil replied maliciously. “Do you think I will not 

find an opportunity, in the forty years you still have to live, to prove you wrong?” 

Sure, now that all the bait had succeeded, the Devil became invisible, leaving 

a bone- chilling laugh in the air. From that time on, the hermit’s thoughts were 

confused. 

“Forty more years of life, oh that is an awfully long time!” he said to himself 

continually. Then, after a while he said , “Should I go into the world to seek 

my relatives?, Should I give my tormented body a rest?, When I return, I will 

continue my ascetic life. I have years before me - forty years, in fact.” 

He came to a decision and one morning, with staff in hand, he set out for the 

city. But God, in His infinite mercy, regretting the possible loss of so many years 

of labor, sent an angel to stop him. 

“Where are you going, Abba?” the angel asked, stopping him on the road. 

“To the city”, the hermit replied. 

“Dear man, you are now at the end of your life. You let the Devil deceive you. 

He is the Father of Lies, so return to your hut and bemoan your foolishness, 

before it is too late for you.” 

Embarrassed by the setback, the old hermit returned to his cell and died three 

days later. 


- 63-

+ We view the water of a river flowing without stopping and passing away, 

and all that floats on its surface, trash or limbs of trees, all pass by. Be assured 

Christian, so does our life!...I was an infant, but that era is gone. I was an 

adolescent, and that has passed. I was a young man, and that too is left behind 

me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, 

I give in to age, but that too passes. I approach the end and will go the way of 

all flesh. I was born in order that I might die. I die that I may live. Remember 

me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom! 

- St. Tikhon of Voronezh 

+ Abba Macarius, while in Egypt, saw a man who owned a beast of burden 

engaged in plundering Marcarius’ goods. So he came up on the thief as if he 

were a stranger and helped the man to load the animal. He saw him off in great 

peace of soul saying, “We have brought nothing into this world, and we cannot 

take anything out of this world" (1 Timothy 6:7). “The Lord gave and the Lord 

takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). 


+ Now that the Lord has risen, death isn’t terrible anymore. For anyone who 

believes in Christ tramples over death. 


+ Daily expecting death we will abandon wealth, forgive everyone for 

everything, and won’t harbor lust for anyone. We will turn from it as past 

and gone, always working and looking forward to the Day of Judgment. 

If we live as though dying daily, we won’t sin. 


+ Death is destroyed. The Cross has triumphed over it! It no longer has any 

power but is truly dead. This is why all of Christ’s disciples despise death and 

no longer fear it. Before the Savior came, death was terrible to the saints. 

Everyone wept for the dead as though they perished. But now that the Savior 

has risen, death isn’t terrible anymore. For everyone who believes in Christ 

tramples over death. They would rather die than deny their faith in Christ. 


+ Do you believe in the inevitability of your death? Not only do you believe, 

but you know for certain. Well then, does this tell powerfully upon the character 

of your life? Or does it not tell in the least? 

- Desert Wisdom 

+ We should seek after the things the Lord says to seek after with the strongest 

love. For after we set aside the remaining burden of our flesh in death, we will 

be perfected. Every part of us will be perfected into the purity we have strained 

every nerve to obtain. 


-64-

+ Knowing how all possessions ebb and flow, foolish people might stop putting 

their confidence in what is short- lived and fleeting - and fix their hopes upon 

the Giver of all good. 

For nothing human is stable. Nothing is lasting - not beauty, nor wealth, health, 

dignity, or any of the things most people value. 

- Theodoret 

+ By thinking that you are safe, even though you fluctuate between Christianity 

and the world, you go on your way stripped of self- control and broken down by 

luxury. You are looking forward to so many things in vain. Why do you seek evil 

things? For you will account for everything you do when you die. 

- Commodianus 

+ The death of our body is not inflicted on us by the law of nature, in which 

God made no death for man, but that it is inflicted as the just deserts of sin. 


+ And of what consequence is it what kind of death puts an end to life, since he 

who has died once is not forced to go through the same ordeal a second time? 


+ Death is not to be judged an evil which is the end of a good life; for death 

only becomes evil by the retribution which follows it. They, then, who are 

destined to die, need not be anxious to inquire what death they are to die, but 

into what place death will usher them. 


+ We are not created to die, but we die by our own fault. 

- Tatian 

Death begins at birth. 

- St Gregory of Nyssa 

+ As soon as man is born he begins to sicken. He only terminates his 

sickness by his death. 


+ If we meditate on the fact that God did not make death, but only after man fell 

into the disgrace of guilt and deception, shall we discover that death is the end 

of sin. If we were to live longer our guilt would only be the greater. 


+ Live well that you may not die ill. 


-65-

+ He is not worthy to receive consolation in death who has not reflected that 

he was about to die, 

- St. Cyprian 

+ As a servant of God, you ought, even in death, attempt to please God. 

Alas, that the lifeless body should be adorned in death. A mind enchained to the 

world, not even in death is devoted to Christ. 

- Commodianus 

-66-

Wpat tpe Cyurcl) Fathers Say About... 

MIRACLES AND GOD’S MERCY 


Hkromonk Barlaam 

Eher Moses 

St. Dorotêws of G aza 

St. John Chrysostom 


St. Augustine 

Elder Leo of Optina 


...and others 

-67-


Prayer of St. Basil the Great 

0 God and Lord of the Powers, and Maker of all creation, Who because of 

Your clemency and incomparable mercy, did send Your Only- begotten Son, 

and Our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, and with His venerable 

Cross did tear asunder the record of our sins, ...receive from us sinful people, O 

merciful Master, these prayers of gratitude and supplication, and deliver us from 

every destructive and gloomy transgression, and from all visible and invisible 

enemies who seek to injure us. Nail down our flesh with fear of losing You, and 

let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil, but pierce our souls 

with Your love, that ever contemplating You, being enlightened by You, and 

discerning You, the inapproachable and everlasting Light, we may unceasingly 

render confession and gratitude to You, the eternal Father, with Your Only- 

begotten Son, and with Your All- Holy, Gracious and Life- giving Spirit, now and 

ever, unto ages of ages. Amen. 


REFLECTION: 

> St. Mark 9:39 

> St. John 2:23, 11:47 


> Galatians 3:5 

> Acts 8:6 

> St. Luke 1:50, 1:72 

A young farm boy was making a half- hearted attempt to chop some wood, to 

set- by for the approaching winter. It was not going well when his father noticed 

the boy’s obvious difficulties. The father remarked, “Son, you had better ask 

God for strength and perseverance to finish the job by nightfall.” The young 

lad replied, “Father, I am not planning to ask God for perseverance because 

He might grant it, and then I would have to finish the work myself. Instead I am 

going to ask God for a miracle, and ask Him to stack the wood for me. He is 

known for granting prayer and making things happen in an instant. ” 

We’re all somewhat like this. “Lord, grant me a miracle, save me from having to 

persevere and dig in to get things done.” Rarely do we pray for perseverance- 

because this is not an escape, but a commitment to finish what we have started. 

Self- discipline in tackling and finishing the dreary, humdrum jobs we all have 

to face is what makes one strong and directed in life. It makes mature men 

out of children. Those of us who learn the secret of doing every job well, and 

staying the course of even the most menial task, will be the ones who succeed 

at the grandest, most strategic tasks given us in our lives. 

-68- 

> Romans 12:11 


> 1 Timothy 1:13 

> 2 Timothy 1:18 

> Titus 3:5


+ As a handful of sand thrown into the ocean, so are the sins of all flesh as 

compared to the mind of God. 


+ Just as a strongly- flowing fountain is not blocked up by a handful of earth, 

so the compassion of the Creator is not overcome by the wickedness of His 

creatures. 


+ Abba Pachomius said, “A sinner such as I does not ask God that he may 

see visions, for that is against His will and wrong. Hear about an equally great 

miracle : If you see a man pure and humble then that is a great vision, for then 

you see the invisible God in His temple, a visible man.” 

- Abba Pachomius 

+ Someone who bears a grudge while he prays is like a person who sows 

seeds in the ocean and expects to reap a harvest. 


+ A miracle does not happen contrary to nature, but contrary to what we know 

about nature. 


+ It is agreed that Christ performed all those miracles which He wrought without 

any aid from external things, without the observance of any ceremonial, without 

any definite mode of procedure, but solely by the inherent might of His authority. 

- Arnobius 

+ Let him not desire to beg God’s mercy for the sins of others, who is not 

disgraced with his own. 

- Pope Gregory of Rome 

+ One of the brotherhood asked the elder, “Batiushka, how have you acquired 

the spiritual gifts we see in you?” The elder answered, “Live simply, and God 

will not forsake you and will show you His mercy.” 

- Leo, Elder of Optina 

+ As the flame of a fire cannot be prevented from ascending upwards, so the 

prayers of the compassionate cannot be held back from ascending into heaven. 


+ Knowing that God is faithful and mighty, have faith in Him and you will share 

what is His. If you are depressed, you do not believe. We all believe that God 

-69-

is mighty and, know that everything is possible with Him. As for your own affairs, 

believe with faith in Him about them too, for He is able to work miracles in you 

also. 

- Abba Euprepios 

+ In truth, it is a greater miracle to root out from one’s own flesh the 

incentives to sin than to cast out unclean spirits from the bodies of others. 


+ If you are prone to righteousness, impute it wholly to God’s mercy. But if you 

are prone to sin, ascribe it totally to your own iniquity. 


+ In the family of the just man who lives by faith...even those who rule serve 

those whom they seem to command; for they do not rule from a base love of 

power, but from a sense of the duty they owe to others...not because they are 

proud of authority, but because they love mercy. 


+ Go and have mercy on all, for through your pity, one finds freedom of speech 

before God. 

- Abba Palumbo 

+ Abba Macarius was asked, “How should one pray?” the old man replied, 

“There is no need at all to make long discourses, it is enough to stretch out 

one’s hands and say, ‘Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.’ And if 

the conflict grows fiercer say, ‘Lord, help!’ God knows very well what we need 

and in return, He shows His mercy.” 

- Abba Macarius 

+ We know that God’s mercy is given freely, without any expectation in return, 

to those to whom it is given at all. 


+ Divine mercy is such that it aids anyone who is willing. 

- Sf. Hilary of Poitiers 

+ One hope, one trust, one firm promise, is Your mercy O Lord. 


+ Since we sin many times each day, we need much of God’s love each day. 

Therefore, we need to show much mercy. Much and little aren’t measured by 

the quantity of things given, but by the giver’s means. 


+ Let us be inclined to show mercy and all other blessings will follow. For those 

who have a spirit of love and mercy will give money away if they have it. If they 

-70-

see anyone in distress they will weep. If they encounter people who have been 

wronged, they will stand up for them. If they see others treated maliciously, 

they will reach out their hand to them. For those who have a treasure house 

of blessings, a loving and merciful soul will make it overflow to meet all of their 

neighbor’s needs. Such people will enjoy all the rewards God has prepared. 


+ Here is a great misery, a proud man! Yet there is greater mercy, a humble 

God! 


+ The Lord doesn’t allow unthankful people to have peace. “For there is no 

peace for the wicked, they work in pain and grief.” says the Lord. The Lord 

didn't even forgive the one owing ten thousand talents. For this man, who 

had been forgiven of great things, forgot to be kind in little things. Therefore, 

he paid the penalty even for his previous debt. This was definitely fair. For 

having experienced kindness himself he should have shown mercy to his 

fellow servant. 


+ We must not only learn the majesty of the Son of God only by the miracles 

He did in the flesh. For these are small compared to the greatness of His other 

work. But look up to heaven! Behold its glories! Transfer your thoughts to the 

wide compass of the earth, and the watery depths! Embrace with your mind the 

whole world, and when you have realized His extraordinary nature, learn that 

these are the true works of Him who came down for you in the flesh. 


+ The all- merciful and giving Father lovingly gives good things to those who 

come to Him with a trusting mind. 


+ The Devil appeared to a monk, disguised as an angel of light, and said to 

him, “I am the Angel Gabriel and I have been sent to you.” But the monk said, 

“See if you have not been sent to someone else since I am not worthy to have 

an angel sent to me.” And at once the Devil vanished. 


+ It was said of an old monk that while he was resting in his cell and at prayer, 

he saw demons around him and he scorned them and chastised their activities. 

The Devil, seeing himself overcome, came and showed himself to the monk 

saying, “In fact, I am Jesus Christ.” When he saw this imposter, the old monk 

closed his eyes and the Devil said to him, “Why are you closing your eyes? I am 

Christ.” The old man answered him, “I do not want to see Christ here below.” 

Immediately, the Devil vanished. 


- 71 -

+ Three monks met unexpectedly at the river bank and one of them said. 

“I ask as a gift from God that we should arrive at our destination without fatigue 

in the power of the Spirit”. Scarcely had he prayed when a boat was found 

ready to sail together with a favorable wind and in a twinkling of an eye they 

found themselves at their destination, although they were traveling upstream. 


-72-

Wlpat tl)e Cfaml) Fathers Say About... 

ATTAINING HOLINESS, 

GRACE (HOW GOD HELPS US), 

HOPE, AND VIRTUE 


St. Augustine 

St. John Cassian 


St. Jerome 




...and others 

- 7 3 -


Prayer to the Divine Tutor 

Be kind to Your children, O Lord. Be a gentle teacher, patient with our weakness 

and stupidity. Give us the strength and discernment to do what You tell us, and 

to grow in Your likeness and holiness. 

May we all live in the peace that comes from You. May we journey towards Your 

city, sailing through the waters of sin untouched by the waves, borne serenely 

along by the Holy Spirit. Night and day may we give You praise and thanks, 

because You have shown us that all things belong to You, and all blessings 

are gifts from You. To You, Lord, the essence of wisdom, the foundation of 

Truth, be glory for evermore. 



> St. Luke 6:20-26 

> Philippians 4:8-9 

> 2 Peter 1:3-4, 1:1 

> St. Luke 1:68-79 

> Hebrews 6:9-12, 11:1-3 


> Psalm 30:4, 33:12, 33:18, 

38:15, 47:1-9, 60:6, 93:1-5 

REFLECTION: 

Of Batteries and Sponges 

> Isaiah 35:1-10 

> Proverbs 13:12 

> Exodus 15:1-18 

> Romans 5:1-5 

> Colossians 1:19-29 

> Titus 2:11-15, 3:1-8 

> Acts 3:11-26 

A priest was once asked by a parish member, “What must I do to be holy?” He 

answered, “Be a battery!” The priest was not being flippant. He went on to say 

that batteries supply power to other things, or else they’re “dead”. A battery that 

sits un-utilized goes bad within a time and must be re-charged or discarded. 

So too, we must be vessels of God’s grace and comfort, and like a battery, give 

back what we get. Otherwise, we sit under-utilized, stale and of little use or 

power. God charges us with His gifts. If they remain unused, ignored or wasted, 

then we have ignored a free gift from God. And yet, that is exactly what many of 

us do with God’s gracious and life-giving gifts of love, comfort, compassion and 

tolerance. We allow them to die a slow death of ignorance and sloth. 

As Christians, we are called to be “ministers” to one another, and to be a truly 

significant minister, one must attend to others and take care of their needs. 

That simply is what holiness is about! Oh yes, one must regularly worship 

Almighty God, sing His praises in prayer and learn to live a balanced and fruitful 

-74-

life, “You will know them by their fruits" (St. Matthew 7:16), but when we are 

asked by God how we lived our lives on earth, we should be ready to answer, 

“I lived it for others.” God gives us life, talents, opportunities and grace not to 

absorb them like a sponge for our own personal use, but to scatter our gifts 

among as many people as humanly possible. Like a battery we must radiate 

power and use these precious gifts, not to allow these great graces to dry up 

like an unused sponge. 


++++++++++ 

+ Oh, how great is the loving-kindness of God! On those who have defected 

from Him, and who are in the throes of wickedness, He has bestowed such an 

amnesty for their wicked deeds and so great a sharing in grace that they may 

even call Him Father. 

- St. Cyril of Jerusalem 

+ What is grace? It is something which is given “gratis”. What is given gratis? 

That which is bestowed rather than paid as owed. 


+ Where virtue is there are many snares. 


+ Prize virtue and do not be a slave of glory; for the former is immortal, while 

the latter quickly fades. 


+ Do not be afraid when you hear of virtue. For virtue is not far from us; it is not 

external to us. The work is in us, and it is easy, if we but have the will. 

- St. Anthony of Egypt 

+ For the grace of God would not be grace in any way unless it were gratuitous 

in every way. 


+ We plainly assert our unconditional opinion that the grace of God is 

abounding, and sometimes overflows the narrow limits of man’s lack of faith. 


+ Man, even though he strives with all his might for God’s grace, cannot 

become master of what is good unless he has acquired it simply by the gift 

of Divine bounty, and not by efforts of his own toil. 


-75-

+ No sense of virtue can possibly be raised in our soul unless, first, the 

foundations of true humility are set in our hearts. 


+ Virtue has need of our will, since it is within us and springs from us...If we 

remain as we were made, we remain in a state of virtue. But if we surrender 

our minds to base things, we are noted as evil. 


+ From God comes all virtue. From God comes our life and power. 


+ Try to obtain the virtues you see missing in others. 


+ We do not think that grace is given to anyone because of his own merits, 

nor do we suppose that anyone is punished except on account of his own sins. 


+ It is not enough for me that God has given me grace once, but He must 

give it continually. I ask, that I may receive, and when I have received, I ask 

again. I am covetous of receiving God’s bounty...the more I drink the more 

thirsty I become. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Just as a writing-pen or a dart has need of one to employ it, so also does 

grace have need of believing hearts. It is God’s part to confer grace, but yours 

to accept and guard it. 


+ “If salvation is by grace,” someone will say, “why is it that we are not all 

saved?” Because you did not will it. For grace, even though it be grace, saves 

the willing, not those who are not willing , and who turn away from it and who 

constantly fight against it and oppose themselves to it. 


+ If you want to be cast forth from grace, brag about your merits. 


+ The glory of fortitude does not reside in the power of one’s body or arms, but 

rather on the courage of the mind. 


+ The heart does not receive leadership from virtues displayed among men. 

Virtue that a man shows before men does not have the power to cleanse the 

soul. All the same, it is accepted by God, in order to receive its wage and 

-76 -

eward. But perfection, effected in a man by himself, is suitable for the one and 

the other. It is accepted for his reward and it arranges cleansing. Therefore, lay 

aside the former and cleave to the latter. And if you will not cleave to the latter, 

to abandon the former means manifestly to deny God. But the latter fills up the 

place of the former. 


+ The blacksmith, who pounds a piece of iron has previously thought about 

what he wants to make - a sickle, a knife, an axe - and works accordingly. 

And so let the man of God ponder in advance which virtue he wishes to acquire, 

in order not to toil aimlessly. 

- St. Antonios the Great 

+ Virginity may be lost even by a thought. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Our souls are influenced by outward observances, and is shaped and molded 

according to its actions. 


+ Virtue is nothing but well-directed love. 


+ Virtue is not the knowing of good and evil. Rather, virtue is the doing of good 

and not the doing of evil. 

- Lactantius 

+ Nothing is more harmless than the man who is perfect in virtue. 


+ There are three things which enable men to control their faults. Either the 

fear of hell or of laws even now imposed, or the hope and desire of the 

Kingdom of Heaven, or the liking for goodness itself and the love of virtue. 

- Sf. John Cassian 

+ We make a ladder to heaven of our vices if we trample them underfoot. 


+ It takes much time to make a moral virtue effective in ourselves, while what 

has been achieved with so much time and effort can be lost in a single instant. 


+ By genuine holiness, the people of God cast out the enemy of godliness. 

They do so by rejecting him, not by pacifying him. And they overcome all of 

the enemy’s temptations by praying to God against him. For the Devil can only 

conquer or master those who are allied with sin. Therefore, he is conquered in 

-77-

the name of the One who became human but lived without sin...For God, in His 

goodness, has given us all the holiness we might have. 


+ No duty is more urgent, or pressing, than that of returning thanks. 

- Sf. Ambrose of Milan 

+ The virgin soul that desires to be united to God must keep itself pure not only 

from overt sins like unchastity, murder, theft, gluttony, backbiting, falsity, avarice, 

greed and so on. But, to an even greater degree it must keep itself pure from 

sins that are hidden, such as desire, self-esteem, love of popularity, hypocrisy, 

love of power, wiliness, malice, hatred, unbelief, envy, self-love, affectation and 

other things of this kind. According to Scripture, these concealed sins of the soul 

are just as pernicious as the overt sins. 


+ The virtues are born with tears and through them forgiveness is given. 

But when we cry, we must not raise the voice of our groaning in order to be 

heard by others. Let not our left hand, that is, our vanity, know what our right 

hand, the sorrow of the heart, does. 


+ Today, when there is so little external monasticism, most monks must live 

within themselves. This means that there is no brother to admonish you or to 

be your example. You must admonish yourself and set an example for yourself. 

All of the goals, all of the rewards, and all of the standards have become 

internal. And while this may seem tragic, it is probably merciful. 

- A Contemporary Monk 

+ There is no vice so completely alien to our nature that it obscures all traces 

of nature. 


+ Our Holy Fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and concentrated 

wholly on this one doing, that is, on guarding the heart, convinced that, through 

this practice, they would easily attain every other virtue, whereas without it not 

a single virtue can be firmly established. 


+ Are you trying to bend the mercy of God, which is always pure, so that it may 

mirror the perversity of yours? 


+ You can tell a man’s interior condition from his outward appearances and 

actions. By these signs, then, does pride reveal itself. In conversation the man’s 

voice is booming; in his silence there is bitterness; in his joy the laughter is 

-78-

noisy and overbearing; when he is sober he is unreasonably morose; in his 

replies there is rancor; he is too free with his tongue, his words gushing out at 

random without being thought through. He is utterly lacking in patience, and 

without generosity; impudent in offering insults to others, faint-hearted in bearing 

them himself; full of trouble in displaying obedience, except where his own 

desires correspond with his duty; unforgiving in receiving admonition, weak in 

sacrificing his own wishes; very stubborn about yielding to others, always trying 

to secure his own ends, and never ready to think of other’s needs. As a result 

he is incapable of giving advice, still in everything he prefers his own opinion to 

that of others. 


+ “Why does the Devil battle monks so passionately?” the brothers asked a 

spiritual elder. “How does he have such effrontery?” 

“If monks knew immediately how to raise defensive weapons such as humility, 

poverty, and patience, the Devil would never dare to approach them,” the elder 

replied. 


+ He who conquers himself in the little things, will also do so in the great ones. 

- Abba Isaiah 

+ The more inclined one is to maliciousness, the more ready he is to 

believe evil. 

- Tertullian 

+ Abba Theodore of Scetis said, “A thought comes to me which troubles me 

and does not leave me free. But not being able to lead me to act, it simply stops 

me progressing in virtue, but a vigilant man would cut it off and get up to pray.” 


+ Virtue is not accounted virtue if it is not accompanied by difficulty and labors. 

That is why all those who live in the fear the Lord will suffer affliction. 

For Christ says, “Whoever wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take 

up his Cross . If anyone wishes to save his life in comfort he will lose it; and if 

anyone shall lose his life for my sake, he shall find it’’ (St. Matthew 16:24- 26). 

For this reason, then, Our Lord placed before you the Cross, that you might 

sentence yourself to death, and then send forth your soul to go after Him. 

- Sf. Isaac the Syrian 

+ Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our 

confidence in being heard must be based on God’s mercy and His love 

for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that 

we shall be saved. 

- St. John Chrysostom - 79 -

+ If you live in the noisy world, however much you may toil in scattering seed 

on the path that you walk , not a green leaf will grow. As well, as much as you 

labor to cultivate a heart weighed-down with worldly cares, you toil in vain. It is 

impossible to foster virtues there. For this reason the Fathers chose to leave 

this world. 

When the Hebrews ceased being occupied with labors for the Egyptians, and 

lived in tents, they learned to worship God. Ships do business and make profits 

in the harbor, not on the open seas. It is the same with the soul. If it does not 

cease being occupied with worldly things and does not stay in a quiet place, it 

neither finds God nor acquires virtues. 


+ A life of spiritual endeavor is the mother of sanctity, from it is born the first 

experience of perception of the mysteries of Christ - which is called the first 

stage of spiritual knowledge. 


+ Always cut off the passions while they are still young, before they take root 

and become stronger, and begin to depress you: for then you will have to suffer 

much from them. It is one thing to yank up a small blade of grass, and another 

to uproot a large tree. 


+ One must strive to encourage the spirit of a disturbed man by a word of love. 


+ Consider, Christian, what vows you made and to Whom. It is a grievous thing 

to lie to a man; how incomparably more grievous it is to lie to God. “God is not 

mocked, (Galatians 6:7).” When a Christian does not stand on his promises and 

does not keep them, what mercy, then, should he expect from God, to Whom he 

lied? He that keeps his promises shall find himself in God’s mercy and in His 

Kingdom. He remains faithful to God, and God will hold him in mercy and in His 

protection as His own. And this is what the prophet sings to God. “With the holy 

man will You be holy, and with the innocent man will You be innocent. With the 

elect man will You be elect, and with the perverse will You be perverse” 

(Psalm 17:26-27). 


+ You cannot cast out malice with malice. Thus, if your brother does you some 

wrong, try to repay him with good. Only goodness can conquer malice. 

- St. Poimen 

+ Think good thoughts about what is good by nature, and think well of 

every man. 

- St. Thalassius 

-80-

+ When we lay bare the hidden meaning of history, Holy Scripture is seen to 

teach that the birth which distresses the tyrant is the beginning of the virtuous 

life. I am speaking of the kind of birth in which free will serves as the midwife, 

delivering the child amid great pain. For no one causes grief to his antagonist 

unless he exhibits in himself those marks which give proof of his victory over 

the other. 


+ Holiness is the fruit of man’s efforts and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

- St. John Maximovitch 

+ Holiness, my brethren, is the virtue that encompasses all the other virtues. 

A saint, a mere man, is adorned through it with all the virtues. If a man is a man 

of prayer and is not compassionate, he cannot be called a saint, and if a man 

endures all things but does not have faith and hope, he does not belong among 

the saints. If a man is full of compassion but is without faith in God, truly such a 

man cannot be reckoned among the saints. 

- Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich 

+ A saint cannot be a saint in only one part of his life, but must be so in the 

whole of it. We must be holy in every part and particle of our lives, so that we 

may be counted among the saints, among the people who are conformed to the 

Lord Jesus Christ, the Prototype of the Saints and the Primal Image of Man. 

- Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich 

+ We shouldn’t be concerned that our worldly resources will decrease while we 

practice the virtues. For Christian poverty is always rich because what it has is 

more valuable than what it doesn’t have. 

- Pope Leo I of Rome 

+ For God, who produces and gives breath to people, desired that all should 

be equally matched. He has placed the same life conditions on everyone; He 

has given everyone wisdom. No one is prevented from receiving His heavenly 

benefits. For He gives light, water, food, and the most pleasant rest of sleep to 

everyone. In the same way, He grants everyone equity and virtue. In His eyes, 

no one is a slave and no one is a master. For, if we all have the same Father, 

by an equal right we are all His children. No one is poor in God’s sight except 

the unrighteous. No one is rich except those who are filled with virtue. 

- Lactantius 

+ There are virtues of the body and virtues of the soul. Those of the body 

include fasting, vigils, sleeping on the ground, ministering to other’s needs, 

working with one’s hands so as not to be a burden or in order to give to others 

(cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:9, Ephesians 4:28). The virtues of the soul include love, 

longsuffering, gentleness, self- control and prayer (cf. Galatians 5:22). If as a 

result of some constraint or bodily condition, such as illness or the like, we find 

- 81 -

we cannot practice the bodily virtues mentioned above, we are forgiven by the 

Lord because He knows the reasons. But if we fail to practice the virtues of the 

soul, we shall not have a single excuse for it is always within our power to 

practice them. 


+ He who combines the practice of the virtues with spiritual knowledge is a man 

of power. For with the first he withers his desire and tames his angers, and with 

the second he gives wings to his intellect and goes out of himself to God. 


+ We are renewed day by day by making progress in our righteousness and 

true holiness through the knowledge of God. For those who do so transfer their 

love from temporal things to eternal things, from visible things to invisible things, 

from fleshly things to spiritual things. 


+ Eat and drink with moderation, as befits the children of God. 


+ To be perfect, pour out your mercy on all, and be moderate in all things. 


-82-

wfaat tlye Clyurcl? Fathers Say About... 

DESPAIR, TALENTS AND OPPORTUNITY 



St. Gregory of Palarnas 



St. Peter of Damascus 


...and others 

-83-


Increasing the Talent of Grace 

Come, you faithful, and let us serve the Master eagerly, for He gives gifts and 

riches to His servants. Each of us according to the measure we have received, 

let us increase these talents of grace. Let one gain wisdom through good 

deeds; let another celebrate the Liturgy with splendor; let another communicate 

the word to those untaught; let another give his wealth to the poor. So shall we 

increase what is entrusted to us, and as faithful stewards of His grace we shall 

be counted worthy of the Master’s joy. Bestow this joy upon us, Christ Our God, 

in Your love for mankind. 

- Prayer sung during Holy Week 


REFLECTION: 

> 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 > 2 Timothy 1:6 

> Deuteronomy 1:21 > James 1:17 

> Colossians 3:21-22 > 1 Peter 4:10-11 

> I Timothy 5:13 > Galatians 6:6-10 

> Proverbs 31:27-31 > Philippians 4:10-19 

> Acts 2:38, 11:17 > 2 Corinthians 1:11, 9:10-15 

> Romans 1:11, 6:23 

Christ calls each of us to be “fishers of men". That is, he asks us to use our 

God- given talents to make His Kingdom known to others. He needs as many 

types of fishers as there are fish! 

We find among us countless gifts and talents. Some have the patience and skill 

to bring in a small fish, while others have the gift or endurance and power to 

wrestle with a giant fish of the sea. Still others are satisfied to wait for hours 

hauling in a catch to distribute among the crowds. Fishermen range from those 

who ply the seas looking for whales to the everyday fisherman who wades into 

a stream to catch a few good fish for dinner. 

God has adorned us with an unbelievable variety of gifts and talents. God wants 

all kinds of good men and women. He wants those who can move crowds to 

repentance and tears, yet He also calls those who can inspire one person by 

their example and faithfulness. Each of us is ordained for a specific task no 

matter how little significance we may impart to our own gifts and talents. 

Whatever your talent or personality, somewhere there is someone who will 

respond to you better than to anyone else. 

-84 -

The key is to recognize that we have certain gifts and not to be discouraged that 

we don’t fit our own self- made ideas. God measures what is great and glorious, 

not we. Most of us are destined to do amazing things, no matter how small and 

trite they may seem to us at the moment. If each of us used the gifts God has 

imparted to the fullest we could do wondrous things . It is our privilege to bring 

men and women to the Kingdom. We may be responsible for bringing someone 

closer to God simply by a kind act, our good example, or profoundly truthful 

words . We are all capable of simple things that have everlasting rewards. 


++++++++++ 

+ When you stand praying, burdened with many sins and overpowered with 

despair, begin to pray with hope, with a fervent spirit, and remind yourself that 

“The Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be 

uttered” (Romans 8:26)! When you remember with faith this action of the Spirit 

of God within us, then tears of emotion will flow from your eyes, you will feel in 

your soul peace, sweetness, justification, “and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 

14:17), and you will cry in your heart, “Abba Father”. 


+ Nothing is so strong as desperation. It knows no defeat at the hand of any, 

whether on the right hand or the left. 


+ When someone has despaired of all hope of life, no one is more daring than 

he; no foe can face him, no rumors of affliction can weaken his purpose, for any 

affliction which may come is less than death, for he has resolved that death is 

inevitable. 


+ If, in every place and in every circumstance, and on every occasion you 

resolved to set your mind’s sight on toil and affliction, then you will find yourself 

courageous in facing all difficulties. 


+ Through the power of deliberation, the timidity that resides in those who seek 

only a life of comfort will take flight. 

Not only this, but all difficult and hard things which you may encounter will 

appear easy and light for you. 

Indeed, it can often happen that your affairs turn out in opposite ways to what 

you expected. 


-85-

+ When despair seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather, fortified and protected 

by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil, “What are 

you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive from heaven, and a slave of 

evil? You dare not do anything to us. Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over 

us and over all. Leave us, you thing of death. We are made steadfast by the 

uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head." 


+ The soul that really loves God and Christ, though it may do ten thousand 

good deeds, esteems itself as having accomplished nothing, by reason of its 

insatiable aspiration after God. Though it should exhaust the body with fastings, 

with watchings, its attitude towards virtue is tinged with despair, as if it had not 

yet even begun to labor for them. 

- St. Macarius the Great 

+ What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to climb hills 

and the summits of mountains! With what efforts must we ascend to heaven? 

If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is 

given to the one who perseveres, everlasting life is offered, and the Lord 

promises His Kingdom. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ A person must strive to goodness first, by purifying his body from the actual 

committing of sin, and then purge his soul of every form of desire or anger. 

His moral impulses need to be disciplined by good habits, so that he does not, 

in despair or lack of opportunity, do anything through his five senses that is 

contrary to the purpose of his intellect, nor does his inner self- consent to any 

such thing. It is then, when finally he becomes in control, that God makes all 

things subject to him through dispassion and by the grace of the Holy Spirit. 


+ Do not fall into despair because of your stumblings. I do not mean that you 

should not feel pain because of them, but that you should not consider them 

incurable. For it is better to be wounded than to be dead. 

There is indeed a healer, He who on the Cross asked for mercy on those who 

were crucifying Him, who pardoned murderers as He hung on the Cross. 

Christ came on behalf of sinners, to heal up the broken- hearted and to bind up 

their wounds. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, He says; for that reason He has anointed 

me in order to proclaim good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the 

broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captive, recovery of sight to 

the blind, and to strengthen the bruised by forgiveness’’ (Isaiah 61 and St. Luke 

4:18-19). 

-86 -

And the Apostle says in his letter, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save 

sinners. ” And his Lord also testifies, "I am not come to call the righteous, for 

they who are in good health have no need of a doctor, only those who are sick” 

(St. Matthew 9:13). 


+ Christ, then, is the beginning of our righteousness, therefore do not despair 

for He is our beginning and ultimate end. He is the beginning of purity. He 

taught maidens not to seek men’s embraces, but to serve the Holy Spirit 

rather than a husband with the purity of their minds and bodies. Christ is the 

beginning of frugality, for He became poor even though He was rich. Christ is 

the beginning of patience, for when He was abused verbally, He didn’t lash 

back. When He was struck, He did not strike back. Christ is the beginning of 

humility, for He took the form of a servant even though He was equal with God 

the Father in the majesty of His power. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ We shouldn’t be afraid that our worldly talents will decrease when we practice 

mercy. For Christian poverty is always rich because what it has is more valuable 

than what it doesn’t have. 

- Leo, Pope of Rome 

+ For the value of our opportunities is determined by the sincerity of our 

feelings. And those who show mercy and love to others won’t ever lack mercy 

or love for themselves. 

- Leo, Pope of Rome 

+ When the evil spirit of despair seizes the soul, it fills it with distress and 

unpleasantness. Thus, it does not allow one to pray with the necessary 

diligence. It hinders one from reading the Scriptures with proper attention, 

it deprives one of meekness and deference in one’s relations with others, and 

it produces an aversion for every kind of conversation. For the soul that is filled 

with despair and sorrow becomes as if mad and delirious and is unable to 

calmly accept good advice or to reply meekly to questions asked of it. It flees 

people as if they were the cause of the sorrow and fails to understand that the 

cause of the affliction is in oneself. He who overcomes the passions has also 

overcome sorrow. But he who has been overcome by the passions will not 

escape the chains of sorrow. 


+ The person who is dedicated to Jesus Christ is equally faithful in small things 

as in great. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Words would be unnecessary if we had deeds to speak for them. 


-87 -

+ Be true to yourself and no one can harm you. And equally, no one can harm a 

man who does himself no wrong. 


+ When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are wearied 

and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always, that God the 

Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun: also, all the angels, your 

own Guardian Angel and all the saints of God. Truly they do, for they are all one 

in God, and where God is, they are there also. Where the sun is, in that 

direction are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means. 


+ Let us always take the opportunity to forsake all the other things that belong 

to this transitory life, such as vainglory, envy, mutual strife, deceit, complaining, 

intrigue - all the things that turn us away from God and imperil the soul. Let us 

long with all our soul for the opportunities to embrace things God commands 

us to embrace, spiritual poverty, which the world calls humiliation, constant 

mourning by night and day, from which there wells forth the joy of the soul 

and the hourly consolation for those who love God. By this means all who 

strive in truth succeed in attaining meekness. Those who hunger and thirst for 

righteousness and seek it at all times will obtain “the Kingdom of God, which 

surpasses all human understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Further, one becomes 

“merciful, pure in heart, full of peace, a peacemaker, and courageous in the 

face of trials (Matthew 5:3-11)”. 


+ Should we fall, we should not despair and so estrange ourselves from the 

Lord’s love. For if He so chooses, He can deal mercifully with our weakness. 

Only we should not cut ourselves off from Him or feel oppressed when 

constrained by His Commandments, nor should we lose heart when we fall 

short of our goal...let us always be ready to make a new start. If you fall, rise 

up. If you fall again, rise up again. Only do not abandon your Physician, lest 

you be condemned as worse than a suicide for your despair. Wait for Him and 

He will be merciful, either reforming you, or sending you trials, or through some 

other provision of which you are ignorant. 


+ Nothing false or artificial is really pleasing. 


+ How many have despaired and suffered, and still suffer because their hearts 

were not firm in their good inclinations, because they imprudently looked with 

impure eyes, because they heard with ears unaccustomed to discern between 

good and evil, because they tasted greedily. The senses of the sin- loving, 

greedy flesh, unrestrained by reason and by God’s Commandments, have 

drawn them into worldly passions, have darkened their minds and hearts, 

-88-

deprived them of peace of heart, and taken away their free-will, making them 

the slaves of these senses. Thus you see how necessary it is to look, listen, 

taste, smell and feel prudently; or rather, how necessary it is to guard your 

heart so that through your outward senses, as through a window, no sin may 

steal in, and the author of sin himself - the Devil - may not darken and wound 

that heavenly fledgling, our soul, with his poisonous and deathly arrows. 


+ Just as it is impossible for some engaged in business to make a profit on the 

basis of faith alone, so it is impossible for anyone to attain spiritual knowledge 

and repose before he has labored in thought and action to acquire the virtues. 


+ Just as businessmen always fear bankruptcy and hope for gain, so should 

we, until our last breath. And as businessmen exert themselves not only when 

they reap a profit, but also after suffering loss and taking risks, so should we, 

as well, knowing that the idle man will not eat from the fruit of his own labors 

and so will become a pauper, perhaps even falling heavily into debt. 


+ We have wandered from God and are in deep despair. If we want to return 

to our Father’s house, this world must be used and not enjoyed, so that the 

invisible things of God may be clearly seen and understood by the things that 

are made. By means of material and temporary things, we may grasp that 

which is spiritual and eternal. But the true objects of enjoyment are the Father, 

Son and Holy Spirit. 


+ Almost all of us at times find ourselves unable to sleep at night. We lie awake 

during the dark, silent hours. This rarely happens when our hearts and souls 

are at peace; it usually happens when we are in despair. For this reason do not 

curse your lack of sleep. These times of wakefulness have been sent by God 

as a sign that something is wrong, and as a period of reflection. So, when you 

cannot sleep, allow the thoughts that lie deepest in your heart to rise up to the 

surface. Often these thoughts are a reproach, telling you of a sin you have 

committed or an act of charity you failed to perform. 


+ If you have confessed your many sins and made amends for past failures, 

then you must assure yourself that God has forgiven you, so that you can sleep 

in peace. However, if you have not confessed and made amends then take the 

opportunity now so that you can admit to God the precise nature of your sins 

while asking forgiveness. Following this you must plan how you might take the 

time to right your wrong. But do not worry, your mind and body will eventually 

sleep when your soul is at rest. 


- 89 -

+ As long as you have bad habits do not reject hardship, so that through it you 

may be humbled and eject your pride. 


+ It sometimes happens that a man is in such a spiritual state that it seems 

to him that it would be easier to be annihilated or to be totally without 

consciousness or feeling than to remain any longer in this debased and 

painful state. One must come out of it quickly. Guard against the feeling 

of despondency, for from it issues every kind of evil. 


+ If you are offended by anything, whether it is intended or not, you do not 

yet know the way of peace. 


+ We must vigilantly guard our heart from unfitting thoughts and impressions, 

according to the word of the author of Proverbs; “Keep your heart with all 

diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). 


+ Compunction (i.e. remorse) are the fruits of practice and the means whereby 

the fruits are obtained. Compunction produces virtues, it creates them, as all 

Scripture bears witness. Therefore, he who wishes to rid himself of the fruits 

of the passions, or attain virtues, must diligently seek compunction. 


+ With one’s neighbor one should behave kindly, giving not even the 

appearance of offending. When we turn away from a neighbor, or offend 

them, it is as though a stone were laid on the heart. 


+ If you wish to progress in what is good, do not associate with a person of 

ill will. 


+ One should not undertake any ascetic labors beyond one’s measure, but 

one should take every opportunity to make our friend, the flesh, faithful and 

capable of performing virtues. 


+ The opportunities for supporting the life of our soul are always in abundance- 

its spiritual food, drink, and raiment - in God the Trinity. Being wholly in every 

place, like air, or mental light, the Lord stands ready at every moment of our life, 

according to our faith, and on account of the prayerful disposition of our soul - 

to support our spiritual talents by His all-active grace, to be the uninterrupted 

light of our mind and heart; the air by which our soul breathes, the food by 

-90 -

which it is nourished and strengthened, the life-giving warmth by which it is 

comforted, and the garment with which it not only covers its sinful nakedness, 

but with which it also adorns itself as with royal purple, that is, the garment of 

Christ’s justification. 


+ Men take every opportunity to love one another, for good or ill, for the 

following five reasons. Either for the sake of God, as the virtuous man loves 

everybody and as the man, not yet virtuous, loves the virtuous. Or by nature, 

as parents love their children, and children their parents, or because of self 

esteem, as he who is praised loves the man who praises him, or because of 

avarice, as with one who loves a rich man for what he can get out of him, or 

because of self-indulgence, as with a man who serves his belly and his genitals. 

The first of these opportunities is commendable, the second is neutral, the rest 

are dominated by passion. 


-91 -

Wyat tv)e Cyurcy Fathers Say About... 

HUMILITY, PRIDE AND VANITY 


St. Gregory of Sinai 

St. Hesycfcus tl)e Presbyter 

Martyrius of Edessa 

Pope Gregory of Rome 


St. Simeon t(je New Theologian 

St. Joljn of Kronstadt 

...and others 

-92-


The Resurrected Life 

Lord, I am morally nothing without You. I have really not one true thought or 

good feeling, and can do no good works without Your help. I cannot drive away 

any sinful thought, any passionate feeling such as malice, envy, fornication, or 

pride. You Lord, are the accomplishment of everything good I think, feel or do. 

O, how boundlessly wide is Your grace acting in me. You Lord are everything 

to me, and so clearly, so constantly. Mine - is only my sinfulness; mine are only 

my infirmities. O, how we ought to love You, O Lord who was pleased to call us 

into existence from non-existence, to honor us by Your image and likeness, 

to establish us in a paradise of delights, to subdue all the earth unto us. And 

who-when we did not keep the Commandments, but were allured by the 

enticement of the Devil, and immeasurably offended You by our ingratitude, 

and assimilated unto ourselves all the qualities of the tempter (pride, vanity, 

envy, ingratitude) and all his evil arts, which he taught us as his prisoners-did 

not reject us forever but deigned to redeem us from sin. You freed us from the 

curse and death into which we had fallen through sin, and did appear on earth, 

having taken our nature upon Yourself. You became my teacher, my healer, my 

worker of miracles, my Savior. You bore the punishment for us, died for us in 

order that we should not be eternally lost. You rose from the dead in order to 

raise us too, after death. You ascended into heaven, in order that we too, should 

ascend, we who had fallen so low through sin., and You became everything to 

us-food, drink, light, purification, health-and the power that protects, saves, 

preserves, and has mercy upon us. 

- St. John of Kronstadt (“My Life In Christ”) 


REFLECTION: 

> Deuteronomy 8:2 > 1 John 2:15-17 

> 1 Kings 21:29 > 1 Timothy 3:6 

> 2 Kings 22:19 >St. Mark 7:17-23 

> 2 Chronicles 7:14 > Jeremiah 13:17 

> Job 22:29-30 > 1 Peter 5:6 

> James 4:6,4:10 > St. Matthew 18:4, 23:12 

> Proverbs 16:19, 29:23 

> Psalm 9:12, 10:10-12, 10:17, 34:2, 35:13, 69:32, 113:4-6 

> Psalm 10:2-4,31:17-18,59:12-13, 73:6, 14:3 

Many years ago, in a religion class, a friend of mine asked the priest - “If God 

forgives everyone - why didn’t He forgive the Devil for his sins?” I was old 

enough to understand that this was a very profound question and vainly 

believed that the priest was never going to come up with an answer. Of course 

he did - without batting an eye. The priest responded - “God never forgave the 

-93-

Devil for his sins because the Devil never asked to be forgiven.” Those of 

us looking for loopholes (at the time we all thought we were the world’s greatest 

sinners - a form of extreme pride) were gravely disappointed. The priest had 

answered the question in a flash and there was no wiggle room left for us 

seeking shortcuts in our moral lives. To this day, some fifty years later, I 

remember this answer because it was short, to the point and yet theologically - 

right on target. 

The Devil is the “Father of Pride”. He fell because he thought the world was all 

about him. And when he fell, he was incapable of recognizing that his sin was 

totally his fault, and his only! Adding to his great sin, he then refused to 

acknowledge any culpability for his actions. We know that Holy Scripture says, 

“Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16). All serious sins contain pride at 

their core. Pride warps the conscience and allows us to set ourselves as demigods. 

Pride allows us to center all things on ourselves. We begin to think that 

we are the center of the universe and all that is done, or said, is relative to our 

particular well-being and comfort. Pride forgets everyone else and we begin to 

think that, in this complicated cosmos, only we matter! That is why, even when 

we think we are pious or holy, we must continually guard against thinking that it 

is through our own efforts that we are so, and give all glory to God alone for this 

great gift. God is the center of the universe - to think that He is not and that we 

are the reason the sun rises and sets, is the great sin of pride - and the 

beginning of our own personal fall! 


++++++++++ 

+ Imitate the donkey in his love for his master. 


+ A holy bishop told a monk that even when his spiritual children kiss his hand, 

he imagines himself under their feet. 


+ “Humility, my child, is always to feel yourself sinful and worse than all 

other people”, an elder explained. “This is great and difficult feat. But you can 

accomplish it by applying yourself with unceasing labor.” 


+ If you ask me about the most important things in religion, I will answer that the 

first, second and third things are humility. 


+ Act as if you are a sojourner in any new experience, and wherever you are, 

understand that your words may not have an impact. Then you will be at peace. 


-94-

+ This is the true mark of a Christian - however hard a man may work, and 

whatever number of religious acts he performs, to feel that he has done nothing. 

While fasting he says, “This is not real fasting,” and in praying, “This is not real 

prayer,” and in perseverance at prayer, “I have exhibited no real perseverance; 

I am only just beginning to practice and to struggle”; and even if he is righteous 

before Almighty God, a man should say, “I am not righteous, not I; I do not 

struggle, but only make a beginning each day.” 

- St. Macarius 

+ Do not get a big head if you have served well, because you have only done 

what you are required to do. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ How shall we acquire humility, abandoning the deadly elevation of pride? We 

obtain humility by practicing some act of humility in each and everything we do. 


+ Chase after humility with all your heart, as one in love with it. Fall in love with 

humility, and it shall glorify you. 


+ The more familiar you become with a person, the more it wastes away 

admiration. 


+ A man filled with pride does not know himself. If he really knew himself and 

his own stupidity, he would not be puffed up with pride. 

- St. Mark the Hermit 

+ One cannot obtain the goal of perfection and purity except through true 

humility, shown initially to one’s brothers, and shown also to God in one’s 

inmost heart. For without God’s protection and aid extended to everyone at 

every instant, one cannot obtain the perfection he seeks. 


+ Self- accusation before God is something we must do continuously. It is very 

necessary. Humility of the heart is advantageous to our welfare, above all at the 

time of prayer. This is because prayer requires great attention and needs a 

noble awareness, otherwise it will become unacceptable and rejected, and it will 

be “turned back empty” to our bosom. 

- Martyrius of Edessa 

+ An old man inquired of an elder, “How may I find God?” The wise elder 

replied, “In fasting, in awareness, in work, in devotion, and, above all, in 

discernment. I tell you, many have wracked their bodies without discernment 

and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell badly 

- 95 -

through our fasts, we know the Holy Scriptures by heart, we recite the entire 

Psalter of David, but we lack that which God seeks; charity and humility.” 

- Apophthegmata Patrum 

+ We should zealously cultivate watchfulness, my brothers. When our mind, 

is purified in Jesus Christ we are exalted by the vision it confers. We should 

review our sins and our former life, so that shattered and humbled at the 

thought of them we may never lose the help of Jesus Christ our God in the 

invisible battle. 

- St. Hesychius the Presbyter 

+ Many people have the virtue of humility in some circumstances. Then they 

succumb to “demands” of their social stature or profession and, under the 

guise of “social necessity” or “professionalism", become arrogant in other 

circumstances. This is much like mixing soil and water in a container. When the 

container is untouched and at rest, the soil will settle and the water will remain 

sweet. But if the container is agitated, then the water and soil are mixed and 

become mud. The mud then dries, the water evaporates, and only soil is left. 

Thus only a person of true peace, incapable of agitation, can actually maintain 

humble virtue, meanwhile tolerating in himself any ostensibly worldly behavior. 


+ “I, too, will go to the place to which the Devil will be condemned,” Abba 

Poimen said, humbling himself. 

At another time he said, “Man needs humility and the fear of God as much as 

he needs the air which he breathes.” 

On still another occasion, he said: “The most useful tools for the soul are 

humility, self reprobation, and distain for one’s own will.” 

- Abba Poimen 

+ The Devil appeared to a very humble monk as an angel of light and told him, 

in order to pull him down into arrogance: “I am Gabriel and I came to salute you, 

for you have many virtues and are worthy.” 

“Look, you must have made a mistake,” the humble monk answered, without 

losing his composure. “I am still living in sin, and for this reason I am not worthy 

to see angels.” 


+ A young novice told his elder, “I am especially prepared for the spiritual life, 

since my family has a history of mystical gifts.” 

The elder replied, “Apparently the only thing that your family has inherited is the 

condemning pride of Adam. This is the legacy they have willed to you.” 


-96-

+ The humbler our opinion of ourselves, the more swiftly our prayer rises to 

God. So as soon as we lose humility, each and every ascetic effort is nullified. 

If pride is active in us, or fault- finding, or unfriendliness, the Lord stands remote 

from us. 

- Archimandrite Sophrony 

+ Spiritual poverty consists in esteeming oneself as though you did not exist, 

in honoring God’s words above everything in the world, and not sparing any 

effort to fulfill them, (even to losing one’s own life); to placing God’s will above 

all else and entirely renouncing our own will. 


+ Don’t you see how those who attend an earthly king regard it as a great 

honor, that they are proud of it, and are considered as objects of envy by those 

who know them? If ,then, this is true in vain and transitory matters, how much 

more should we, who have been made members of the army of the Heavenly 

King, and have taken His service upon ourselves, rejoice and be joyful to be 

taken into His service and called upon to render worship to His name? 


+ Humble yourselves and you will see the glory of Almighty God in yourself. 


+ When I wish to open my mouth and expound on the theme of humility, I am 

filled with dread and foreboding, like someone who is aware that he is about to 

speak with his own imperfect and inadequate words concerning Almighty God. 


+ A monk in the desert asked his elder, “What thing is there in life that is so 

good that I may do it and live?” The elder replied, “God alone knows what is 

good ...the Scriptures say that Abraham was blessed with hospitality and God 

was with him; David was humble and God was with him. Therefore, what you 

find your soul desires in following God, do it and keep your heart set on him.” 


+ Abba Poimen told his monks that Abba John compared saints to a grove 

of trees, each bearing different fruit, but watered from the same source. The 

practices of one saint differ from those of another, but it is the same Spirit that 

works in all of them. 


+ ...That man is of noble character and an elevated spirit who never grows 

conceited and haughty towards those he knows well and avail themselves of 

his gifts. Such a man does not neglect them in any respect, does not look down 

on them in his thoughts, but continuously esteems them. As often happens, we 

begin to become conceited and proud towards those who have become close to 

us, and becoming accustomed to them, we speedily grow tired of them and 

-97-

eckon them as nothing. Often, we place a man lower than a beloved animal or 

prized possession. 


+ “Humility is the gateway to dispassion ”, said St. John Climacus, and 

according to St. Basil the Great, “the fuel of humility is gentleness”. It is this 

that gives man constancy, so that regardless of whether a situation is pleasant 

or unpleasant he is always the same. Such a man is indifferent to both honor 

and dishonor, joyfully accepting things sweet and painful, and remaining 

unperturbed. 

- St. Peter of Damacus 

+ While still a young monk, Abba Poimen asked Antonius the Great what he 

should do to secure his salvation. 

“Acknowledge your faults with a broken heart,” Antonius replied, “and humble 

yourself before God. Also, endure patiently the temptations that come your way 

and you can be sure that you are saved.” 


+ Just as night follows day and winter follows summer, so distress and pain 

follow self- esteem and sensual pleasure, either in this life or after death. 


+ The circumstances of our lives are directed by a higher providence and often, 

with little or no effort on our part. By God’s help we have stayed out of reach of 

many great passions, delivered by His sympathy for our weakness. We should 

acknowledge the gift and humble ourselves before the Giver, and not become 

puffed up with pride. 


+ As in all things to the good, God is prepared to help man acquire humility. 

Yet man must take care of himself. The Holy Fathers say, “Render up blood 

and receive the Spirit.” This means struggle even to the point of giving up your 

blood, and you will receive a spiritual gift. While you seek after and ask for 

spiritual gifts, you are unwilling to shed your blood. That is, you want everything, 

but do not want to be bothered or disturbed by anyone. 

- Venerable Elder St. Amvrossy 

+ Humility consists of seeing oneself as the worst of all, not only of people, but 

even of dumb beasts, even the evil spirits themselves. And then, when you are 

disturbed by others, you become aware that you cannot stand it, and you 

become angry with people; involuntarily, you will then consider yourself to be a 

bad person. If in the process you regret being bad, and reproach yourself as 

incorrigible and if you truly repent before God, then you will already be on the 

path to humility. But, if no one bothers you and you were to live in tranquility, 

-98-

how could you become conscious of your badness? If they are trying to demean 

you, they want to humble you. You yourself are asking God for humility. Why 

then should you lament over others? 

- Venerable Elder St. Amvrossy 

+ Why does humility lead up to the heights of righteousness, whereas self- 

conceit leads down to the depths of sin? Because anybody who thinks he is 

something great, even before God, is rightly abandoned by God, as one who 

thinks that he does not need God’s help. Anybody who despises himself, on the 

other hand, and relies on mercy from above, wins God’s sympathy, help and 

grace. As it says, “The Lord resists the proud, but He gives grace to the lowly” 

(Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). 


+ It was said of a certain elder that he held a special affection for those who 

despised him and in any way dishonored him. 

“These are our friends," he used to say, “because they lead us to humility. 

Those who honor and praise us do injury to our souls. The Holy Scriptures 

say, “Those who regard you well, will seduce you.” (Luke 6:26) 


+ One does an injustice to himself and to his neighbor, but more importantly 

to God-when he ascribes his own achievements to himself. For if a man 

believes that any good thing he does, or talent he possesses, is due to himself, 

then what he thinks he possesses will be taken from him. 


+ Those who have longed to see the “land of promise’’ (Hebrews 11:9), which 

the eyes of the meek, the humble and the poor have been granted to see, then 

gratefully accept every trial and tribulation. 


+ Unless humility and love, simplicity and goodness regulate our prayer, this 

prayer, or rather this pretense of prayer-cannot profit us at all. And this applies 

not only to prayer, but to every work and hardship taken for the sake of virtue, 

whether this be virginity, fasting, vigils, reading the Psalms or any good service 

to men. 


+ Neither fasting, nor vigils, nor human effort, nor any praiseworthy effort 

pleases God as much as a soul that is humble, simple and good. 


+ Discrimination comes from seeking advice with humility and from criticizing 

oneself and what we think and do. 


- 99 -

+ Our most dire enemy is pride. Its power is immense. Pride drains our every 

aspiration, and corrupts our every endeavor. Most of us fall prey to its dangers. 


+ The proud man wants to dominate and to impose his will on others, so conflict 

arises between brothers. This is contrary to revelation concerning the Trinity in 

whom there is no greater, no lesser, and where each person possesses 

absolute fullness of Divine Being. 


+ It is said by the Fathers of Abba John the Persian that evildoers once 

entered his hut with the intent of killing him. Abba John prepared a basin and 

stooped down to wash their feet, as he always did for his friends. Seeing this 

the malefactors, embarrassed, left him alone and departed. 


+ Let no one think that is a simple, easy thing to become humble. It is 

something beyond the natural powers of man. It is true to say that the more a 

person is gifted the more difficult it is for him to attain humility. It presupposes 

great judgment and endurance in the face of the trials and evil spirits that 

oppose us: for humility eludes all their snares. 


+ You must know that you have been greatly benefited when you have suffered 

deeply because of some insult or indignity. For because of this indignity this 

self- esteem has been driven from you. 


+ Arrogance and cowardice-although they seem to be contradictory-are both 

caused by weakness. Arrogance pulls one upwards and is startling and 

frightening, like some powerless bear, while cowardice flees like a chased dog. 

No one who suffers from either of these two passions puts his trust in God, and 

therefore he cannot stand firm in battle. But “the righteous man is as bold as a 

lion” (Proverbs 28:1). 


+ He who has realized love for God in his heart is tireless in the pursuit of the 

Lord. He bears every hardship, reproach and bodily insult nobly, never thinking 

evil of anyone. 


+ As soon as a man understands and truly feels his weakness, he immediately 

puts a restraint on the vanity in his soul, which blocks out reason, and thus he 

gains protection. 


- 100 -

+ When a man is about to pray, he must humble his proud heart while casting 

every earthly vanity from it, and must bring into it living and undoubting faith. 


+ The vainglorious man is an idolater, although he is called a believer. He 

believes that he is giving worship to God, but in fact he is pleasing not God, 

but men. 

- St.John of the Ladder 

- 101 -

W pat uie Cv)vwc\) Fathers Say About... 

MARTYRDOM, SALVATION, ATONEMENT, 

AND THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST 


St. Symeon the New Theologian 

St. Joseph of Volokolamsk 



St. Gregory of Nyssa 


St. Augustine 

St. Ambrose of Milan 

St. Athanasius 


St. I renaeus 

...and others 

-102 -


Lord Jesus Christ, whose will all things obey; pardon what I have done and 

grant that I, a sinner, may sin no more. Lord, I believe that though I do not 

deserve it, You can cleanse me from all my sins. Lord, I know that man looks 

upon the face, but You see the heart. Send Your Spirit into my inmost being, to 

take possession of my soul and body. Without You I cannot be saved, with You 

to protect me, I long for Your salvation. And now I ask for Your salvation and for 

wisdom. Deign of Your great goodness to help and defend me. Guide my heart, 

Almighty God, that I may remember Your presence day and night. 



REFLECTION: 

> Revelation 2:13, 17:6 

> Acts 5:28 

> Acts 4:12 



> Romans 5:9-11 

> 2 Peter 1:10-11 

> Philippians 2:12-13 

> Titus 1:1-3 



> Colossians 1:9-14, 1:19-20 

> Romans 13:11-14 

> St. Matthew 24:22, 24:24-25, 24:31 

> St. Luke 1:68-75, 1:76-77, 3:4- 6 , 19:9 

> Romans 9:11, 11:7-11:15, 11:28-32 

There are times when a Christian feels that he lives in a society that is both 

alien and dangerous. One feels almost like a missionary in a foreign land. 

Christians are interested in salvation, the secular world is interested and 

maintained by “pleasure” or “what’s in it for me! ” 

Christians must learn to translate what they know to be true about salvation into 

actions, words and phrases that people can understand. But in doing so, they 

risk the sometimes cruel judgments of those who have become secularized to 

an alarming degree. Believers must respond with a tender, compassionate 

understanding that is also foreign to the tenor of the times. This makes them 

available targets and the butt of scorn and derision. 

Perhaps the world- at- large has no interest in salvation but it understands 

completely the desire to be “saved” from a life of futility and failure, from 

uselessness and guilt. While secularists may not use the word “sin”-they have 

experienced loneliness, emptiness, and alienation from God, as have all men. 

Secularists may not comprehend “eternal life” - but you can believe they fear 

death, and what awaits them, if they even believe in an afterlife. 

- 103 -

People of the world do not understand the message of Christ, and how He can 

be Divine, but they desperately want a personal God who cares about them and 

looks after their welfare. 

As Christians we are called to understand these “People of the World,” these 

secularists. And if we make love the aim of our being, we will find the door that 

will open the reality of God for our friends, for Our Lord is the answer to every 

man’s hunger and every man’s need. 


++++++++++ 

+ In partaking of Christ we are partaking of the Father, because the Word 

(Christ) is the Father’s own. 


+ Christ was made man, that He might deify us in Himself. He was born 

of a woman, and begotten of a virgin, in order to offer Himself to an erring 

generation, that we may become ever more a holy race, and “partakers 

of the Divine Nature”, as is written in 2 Peter 1:4. 


+ Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Word of Truth, the Word of Incorruption that 

generates mankind by returning them to the Truth. He is the goad that urges 

us to salvation, expels destruction and pursues death, He who builds up the 

edifice of God in mankind and causes God to take up an abode in men. 


+ Because of His great love for mankind, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, 

became what we are in order to make us what He is Himself. 


+ Christ saved men not by mighty storms from above but as a crying babe 

in a manger and as a willing and silent victim upon the Cross. 

- St. Jerome 

+ His compassion for us compelled Christ to be born in a human body 

at Bethlehem. 

- St. Methodius of Olympus 

+ The Sacrificial Victim was offered for all mankind, and was sufficient to save 

all, but it is to believers only that the bounty is available. 


+ After His public ministry, He did not eat of the lamb, but became the true, 

suffering Lamb in the Paschal Feast. 

- St. Peter of Alexandria mA

+ Moved by love the Apostles ran that unending race and cast on the whole 

world the fishhook and net of the Word to drag it up from the depths of idolatry 

and bring it safely home in the port of the heavenly Kingdom. Moved by love, 

the martyrs shed their blood that they might not lose Christ. Moved by it, our 

God- bearing Fathers and teachers of the world eagerly laid down their lives 

for the catholic and apostolic Church. 


+ Christ’s natures are unified and their respective attributes belong to both 

natures. Just as Our Lord received the lashes and scars of the servant, the 

servant is glorified with the honor of the Lord. For this is why the Cross is called 

the Cross of Glory and why every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father. 


+ God has placed older believers as a lighthouse for those of us live around 

them.Many of them were young men in their prime, but have grown gray by 

their consistent patience of self- control and restraint. 


+ Isaiah said, “The Spirit of God will rest upon Him", (Isaiah 11:2). For the 

beginning it was given to the first- fruits of our race, that is, to Adam. But he 

became careless about observing the commandment given to him, neglected 

what he had been instructed to do, and sank into the abyss of sin, with the 

result that the Spirit found nowhere to rest among men. “For all have turned 

aside, together they have gone wrong, no one does good, not even one” 

(Romans 3:12). Then the only- begotten Word of God became man, even 

though He did not cease being God. Since He was not consumed by sin even 

though He became as we are, the Holy Spirit rested on human nature, first on 

Him as 

the second first- fruits of our race, that it might also rest on us and remain 

henceforth dwelling in the minds of believers. . 

- St. Cyril of Alexandria 

+ Never, therefore, is sin spared, because never is it forgiven without having 

been avenged. 


+ The Devil dragged the human race into a perpetual captivity by the 

burdensome debt of inherited liability that Adam willed to his posterity, as their 

inherited debt. The Lord Jesus Christ came and offered His death in place of 

the death of all, and poured out His Blood in place of the blood of everyone. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ Let us put off the old man with its deeds and, sharing in Christ’s birth, let us 

defy fleshly works. Christians, acknowledge your dignity. As you become a 

- 105-

partner in God’s nature, refuse to return to the old, wicked behavior. Remember 

the Head and the Body of which you are members. Remember that you were 

rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God’s light and 

kingdom. 

- Pope Leo of Rome 

+ Christ loved me so much that He gave Himself over to a curse laid for me. 

What can compare to this? If servants only receive praise from their masters, 

who they are bound as kin by nature, and are elated by it, how much more 

must we boast, when our Master, God Himself, isn’t ashamed of the Cross 

Christ endured for us. 


+ The blessed Eulogius saw an angel distributing gifts to some monks while 

at prayer. To one he gave a gold piece with the image of Our Lord, to another 

a silver piece with the Cross, to another a copper piece, to another a bronze 

piece, to another he gave nothing. The brothers who remained, left the church 

empty- handed. It was revealed to Eulogius that the ones who had obtained the 

gifts are those who toil at vigils, are diligent in prayers, supplications, psalms, 

chants, and readings. Those who received nothing, or who left the church 

empty- handed are those who remain unmindful of their salvation, enslaved to 

vainglory or the clamors of life, and stand feebly and lazily at their prayers while 

they whisper and jest. 

- St. Joseph of Volokalamsk 

+ But to you who do not believe that the dead are raised. When the resurrection 

shall take place, then you will be believed, whether you will or not, and your 

faith shall be reckoned for unbelief, unless you believe now. 

- Theophilus of Antioch 

+ Whoever says that there is neither a resurrection nor judgment for our 

salvation, such a one is the first- born of Satan. 

- St. Polycarp 

+ Wherever God promises salvation, there He gives the promise to the flesh. 

For what is man but a reasonable animal composed of body and soul? If, then, 

neither of these is by itself man, but that which is made up of the two is called 

man, and God has called man to life and resurrection, He has called not a part, 

but the whole, which is the soul and the body. 


+ We do nothing without the body. We blaspheme with the mouth, with the 

mouth we pray. We fornicate with the body, with the body we are chaste. 

We rob with the hand, with the hand we bestow alms. Since in all things the 

body has been our agent, it too shall in the future share in the fruits of what has 

been done. 

- St. Cyril of Jerusalem - 10 6 -

+ Even if we have thousands of acts of goodness to our credit, our confidence 

in being saved must be based on God’s mercy and His infinite love for mankind. 

Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we will be 

saved. 


+ The salvation of the soul would be the final goal of only a part of the human 

being, not of the whole. In order that the final goal can be realized, the body 

must be united with the soul, which is possible only through resurrection. 

- St. Athenagoras 

+ If Christ had no need of the flesh, why did He heal it? 

St. Justin Martyr 

+ We have formed the belief that our bodies rise again after death. For although 

they go to corruption, they do not perish, for the earth, receiving the remains, 

preserves them, even like fertile seed mixed with more fertile ground. 


+ If Christ, the Lord who saved us, though He was originally spirit, became flesh 

and in this state called us, so also shall we receive our reward in the flesh. 


+ It is impossible that God, who holds perfect excellence, should not also 

possess perfect patience. 

- Lactantius 

+ The Christian life is the true Jacob’s Ladder on which the heavenly beings 

ascend and descend. Meanwhile the Lord stands above, holding out His hands 

to those who slip, sustaining by His mercy the weary steps of those who are 

climbing. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The finger of Your justice, O Lord, most gently touches the wounds of him 

who is to be healed. 

- St. Ephrem of Syria 

+ Some say, considering how vile and despicable the flesh is, is it not vile 

(some say) that God should raise it ...since it is not worthy of the resurrection? 

The truth is that “God took dust of the earth, and made man” (Genesis 2:7). 

It is evident, therefore, that man made in the image of God was of flesh. 

Is it not then absurd to say, that the flesh made by God in His own image is 

contemptible, worth nothing? 


- 107 -

+ Some say the flesh is a sinner, so much so, that it forces the soul to sin along 

with it... 

But in what instance can the flesh possibly sin by itself, if it does not have the 

soul going before it and inciting it to sin? For as in the case of a yoke of oxen, 

if one or another is loosed from the yoke, neither of them can plough alone, so 

neither can soul or body alone effect anything, if they be unyoked from their 

communion. 


+ Why rely on your own efforts and fall? Cast yourself into His arms. Don’t be 

afraid. He will not let you slip. Cast yourself in confidence. Christ will receive 

you and heal you. 

- Sf. Augustine 

+ For a believer’s prescribed food and drink, let them have the New Testament 

of the Lord, for exercises, the Commandments; for elegance and adornment, 

the beauty of love, faith, hope, knowledge of the truth, gentleness, humility, 

compassion, and dignity. Then, when the last trumpet signals the race and 

departure from the stadium of life, they may, with good consciences, present 

themselves victorious to the Judge, who gives the rewards. 


+ I am safe if I am not ashamed of my Lord. Christ says, “Whosoever is 

ashamed of Me, of him will I also be ashamed” (St. Mark 8:38). 

- Tertullian 

+ The happenings of the Passion of Christ and His resurrection from the 

dead-who can fittingly recount them? Yet not one of them can be compared to 

the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of Blood renew the whole world, and 

do for all men what the rennet does for milk: joining us and binding us together. 


+ The Word of God Himself, the Great Remedy for grave sin, bowed the 

heavens and came down. Having “become like us in everything but sin", 

(Hebrews 4:15), He abolished sin in Himself. By giving us strength He dulled 

its sting, and on the Cross He put to shame its rulers and fellow- workers, 

that “through death He might destroy Satan who had the power of death “ 

(Hebrews 2:14). 


+ If someone wants to be saved let him come into this house so that he may be 

able to obtain his salvation ... Let no one, then, be persuaded otherwise, nor let 

anyone deceive himself; outside of this house, that is, outside of the Church, no 

one is saved, for if anyone should go out of it, he is guilty of his own death. 

- Origen 

- 108 -

+ If Christ died and did not rise, how is it that those in the account who fled 

from impending danger while He was yet alive, surrounded themselves with a 

thousand dangers for His sake when He was dead? 


+ If earth and heaven are renewed, why should we doubt that man can be 

renewed, when it is on his account that earth and heaven were made? 


+ It is through death and resurrection that God in His generosity has given us 

the Kingdom, incorruptibility, the totality of eternal life with Him, Given these 

conditions we partake of the wondrous things to come, incorruptible, immortal, 

sons of God, sons of the light and day and inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven, 

because we carry the Kingdom within. 


+ He who does not believe is judged already. 


+ We are justified by our works and not our words. 


+ It is our hope that He may both hear you, and perceive by your works that you 

are indeed members of His Son. 


+ Therefore, brethren, by doing the will of the Father, and keeping the flesh 

holy, and observing the Commandments of the Lord, we will obtain eternal life. 


+ Only those who fear the Lord and keep His Commandments have life with 

God; but as for those who do not keep His Commandments, there is no life 

in him. 

- Shepherd of Hermas (c.150) 

+ Each man goes to everlasting punishment or salvation according to the value 

of his actions. 


+ If men, by their works, show themselves worthy of His design, they are 

deemed worthy of reigning in company with Him, being delivered by corruption 

and suffering. That is what we have received.... Those who choose what is 

pleasing to Him are , on account of their choice, deemed worthy of incorruption 

and of fellowship with Him. 


- 109 -

+ He who does not believe in God is cheated of his own hope. And he does 

not believe God, who does not what God has commanded. 


+ Sinners are called enemies of God-enemies that is, of the Commandments 

they do not obey. In contrast, those who obey become friends of God. The one 

group-friends-are named so from their fellowship, the others from their 

estrangement, which is the result of free choice. 


+ It is well- pleasing to Him that we should be saved. And salvation is effected 

through both well- doing and knowledge. 


+ The tree is recognized by its fruit. So those who profess themselves to be 

Christians will be recognized by their conduct ... it is better for a man to be 

silent and be a Christian, than to talk and not be one. 


+ This then is our reward if we will confess Him by whom we have been saved. 

But in what way will we confess Him? We confess Him by doing what He says, 

in not transgressing His Commandments, and by honoring Him not only with our 

lips, but with all our heart and all our mind. Let us then not only call Him “Lord”, 

for that will not save us. For He says, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, 

Lord, will be saved but he that works righteousness" (St. Matthew 7:21). Let us 

then confess Him by our works, by loving one another. 


+ Therefore brethren, by doing the will of the Father, and keeping the flesh holy, 

and observing the Commandments of the Lord, we will obtain eternal life. 


+ Let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood not to be 

Christians, even though they profess with the lips the teachings of Christ. 

For it is not those who make profession, but those who do the works who 

will be saved. 


+ If you do not guard yourself against anger, you and your house will lose all 

hope of salvation. 

- Shepherd of Hermas 

+ Since all things are seen and heard by God, let us fear Him and forsake those 

wicked works that proceed from evil desires. By doing that, through His mercy, 

we may be protected from the judgments to come. For where can any of us flee 

from His mighty hand. 


- 110 -

+ To refrain from doing wrong is the beginning of salvation. 


+ Salvation is from a change due to obedience; it is not from nature. 


+ The Son of God taking the form of a servant, was made obedient unto death 

so that He might teach obedience to those who could not obtain salvation other 

than by obedience. 

- Origen 

-111 -

Wyat tl)e Cyurcl) Fathers Say About... 

GOODNESS, FORGIVENESS, 

MERCY, LOVE AND REPENTANCE 


WITH EXCERPTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF: 

St. J o(?n climacus 

St. Basil tl)e Great 

St. Isidore of Seville 




St. Isaac of Syria 

St. Anthony tl;e Great 


... and others 

- 112 -


Since You came into the world for all people, My Savior, therefore You came 

for me. Since You came into the world to save sinners, therefore You came 

to save me. Since You came to find those who are lost, You came to find me. 

O Lord my God, I should have come to You, I should have cast myself before 

You as a miserable sinner, I should have tried to find You. But I was so proud 

and so stubborn that You had to come to me. You came to earth as a tiny baby, 

enduring poverty, discomfort and danger, in order to reach me. You had to walk 

dusty lanes, enduring insults and persecution, in order to reach me. You had 

to suffer and die on the Cross, in order to reach me. Forgive me my stubborn 

pride that I have put you to such trouble and such pain on my behalf. 



> Genesis 32:10, 50:17 > St. John 20:23 

> Exodus 34:5-9 


> Daniel 9:19 


> Isaiah 55:7 


> Micah 7:18-19 


> 1 Samuel 15:25 

> Romans 8:28-30, 12:9-21 

> Act 2:38, 1:34-43 

> St. Mark 1:4, 2:7 

> St. Luke 1:77, 7:47, 17:3-4 

> St. Matthew 5:43-48, 7:15-20, 10:32-33, 26:28 

> Psalm 31:19, 33:5, 52:1,25:18, 85:2, 86:5, 25:11, 

13:5, 25:6, 36:5, 89:1, 100:1-5 

REFLECTION: 

Exactly what is repentance? 

Repentance is a genuine sorrow for some isolated act, or a spectrum of sinful 

behaviors, we have committed in our lives. Repentance is for a time when we 

could have acted but didn’t, or an entire pattern of living, something theologians 

call “our fundamental option.” 

But repentance is still more! It is the fact that, even when we turn from the 

wrongful past, yet stumble and fall again, our eyes remain on God and we 

continue our path toward Him, undaunted and determined. An elder was once 

asked what monks do in a monastery and he replied, “We fall and get up again, 

we fall and get up again.” That is repentance. It’s keeping your eye “on the 

prize” - on Almighty God and His all- embracing love. No athlete is concerned 

about the ups and downs of his training period, he knows these do not affect 

his ultimate destination. It is losing one’s direction or choosing the wrong path 

that is the ultimate danger. 

-1 1 3 -

This is the way it should be with us. As long as the path remains narrow and 

does not deviate we need not fear the daily faults and failures along the way. 

While they may cause us pain or sorrow, in the end we enter into the love of 

the Lord because we have been faithful in our quest - no matter how imperfect 

it may be. We must stay on the path of obedience to the Lord .He alone sees 

our heart and knows our desires. He watches over us because we are infinitely 

precious in His eyes. And those who believe, who walk in His way- will 

ultimately be led to Him, the source of all being! 


++++++++++ 

+ Repentance has been given to the human race as a “grace beyond grace”. 

Repentance is a second birth from God, of which we have received a baptism - 

and we receive this second baptism by means of repentance. 


+ Repentance is the gateway to mercy which is open to all who seek it. By way 

of this gate we enter into Divine mercy, and apart from this entrance one cannot 

find salvation. 


+ Repentance imitates God and disappoints Satan. 


+ “Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not 

despise” (Psalm 50:17). 

When a man strives within himself to have his heart humbled and his thought 

not agitated, but peaceful, then all the snares of the enemy are without effect 

and there resides the Lord Himself. “His place is in peace” (Psalm 75:3). 


+ A penitent purchases humility. It is a continual distrust of bodily comfort, a 

self- condemning reflection, and a joyful self- care. 

- St. John of the Ladder 

+ Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. 

A penitent is an un- disgraced convict and one who reconciles with the Lord 

by the practice of good deeds contrary to their sins. 


+ Repentance is a purification of conscience and the selfless endurance of all 

afflictions. A penitent inflicts his own punishments. 


-114 -

I 

+ Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul 

into an awareness of its sin. 


+ An insult is either nurtured or destroyed - not by the disposition of those who 

insult, but by the attitude of those who bear it. 


+ “For all have sinned” according to Divine Scripture, and “all are justified freely 

by grace" (Romans 3: 23- 24). Repentance is the second grace and is born in 

the heart as a result of faith and fear. 


+ It was said of a brother that his thoughts suggested to him. “Relax today and 

repent tomorrow.” But he retorted, “No, I am going to repent today and may the 

will of God be done tomorrow.” 


+ As good parents always do, you have readily granted pardon after being 

asked. Had you forgiven before being asked, it would not have been 

forgiveness you offered but approval of their conduct. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ If you have anything against anyone, forgive it. You come to this church to 

receive forgiveness of your sins, and you, too, must forgive him who sinned 

against you. Or how will you say to the Lord, “Forgive my many iniquities”, 

if you have not yet forgiven your brother for his sins, however slight. 


+ If you do not receive your brother who repents, because you have no mercy, 

you sin against the Lord Him self: for you do not obey Our Lord and God in 

acting as He acted . 

- Teaching of the Twelve Apostles 

+ The power of love works in two ways; it torments those who have sinned, 

just as happens among friends here on earth, but to those who have observed 

its duties, love gives delight. 


+ Blessed is the person who has eaten of the bread of love, which is Jesus. 


+ He who would be saved should ever have his heart disposed to repentance 

and broken, according to the Psalmist: “Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a 

broken and humbled heart God will not despise” (Psalm 50:17). 


- 115 -

+ In a brokenness of spirit a man can easily pass securely through the artful 

snares of the proud Devil, whose whole care consists in agitating the human 

spirit, and in agitation sowing his tares, in accordance with the words of the 

Gospel; “Lord, did You not sow good seed in Your field? From where have the 

weeds come? And He said to them, “An enemy has done this” (St. Matthew 

13:27- 28). 


+ The deadly wound consists of every sin that is not repented and confessed, 

and then of falling into despair. This depends on our choice and will. If we do 

not yield ourselves to the pit of carelessness and despair the Devil cannot 

overpower us. 


+ To rise again and fight after being wounded and slain (i.e. steeped in sin) 

belongs to the noblest and bravest-it is worthy of great praise and most 

admirable. 


+ To become either mortal or immortal depends on us, for if we do not despair 

we shall not die and “death will have no dominion over us” (Romans 6:9). 


+ For some there is salvation by fear; we contemplate the threat of punishment 

in hell and so avoid evil. But the person who is hastening to spiritual perfection 

rejects fear. Such a disposition is servile, and the person with this disposition 

does not remain with the Master out of love. He stays put out of fear of being 

scourged. 


+ No one lost Christ by confessing Him. 


+ Confession of sins may abase the man, but it raises him, it may cover him 

with squalor, but it renders him more clean, it may accuse but it excuses, while 

it may condemn it surely absolves. The less excuse you give yourself, the more 

God will give to you in return. 

- Tertullian 

+ There is no time for confession in the place of the departed. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ Let no one cheat himself, let no one deceive himself. The Lord alone can 

have mercy. He alone can bestow pardon for sins which have been committed 

against Himself. 

- St. Cyprian 

- 116-

+ He who despairs of pardon for his sin, damns himself by despair rather than 

by the crime he has committed. 

- St. Isidore of Seville 

+ The gift of love is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than 

prophecy, more honored than all the other charismatic gifts. 


+ It is told that Abba Agathon used to say, “I should like to find a leper, give him 

my body and take his in exchange”. The brethren knew this was perfect love. 


+ Do we forgive our neighbors when they trespass against us? If so, God 

will also forgive us in His great mercy. Do we refuse to forgive? God, too, will 

refuse to forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us. 

The forgiveness of your sins or non- forgiveness, which determines your 

salvation or destruction, depend man on you! For without forgiveness of 

sins there is no salvation. You can see for yourself how terrible it is. 


+ A soldier once asked Abba Mios if God accepted repentance. The wise old 

man answered, “Tell me, if you tear a precious cloak do you throw it away?” 

The soldier replied, “No I mend it and use it again.” Abba Mios said, “If you 

are so careful about your cloak, will not God be equally careful about His own 

creation?” 


+ David shows us by his actions that anyone who considers himself guilty 

before God and repents must believe that the reproach and contempt of others 

towards him is just and to be endured. 


+ If we love someone, then we always think of that one and we strive to please 

that person. Day and night our heart is preoccupied with that object. Is it in this 

way that you love God? Do you 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 give a vow to ourselves, that from this day, 

from this hour, from this minute, we shall strive above all else to love God and 

to fulfill His holy will! 

- St. Herman of Alaska 

+ I seek those tears shed, not for display, but in repentance. I want those that 

trickle down secretly and in closets, out of sight, softly and noiselessly. I desire 

those that rise from depth of mind, those shed in anguish and sorrow, those 

which are for God alone. 


- 117 -

+ Christ, who is the Good Shepherd, goes in quest of one who wanders and is 

lost in the mountains. He calls this one back when it runs from Him, and when 

He has found it, troubles Himself to carry it on His shoulders. 

- St. Dionysius of Alexandria 

+ Do not reject those who wish to return in repentance. Instead, receive the 

lost gladly, count them again among the faithful, and make up what is defective 

in them. 

- St. Dionysius of Alexandria 

+ The forgetting of wrongs is a sign of true repentance. But he who dwells on 

them and thinks that he is repenting, is like a man who thinks he is running 

while he is really asleep. 


+ God never turns His face away from a sincere repentance. 


+ God accepts and welcomes anyone who has become wicked to the greatest 

extreme and chooses to return towards the path of holiness. He does everything 

to restore such people to their former position. But God shows an even greater 

mercy; for those who demonstrate incomplete repentance, He still will not pass 

by their small and insignificant turn. 


- 118 -

Wlyat tl)e Cyurd) Fathers Say About... 

THE CHURCH, WORSHIP, 

HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE EUCHARIST 

(PART 1) 


St. Cyril of Jerusalem 


St. Augustine 

St. Macarius of Coring 



St. Peter of Damaskos 


St. c(ement of Alexandria 

...and others 

- 119 -


Prayer of Hippolytus of Rome (2nd-3rd century A.D.) 

Almighty God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we beg You that when 

we receive the sacred mystery of the Eucharist it may bring us blessing. May 

Christ’s Body and Blood not bring condemnation upon us, but rather ennoble 

all who receive it. 

Eternal God, to whom that which is invisible is as clear as that which is visible; 

before You , we bow our heads, submitting to You our hard hearts and unruly 

bodies. Send down blessings from Your glorious dwelling on all men and 

women, lending to their prayers a ready ear. Hold them upright with Your strong 

hand, controlling all their evil passions. Preserve their bodies and souls, filling 

them with faith in Your Gospel and awe at Your majesty. Now and always unto 

ages of ages. Amen. 


> St. Matthew 16:18-19, 28:20 

> St. John Chapter 6 

> James 2:5-7 

> 1 Thessalonians 2:12 


> Colossians 1:18 

> 1 Timothy 3:15-16 

> Hebrews 2:10-13 

> Acts 2:47, 5: 9-11, 11:22-26, 

> St. Matthew 3:2-3, 4:23, 5:3, 

10:7-15, 13:37-43, 21:43 

REFLECTION : 

> Romans 12:2, 16:5 

> Acts 24:14-16 


> St. John 4:24,18:36, 4:23-24 

> Ephesians 1:22, 4:4, 5:25-33 

> 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 12:27,14:40 

> St. Luke 17:20-21, 12:32-34 

> St. Matthew 4:10, 15:8-9 

12:5, 20:28-31 

5:19-20, 6:33, 

“Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no city to dwell in; Hungry and thirsty, 

their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord, in their trouble... He 

led them... to a city in which to dwell.” 

Millions today are lonely, even in the midst of crowds, having a hunger that 

nothing seems to satisfy, a thirst that never is quenched. 

The Church stands ready to fill the loneliness by offering Christ’s Body and 

Blood to feed the hungry soul. It offers a foretaste of heaven here on earth 

in the Liturgy and nourishes the hearts and minds of all believers with the 

message of the Gospel. It stands as a beacon on a hill for the lost and a 

haven for those tossed by the world’s vain pleasures. 

The Church does not offer false “solutions”. The loneliness it cures is not 

- 120-

physical. If it were, alcohol and drugs would suffice. Loneliness is not a mental 

alienation or knowledge alone would do the trick. The Church offers Christ in 

the flesh to cure the disease which makes men restless and alone. 

The Church and the Eucharist are a haven for the restless spirit, a place to find 

God. The man or woman who finds God, comes to this “place of refuge”-and 

upon finding it discovers that the desert is not “around us”, but within us. St. 

Augustine noted that “Our hearts are restless O Lord, until they rest in thee." 

Look around and see the wisdom of this quote. The Church is the answer 

because we know God is there. It is the place where we are made whole. 

In His Church “God satisfies him who is thirsty and the hungry He fills with 

good." It is the city in which to dwell. 


++++++++++ 

+ There is nothing wrong or misleading written in the pages of Holy Scripture. 

- St. Clement 

+ The Kingdom of Heaven consists in partaking of the Holy Spirit, for this is 

what the saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” (Luke 17:21), means. 

So we must endeavor to receive the Holy Spirit within ourselves and to keep 

Him there. 


+ It is a great blessing from God that some parts of Holy Scripture are clear 

while others are not. By means of the first we acquire faith and ardor and do 

not fall into disbelief and laziness because of our utter inability to grasp what is 

said. By means of the second we are roused to enquiry and effort, thus both 

strengthening our understanding and learning humility from the fact that 

everything is not intelligible to us.” 


+ In every particle of the Body and every drop of the Blood of Christ I receive 

Christ wholly. 

- Sf. John of Kronstadt 

+ The Lord is wholly in every temple, and as Orthodox churches are to be found 

throughout the world, our Lord is present upon the whole earth...communicating 

Himself to believers, and bringing forth sweet fruits in them. 


+ The Sacred Scriptures come from the fullness of the Spirit, so that there is 

nothing in the Prophets, or the Law, or the Gospel, or the Epistles, which does 

not descend from Divine majesty. 

- Origen 

- 121 -

+ It behooves us to do all things in order, which tne Lord has commanded us to 

perform at sacred times. He has commanded that offerings be presented, and 

services be performed. These things are not to be performed thoughtlessly or 

irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. 


+ We are commanded to reverence and honor the Lord, being persuaded that 

He is Word. We do not just do this on special days, rather we do this continually 

in our whole life, and in every way...in every place-even if we are by ourselves. 


+ The Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments), are very few in number, very easy to 

observe, and most sublime in meaning. 


+ Once we have been set free from sin we can proceed without hindrance to 

the practice of God’s Commandments and “serve Him with fear and trembling” 

(Psalm 2:11), not as though we were doing Him some favor, but as receiving a 

benefit by being admitted into His service. 


+ The person who is dedicated to Christ is equally earnest in small things 

as in great. 

- St. Jerome 

+ We often understand a certain passage of Holy Scripture in the course of our 

contemplation, grasping one or two of the senses in which it was written, then 

after a while our intellect may increase in purity and be allowed to perceive 

other meanings, superior to the first. As a result, in bewilderment and wonder at 

God’s grace and ineffable wisdom, we are overcome with awe before the God 

of knowledge. 


+ The farther Christians remove themselves from the spirit of their Faith, 

the more they become divided by self- love, the more they are absorbed in 

themselves, the lesser participation they have in spiritual and material blessings 

-especially of material ones with those in want-love becomes exhausted in 

them, and mankind more distressed. 


+ Plato says, “Ivory is not a pure offering to God.” What then? Are embroidered 

and costly textures? No, rather nothing is a pure offering to God that can be 

corrupted or taken away secretly. 

- Lactantius 

+ Our words would be unnecessary if we had deeds to show for them. 


- 122 -

+ If anyone thinks that vestments, jewels, and other things that are considered 

precious by men are valued by God, he is altogether ignorant of exactly who 

Almighty God is. Only that which is spiritual may be offered to God, for He 

accepts this. His offering is purity of soul. His sacrifice is praise and hymns. 

Since God is not seen He should be worshipped with things that are not seen. 

Therefore, the chief ceremonial in the worship of God is the praise from the 

mouth of a just man directed toward God. 

- Lactantius 

+ The custom of not bending the knee on Sunday is a symbol of the 

resurrection, through which we have been set free by the grace of Christ. 

Now this custom took its rise from Apostolic times, as the blessed Irenaeus, 

of Lyons, declares in his work, “On Pascha”. 

- Eusebius 

+ In the evening we needed Him, and exalted Him in worship. In the morning, 

when the need was no more, we rejected Him. When necessity left us, 

faithfulness left us. 

- St. Ephraim of Syria 

+ Nothing artificial in worship is really pleasing. 


+ To be grounded in faith and holy in living, this is the kernel of Christianity. 


+ Love Holy Scripture and the wisdom in her pages will love you. Love her, 

and she will protect you. Honor her, and she will encompass you. 

- Sf. Jerome 

+ The world is like a sea on which the Church sails. It is like a ship tossed 

in the deep, but not wrecked. This is because the Church has as its pilot, 

Jesus Christ. 

- St. Hippolytus of Rome 

+ With righteous conduct and irreproachable deeds, make ready the Way of the 

Lord, smooth out a path for Him so that the Word of God may act within you 

without hindrance and give you knowledge of His mysteries and of His coming. 

- Origen 

+ What seems bread is not bread (though bread by taste); but the Body of 

Christ. What appears to be wine is not wine (though taste will make it so); but 

the Blood of Christ. 


+ What reason is there in going to prayer with hands washed, but the spirit foul? 

- Tertullian 

- 123 -

+ I will honor the king but only God will I worship. 

- St. Theophilus of Antioch 

+ By what image am I to represent God, since rightly considered, man himself 

is the image of God? What temple am I to erect to Him, since the whole of the 

world which has been fashioned by Him, is unable to contain Him? 


+ The food that has been made “Eucharist” by the power of His Word, and 

which gives life to our flesh and blood by assimilation, is both the Body and 

Blood of Jesus Christ who was made flesh at His incarnation. 


+ To be ignorant of Holy Scripture is to be ignorant of Christ! 

- St. Jerome 

+ Holy Scripture is sufficient for teaching. However it is praiseworthy to exhort 

one another in the Faith and instruct one another with our explanations. 


+ One who looks for the Church seeks Christ. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ A man who is well- versed in the teachings of the Scriptures is the 

fortification of the Church. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The Bible is a stream in which an elephant may swim and any lamb 

may wade. 


+ The Lord Jesus Himself, proclaims; “This is My Body” (St. Matthew 26:26). 

Prior to the blessing of the heavenly words, another nature is spoken of; after 

the consecration, the Body is made real. Our Lord Himself speaks of His Blood. 

Before the consecration it is known by another name; afterward it is called 

Blood. The faithful say, “Amen”, that is, “It is true.” Let our hearts confess 

what our mouths utter; let the soul feel what the voice announces. 


+ Give yourself over to the reading of Holy Scripture. Apply yourself. For those 

of us who read God’s word need much foundation, lest we should say or think 

something much too rash about them. 

- Origen 

+ There is nothing frivolous or idle in the Divine Scriptures. What is said within 

its pages is there for some useful purpose. 


- 124 -

+ Any monk who desires a knowledge of Holy Scripture should not spend time 

on the works of commentators, but should keep all the attention of his mind 

and the desires of his heart set on purifying himself from bodily passions. For 

once these passions are driven out, suddenly the eyes of the heart will begin 

to naturally gaze on the sublime mysteries of Holy Scripture. 


+ Our flesh feeds on the Body and Blood of Christ, that the soul may grow 

healthy on God Himself. 

- Tertullian 

+ Whoever claims that the Church is only a small portion of the world is in error. 

The Church is the whole world. 


+ Not only ought we know the Lord, but we ought to hold Him in our hands, 

eat Him, set our teeth upon His flesh, and be united with Him in a most 

intimate way. 


+ Only the universal Church is the Body of Christ. Outside of this body, no one 

is ennobled by the Holy Spirit. 


+ There is no salvation outside the Church of Christ. 


+ Christ gave us His flesh, by which the faithful are nourished, like little children. 


+ One cannot have Almighty God for his Father, who does not have the Church 

for his mother. 


+ O wondrous mystery! God is the Father of all, Christ also the Word of all, and 

the Holy Spirit is one and the same everywhere. And there is also one mother. 

She is the Church! 


+ The Church is our mother, and supplies all our needs in plenty. We are born 

from her womb, by her milk we are fed, by her spirit we are animated. 


+ If someone inquires as to how bread is changed into the Body of Christ, 

I respond: “The Holy Spirit overshadows the bread and operates in the same 

way in the elements which He effected in the womb of the Virgin Mary.” 

- Sf. John of Damascus 

- 125-

+ Where the Church is, there also is the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of 

God abides, there you will find the Church, and all grace. Let it be known that 

this Spirit is Truth. 


+ The Church is a faithful and watchful guardian of the teachings that have 

been given to it. In this sacred deposit, she changes nothing and takes nothing 

away, nor adds anything to it. 

- St. Vincent of Lerins 

+ The Old Testament proclaimed the Father clearly, but the Son was more 

darkly portrayed. The New Testament clearly revealed the Son, but only 

indicated the Divinity of the Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit dwells among us and 

makes His manifestation to us more certain. 


+ If you believe what you like in the Gospel and turn aside from that which 

doesn’t please you, it is not the Gospel you believe, but only yourself. 


+ This is the holy Church, the one Church, the true Church, the universal 

Church which fights against all errors. She may be assailed, but she cannot 

be overcome. The gates of hell shall not prevail against her. 


+ The one and only holy, catholic and apostolic Church can never be destroyed, 

though the whole world may seek to make war against it. It is victorious over 

every unseemly revolt of the heretics who rise up against it. 

- St. Alexander of Alexandria 

+ If someone gave you small grains of gold, would you not protect them 

zealously, and be extremely careful not to misplace any? Will you then keep 

watch most carefully that not a crumb of the Eucharist, more precious than 

gold and precious stones, not fall from your hands? 

- Sf. Cyril of Jerusalem 

+ Do not absent yourself from Communion; do not deprive yourselves, by the 

stain of sin, of the Holy Mystery of the Eucharist. 


+ The study of inspired Holy Scripture is the chief way of finding our duty in life. 

For in Scripture we find both instruction about our conduct and the lives of holy 

men and women delivered in writing, as real, breathing images of Godly living. 

These teachings are examples for imitating their good works. 


- 126 -

+ When heretics attempt to avail themselves of the prophetic Scriptures, in 

the first place they will not make use of all the writings, and then they will fail 

to quote them in full, nor as a body of prophecy. But selecting ambiguous 

selections they mold them to their own opinions, mentioning a few selections 

here and there, not looking to the full sense , but making use in the mere words. 


+ We request that the Bread be given to us daily, so that we who are close to 

Christ, and receive the Eucharist regularly as the food of salvation, may not by 

serious sin...be prevented from partaking of the heavenly Bread, or torn from 

Christ’s Body. 


+ Believe as true that the same banquet takes place now as when Christ 

reclined at table, and know that this banquet, in the Eucharist, is in no way 

different. 


+ If anyone should ask a man who is truly wise why he was born, the wise man 

will answer without trepidation or hesitation, that he was born to worship God. 

- Lactantius 

+ The Body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist demands pure, believing souls and 

not costly garments. 


+ Every soul that partakes of the bread come down from heaven is a “house 

of Bread” or “Bethlehem”(in Hebrew), the “Bread of Christ”, which is nourished 

and strengthened by the support of that heavenly Bread that dwells within. 


+ Just as there are many rays from the Sun, making one light, thus also the 

Church, radiant with the light of Christ, sheds her rays over the entire world, 

yet remains one light that is spread everywhere. 


+ Remember this, all you faithful, the elect of the Church of God. The people 

were previously named “People of God,” and “a holy nation.” Therefore all of 

you are the holy and sacred Church of God, with names inscribed in heaven, 

a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen people, a bride adorned for the 

bridegroom, Our Lord, a great Church, a faithful Church. 

- “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” 

+ We are a people knit together by a common religious profession, by a unity 

in discipline, and by the bond of common hope. 

- Tertullian 

- 127 -

+ Follow the custom of the Church in whatever area you happen to be. 


+ Piety is the recognition of God as Father. 

- Lactantius 

+ God does not need our worship, or desire to see the homage of so many 

thousands laid at His feet. Worship is for our benefit, and works to our 

advantage. 

- Arnobius 

+ No one may whisper, nor sleep, nor giggle, nor nod, for, at worship, all 

ought to stand wisely, seriously, attentively, while having their attention fixed 

upon the Word of the Lord. 

- “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’’ 

+ In previous times, God being without form or body, could not be represented. 

But today, since God has come to us in the flesh and lived among us, I can now 

represent what is visible in God. I do not worship matter but I do worship the 

creator of matter who became matter for my sake...and who, through these 

things, accomplished my salvation. 

- St. John of Damascus 

- 128 -

Wpat tpe Cyurcy Fathers Say About... 

THE CHURCH, WORSHIP, 

HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE EUCHARIST 

(PART 2) 

- 129-


Remember, Lord, Your Church. Deliver it from all evil and perfect it in Your love. 

Gather it as one from the four winds-the Church that has been sanctified-into 

Your Kingdom which You have prepared for it from all eternity. 

- Teaching of the Twelve Apostles 

REFLECTION: 

Christians with even a passing knowledge of Holy Scripture, remember how 

confused and bewildered the disciples were after Jesus’ crucifixion . They could 

not understand why He had been sacrificed and not stayed around to build up 

a powerful physical Kingdom on earth. After all, that is what they wanted and 

expected, a powerful king at the head of a menacing army, one that men would 

learn to fear and obey! 

However, they forgot that Christ had said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” 

By this He meant that it would not be composed of mere physical things. It 

was to be a spiritual Kingdom, made up of men and women who knew the 

importance of living by God’s law and who understood that happiness did not 

depend on material possessions but on the love one had for others, and that to 

live was to prepare for eternal life. 

If Christ had wanted a physical Kingdom what would become of it after all the 

members had died and their earthly wealth had to be left behind? 

Yet, we must admit that it is the spiritual we look for, and need, in one another? 

An infant responds to the love its mother displays and a child respects his 

father’s wisdom and strength. These are the very values one needs when 

lonely or frightened. When adults are confused, lonely, frightened, depressed 

or diseased they seek God alone! Their need for God’s love and compassion 

supercedes anything one can find on earth where the cold, meaningless 

material things of the world offer nothing! 

Once men and women understand the importance of the need for God and the 

immortality of the soul, then the Kingdom of God becomes real and realized! 

SAYINGS OF THE FATHERS: 

++++++++++ 

+ The Scriptures were spoken and written by God, through the hands and 

hearts of those who spoke of God. 


- 130-

+ To whom was the Blood of Christ paid out, and why was it shed? We were 

in bondage to the Evil One, sold under sin, and receiving pleasure in exchange 

for wickedness. If a ransom belongs not to someone else but to him who holds 

in bondage, I ask you then, to whom was this paid, and for what reason? If it 

was paid to the Evil One, O, what an outrage! ...If it was paid to the Father, first 

I ask, how can that be? For we were not being detained by Him, and secondly, 

why would He be delighted by the Blood of His Only- Begotten Son? Surely it 

is evident, that the Father did receive the Sacrifice of His Son, though neither 

asking or demanding it, but because of His design of redemption and so that we 

might be sanctified by the humanity of God. 

- St. Gregory of Nazianzus 

+ The Sacred Scriptures come from the fullness of the Spirit, so that there is 

nothing in the writings of the Prophets, or the Law, or the Gospels, or the 

Epistles, which does not descend from Divine majesty. 

- Origen 

+ His word cannot deceive, but our senses are easily cheated. His word 

has never failed, however our senses err most of the time. 

- Sf. John Chrysostom 

+ Seek and find, and realize that the truth does not lie openly on the surface. 

- St. Clement 

+ He who does not assemble with the Church, has displayed his pride, 

and he has condemned himself. 


+ Wherever the bishop appears, let the congregation be there also, For 

wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the universal Church. 


+ Study in your heart the light of Holy Scripture, and you will know within the 

pages of Holy Writ who you were, who you are, and who you ought to be. 

- Fulgence of Ruspe 

+ Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of souls, the Governor of our bodies, 

and the Shepherd of the universal Church throughout the world. 

- From the “Martyrdom of Polycarp” 

+ The world is driven and tempest- tossed by sin. Therefore, God has given to it 

assemblies-holy Churches-in which survive the doctrines of Truth. 

- Theophilus 

- 131 -

+ The Church is the salt of the earth. It has been left behind within the confines 

of the earth, and it is subject to human suffering. And even though entire 

members are often taken from it, the pillar of salt endures. This typifies the 

foundation of the Faith that makes Christians strong and sends children forward 

to their Father. 


+ The Church preaches the Truth everywhere, and she is the seven- branched 

candlestick that bears the light of Christ. Those then, who abandon the Church, 

call in question the wisdom of the presbyters. We should flee to the Church, be 

brought up in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord’s Scriptures. For the 

Church has been planted as a garden in this world. 


+The earthly Church is the image of the heavenly Church. 


+ The Lord, by transplanting us into His Church, has united us to Himself. 


+ From what has been said from the beginning, I believe that the true Church 

(the one that is really ancient) is one. In it are enrolled those who are just, 

according to God’s purpose. 


+ There is one God. Furthermore, Christ is one, and there is but one Church. 

There is also one chair founded upon “the rock,” the “rock” being Peter’s 

confession of Faith by the word of the Lord. Another altar cannot be constituted. 

A new priesthood cannot be made in addition to the one altar and the one 

priesthood. Whoever gathers elsewhere, scatters. 


+ Because we see that there are tares (weeds) in the Church, we ourselves 

should not withdraw. Rather, we should labor that we may be wheat. In that 

manner, when the wheat begins to be gathered into the Lord’s barns, we may 

receive fruit for our labors. 


+ He who has not been ordained in the Church can neither have, nor hold to, 

the Church in any way. For the Faith of the Sacred Scripture sets forth that the 

Church is not outside, nor can it be separated and divided against itself. Rather, 

it maintains the unity of an inseparable and undivided house. 


+ The Church, which is the true temple of God, does not consist of walls. 

Rather, it consists of the heart and faith of the men who believe in Christ and 

are called “faithful”. 

- Lactantius 1 09

+ Lord, You gave food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give 

thanks to You. But to us You freely gave spiritual food and drink, and life eternal, 

through Your Servant Christ Jesus. 

- “The Didache” 

+ Take care to have only one Eucharist. For there is only one flesh of Our Lord 

Jesus Christ, and one cup to the unity of His Blood. 


+ Breaking one and the same Bread, which is the medicine of immortality, 

and the antidote to prevent us from dying, so that we should live together in 

Jesus Christ. 


+ I desire the “Bread of God”, the “Heavenly Bread,” the “Bread of Life”-which is 

the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And I desire the drink of God, namely 

His Blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life. 


+ The wine and bread having received the sacred Word of God, become the 

Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ. 


+ Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of God, the Most High, gave bread 

and wine, providing consecrated food as a type of the Eucharist. 

- St Clement of Alexandria 

+ Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist but those who have been baptized 

into the name of the Lord. 


+ When they wish to repent, we receive pagans into the Church to hear the 

Word of God. However, we do not receive them into communion until they have 

received the seal of Baptism and are made complete Christians. 

- “The Apostolic Constitutions” 

+ Sacrifices do not sanctify a man. For God does not stand in need of 

sacrifices. Instead, it is the conscience of the one who offers it that sanctifies 

the sacrifice when it is pure. This moves God to accept it as from a friend. 


+ The oblation of the Church (i.e. Eucharist), for which the Lord gave 

instructions to be offered throughout all the world, is considered by God to be a 

pure sacrifice, and it is acceptable to Him. For by this gift, both honor and 

affection are shown forth to the King. 


- 133 -

+ Only the priest who imitates that which Christ did (i.e. using wine mixed 

with water) is the one who truly discharges the office of Christ. He only offers 

a true and full sacrifice in the Church to God the Father when he proceeds to 

offer it in the manner that he sees Christ Himself to have offered it. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The Eucharist is to be received with fear and honor. As St. Paul relates, 

“Whoever will eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, will be 

guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). 

- St. Cyprian 

+ He who cultivates innocence, supplicates God. He who cultivates justice, 

makes offerings to God. He who abstains from fraudulent practices, wins over 

God...These are our sacrifices, these are our rites of God’s worship. 


+ In our Faith there is no place even for a slight and ordinary offense. If anyone 

comes to a sacrifice without a sound conscience, he hears what threats God 

denounces against him. 

- Lactantius 

+ You shall not abandon the Commandments of the Lord but you shall keep 

what you have received, adding nothing to it, nor taking anything away. 


+ Do not be lead astray by winning words and clever arguments about the 

Scriptures. Even to me, who tell you these things, do not give ready belief, 

unless you receive from the Holy Scriptures the proof of the things I announce. 


+ Seek and find, and realize that the truth does not lie openly on the surface. 

- St. Clement 

+ The hearer of God’s Word ought to be like those animals that chew the cud; 

one ought not only feed upon it, but meditate and bring it forth to action. 


+ We ought not to suspend ourselves from the Holy Eucharist because we 

confess ourselves to be sinners, but should more and more eagerly hasten to 

it for the healing of our soul. 


+ This is the body which He gave us both to hold in reserve and to eat, which 

was appropriate to intense love; for those whom we kiss with abandon we often 

bite with our own teeth. 


- 134 -

+ Make no mistake about it. If anyone is not inside the sanctuary, he lacks 

God’s Bread. 


+ Nothing will so avail to divide the Church as the love of power. 


+ He cannot possess the robe of Christ who rends and divides the Church 

of Christ. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The unity of the Church is proved by the intensity of the greetings of peace, 

by the use of the term “brother”, and by mutual hospitality. 

- Tertullian 

+ If any man follows him that separates from the Truth, he shall not inherit the 

Kingdom of God, and if any man does not stand aloof from the preacher of 

falsehood, he shall be condemned to hell. For it is obligatory neither to separate 

from the godly, nor to associate with the ungodly. 


+ The Church herself, which should be the appeaser of God in all things, 

what is she but the one who provokes God? 

- Salvian 

+ The Holy Scriptures were spoken and written by God, through men who 

spoke of God. 


+ Like gold refined in a furnace, the Faith has only been made to shine the 

more under the storms of persecution. 

- Theonas of Alexandria 

+ Just as with the vine, when someone cuts away the fruit- bearing parts it 

grows up again and puts forth other branches both flourishing and fruitful-so it 

happens the same way with the Church. 


- 135-

What tlê Church Fathers Say About, 

ILLNESS AND SUFFERING 

(PART 1) 


New M artyr Archbishop John of Riga 

St. Ephrem of Syria 


St. Isidore of Seville 

Lactantius 

Minucius Felix 

St. Cyprian of Carthage 

St. Jerome 

St. Augustine 


Pope Gregory of Rome 

...and others 

- 136 -


Make Us Clean 

You, Lord, brought us into the everlasting fabric of the universe; You wove the 

tapestry of life. From one generation to another You are constant and righteous 

in Your laws, wise and prudent in Your actions. To look around is to see Your 

goodness, to trust You is to know Your generosity, to confess to You is to 

receive Your forgiveness. 

Make us clean with the strong soap of Your truth. Make us whole and 

healthy with the powerful medicine of Your grace. Show us the light of Your 

smile. Protect us with Your mighty arm. Save us from all wrongdoing by Your 

outstretched arm. Deliver us from all those who hate us without cause. And to 

us, and all mankind, grant peace and concord. 

To You, who alone can grant to us those and all good things, we offer up our 

praise through Jesus Christ, the High Priest and guardian of our souls. 



REFLECTION: 

> Genesis 3:16-19 

> James 5:16 

> Book of Job 1-42 


> St. John 15:18, 16:2-3,33 

> St. Luke 4:38-39, 5:17-26, 

> 1 St. Peter 3:13-22 

> St. Matthew 8:1-4, 12:9-14, 16:21-23 

> St. Mark 1:31, 10:46-52 

> Romans 8:17-22 

6:1-11, 10:25-37, 16:19-31 

A question people have asked throughout the ages is, “Why does a good 

God allow the innocent to suffer?” It is true that some good and decent people, 

through no fault of their own, endure much suffering and hardship. Others, 

not so good, seem to have everything go their way with gifts of good health, 

possessions, intelligence and seemingly carefree lives. 

This doesn’t seem like the work of a good God who wants all His children to be 

treated equally. And it would not be, if our stay on this planet was all there was 

to our life. That, in fact, is the number one reason for a belief in an afterlife—this 

is not all there is! 

When Christ told His disciples to “Ask and it shall be given to you.” He was not 

speaking about things that affect our life here on earth. If we pray for money, 

fame, possessions, a lucky lottery ticket, a new spouse, or cure for our illness 

and expect immediate action by God, we will be sorely disappointed. If God 

- 137-

operated in this way He would become nothing but a genie in a magic lamp, 

granting wishes here and there, willy-nilly, with no plan or purpose. Instead 

what God will grant us is enough grace to lead our lives in a good and moral 

way, so that eventually we will gain eternal life with Him. If we seek Him in 

prayer, we will find Him by acknowledging our deep dependence on His 

goodness - although we may not know the ways in which He will act to save us! 

And sometimes God may act in direct opposition to our wishes, simply because 

it is the best way for us - even though our finite minds will not recognize His 

goodness in this regard. The old adage, “God writes straight with crooked lines!” 

still stands true. 

If you are suffering it may not be the result of something you did, but simply 

the way this world is. The real gift from God, the way He answers prayers, is to 

believe this as His will and not question His Divine Wisdom. Everyone suffers, 

some a little, some a great deal. The thing we can do is to accept our suffering 

with patience and grace. The more we suffer and continue talking with God in 

faith, the greater will be our reward. Therefore, you must know that suffering is 

never in vain and is always a prelude to something better, something glorious 

and true. 

Seek help from people who might assist you, understand that God does not 

deal in magical solutions, and do not lose faith in Him, even though you may 

not appreciate the cross He has sent you. It’s OK to be disappointed, and want 

things to get better, however it's not OK to turn away from God because you 

think He is not granting your immediate needs. 


++++++++++ 

+ No person on this earth is able to avoid affliction; and although the afflictions 

which the Lord sends us are not great, men imagine them beyond their strength 

and are sometimes crushed by them. The reason for this is that they will not 

humble their souls and commit themselves to the will of God. But the Lord 

Himself gives His grace to those who submit to His will. They will endure all 

things with fortitude for the sake of God whom they love, and with whom they 

wish to be glorified forever. It is impossible to escape tribulation in this world but 

the man who gives himself over to the will of God bears all tribulation easily, 

viewing it as putting trust in their Lord, and so the tribulation passes. 


+ Living this life, let us be carefully on guard and “with all watchfulness, keep 

our heart” (Proverbs 4:23). For we have enemies, powerful and crafty - the 

wicked demons, and it is against these that we wrestle. 


- 138 -

+ The Evil One cannot comprehend the joy we receive from observing a healthy 

spiritual life. It is for this reason that he becomes jealous of us. As a result he 

envies us and sets traps for mankind, so that we become sorrowful and fall. We 

must struggle, therefore, because without struggles we do not possess virtue. 

- Elder leronymos of Aegina 

+ Christ's athlete, as long as he is in his body, is never lacking a victory to be 

gained in contests. However, as he grows by triumphant successes, so does a 

more severe kind of struggle confront him. 


+ The knowledge of Christ’s Cross is concealed in the sufferings of His Cross. 


+ The wise man, seeing recovery in the Divine decrees, receives with gratitude 

the misfortunes which they bring; they have, he tells himself, no other cause 

than his own sins. 


+ If an occasion demands it, a truly wise man will offer his entire body up to 

death for the sake of Christ. So too, this same man is not affected in spirit or 

broken with bodily pain if his health leaves him. He is consoled therefore, by 

his struggle for perfection in the virtues. 


+ Let your afflictions be books to admonish and teach you. 

- St. Ephrem of Syria 

+ Whether God brings upon us any famine, war, or calamity- let it be known that 

He does so out of His exceeding great care and loving kindness. 


+ Even a pious person is not immune to spiritual malaise if he does not have 

a spiritual father and guide-either a person living or a renown spiritual writer. 

This spiritual sickness-called prelest-or spiritual delusion, is one where a 

person imagines himself to be very near to God and to the realm of the Divine. 

Even zealous monastics are subject to this delusion-although laymen who 

struggle (podvig) undergo it much more frequently. 


+ Those afflicted with spiritual delusion (prelest) imagine that they surpass 

others in struggles of prayer and fasting, and imagine themselves to be seers of 

Divine visions, or dreams inspired by grace. In every event of their lives, they 

see special intentional directions from God or their guardian angel. Soon they 

begin imagining that they are God’s elect, and often try to foretell the future. 

- 139-

The Holy Fathers of the Church armed themselves against nothing so fiercely 

as against this spiritual sickness. 


+ Evil spirits and demons, since they can do nothing to the righteous person, 

are but as an actor in a play, changing their shapes and frightening children by 

their mischievousness, tumult, and make believe. 


+ The body is a slave, while the soul is supreme, and therefore it is due to 

God’s mercy that a body becomes worn- out by illness. For in illness and 

suffering the passions are weakened, and a man comes to grips with 

himself-indeed physical illness itself is sometimes initiated by the passions. 


+ This seems to me to be one principal reason why the good are chastised 

along with the wicked. This is not because they have spent an equally corrupt 

life, but because the good as well as the wicked, though not equally with them, 

love this present life; while they ought to hold it cheap, that the wicked, being 

admonished and reformed by the example of the good, might lay hold of life 

eternal. And if they will not be the companions of the good in seeking life 

everlasting, they should be loved as enemies. 


+ Being weak in health as you may be, I cannot fail to feel much sympathy for 

your plight. But Divine goodness is not only wiser than we, it is also more wise 

in a different way. It is this thought that must sustain us in all our trials, for it is 

consoling, more so than other thoughts. 

- Elder Macarius of Optina 

+ God measures out affliction according to our need. 


+ I was allowed the luxury of suffering hardship with you. 


+ The Christian Faith is not simply a system of beliefs but a way of restoration 

for fallen man. 

- Bishop Theophan the Recluse 

+ The violence of affliction proves, purifies and melts the good, while it 

condemns, wastes and casts- out the evil. 


+ Do not seek the perfection of the Law through human virtues, for perfection is 

not found in them. Perfection is found in the Cross of Christ. 


- 140 -

+ Like a thunderclap from the sky, so was the impression made upon the 

disciples by the revelation of the Lord regarding the sufferings which awaited 

Him. Earlier, He had told them that His path was also their path. “You will be 

hated for my name’s sake.”, “The servant is not greater than his master.”, “He 

who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” In the lives 

of Christ’s true disciples there is a time of suffering, the Passion, when each of 

us must enter his own Jerusalem, ascend his own Gologtha and the fateful 

Cross, and take- up the fateful cup-even unto death. 

- Archbishop John of Riga 

+ Show in your ascetic exercise that your heart is strong. Cleanse your vessel, 

that you may receive grace more abundantly. 


+ All the sons of this world have their Golgotha. Unforeseen and uninvited, 

suffering enters one’s house. You must suffer whether you like it or not. This is 

the “bitter m ust. 


+ Great endeavors and difficult struggles await those who are converted, but 

afterwards there is inexpressible joy. If you want to light a fire, you are annoyed 

first by smoke, and your eyes water. But in the end you achieve your goal. Now 

it is written, “Our God is a consuming fire.” So we must light the Divine fire in us 

with both tears and struggle. 

- Amma Syncletica 

+ The misfortune of evils does not destroy you but instructs you. The 

suffering associated with adversity does not degrade you but exalts you. 

Human tribulation teaches you but it does not destroy you. 

- St. Isidore of Seville 

+ Let us strive to enter the Kingdom by the narrow gate. Just as the trees, if 

they had not stood before the winter’s storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us. 

This present age is a storm, and it is only through many trials and temptations 

that we can obtain an inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

-Amma Theodora 

+ Unfurl your sails, attach the Cross as a symbol on your prow. The calm that 

you speak of, is itself a tempest. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The Cross of suffering frightened even Jesus. In His soul is heard the voice 

of St. Peter; “Be merciful to yourself, do not let this happen, defend yourself.” 

And this is not surprising, for after all, the Great Sufferer Himself prayed, “If it 

be possible, take this cup from me” (St. Mark 14:36). This is an altogether 

necessary “must” and we are powerless to stand against it. 


- 141 -

+ When a trial comes upon you suddenly, do not react against him through 

which it comes, but find out its object, and then you will find a way of benefiting 

from it. From wherever it may have come, you would still have to empty the 

bitter cup of God’s decrees. 


+ Sorrow is given to us with a purpose, to cure us of sin. 


+ “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” 

(St. Matthew 11:12), since “it is through many tribulations that we must enter the 

Kingdom” (Acts 14:22). 


+ Fortitude is strengthened by infirmities, and calamities are often the discipline 

of virtue. 


+ The natural desire of man’s heart is to live at peace with everyone. Youthful 

hearts often make a decision for an unconcerned faith within themselves. I want 

to get along with everyone, I must not antagonize anyone. But even the most 

well-intentioned man soon realizes that this is impossible. But even the meekest 

lamb is sure to meet a ferocious wolf who says, “You are a thorn in my side.” He 

who believes must confess his Faith. He who desires to serve God in the world 

must act accordingly to his Faith, but every confession inevitably arouses 

antagonism, and every action is sure to meet with hostility. 


+ Some never remember God unless they are in trouble. 

- Lactantius 

+ Once we have been set free we can proceed without hindrance to the practice 

of His Commandments and “serve Him with fear and trembling” (Psalm 2:11), 

not as though we were doing Him some favor, but as receiving a benefit by 

being admitted into His service. 


+ In the servant of God , the glory of the wounds made the victory, the memory 

of the scars preserves that glory. 


+ Why are there so many traps in life? The answer is-so that we will not fly low, 

but seek the things that are above. 


+ It is not the actual suffering, but the cause, that makes men martyrs. 


- 142 -

+ He who fears to suffer cannot belong to Him who suffered. 

- Tertullian 

+ Blessed are those who bear afflictions with thankfulness. 

- Sayings of the Desert Fathers 

+ Order your soul. Reduce your desires. Live in charity. Mingle within Christian 

community. Obey the laws. Trust in Almighty God. 


+ Voluntary pain is a higher thing than involuntary comfort. 


+ What saint has ever gained his or her crown without first contending for it? 

- St. Jerome 

+ The beginning of my life has been well- ordered. Now, may I win God’s grace 

to race to the end of my life without hindrance. 


+ Each of us who enter the arena of the Faith are committed to contend against 

evil spirits. 


+ Demons only injure those who fear them. However, the demons fear the 

righteous, the worshipers of God. 

- Lactantius 

+ Do not be surprised if you fall every day; do not abandon hope, but stand 

your ground courageously. And surely the angel who protects you will honor 

your patience. 


+ Our enemy is sealed up within ourselves; an internal warfare is waged daily 

by us. If we are victorious, all external things will be made weak, and everything 

will be made peaceful and subdued for the soldier of Christ. 

- Sf. John Cassian 

+ Wipe away from your mind every earthly care, for you are now contending for 

your soul. You should utterly abandon all the things of this world. The things you 

forsake are insignificant, but great is what the Lord gives. Forsake what is in the 

present, and put your trust only in what is to come. 


+ Christ’s athlete, after gaining victory over his rebellious flesh, after casting it 

underfoot - is carried aloft as triumphing on high. 


- 143-

+ Live each day as if you were dying. 


+ It is true when they say that a man tolerates least of all his own well-being. 

Days of happiness, days of success, when everything goes according to one’s 

wishes - how many times have such days woven a fatal net which captures 

man’s soul? 


+ If a man is unable to check the unnecessary desires of the appetite, how will 

he be able to extinguish the fires of carnal lust? 


+ Do not concern yourselves in the affairs of this life, for you are fighting 

for God. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ As St. Peter wrote in his letter, “When you suffer for righteousness sake, 

blessed are you, for you will become sharers in the sufferings of Christ” 

(1 Peter 3:14,4:13). 

- St, Isaac the Syrian 

+ Do not feel disgust at the loathsomeness of different illnesses, for you too are 

clothed in the flesh. 


+ If, while performing bodily fasts, we are entangled in the most dangerous 

vices of the soul, our humiliation of the flesh in fasting, will do us no good 

whatsoever. 


+ Just as healthy people are not sinless, so too, God sometimes allows truly 

righteous ones to experience suffering “as a model for the weak”. 


+ What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to scale 

hills and the peaks of mountains. Why? So that we may ascend to heaven! 

If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is 

given to the one who perseveres, eternal life is offered to you, the Lord 

promises you His Kingdom. 


- 144 -

W hat the Church Fathers Say About... 

ILLNESS AND SUFFERING 

(PART 2) 



Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov 




Elder Ambrose of Optina 

...and others 

- 145-

PRAYER: 

Christ, give me strength; Your servant is not well. The tongue that praised You is 

made silent, Struck dumb by the pain of sickness. I cannot bear not to sing Your 

praises. 0, make me well once more, make me whole, That I may again 

proclaim Your greatness. Do not forsake me, I beseech You. Let me now return 

to Your service. 


REFLECTION: 

The mysterious veil which divides the present from the future is mercifully 

ordained by God. We are to learn to take each day as part of the great whole, 

and are not to reason or question , but believe. 

No incident of our lives, however pleasant or unpleasant comes by chance; 

as we use it, as we receive it, so does it lend a color to the unseen future. 

God would have it blend beautifully with the whole. 

The child at school, the boy in the office or the youth at university cannot, if he 

would, separate one day, or one hour, from the life appointed him by God. 

Let us see to it that we take all - joy, trouble, pain, labor, rest, crosses , and 

smooth places - from Him; for He truly appoints our lot in life, and by His grace 

that lot is the one of all others suited to our individual need, and destined, if we 

will have it so, to work out for us that which our mortal eye does not see, nor the 

heart of man conceive. 

- Emma Marshall From “Daily Family Devotional” 


++++++++++ 

+ God leads you to a high place to that love which is free of fear. Through 

this, you are able to begin naturally to observe all those things you originally 

observed out of fear of God and punishment. However, now you do them no 

longer from fear of punishment, but from the very love of goodness itself, and 

you delight in virtue. 


+ “For we know that all creation groans and travails in pain until now”, 

(Romans 8:22). Additionally, “ Wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leads 

to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (St. Matthew 7:14). 

This is shown forth by Our Lord’s holy example and His holy teaching. The Lord 

taught His disciples and followers that in the world, that is, during their earthly 

life, they would have tribulation (St. John 16:33, 15:18, 16:2- 3). From this it is 

-146 -

clear that affliction and suffering are appointed by the Lord for His true slaves 

and servants during their life on earth. 

- Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov 

+ In the very beginning, there existed no pain, no suffering, no illness, or death. 

Man was a stranger to sin, sorrow, cares, and difficult circumstances”. 


+ We should not dread any human affliction, save sin alone; we do not fear 

poverty, disease, insult, neither malicious treatment, humiliation, nor death. 


+ The saints know that the greatest reward of all is to be able to love and serve 

God. Thus, God wishing to show that it was not for reward that His saints serve 

Him, stripped Job of all his wealth, gave him over to poverty, and permitted him 

to fall into terrible diseases. And Job, who was not living for any reward in this 

life, still remained faithful to God. 


+ Earthly life-this brief existence-is given to man by the mercy of the Creator 

in order that man may utilize it for his salvation, that is, for the restoration of 

himself from suffering and death. 

- Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov 

+ When man has been deceived and beguiled by the wicked demons, God 

comes to him as a physician comes to a man suffering from an illness. For God, 

when He finds a sinner, desires not that he pay the penalty for his sins, but 

rather, how He may amend him and make him well again. 


+ The Blessed Apostle Peter openly calls it a gift for someone to be ready in 

faith for suffering for the sake of his hope in God. Thus he says, “To you it has 

been granted by God not only to believe in Christ, but to also suffer for His 

sake” (Philippians 1:29). 


+ He who has given to the poor and has endured troubles with thankfulness 

of soul and persevered in difficulties, and feels all the bitterness and pain of 

sufferings, keeps his mind pure in the present time. In the life to come he has 

great reward, in that he has imitated the sufferings of Christ and patently waited 

for Him in the days when temptations and trials assailed him. 


+ When you are at ease and enjoyment do not rejoice, and when tribulations 

come upon you, do not be sullen or consider this as something alien to the way 

of God. 


- 147 -

+ God has shown how close He is to those who are willing to endure trials 

for His sake, and who do not abandon virtue out of cowardice because of the 

suffering involved. 


+ As for trials, love them as a means of obtaining every blessing. Tell me what is 

more beautiful than a soul undergoing tribulation, which knows that by enduring 

it will inherit joy in all things? 


+ What is more courageous than a “humble and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:19)1 

Without difficulty it routs the massed troops of devils and pursues them to 

their end. 


+ Our sufferings are the sign that we are Christ’s, and the more we suffer, 

then the more we “are not of the world”. Why did all the saints, following Christ, 

suffer so much? Contact with this world and immersion in it gives pain to 

Christ’s followers, while only the children of this world feel no pain. This is like 

an infallible chemical reaction. 

- Alexander Elchaninov, Presbyter 

+ When the intellect is gladdened by the remembrance of God, then it forgets 

the afflictions of this world, places its hope in Him, and is no longer troubled or 

anxious. 


+ If a man has a friend and he is absolutely certain that his friend loves him, 

and if that friend does something to cause him suffering and be troublesome 

to him, he will be convinced that his friend acts out of love and he will never 

believe that his friend does it to harm him. How much more must we be 

convinced about God who created us, who drew us out of nothingness to 

existence and life, and who became a man for our sake and died for us, and 

who does everything out of love for us? 

- Abba Dorotheos 

+ If you are not willing to repent through freely choosing to suffer, unsought 

sufferings will providentially be imposed on you. 

- St. Thalassios 

+ Suffering cleanses the soul infested with the filth of sensual pleasure and 

detaches it completely from material things by showing it the penalty incurred 

as a result of its affection for them. This is why God in His justice allows the 

Devil to afflict men and women with torments. 


- 148 -

+ Not knowledge that you learn, but knowledge that you suffer; that is Orthodox 

spirituality. 

- Gerontissa Gabriella 

+ Persecution is the fan which even now cleans the Lord’s threshing floor, the 

Church. I mean winnowing the mixed heap within, which the persecuted cannot 

escape, for they carry the enemy everywhere within themselves. 


+ Most grievous and painful is this persecution which arises from within the 

“believers”, and separates the grain of the martyrs from the chaff of the deniers. 

- Tertullian 

+ If we are not ready to die into Christ’s sufferings, His life is not in us. 


+ Some want to go to the resurrection without going by way of Golgotha. 


+ If you suffer with one who is suffering you will be reckoned among the 

martyrs. 

- Moses, Elder of Optina 

+ Blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness. 

- Abba Copres 

+ As it is impossible for one suffering from a long illness to receive health in 

one instant, so it is impossible in a short time to vanquish the passions, or 

even a single one of them. 

- Venerable John of the Ladder 

+ Christians have a glory and a beauty and a heavenly wealth which is beyond 

words, and it is won with pains, sweat, trials and many conflicts, all by the grace 

of God. 


+ The Church is full of those persons-chaste women as well as men-who all of 

their life have contemplated the death that rouses up to Christ. 


+ How beautiful is the spectacle to God when a Christian does battle with pain! 


+ By means of the sin of our first parents, we were all brought into bondage 

by being made subject to death. 

- St, Irenaeus of Lyons 

- 149 -

Wât tf?e cl?u rcl? Fathers Say About... 

HAPPINESS, WORKS, PATIENCE AND CHARITY 


St. Nectarios of Optim 

Abba Xanthias 

Abba Isaias 

St. Moses of Optim 


St. John of the Ladder 


St. Jerome 



...and others 

- 150 -


0 Lord Eternal and Creator of all good things, Who of Your inscrutable 

goodness called me to this life. Who bestowed on me the grace of Baptism and 

the seal of the Holy Spirit; Who imbued me with the desire to seek You, the one 

true God; hear my prayer. 

1 have no life, no light, no joy or wisdom; no strength except in You, O God. 

Because of my unrighteousness I dare not raise my eyes to You. But You said 

to Your disciples, “Whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” 

And “Whatsoever you ask in my Name, that I will do.” 

Wherefore I dare to invoke You. Purify me from all taint of flesh and spirit. 

Teach me to pray aright. Bless this day which You give to me, Your unworthy 

servant. By the power of Your blessings enable me at all times to speak and to 

act to Your glory with a pure spirit, with humility, patience, love, charity, 

gentleness, peace, courage and wisdom. 

In my foolishness, O God, I plead with You for many and great things. Yet, I am 

ever mindful of my wickedness, my baseness, my vileness. Have mercy on me. 

Cast me not away from Your presence because of my presumption. Rather 

increase in me this presumption , and grant unto me the worst of men, to love 

You as You have commanded, with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with 

all my mind, and with all my strength; with my whole being. 

Establish me in the path of Your Commandments and to my last breath let me 

not stray from the light of Your ordinances, that Your Commandments may 

become the sole law of my being on this earth and all eternity. Yes, Lord, I pray 

to You, have pity on me, spare me in my affliction and my misery, and do not 

hide the way of salvation from me. 

- Archimandrite Sophronios 


> Job 5:17 > Philippians 2:12-13 

> Romans 5:1-5, 15:4-6 > Psalm 127:1-5, 144:11-15, 146:5-10 

> Ephesians 2:9-10 > Proverbs 3:13-18, 14:21, 16:20-21, 28:14 

> St. Luke 8:11-15, 21: 10-19 > James 2:14-18 , 5:11-12 

> Romans 4:6 > St. Matthew 5:16, 16:27, 18:26, 23: 1-36 

> 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 > Galatians 2:14-16, 5:19-26 

> 1 Peter 4:8-11, 5:14 > Revelation 2:19 

> Colossians 3:14-17 > Titus 2:2-9 

> 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10 > 1 Timothy 1:5-7 

> 3 John 1:2-8 > Jude 1:2 

> 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, 13:1-13, 14:1-5,16: 13-14 

- 151 -

REFLECTION: 

Much of contemporary Christian’s anxiety and unrest wells up from a deep 

frustration as one views Creation and the very real mess that it is in. Every man 

and woman asks , “What can I do about this?”, or “How can I make this all go 

away?” 

The patience that Christ asks of us seems so out- dated and feeble. We are 

accustomed to quick answers and even quicker results in everything we do. 

Minute meals, this in 10 seconds that in 5 seconds! God seems so slow, and 

Satan seems so fast in their methods. When Christ was tempted in the desert, 

Satan offered Him everything NOW, not down the road or in a few years or 

decades. Christ could have had everything NOW, if He would just worship 

Satan-the master of the micro- waved 3- minute meal! 

Satan offered Our Lord the world and mobs of people, whereas Christ was 

content to win men to Himself one soul at a time. Imagine what Jesus could 

have escaped if He would just do as Satan asked! Today we are tempted by 

Satan to do things the “easy way” with no suffering attached! God, however, 

offers us the long road to peace, the daily battle for personal salvation, yet 

nothing easy or fake. 

This is reminiscent of the true story of a young woman who dreamed of 

becoming a great actress. She auditioned and received a part in an important 

new play. The part however seemed insignificant and she read the lines 

carelessly and with no interest or emotion. A second actress read for the same 

part and delivered the lines with so much sincerity and sensitivity that the acting 

company broke into spontaneous applause. The second actress got the part. 

The first young lady learned much from this incident and eventually became a 

great actress. Later in life, she recounted this incident and remarked, “Nothing 

is beneath the dignity of perfection.” The less significant the situation the more 

skill and delicacy is required to make it outstanding. If you are frustrated or in 

despair about things, remember, never let dislike for the present “insignificant” 

tasks you are asked to perform rob you of the great potential that may lie within 

them. Do not despair and do not give up, no matter how small the item may 

seem. Jesus said, “Because you have been faithful in a very little I will give you 

authority over great things” (St. Luke 19). 

It’s hard for us not to give in, isn’t it? It's very discouraging not to have things 

go according to our timetable and not God’s. We get frustrated when things 

aren’t the way we want them to be. Jesus saw the dilemma. He wept for 

Jerusalem and those who would be lost because they lacked patience and 

refused to follow God’s timetable. Don’t let Him weep over you! 

-152-


+ One must not demand of a fly that it do the work of a bee. Every man should 

give according to his own measure. Everyone cannot do the same thing. 

- St. Nectarius, Elder of Optina 

+ We are philosophers, not in words, but in deeds. We do not wear our wisdom 

in our garb, but in our deeds. 


+ What we need is a little labor! Let us endure with good works that we may 

obtain mercy. 


+ Anyone who shows charity to his brother had best do so as though he were 

showing charity to himself. Such acts of charity bring a man near to God. 


+ When you show charity to your poor brother do not call on him to help in your 

work, in order not to lose the reward for your benefaction. 

- Abba Isaias 

+ God created us in His image and likeness, and every Christian is obligated to 

keep himself, and to preserve and honor in himself of God’s image, and to be 

sanctified by good works. 


+ Nourish your soul daily with the words of life, with prayer, and with every good 

work-just as we nourish the body with various kinds of food and drink, by 

means of which our exhausted strength is renewed and our life is preserved. 

- St. Moses of Optina 

+ To have faith in Christ means more than simply despising the delights of 

this life. It means we should bear all our daily trials that may bring us sorrow, 

distress or unhappiness, and bear them patiently for as long as God wishes 

and until He comes to visit us. For it is said, “I have waited for the Lord and He 

came to me. ” (Isaiah 25:9) 


+ Do not be surprised that you fall every day, but do not give up. Stand your 

ground with courage. Then, assuredly, the angel who guards you will honor 

your patience. 


- 153 -

+ There was in the monastery an old man called Apollo. If someone came to 

find him doing a work of charity, he would set out joyfully, saying, “I am going 

to work with Christ today, for the salvation of my soul, for that is the reward He 

gives.” 


+ The thief was on the Cross and he was justified by a single word. Judas 

who was among the apostles lost all that he labored for in one single night and 

descended from heaven to hell. Therefore, let no one boast of his good works, 

for all those who trust only in themselves will fall. 

- Abba Xanthias 

+ Do not presume to teach anyone in words what you have not already 

performed in deed. For Our Lord “began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1). 


+lt is true that those who do good cannot escape notice altogether. Indeed the 

Lord said, “Let your light shine before men.” (St. Matthew 5:16), though here it 

is understood that we do good for the glory of God and not for our own glory or 

because we desire men's praise. If this is not the case, then we are lacking in 

faith, as the Lord makes clear when He says, “How can you have faith when 

you receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes 

from Almighty God” (St. John 5:44). 


+ All my happiness and unhappiness are contained in the thoughts and 

inclinations of my heart. If the thoughts and inclinations of my heart are in 

accord with God’s truth or with the will of God, then I am at rest, filled with 

Divine light, joy and blessedness. If not, I am uneasy, filled with spiritual, 

soul- corrupting darkness, heaviness and despondency. 


+ Perish the thought that there is any true virtue in anyone who is not just. 


+ We actively manifest love in forbearance and patience towards our 

neighbor, in genuinely desiring his good, and in the right use of material things. 


+ We contend here on earth, we are crowned elsewhere. 

- St. Jerome 

+ In the business of the Christian life the main point is not merely to pray or do 

some other good deed. If we understand the Commandments of Christ and of 

the apostles aright, our business as Christians consists not in increasing the 

number of our good deeds, which are the only means of furthering the purpose 

- 154 -

of the Christian life, but in deriving from them the utmost profit, that is, in 

acquiring the most abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

- Sf. Seraphim of Sarov 

+ Those very works, which are said to have been done prior to faith, although 

they appear to men to be praiseworthy, are really in vain. It seems to me that 

they are like the great power of the swiftest swimmer, whose race, however, is 

on the wrong track. 


+ Praise God continually with spiritual hymns and always remain in meditation. 

In this way you will be able to bear the burden of the temptations that come 

upon you. A traveler who is carrying a heavy load pauses from time to time 

and draws in deep breaths; it makes the journey easier and the burden lighter. 

- Abba Hyperichius 

+ What else is it to live happily, except to know that one has something 

eternally? 


+ Our soul is like a lamp with good works for oil. 

- St. Gregory of Paiamas 

+ Happiness is found in the practice of virtue. 


+ The light of God’s care and love departs from those who leave virtue and put 

love to flight. God has turned His face from them and they are stirred up against 

one another. As David said, “God hides His face, and they are troubled” 

(Psalm 104:29). 

- St. Gregory Paiamas 

+ Happy is he who makes daily progress and who considers not what he did 

yesterday, but what advance he can make today. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Do not only do your work when you wish to, but do it especially when you 

do not wish. Understand that this applies to every ordinary worldly matter, as 

likewise, and especially, to the work of the salvation of your soul-to prayer, 

to reading God’s word and other salutary books, to attending Divine Services, 

to doing good works, whatever they may be, and to preaching God’s Word. 

Do not obey the slothful, deceitful, and the most sinful flesh; it is eternally ready 

to rest and lead us into everlasting destruction through temporal tranquility and 

enjoyment. 


- 155 -

+ In all your works, either at home or the place of your service, do not forget 

that all your strength, your light and your success are in Christ and His Cross; 

therefore do not fail to call upon the Lord before beginning any work, saying, 

"Jesus, help me! Jesus enlighten me! ” Thus your heart will be supported and 

warmed by lively faith and hope in Christ, for He is the power and the glory unto 

ages of ages. 


+ Pleasure is the fruit of decent living. 

- Lactantius 

+ The Lord uses all His Divine means to give a man, in return for his good 

works, the opportunity not to lose his reward in the future life. 


+ Unhappiness is the inseparable companion of wickedness. 


+ Patient endurance is required before anything can come about; and once 

something has come about, it can be sustained and brought to perfection only 

through such endurance. 


+ The highest degree of happiness is, not to sin, the second, to acknowledge 

our sins. 


+ It is those lacking endurance who, in their ignorance, impetuously hurry on to 

seize what they have not yet been given, failing to realize that “one day in the 

eyes of the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a single day” 

(Psalm 90:4). But he, who by enduring patiently has gained experience of the 

Devil’s machinations will fight and strive forward with patience so as to reach 

the goal, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24- 26. 


+ God has granted the ability to do good to anyone who wishes to do it, 

wherever he may be. 


+ Above all, we ought to endure everything for God’s sake so that He may 

also endure us. 


+ The practice of the moral virtues is effectuated by meditating on what has 

happened during the day, so that during the stillness of the night we can 

become aware of the sins we have committed and can grieve over them. 


- 156 -

+ This is the mark of true Christianity-however much a man toils, and however 

many righteous acts he performs, to feel that he has done nothing. In fasting 

it is to say, “This is not fasting”, and in praying ,”This is not prayer”, and in 

perseverance at prayer, “I have shown no perseverance; I am just beginning to 

practice and to take pains”, and even if he is righteous before God, he should 

say, “I am not righteous, not I; I do not take pains, but only make a beginning 

every day.” 


+ A wise desert father compares one who teaches only with words, without 

doing good works, to trees that have leaves, but bear no fruit. 


+ The extensive projects of the younger generation designed to aid the whole 

of humanity may be compared to the dreams of a schoolboy who, not having 

finished his secondary education, already thinks that he can be a professor and 

a great educator at a university. On the other hand, one must not think that 

because we cannot help the whole of humanity to advance, it is therefore 

useless to labor at all. This is another extreme. It is the duty of every Christian, 

according to his strength and circumstances, to labor on behalf of others, 

mindful of the proper time and order for such activity as mentioned above, 

and attributing any success in such endeavors to God and His holy will. 

- Elder John of Valaam 

+ No one can say, “I am poor and hence I have no means of giving alms. 

’’For even if you cannot give as the rich gave their gifts into the temple treasury, 

give two farthings as the poor widow did, and from you God will consider it a 

greater gift than the gifts of the rich. And if you do not have as much as two 

farthings? You can then take pity on the sick and give alms by ministering to 

them. And what if you cannot do even this? Then you can comfort your brother 

by your words. “A good word is better than the best of gifts.” 

- Abba Dorotheus 

+ There is no place anywhere where one is unmolested; and, because of this, 

without patient endurance it is impossible to find peace. 


+ Every day you provide your bodies with good to keep them from failing. In the 

same way your good works should be daily nourishment of your hearts. 


+ Your bodies are fed with food and your spirits with good works. You aren’t 

to deny your soul, which is going to live forever, what you grant to your body, 

which is going to die. 


- 157 -

+ Happiness consists in not regarding things as our own, but as entrusted to 

us by God for the benefit of our fellow servants. It consists in scattering them 

abroad generously with joy and magnanimity, not reluctantly, or under 

compulsion. 


+ We should do works of mercy with a good disposition of soul, according to 

the teachings of St. Isaac the Syrian who said: “If you give to one who asks, 

let the joy of your countenance precede your gift, and comfort his sorrow with 

good words.” 


+ A holy woman tells us; “Imitate the publican and you will not be condemned 

along with the Pharisee.” 


+ God does not leave men forever either in unhappiness, so they would not 

grow weak, or in happiness, so that they would not become careless, but by 

divers means He arranges their salvation. 


+ As a pilot calls on winds and a storm- tossed mariner looks homeward, so the 

times call on you to win your way back to God. As God’s athlete, be sober, the 

stake is immortality and eternal life. 


+ If we want to do something but cannot, then before God, who knows our 

hearts, it is as if we have done it. This is true whether the intended action is 

good or evil. 


+ Thrice- blessed is the monk who endures labors and trials, being thankful 

to God. 

- Abba Kopris 

+ The Lord said, “When you have done all that is commanded you, say: “We 

are useless servants; we have only done what was our duty” (St. Luke 17:10). 

Thus the Kingdom of Heaven is not a reward for works, but a gift of grace 

prepared by the Master for His faithful servants. 

- St. Hesychius the Presbyter 

- 158 -

PRAYER OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM - 

According to the Hours of the Day and Night 

Editors note: The following prayer was composed by St. John Chrysostom-and 

divided into 24 statements-one to be said each hour with a meditation on its 

meaning. Since this is impossible for most, the Prayer may be divided into 

sections, perhaps over an eight hour period, or whatever other arrangement 

meets your particular schedule. 

HOUR PETITION 

1. O Lord, deprive me not of Your heavenly blessings. 

2. O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment. 

3. O Lord, if I have sinned in my mind or thought, in word or deed, forgive me. 

4. O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness 

of the soul and stony hardness of heart. 

5. O Lord, deliver me from every temptation. 

6. O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires. 

7. O Lord, I, being a human being, have sinned; You, being God, forgive me 

in Your loving kindness, for You know the weakness of my soul. 

8. O Lord, send down Your grace to help me, that I may glorify Your 

Holy Name. 

9. O Lord, Jesus Christ inscribe me, Your servant, in the Book of Life, and 

grant me a blessed end. 

10. O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in Your sight, yet grant 

me, according to Your grace, that I may make a start in doing good. 

11. O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Your grace. 

12. O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Your sinful servant, cold of 

heart and impure, in Your Kingdom. 

13. O Lord, receive me in repentance. 

14. O Lord, leave me not. 

15. O Lord, save me from temptation. 

- 159 -

16. O Lord, grant me only pure thoughts. 

17. O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and a sense 

of peace. 

18. O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins. 

19. O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience. 

20. O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness. 

21. O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings and the fear of losing You 

in my heart. 

22. O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love You with all my heart and soul, and 

that I may obey Your will in all things. 

23. O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all 

other lawless matters. 

24. O Lord, who knows Your creation and that which You have willed for it, may 

Your will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for You are blessed forevermore. 

Amen 

- 160 -

Wyat tye Cyurcy Fathers Say About.. 

MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, AND 

THE RAISING OF CHILDREN 


St. Gregory the Theologian 



Elder Macarius of Optina 

St. Ambrose 

St. John of the Ladder 

St. clement 

St. Jerome 


St. Hilary of Poitiers 


.... and others 

- 161 -


With You Lord, the darkness is driven away. 

Life is restored everywhere. 

The gates of heaven are thrown open. In You, Risen Jesus, those already dead 

rise to new life, affirming the good news of eternal life. 

Now Your promise has been fulfilled. 

Now the earth is singing and dancing. 

Pascha is our marriage ceremony. 

At Pascha, Dear Jesus, You make us Your brides, 

sealing the union with the Spirit. 

The great marriage hall is full of guests, 

all dressed for the wedding. 

No one is rejected for want of a marriage garment. 

We come to You as spiritual virgins, 

our lamps are fresh and bright, with ample oil, 

the light within our souls will never go out. 

The fire of grace burns in us all. 



> Psalm 113:7- 9 > Genesis 1:27- 28, 2:18- 24, 33:5 

> Psalm 127:3- 5 > Deuteronomy 4:10, 24:1-5 

> Psalm 128:1-6 > 1 Corinthians 7:36- 40, 7:8- 40 

> Proverbs 17:6 > Ephesians 5:25- 33, 6:1- 4 

> 1 Timothy 5:1-16 > Romans 7:1- 6 

> Hebrews 13:4 > St. Luke 14:26 

> St. Mark 9:37 > St. Matthew 5:31- 32, 7:11, 19:7- 10, 22:2- 14, 

24:38 

REFLECTION: 

Our lives are filled with mountains and valley...ups and downs. Some are more 

extreme than others and a few can be devastating. Yet we manage, somehow, 

to get through them although we occasionally hide our humiliation and despair 

from others. To most of those around us, we seem self- sufficient and durable. 

Some of us, though, must go through our humiliations in a more public way 

where our hurt and agony is open for all to see. The respected executive who 

is caught in a business scandal, a politician who has a secret life from his public 

one, or the rising talent in an organization who falls from grace and power due 

to circumstances beyond his or her control. Some devastations are less public 

such as the mother who thought her family was intact only to have it ripped 

apart by divorce, a child who becomes ravished by illegal drugs, or a father 

who loses his job and is unable to provide for his family. These are life's little 

catastrophes and are private agonies families must endure alone. 

- 162 -

There are so many instances where we feel betrayed by life and, like Job in 

the Old Testament, we cry aloud "Why me Lord, why me?" In these times of 

crisis it is good to have a solid family unit on which to depend. That is why we 

are called to constantly bolster our family defenses against outside influences 

that may weaken its foundation. Family prayer, so neglected by most, is a way 

to remind ourselves from "whence comes our help"- and that is, the Lord! In 

times of good and plenty, we must prepare for times of want. When we are 

"riding high", feeling sufficient unto ourselves, we cannot push God into the 

background. He is not like some good suit that we take out only on occasions 

of need! God must be the priority in our lives at all times, first and foremost, 

not because He needs us- but because we need Him- as our only hope and 

our sole source of strength. 

God must be an unseen, yet real and ever- present member of our family- so 

that when we need His strength we know where He is and can easily turn all 

our thoughts and energy heavenward. 


++++++++++ 

+ The state of wedlock does not estrange us from God, but rather ties us 

more closely to Him, for it brings forth a greater impetus to turn to Him. Even 

under a light breeze, a small boat moves forward...a light breeze will not move 

a great ship...Thus, those not burdened with secular concerns have less need 

of help from Almighty God, but one who has responsibilities, who looks after 

his beloved spouse, his estate and children, traverses a broader sea of life, 

and has greater need of God's help. In return (for that help), he himself comes 

to love God even more. 


+ It is essential to call the priests to confirm, with prayers and blessings, the 

couple in their life together, so that the groom's love may intensify, the bride's 

chastity of mind be strengthened, and everything work to ensure that the virtues 

settle into their home. In this way, the evil doings of Satan will be scattered, 

and the couple, united with God’s help, will spend their life in joy. 


+ Marriage is more than human; it is a miniature kingdom, which is the little 

house of the Lord. 


+ The husband must always remember that his deeds and words should 

engender piety in his home. The wife must look after the house. However, 

she must, in addition to that occupation, attend to another more pressing 

concern - that the whole family strive to attain the Heavenly Kingdom. 

- St John Chrysostom 

- 163-

+ Many parents teach their children the arts that serve the temporal life, and 

spend no small sum on it, but they neglect the Christian teaching and are 

remiss in instructing their children to live as Christians. Such parents beget 

their children unto the temporal life, but close the door to the eternal. 


+ Nothing so cements our life together as the love of a husband and wife, 

for this, many will lay aside even their arms, for this they will give up life itself. 


+ Parents who neglect to bring up their children as Christians, are the most 

heinous murderers of children. 


+ Our lord went to the wedding feast at Cana to make holy the beginnings of 

human life. 

- St. Clements of Alexandria 

+ Christ's resurrection is able to abolish bodily death, but nothing can overturn 

spiritual destruction. Therefore parents, listen to the word of the Lord, "Bring up 

your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). 


+ Parents-have great care of your children. We live in a time when much 

freedom is given to the expression of thought, but little care is taken that 

thoughts should be founded on truth. Teach them to love truth. 


+ Many teach their children about worldly politics, others teach them to speak 

foreign languages...others endeavor to teach them commerce and other arts. 

But hardly anyone teaches them to live in a Christian manner. However, without 

this, all learning is nothing and all wisdom is madness! For what does it profit 

a Christian to speak Italian, French, and German if he lives in an ungodly 

manner? What use is it to be skilled in commerce and the arts if one lacks the 

fear of God? God will not ask you whether you taught your children French, 

German or Italian or the politics of social life-but you will not escape Divine 

reprobation for not having instilled goodness into them. I speak plainly but I 

tell the truth: if your children are bad, your grandchildren will be worse, and the 

evil will thus increase...and the root of all this is a thoroughly bad education. 


+ Who are the "two or three gathered" in the name of Christ, in whose midst 

is the Lord? Aren't they man, wife, and child-because husband and wife are 

joined by God? 


- 164 -

+ There is hardly anything more serious than to be joined in marriage to a 

stranger (i.e. an unbeliever), when the instigations both of lustful appetite and 

of disharmony and the shameful crimes of sacrilege are welded together. For if 

marriage itself needs to be sanctified by the priestly veil and blessing, how is 

it possible to speak of a marriage where there is no agreement in faith? 


+ How shall we ever be able to adequately describe the married state, which 

the Church arranges, the Liturgy strengthens, upon which the blessing sets a 

seal, at which angels are present to stand as witnesses, and to which the 

Father gives His consent? 

- Tertullian 

+ The husband and wife must lay down virtue, and not passion, as the 

foundation of their love, that is, when the husband sees any fault in his wife, 

he must nudge her meekly, and the wife must submit to her husband in this. 

Likewise when a wife sees some fault in her husband, she must exhort him, 

and he is obliged to hear her. In this manner their love will be faithful and 

unbroken, and thereby having mutually composed their happiness, they shall 

take pleasure in virtue. 


+ An intelligent, discreet and pious young woman is worth more than all the 

money in the world. Tell her that you love her more than your own life, because 

this present life is nothing, and that your only hope is that the two of you pass 

through this life in such a way that, in the world to come, you will be united in 

perfect love. 


+ Ponder the truth of Christian marriage; man and wife are one flesh! Does it 

not follow that they must share all their possessions? And yet, you two haggle 

over this property! And why? Because of words! 

- St. Macarius of Optina 

+ How beautiful the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in hope, one 

in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice. 

- Tertullian 

+ If anyone leading a life of virginity for the Lord should regard married persons 

in a scornful manner, let him be anathema! 

- A Canon of an Early Church Council 

+ If you truly love your children, if you show them the sweetness of love, you 

ought to be more charitable, that by your righteous works you may commend 

your children to God. 


- 165-

+ If any woman should abandon her husband and wish to depart, or any man 

abandon his wife and wish to depart, let them be anathema! 

- A Canon of an Early Church Council 

+ You will find among us Christians both men and women growing old, living in 

chastity, in the hope of living in closer communion with God. 

- St. Athenagoras of Athens 

+ When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving, to 

be generous, to love their fellow man, to regard this present age as nothing 

(all these are attributes of God); we install virtue in their souls, and reveal the 

image of God within them. 


+ Our task is to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness, otherwise 

what answer will we have before God's judgment seat? 


+ Christ, Himself, although a virgin in the flesh, was in spirit a monogamist, 

having only one wife, the Church. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Let us be greatly concerned for our wives and our children, and for ourselves 

as well. The good God Himself will bring this work to perfection, so that all of us 

may be counted worthy of the blessings He has promised. 


+ Marriage, as a sacred bond, must be kept pure from anything that might defile 

it. We should rise from our slumber with the Lord, and retire to sleep with 

thanksgiving and prayer. 


+ The wife who loves her husband must be furnished similarly to her husband to 

travel through this life. If she carries simplicity and chaste seriously, she has 

sufficient provisions for the journey to heaven. 


+ A life lived in the world can be as good, in the eyes of God, as one spent in a 

monastery. It is indeed only the keeping of God's Commandments, love of all, 

and a true sense of humility that matter, wherever we are. 


+ Love can turn to hate if there creep in too many reasons for disrespect. 


+ If the Lord had commanded virginity, it would have seemed as though He 

condemned marriage. 

St. Jerome

+ For he who seeks only sexual pleasure will turn his marriage into fornication. 


+ Hear this fathers and mothers, that your bringing up of children shall not lose 

its reward. It was on account of his children that Eli perished. For he ought to 

have admonished them, and indeed he did admonish them, but not as he ought; 

but from unwillingness to give them pain he destroyed both himself and them. 

Hear this, fathers, bring up your children with great, great care in the nurture 

and admonition of the Lord. Youth is wild, and requires many governors, 

teachers, directors, attendants, and tutors; and after these, it is a happiness if it 

be restrained. For as a horse not broken in, or a wild beast untamed, such is 

youth. But if from the beginning, from the earliest age, we fix in it good rules, 

much pain will not be required afterwards; for good habits formed will be for 

them as a law. Let us not suffer them to do anything which is agreeable but 

injurious; nor let us indulge them as being but children. Let us admonish them. 

Let us employ sometimes advice, sometimes warnings, sometimes threatening. 

In children we have a great charge committed to us. Let us bestow great care 

upon them, and do everything that the Evil One may not rob us of them. 


+ The glory of fathers is the holiness of their children. 

- "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" 

+ If one knows himself, he will know God; and knowing God, he will be made 

like God. 


+ Wives, be subject to your husbands in the fear of God; and you virgins, to 

Christ in purity, not counting marriage an abomination, but desiring that which is 

better not for the reproach of wedlock, but for the sake of meditating on the law. 


+ What we suggest by way of counsel we do not command as a precept. We do 

not so much blind the widow as encourage her. We do not prohibit second 

marriages, but neither do we recommend them. Consideration of weakness is 

one thing, the grace of chastity another. 

- St. Ambrose 

+ Do we condemn second marriages? Not at all; but we praise first marriages. 

Do we expel those in a second marriage from the Church? Far from it, but we 

urge the once- married to continence. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Wives are to be loved by their husbands even as Christ loved the Church. 

And wives should love their husbands also, as the Church loves Christ. 

- Novatian 

- 167 -

+ Marriage is honorable above all, and the bed undefiled, but God will judge 

fornicators and adulterers (Hebrews 13:4). Speak to my sisters, that they love 

the Lord and be satisfied with their husbands, both in the flesh and in the spirit. 

In like manner also, exhort my brothers, in the name of Jesus Christ, that they 

love their wives, even as the Lord loves the Church. 


+ It becomes both men and women who marry to form their union with the 

approval of the bishop, that their marriage may be according to God, and not 

after their own lust. 


- 168 -

wfaat tl)e clyurcl') Fathers Say About 

ABOUT OLD AGE, WISDOM, IGNORANCE 

AND FEAR OF THE LORD 



Lactantius 



St. Peter of Damaskos 

St. Irenaeus 

St. Justin Popovich 




Abba Anthony of Egypt 

...and others 

- 169 -


We bless You, O most high God and Lord of mercy. You are ever doing 

numberless, great and inscrutable things for us, most glorious and wonderful. 

You grant to us sleep and rest from our infirmities, and repose from the burdens 

of our much- toiling flesh. We give thanks that You have not destroyed us 

with our sins, but have loved us as ever. And though we are sunk in despair, 

You have raised us up to glorify Your power. Therefore, we implore Your 

incomparable goodness, enlighten the eyes of our understanding and 

raise our mind from the heavy sleep of indolence; open our mouths and fill 

them with Your praise, that we may be able undistracted to sing and confess 

You. You are God, glorified in all and by all, the eternal Father, with Your only- 

begotten Son, and Your all-holy and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the 

ages of ages. Amen. 

- From the Prayer Book 


> Job 12:12-17 

> James 1:5 

> Romans 11:25, 16:27 


> 2 Peter 3:8 


> Romans 11:20-25 

> Titus 2:2-5 


REFLECTION: 

In today's "enlightened" philosophy of life it is not "cool" to be afraid-even to 

have a healthy fear of God. Man has become a god unto himself and has no 

need of a heavenly "bogeyman". 

Yet, to the poor souls who espouse this philosophy-the fact that God is love, 

and perfect love casts out fear, is elusive. So, building on their secular and 

empty philosophy of self, the "Evil One" does everything in his power to create 

an unhealthy fear of God in mankind. 

To this end, Satan makes us afraid in several ways: 

> Proverbs 2:1-9, 3:13-18, 10:31 

> 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 3:19-23 

> Acts 3:17-18, 17:30-31 

> 1 Peter 2:15-17 


> St. Luke 1:50, 18:2-8, 23:40-42 

> Acts 9:31, 10:22, 10:35, 13:16 


1) He instills in us anxiety over the future-and we cannot argue for or against it, 

because we do not know the outcome of events in advance. This paralyzes us 

with fear at times and if we decide to worry about it then no amount of logic will 

help. Therefore, we are bound by an unhealthy, irrational fear. 

- 170 -

2) Satan fears those who know God, and His gracious plan for our salvation, so 

the Evil One gravitates towards those who live alienated from God's love. Satan 

knows they will be fearful of everything. He understands that those who are 

ignorant of God's love will be fearful of everything. He understands that those 

who are ignorant of God's forgiveness and grace will live in terror of dying, of 

conflicts, of loneliness and being forgotten. After all, nothing is more frightening 

than fear of the unknown. 

3) Satan instills rebellion. Rebellion grips those who do not know God and they 

become fearful of what is, or may be, while pursuing lives alienated from God's 

immense love. Those who live in sin know they will eventually have to suffer 

consequences. These people keep putting off the eventual day of reckoning. 

They do not seek forgiveness because they do not know how to approach a 

loving God. Fear and ignorance stifle any movement to God and His loving 

care. They reject the truth that a good healthy "fear of the Lord'-which means a 

fear of losing God-makes us knowing, secure and blessed. 

Satan hates a security grounded in God's love so he sows confusion and 

ignorance to keep us in fear, rather than permitting us to trust in God's 

providence and care. 

Are you held in captivity by any of these irrational fears? If so, you will fear God 

in an unhealthy manner, which will keep you from receiving the abundant riches 

of His gracious love. 


++++++++++ 

+ The power of Divine wisdom is so great that, when infused into one's heart, it 

expels foolishness (the mother of all faults) by one impulse, once and for all. 

This wisdom doesn't need payment, books, or nightly studies, to come about. 

But the results are accomplished freely, easily and quickly, if only the ears are 

opened and the heart thirsts for wisdom. Don't be afraid, we don't sell water or 

offer the Sun as a reward. 

- Lactantius 

+ Epiphanius, the bishop, said: "The acquisition of Christian books is necessary 

for those who can use them, for the very sight of them renders us less inclined 

to sin and incites us to believe more firmly in righteousness." 


+ The Kingdom of God is within. The goodness that is in us asks only the 

human mind. 


- 171 -

+ An intelligent use of concepts (images) and their corresponding physical 

objects produces self- restraint, love and spiritual knowledge; an unintelligent 

use produces licentiousness, hatred and ignorance. 


+ Through fulfilling the Commandments the intellect strips itself of the passions. 


+ Let us not desire to learn by mere words that which is beyond utterance. It is 

equally impossible both for those who teach about such matters and for those 

who listen to them. 


+ A zealous person never achieves peace of mind, and he who is deprived of 

peace is deprived of joy. If, as it is said, peace of mind is perfect health, and 

zeal is opposed to peace, then a person stirred up by zeal is ill with a grievous 

sickness. 


+ The beginning of Divine wisdom is the serenity acquired from generosity of 

soul and forbearance with human infirmities. 


+ The lever that controls all our activities is the heart. Here are formed the 

convictions and sympathies which determine the will and give it strength. 

- Igumen Chariton of Valamo 

+ No one has the power to command the heart. It lives its own special life. It 

rejoices of itself, it is sad of itself, and no one can do anything about this. Only 

the Master of all, holding all in His right hand, has power to enter the heart, to 

put feelings into it independently of its naturally changing currents. 

- Igumen Chariton of Valamo 

+ A pure intellect sees things correctly. A trained intelligence puts them in order. 


+ Those who sit in the darkness of passions and whose minds are blinded by 

ignorance, or, rather, those who have not acquired "the mind of Christ" (1 

Corinthians 2:16), think that he who has the mind of Christ is foolish, and that 

he who has it not is sensible. Of these the prophet David rightly states, "The 

ignorant and foolish perish together" (Psalm 49:11). Therefore such men twist 

the whole of Scripture according to their own desires (cf. 2 Peter 3:3, 16) and 

corrupt themselves in their own passions. But it is not Divine Scripture that 

suffers from this, but those who disfigure it. 


- 172 -

+ Just as the earth becomes cloddish if the farmer does not work it, so our 

intellect becomes course and obtuse if we do not devote ourselves to prayer 

and reading, making this our chief task. And just as the earth, even when 

moistened by rain and warmed by the Sun, yields nothing unless the farmer 

sows and cultivated it, so our intellect cannot keep possession of spiritual 

knowledge unless it is cultivated and warmed by the sun of constant prayer. 


+ In Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a theory, a teaching, 

or a system, but rather it is the living...historical Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:6). 

Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since they did not 

possess it. With Christ as the incarnate Divine Logos the eternally complete 

Divine Truth enters into the world. For this reason the Gospel says; "Truth came 

by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). 

- St. Justin Popovich 

+ God always has something to teach, and man always has something to learn 

from Him. 


+ If the end of the wise man is contemplation, those who are still philosophers 

aim at it, but never attain it, unless by the process of learning it receives the 

prophetic utterance which has been made known. 


+ Always have the fear of God before your eyes. Remember He who grants 

death and life. Hate the world and all that is in it. Hate all peace that comes 

from the flesh. Renounce this life, that you may be alive to God. Remember 

that which you have promised God, for it will be required of you on the Day of 

Judgment. Suffer hunger, thirst, nakedness: be watchful and sorrowful, weep 

and moan in your heart. Test yourselves, to see if you are worthy of God, 

despise the flesh, so that you may preserve your souls. 

- Abba Anthony of Egypt 

+ Our life and death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother we have gained 

God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ. 


+ Just as fish die if they stay out of water too long, so monks who loiter outside 

their cells or pass time with men of this world lose the fervor of inner peace. 

So, like a fish going toward the sea, we must hurry to reach our cell, for fear 

that if we tarry outside we will lose our interior watchfulness. 


- 173-

+ There is a knowledge that precedes faith, and there is a knowledge born 

of faith. Knowledge that precedes faith is natural knowledge, and that which 

is born of faith is spiritual knowledge. What is natural knowledge? Knowledge 

is natural that discerns good from evil...without being taught. God has implanted 

this in rational nature, and with teaching it receives growth and assistance; there 

is no one who does not have it. 


+ When the intellect begins to advance in love for God, the demon of blasphemy 

starts to tempt it, suggesting thoughts such as no man but only the Devil, their 

father, could invent. He does this out of envy, so that the man of God, in his 

despair at thinking such thoughts, no longer dares to soar up to God in his 

accustomed prayer. But the demon does not further his own ends by this means. 

On the contrary, he makes us more steadfast. For through his attacks and our 

retaliation we grow more experienced and genuine in our love for God. 


+ The person who loves God values knowledge about God more than anything 

created by God, and pursues such knowledge ardently and ceaselessly. 


+ Let us kindle the light of knowledge and not plant among thorns. You know 

what thorns are, even though I haven't told you. For you often heard the Lord 

call the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches by this name. For just 

as thorns tear up those who handle them, so do the passions. Just as thorns 

catch on fire easily and are hated by farmers, so are things of this world. Just 

as wild beasts, snakes and scorpions hide in thorns, so do they hide in the 

deceitfulness of riches. But let us kindle the fire of the Spirit to burn up these 

thorns, drive away the beasts, and make the field clear for the farmer. 


+ This then, is wisdom. Forgive wicked offenses so that you can receive a royal 

pardon for your own offenses. The greater the wrongs you forgive, the greater the 

pardon you will receive. Therefore, we have been told to say, "forgive us, as we 

forgive."This teaches us that the measure of our forgiveness begins with us. 


+ He is not far from wisdom, who begins to understand how ignorant he is. 


+ Scripture says, "the fear of God is departure from evil". It also says, "and 

depart from all evil." Such is the discipline of wisdom. It cause pain in order to 

produce understanding and restores peace and eternal life. 


+ Let some holy book be ever in your hand. 

- Sf. Jerome 

- 174 -

+ You are not much different from cattle, except that you have intelligence; 

so do not glory in anything else. Do you claim to be strong? You will be beaten 

down by beasts. Do you claim speed? Flies are faster. Do you claim beauty? 

What great beauty there is in a peafowl's feathers! How are you better, then, 

than these? By the image of God. And where is God's image? In your mind, 

in your intellect? 


+ The poverty of human intelligence is often involved in lengthy discussions 

because questions require more words than answers. 


+ The Savior teaches nothing in a merely human way, but teaches His own 

with Divine and mystical wisdom. Therefore, we must not listen to His words 

with worldly ears. We must search out and learn the meaning hidden in them. 

For what the Lord seems to have simplified for the disciples requires even more 

attention than puzzling statements because of its overabundance of wisdom. 


+ Keep your knowledge in its proper place. Do not be ignorant of the things that 

are really good or seek to rise above God Himself, for He cannot be surpassed. 

Neither seek after anyone above the Creator, for you will not discover anyone 

greater than God because your Maker cannot be contained within limits. 


+ We must not trust in our own wisdom but in the Lord alone. For He directs a 

person's steps. We are also called to show Him our ways, to reveal our plans 

to Him. For they aren't made straight by our own work, but by His assistance 

and mercy.... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon your 

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your 

paths." (Proverbs 3:5- 6). 

- St. Jerome 

+ If some students cannot learn through more difficult subjects, a kind, caring 

teacher will come down to their level and teach them by simpler means. Christ, 

the Word of God, did this. St. Paul said, "For seeing that in the wisdom knew 

not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the word 

preached to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). 


+ It is better and more profitable to belong to the simple and ignorant class... 

than by imagining ourselves learned and skillful, to be found among those who 

blaspheme against their own God by making up another god as the Father. As 

St. Paul said, "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies" (1 Corinthians 8:1). 


- 175-

+ instead of searching after no other knowledge than the knowledge of Jesus 

Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for us, such a person falls into impiety 

by subtle questions and hair- splitting expressions. 


+ We must not detract from the virtues of our opponents...but neither must we 

praise the defects of our friends. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The wise man must be useful to many, so that he who is useful only to himself 

cannot be wise. 

- St. Hippolytus 

+ He is not wise enough to think little of himself. 

- St. Jerome 

+ In educating, it is extremely dangerous to only develop the understanding and 

intellect, and not pay attention to the heart. We must, above all, pay attention to 

the heart, for the heart is life, but life corrupted by sin. It is necessary to purify 

this source of life, to kindle in it the pure flame of life, so that is should burn and 

not be extinguished; and should direct all the thoughts, desires and tendencies 

of a man throughout his life. 


+ The beginning of evil is heedlessness. 

- Abba Poemen 

+ Spiritual reading, vigils and prayer bring the straying intellect to stability. 

- Evagrios the Solitary 

+ Wisdom is to know when to talk and know what to say. Appear to be ignorant, 

in order to save yourselves many pains. He who thinks himself very learned has 

many fruitless worries. Do not boast of great learning, for the things you do not 

know are more than those things that you have learned. 


+ Why is reading the lives of saints so important? Amid the endless spectrum of 

paths to God revealed in the various lives, we can find our own path, receive 

help and an indication of how to get out of the thicket of our tangled human 

sinfulness onto the path toward the light. 

- Alexander Elchaninov 

+ It is enough to know yourself. 

Come to love work, and soon God will send you peace. 

What you sow in youth, you will reap in old age. 

I fear three things. When I will die, how I will die, and where I will find myself. 

- 176 -

Truly wise is he who teaches not in words but in deeds. 

Do not abandon the will of God in order to serve the will of man. 

- From "Recollections of Glinsk Hermitage" 

+ Enter into yourself, live within yourself, in the quiet of your interior self, with a 

temperate and pure soul, with a calm and humble spirit. 

- Venerable St. Ephraim the Syrian 

+ Blessed is the man who realizes his weakness, for his knowledge becomes 

the foundation, the root and the beginning of every boon. For as soon as a man 

understands and truly feels his weakness, he immediately puts a restraint on 

the vain pride of his soul which obscures reason, and thus he gains protection. 


+ A man who has taken upon himself to travel the path of internal mindfulness 

must have above all the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom. 


+ Real self-knowledge is the clear vision of one's deficiencies and weaknesses 

to such a degree that everything is filled to overflowing with them. 

- St. Theophane the Recluse 

+ Insofar as the soul has been freed from the bonds of the flesh, to the same 

extent the gates of knowledge are opened before her. 


+ Mankind considers it extremely important to know earthly and heavenly things. 

However, it is far greater to have knowledge of ourselves. The man who is 

conscious of his personal failings is much more worthy of praise than is he who 

searches and understands the paths of the stars, but does not know the path to 

salvation. 


+ God not only permits, but demands of a man that he grow in knowledge. 

However, it is necessary to live so that not only does knowledge not ruin 

morality, but that morality does not ruin knowledge. 

- St. Nectarius of Optina 

+ The very best instruction is useless without a learner with a hearing ear. 

- St. Clement 

+ There is no more pleasant food for the soul than the knowledge of truth. 

- Lactantius 

+ People tend to accept something as true simply because it is boldly asserted. 


- 177 -

+ He who knows himself is a man. 

- Abba Poimen 

+ To see perfection in oneself is the beginning of error. 


+ It is the course of wisdom to acquire those things that neither humans, nor 

death itself, can take away. 

- Lactantius 

+ Just as oil nourishes the flame of a lamp, so by compassion knowledge is fed 

in the soul. 


+ A greedy soul is deprived of wisdom, but a compassionate soul is made wise 

by the Spirit. 


+ When the soldiers of the Emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look 

to the right or left; it is the same for the man who stands before God and looks 

towards Him in fear at all times: he cannot then fear anything from the enemy. 

- Abba Serapion 

+ Something can sound very logical and still be false. 


+ There is more weight in a small number of wise men than in a great number 

of ignorant persons. 

- Lactantius 

+ Wisdom is virtue melded with knowledge. 

- Lactantius 

+ A foolish counselor is a blind watchman; a wise counselor is a wall of 

confidence. 

- St Isaac the Syrian 

+ Where is wisdom? It consists in thinking neither that you know all things, 

which is the property of God; nor that you are ignorant of all things, which is the 

way of the beast. Man's place is, rather, somewhere in the middle. 

- Lactantius 

+ Patience is the companion to wisdom. 


+ Most common people have sometimes more wisdom, because they are only 

as wise as is necessary. 

- Lactantius * 7Q

W hat the Church Fathers Say About... 

ETERNAL LIFE, PUNISHMENT AND DIVINE MERCY 


Shepherd of H ermas 

St. Justin M artyr 

Tatum 

St. At henagoras 

St. Irenaeus 


Tertullian 

Mark Minucius Felix 

St. Hippolyutus 

Origen 

St. Cyprian 

Lactantius 

...and others 

- 179 -


PRAYER AGAINST TEMPTATION 

Spare O Lord, spare me a sinner, and although everlasting punishment is my 

due, for that I am so constantly offending You, grant I beseech, that what I 

deserve as a punishment may become the means of correction. And grant, that 

I may confess it to be the effect of Your mercy alone that the temptations of the 

Devil, which so often have prevailed over me because of my sins, now no 

longer assault me. 

- Prayer of the Western Church, circa. 10th century 


> St. Mark 9:47 > St. Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43, 16:26, 25:34, 41, 46 

> St. John 14:2 > Book of Revelation 20:14-15, 21:7-8, 22: 4-5 

REFLECTIONS: 

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own 

soul? 

- St. Matthew 16:26 

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the 

things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 

- 1 Corinthians 2:9 


++++++++++ 

+ Even though we have countless acts of virtue to our credit, one's confidence 

in being heard must be grounded in the mercy of God and His infinite love for 

mankind. For even though we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy 

that we shall be saved. 


+ The way of darkness is crooked, and it is full of cursing. It is the way of 

eternal death with punishment. 

- Barnabas 

+ Everyday we are in the process of change, every day we are dying, and yet 

we fancy ourselves eternal. 

- St. Jerome 

- 180-

+ It is most impossible that He who possesses perfect excellence should not 

also possess perfect patience. 

- Lactantius 

+ You should fear what is truly death, which is reserved for those who will be 

condemned to the eternal fire. It will afflict those who are committed to it, even 

to the end. 

- Letter to Diognetus 

+ The Christian life is like Jacob's Ladder on which the heavenly angels ascend 

and descend. Meanwhile, the Lord stands above, stretching out His hand to 

those who slip, sustaining by His vision the weary steps of those who climb 

heavenward. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Apart from the knowledge of God, what solid happiness can there be, since 

eventually death must come upon us? Like a dream, happiness slips away 

before it is grasped. 


+ Sinners will be consumed because they sinned and did not repent. 

- Shepherd of Hermas 

+ Those who know that God's voice is gentle and pleasing are surely those who 

have welcomed the grace of the Holy Gospel. 

- St Gregory of Nyssa 

+ What is dying? It is the same as taking off a garment. For the body wraps the 

soul as a garment, and after laying this aside for a short time by means of 

death, we shall take it up again with more splendor. 


+ Those who have not known God, and do evil, are condemned to death. 

However, those who have known God and have seen His mighty works, but still 

continue in evil, will be chastised doubly, and will die forever. 

- "Shepherd of Hermas" 

+ Why rely on yourself and fall? Cast yourself on Christ's arm. Be not fearful. 

He will not let you slip. Cast yourself on Him in confidence. He will certainly 

receive you and heal you. 


+ What is death? It is like a journey for a season; a sleep which is longer than 

usual. If you fear death, you should also be afraid of sleep. 


- 181 -

+ If one man should suffer all the sorrows of the entire host of saints in the 

world, they are not equal to one hour's glory in heaven. 


+ Gehenna is a place where those who have lived wickedly will be punished. 

(Ed. Gehenna is a term signifying a place of eternal punishment.) 


+ A body in a tomb is like trees that hide their foliage in winter with a deceptive 

dryness. Why are you so impatient for it to spring back to life while the winter is 

still raw? We, too, must wait for the springtime of the body. 


+ Christ foretold that Satan would be sent into the fire with his host, along with 

the men who follow him, and they would be punished for an endless duration. 


+ There are many people who show greater care for their bodies than they do 

for their soul. But they should devote a greater concern for their soul, wherein 

lies the image of God. When the flesh, which some love so much, begins to be 

devoured by worms in the grave, the soul is presented to God by the angels in 

heaven. 

- Caesar of Arles 

+ The unjust and the intemperate will be punished in an external fire. 


+ The upright, good, wise and righteous neither fear death, nor tremble at its 

mention because of the great hope that is before them. And at all times they are 

mindful of death, their exodus, and of the final day, when the children of Adam 

will be all be judged. 

- Aphrahat 

+ We shall live in intimacy with God in heaven, our souls steadfast and free 

from passion. Even if we have flesh, it will not appear so, since we will have 

heavenly spirits. 

- St. Athenagoras 

+ Some are sent to be punished unceasingly into judgment and condemnation 

of fire. Others will exist in immortality, with freedom from suffering, from 

corruption, and from grief. 


+ Rusticus, the prefect, said: "Do you suppose that you will ascend into heaven 

to receive some recompense?" Justin replied, "I do not just suppose it, but I am 

fully persuaded of it." 

- "Martyrdom of Holy Martys" 

- 182 -

+ The faithful will enjoy the immortal fruit of the resurrection. A blessed time 

awaits them. They will be joyful for an eternity, without suffering, living again 

above with the fathers." 

- "Second Clement" 

+ God has prepared heaven, but He has also prepared hell. 

- From the Roman clergy to St. Cyprian 

+ God fashioned hell for the inquisitive. 


+ Eternal fire was not originally prepared for man, but for him who beguiled 

mankind and caused it to sin. I repeat, it was prepared for him who is the chief 

of the apostasy, and for those who followed him unto apostasy. Indeed, those 

angels will justly feel that fire, too. For, like him, they continue in works of 

wickedness, without repentance, and without returning. 


+ As the soul even now finds it impossible to desire unhappiness, so in heaven 

it shall be wholly impossible for it to desire sin. 


+ The unrighteous, the idolaters, and the fornicators all perished...So it is, for 

the Lord declares that such people are sent to the eternal death. 


+ Divine mercy is such that it assists those who are willing. 

- St. Hilary of Pointiers 

+ The perpetual death of the damned will proceed without end and will be the 

lot of all, regardless of what sentimental ideas people conjure up. 


+ One hope, one trust, one firm promise. Your mercy, O Lord! 


+ The Lord will say, "Depart from me, you cursed ones, into everlasting fire" 

(Matthew 25:41). These persons will be damned for eternity. However, He will 

say to others, "Come you blessed of my Father. Inherit the Kingdom prepared 

for you for all eternity" (Matthew 25:34). These receive the Kingdom forever, 

and they make continual advancement in it. 

- Sf. Irenaeus 

- 183-

+ Those, therefore, who cast away these aforementioned things (ed. "life with 

God") because of apostasy are, in fact, destitute of all good. So, theyexperience 

every kind of punishment. Now, good things are eternal and without end with 

God. Therefore, it follows, that the loss of such things is also eternal and without 

end. 


+ We know that God's mercy is gratuitously given to whom it is given at all. 


+ There are various "mansions" (in heaven) according to the worth of those who 

have been faithful. 


+ All souls are immortal, even those of the wicked. However, it would be better 

for them if they were not deathless. For they are punished with the endless 

vengeance of quenchless fire. Since they do not experience death, it is 

impossible for them to have an end put to their misery. 


+ To the lovers of wickedness there will be given eternal punishment. And the 

unquenchable fire, which never ends, awaits them. So does a kind of fiery worm 

that does not die and does not consume the body, but continues bursting forth 

from the body with unending pain. Sleep will not offer them rest, no night will 

soothe them, no death will deliver them from punishment. The voice of friends 

interceding on their behalf will not profit them. For the righteous are not seen 

by them any longer, nor are they worthy of remembrance. Rather, the righteous 

will remember only the righteous deeds by which they reached the heavenly 

kingdom-in which there is no sleep, no pain, no corruption, no worry, no night, 

nor day measured in time...There will be no more heaven inaccessible to men. 

The way of its ascent will no longer be impossible to find, and there will be 

no more soil uncultivated or toilsome for men. Rather, it will be a place that 

produces fruit spontaneously in beauty and order. There will be no further 

generations of wild beasts, nor the bursting substance of other creatures. 

Nor with man will there be birth again. For the number of the righteous remains 

perfect with the righteous angels and spirits. 

- St. Hippolytus 

+ Let no one be less good because God is more so, by repeating his sins as 

many times as he is forgiven. Otherwise, be sure he will find an end of escaping 

when he shall not find one of sinning. 

- Tertullian 

- 184-

+ The teaching since the time of the Apostles is that the soul, after its departure 

from this world, will be recompensed according to its deserts. It is destined to an 

inheritance either of eternal life and blessedness (if its actions have procured 

such) or to be delivered up to eternal fire and punishments (if the guilt of its 

crimes will have brought it to this end). 

- Origen 

+ If you are righteous, impute it wholly to God's mercy; but if you are a sinner, 

ascribe it to your own sinfulness. 


+ In my opinion, the so- called "outer darkness" is not to be interpreted as some 

dark atmosphere without any light. Rather, it refers to those persons who, being 

plunged into the darkness of profound ignorance, have been placed beyond the 

reach of any light of understanding. 

- Origen 

+ For here is great misery, proud man! But there is greater mercy, a humble God. 


+ Brethren, how great will that last day be at its coming. The Lord will begin to 

count up His people and to recognize the labors of each person by the use of 

His Divine knowledge. He will send the guilty to Gehenna. He will set on fire 

those who persecute us with the perpetual burning of a penal fire. However, He 

will pay the righteous the reward of our faith and devotion. How great will be the 

glory, and how awesome will be the joy, to be admitted to the presence of God! 

...When that day comes, when the glory of God shines upon us, we will be 

happy and joyful...as the others remain wretched and full of guilt. For, as either 

deserters from God or as rebels against Him, they have done the will of the 

Devil. Therefore, it will be necessary for them to be tormented with the Devil 

himself in unquenchable fire. 


+ On your departure from this world, God promises to you immortality and 

eternity. So, do you doubt? 


+ As the presbyters say, those who are deemed worthy of eternal life in heaven 

will go there, others will enjoy the delights of Paradise, and others will possess 

the splendor of the heavenly city. For everywhere the Savior will be seen 

according to the worthiness of those who see Him. There is a distinction between 

the habitation of those who produce a hundred- fold, and the habitation of those 

who produce sixty-fold and the habitation of those who produce thirty-fold. For 

the first group will be taken into Heaven, the second will dwell in Paradise, and 

the last will inhabit The City. For it is this reason that Our Lord said, "In my 

Father's house are many mansions" (St. John 14:2). 

- Papias 

- 185-

W yat tye Cyurcv} Fathers Say About... 

SIN-LIVING LIFE APART FROM GOD 






St. Thalassios the Libyan 



Lactantius 


...and others 

- 186-


Prayer to Obtain Sorrow For Sin 

O almighty and most merciful God, who, when Your chosen people did thirst, 

brought water from a rock, the fount of living water-now allow tears of sorrow to 

well up from my hard heart, that I may truly weep for my sins, and through Your 

mercy receive pardon. 

- Prayer from the 10th century 


REFLECTION: 

> Proverbs 14:9 > Psalm 39:1, 41:4, 51:1-19, 79:9 

> Isaiah 1:18, 38:17 > St. Matthew 1:21, 18:21-35, 26:28 

> St. Mark 1:4-5 > St. John 1:29 

> Acts 3:19-21 > Romans 6:23 

> 1 John 4:10 > 1 Corinthians 6:18 

> 1 John 5:16-17 > 1 Peter 3:8-12, 3:18 

> 1 John 1:8-10 > St. Matthew 12:31-32 

Throughout Holy Scripture Jesus warns His followers to beware of the "Evil 

One", known to us, more commonly, as Satan-or the Devil. In churches today 

we rarely hear of Christ's warnings or the reality of the Devil. For some strange 

reason clergy do not like to appear "old fashioned" or superstitious, or out of 

step with the world, so they avoid the topic. Why? Firstly, we don't like the idea 

of a real, conscious spirit of evil who stands in direct opposition to Christ and 

His Divine message. We foolishly refrain from admitting that the Evil One 

opposes everything for which Christ stands, and anxiously waits for us to 

remove ourselves from the protection of His love and compassion. We don't like 

to admit that without Christ we move into an arena of disobedience and 

rebellion and fall directly into the arms of Satan, who roams the world seeking 

the ruin of souls. 

We would much rather think that we are free to do whatever we like, and that 

we don't need God to stand in the way of our foolish temptations to sin and 

disobedience. For that is what sin is-disobedience! It is putting our will directly 

against the will of Almighty God. It is thinking that we have no need to be for 

God, or against Him, and that we can exercise our own will and selfish desires 

without seeming to join Satan and his legions of evil. 

Yet, Christ reminds us that "Whoever is not with me is against me." (St. Matthew 

12:30). There is no way in-between through which we can serve Christ. If we 

do not consciously live for God-or oppose His will and way, then we are in 

disobedience. We are in sin. If we do not follow God-we risk becoming a pawn 

in the hands of Satan. 

- 187 -

There is a constant struggle both from without and within ourselves for the 

very soul we possess. The struggle is that of Christ against Satan and we must 

understand it! Once we know that we must either serve God or Satan, there is 

no middle ground. The reality and intensity of our sin-our disobedience- 

answers the question, do we stand for, or against, Almighty God? 


++++++++++ 

+ Of sins, some are carnal, i.e. of the flesh, and others are spiritual. The source 

through which sins are so named is the fact that every sin is a matter of either 

action or else of thought. 

- Tertullian 

+ St. John in his larger Epistle, clearly teaches the differences of sin. He uses 

these words, "If any man sees his brother sin a sin that is not "unto death", he 

will ask and Christ will give him life...AII unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin 

not leading to death" (1 John 5:16-17). 


+ Adultery, fraud and manslaughter are mortal sins, (Ed. sins leading to death). 

- St. Cyprian 

+ "Take the shield of faith, with which you may be able to quench all the fiery 

darts of the evil one." says St. Paul, (Ephesians 6:16). Faith then, is what 

intercepts the flaming darts of lust. By the fear of future judgment and belief 

in the heavenly kingdom, it destroys them. 


+ Former sins don't stand in the way of those who have reformed their lives 

because the subsequent righteousness has erased the stain of their former 

lives. Those who repent of what they have done comprehend their former 

errors. Regarding this, the Greeks speak better and more significantly of 

metanoia, which we may speak of as a return to right understanding. 

- Lactantius 

+ Those who return to a right understanding (metanoia) and rescue their minds 

from madness, who grieve over their sins and rebuke themselves for madness, 

and commit their minds to a better course of life are guarded against being led 

into the same snares again...Repentance over sin makes us cautious and 

diligent to avoid the faults into which we were once tricked. 

- Lactantius 

- 188 -

+ Although human actions are countless, sin has only two sources; ignorance 

and inability. Both depend on ourselves since we either will not learn, or else 

will not restrain lust. Ignorance leads to poor judgment, and inability yields a 

failure to comply with correct judgments. 


+ We who have escaped from sin must work hard not to squander the rewards. 

The enemy is ready to attack those who are stripped of the shield called faith. 

Therefore, we must not throw aside our shield, otherwise our side will be 

exposed to the attack. We must not put away our sword, otherwise the enemy 

will begin to lose all his fear. We know that if the enemy sees us fully armed, 

he will retreat. 

- St. Sulpitius 

+ We aren't unaware that it is hard and difficult to combat daily against the flesh 

and the world. But if we contemplate eternity and consider the kingdom of 

heaven that the Lord will give even us sinners, I ask, how can we suffer enough 

to deserve such things? Besides, our struggle in this world is brief. For although 

death doesn't catch up to us quickly, old age inevitably comes. 

- St. Sulpitius 

+ Upon each and every soul, sin sets its mark. 

- St. Melito of Sardis 

+ There are two causes which lead to sin; either we don't know our duty, or we 

don't perform the duty we know. The former is the sin of ignorance, the latter of 

weakness. 


+ All sin is a kind of lying. 


+ It is no fault of Christianity if a hypocrite falls into sin. 

- St. Jerome 

+ Prosperous sinners fare worst of all in the end. 


+ Our eager longing for temporal things and our fear of losing what we have 

leads us with open eyes into known sin. Then we aren't only sinners (for we are 

sinners even when we sin in ignorance) but we are transgressors of the Law. 


+ If you accuse me correctly, pray for my release from the very sin that you 

recognize in my conduct. 


- 189 -

+ We leave undone what we know we should do, and we do what we know we 

shouldn't do. Therefore we should not only pray for forgiveness when we have 

sinned, saying "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," but we should 

also pray for guidance to keep us from sinning. We should pray, "and lead us 

not into temptation." 


+ Sin is the serpent's deadly weapon. 

- Ausonius 

+ I preach and think that it is more bitter to sin against Christ than to suffer the 

torments of hell. 


+ Wretch that I am! I do not remember how God observes the mind and 

hears the voice of the soul. I return consciously to sin, telling myself that 

God is indeed merciful and will have patience with me. And when I was not 

immediately struck down, I did not stop, but rather despised His patient, long- 

suffering. 

- St. Peter of Alexandria 

+ Let every man take daily stock regarding the day's sins and the night's doings, 

and if he has sinned, let him stop doing so, and if he has not, let him refrain 

from boasting of it! Let this daily observation be a safeguard against sinning, let 

us note and write down our actions and impulses of the soul as though we had 

to report them to each other. 


+ Repentance of sin is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. 


+ With us, it is a sin even to consider a crime. You fear witnesses. We fear even 

our own conscience. 


+ My child. If I were permitted to see my sins, three or four men would not be 

enough to weep for them. 


+ Our Lord says, "He that sins is the slave of sin." 


+ Repentance is returning to the Lord by the practice of good works that are 

contrary to the sin committed. 


- 190 -

+ I say that it was my wish not to sin, and most, no doubt, have the same 

desire. Why is it neither of us can do what each of us wants to do? 

- St. Jerome 

+ No one is ever driven to sin by being provoked through another's fault unless 

he has the fuel of evil stored up in his own heart. 


+ Think my brother, what sin it must be which has God for its opponent. 

- St. Jerome 

+ For people who want to see a city or country go to the place to see it. In the 

same way, if we want to understand those who wrote about God, we must begin 

by washing and cleansing our souls. 


+ We must live like the saints themselves and imitate their good works. When 

we become as they were and live the common life, we can understand what 

God revealed to them. And by being closely akin to the saints, we can escape 

the consequences of sinners and fire on the last Day of Judgment. 


+ People working by themselves for freedom from passion achieve nothing. But 

if they show themselves to be very earnest and longing for this freedom, they 

will attain it by the power of God. 


+ God works with willing souls. If they abandon their zeal and willingness, 

however, the Spirit is restrained. 


+ People working and toiling for freedom from passion achieve nothing alone. 

But if they show themselves to be earnest and zealous for this goal, they attain 

it by the power of God. For only one exercising compulsion saves the unwilling. 

But one showing grace saves the willing. 


+ The Kingdom of Heaven doesn't belong to sleepers and lazy people but "the 

violent take it by force" (St. Matthew 11:12). 


+ One truly follows Jesus Christ by aiming at sinlessness and His perfection, 

adorning and fashioning the soul in front of the mirror of His holiness, and 

arranging everything to be like Him. 


- 191 -

+ It is very important that the innocent remain so! Don't experiment with sin and 

bring on the trouble, sorrow, and weeping that come with it. For when you sin, 

how do you know that you will live long enough to repent? 

- "Constitution of the Holy Apostles" 

+ It is uncertain when you will leave this world. If you die in sin, you won't have 

another chance to repent. Through David, God says, "In the grave who will 

confess unto You, O Lord?" ...Scripture urges us by the words of Solomon. 

"Prepare your works against your exit, and provide all beforehand in the field" 

(Book of Proverbs). 

- "Constitution of the Holy Apostles" 

+ Clearly we are ones who make rough the right, smooth paths of the Lord with 

the nasty, hard stones of our desires...We are the ones who seek pathless, 

thorny places, blinded by the allurements of present delights. We tear our way 

through dark paths, with torn legs and our ripped wedding garments, because 

they are overgrown with the briars of sin. 


+ Those who truly give up this world, take up Christ's yoke, learn from Him, 

and daily endure wrong (for Christ is "meek and lowly of heart") will never be 

troubled by temptations. "All things will work together for good to him." (Romans 

8:28) For the Prophet Obadiah says that God's words are "good to him who 

walks uprightly" and "For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk 

in them; but the transgressors shall fall in them" (Hosea 14:9). 


+ Forgiveness is denied to those who are obstinate and conceal their faults. But 

if we lay open our hearts (that is, if we confess our sins and make amends with 

God), we will be pardoned by Him who regards not the outward appearance, as 

people do, but the innermost secrets of the heart. 

- Lactantius 

+ Take this advice, my friend, and be slow to do evil, but swiftly run toward your 

salvation. For readiness to do evil and tardiness in doing good are equally bad. 


+ If we remain as we were made, we are righteous. But if we think of 

dishonorable things, we are evil. 


+ Let us try all the harder to reach the things ahead of us. Don't turn to the 

things behind you like Lot's wife. 


- 192 -

+ How wonderful it is when one purpose motivates everyone to stay away from 

evil and do good. How excellent it is when God is glorified in His follower's work 

and the author of godliness is blessed by heartfelt gratitude. The hungry are 

nourished, the naked are clothed, the sick are visited. People don't seek their 

own interests but that which is another's - as long as they make the most of 

their own means to relieve other's misery. 

- Pope Leo I of Rome 

- 193 -

W pat tf?e Cyurcy Fathers Say About... 

POVERTY, RICHES, EXCESS, AND IDLENESS 


Ambrose; Elder of Optim 


St. dem ent of Alexandria 


St. Seraphim of Glinsk 

Mark Minucius Felix 

St. Jerome 

Lactantius 


...and others 

- 194 -


You, Lord, are all that I have, and You give me all that I need; my future is in 

Your hands. How wonderful are Your gifts to me; how good they are. 

I bless You, Lord, because You guide me. In the night You also instruct my 

heart. I am constantly aware of Your presence; and, knowing that You are near, 

I cannot be shaken from my faith. 

So my soul is joyful, and I feel completely secure, under Your protection. I am 

confident that You will never abandon me. You show me the path of life, which 

leads to eternal bliss. 

- From the Psalms of David 


> 1 Corinthians 13:3 > Psalm 39:6, 52:6-7, 73:12-14 

> Ezekiel 16:49 > Proverbs 19:15, 30:8-9, 22:1, 22:4, 31:27 

> 2 Corinthians 8:9 > St. Matthew 5:3, 11:5, 12:36, 23:25, 25:3, 26:11 

> James 2:5-7, 5:2 > 1 Timothy 5:13, 6:17-19 

> Galatians 2:10 > St. Luke 16:11 

> 1 Peter 4:3 > St. Matthew 12:36 

REFLECTION: 

A group of young children from an impoverished Indian reservation once visited 

a large city. They were taken to an area that had experienced much crime, 

violence and poverty. They reacted in a most unexpected way. 

Even with the evident poverty surrounding them-boarded-up shops, trash- 

strewn streets and a general atmosphere of hopelessness one of the young 

people said, "I don't see what they are missing! They have so much and 

everything is so close." There were stores and theaters still operating, cars and 

busses filled the streets, and parks-such as they were-all seemed much more 

than the meager amount he had on the outskirts of modern urban civilization. 

This child lived in a desert, he had to walk almost a mile to draw water from a 

community well, he walked several miles to school and back. The only store 

was a trading post run by the reservation. There were no theaters, parks, 

libraries, gymnasiums, and only a few people of his age. Poverty stalked him 

like his shadow. 

Although he had seen a "modern" city, with warts and all, he seemed duly 

impressed by the abundance there. To this young man it seemed an open door 

to opportunity. Not dead-end poverty but a chance for a new life. He saw it from 

a greater need, a different point of view. 

-195 -

How often we Christians bemoan the lack of "things" and dismiss a 

circumstance as a dead- end, rather than viewing it as a new opportunity for 

growth and meaning? And how often do we see "riches" as things, and 

monetary wealth, rather than a substantial life in the Lord who makes all things 

new! 


++++++++++ 

+ Why do men sin? Either because they do not know what they should do, or if 

they do know, they forget, and if they forget they are slothful and despondent. 

Why is man bad? Because he forgets that God is above him. 

- Ambrose, Elder of Optina 

+ A man was as strong as a lion. And yet, because of his greed he fell into the 

net, and all his strength is brought low. 

- Abbot John the Dwarf 

+ It is completely impossible for the careless to become inheritors of the 

Kingdom of God, just as it is equally impossible for those devoted to luxury and 

intemperance to do so. Rather, it is by exhausting our bodies and enduring 

many labors that we are able to receive the good things of heaven. 


+ He who gives to no one becomes poorer by it! 


+ In speaking of piety, poverty serves us better that wealth, and labor serves us 

better than idleness. This is because wealth becomes an obstacle even for 

those who do not devote their energies in acquiring it. However, when we put 

aside our wrath, quench our envy, mitigate our anger, offer our prayers, and 

show a disposition that is reasonable, mild, kind, and loving, how could poverty 

ever stand in our way? For we accomplish our salvation not by spending money 

but by making correct choices. Almsgiving, above all else, requires the 

possession of money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms 

are given from our poverty. The widow who offered the two mites was poorer 

than any human, but she outdid them all! 


+ The elder persuaded people to hold to the golden mean, not falling into 

senseless joy or into excessive sorrow. Extremes have brought many to a bad 

end, even to suicide. 

- St. Seraphim of Glinsk 

+ I will tell you what I think; no one can be as poor as when he was born. 


- 196 -

+ That man is poorer who, though he has great possessions, desires more. 


+ It is better for me to have no money to give as alms, than shamelessly to beg 

what I mean to hoard. 

- St. Jerome 

+ The greatest advantage of riches is not in using them for a specific individual's 

pleasures, but for the welfare of many people. 

- Lactantius 

+ Whenever people give to others without seeking their own advantage, they 

really give to themselves because God will reward them. 

- Lactantius 

+ The strong will support the weak if they are bound to them. They will not allow 

the weak to perish. Also, if they are tied to the lazy and idle, the strong will 

arouse and animate them. For it is said, "Brother helped by brother is as a 

strong city." 


+ All excess is foolish and futile for the servants of God. 

- "Shepherd of Hermas" 

+ We must always check excessive laughter and immoderate tears. 


+ To the weak and infirm, what is moderate appears excessive. 


+ Those who yield themselves to idleness and apathy, even though they may be 

spiritual and holy, hurl themselves into unnatural subjection to passions. 


+ In the presence of God, there will be no idleness. 

- Tertullian 

+ Who can be poor if he is rich toward God? Rather, he is poor who, having 

much, craves still more. 


+ When the body is deprived of food, drink and clothing, it dies. But it suffers no 

harm at all if deprived of sinful desires. 

- Sf. Justin Martyr 

+ Ease and idleness are the destruction of the soul and they can injure her 

more than the demons. 

- St. Isaac the Syrian - 1 9 7 -

+ The Bible limits itself to reproving excess and correcting what is 

unreasonable. For example, it does not forbid us from eating, having children, 

possessing wealth and administering it properly, only avoid gluttony, fornication, 

and so on. 


+ It is not meager income that constitutes poverty. Rather it is unsatiable wants 

that constitute poverty. But the good man, being free from such wants, is truly 

rich. 


+ A wise elder gives the following advice to monks and youth alike; "Avoid 

eating foods which are to your liking, but eat the simplest foods, and be thankful 

to God, who also sends you these." 


+ It is dangerous to live on charity. It is too easy to fall into the habit of begging. 

It is one thing to ask for others, another for yourself. 

- Nikon, Elder of Optina 

+ All excesses are products of the Devil. 


+ It is right to supply needs, but it is not good to support laziness. 


+ The monk should wear a garment of the kind that, if he threw it away outside 

his cell, no one would steal it for three days. 

- Abba Pambo of the Desert 

+ "Is it correct for me to keep the two gold coins which are left over from my 

handicraft sales, so as to have them when I am ill, or for my old age?" a certain 

monk asked his elder. 

"Certainly not," replied the elder, "for in this way you learn to set your hopes on 

worldly things and cease to rely on the protection of God." 


+ One night some thieves entered the humble hut of a hermit. "We came to take 

your things," they said viciously. Without blinking an eye the hermit said, "Take 

whatever you desire." 

The thieves emptied his poor hut of everything and left in a hurry. They forgot, 

however, to take a small flask that was hanging on a beam. The hermit took it 

down and ran after the robbers. He shouted for them to stop. 

- 198 -

"Come back my brothers, and take this too." And he showed them the small 

flask they had forgotten. 

The thieves were amazed by his forgiving nature and returned, not to take the 

flask but to offer repentance and return the stolen items. 

"This is indeed a man of God," they said among themselves. 


+ A beginning monk, went to confess to a certain elder. He posed the following 

question: "Why Father, do I fall so often into sloth?" 

"You lack the faith which makes you see God everywhere; for this reason you 

are careless and lazy about your salvation," the discerning elder replied with 

great wisdom. 


- 199 -

W yat tye Cyurcy} Fathers Say About, 

SATAN, DEMONS, ANTI- CHRIST, 

AND PUNISHMENT FOR SIN 


St. Ignatius Brianchaninov 

St. Ephraim the Syrian 

St. Ambrose of Milan 



St. Hippolytus of Rome 

...and others 

- 2 0 0 -


The Sinner's Banquet 

Lord Jesus, You have invited me to Your banquet table, through I deserve to be 

thrown into the dungeon. So I accept Your invitation in fear and trembling, 

encouraged only by Your mercy and goodness. 

My soul and body are defiled by so many sinful deeds. My tongue and my heart 

have run wild without restraint, causing misery to others and shame to myself. 

My soul bleeds with the wounds of wrongdoing, and my body is like a temple of 

Satan. If I was to come before you as my judge, You could only condemn me to 

eternal torment, for that is what I deserve. 

Yet, I come before You, not as a judge but as a Savior. I depend not on Your 

justice, but on Your mercy. As You look upon the wretched creature that I am, I 

ask only that Your eyes be filled with compassion and forgiveness. As I sit at 

Your table, I beg You to renew within me a spirit of holiness, that I may worthily 

share in Your heavenly supper. 


SCRIPTUAL REFERENCES: 

> 1 John 2:18-23, 4:1-6 

> 2 John 1:7-8 


> Genesis 6:4 


> St. Matthew 8:28-29 

> St. Luke 10:17 

> St. Luke 22:3-5, 22:31-32 

> Acts 5:3-4 

> 1 Corinthians 7:5, 10:20-22 

> 2 Corinthians 2:9-11, 1' : 12-15 

> Revelation 2:24-26, 9:2 D-21 


REFLECTION: 

"The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the Word, receive it with 

joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while, and in time of temptation 

fall away..." 

- From St. Luke 8:4-15 

Are you a Christian like this? Do you sometimes come to church, determined to 

live a more Christian life, only to have your resolution swept away with the first 

tempting situation? Why do you fail so often? 

A tree spreads its roots long before there is any need for them to go deep. 

When the droughts and the vicious winds come, it's too late to thrust down roots 

to hold it firm, because the ground is too dry or the tree lacks strength. 

- 201 -

Jesus talks about a man's faith as a root planted firmly in the Word of God that 

draws spiritual nourishment from it when needed. So too, Holy Scripture and the 

words of the Fathers are as a tap root, which will supply one with "life-giving 

water" when needed, such as times when we seem to be living in a spiritual 

wasteland. 

We need nourishment from the words of those closest to Almighty God. We 

need these words of instruction to protect us from the snares of Satan, who 

roams the world seeking the destruction of souls. Learn about your Lord through 

the words of those willing to instruct you, and practice believing in Him so that 

you may grow and develop. Let the words of God's friends become the tap-root 

that will supply nourishment to your soul and become food for your journey 

through life. Then, when those storms come and the droughts appear, your faith 

will stand firm, rooted in the Word of God and the words of His dear friends- 

much like a great oak endures the winds and rains which buffet it relentlessly. 


++++++++++ 

+ The demons are sleepless and immaterial, death is at hand, and I am weak. 

Lord help me, do not let Your creature perish, for You care for me in my misery. 


+ All men, led by the light of fallen nature alienated from the guidance of God's 

light, will be enticed into submission to the "great seducer", the Antichrist. 

- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov 

+ Sometimes on a day when you intend to receive the Eucharist, you may 

experience a feeling of heaviness, but you should not pay any attention to this, 

nor should you become full of despair, since on such a day the Devil will 

particularly attack a man. 

- Barsanuphius, Elder of Optina 

+ In the Last Times, infants will die in their mother's lap, and mothers will die 

holding their children, fathers will die with their wives and children will be struck 

down in the marketplace, and there will be no one left to bury them. 


+ Sin, Gehenna and death do not exist at all with God, since they are effects, 

not substances. 


+ The Kingdom of the Church will abide unto the ages. 


-202 -

+ Sin is the fruit of self-will. There was a time when sin did not exist, and there 

will be a time when it and the punishment due to sin, will not exist. 


+ Our soul is like a heavenly bird; the Devil, a wicked fowler, seeking to devour 

souls. As the bird, flying heavenward, thus saves itself from the fowler, so we 

likewise, when we see the enemy-the Devil-attempting to snare our soul by 

means of earthly attractions, must immediately forsake these things with all our 

heart and must fly up in our thoughts to Jesus Christ, Our Savior, and then we 

will be saved from the "snare of the fowler" (Psalm 91:3). 


+ A false prophet will foretell concerning the Antichrist saying he himself is 

Christ and of this he will attempt to convince all men. 


+ There will be punishment in eternal fire inflicted upon those who do not live 

temperately and conform to right reason. 

- Sf. Justin Martyr 

+ The Anti- Christ will come for the destruction of men, and to injure them, for 

what will he not then work? He will change and confound all things, both by his 

commandments and the utter terror of himself. He will be brutal in every way; by 

his power and by his unlawful commandments. 


+ At the end some will be sent to be punished unceasingly into judgment and 

condemnation of fire, however some will exist forever in freedom from suffering, 

corruption and from grief. 


+ God will allow persecution from the Antichrist not because He is unable to 

stop it, but because he desires, as usual, His strugglers to be crowned. For this 

reason the reverent ones among those living will be taken up into the clouds, 

receiving, as a reward of honor, that which is higher than any reward of men. 


+ The demons are jealous of those pursuing the Lord's way. They suggest 

everything possible to separate (us) from our spiritual father's care. They 

propose plausible excuses, they contrive irritations, they arouse hatred against 

the father, they represent his admonitions as rebukes, they make his words of 

fraternal correction seem like sharpened arrows. They suggest to us, since you 

are a free man, why have you become a slave to a merciless master? How long 

will you suffer and wear yourself out under the yoke of servitude and not see 

the light of freedom? 

- Sf. Theodoros the Great Ascetic 

- 203 -

+ Even the demons with their malice and fierceness, with all the pride of their 

being, become like dust once they encounter a humble person. 


+ Having filled himself with pride, the Antichrist will begin to set himself up and 

glorify himself as if God, thundering forth slander against Jesus Christ. He will 

do this so openly that he will command that all those who do not want to serve 

his pretensions as God will be killed. 


+ Our Lord dwells in long-suffering and mercy, but the Devil in anger. 

- Hermas, "The Shepherd" 

+ The Antichrist shall be known by his crimes of inhumanity and lawlessness, 

so as to outdo all unrighteous and ungodly men who have gone before him; 

showing a most murderous, cruel, merciless, and crafty spirit especially against 

us Christians. 


+ The adversary can do nothing against us except that God shall previously 

permit it. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ When the Antichrist comes many people will be found pleasing God, for whom 

it will be possible, in both the mountains and desert places, to save themselves 

by much prayer. God will see their many tears and honest faith, and will have 

mercy on them, as a tender father. They will be saved. 

- Sf. Ephraim the Syrian 

+ Do not fear the Devil. By fearing the Lord you will have dominion over the 

Devil, for there is no power in him. Nevertheless, fear the deeds of the Devil, 

since they are evil. 


+ Many will believe in the Antichrist and will glorify him as God. Many will 

worship the murderer with trembling lips, crying out: "Thou art our savior!" 


+ Avoid the venom coming forth from the tongue of the Devil, who from the 

beginning of the world has lied so that he may deceive, who cajoles that he may 

injure, he promises good that he may give evil, and promises life that he may 

put to death. 

- Sf. Cyprian 

+ The Antichrist will not only pronounce himself as highest of the false gods, but 

will sit in the Temple of God, as if he were God. 

- Blessed Theodoret of Cyprus 

-204-

+ Thanks be to God who has confined the greatness of the last tribulation to a 

few day; for He says, "But for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." 

(St. Matthew 24:22) and the Antichrist shall reign only three and a half years. 


+ For if you do not believe in Christ, much more ought you not believe in the 

Antichrist. 


+ Truly, Jesus Christ will extinguish by His presence the last persecution which 

is to be made by the Antichrist. 


+ Antichrist is coming but above him comes Christ also. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The enemy is more to be feared and to be guarded against when he creeps 

upon us in secret. When deceiving by the appearance of peace, he steals 

forward by hidden approaches. He behaves as he is named-the serpent. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ Christ's adversary, the great seducer, does not persecute and attack any 

except Christ's camp and soldiers; heretics, once prostrated and made his own, 

he despises and passes by. He seeks to cast down those whom he sees are 

still standing. 

- St. Cyprian 

+ The reason God has delayed the destruction of Satan is His regard for the 

human race. For God foreknows that some are to be saved by repentance, 

some that are perhaps not yet born. 

- St. Justin the Martyr 

+ The more simple among believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are of the opinion 

that if there were no Devil, no single human being would go astray. We 

however, do not hold this opinion, taking into account those sins that originate 

as a necessary consequence of our bodily constitution. 

- Origen 

+ Let us not wait for the repentance of Satan, for this is a vain anticipation and 

one that will drag us into the pits of hell. 

- Sf. Jerome 

+ None of the demons possess flesh. Their structure is spiritual, like that of fire 

or air. And only by those whom the Spirit of God dwells in and fortifies are the 

bodies of demons easily seen, not at all by others. 

- Tatian 

-205-

+ Among angels, some are angels of God and others are angels of the Devil. 

But among demons, there is no such distinction. For they are all said to be 

wicked. 

- Origen 

+ The Devil cannot hold dominion over the servants of God, who, with all their 

heart place their hopes in Him. The Devil can wrestle against them. But he 

cannot overthrow them. 


+ The Devil goes to all the servants of God to test them. The ones who are full 

in the faith resist him strongly. So he withdraws from them, having no way to 

enter them. He goes, then, to the empty. Finding a way of entrance into them, 

he effects in them whatever he desires, and they become his servants. 

- Hermas, " The Shepherd" 

+ Eternal fire was not prepared originally for man, but for he who beguiled man, 

and caused man to sin. I say, it was prepared for him, who is the chief of 

apostasy, and for those angels who became apostates along with him. 


+ From the Devil comes the incentive to sin. 

- Tertullian 

+ Creation is not subject to his power, since indeed he is himself but one among 

created things. 

- Sf. Irenaeus 

+ The Devil has no power over man unless God allowed it. In the Gospel of St. 

John it is noted: Jesus said, "You have no power over me unless it were given 

you from above". 


+ There is a strong conflict to be waged against the Devil. Therefore, we should 

stand bravely, so that we may be able to conquer. 


+ Once the Antichrist has devastated everything in this world, he will reign for 

three years and six months, and have his seat in the Temple in Jerusalem. Then 

the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds. 


+ Let us look at the actions of the Antichrist. He will call all people together, to 

himself, out of every country of the Dispersion. He will make them his own, as if 

they were his children. He will promise to restore their country and re-establish 

their kingdom and nation, in order that he may be worshipped by them as God. 


- 2 0 6 -

+ The Antichrist will come as a man. Isaiah says, "This is the man who arouses 

the earth, who disturbs kings, who makes the whole earth a desert" (Isaiah 

14:16). 

- St. Cyprian 

+ By this name (666) we understand the Antichrist. Although he is cut off from 

the Divine light and deprived of it, he nevertheless transforms himself into an 

angel of light, daring to call himself light. 

- Victorinus 

-207 -

MiERKMNCHmsiwt 

by J. Bajis 

t DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

by A. Coniaris 

t DISCOVERING GOD THROUGH THE 

DAILY PRACTICE OF HIS PRESENCE 

by A, Coniaris 

t TELL US A STORY, GRANDMA 

by G. Hronas 

t GOD AND YOU: PERSON TO PERSON. 

DEVELOPING A DAILY PERSONAL 

RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS 


t THE ADAM COMPLEX 

by D. Pennock 

t HOW ARE WE SAVED? 

by Bishop Kallistos Ware 

t A CATECHETICAL HANDBOOK OF 

THE EASTERN ORTHODOX FAILTH 

by D. Stamatis 

t DAILY READINGS FROM THE WRITINGS 

OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM 

edited by A. Coniaris 

t ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MAJOR SAINTS AND 

FATHERS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH 

by B. Eleftheriou 

t GRANDMOTHER'S SPIRITUAL STORIES 

by G. Hronas 

t ILLUSTRATED LIFE OF THE THEOTOKOS 

FOR CHILDREN 

by G. Hronas & H. Hronas 

t LETS TAKE A WALK THROUGH OUR 

ORTHODOX CHURCH 


t LIVING A BALANCED LIFE IN AN 

UNBALANCED WORLD 


t MY DAILY ORTHODOX PRAYER BOOK 

edited by A. Coniaris 

t SURVIVING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE 


t PREPARING FOR CONFESSION 

by L. Letendre 

t THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: 

455 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

by S. Harakas 

t NICHOLAS MEETS HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL 

by H. lakovos 

t THE NICENE CREED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


t WHAT THE CHURCH FATHERS SAY ABOLT 

by G. Grube 

t CON reMPORARY MORAL ISSUES FAO M e THE 

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN 

by S. Harakas 

t THE ORTHODOX CHURCH A TO Z 

by G. Grube 

t THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: 

A WELL-KEPT SECRET 

by G. Nicozism 

f THE PHILOKALIA: THE BIBLE OF 

ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY 


t TOWARD A EUCHARISTIC VISION OF CHURCH, 

FAMILY, MARRIAGE AND SEX 

by P. LeMasters 

t PARTAKERS OF DIVINE NATURE 

by S. Stavropoulos 

f THE WAY OF THE FATHERS: 

EXPLORING THE PATRISTIC MIND 

by J. Chryssavgis 

t WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TRUTH 


t THESE ARE THE SACRAMENTS 


t INTRODUCING THE ORTHODOX CHURCH 


t TREASURED TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS 

OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH 

by M. Hallick 

t ATTENDING TO YOUR MARRIAGE 

by C. Joanides 

t MAKING GOD REAL IN THE 

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN HOME 


t ACHIEVING YOUR POTENTIAL IN CHRIST: 

THEOSIS 


t DISCOVERING THE RICH HERITAGE 

OF ORTHODOXY 

by C. BELL 

t SACRED SYMBOLS THAT SPEAK. VOLS 1. 2 


t THE PHILOKALIA: MASTER REFERENCE GUIDE 

by B. Stapakis 

t AM I SAVED? 

by T. Bobosh 

t PREPARING TO RECEIVE HOLY 

COMMUNION 

by T. Avramis 

- PREPARING TO SERVE AS A GODPARENT 

S', »V Cîganos 

* J V 'i\G RESPONSIBLY IN AN AGE OF EXCUSES 

::. A C c n a is 

REQUEST A FREE CATALOG 

Light & life Publishing • P.O. Bax 26421 • MisssapoEs. Minnesota 5542*v*W21

Church Fathers V3 - Fr George Grube - Saint Mina Coptic Orthodox ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?