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

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.
WRITINGS OF THE FATHERS:
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+ 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”.
- St. John Chrysostom
+ 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
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