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

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

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

because I do not take as much care to please my Lord as she does to please<br />

depraved men.”<br />

- <strong>Fr</strong>om the Desert <strong>Fathers</strong><br />

+ There are quite a few people who refrain from becoming Christians-not<br />

because they are afraid of losing their lives-but because they are afraid of<br />

losing their pleasures.<br />

- Tertullian<br />

+ The eyes of pigs have a natural configuration which makes them turn towards<br />

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

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

of carnal pleasures, it can no longer get out again.<br />

- <strong>Fr</strong>om the “Apop(h)thegmata Patrum”<br />

+ All sin is due to sensual pleasure, all forgiveness to hardship and distress.<br />

- St. Thalassius<br />

+ You cannot destroy passions on your own, simply ask God and He will<br />

destroy them, if this is profitable to you.<br />

- St. Anatoly of Optina<br />

+ Our wickedness shall not overpower the unspeakable goodness and mercy of<br />

God. Our dullness shall not overpower God’s wisdom, nor our weakness God’s<br />

omnipotence.<br />

The more resolutely, the more constantly, your heart is turned towards God and<br />

His saints, the more it will be enlightened, purified and vivified.<br />

- St. John of Kronstadt<br />

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

compared with the mind of God.<br />

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

the compassion of Our Creator is not overcome by the wickedness of His<br />

creatures.<br />

Someone who bears a grudge while he is at prayer is like a person who sows<br />

seeds in the sea yet expects to reap a harvest.<br />

- St. Isaac the Syrian<br />

+ Sinners are delivered to Satanic forces to destroy the flesh. Although the<br />

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

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

-24 -

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