Quotations and sayings of Orthodox saints. Wise thoughts of the holy fathers

01.10.2019 Ornamental trees and shrubs

For those who understand and accept

Wise phrases of the holy fathers

“We have the right to judge only ourselves. Even talking about a person, we already involuntarily condemn him.
Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsky

"Happiness is something to which there is nothing to add."
Monk Simeon of Athos

“We did not choose the country where we will be born, nor the people in which we will be born, nor the time in which we will be born, but we choose one thing: to be people or non-humans.”
Patriarch Pavle of Serbia

“Don’t chase after good grades or a good opinion of yourself. Do everything according to your strength and according to your conscience, and leave the rest to the will of God. This is the best way; he will give calmness and peace to the soul, which is dearest of all.
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

“Love is when you can silently be together and you don’t need to talk to communicate.”
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh

“Do not look for anything outside the soul - everything is in it. Look for happiness in your own heart: if it is not there, you will not find it anywhere.
Saint Philaret (Drozdov)

“I don’t wish you wealth, fame, success, or even health, but only peace of mind. It is most important. If you have peace, you will be happy."
Rev. Alexy Zosimovsky

“The longer a person sits idle, the more he relaxes, and the more he works, the stronger he becomes. In addition to the fact that by work he drives away sadness from himself, he also helps himself spiritually.
Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer

“There is such a great art - the ability to put up. But there is an art and above this - the ability not to quarrel.
Priest Anatoly Garmaev

“Life is a precious and only gift, and we waste it senselessly and carelessly, forgetting about its short duration. We either look longingly into the past, or wait for the future, when, as if, real life should begin. The present, that is, what our life is, leaves in these fruitless regrets and dreams.
Priest Alexander Elchaninov

“One of the characteristics of a wise person is the ability to forgive. We are all imperfect, and a wise person understands this. In the meantime, a person does not understand this, his whole life will be spent in clarifying the relationship. We must learn to forgive!
Professor, candidate psychological sciences, nun Nina Krygina

“The sign of a person who has found God is peace and quiet that comes from him.”
Monk Simeon of Athos

“Don't ever forget, even in the darkest days of your life, to thank God for everything, He is waiting for this and will send you new blessings and gifts. A person with a grateful heart never needs anything.”
Elder Nikolai Guryanov

“There are no accidents in life, but every circumstance has a higher spiritual meaning, leading to the knowledge of the will of God.”
Abbess Arsenia

“So much is given! So easy is spending: love God, love your brother, feed the bird, have pity on the cat, give the sick a cup, and others a spoon. So the Almighty created: we are people not when we breathe, but for now we love ... "
Archpriest Andrei Logvinov

“If someone is annoyed, it’s better not to try to talk to him, even if it’s kind. He looks like a wounded man, to whom even gentle stroking irritates the wound.
Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer

“The secret of happiness is attention to each other. The happiness of life is made up of individual minutes, of small, quickly forgotten pleasures from a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment and countless small but kind thoughts and sincere feelings. Love also needs its daily bread.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova

“Do not say: today I will sin, and tomorrow I will repent, but it is better to repent today, for we do not know if we will live to see tomorrow.”
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

"For those who believe, there are no questions, and for those who do not believe, there are no answers."
Abba Isarius

“Always rejoice! You can’t do anything good from inner effort, but from joy you can do anything.”
Reverend Seraphim of Sarov

“Fatigue is different - good and bad. The bad one is when you realize that you are exhausted by vanity, exhausted by deeds that are disgusting to your soul, which, perhaps, are useful from a material point of view, but do not give anything to your heart. And the good one is when there is confidence that everything done for the sake of God and for the sake of one's neighbor is done, when, perhaps, there is no strength left in the body, but peace and tranquility in the soul. Peace with God and peace from this world.”
Hegumen Nektary (Morozov)

“Life is easier - the best. Don't break your head. Pray to God. The Lord will arrange everything. Don't torture yourself thinking about how and what to do. Let it be, as it happens - this is to live easier.

“If something did not come out of your will, rejoice: it means it came out by the will of God!”
Archpriest Vyacheslav Reznikov

“An overflowing vessel overflows. So the overflowing heart of a person pours out on his neighbors what it is full of.
Saint Silouan of Athos

“Find in your neighbor at least one good trait, a quality that you do not have, and by this positive line appreciate, love, admire, rejoice and perceive it. Don't pay too much attention to the rest."
Elder of Aegina Hieronymus

“Love one another, keep the peace at any cost, let the business suffer, but the world will remain.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

“No matter how heavy the cross that a person carries, the tree from which it is made has grown on the soil of his heart.”
Rev. Ambrose of Optina

"God! Give me a simple, gentle, open, believing, loving, generous heart, a worthy receptacle for You, the All-Good!”
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

“A person who knows what gratitude is is happy with everything. He thinks about what God gives him every day, and rejoices in everything. But if a person is ungrateful, he is dissatisfied with everything, grumbles for every reason and suffers ... He who sows complaints, reaps complaints and accumulates fear. But he who sows praise tastes of divine joy and blessings forever.
Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer

“People cannot be given other people's wings - they must grow them themselves”
Monk Simeon of Athos

Sayings of the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church
1. In life, something is valuable - what is joy, and everything else is just “vanity of vanities and vexation of the spirit”

2. "If a person sincerely prays and does not receive what he asks, then the Lord is preparing for him more and better than he asks."
Saint John Chrysostom

3. Let us surrender to the will of God and then we will see the Providence of God, and the Lord will give us what we do not expect.
Saint Silouan of Athos

4. Who is not in a hurry to do good, he will not do it. Good can only be done by fiery, sincere, hot people. Only a kind person with lightning speed can be truly kind. This lightning speed is an expression of spiritual strength and bright faith.
Archbishop John (Shakhovsky) of San Francisco

5. Our Guardian Angel will not leave us until we drive him away with our bad deeds. Just as the smoke drives away the bees or the stench scares away the dove, so the stench of sin drives away from us the Angel who guards our life.
Saint Basil the Great

6. Do not judge and do not be offended by people. Whatever they do to you, don't hate anyone. Everyone acts according to how he is learned, what character he has. Not many have kindness and reason.
Elder Hieronymus of Aegina

7. Be patient, do not get annoyed, most importantly, do not get angry. You will never destroy evil with evil, you will never drive it out. It fears only love, fears the good.
From the letters of St. Athanasius the Confessor, Bishop of Kovrov (Sakharov)

8. Keep a close watch on manifestations of pride: it manifests itself imperceptibly, especially in chagrin and irritability towards others due to the most unimportant reasons.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

9. We blame others, we want to fix everyone around us, but we never start with ourselves. This is our big mistake. If everyone started with themselves, there would not be so much evil in the world.
Elder Thaddeus Vitovnitsky.

10. "Love is the source of Divine fire in the heart."
Reverend John Ladder

11. "Do not rush to talk about three subjects: about God until you are confirmed in faith; about other people's sins until you remember your own, and about the coming day until you see the dawn."
Saint Nicholas of Serbia (Velimirovich)

12. Do you want to seem beautiful? Be content with the way the Creator has given you... Put on mercy, benevolence, chastity, humility. All this is more precious than gold.
Saint John Chrysostom

13. Try as much as you can to love every person. If you can't, at least don't hate anyone.
Saint Maxim the Confessor

14. "Only prayer, silence and love are effective ... It is better to turn to the hearts of other people through secret prayer than to their ears."
Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit

15 "Do not judge others, because it often happens that without knowing a person, they speak badly of him, but he is like angels in mind."
Saint Silouan of Athos

16. "Trust those who are simple with you and tell you the truth, whatever it may be, these people will be the first to come to your aid!"
Saint Silouan of Athos

† "A vain world! A false light! There is nothing good in you! A perfect lie! A perfect deceit! You deceive us, laugh at us, mock us. You show us years, and pleasures, and long health, but suddenly death overtakes us. And it all bursts like bubbles, breaks like cobwebs.

Such, my beloved child, such is the joy of the world!"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Where obedience, humility and feat are, demons can never captivate a person. Bitterness, disobedience and pride give rise to despondency and negligence, and then all demons come and turn a person's soul into a dung pit and a stable. And they do not calm down until they will not make him guilty of new and old sins and completely captivated"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "The way to acquire love for God is to join oneself in the sacrifice. God loves insofar as a person begins to sacrifice everything for the sake of God"

Schiegumen Savva of Pskov-Pechersk

† "Do not learn to fall easily. For with each fall the fortress wall of the soul collapses, and the entrance for the enemy becomes more and more free, until he finally makes the defeated prisoner"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "without [humility] this great virtue, no one could acquire salvation, and there is no other door than the door of humility through which anyone could enter the Kingdom of Heaven"

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

† "Do not relax and do not accept thoughts. Call on Christ constantly. Before the tempter has time to form a thought in your mind, you destroy it with prayer. Do not leave it. And if you leave the impurity that the enemy throws into your soul, in a short time he will bury you in it"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "In order to overcome the fornication battle, at whatever stage it may be, we must first of all ask the grace of the Good God. This is not a short-term battle, because we must achieve complete victory. At first, everyone sees that he is powerless to resist it, but with God all things are possible

Archimandrite Arseny (Papachok)

† "Don't start your prayer at random, but first collect your mind and think a little about death and what will follow it"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "If, against your will, you endure illness, cold, vexation, reproach, ridicule - remember the Tsar, without whose will and knowledge nothing happens. Since He allowed this, this is what is most needed - the best for you. You often pray:

"Thy will be done."

So reject your will, subordinating it to the will of God"

† "The divine fathers say:

Pride comes before a fall

and the grace of humility"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Pride of the mind is a demonic disease, for a person afflicted with it believes that he is great, that he is smarter than others and no longer needs anyone's advice and help. May God save us from this passion and demonic disease!"

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

† "Become firm with your mind in God, and the moment will come when the immortal Spirit will touch your heart"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "God always hears prayer for everyone, while he always turns away from idle talk, even if it seems to be spiritual"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Torment and even death are not evil. Sin, ignorance of God, negligence - this is evil, the death of the soul"

Archimandrite Seraphim (Rosenberg)

† "Blows are necessary to save our souls, because they purify the soul. The more you beat and rub the clothes, the cleaner it becomes. So octopuses with cuttlefish are made softer with blows and cleared of the black liquid."

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "The Lord wants us to become like Him in

His love. And the love of God is a humble love"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "The most reliable weapon against enemy thoughts is the Jesus Prayer"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Of course, the devil, no matter how much he wishes it, will not be able to destroy us himself, if we ourselves do not contribute to his malice; but God himself will not save us either, if we do not cooperate with His grace in our salvation. God always helps , always anticipates, but wants us to work hard, do what we can"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "everything that is from nature is neither honored nor dishonored: exploits and falls come from volition"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Carnal warfare should not be an obstacle for a young man who wants to become a monk; it is enough that he does not think about marriage. A small feat, fasting, vigil and prayer can subordinate the flesh to the spirit, of course, in the presence of humility. At the same time, the young man collects vengeance in heaven"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "In accordance with the purity of the soul and the enlightenment that each of us has received here, he will see Christ there closer, more clearly, and will enjoy His fragrance more strongly, and more than others will rejoice and rejoice"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "as far as a person avoids human comfort, so much the Divine approaches him"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "It is known that when one passionate person begins to teach another passionate person, then grace immediately departs from the first one and he falls into the same thing. For before "doing" such a privilege is not given to him."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Naive is the one who thinks that it is possible to follow the path of Christ without tears. Take a dry nut, put it under a heavy press and see how oil flows out of it. Something similar happens to our heart when the invisible fire of the word of God scorches it with all sides. Our heart has turned to stone in its animal egoism, and, what is worse, in its proud spasm. But truly there is such a Fire (Luke 12:49) that is capable of melting even the strongest metals and stones"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "In all your prayers, let him watch and understand what you are praying for and what you are saying. you're asking?"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "In your feat, pay more attention to prayer, because it will maintain your connection with God. This connection should be constant. Prayer is oxygen, absolutely necessary for the soul. It should not be considered a burden"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Prayer is the mother and queen of all virtues.

Love for God and love for our neighbor enter our souls only through prayer!

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

† "outward good deeds do not soften the arrogance of the heart. But clever deeds, the pain of repentance, contrition and humility - this is what humbles the disorderly way of thinking"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "one dark idea of the tempter-devil is widespread: if a person reads the Jesus Prayer, everyone is afraid that he will fall into delusion, although just what they say is delusion"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Charity is above fasting and virginity"

Schiegumen Savva (Ostapenko)

† "The humble, if he falls a thousand times, rises again, and the fall is counted as victory for him. But the proud, when falling into sin, immediately falls into despair and, hardened, does not want to rise again. Despair is a mortal sin, and the devil rejoices in him more everything, but it immediately disappears during confession."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "In all temptations and tribulations, patience is required,

and it is victory over them"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "from every battle with the enemy you need to come out victorious. Either die in the fight, or win with God. There is no other way"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Our God is Light, in which there is not a single darkness: He refuses to unite with our darkness. We must be cleansed of the filth that possesses us, otherwise we will not enter the Kingdom of Truth and Light (Rev. 21, 27)"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "In a dirty heart, God will never appear; in an evil heart, God will never show Himself. Only the pure in heart can see the glory of God"

Schema-Archimandrite Zosima (Sokur)

† "The physical peace that some seek is not some kind of stable state. Being in physical peace, people can only temporarily forget their mental anxiety. They have everything: lunch, dessert, shower, rest ... However, as soon as all this ends, they strive for even more peace. Thus, people are constantly missing something and therefore they are constantly upset. They feel emptiness, and their soul strives to fill this emptiness"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "when you sin again and fall,

repent again. Don't despair. Awaken in yourself boldness and hope. Speak:

"Forgive me, my Christ", and again "I repent!"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Holy prayer must be accompanied by a holy life. If we depart from the spirit of God's love, then we are deprived of the prayer that unites us with God. When, however, we endure with love all the trials that fall on us from without and do not want to blame anyone and nothing but ourselves, then the prayer deepens, and a new strength of hope appears in the heart."

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "A person's life, my child, is sorrow, for it passes in exile. Do not seek perfect peace. Our Christ raised the Cross, and we will lift it up. If we endure all sorrows, we will find the grace of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord allows us temptation in order to experience jealousy and love for Him. Therefore, patience is needed"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† “Wealth, not being distributed to the poor for the health and salvation of our souls or for the repose of the souls of our deceased loved ones, brings destruction to a person. the deceased, those who receive her say: "God will forgive him. May his ashes be blessed."

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Humility has the power to deliver a person from the righteous wrath of God, for it is written: "God will not despise a contrite and humble heart" (Ps.50:19)"

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

† "Do not reveal the sin of another for your own justification, for the grace that has covered you so far will immediately reveal your own sins. As much as you cover your brother out of love, so much grace warms and keeps you from human slander"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Through the Church, Christ grants believers immortality and eternity, making them "partakers of His divine nature" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4).

normal state human personality is immortality and eternity, and not the temporal life here. Man is a wayfarer marching towards immortality, eternity and Divine promises"

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

† "There is no salvation outside the Church"

Schiegumen Savva (Ostapenko)

† "The most important part of the daily routine of spiritual life is regular prayer. Prayer before

sleep and before starting any work is a necessary condition for Christian work,

especially for those who live in the world"

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

Schiegumen Savva (Ostapenko)

† "No one has yet signed a contract with God about when to die. God takes every person at the most opportune moment of his life"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Death does not come for you to make coffee for her. She comes to pick us up. She asks us a question of questions: why didn’t we love, why were we at enmity with each other? Death is a reality, not a horror story. She is not late"

Archimandrite Arseny (Papachok)

† "Humility has the power to carry our words to God and to bring down to us the remission of sins from Him"

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

† "what do you have, proud man, what would you not get? And if you got it, what do you boast about as if you didn't get it? Know, humble soul, your Benefactor and see not to appropriate someone else's - God's as your own achievement ... And if he gave you a sweet benefactor God, render unto Him in a pure conscience what is yours from yours, "yours from yours"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "In all situations of life, prayer is the most real help to us"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "This is the property of Divine love:

He gives us His life, we give Him ours."

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "People want to sin and have a good God. Such a God that He forgives us, and we continue to sin. That is, that we do whatever we want, and He forgives us, that He forgives us without ceasing, and we blow to his own tune. People do not believe, and because of this they insatiably rush into sin. "

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Read the lives to see what you don't have. Reading the lives - through the holy courage described in them - excites jealousy or through the shown all-holy humility leads you to a deep knowledge of your weakness"

† With God, everything happens on time,

especially for those who know how to wait"

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin)

† "You do not need to desire to be a teacher; you want to say for admonition: do it with kindness, meekness and love, and most importantly - having asked God's help inwardly"

Archimandrite Seraphim (Rosenberg)

† "if we live in evil, raise our hand against our neighbor, and then God will raise his hand against us. The most important thing is patience and prayer. And this is the most powerful weapon against the devil"

Schema-Archimandrite Zosima (Sokur)

† "Almsgiving is a good deed, first of all, to the one who gives it. Almsgiving makes amends for sins, mortifies death, and quenches the eternal fire of torment"

Schiegumen Savva (Ostapenko)

† "The work of every believer, his work as a member of the Church, is always both personal and collective, even

when it seems that he acts only for his own sake. The feat of one hermit has

universal significance. Such is the constitution of the divine-human organism of the Church, which is led and instructed by Christ Himself.

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

† "Prayer builds up the steps of knowledge.

The more you pray, the more you know"

Elder Cleopas (Ilie)

† "any deviation of our intelligent consciousness from the correct understanding of Revelation will inevitably be reflected in everyday life. In other words: a truly righteous life is conditioned by correct concepts of God"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "Humility is so great that it alone, without any other virtue, can open the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven to us."

Archimandrite Cleopas (Ilie)

† "It is better for us to fall victorious in battle,

than to be defeated"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "A person must know himself as he really is, and not as the enemy, the devil, represents him in his own eyes"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "What, in our time the title of professor of theology

Is this a sign of holiness?

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "Repentance comes when you realize how much you grieve God, who is so kind, sweet, merciful and full of love, who crucified and suffered for each of us."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "by sinning, a person fulfills the will of the enemy of God - the devil, he himself becomes an enemy of God, is deprived of the blessings of God, is subjected to illnesses, sorrows, misfortunes, becomes guilty of eternal torment."

Archimandrite Seraphim (Rosenberg)

† "In order to conquer the evil one, you must fight and conquer yourself - all your passions."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Repentance is that great gift of God, by means of which we are reconciled with God, again become children of God and heirs of heavenly bliss"

Archimandrite Seraphim (Rosenberg)

† "There is no greater sin than PRIDE. It is the basis of all other sins. The Lord commanded us to learn humility and meekness from Him. Humility is a property of God's love.

The deadly weapon of the enemy is pride; diametrically opposed to it is the life-giving humility of Christ. For the acquisition of this Divine humility we strive; it was given to us by Christ, who sent down the Holy Spirit to Earth. "

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "Know that grace always precedes temptations as a kind of notice for preparation. And immediately, when you see grace, strain and say: "The declaration of war has come! Beware, clay, see where the evil one trumpets the battle. "Often he comes soon, and often after two or three days. In any case, he will come"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "The world has lied. People become liars, they made themselves another conscience. But I cannot become a liar, I cannot change my "I" because society requires it. I'd rather suffer"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Temptation is the cure and healing herbs that heal the manifest passions and our invisible ulcers.

So, have patience so that every day you gain, save your reward, rest and joy in the Kingdom of Heaven. For the night of death is approaching, when no one can do anything to anyone (John 9:4). So hurry up. Time is short."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Self-justification has nothing to do with spiritual life. It is necessary to understand that by justifying myself, I am in a false state. I break the connection with God and deprive myself of Divine Grace. After all, Divine Grace does not come to a person who is in a false state. From the moment a person justifies what has no justification, he separates, isolates himself from God.

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "Truly great is the struggle against the passions, but by the grace of God everything is achieved, and with His help the impossible becomes possible"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "The dignity of prayer surpasses the value of any other activity, whether in the field of social or political, scientific or art. He who knows this by experience easily sacrifices his material well-being for the sake of leisure for conversation with God"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "A carefree life helps a person to break the connection with God and move on to another ruler - the devil, who day by day darkens our mind and makes it powerless in the fight against sin. And if a person does not come to his senses and does not weep for his disastrous state, then and eternity will be hard and painful."

Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov)

† Humility at the hour of our death can replace all the virtues and one thing can save a person.

Archimandrite Cleopas (Ilie)

† "The wise Solomon says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and the fathers agree. And I say to you: blessed and tribless is the man who fears the Lord"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "The gifts of the Holy Spirit are priceless. Every true gift is nothing but a flame of love. But in order to expand our hearts to the ability to perceive the love of Christ in its vivid manifestations, it is necessary for everyone, without exception, to go through many trials"

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

† "The soul of the one who justifies himself does not find peace. Such a person is deprived of consolation. He himself justifies his "I", but does this "I" justify him? His "I", his conscience do not find him an excuse , and therefore the soul has no rest. This indicates that he is to blame"

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "For a person who wishes to approach

to the conditions and ways of his resurrection,

necessary means right and sound faith serves"

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

† "Do not look for consolation from people in your sorrows, and you will receive consolation from God"

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Do not look at the mistakes of others and do not condemn anyone, so that you do not become an accomplice of the evil one."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "According to the holy fathers, sorrows are our guides leading us to eternal life. And their absence is the surest proof that for a negligent life the Lord deprives us of His mercy."

Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov)

† "People judge things and events according to what they have in themselves."

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

† "When a person remembers his sins, with which he grieved God, and at this recollection, repentance and great sorrow come to him, and he begins to complain and cry with heartache before God, and from this great repentance and weeping his mind and heart are humbled ."

Archimandrite Cleopas (Ilie)

† "When helping all living neighbors, do not deprive the dead of your help. Remember them more often and give possible alms for their salvation. Only we, the living, can help them."

Schiegumen Savva (Ostapenko)

† "Humility is a bridge that raises from earth to heaven, a bridge on which all ascetics of piety ascended...

Humility justifies us before God."

Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov)

† "genuine faith, so that it is not considered dead, is that faith when someone,

recognizing God as the cause of all things,

believes in all His words, commandments, in which

His holy will has been expressed, and he strives with all his might to fulfill this will.

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

† "When you want to know the will of God, forget yourself completely, all your intentions and thoughts, and with great humility ask in your prayer to know it. And whatever your heart is formed or to which it inclines, do it, and it will God."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

† "Love your neighbor and the Lord will love you"

Archimandrite Modest (Potapov)

† "Injustice is a great sin. All sins have mitigating circumstances, but not injustice - it collects the wrath of God."

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets

Sayings of the Holy Fathers
About prayer for the dead.
OLD MAN PAISIUS SVYATOGORETS: “God wants to help the dead, because He hurts for them, but He does not do this, because He has nobility. He does not want to give the devil the right to say: “How can You save this sinner, because he did not work at all "By praying for the departed, we give God the right to intervene. It must also be said that our prayers for the departed, than for the living, lead to greater tenderness of God." "Funeral services are the best advocate for the souls of the departed. Funeral services are so powerful that they can even take a soul out of hell."

Dispassion.

“Dispassion does not consist in not feeling passions, but in not receiving them into oneself! Irritation is unforgivable, since at this time we are in the power of dark forces. Purity of thoughts and purity of feelings is not difficult to acquire by solitude, spiritual reading and exercise in prayer. » Saint Schiegumen Savva.

Demons say - I hate it when a person courageously fights with sorrow. Cats scratch at the soul, but he doesn’t show it. I really don't like this fight.

Now, many are sent straight from the lowest ordeals to us in hell, for condemning others (especially priests and monks). And there are many gluttons: everyone loves to eat and drink tastier. They do not repent of this; they will come to the temple, sit on a bench and talk about worldly things. They have no thought to repent.

Hieromonk Panteleimon Ledin said: “That we have spiritual warfare, and wounds and tightness from the enemy are inevitable here. In war as in war: it was the ascetics who suffered in vain, but I accept it on business. What books do demons especially dislike? The New Testament and the Psalter, then the Holy Fathers and the former, XVIII-XIX centuries, the elders of the book and teaching.

Silouan of Athos on prayer.

“Lord,” says Silvanus, “teach me what I must do so that my soul will be humbled.” And again in the heart is the answer from God: "Keep your mind in hell and do not despair."

"Everyone will be saved, I alone will perish." He saw with his spirit that the deepest root of sin is pride - this scourge of mankind, which has torn people away from God and plunged the world into innumerable misfortunes and sufferings; it is the true seed of death that has shrouded mankind in the darkness of despair. From now on, Silouan, an outstanding giant of the spirit, will concentrate all his strength on the feat for the humility of Christ, which he was given to know in the first Apparition, but which he did not save. “Soon I will die, and my accursed soul will descend into a narrow black hell, and there alone I will languish in a gloomy flame and cry for the Lord: “Where are you, the light of my soul? Why did you leave me? I can not live without you".

This activity soon led to peace of mind and pure prayer. But even this fiery path turned out to be short-lived.

His soul was languishing with the realization that people live without knowing God and His love, and he prayed with great prayer that the Lord, through His inscrutable love, would let them know Himself.

On the signs of grace and charm (St. Siluan of Athos).

In OUR desire to find out from the Elder whether there is an undoubted sign that makes it possible to reliably distinguish the true spiritual path from those “ghosts of truth” that lie on deviations from this path, we had conversations with him about this subject, and his word was priceless for us expensive. He said:

“When the Holy Spirit fills the whole person with the sweetness of His love, then the world is completely forgotten, and the whole soul contemplates God in indescribable joy; but when the soul remembers the world again, then out of God's love and pity for man, it weeps and prays for the whole world.

Indulging in weeping and prayer for the world born of love, the soul, from the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, can again forget the world and again rest in God; remembering the world, again in great sorrow she prays tearfully, wishing everyone to be saved.

And this is the true way taught by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is love, peace and sweetness. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love God and neighbor. And the spirit of delusion is a proud spirit; he does not spare man and other creatures, because he did not create anything; he acts like a thief and a predator, and his path is full of destruction.

The spirit of charm cannot give true sweetness; it brings only the disturbing sweetness of vanity; in him there is no humility, no peace, no love; but there is the cold indifference of pride.

The Holy Spirit teaches the love of God, and the soul yearns for God and sweetly with tears seeks Him day and night, while the enemy brings his anguish, heavy and gloomy, that kills the soul.

By these signs, one can clearly recognize the grace of God from the charm of the enemy.

We told the Elder that there are people who understand dispassion not as the love of God, but as a special contemplation of being, standing above the distinction between good and evil, and that they consider such contemplation greater than Christian love. To this the Elder said:

This is an enemy science; The Holy Spirit doesn't teach like that.

And listening to the Elder, we could not help but recall the demonic images of those "supermen" who ascend "beyond good and evil." The old man said:

The Holy Spirit is love, and He gives the soul the power to love enemies. And whoever does not love enemies does not know God.

This last criterion occupied a completely exclusive and indisputable place in the soul of the Elder. He said:

The Lord is a merciful Creator, and He feels sorry for everyone. The Lord pities all sinners, just as a mother pities her children even when they follow an unkind path, and where there is no love for enemies and sinners, there is no Spirit of the Lord.

Constantly being in a feat, Silouan of Athos abstained from everything and from everything that could interfere with the acquisition of grace: he slept little, up to two hours a day, did not make indulgences in fasting and limited himself in food, advising those who turned to him "to eat so much that after eating, I wanted to pray”; cut off his will, believing that this brings "great benefit" for the soul. She yearns, prays, cries, being in a struggle to keep grace, but the Divine light, if it returns, is not for long, and then, as before, again leaves the novice. “For this we suffer,” the elder explained, “because we do not have humility. The Holy Spirit lives in a humble soul, and He gives the soul freedom, peace, love, bliss.” To acquire a humble spirit "is a great science, which you will not soon overcome."

Many parents, having a blind love for children, regret punishing them for misconduct: but later, when the children grow up and are immoral, such parents themselves will understand their error in not punishing their children while they were small. God Himself punishes His chosen children, as we see in Scripture, so does He not love them? "Whom the Lord loves, he chastens; but he beats every son whom he receives" (Heb. 12:6). In this matter, Christians should imitate the Heavenly Father and love and punish their children. Unpunished in youth, they remain in adulthood like unbroken and wild horses, fit for nothing. Therefore, Christian, love your children in a Christian way and punish them so that they become serviceable and kind. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (104, 1600-1601).

The Monk Theodore of Sanaksar kept firmly in his memory the word of Sirakhovo: Better word than giving” (Sir. 7:35). And in the works of Chrysostom too: “It often happens that a pleasant (useful) word satisfies the poor more than alms ... good advice can be a greater acquisition, for it is not hunger that is sated, but is saved from fierce death” (25 conversation on Acts; 41 discourse on Genesis). Before leaving the cell to the church and back, prayers: “God, be merciful to me a sinner! God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me! I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me! We worship Thy Cross, Master, and glorify Thy Holy Resurrection! and "It is worthy to eat" to the end.

Every Christian should have a rosary and, with the blessing of his spiritual father, read the Jesus Prayer every day. This is the spiritual sword of every Orthodox.

GOD. BE MERCY TO ME, A SINNER! LORD, JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE PARTY ON ME A SINNER!...

Yes, watch how dangerously you walk, the Lord speaks !!! You have to be ready ALWAYS! to the attacks of the unclean ...... Beware! ....

"God waits for us to ask him for help, and only then intervenes." Instructions Athos elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain.

Advice from the spiritual father Gregory. (Experience in building a General Confession)

A GENERAL CONFESSION TAKES ABOUT A YEAR.

EXPERIENCE OF CONSTRUCTION CONFESSION ARCHIMANDR. JOHN KRESTYANKINA-ON THE 1st COMMANDMENTS- confession according to MIN.10

9Confessions on the 9 Beatitudes...

20 CONFESSIONS EACH 20 ORDEALS OF Blessed THEODORA. http://psylib.org.ua/books/rouzs01/txt12.htm

1-3 CONFESSIONS BY THE REGION OF REJECTION FROM SATAN ..

AND THEN BY THE YEARS OF LIFE-FROM 7 TO 8 FROM 8 TO 9, FROM 9 TO 10 AND ETC

A YEAR OF THE PAST LIFE-ONE CONFESSION AND MORE THAN 50-60 CONFESSIONS...

READING THE GOSPEL.
IMAGINE DANGEROUSLY.

DISCIPLINE SHOULD BE DEVELOPED AND BY POWER, BETTER LESS, BUT WITH ATTENTION.

ANY SERVICE HAS A BEGINNING AND ENDING AND ORDER AND MEANING. AND TIME. DECIDE ON THE TIME AND WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PRAYER CONVERSATION, WRITE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. WITH TIME YOU CAN CORRECT WITH A HINT AND BLESSING

OH MY GOD! DESIGN ME TO BE AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE! TO BRING LOVE WHERE THERE IS HATE. SO I FORGIVE WHERE THEY OFFEND. SO I CAN CONNECT WHERE THERE IS A QUOTE. THAT I SPEAK THE TRUTH WHERE ERRORS DOMINATE. THAT I CALL UP FAITH WHERE DOUBT CRUSHES. THAT I BRING HOPE WHERE DESPAIR IS tormented. THAT I BRING LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS, THAT I WILL BRING JOY WHERE SORRY LIVES. OH MY GOD! ENJOY! SO NOT TO BE COMFORTED, BUT I COMFORTED. TO UNDERSTAND ME, BUT I UNDERSTAND OTHERS. NOT TO LOVE ME, BUT TO LOVE OTHERS. FOR WHO GIVES - THAT RECEIVES. WHO FORGETS HIMSELF - GETTING. WHO FORGIVES THAT WILL BE FORGIVEN. WHO DIES - WAKES UP TO ETERNAL LIFE. AMEN.

Where to look for the Kingdom of God?

"If the demons incline your heart to a feat that exceeds your strength, do not listen to them: for this is their usual deceit - to excite a person to what he cannot do, so that he falls into their hands, and they rejoice over him" (Abba Isaiah ).

"The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

To whom is it revealed?

The one who fulfills God's law.

What is God's law?

He's all in two commandments

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).

Or, as the Apostle Paul says: "For the commandments:" do not commit adultery, "do not kill," "do not steal," "do not bear false witness," "do not covet another's" and all others are contained in this word: love your neighbor as yourself yourself" (Rom. 13:9).

And in order for the soul to reach the state of love, it is not enough to renounce the world, from attachments, from wealth - you need to overcome this world in yourself, you need to overcome your passions.

Thus: The Kingdom of God, which is within us, is achieved by the mortification of the flesh.

This determined the whole further ascetic path of Christianity.

The Lord said: “If your right eye offends you, tear it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut off and cast it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29-30).

The Holy Apostles revealed this basic commandment of asceticism in detail: "Death your earthly members: fornication, impurity, passion, evil lust and covetousness" (Col. 3, 5). They say that this way of mortifying the flesh - necessary condition for spiritual life: "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Rom. 8:13).

Mortification of the flesh is considered by the Apostles as a sign of a Christian:

"... Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts" (Gal. 5:24).

On the way to the Kingdom of God stand pride, self-love, voluptuousness, gluttony, laziness, envy, sensuality - all this must be overcome in oneself.

Shiigumen Savva.

The one who forgives offenses to his neighbor is likened to God. Those who have endured insults without grumbling after death are counted as martyrs and become so close to God that their prayers can save even their offenders.

Whoever remembers the villain with good, he great person before God.

Tolerate insults, troubles, injustices, do not dare, out of pride, to blame your neighbor for them. Believe me, the fault lies not with him, but with you: the Lord wants to cleanse your sins, so he sends you, as it were, undeserved grief and resentment. But again I remind you: it is deserved by you, by your various past sins, and accept sorrow with joy, as a medicine from the Lord Himself, and consider the offender a heavenly friend, a healer of your soul; then no offense will disturb you, but will only call you to repentance, humility, patience and increase the health of your soul and make you pleasing to God.

If you have few sins and many offenses, then again do not worry: for everything you will receive rich retribution from God. It is said: “Blessed are you, when they reproach you and betray you and speak all kinds of evil words against you lying, for My sake; rejoice and be glad, for your reward is much in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).

The grievances that we unjustly endure from anyone, God imputes to us either as an absolution of sins or as a reward.

Be calm for the offender, and there is a strict Judge over him - the Lord, who will judge both him and you without hypocrisy. But do not rejoice if the offender falls into trouble, yet he was your healer, admitted or directly sent by God. Judging him or gloating about his misfortune, you yourself become a friend of the demons, so you will act in truth if you have only good things about everyone, pray for everyone and do good to everyone, especially offenders: they are your healers and spiritual friends.

But you will say: “How to endure when a loved one offends, acts unfairly?” Well, don't you offend God every minute yourself? Do you not blaspheme His all-holy name with all sorts of iniquities and lack of faith? And He, instead of executing you, spares you, takes care of you and sends you the necessary things in life, and for repentance he puts you among His friends; Shouldn't you, therefore, forgive your neighbor from the bottom of your heart all offenses? If you do not forgive, the Lord will not forgive you.

Often, for one greeting to a neighbor, the soul feels a good change in itself; on the contrary, for one sidelong glance at one's neighbor, the grace and love of God are lost. Experience has shown that it is not necessary to think badly about a person, because for this you lose the grace of the Holy Spirit.

For peace of mind, one must accustom one's soul so that it loves the offender and prays for him. We suffer until we give in. If someone offended you, pray to God for him, and then you will keep peace in your soul.

Do not count on the mind and not on health, but on grace. The loss of grace is worse than all losses; there is no worse condition than a man who has lost grace. Very few have returned it by great deeds. We must have unceasing vigilance in order to preserve it.

Blessed Synclitikia: the devil has many sharp tools. When he has not conquered the soul by poverty, he brings wealth to seduction. He did not overcome her with insults and reproach, - he lavishes praise and glory on her. Defeated by the health of a person, his body is afflicted with diseases. For, unable to deceive him with pleasures, he tries to seduce the soul with involuntary labors, strikes a person with serious illnesses in order to darken the love of God through this in the negligent (Ancient Patericon 7:23).

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Begotten loves the One who is born of Him.

That we love the children of God, we learn from when we love God and keep His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:1-3)

Teacher! what is the greatest commandment in the law?

Jesus said to him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:

This is the first and greatest commandment;

The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself;

On these two commandments all the law and the prophets are established. (Matt. 22:36-40)

Hear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;

And love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

And let these words which I command you today be in your heart (Deut. 6:4-6)

Love for God and neighbor is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. (Gal.5:22,23)

Love for neighbor is inextricably linked with love for God: Let us love Him, because He first loved us.

Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

And we have such a commandment from Him, that he who loves God love his brother also. (1 John 4:19,21)

This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins.

Beloved! if God so loved us, then we must love one another. (1 John 4:10-11)

Love for God arises from the realization of who God is. This feeling can begin to develop on the basis of gratitude to God, when a person realizes how the Lord loves him, what God has done for him personally and for all of humanity as a whole:

The Apostle Paul writes a wonderful hymn of love: If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, then I am a ringing brass or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but I do not have love, it does not profit me at all. Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not behave violently, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything. Love never ceases, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished. (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)

Church of Christ.

If we believe in Christ, then we believe every word of His. And He said, "I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." And he also said, "Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you" (John 6:53). Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ takes place in the Church, which He founded, bequeathed to the apostles, and which will remain unshakable until the end of time. Is it possible to believe in Christ and not believe in Christ at the same time? Is it possible to believe in Christ and not be in His Church?

Saint John of the Ladder was asked how to determine whether a person is approaching God or moving away from Him. To this he replied: "A sure sign of delusion is the avoidance of church services." Through participation in Divine Services, Orthodox Christians enter into a mysterious communion with God and receive from Him grace-filled strength for a righteous life. But the path of a Christian is always crowned with suffering, and only with Christ this path is joy!

The Holy Apostle Paul says that "the Church of the living God is a stand and ground of the truth." The church was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the Church which He founded. The Apostle St. John the Theologian says: "The Church of the living God is the pillar and the ground of the truth." And she (the church) has a basis for this, because the Lord himself said in the Gospel: "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

Indeed, the Lord says: “Whoever falls on this stone will be broken, and whoever it falls on will be crushed.” Remembering history, we know how many opposed the church - both materialists and communists and others who tried to refute the teachings of the church. But here we see with you that their trace "has caught a cold", and the memory of them has almost disappeared. And they were in power, and the church was in persecution. But nevertheless, we see that those who were in power, militant atheists and others - have suffered a complete fiasco - that is, a complete defeat. And the church, with the help of God, survived. We see how the Roman Empire, which was pagan, fell and became Christian, although a lot of Christian martyrs were burned at the stake, killed, betrayed

compiled by Deacon George Maximov

Moscow, 2011
Orthodox Missionary Society
named after the venerable Serapion Kozheozersky

Foreword from the compiler

Once, robbers came to an old hermit monk and said: "We will take what is standing in your cell." He replied: "Take, children, whatever you need." They gathered almost everything that was in the cell and left. But they didn't find the money purse that was hidden. Taking it, the old man chased after them, shouting: "Children! Take what you have forgotten." Surprised, the robbers not only did not take the purse, but also returned what they had taken, saying to each other: "Truly, this is a man of God."

This incident occurred in the VI century A.D. in Palestine, it was recorded by St. John Mosch among many other stories and sayings of Orthodox monks that he heard firsthand.

The old monk did not preach to his uninvited guests, did not rebuke them, did not threaten them, did not persuade them - what made the robbers change their minds so much and correct what they had done?

They saw in him another person, a man of God.

Only a man rich in God can be so free from the attachment to property and money that has enslaved mankind. Only a person who is rooted in God can so unshakably maintain calmness and good nature in his soul when obvious harm is done to him. But most of all they were touched by the elder's love for them, because only a person who has become like God can experience such love for strangers who have come to rob him that he sincerely puts their interests above his own interests.

In other words, the thieves saw a man in whom the words of the Gospel became deeds. What happened could not have happened if, for that monk, faith was limited to rites, a set of rules, and beautiful words about God - without a real experience of life in Christ. Such people in the Orthodox Church are called holy fathers. For two thousand years, this Church has taken care to preserve without distortion the truth received from the apostles and the experience of living communion with God. So Orthodox Church and was able to spiritually give birth to many saints who were carriers of this experience of heavenly life already on earth.

The book you are holding in your hands has been compiled to give the reader an opportunity to touch the spiritual experience of the Christian East. Here are collected three hundred sayings of more than fifty Orthodox saints from Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia. Since for the first thousand years after the Nativity of Christ the Western Church was part of the family of Orthodox Churches, in our collection one can also see the sayings of ancient saints who lived on the territory of modern Italy, England, France, Tunisia - all this constitutes the common spiritual heritage of the Orthodox Church. The earliest of the sayings given here was written down in the second half of the 1st century, the latest - in the second half of the 20th century.

Wherever they live, whenever they live, and whoever they are, Orthodox saints speak of the same spiritual reality, which is why their statements so harmoniously complement each other. In the 19th century, Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) expressed this observation in the following way: “When on a clear autumn night I look at a clear sky dotted with countless stars emitting a single light, then I say to myself: such are the writings of the holy fathers. When on a summer day I look at the vast sea, covered with many different ships, running under the same wind, to one goal, to one pier, then I say to myself: such are the writings of the fathers. When I hear a harmonious choir, in which various voices sing a single song in graceful harmony, then I say to myself: such are the writings of the fathers. (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)).

Deacon George Maximov
January 8, 2011

I. GOD AND WE

Happiness

“How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside themselves - in foreign countries and travels, in wealth and fame, in great possessions and pleasures, in pleasures and in empty things that end in bitterness! Building a tower of happiness outside of our heart is like building a house in a place that is subject to constant earthquakes. Happiness is within ourselves, and blessed is he who understands this... Happiness is a pure heart, because such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus says the Lord to those who have a pure heart: "I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people" (2 Corinthians 6:16). What else might they be missing? Nothing, really nothing! Because they have in their hearts the greatest good – God Himself!” .
“The soul that loves God rests in God and in Him alone... In all the ways that people walk in the world, they do not find peace until they come close to the hope of God” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 56, 89).
True
“Truth is not a thought, not a word, not a relationship of things, not a law. Truth is a Person. This is the Being that penetrates all beings and gives life to everything... If you seek the Truth with love and for the sake of love, She will reveal to you the light of Her face to the extent that you can bear it without being burned.”
How does God treat us?
“God loves us more than a father, mother, or friend, or anyone else can love, and even more than we ourselves can love ourselves” (St. John Chrysostom).
“One monk told me that when he was seriously ill, his mother said to his father: “How our boy suffers. I would gladly allow myself to be cut into pieces if this could alleviate his suffering.” Such is the love of the Lord for people. He felt sorry for people so much that he wanted to suffer for them, like his own mother, and even more. But no one can understand this great love without the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.10).
“The Lord loves all people, but whoever seeks Him, loves him more... The Lord gives such great grace to His chosen ones that they embrace the whole earth, the whole world with love, and their soul burns with the desire that all people be saved and see the glory of the Lord” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.8).
How to know about God?
“In order for a person to get an idea of the Egyptian pyramids, he must either believe those who were in the immediate vicinity of these pyramids, or himself be near them. There is no third. In the same way, a person can get an idea about God: either to believe those who stood and are standing in close proximity to God, or to work hard to come into such closeness to God himself. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“Just as the sweetness of honey, not so much in words as in the very sense of taste, can be explained to those who have not tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly conveyed in teaching if we cannot comprehend the goodness of the Lord by our own experience” (St. Basil the Great. Conversations on Psalms, 29).
-10. “Many rich and strong would give dearly to see the Lord or His Most Pure Mother, but God does not reveal Himself to wealth, but to a humble soul ... Every last poor person can humble himself and know God. You don’t need money or possessions to know God, but only humility.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, I.11,21).
“No matter how much we study, it is still impossible to know the Lord if we do not live according to His commandments, for the Lord is known not by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and scientists have reached the point of believing that God exists, but they have not known God. It is one thing to believe that there is a God, and another thing is to know God… Whoever knows God by the Holy Spirit, his spirit burns with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot become attached to anything earthly.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VIII.3). How should we relate to God?
“Always have the fear of God in your heart and remember that God is with you everywhere, in every place, whether you are walking or sitting” (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 14).
“Having God, do not fear [anything], but entrust all your cares to Him, and He will take care of you. Believe without a doubt, and God will help you, according to His mercy. (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 166).
“You need to love every person with all your heart, but put your hope on God alone, and serve Him alone ... For as long as He keeps us, friends (angels) help us, and enemies (demons) are powerless to harm us. And when He leaves us, then all friends turn away from us and enemies take power over us. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.95).
“If a person does not have any care for himself for the sake of love for God and deeds of virtue, knowing that God cares for him, then such a true and wise hope. And if a person himself takes care of his affairs and turns to God with prayer only when troubles befall him, which he is unable to cope with, he begins to hope for God's help, such hope is empty and false. True hope seeks only the Kingdom of God... The heart cannot have peace until it has such hope. She will appease him and infuse joy into him.” (St. Seraphim of Sarov. Instructions, 4).
God takes care of everything
“Do not say: this happened by chance, but this met by itself. There is nothing disorderly, nothing indeterminate, nothing vain, nothing accidental in what exists... How many hairs are on your head? None of them is forgotten by God. Do you see how nothing, even the smallest, escapes the supervision of the eye of God? (St. Basil the Great).
“The undoubted truth is that the highest Providence of God extends decisively to all created things: God provides for everything and takes care of everything. This is the divine care of the fathers, about which the blessed apostle Peter speaks: "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). (St. Elijah Minyatiy. Words in great post, 1) .
“The purpose of the Providence of God is to unite [people] variously separated by evil through correct faith and spiritual love. It was for this that [our] Savior suffered, "to gather together the scattered children of God" (John 11:52)" (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.17).
Knowing God
“The more a person leads a spiritual life, the more he becomes spiritualized: he begins to see God in everything, in everything a manifestation of His strength and power; always and everywhere sees himself abiding in God and dependent on God in everything. But the more carnal way of life a person leads, the more he becomes all carnal: he does not see God in anything, in the most wonderful manifestations of His Divine power, - he sees flesh, matter in everything, and everywhere and at any time - "there is no God before his eyes" (Ps. 35:2) " (St. John of Kronstadt. My life in Christ. I, 5).
“When the soul knows the love of God through the Holy Spirit, then it clearly feels that the Lord is our Father, the dearest, closest, dearest, best, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all your mind and heart, and your neighbor as yourself. And when this love is in the soul, then everything pleases the soul. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.15).
“Do not be embarrassed if you do not feel the love of God in yourself, but think of the Lord that He is merciful, and refrain from sins, and the grace of God will teach you” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.16).
“When you throw a nail into a flame, it [when red-hot] begins to shine like fire. So you too, when you listen to the Divine teaching and live according to it, you become like God.” (St. Simeon Daibabsky. Sayings, 26).
“The soul that has fully known the Lord will no longer desire anything else and cling to nothing on earth, and if a kingdom were offered to it, it would not want it, for the love of Christ is so sweet and so gladdens and gladdens the soul that even royal life can't please her anymore." (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.13).
Christ and us
“There is only one thing to look for: to be with Jesus. Rich is he who is with Jesus, even if he is materially poor. Whoever loves earthly things more than heavenly things will lose both heavenly and earthly things. He who seeks heavenly things is the master of the whole world" (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). Father, Abba Eugene).
“The stream of temporal things carries us along, but with this stream it is as if a tree has grown - our Lord Jesus Christ. He took on flesh, died, rose again, ascended into heaven. He seemed to have agreed to be in the flow of the temporal. Does this stream carry you headlong? Hold on to the tree. Has the love of the world swirled you? Hold on to Christ. For your sake He became temporal so that you could become eternal, for He became so temporal that at the same time He remained eternal ... What a difference between two people in prison, if one of them is an accused, and the other is a visitor! Sometimes a man comes to his friend to visit him, and then it seems that both are in prison, but there is a big difference between them. One is held here by guilt, the other is brought here by philanthropy. So it is in our mortality: guilt keeps us here, but Christ came in mercy; He entered the prisoner as a liberator, not as an accuser." (Blessed Augustine. On the Epistle to the Parthians, II.10).
“A person in this world must solve the problem: to be with Christ, or to be against Him. And each person, wishing it or not, solves this problem. Either he will be a Christ-lover, or a Christ-fighter. There is no third" (St. Justin (Popovich). Interpretation on 1 John 4:3).
“Cleanse your mind from anger, rancor, and shameful thoughts; and then you will know how Christ will dwell in you.” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.76).
Fear of God
(Fear of offending the love of God with your sins)
“The fear of God enlightens the soul... destroys wickedness... weakens the passions, drives out darkness from the soul and makes it pure... The fear of God is the pinnacle of knowledge; where it is not, you will not find anything good there ... Whoever does not have the fear of God is open to the attacks of the devil ” (St. Ephraim Sirin).
“A person acquires the fear of God if he has the memory [of the inevitability of his] death and the memory of the [eternal] torment [awaiting sinners]; if every evening he tests himself - how he spent the day and every morning - how the night passed; and if he is not bold in his dealings [with others]" (St. Abba Dorotheos. Soulful Teachings, 4).
“Sin makes a man cowardly; and [life] according to [Christ's] righteousness makes him bold" (St. John Chrysostom. About statues, VIII.2).
“Whoever has become a slave of the Lord, he fears only his Master; and in whom there is no fear of God, he is often afraid of his own shadow ... Fear is the daughter of unbelief ... A proud soul is a slave of fear; relying on herself, she [at the same time comes to the point that] shudders from a faint sound, and is afraid even of a shadow. (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 21.11,1,4).
“Whoever fears the Lord, he [becomes] above all fear, he has eliminated and left far behind him all the fears of this world, and no trembling will come close to him” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. About the fear of God and about the last judgment).
Disbelief
“From God we are separated by a lie, and only a lie ... False thoughts, false words, false feelings, false desires - this is the totality of lies leading us to non-existence, illusions and renunciation of God” (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“The Lord does not reveal Himself to the proud soul. A proud soul, even if it has studied all the books, will never know the Lord, for with its pride it does not give in itself the place of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and God is known only by the Holy Spirit. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, III.11).
“Each of us can reason about God to the extent that he has known the grace of the Holy Spirit; for how can we think and reason about what we have not seen, or about what we have not heard and what we do not know? Here the saints say they have seen God; But there are people who say there is no God. It is clear that they say this because they did not know God, but this does not mean at all that He does not exist. Saints speak of what they really saw and know” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VIII.9).
“Pride prevents the soul from entering the path of faith. To the unbeliever I give this advice: let him say: "Lord, if You exist, then enlighten me, and I will serve You with all my heart and soul." And for such a humble thought and readiness to serve God, the Lord will certainly enlighten... And then your soul will feel the Lord; she will feel that the Lord has forgiven her and loves her, and you will know this from experience, and the grace of the Holy Spirit will witness salvation in your soul, and then you will want to shout to the whole world: “How much the Lord loves us!” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, III.6).
“Sincere and ardent faith in God can only be in someone who keeps himself from all sin. Faith is preserved only with good morality" (St. Nikon of Optina).
II. REALITIES OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

Evil and sin
“Falsehood is a delusion of the mind, and evil is a delusion of the will. The sign by which one and the other is determined is the judgment of God himself ... what He teaches a person is truth, what He commands to desire is good, and [everything] that contradicts this is full of lies, full of evil " (St. Nicholas Cabasilas. Seven words about life in Christ, 7).
“Our world is guided by two principles and sources: God and the devil. Everything good in the human world has its origin and source from God, and everything bad has its origin and source from the devil. Ultimately, all good comes from God, and all evil comes from the devil.” (St. Justin Popovich, Commentary on 1 John 3:11).
“Not food is evil, but gluttony, not procreation, but fornication, not money, but love of money, not glory, but vanity: and if so, then there is nothing evil in the existing, [it is only] in the abuse [of the existing]” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 3.4).
“God and sin are at two different poles. No one can turn his face to God without first turning his back on sin... When a person turns his face to God, all his paths lead to God. When a person turns away from God, all paths lead him to destruction. When a person finally renounces God both in word and in heart, he is no longer able to do anything that would not serve for his complete destruction, both bodily and spiritual. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
Liberty
“In reality, there is only one freedom - the holy freedom of Christ, by which He freed us from sin, from evil, from the devil. She connects with God. All other freedoms are illusory, false, that is, in fact, all of them are slavery. (St. Justin (Popovich). Ascetic and theological chapters, II.36).
“Only the belief that not everything ends here with our earthly existence gives strength not to cling to our insignificant life at all costs and to go to any meanness, baseness and humiliation for its preservation ... Only a person deeply can truly be free and sincere believer. Dependence on the Lord God is the only dependence that does not humiliate a person and does not turn him into a pitiful slave, but, on the contrary, elevates him” (martyr Alexander Medem. Letter to his son, 1922).
“Some under the name of freedom want to understand the ability and freedom to do whatever you want ... People who have more allowed themselves into slavery to sins, passions, vices - more often than others are zealots of external freedom, as expanded as possible before the law. [But such a person] uses external freedom only in order to sink deeper into internal slavery. True freedom is the active ability of a person who is not enslaved to sin, not weighed down by a condemning conscience, to choose the best in the light of God's truth and put it into action with the help of the grace-filled power of God. This is freedom, which is not constrained by either heaven or earth. (St. Philaret of Moscow. Sermon on the birthday of Emperor Nicholas I, 1851).
“The Lord wants us to love one another; this is freedom - in love for God and neighbor. This is freedom and equality. And in the earthly ranks there can be no equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone can be a patriarch or a leader; but in every rank one can love God and please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be in greater glory in the Kingdom.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VI.23).
The purpose of life
“Every Christian must find for himself the obligation and motivation to become a saint without fail. If you live without diligence and without the hope of being holy, then you are Christians only in name, and not in essence, and without holiness no one will see the Lord, that is, they will not achieve eternal blessedness. The word is true that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). But we are deceived if we think that we will be saved by remaining sinners. Christ saves sinners by giving them the means to become saints. (St. Philaret of Moscow. Word spoken on September 23, 1847).
“Achieving holiness is not the lot of monks alone, as some think; family people who have all sorts of professions, who live in the world, are called to holiness, because the commandment about perfection and holiness was given not only to monks, but to all people. (Holy Martyr Onufry (Gagalyuk)).
“The main goal of our life is living communication with God. For this, the Son of God became incarnate, in order to restore to us such communion with God, lost by the fall. Through the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, [we] enter into communion with the Father and thus achieve our goal.” (St. Theophan the Recluse. Letters to various persons, 24).
“Just as people go to war not to enjoy war, but to be saved from war, so we come into this world not to enjoy it, but to be saved from it. People go to war for something greater than war, so we come into this temporal life for something greater than it - for the sake of eternal life. And just as soldiers happily think about returning home, so Christians constantly remember the end of their lives and their return to their Heavenly Fatherland. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
The Saints
“Blessed is the humble soul; the Lord loves her. Above all in humility is the Mother of God, and for this all the generations on earth bless Her and all the powers of heaven serve Her; and this Mother of His gave us the Lord as intercession and help " (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, III.14).
-52. "Those who love me I love, and those who glorify me I will glorify" (Prov. 8:17, 1 Sam. 2:30), says the Lord [of His saints]. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to the saints, and they love us in the Holy Spirit. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The whole Christian race knows about it.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XII.1,8).
“It seems to many that the Saints are far from us. But they are far from those who themselves went away, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit. Everything in heaven is moved by the Holy Spirit. But on earth - the same Holy Spirit. He lives in our Church; He lives in the sacraments; He is in Holy Scripture; He is in the souls of believers. The Holy Spirit unites everyone, and therefore the Saints are close to us; and when we pray to them, in the Holy Spirit they hear our prayers, and our souls feel that they are praying for us.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XII.3).
“Saints are like the Lord, but all people who keep the commandments of Christ are like Him, and those who live according to their passions and do not repent are like the devil. I think that if this secret were revealed to people, they would cease to serve the enemy, but everyone would strive with all their might to know the Lord and be like Him. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XII.9).
“When the soul in the Holy Spirit knows Mother of God; when in the Holy Spirit she becomes native to the apostles, prophets, and all the saints and righteous, then she is irresistibly attracted to that world, and cannot stop, but she is bored, and languishes, and cannot tear herself away from prayer, but although her body is exhausted and wants to lie down in bed, but even lying in bed, the soul yearns for the Lord and for the Kingdom of the Saints. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, I.28).
Holy Bible
"Holy Scripture leads us to God and opens the way to the knowledge of God" (St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Gospel of John, 59.2).
“Of all the diseases that burden human nature, there is not one, neither mental nor bodily, that could not receive healing from Scripture” (St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the book of Genesis, 29.1).
“Just as those deprived of light cannot walk straight, so those who do not see the ray of Divine Scripture are forced to sin, because they walk in the deepest darkness” (St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Epistle to the Romans, 0.1).
“[A person] who is humble and leads a spiritual life, reading the Holy Scriptures, will refer everything to himself, and not to others” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.6).
“In everything that you meet in the Scriptures, look for the purpose of the word in order to penetrate you into the depths of the thoughts of the saints, and comprehend it with great accuracy ... To [read] Divine Scripture, do not proceed without prayer and asking for help from God ... Consider prayer as the key to true understanding of what is said in the Divine Scriptures" (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 1.85).
“When you begin to read or listen to [Holy Scripture], pray to God like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, open the ears and eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your words and understand them, and do Your will.” Always so pray to God to enlighten your mind and reveal to you the power of His words. Many, trusting in their own understanding, have been deceived.” (St. Ephraim Sirin).
“[The proud ones sin gravely] who, after studying secular literature, turning to the Holy Scriptures, consider everything that they say to be the law of God and do not try to know the thoughts of the prophets and apostles, but seek out [from Scripture] inconsistent texts to their own thoughts, as as if it were a good thing, and not the most vicious kind of teaching, to distort the thoughts of Scripture and subordinate it to your own arbitrariness, despite obvious contradictions ... Such attempts to teach what you don’t know are characteristic of children and charlatans. (Blessed Jerome. Letter to St. Peacock).
Holy Tradition
“If anyone wants to protect himself from deception and remain healthy in faith, then he must protect his faith, firstly, by the authority of Holy Scripture, and secondly, by the Tradition of the Church. But, perhaps, someone will ask: the canon of Scripture is perfect and sufficient for everything, why attach the authority of Tradition to it? “Because not everyone understands Scripture in the same way, but one interprets it this way and the other another, so that you can extract as many meanings from it as there are heads. That is why it is necessary to be guided by the church's understanding... What is tradition? What [in the Church] everyone believed in, always and everywhere ... What you accepted, and not what you invented ... [after all] our duty is not to lead religion where we would like, but to follow where it will lead, and not to pass on to his descendants, but to keep what was received from the ancestors " (St. Vikenty of Lirinsky. Notes of Peregrin).
“Do not dare to interpret the Gospel and other books of Holy Scripture yourself. Scripture was spoken by the holy prophets and apostles; it was not spoken arbitrarily, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How could it not be crazy to interpret it arbitrarily? The Holy Spirit, who spoke the Word of God through the prophets and apostles, interpreted it through the holy fathers. And the Word of God and its interpretation is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Only this one [patristic] interpretation is accepted by the holy Orthodox Church and her true children!” (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). On reading the Gospel).
“Japanese Protestants sometimes come to me and ask me to explain some part of the Holy Scriptures. "Yes, you have your missionary teachers - ask them," I tell them, "What do they answer?" - "We asked them, they say: understand, as you know; but I need to know the true thought of God, and not my personal opinion" ... It's not like that with us, everything is light and reliable, clear and durable - because we, apart from the Holy We still accept Holy Tradition, and Holy Tradition is a living, uninterrupted voice ... of our Church from the time of Christ and His Apostles until now, which will be until the end of the world. It is on it that the entire Holy Scripture is affirmed. (St. Nicholas of Japan. Diary, January 15, 1897).
Church of Christ
"Brothers and sisters! The merciful God wants happiness for all of us in this life and the next. To do this, He founded His holy Church to cleanse us from sin, to sanctify us, reconcile us with Him and give us a heavenly blessing. The Church always has open arms for us. Let us hasten in them rather, all of us, whose conscience is weighed down. Let's hurry - and the Church will lift the weight of our burden, give us boldness towards God, fill our hearts with happiness and bliss. (St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Way to Happiness, 1).
“The Church of Christ is one, holy, universal and apostolic. It represents a single spiritual body, the head of which is Jesus Christ, with the single Holy Spirit dwelling in it. [Local] private Churches are members of the single body of the Ecumenical Church, and they, like the branches of one tree, feed on the same juices from one root. It is called a saint because it was sanctified by the holy Word, deeds, sacrifice and suffering of its Founder, Jesus Christ, to which He went in order to save people and lead them to holiness. The Church is called Ecumenical because it is not limited by place, time, people, or language. It appeals to all mankind. The Orthodox Church is called apostolic because the spirit, teaching and works of the Apostles of Christ are completely preserved in it. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Catechism).
“We know and are convinced that falling away from the Church into schism, heresy, or sectarianism is complete destruction and spiritual death. For us there is no Christianity outside the Church. If Christ created the Church and the Church is His Body, then to be torn from His Body means to die.” (St. Hilarion (Troitsky). About life in the Church).
“One should not look for truth from others, which is easy to take from the Church. For in it, as if in a rich treasury, the apostles put in full everything that belongs to the truth, so that everyone who wishes can receive from her the drink of life. She is the door of life." (St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Against heresies, III.4).
“The Church is holy, although there are sinners in it. Those who sin, but purify themselves by true repentance, do not hinder the Church from being holy; but unrepentant sinners, either by a visible act of ecclesiastical authority, or by an invisible act of the judgment of God, as dead members, are cut off from the body of the Church, and in this way she is kept holy in this respect too. (St. Philaret of Moscow. Catechism).
-72. “When do we live with Christ? When we live according to His Gospel, [and in] His Church. Indeed, in the Church there is not only His Gospel, but He Himself, with all His perfections and virtues. The Church is the ever-living Body of the God-man Christ… One enters into it through the sacred sacraments, one abides in it through the holy virtues… Our Lord Jesus Christ abides uninterruptedly in this world with the Church. He abides with every member of the Church throughout all the ages ... He left us all of Himself in the Church and constantly gives us all of Himself so that we too can live in this world according to how He lived ” (St. Justin Popovich, Commentary on 1 John 4:9, 17). spiritual mentor
73. “Consider that the Holy Spirit lives in the confessor, and he will tell you what he must. But if you think that a confessor lives negligently, and how can the Holy Spirit live in him, then you will suffer greatly for such a thought, “and the Lord will humble you, and you will certainly fall into delusion?” .
“If a person does not tell everything to the confessor, then his path is crooked and does not lead to salvation, and whoever says everything will go straight to the Kingdom of Heaven” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XIII.9).
“Say everything to the confessor, and then the Lord will have mercy on you, and you will avoid delusion. And if you think that in your spiritual life you know more than your confessor and stop telling him in confession what happens to you, then for this pride you will certainly be given some kind of charm for the sake of enlightenment. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVII.13).
“The Holy Spirit acts through the confessor in the sacrament, and therefore when you leave the confessor, the soul feels its renewal, and if you leave the confessor embarrassed, it means that you confessed uncleanly and did not forgive your brother from the soul of his sins” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XIII.11).
“The Lord loved us so much that He suffered for us on the cross; and His sufferings were so great that we cannot comprehend them. So our spiritual shepherds suffer for us, although we often do not see their suffering. And the greater the shepherd's love, the greater his suffering; and we sheep must understand this, and love and honor our shepherds.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XIII.2).
“The spiritual father only points the way as a pillar, but you have to go yourself. If the spiritual father will point, and the student himself will not move, then he will not go anywhere, but he will rot at this pillar. ” (St. Nikon of Optina). Retribution
“Do not be deceived about the knowledge of what will happen [with you after death]: what you sow here, you will reap there. After leaving here, no one can achieve success ... Here is doing, - there is retribution, here is a feat, - there are crowns ” (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 606).
“To all who have love for Him, God gives His fellowship. But communion with God is life and light and the enjoyment of all the blessings that He has. And those who voluntarily depart from Him, He subjects to separation from Himself, which they themselves have chosen. Just as distance from light is darkness, so alienation from God is deprivation of all the blessings that He has. But the blessings of God are eternal and without end, and therefore their deprivation is eternal and without end; [so sinners themselves will be the cause of their torment] just as those who blind themselves do not see the light, although it shines on them. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Five books against heresies, V.27).
“The Savior of our kind, intending to completely free a person from delusion, promised us, obedient to Him, the most heavenly and divine blessings, and showed to the disobedient that they are not going to experience temporary and diminishing sorrows over time, but torment that lasts throughout boundless eternity” (St. Photius the Great. Amphilochia, 6).
“Not only men, but also women, the weaker sex, by walking the narrow path [of Christ], gained themselves the Kingdom of Heaven. For there is neither male nor female, but each according to his work will receive his reward. (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Word on the second coming of the Lord). The Eternal Joy of Christians
“[Christians,] always rejoice, for evil, death, sin, the devil, and hell have been overcome by Christ. And when all this is defeated, is there anything in the world that can destroy our joy? You are the masters of this eternal joy until you give in to sin. Joy boils in our hearts from His truth, love, Resurrection, from the Church and His saints. Joy boils in our hearts and from torment for Him, ridicule for Him and death for Him, because these torments inscribe our names in heaven. There is no true joy on earth without victory over death, and there is no victory over death without the Resurrection, and Resurrection without Christ. The resurrected God-Man Christ, the Founder of the Church, continually pours this joy into the souls of His followers through the Holy Mysteries and virtues... Our faith is filled with this eternal joy, since the joy of faith in Christ is the only true joy for a human being.” (St. Justin (Popovich). Interpretation on 1 Thess., 5).
III. WE AND SURROUNDINGS

Attitude towards other people
“A Christian should be polite to everyone. His words and deeds must breathe with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in his soul, so that in this way the name of God is glorified. He who verifies every word, he verifies every deed. He who examines the words he is about to say, examines the deeds he intends to do, and will never cross the boundaries of good and virtuous behavior. The gracious speeches of a Christian are characterized by delicacy and politeness. This is what gives birth to love, brings peace and joy. On the contrary, rudeness gives rise to hatred, enmity, sorrow, the desire to win [in disputes], riots and wars ” (St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Way to Happiness, 7).
“It is joyful to feel that among the people we do not and cannot have enemies, but there are only unfortunate brothers who are worthy of pity and help even when they - due to a misunderstanding - become our enemies and fight against us. Alas! They do not understand that the enemy is in ourselves, that he must first be expelled from himself, and then help others to do the same. We have one enemy in common - the devil and his evil spirits, and a person, no matter how low he falls, never loses at least a few sparks of light and goodness that can be fanned into a bright flame. And there is no benefit for us to fight people, even if they constantly showered us with all kinds of blows and slander... To fight people means to take their false position. Even if successful, this war would not give us anything, but would distract us from our task for a long time. (St. Roman (Medved). Letter from his daughter from the camp, 1932).
“With all your might, ask the Lord for humility and brotherly love, for for the love of a brother, the Lord freely gives His grace. Try it on yourself: one day ask God for love for your brother, and the other day - live without love, and then you will see the difference. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVI.8).
-88. “Adorn yourself with the truth, try to tell the truth to everyone; and do not confirm a lie, no matter who asks. If you tell the truth and expose yourself to someone’s wrath, do not grieve about it, but take comfort in the words of the Lord: blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 26.29).
“Saint Isaiah said: if someone treats a brother with cunning, sorrow of the heart will not escape” (Ancient Patericon, 10.28).
“He who puts his trust in God in some way no longer quarrels about it with his neighbor” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.103).
Draw close to the righteous, and through them you will draw close to God. Deal with those who have humility, and you will learn their manners... Whoever follows the one who loves God will be enriched by the mysteries of God; but whoever follows the unrighteous and the proud will be far from God, and will be hated by his friends.” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 57, 8).
"Saint Pimen the Great said: get away from every person who loves to argue" (Ancient patericon, 11.59).
“If you are not able to stop the mouth of the one who slanders his friend, then at least beware of communicating with him.” How to deal with the sins of others?
-95. “Love sinners, but hate their deeds, and do not neglect sinners for their shortcomings, so that you yourself do not fall into the temptation in which they are ... Do not be angry with anyone and hate no one, neither for faith, nor for bad deeds him ... Do not hate the sinner, because we are all guilty ... Hate his sins - and pray for him, to become like Christ, who did not have indignation at sinners, but prayed for them " (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 57.90).
“Find evil in yourself, and not in other people or things that you have not managed to properly handle. So the child handles fire or a knife: he burns himself, he cuts himself. (St. Sevastian Karaganda).
“The brother asked the elder: “If I see my brother fall into sin, is it good to hide him?” The elder answered: “When we [out of love] hide the sin of our brother, [then] God will hide our sins; and when we reveal [to others] the sin of a brother, [then] God will also make known [to people] our sins ” (Ancient patericon, 9.9).
“Do not be irritated with those who sin ... do not have the passion to notice all sorts of sins in your neighbor and condemn him, as is usual for us; everyone will give an answer to God for himself ... especially, do not look maliciously at the sins of your elders, to which you do not care ... you correct your sins, correct your heart ” (St. John of Kronstadt. My life in Christ, I.6).
“If you see your neighbor in sin, then do not look at this alone, but think about what he has done or is doing good, and often, having tested in general, and not judging in particular, you will find that he is better than you” (St. Basil the Great. Conversations, 20).
“If you see a sinning person and do not pity him, then grace will leave you ... And who scolds bad people but does not pray for them, he will never know the grace of God." (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VII.4, VIII.6).
“He who strictly investigates the misdeeds of others will not receive any indulgence for his own” (St. John Chrysostom. About statues. 3, 6).
Shall we rebuke the wrongdoer?
“It is better to pray with reverence for your neighbor than to convict him of every sin” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.132).
“Do not try with reproofs to benefit the one who boasts of virtues; for whoever loves to show himself cannot be a lover of the truth." (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.222).
“Whoever, with the fear of God, admonishes and instructs the sinner, he acquires for himself a virtue that is opposite to sin. But the vindictive and unkindly blaming the sinner falls, according to the spiritual law, into the same passion with him. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.183).
“When you want to instruct someone in good, first bodily and almost him with a word of love give rest to him. For nothing inclines a man to shame and makes him give up his vice and change for the better than bodily goods and the respect that he sees from you ... [then] with love say a word or two to him, and do not become angry with him, and May he not see in you a sign of enmity. For love does not know how to be angry and irritated. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 85.57).
condemnation
“He who seeks the forgiveness of sins loves humility. He who condemns another, secures his evil deeds for himself. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.126).
-108. “To judge sins is the work of the sinless, but who is without sin, except God alone? He who thinks with his heart about the multitude of his sins will never want to make a subject for his conversation out of the temptation of another. To judge a person who has been tempted is a sign of pride, but God opposes the proud. On the contrary, who every hour prepares to give an answer about his sins, will not soon raise his head to consider other people's mistakes. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 53-55).
-110. “A knowledgeable person, eating grapes, takes only ripe berries, and leaves the sour ones: so the judicious mind carefully notices the virtues that it sees in someone; an insane person looks for vices and shortcomings ... Even if you see a sinner with your own eyes, do not condemn; for often they are deceived" (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 10.16-17).
“If you have a sinful habit of judging your neighbor, then when you condemn someone, put three earthly bows on this day with this prayer: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on such and such (whom you condemned) and with his prayers have mercy on me a sinner.” And do this whenever you judge someone. If you do this, the Lord will see your diligence and deliver you forever from this sinful habit. And if you do not condemn anyone, then God will never condemn you - so you will receive salvation. (St. Sergius (Pravdolyubov)).
“Whoever prays for people who offend him, he casts down the demons, and the one who resists the first is stung by the last” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.45).
“Whoever, being despised by anyone, does not quarrel with him who despise him by word or thought; he has acquired true knowledge and shows firm trust in God (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.119).
About forgiveness
“This is our law: if you forgive, it means that the Lord has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, then your sin remains with you.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VII.9).
“All of us, my dear brethren, will have to die, and it will be hard for us if we don’t love each other while living in this world, if we don’t reconcile with our opponents, on whom we are offended, and if, offending one another, we don’t forgive, - then we will not have eternal peace and bliss in that world, and the Heavenly Father will not forgive us our sins. (St. Peter of Tsetinsky. Message to the Radulovichi, 1805).
“Forgiveness of insults is a sign of true love, free from hypocrisy. For so the Lord also loved this world.” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.48).
When we are scolded
“The one who reproaches us must be accepted as a debunker of the evil thoughts hidden in us, sent by God, so that we, having accurately examined our thoughts, correct ourselves ... [after all] we do not know much of the evil hidden in us; only a perfect person tends to remember all his shortcomings" (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 6).
“As much as you pray with all your heart for the one who slandered you, so God reveals the truth to those who believe the slander” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.89).
When we are praised
“When they begin to praise us, let us hasten to remember the multitude of our iniquities; and see that we are truly unworthy of what they say or do in our honor. (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 22.42).
rancor
“If you bear a grudge against someone, then pray for him; and by prayer separating sorrow from the memory of the evil he has done you, you will stop the movement of passion; if you become friendly and philanthropic, you will completely banish this passion from your soul. When another is angry with you, be kind to him, humble and treat him kindly, and you will save him from passion. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 3.90).
“A soul that harbors hatred for a person cannot be at peace with God, Who said: “If you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins” (Matt. 6:15). If a person does not want to be reconciled, however, save yourself from hatred by praying for him sincerely and not slandering him. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.35).
Love for Enemies
“He who does not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love enemies in such a way that their souls will pity them, as if they were our own children. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, I.11).
“Having been offended, scolded, or expelled by someone, think not about what happened to you, but about what [followed and] will follow from this, and you will see that the offender has become the cause of many blessings for you, not only in present, but also in the next century (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.114).
“Do not want to hear about the misfortune of people hostile to you. For those who hear such speeches reap [later] the fruits of their own will. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.173).
“Please try it. If someone insults you, or dishonors you, or takes away something of yours, then pray: “Lord, we are all Your creation; have pity on Your servants, and turn them to repentance,” and then you will noticeably carry grace in your soul. Force your heart to love your enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good desire, will help you in everything, and experience itself will show you. And whoever thinks badly of enemies, there is no love of God in him, and he did not know God. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.21).

Prayer
“Do not leave prayer, for as the body, deprived of food, weakens, so the soul, deprived of prayer food, approaches relaxation and mental death” (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 44).
-128. “Pray constantly in every business, so as not to do anything without the help of God ... Whoever does something without prayer, or takes care of something, does not receive success in finishing his work. The Lord said about this: "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5) » (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.94,166).
“What we say or do without prayer is later either sinful or harmful, and convicts us through deeds in a way unknown to us” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.108).
“Whoever does not consider himself a sinner, that prayer is not accepted by the Lord” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 55).
“God hears and fulfills man's prayer when man obeys His commandments. “Listen to God in His commandments,” says St. John Chrysostom, “so that He hears you in your prayers.” A person who keeps the commandments of God is always wise, patient, and sincere in his prayers. The sacrament of prayer consists in keeping the commandments of God.” (St. Justin Popovich. Commentary on 1 John 3:22).
“Commit your desire [in prayer] to God, Who knows everything, even before our birth. And do not ask that everything be according to your will, because a person does not know what is useful for him, but say to God: "Thy will be done!" For He does everything for our benefit.” (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 47).
“Everyone who asks something from God, and does not receive it, undoubtedly does not receive for any of these reasons: or because they ask before the time; or because they ask unworthily, and out of vanity; or because, having received what they asked for, they would be proud, or would fall into negligence ” (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 26.60).
“He who, without a guide, wants to engage in prayer, and in pride thinks that he can learn from books, and will not go to the elder, he is already half delusional. The Lord will help the humble, and if there is no experienced mentor, and he will go to the confessor, which is, then the Lord will cover him for humility. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, II.1).
“If at the time when the mind is praying, any extraneous thought or concern about something is mixed with it, then prayer is not called pure” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 16).
“When you pray and, having received [what you asked for], become proud, it is obvious that your prayer was not to God, and you did not receive help from God, but the demons helped you so that your heart would be lifted up; for when help is given from God, the soul does not rise up, but rather humbles itself and marvels at the great mercy of God, how He has mercy on sinners. (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 418).
“When the Lord wants to have mercy on someone, he inspires others to pray for him, and helps in this prayer” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XX.9).
“During times of affliction, it is necessary to incessantly invoke [in prayer] the merciful God... The incessant invocation of the name of God [in prayer] is a cure [of the soul] that kills not only [sinful] passions, but their very action. Just as a doctor finds the right medicine, and it works, and the patient does not know how it [happens], just like the name of God, when you call on him, kills all passions, although we do not know how this is done. (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 421).
Repentance
“Every sin left without repentance is a sin unto death, for which, even if a saint prays for another, [God] will not hear” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.41).
“He who has sinned cannot escape retribution except by repentance corresponding to the sin” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.58).
“God will cleanse your transgressions if you yourself are always dissatisfied with yourself and change until you reach perfection” (Blessed Augustine. On the Epistle to the Parthians, I.7).
“Saints were the same people as all of us. Many of them came from great sins, but by repentance they reached the Kingdom of Heaven. And everyone who comes there comes through repentance, which the Merciful Lord has given us through His sufferings.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XII.10).
“If someone falls into any sin, and does not [cordially] grieve about it, he will easily fall into the same network again” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.215).
“If someone, having once repented of a sin, again commits the same sin, this is a sign that he has not been cleansed of the cause of this sin, from which, like from a root, shoots sprout again” (St. Basil the Great).
-146. “Do not say: “I have sinned a lot, and therefore I do not dare to fall down to God.” Do not despair: just do not multiply your sins from now on, and, with the help of the All-Merciful, you will not be ashamed. For He said, "Whoever comes to Me I will not cast out." So, take courage and believe that He is pure, and He will cleanse those who approach Him. If you want to perform true repentance, then show it by deed. If you repent of pride, show humility; if in drunkenness, show sobriety; if in fornication, show the purity of life. For it is said: Turn away from evil and do good. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 87-89).
“One person kept sinning and repenting - and so all his life. Finally he repented and died. An evil spirit came for his soul and says: "He is mine." The Lord says: "No, he repented." “But even though he repented, he sinned again,” continued the devil. Then the Lord said to him: “If you, being angry, accepted him again to yourself after he repented to Me, then how can I not accept him after he, having sinned, again turned to Me with repentance?” (St. Ambrose of Optina).
“He who hates his sins ceases to sin; and whoever confesses them will receive forgiveness. It is impossible for a person to leave the habit of sinning unless he first acquires enmity towards sin, and it is impossible to receive remission of sin before confessing sins. For the confession of sins is the cause of true humility.” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 71).
-150. “Former sins, being remembered in their images, harm. For if they bring sadness with them, they remove from hope, and presenting themselves without sadness, they put the former filth inside. If you want to offer God an uncondemned confession, then do not remember sins by their appearance, but courageously endure the sorrows that you find for them. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.151,153).
“The Lord loves the penitent sinner a lot and graciously presses him to His chest: “Where have you been, My child? I have been waiting for you for a long time.” The Lord calls everyone to Himself with the voice of the Gospel, and His voice is heard throughout the universe: "Come to Me, My sheep. I created you and love you. My love for you brought Me to earth, and I endured everything for your salvation, and I want you to know My love and say, like the apostles on Tabor: Lord, it’s good for us with You. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IX.27).
Our Will and God's Will
-153. “The brightest teaching of our Savior is this: “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10). Who sincerely says this prayer leaves his own will and puts everything on the will of God... And the will inspired by the demons is that we justify ourselves and believe ourselves, and then they easily enslave a person [who has adopted such a way of thinking] ” (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 40, 124).
“It is a great blessing to surrender to the will of God. There is only one Lord in the soul, and there is no other thought, and it prays to God with a pure mind. When the soul has completely surrendered to the will of God, then the Lord Himself begins to guide it, and the soul learns directly from God... The proud man does not want to live according to the will of God: he loves to govern himself; and does not understand that a person does not have enough reason without God to control himself. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VI.1).
“To the extent that one cuts off and humbles his will, to the same extent he goes to success. And the more stubbornly he clings to his own will, the more he harms himself. (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Advice to a Novice Monk, 12)
“How do you know if you are living according to the will of God? Here is a sign: if you grieve about any thing, it means that you have not completely surrendered to the will of God. Whoever lives according to the will of God does not care about anything. And if he needs any thing, then he commits himself and the thing to God; and if he does not receive the necessary thing, he still remains calm, as if he had it. The soul that has surrendered to the will of God is not afraid of anything: neither thunderstorms, nor robbers, nothing. But no matter what happens, she says: "It is pleasing to God." If he is sick, he thinks: it means that I need a disease, otherwise God would not have given it to me. And so peace is preserved in the soul and body. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VI.4).
“The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to the earth, and in whom He lives, he feels paradise in himself. Perhaps you will say: why is there no such grace with me? Because you have not surrendered to the will of God, but you live according to your own. Look at the one who loves his will. He never has peace in his soul and is always dissatisfied with something. And whoever has completely surrendered to the will of God has pure prayer, his soul loves the Lord, and everything is pleasant and sweet to him. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, VI.14).
Commandments
“Just as it is impossible to walk without legs or fly without wings, so it is impossible to reach the Kingdom of Heaven without fulfilling the commandments.”
“The commandments of God are above all the treasures of the world. Whoever has acquired them finds God within himself.
“The Holy Apostle John the Theologian says that the commandments of God are not heavy, but light (1 John 5:3). But they are light only from love, and if there is no love, then everything is difficult. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVI.10).
“Christ does not require the doing of the commandments [in itself], but the correction of the soul, for which he established the commandments.”
“God, by His gracious power, is present in every commandment. “The Lord is hidden in His commandments,” says Saint Mark the Ascetic. The Lord helps everyone who struggles to keep His commandments... And that God dwells in us, we know by the Spirit that He gave us. This means that a Christian is never alone, but he lives and works together with the Trisagion God.” (St. Justin Popovich. Commentary on 1 John 3:24).
How God Views Our Works
“In all our actions, God looks at the intention, whether we do it for His sake, or for some other reason” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.36).
-165. “God values deeds according to their intentions. For it is said: "The Lord will give you according to your heart" (Ps. 19:5) ... [Therefore] whoever wants to do something, but cannot, he [is considered] before God, who knows the intentions of our hearts, as having done it. This applies to both good deeds and evil deeds.” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.184, 2.16).
“If the intention preceding the action is impure, then the action itself will be bad, even if it seems good” (St. Gregory the Dialogist. Conversations, 1.10). How should we treat our affairs
“Consider and do nothing without a [spiritual] purpose [with which it is done] for God; for he who travels aimlessly will labor in vain.” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.54).
“Fasting, prayer, almsgiving and all other Christian deeds are good in themselves, but the goal of the Christian life is not just their fulfillment. The true purpose of our Christian life is to receive the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and every good done for Christ's sake are the means to receive the Holy Spirit. Note that only that good deed, which is done for the sake of Christ, brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit, yet, not for the sake of Christ done, although it is good, does not present us with a reward in the life of the next century, and in this life it does not give the grace of God. . That is why our Lord Jesus Christ said: “Whoever does not gather with Me squanders” (Matt. 12.30) " (St. Seraphim of Sarov. Conversation on the purpose of the Christian life).
“When the mind forgets the goal of piety, then the obvious exercise of virtue becomes useless” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.51).
“Whatever you lose in the name of God, you will keep; everything you keep for yourself, you will lose. Everything that you give in the name of God, you will receive profitably; whatever you give for your own glory and pride, you [are] like throwing it into the water. Everything that you accept from people as from God will bring you joy; everything that you accept from people as from people will bring you worries" (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“Everything must be done with reason, and determine your own measure, so as not to be embarrassed later. To do almsgiving, fasting, or anything else beyond one's strength is reckless, because it subsequently leads the doer to confusion, despondency and grumbling. Yes, and God requires what is within the power of man. (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 627).
“Whoever you are, whatever business you do, give an account to yourself in what way you did your job: in a Christian or in a pagan way, that is, relying on pride and worldly gain. A Christian must remember that every, even the smallest, deed has a moral beginning. A Christian who remembers the teachings of Jesus Christ must do his every deed in such a way that it contributes to the spread of God's grace and the Kingdom of Heaven among people. (St. Gabriel of Imeretin. Annual report).
Our good deeds
“One evil from another receives strength: in a similar way, good also increases one from the other, and the one in whom it is prompted to more” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.93).
“Every time we sin, we are born of the devil; and every time we do virtue, we are born of God.” (St. John Chrysostom).
“We abide in God to the extent that we do not sin” (St. Bede the Venerable, Comments on 1 John 3:6).
“Forget your good deeds and merits as soon as possible ... Do not write down your good deeds, because if you write them down, they will quickly fade, but if you forget about them, they will be inscribed in eternity” (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“If you want the Lord to cover your sins, then do not show people the virtue that you have. "For what we do with our virtues? is what God does with our sins" (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.135).
“Whoever has any spiritual gift, and sympathizes with those who do not have it, he preserves his gift with compassion. And he who is proud of his gift through self-conceit loses it. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.8).
Even a small good deed is valuable.
“If you show any mercy to someone, you will be pardoned for that.
If you show compassion to the suffering (and this, it seems, is not a great thing), you will be counted among the martyrs.
If you forgive the offender, then not only will all your sins be forgiven, but you will be a child of the Heavenly Father.
If you pray from your heart for salvation, even if it is not enough, you will be saved.
If you reproach yourself, accuse and condemn yourself before God for the sins felt by your conscience, you will be justified for this.
If you grieve over sins, or shed tears, or sigh, then your sigh will not be hidden from Him, and, as St. John Chrysostom: "If you complain only about sins, then He will accept it for your salvation." (St. Moses of Optina).
Love
“God gave people the word “love” so that they would use this word to describe their attitude towards Him. When people, having abused this word, call it their attitude to the earthly, it loses its meaning. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“Do not neglect the commandment of love; for through it you will become a son of God, and if you break it, you will be a son of hell.” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.20).
“Love for God should stand for us above any love for any person” (St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer).
“Do not say that faith in our Lord Jesus Christ alone can save you, for this is impossible unless you also find love for Him, evidenced by deeds. As for bare faith, "even the demons believe and tremble" (James 2:19). The cause of love is: zealous beneficence to one's neighbor, generosity, patience and prudent use of things. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.39-40).
“Just as God illuminates all [people] equally with [solar] light, so those who [desire] to imitate God, let them shine on everyone with a common and equal ray of love. Because where love disappears, hate will surely take its place. And if God is love, then hate is the devil. Therefore, just as he who loves has God in himself, so he who has hatred nourishes the devil in himself. (St. Basil the Great. Words on asceticism, 3).
“Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8) . That is, for the love of others, God forgives the sins of the one who loves. (St. Theophan the Recluse. Letters, VI.949).
-187. “Love for Christ branches into love for one’s neighbor, love for truth, love for holiness, for peace, for purity, for everything Divine, for everything immortal and eternal… All these kinds of love are natural manifestations of love for Christ. Christ is the God-man, and love for Him always means: love for God and love for man... Loving Christ God, we love for Him, and in people everything that is Divine, immortal, Christ-like in them. We cannot truly love people unless we love them for these reasons. Any other love is pseudo-love, which easily turns into dislike, into hatred for people. True love for a person comes from love for God, and love for God increases in proportion to the observance of the commandments of God. (St. Justin Popovich, Commentary on 1 John 4.20, 5:2).
“Love is the fruit of prayer... to patiently abide in prayer is to deny a person himself. Therefore, in the self-denial of the soul, the love of God is found. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 43).
“If you find that you do not have love, but you want to have it, then do deeds of love, even if at first without love. The Lord will see your desire and effort and will put your love into your heart.” (St. Ambrose of Optina).
Who has no love
“He who sees in his heart a trace of hatred towards any person for any sin, is completely alien to the love of God. For the love of God absolutely does not tolerate hatred of man.” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.15).
“Unfortunate and pathetic, who is far from love. He spends his days in sleepy delirium, far from God, deprived of light and lives in darkness... Whoever does not have the love of Christ is an enemy of Christ. [He] walks in darkness, and is easily caught by every sin.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Sermon on virtues and vices).
“He who does not love, not only himself is in [spiritual] death, but his every deed, even if outwardly it would have the appearance of virtue, is dead and fruitless, and [every] word [of him] is soulless” (St. Philaret of Moscow. A word to those who take a vow). How love is shown
“Whoever knows the love of God loves the whole world and never grumbles at his fate, for temporary sorrow for the sake of God brings eternal joy” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, I.27).
“Love is not only through the distribution of property [to the needy], but even more so - the spread of the word of God and help with deeds” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.26).
“What is perfection in love? Love your enemies so that you wish to make them brothers... For so loved He Who, hanging on the cross, said: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)" (Blessed Augustine. On the Epistle to the Parthians, I.9).
“Happy is the man in whom there is the love of God, because he bears God within himself. Whoever has love, together with God, is above all. In whom there is love, he is not afraid; he never disdains anyone, he does not exalt himself before anyone, he himself does not slander, and he does not listen to those who slander, he does not compete, does not envy, does not rejoice at the fall of others, does not slander the fallen, but sympathizes with him and helps him, does not despise his brother, found himself in need, but stands up and is ready to die for him. Whoever has love does the will of God.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Spiritual and Moral Scriptures, 3).
Mercy
“Let mercy always take precedence in you, until you feel in yourself the mercy that God has for the world ... A heart that is cruel and unmerciful will never be cleansed. A merciful person is a doctor of his soul, because, as if with a strong wind from his insides, he disperses the obscuration of passions. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 41).
“If you begin to cherish wealth, it will not be yours; and if you begin to squander [the needy] - you will not lose ” (St. Basil the Great. Conversations, 7).
“Has the philanthropic Lord given you much so that you would use what was given to you only for your own benefit? No, but in order that your excess may make up for the deficiency of others.” (St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the book of Genesis, 20)
“If you are truly merciful, then when yours is unjustly taken from you, do not grieve inwardly, and do not tell outsiders about the damage. Let the damage done by those who offended you be absorbed by your mercy.
Humility
“[As] there is nothing more repugnant to God than pride, because it hides the deification of oneself, one’s insignificance or sinfulness, [so] humility is most pleasing to God, which, considering itself to be nothing, attributes all good, honor and glory to God alone. Pride does not accept grace, because it is filled with itself, while humility easily accepts grace, because it is free both from itself and from everything created. God creates from nothing: as long as we want to think that we are something, until then He does not begin His work in us. Humility is the salt of the virtues. Just as salt gives flavor to food, so humility makes virtue perfect. Without salt, food is easily damaged, and without humility, virtue is easily corrupted by pride, vanity, impatience, and perishes. There is humility, which a person acquires by his own feat: knowing his unworthiness; reproaching himself for his shortcomings; not allowing yourself to judge others. And there is humility into which God introduces a person by His destinies: allowing him to experience insults, humiliation, deprivation. (St. Philaret of Moscow. Glory to the Mother of God, 9).
“The elder was asked: what is humility? The elder said: when your brother sins against you, and you forgive him before he repents before you. (Ancient Patericon, 15.74).
“It is not he who shows humility who condemns himself (for who will not endure reproach from himself?); but he who, being rooted by another, does not lessen love for him. (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 22.17).
“As water and fire oppose each other when combined; so self-justification and humility resist one another. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.125).
“Someone suffers a lot from poverty and illness, but does not humble himself, and therefore suffers without benefit. And whoever humbles himself will be pleased with every fate, because the Lord is his wealth and joy, and all people will marvel at the beauty of his soul. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, III.9).
“Humility consists in not considering yourself as something in any case, cutting off your will in everything, obeying everyone and enduring without embarrassment what comprehends us from outside. Such is true humility, in which vanity finds no place for itself. A humble person should not try to show his humility in words, nor should he himself be called upon to perform low deeds; for both lead to vanity, hinder success, and do more harm than good; but when something is commanded, one must not contradict, but do it with obedience: this is what leads to success [in the search for real humility] ” (St. John the Prophet. Manual, 275). Meekness
“Meekness is an unchanging disposition of the mind, which remains the same in honor and dishonor. Meekness consists in praying for him sincerely and without embarrassment in the face of insults from a neighbor. Meekness is a rock that rises above the sea of irritability, against which all the waves rushing against it are broken: but it itself does not waver. (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 24.4).
“Let them drive you, don’t drive; let them crucify you, do not crucify; let them offend, you do not offend; let them slander you, you are not slandering; be meek, and not zealous in evil" (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 89).
“Just as fire is not extinguished by fire, so anger is not overcome by anger, but is kindled even more. And with meekness, even the most ferocious enemies often bow, soften and reconcile. (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk).
Abstinence
“Love hunger and thirst [undertaken] for the sake of Christ. To the extent that you subdue the body, to the extent that you do good to the soul. For [God,] who rewards according to deeds, words and thoughts, will reward with good even for the little that we gladly endure for His sake. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 41).
-212. “Look for the simplest in everything, both in food and in clothing, do not be ashamed of poverty; because most of this world is in poverty. Do not say: I am the son of a rich man; I am ashamed to be poor. There is no richer in the world than Christ, your Heavenly Father, who gave birth to you in a holy font, but He also walked in poverty and did not have where to bow His head. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 24-25).
“You need to accustom yourself to eat as little as possible, but this is with reasoning, as far as your work allows. The measure of abstinence should be such that after dinner you want to pray. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, V.8). Obedience
“By obedience a person is kept from pride; prayer is given for obedience; For obedience, the grace of the Holy Spirit is also given. That is why obedience is higher than fasting and prayer.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XV.4).
“Obedience is necessary not only for monks, but for every person. Even the Lord was obedient. The proud and self-made do not allow grace to live in themselves, and therefore they never have peace of mind, but the grace of the Holy Spirit easily enters the soul of the obedient and gives him joy and peace. Whoever bears in himself even a small grace, he gladly submits to any authority. He knows that God governs the heavens, and the earth, and the underworld, and himself, and his affairs, and everything that is in the world, and therefore he is always at peace. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XV.2).

sinful passions
“Passion is an unnatural movement of the soul, either through unreasonable love, or through reckless hatred for something material, or for its sake: [for example, the movement of the soul] through unreasonable love for food, or for women, or for wealth, or for worldly glory , or something else sensual; or for his sake, but [movement of the soul] through reckless hatred - when someone is hated because of something of the above" (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.16).
“Of the passions, some are bodily, and others are spiritual. Corporeal have their origins from the body, and mental - from external objects. But love and abstinence cuts off both those and other passions: love is spiritual, and abstinence is bodily. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.64).
“We must consider everything bad, as well as the passions that fight us, not our own, but from the enemy - the devil. It is very important. Only then can passion be conquered when you do not consider it your own. (St. Nikon of Optina).
-220. “First, a simple thought [of sin] penetrates into the mind, and if it lingers in the mind, then passion sets in motion, if you do not destroy passion, then it inclines the mind to agreement, and when this happens, brings it to committing sin in deed ... [Watch your thoughts], for if you do not sin mentally, you will never sin in deed ” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.84, 2.78).
“Unclean spirits intensify the passions [in us], taking advantage of our negligence and inciting them; and reduce [passions] - holy angels, prompting us to perform virtues " (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.69).
“A sinful soul, captivated by passions, cannot have peace and rejoice in the Lord, even though it owns all the riches of the earth, even though it reigns over the whole world. If such a king, merrily feasting and sitting on the throne in all his glory, were suddenly announced: “King, you will die now,” then his soul would be confused and tremble with fear, and he would see his weakness. And how many poor people are there who are rich only in the love of God and who, if they were told: “You will die now,” would answer in peace: “May the will of the Lord be done. Glory to the Lord that He remembered me and wants to take me [to Himself] "» (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IV.3).
Fighting passions
“When a person is devoted to passions, he does not see them in himself and does not separate from them, because he lives in them and by them. But when the grace of God influences him, he begins to distinguish between the passionate and sinful in himself, confesses them, repents, and decides to refrain from them. The fight begins. At first, this struggle is waged with deeds, and when a person weans himself from bad deeds, the struggle begins already with bad thoughts and feelings. And here it goes through many stages... The struggle continues, the passions are more and more expelled from the heart, it even happens that they are completely torn out... There is a sign that passion has been torn out of the heart - when the heart begins to experience disgust and hatred to passion (St. Theophan the Recluse. How the spiritual life goes).
-226. “He who hates passions cuts off their causes; and whoever abides with the causes that produce them, even against his will experiences a struggle from passions ... It is impossible for one who does not love its causes to incline mentally to passion. For who, despising shame, indulges in vanity? Or who, loving humiliation, is embarrassed by dishonor? Who, having a contrite and humble heart, will accept carnal sweetness? Or who, believing in Christ, cares about the temporal, or quarrels over it? (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.119,122-123).
“It is one thing to get rid of thoughts, and another thing to get rid of passions. They often get rid of thoughts when those objects for which [a person] had a passion are not in front of their eyes: but passions, meanwhile, are hidden in the soul, and when objects appear [again] are revealed. Therefore, you need to watch the mind when things appear and find out what you have a passion for. ” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 3.78).
“The mind [of a person] who loves God does not fight against things or thoughts about them, but against the passions associated with these thoughts. That is, he fights not against [any] woman, not against the offender, and not against their images [appearing in the mind], but against the passions associated with these images ” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 3.40).
“Passion is uprooted and put to flight by the incessant immersion of thought in God. This is a sword that kills them ... Whoever always thinks God, he drives away the demons from himself, and eradicates the seed of their malice " (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 8).
Spiritual Mistakes
“The worst kind of sin is not to admit that you are a sinner” (St. Caesarea of Arles, Commentary on 1 John 1:8).
-232. “Avoid self-love - the mother of evils - which is unreasonable love for the body. Because from him ... three main sinful passions are born: gluttony, avarice and vanity, taking a pretext from the necessary bodily needs; and from them the whole tribe of passions is born. That is why one should be very wary of self-love and oppose it... Whoever rejects self-love, with the help of God, will easily conquer all other passions, such as: anger, despondency, vindictiveness, and others. Whoever is obsessed with self-love, he, even involuntarily, is amazed at the indicated passions. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.59.8).
“He who does not want to know the will of God, goes with his mind along the path that lies over the abyss, and easily falls from every wind: being praised, he is proud; being reproved, he is grieved; enjoying food, is carried away by bodily passion; cries in pain; knowing something, wants to appear as knowing; and not understanding, pretends to understand; getting rich, boasting; being in poverty, hypocrites; having had his fill, he is impudent, but when he fasts he becomes conceited; loves to argue with accusers, and looks at those who forgive him as foolish" (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.193).
“Remember two thoughts, and fear them. One says: you are a saint, the other: you will not be saved. Both of these thoughts are from the enemy, and there is no truth in them. But you think: I am a great sinner, but the Lord is merciful, He loves people a lot, and He will forgive me my sins. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVII.1).
“Sincere faith is the denial of one's mind. It is necessary to bare the mind and present it as a blank slate to faith, so that it draws itself on it as it is, without any admixture of extraneous sayings and positions. When the mind has its own positions, then, after writing the positions of faith on it, there will be a mixture of positions in it: the consciousness will be confused, encountering a contradiction between the actions of faith and the mind's philosophizing. Such are all who, with their wisdom, enter the realm of faith… They get confused in faith, and nothing comes out of them except harm.” (St. Theophan the Recluse. Thoughts for every day of the year, 11.04).
“There are many of us speaking, but few doing. However, no one should distort the word of God for the sake of his negligence, but it is better to confess his weakness, without hiding the truth of God, so that, along with the violation of the commandments, you will not also be guilty of misinterpreting the word of God. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.85).
“Whoever starts a business ahead of time that is beyond his strength, he does not gain anything, but only aggravates his own harm” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 11).
“There are people who, when perplexed, do not ask the Lord; but it is necessary to say directly: "Lord, I am a sinful person and do not understand how I should, but You, Merciful, enlighten me how to act." And the merciful Lord [then] inspires what to do and what not to do. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XX.4).
“No one will ever do good through evil, because [through this] he himself is overcome by evil; On the contrary, good corrects evil" (St. Barsanuphius the Great. Manual, 15).
“Do not try to resolve a difficult matter by arguing; but by what the spiritual law commands, that is, patience, prayer and mental hope [in God]" (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.12).
“If you weave during the day and unravel at night, then you will never weave. If you build during the day and destroy at night, you will never build. If you pray to God and do evil before Him, then you will never weave or build the house of your soul. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
You can't avoid temptation by changing places.
“Amma Theodora told: a certain monk, overcome by many sorrows, said to himself: I will leave here. With these words, he began to put sandals on his feet, and suddenly he saw in the corner of the cell of the devil in the form of a man who was also putting on shoes and who said to him: are you going out of here because of me? So, wherever you go, I will be there before you.”
thoughts
(sinful thoughts)
-244. “A certain monk asked one of the elders: “Why does my mind constantly incline [to commit] fornication, does not give me rest for an hour, and my soul is indignant?” The elder told him: “If demons inspire you with [sinful] thoughts, do not indulge in them; [demons] tend to constantly seduce. And although they never leave this [suggestion], they cannot force you [sin]: it depends ] - to listen to them, or not to listen"... The brother answered the elder: "what should I do? I am weak and [feel that this sinful] passion conquers me." The elder replied: “Watch [such thoughts], and when they begin to speak in you, do not answer them; but pray to God: [Lord Jesus Christ,] Son of God, have mercy on me [a sinner]!” (Ancient patericon, 5.35)
“If someone does not object to the thoughts that the enemy secretly sows in us, but by prayer to God cuts off the conversation with them, then this is a sign that his mind has gained wisdom, and that he has found a short path” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 30).
“[A person] carried away by sinful thoughts is blinded by them, and sees the actions of sin [in himself], but cannot see the causes of these actions” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 1.168).
“It is impossible to preserve peace of mind if we do not follow the mind, i.e. if we do not drive away thoughts that are displeasing to God, and vice versa, hold on to thoughts that are pleasing to God. It is necessary to look with the mind into the heart, what is happening there: peacefully or not. If not, then consider where you have sinned.” (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, XIV.8).
“When bad thoughts besiege you, then cry out to God: “Lord, my Creator and Creator. You see - my soul is tormented by bad thoughts, have mercy on me ... "Teach yourself to cut off thoughts right away. And if when you forget and do not drive away immediately, then bring repentance. Work on it to get into the habit." (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVII.4,6).
The tricks of the devil
“Love for the earthly devastates the soul, and then it becomes dull, and wild, and does not want to pray to God. The enemy, seeing that the soul is not in God, shakes it and freely puts into the mind whatever it wants, and drives the soul from one thought to another, and so the soul spends the whole day in this disorder and cannot contemplate the Lord purely. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IV.5).
“Our inhuman enemy [the devil, pushing a Christian to fornication], inspires [at the same time] that God is philanthropic, and that He will soon forgive [this sin]. But if we begin to observe the deceit of demons, we will see that after committing a sin, they also present God to us as a righteous and implacable Judge. The first they say is to draw us into sin; and the second - to plunge us into despair " (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 15.33).
“The devil reduces [in our eyes] small sins: otherwise he cannot lead us to great evil” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.94).
“For everyone who goes to sin, thoughts seem to become numb and discerning vision is damaged by the means by which the evil one, inciting and seducing, weakens us and clouds us. And after the deed, he puts his deed before his eyes and cruelly reveals what he previously concealed with many tricks, and, exposing the severity of the deed, thereby tries to push the sinner to despair. (St. Photius the Great. Amphilochia, 14).
spiritual struggle
“Inside we have deep-seated infirmities, passions, flaws. All this is not interrupted by one sharp movement, but by patience and perseverance, care and attention. The path leading to perfection is long. Pray to God to strengthen you. Patiently accept your falls and immediately, getting up, run to God, do not stop at the place where you fell. Don't despair if you keep falling into old sins. Many of them are strong from the acquired skill, but over time and through diligence they are defeated. Don't let anything take your hope away." (St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Way to Happiness, 3).
Ambition
(love of glory and honors)
“Do not seek earthly glory in any deed, for it fades away for the one who loves it. For a while, she, like a strong wind, blows around a person, and soon, having taken away from him the fruit of his good deeds, she leaves, laughing at his foolishness. (St. Gennady of Constantinople. Golden chain, 35).
“Abba Pimen said: He who strenuously seeks human love is deprived of God's love. It is not good to please everyone, for it is said: “Woe to you when all people speak well of you” (Luke 6:26)» (Ancient patericon, 8.16).
“Often the Lord heals the conceited from vanity with dishonor that occurs” (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 22.38).
[You can fight ambition and vanity like this:] “When you hear that your neighbor, or friend, has reproached you in your absence or in your presence: then show love and praise him” (St. John of the Ladder. Ladder, 22.15).
Lie
“The Scripture says that lies are from the evil one, and that he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44), and the truth is God, for He Himself says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14 :6). So you see from whom we separate ourselves and with whom we are united by a lie. So, if we really want to be saved, we must love the truth with all our strength and guard ourselves from all falsehood. There are three different kind lies: thought, word, and life itself.
Thought lies the one who accepts his assumptions as true, i.e. empty suspicions of a neighbor: such when he sees that someone is talking with his brother, makes his guesses and says: he is talking about me. If someone says a word, he suspects that it was said to insult him.... Never trust your guesses and suspicions, for a crooked measure makes a straight line crooked. Human opinions are false and harm the one who indulges in them.
And the one who, for example, out of despondency, being too lazy to stand up for service, lies in a word, does not say: “Forgive me that I was too lazy to get up”; but he says: "I had a fever, I was extremely tired with work, I was unable to get up, I was unwell," and he says ten false words in order not to make one bow and not humble himself. And if he does not reproach himself in such a case, then he constantly changes his words and argues so as not to suffer reproach.
He lies with his life who, being a fornicator, pretends to be temperate; or, being greedy, praises mercy, or, being arrogant, marvels at humility. So, let us avoid lies in order to get rid of the fate of the evil one, and let us try to assimilate the truth for ourselves in order to have unity with God. (Abba Dorotheos. Soulful Teachings, 9).
Pride
“Protect your mind from self-praise and avoid a high opinion of yourself, so that [God] does not allow you to fall into the opposite [to the good that you boast], for good is not done by one person, but by the help of the all-seeing God” (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.188).
Murmur
“The Lord endures all human infirmities, but does not tolerate a person who always grumbles, and does not leave him without admonishment” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 85).
“If any misfortune befalls you, then think: “The Lord sees my heart, and if He pleases, it will be good for me and others,” and so your soul will always be at peace. And if someone grumbles: this is not so, but this is not good, then there will never be peace in the soul, even if he kept fasting and prayed a lot. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, IV.1).
Anger
“One monk lived in a monastery, and was constantly angry [with one of the brethren or visitors]. And he decided: "I will go away from here to a secluded place, and since I will not have relations with anyone there, the passion of anger will leave me." Leaving the monastery, he settled alone in a cave. One day, having collected a vessel of water, the monk placed it on the ground, and the vessel immediately turned down. Taking it, he drew water another time, and the vessel overturned again. Then the vessel filled with water turned down for the third time. The brother, angry, seized him and broke him. When he came to his senses, he realized that the devil was mocking him, and said: "Here I have gone into solitude - and I have been defeated by him! I will go back to the monastery; for everywhere patience and God's help are needed!" And he returned to his original place (Ancient patericon, 7.38).
“Abba Agathon said: an angry person, even if he raised the dead, would not be pleasing to God” (Ancient patericon, 10.15).
“Are you angry? Be so in relation to your sins, beat your soul, scourge your conscience, be a strict judge and a formidable punisher of your own sins - this is the use of anger, for this God put it in us. (St. John Chrysostom. Conversation on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 2).
Prodigal lust
“Gluttony and satiety of food give rise to fornication lust, and free treatment of women kindles the fire of lust ... During the fornication battle, punish your thoughts with the scarcity of food so that you think not about fornication, but about hunger, and refuse an invitation to feasts” (St. Nil of Sinai).
“Do not let your eyes wander hither and thither, and do not peer into someone else’s beauty, lest with the help of your eyes your adversary [the devil] depose you” (St. Ephraim Sirin).
“One monk had a battle with fornication, and, getting up at night, he came to the elder and confessed to him his thoughts, pushing him to fornication. The elder calmed him, and the brother, having received the benefit, returned to his cell. But here again the scolding arose against him, - he again went to the elder. And did it several times. The elder did not grieve him, but spoke like this: do not give up, but rather come to me when the demon bothers you, and rebuke him, opening your thoughts. Thus convicted, he will pass by. For nothing upsets the demon of fornication so much as the discovery of his deeds [in confession before a confessor] - and nothing pleases him so much as the concealment of thoughts [sown by him]. Thus, the brother came to this elder eleven times, exposing his thoughts, and the temptation of the brother ceased. (Ancient patericon, 5.16).
“Lust is, as it were, desire after desire, a desire that extends beyond the limits of natural desire, passionate, not governed by law and moderation. Lusts are as diverse as sins are manifold... Lust usually approaches the soul not in the form of a warring enemy, but in the form of a friend or an obsequious servant. It represents some kind of pleasure or imaginary good. But this is only a bait with which the evil fisher tries to deceive and entrap the poor soul. Remind yourself of this when you are tempted by lust." (St. Philaret of Moscow. Word on the day of July 5, 1845).
VI. ON WHAT YOU NEED TO SUFFER ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH

temptations
“When you want to start a good deed, prepare first for the temptations that will come upon you, and do not doubt the truth [of what you do for God’s sake]” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 57).
“No one can feel his weakness unless at least a small temptation is allowed on him by something that tires either the body or the soul. Then, comparing his weakness with God's help, [man] will know its greatness. But whoever knows that he needs God's help makes many prayers. And to what extent he multiplies them, to such an extent [his] heart is humbled. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 61).
“There is no person who does not mourn during training; and there is no man who does not find the time bitter when he drinks the poison of temptations. Without them, it is impossible to acquire a strong will... By repeatedly experiencing God's help in temptations, a person also acquires firm faith. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 37).
“Without temptations ... it is impossible to learn the wisdom of the Spirit, there is no possibility for Divine love to be established in your soul. Before temptations, a person prays to God like a stranger. When he enters into temptations out of love for God, and does not give in to them, then he is placed before God as a sincere friend; because, in fulfillment of the will of God, he waged war with the enemy of God, and defeated him (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 5).
“Conquer temptation with patience and prayer. If without them you resist it, then it will attack even more strongly. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.106).
“If an unexpected temptation comes to you, do not blame the one through whom it came, but look for what it came for; and you will find correction [for your soul]" (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.42).
“Temptations are brought on some to cleanse past sins, on others to stop those currently committed, and on still others to prevent future ones, except for those temptations that happen to test [faith and virtue] of a person, as was the case with Job” (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.45).
“Temptations are sent so that hidden passions come to light and it is possible to fight them, and so that the soul is cured. And they are also a sign of God's mercy, therefore, commit yourself with confidence into the hands of God and ask Him for help, so that He will strengthen you in your struggle. God knows how much each of us can endure and allows temptations to the best of our ability. Remember that temptation is followed by spiritual joy, and that the Lord watches over those who endure temptation and suffering for the sake of His love.” (St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Way to Happiness, 4).
sorrow
“A child cries when his mother washes him, and a man of little faith grumbles at God when he finds himself in trouble, which cleanses the soul, like water cleans the face” (St. Simeon Daibabsky. Sayings, 89).
“If you want to serve God, prepare your hearts not for food, not for drink, not for rest, not for carelessness, but for patience, so that you can endure every temptation, trouble and sorrow. Get ready for hardships, fasting, spiritual exploits and many sorrows, for through many sorrows we must enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22); The kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force (Matt. 11:12)" (St. Sergius of Radonezh. Life, 10).
“It is impossible to approach God without sorrow, without it human righteousness does not remain unchanged... If you desire virtue, then surrender yourself to every sorrow, for sorrows give birth to humility. Whoever abides in his virtue without sorrow, the door of pride is open to him. (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 34).
“Sin is a disease that takes root in the nature of man. A sinful impression and vicious pleasure leave a trace in the soul and body, which becomes deeper with the repetition of sinful actions and which forms an inclination to sinful action and a certain thirst for sin. Therefore, just as sometimes a bodily physician painfully burns out an ulcer that has penetrated the body and infects it or separates it with iron, similarly (the Physician of Souls and Bodies) uses the tool of sorrows to uproot [from us] the roots and erase the traces of sin, and with the fire of suffering burns out the infection of the inclination to sinful pleasures" (St. Philaret of Moscow. Word on the day of July 5, 1848).
“Abba Or said: Whatever sorrow befell you, do not blame anyone but yourself for it, and say: this happened to me for my sins” (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). Patriarch)
“A sensible [person], reflecting on the healing Providence of God, with gratitude endures the misfortunes that happen to him, he sees the cause of them in his own sins, and not in anyone else. The unreasonable [man], when he sins and receives punishment for this, considers either God or people to be the cause of his disasters, not understanding God's wise concern for him. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 2.46).
“If we didn’t have an addiction to money or empty fame, if we weren’t afraid of death or poverty, didn’t know enmity or hatred, then we wouldn’t suffer either from our own or from other people’s sorrows” (St. John Chrysostom. To the warring, 3.19).
“More than any prayer and sacrifice are precious before the Lord, sorrow for Him and for Him” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Words, 58).
“God tested Abraham, that is, sent him sorrows, for his own benefit; not to find out what he is, because God [already] knows everything, but to give him a reason [to make his] faith perfect " (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 2.203).
“When we valiantly and meekly endure the sorrows sent to us, then, although not completely, we gradually participate in the sufferings of Christ” (St. Macarius of Optina. Letters, 473).
“There is no sorrow for the righteous that does not turn into joy, just as there is no joy for sinners that does not turn into sorrow” (St. Demetrius of Rostov).
“Humility and suffering free a person from every sin; because the first cuts off spiritual passions, and the second - bodily " (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 1.76).
“We suffer because we do not have humility, and because we do not love our brother. For the love of a brother comes the love of God. People do not learn humility, and for their pride they cannot accept the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore the whole world suffers. (St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures, ХVI.4,6).
“Everyone who loves God, during times of tribulation and trials, shows himself to be patient and steadfast; and whoever endures them becomes [spiritually] strong and obedient to God, and whoever embarks on the path of following the will of God has overcome his natural weakness. And, on the contrary, the one who does not realize his impotence is proud and not inclined to obey the will of the Lord; whoever does not obey it, but relies only on his own strength, does not receive strength and help from God, and without being strengthened in spirit, he will not be able to become patient. And whoever does not endure troubles and sorrows does not have faith, and whoever does not have faith does not love God. (St. Alexy Senaksky. About sorrows).
“No matter what grief befalls you, no matter what trouble you have, say: “I will endure this for Jesus Christ!” And it will be easier for you. For the name of Jesus Christ is powerful. With him, all troubles subside, demons disappear. Your annoyance will also subside, your cowardice will also calm down. (St. Anthony of Optina).
How can we be saved?
“[Orthodox Christians should] steadfastly abide in Orthodoxy, preserve unanimity with one another and unfeigned love, preserve the purity of soul and body, beware of evil and impure desires, eat food and drink with moderation, and most of all adorn themselves with humility, not leave hospitality, avoid from disputes and impute the honors and glory of earthly life to nothing, but instead of them expect retribution from God - the enjoyment of heavenly blessings. (St. Sergius of Radonezh. Life, 32).
“If you want to achieve salvation, learn and hold in your heart everything that the Holy Church teaches, and, receiving Divine powers through the sacraments of the Church, walk the path of Christ’s commandments, under the guidance of legitimate shepherds, and you will undoubtedly reach the Kingdom of God and be saved. All this is essential in the work of salvation; everything is necessary in the aggregate and for all. Whoever does not accept or does not allow one thing, there is no salvation for him. (St. Theophan the Recluse. Five Teachings on the Path to Salvation, 3).
“One monk asked St. Anthony the Great: what should I do to be saved? The elder said to him: do not rely on your righteousness, do not regret what has passed, and bridle your tongue and belly. (Ancient Patericon, 1.2).
“Another brother asked Abba Macarius: “How can you be saved?” - the elder answered him: “be like the dead: like the dead, do not think about insults from people, or about glory, and you will be saved” ” (Ancient patericon, 10.45).
“[In the spiritual life] without repentance we cannot do anything worthy, but [the Lord] has a lot of mercy on Us for our intention. He who forces himself [to live according to the commandments] and holds on to repentance until his death, if he sins in anything, will be saved because he forced himself, for this the Lord promised in the Gospel. (St. Mark the Ascetic. Words, 3).
“A Christian acquires wisdom [divine] in three ways: commandments, dogmas and faith. The commandments free the mind from passions, the dogmas introduce it into the [true] knowledge of the existing, and faith into the contemplation of the Holy Trinity. (St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapters on Love, 4.47).
“Being rich, think about whether you can adequately endure poverty.
Being happy, imagine how to face misfortune with dignity.
When people praise you, think about whether you can adequately endure reproach.
And all your life think about how to meet death with dignity. (St. Nicholas of Serbia. Thoughts on good and evil).
“Therefore, being the lot of a holy God, let us do everything that pertains to holiness, avoiding slander, unclean and vicious relationships, drunkenness, passion for innovation [in matters of faith], base lusts, vile adultery and vile pride. For it is said, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:5). Let us therefore join those to whom God has given grace. Let us put on like-mindedness, be humble, temperate, far from all slander and slander, justifying ourselves by deeds, and not by words ... let our praise be from God, and not from ourselves; God hates those who praise themselves. Let the evidence of our good conduct be given from others.” (St. Clement of Rome. To the Corinthians, 30).
“Christians, have we realized the great duties that through baptism we have assumed before God? Have we realized that we must behave as children of God, that we must identify our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, that we must love God with all our hearts, and look forward to being united with Him forever? Have we thought that our heart should be filled with love so that it will be poured out on our neighbor? Do we feel that we are obliged to become holy and perfect, children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven? For the sake of all this, we must fight so as not to be unworthy and rejected. Let none of us lose his courage, let him not neglect his duty, let him not be afraid of the difficulties of the spiritual struggle. Because we have God as our helper, Who strengthens us on the difficult path of virtue.” (St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Way to Happiness, 2).

I. GOD AND WE

Happiness
True
How does God treat us?
How to know about God?
How should we relate to God?
God takes care of everything
Knowing God
Christ and us
Fear of God
Disbelief

II. REALITIES OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

Evil and sin
Liberty
The purpose of life
The Saints
Holy Bible
Holy Tradition
Church of Christ
spiritual mentor
Retribution
The Eternal Joy of Christians

III. WE AND SURROUNDINGS

Attitude towards other people
How to deal with the sins of others?
Shall we rebuke the wrongdoer?
condemnation
About forgiveness
When we are scolded
When we are praised
rancor
Love for Enemies

IV. ON WHAT BRINGS US TO GOD

Prayer
Repentance
Our Will and God's Will
Commandments
How God Views Our Works
How should we treat our affairs
Our good deeds
Even a small good deed is valuable.
Love
Who has no love
How love is shown
Mercy
Humility
Meekness
Abstinence
Obedience

V. ABOUT WHAT HINDS US ON THE WAY TO GOD

sinful passions
Fighting passions
Spiritual Mistakes
You can't avoid temptation by changing places.
Thoughts (Sinful thoughts)
The tricks of the devil
spiritual struggle
Ambition
Lie
Pride
Murmur
Anger
Prodigal lust

Foreword from the compiler

I. GOD AND WE

Happiness

True

How does God treat us?

How to know about God?

God takes care of everything

Knowing God

Christ and us

Fear of God (Fear of offending the love of God with your sins)

Disbelief

II. REALITIES OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

Evil and sin

Liberty

The purpose of life

The Saints

Holy Bible

Holy Tradition

Church of Christ

III. WE AND SURROUNDINGS

Attitude towards other people

Shall we rebuke the wrongdoer?

condemnation

About forgiveness

When we are scolded

When we are praised

rancor

Love for Enemies

Prayer

Repentance

Our Will and God's Will

Commandments

How God Views Our Works

Our good deeds

Even a small good deed is valuable.

Love

Who has no love

Mercy

Humility

Abstinence

sinful passions

Fighting passions

Spiritual Mistakes

You can't avoid temptation by changing places.

thoughts (sinful thoughts)

The tricks of the devil

spiritual struggle

Ambition (love of glory and honors)

Lie

Pride

Murmur

Anger

Prodigal lust

VI. ON WHAT YOU NEED TO SUFFER ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH

temptations

sorrow

How can we be saved?

I. GOD AND WE

II. REALITIES OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

III. WE AND SURROUNDINGS

IV. ON WHAT BRINGS US TO GOD

V. ABOUT WHAT HINDS US ON THE WAY TO GOD

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Fear of God
(Fear of offending the love of God with your sins)

thoughts
(sinful thoughts)

Ambition
(love of glory and honors)