User:Arbible/Quotations

"Fortunate is the man who has these two loves in his heart, that for God and that for his brethren. He surely has God; and whoever has God has every blessing and does not bear to commit sin. Again, wretched is the man who does not have these two loves. surely he has the devil and evil, and always sins. God, my brethren, asks us to have these two loves. As He Himself says in His Holy Gospel: `On these two commandments hang all the law and the Prophets.' Through these two loves all the Saints of our Church, men and women, attained sainthood and won Paradise."

St. Kosmas Aitolos.

"It is not free will but `it is the Lord Who sets the captives free' (Ps. 145:7). It is not our own virtue but `it is the Lord Who lifts up those who were laid low' (Ps. 145:8). It is not application to reading but `it is the Lord Who gives wisdom to the blind.' It is not our cautiousness but 'it is the Lord Who protects the stranger' (Ps. 145:9). It is not our endurance but 'it is the Lord Who raises or gives support to the fallen' (Ps. 144:14)."

St. John Cassian.

"A man cannot receive spiritual knowledge except he be converted, and become as a little child. For only then does he experience that delight which belongs to the Kingdom of the Heavens. By `Kingdom of the Heavens' the Scriptures mean spiritual divine vision. This cannot be found through the workings of our deliberations, but by grace it can be tasted. Until a man has been purified, he is not even capable of hearing of it, for no one is able to acquire it by instruction."

St. Isaac the Syrian.

"Let us toil, carrying each other`s burdens, as Christ carried our diseases in His body without flinching. If Christ is our master, then let us imitate Him and bear His injuries, lest in the age to come we be separated from our brothers who suffered afflictions. Such was also the fate of others because they wanted to give themselves not to virtues but rather to vices."

St. Pachomius the Great.

"Take heed list without reason thou mistrust the power of repentance. Wouldst thou know what power repentance has? Wouldst thou know the strong weapon of salvation, and learn what the force of confession is? Hezekiah by means of confession routed a hundred and fourscore and five thousand of his enemies. A great thing verily was this, but still small in comparison with what remains to be gold: the same king by repentance obtained the recall of a divine sentence which had already gone forth. For when he had fallen sick, Esaias said to him, `Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.' What expectation remained, what hope of recovery, when the Prophet said, `for thou shalt die?' Yet Hezekiah did not desist from repentance; but remembering what is written, `When thou shalt turn and lament, then shalt thou be saved,' he turned to the wall, and from his bed lifting he mind to heaven, he said, `Remember me, O Lord, for it is sufficient for my healing that Thou remember me..'"

St. Cyril of Jerusalem.

"The man who wishes to offer a pure mind to God but who is troubled by cares is like a man who expects to walk quickly even though his legs are tied together."

St. John Climacus.

"The mind is the rudder of the whole of a man's being. It counsels, it urges and it guides. The soul and the body are directed by the mind. If the mind is right before God, the whole man is right. If the mind is not, then neither is the whole man. If a man only thinks: `There is no God,' this is immediately apparent in his actions. Evil thoughts spring up first, and are quickly followed by evil deeds. Do you see how the inspired knew human nature? He first isolates the cause and then states that which follows. Evil deeds follow inevitably on evil thoughts. Therefore, my brethren, do not believe those who say: `I do not believe in God but I do good works.,' for he who does not believe in God does not know what is good, nor can he distinguish good from evil."

Bp. Nikolai Velimirovich (see also Bless My Enemies O Lord - by Bp. Nikolai Velimirovich).

"Just as the simple thought of human realities does not oblige the mind to disdain the divine, so neither does the simple knowledge of divine things persuade it fully to disdain human things, for the reason that the truth exists now in shadows and figures. Hence there is a need for the blessed passion of holy love, which binds the mind to spiritual realities and persuades it to prefer the immaterial to the material and intelligible and divine things to those of sense."

St. Maximus the Confessor.

"Discrimination is born of humility. On its possessor it confers spiritual insight, as both Moses and St. John Klimakos say: such a man foresees the hidden designs of the enemy and foils them before they are put into operation. It is as David states: `And my eyes looked down upon my enemies' (Ps. 54:7). Discrimination is characterized by an unerring recognition of what is good and what is not, and the knowledge of the will of God in all that one does. Spiritual insight is characterized, first, by awareness of one's own failing before they issue in outward actions, as well as of the stealthy tricks of the demons; and, second, by the knowledge of the mysteries hidden in the divine Scriptures and in sensible creation."

St. Peter of Damaskos.

"Now the divine nature, as it is in itself, according to its essence, transcends every act of comprehensive knowledge and it cannot be approached or attained by our speculation. Men have never discovered a faculty to comprehend the incomprehensible; nor have we ever been able to devise an intellectual technique for grasping the inconceivable. For this reason the great Apostle calls God's ways unsearchable (Rom. 11:33), teaching us by this that the way that leads to the knowledge of the divine nature is inaccessible to our reason; and hence none of those who have lived before us has given us the slightest hint of comprehension suggesting that we might know that which in itself is above all knowledge."

St. Gregory of Nyssa.

"If anyone claims to be able to be completely self-sufficient, to be capable of reaching perfections without anyone else's help, to succeed in plumbing the depths of Scripture entirely unaided, he is behaving just like someone trying to practice the trade of a carpenter without touching wood. The Apostle would say to such: 'It is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified' (Rom. 2:13)."

St. Basil the Great.

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Luke 6: 27-38 (NKJV).

"Baptized in Christ by the Spirit, we have received the first incorruptibility of the flesh; we await the final incorruptibility of Christ in the Spirit, that is, in keeping undefiled the first incorruptibility by a free gift of good works and by a voluntary death; according to this final incorruptibility no one who enjoys it will lose the benefits he has acquired."

St. Maximus the Confessor.

"Saint John wrote of some of the brothers who were on a journey that they have set out for the sake of Christ's name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. We must support such people, that we may be fellow-workers in the truth. People who give material aid to those with spiritual gifts are fellow-workers in those spiritual gifts. Not many receive spiritual gifts; many more are rich in worldly goods. The wealthy share in the virtues of the poor when they provide relief for them from their riches."

St. Gregory the Great.

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

"Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore

""If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

"If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

"For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."[cf. Proverbs 25: 21, 22]

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 12: 9-21 (NKJV)

"Do not fear bodily privations, but fear spiritual privations. Do not fear, do not be faint-hearted, do not be irritated when you are deprived of money, food, drink, enjoyments, clothes, dwelling, even of your body itself; but fear when the enemy deprives your soul of faith, of trust, and love for God and your neighbor; when he sows hatred, enmity, attachments to earthly things, pride, and other sins in your heart. `Fear not them which will kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul' (Matt. 10:23)."

St. John of Kronstadt.

"For if a man draws near to grace, then Jesus will say to him, 'I will no longer call you servants, but I will call you My friends and My brothers: for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you' (Jn. 15:15). For those who have drawn near, and have been taught by the Holy Spirit, have known themselves according to their intellectual substance. And in their knowledge of themselves they have cried out and said, 'For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father' (Rom. 8:15): that we may know what God has given us -- 'If we are sons, then are we heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with the saints' (Rom. 8:17)."

St. Anthony the Great.

"By faith the intellect is confirmed in pondering God. The way of salvation is that of the constant remembrance of God. The intellect separated from remembrance of God is like a fish out of water. The freedom of a true man consists in his freedom from the passions, in his resurrection with Christ, and in a joyous soul."

St. Justin Popovich.

"Wisdom holds to the mean between shrewdness and simplicity. Neither the wisdom of the serpent nor the simplicity of the dove is to be praised, if one should choose either of these with respect to itself alone. Rather it is the disposition which closely unites these two by the mean that is virtue. The person who lacks moderation is a libertine, and he who goes beyond moderation has his conscience branded, and the Apostle says. For the one has given himself up without restrain to pleasures, and the other defiles marriage as if it were adultery. The disposition observed in the mean between these two is moderation."

St. Gregory of Nyssa.

"Who that sees things of opposite nature combined, and in concordant harmony, as for example fire mingled with cold, and dry with wet, and that not in mutual conflict, but making up a single body, as it were homogeneous, can resist the inference that there is One external to these things that has united them? One external to these things has enlightened them? Who that sees winter giving place to spring and spring to summer and and that these things contrary by nature, yet all make up a balanced result beneficial to mankind, - can fail to perceive that there is One higher than they, Who balances and guides them all, even if he see Him not."

St. Athanasius.

"I want the marvel of creation to gain such complete acceptance from you that, wherever you may be found and whatever kin of plants you may chance upon, you may receive a clear reminder of the Creator. First, then, whenever you see a grassy plant or a flower, thin of human nature, remembering the comparison of the wise Isaiah, the `all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.' For, the short span of life and the briefly-enduring pleasure and joy of human happiness have found a most apt comparison in the words of the prophet. Today he is vigorous in body, frown fleshy from delicacies, with a flower-like completion, in the prime of life, fresh and eager, and irresistible in attack; tomorrow that same one is piteous or wasted with age, or weakened by disease."

St. Basil the Great.

"The love of God is not taught. No one has taught us to enjoy the light or to be attached to life more than anything else. And no one has taught us to love the two people who brought us into the world and educated us. Which is all the more reason to believe that we did not learn to love God as a result of outside instruction. In the very nature of every human being has been sown the seed of the ability to love. You and I ought to welcome this seed, cultivate it carefully, nourish it attentively and foster its growth by going to the school of God's commandments with the help of His grace."

St. Basil the Great.

"You contend against Him, because He has not replied to all your words, God will speak once, and will not repeat the same thing a second time. As if he were to say, God does not reply in private speaking to the hearts of men one by one, but fashions His word in such a manner as to satisfy the inquiries of all men. For if we look to our own cases one by one, we are sure to find them in the teaching of His Scriptures, nor is there need to seek for a special answer from the voice of God, in our own special sufferings. For there a general reply is given to all of us in our own special sufferings: there the conduct of those who go before is a model for such as come after."

St. Gregory the Great.

"The fathers counsel us to put forth a resistance equal to the force of the attack, whether we are to triumph or to suffer defeat. In other words, we should fight against evil thoughts with all the energies at our command. By conflict we shall either obtain the crown of life or be led to torment - the crown, to those who conquer; the torment, to those who have sinned and have not repented in this life."

St. Nilus of Sora.

"Creating man according to His image, God diffused into man's very being the longing for the divine infinitude of life, of knowledge, and of perfection. It is precisely for this reason that the immeasurable longing and thirst of humanity is not able to be completely satisfied by anything or anyone except God. Declaring divine perfection as the main purpose for humanity's existence in the world - `Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father Who is in heaven is perfect.' (Mt. 5:48) - Christ, the Savior, answered the most elemental demand and need of our God-like and God-longing humanity."

St. Justin Popovich.

"Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth."

The Bible, Hebrews 11: 36-38 (NKJV).

"If you help a poor person in the name of the Lord, you are making a gift and at the same time granting a loan. You are making a gift because you have no expectation of being reimbursed by that poor person. You are granting a loan because the Lord will settle the account. It is not much that the Lord receives by means of the poor, but He will pay a great deal on their behalf. 'They who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord' [Prov. 19: 17]"

St. Basil the Great.

"Fasting is acceptable to God when abstention from food is accompanied by refraining from sins, from envy, from hatred, from calumny, from vainglory, from wordiness, from other evils. He who is fasting the true fast `that is agreeable' to God ought to shun all these things with all his strength and zeal, and remain impregnable and unshakeable against all the attacks of the Evil one that are planned from that quarter. On the other hand, he who practices abstention from food, but does not keep self-control in the face of the aforesaid passions, is like unto one who lays down splendid foundations for a house, yet takes serpents and scorpions and vipers as fellow-dwellers therein. For just as the establishment of goodly foundations for that house becomes a deadly trap to those that come nigh, as the lurking reptiles fall upon them unawares with their poison, so also that person who has established his fame among men by means of fasting, while fostering within him the beastlike heads of the passions, is fatal to those that meet him."

St. Photios the Great.

"The cross is the door to mysteries. Through this door the intellect makes entrance in to the knowledge of heavely mysteries. The knowledge of the cross is concealed in the sufferings of the cross. And the more our participation in its sufferings, the greater the perception we gain through the cross. For, as the Apostle says, `As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

St. Isaac of Syria.

"The enemy likes to hide the truth and to mix good with evil. But how can one find out the truth? God's goodwill and all our intentions are meek, full of good hope, and undoubting. Not only in our good deeds, but also in our lawlessness, God endures long with meekness and awaits our repentance. And how can one distinguish the impulse of the enemy? The enemy usually hinders us and turns us away from good. However, if in anything which apparently is good, the mind is disturbed and causes us disturbance, banishes the fear of God, deprives us of calmness, so that without any reason the heart aches and the mind wavers, then know that this is an impulse from the enemy and cut it off."

St. Paisius Velichkovsky.

"Now the Spirit is not brought into intimate associating with the soul by local approximation. How indeed could there be a corporeal approach to the incorporeal? This association results from the withdrawal of the passions which, coming afterwards gradually on the soul from its friendship to the flesh, have alienated it from the close relationship with God. Only then after a man is purified from the shame whose strain he took through his wickedness, and has come back again to his natural beauty, and as it were cleaning the Royal Image and restoring its ancient form, only thus is it possible for him to draw near to the Paraclete. And He, like the sun, will by then aid of thy purified eye show thee in Himself the image of the invisible, and in the blessed spectacle of the image thou shalt behold the unspeakable beauty of the archetype."

St. Basil the Great.

"Fasting means controlling the power of fire and closing the mouths of lions."

St. Basil the Great.

"But it is not enough for us to abandon our possessions if we do not abandon ourselves as well. What does it mean to abandon ourselves? If we abandon ourselves, where shall we go outside of ourselves? And who is it who departs, if a person has forsaken himself? But we are one thing when we have fallen into sin, and another in the nature with which we were created; what we did is one thing, what we have become is another. Let us abandon the selves we have made by sinning, and let us continue to be the selves we have become by grace."

St. Gregory the Great.

"We must always be attentive to the assaults of the devil, for can we hope that he will leave us without temptations, when he did not leave our Founder and Source of faith and Perfecter the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? The Lord Himself said to the Apostle Peter: `Simon, Simon, behold, satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat (Lk. 22:31). And thus we must ever call upon the Lord in humility and pray that He may not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength, but that He may deliver us from the evil one."

St. Seraphim of Sarov.

See also

OrthodoxWiki: Uncategorized Quotes