You must love every man with your whole soul, but put your hope in the one God, and serve Him alone. For as long as He is protecting us and our friends (the angels) are helping us, our enemies (the demons) cannot inflict evil upon us. But when He forsakes us, then also our friends…
A brother whom another brother had wronged came to see Abba Sisoes and said to him, “My brother has hurt me and I want to avenge myself.” The old man pleaded with him saying, “No, my child, leave vengeance to God.” But he said to him, “I shall not rest until I have avenged myself.”…
In truth there is only one freedom – the holy freedom of Christ, whereby He freed us from sin, from evil, from the devil. It binds us to God. All other freedoms are illusory, false, that is to say, they are all, in fact, slavery. (St. Justin Popovich, Ascetical and Theological Chapters, II.36)
Then we saw another old man, called Abba Bes, who surpassed everyone in meekness. The brothers who lived round about him assured us that he had never sworn an oath, had never told a lie, had never been angry at anyone, and had never scolded anyone. For he lived a life of the utmost stillness,…
Just as people do not enter a war in order to enjoy war, but in order to be saved from war, so we do not enter this world in order to enjoy this world, but in order to be saved from it. People go to was for the sake of something greater than war. So…
There is an unbearable sadness in not meeting a saint; there is an even greater grief in not being a saint.
Homily for the Sunday of All Saints June 10th, 2012 The Reading is from Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30 Today’s gospel reading from Matthew is story for the ages – a story and, actually, a prayer for you and me, and all of mankind. It is a prayer and a promise by the Christ Himself that…
The saints are like the Lord, but so are all people who keep the commandments of Christ; but those who live according to their own passions and do not repent are like the devil. I think that if this mystery were revealed to the world, then they would stop serving the devil, and every one…
Smoke from wood that is kindling a fire troubles the eyes; but then, the fire gives them light and gladdens them. Similarly, unceasing attentiveness is irksome; but when, invoked in prayer, Jesus draws near, He illumines the heart; for remembrance of Him confers on us spiritual enlightenment and the highest of all blessings. St. Philotheos…
High atop a monastery on Holy Mt. Athos there lived an abbot whose monastery suffered from constant gossiping and quarreling among the brother monks. A good and faithful servant of the Lord, the abbot was greatly troubled by this dilemma and sought to bring an end to this strife. To bring resolution to this increasingly…