"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
"Whoever hates his sins will stop sinning; and whoever confesses them will receive remission. A man can not abandon the habit of sin if he does not first gain enmity toward sin, nor can he receive remission of sin without confession of sin. For the confession of sin is the cause of true humility." + St. Isaac the Syrian (+700) Homilies, 71
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
"It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance." + St. Jerome (+420) Letter 53
Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.
"Don't be deceived regarding the knowledge of what will be after your death: what you sow here, you will reap there. After leaving here, no one can make progress. Here is the work, there the reward; here the struggle, there the crowns." + St. Barsanuphius the Great (+545) Instructions, 606
He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.
"Does toil frighten you? No athlete is crowned but in the sweat of his brow. Are you anxious as regards food? Faith fears no famine." + St. Jerome (+420) Letter 14
He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
"The devil makes small sins seem smaller in our eyes, for otherwise he can't lead us to greater evil." + St. Mark the Ascetic (+360) Homilies, 2:94
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
"One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends." + St. Nikolai Velimirovich (+1956) Prayers By the Lake (A Treasury of Serbian Orthodox Spirituality, Volume 5)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
"The prayer of one who does not consider himself a sinner is not accepted by the Lord." + St. Isaac the Syrian (+700) Homilies, 55
yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
“A man can never learn what divine power is while he abides in comfort and spacious living.” + St. Isaac the Syrian (+700) Homily 72
Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
"He does not show humility who accuses himself (for who will not accept rebukes from himself?), but he who, being rebuked by another, does not decrease his love toward him." + St. John of the Ladder (+649) Ladder, 22.17
"Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me.
"Just as bread is the most necessary of all foods, so the thought of death is the most essential of all works." + St. John Climacus (+649) The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 6.4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
"God will cleanse your sins if you yourself are dissatisfied with yourself and will keep on changing until you are perfect." + St. Augustine (+430) Sermons on I John, I.7
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
"There is your brother, naked, crying, and you stand there, confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering." + St. Ambrose of Milan (+397) De Nabuthe Jezraelite, XIII.56
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
“Today people want to be loved and for this reason they are unsuccessful. The correct way is to not be interested in whether or not people love you, but whether or not you love Christ and people. This is the only way that the soul is filled.” + St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia (+1991) Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives and Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece, Chapter 10, Counsels
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
"Do not be afraid, you are not alone. Lonely is he who does not know God, even if he is friends with half the world." + St. Nikolai Velimirovich (+1956)
In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
“To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty.” + St. Justin Martyr (+165) Fragments, Fragment 18
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
“The only hope of salvation from the delusions and the heresies, the innovations and the traps of wicked people and of the devil is prayer, repentance and humility.” + St. Joseph the Hesychast (+1959) Elder Joseph the Hesychast: Struggles, Experiences, Teachings
Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
"Do not desire to hear about the misfortunes of those who oppose you. For those who listen to such speech later reap the fruits of their evil intention." + St. Mark the Ascetic (+360) Homilies, 2.173
And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
"Are you a sinner? Do not become discouraged, and come to Church to put forward repentance." + St. John Chrysostom (+407) On Repentance and Almsgiving, Homily 2
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
"Are you angry? Be angry at your sins, beat your soul, afflict your conscience, but be strict in judgment and a terrible punisher of your own sins. This is the benefit of anger, wherefore God placed it in us." + St. John Chrysostom (+407) Conversation of Ephesians, 2
Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
"Woe to our times: we now depart from the narrow and sorrowful path leading to eternal life and we seek a happy and peaceful path." + St. Macarius of Optina (+1860) Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
"You must teach yourself how to eat less, but with discernment, insofar as your work allows. The measure of temperance should be such that after lunch you want to pray." + St. Silouan the Athonite (+1938) Writings, V.8
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
"Here is consolation for those whom the tempest breaks! Let them only remember: There Christ is beside them and let them not be afraid. He is the Helmsman. Here is consolation for those who are sick! Let them know that Christ is there beside their bed and let them not despair. He is the Physician." + St. Nikolai Velimirovich (+1956) Prologue of Ohrid, Pg. 128
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
"We must first strive for the peace which is possible among men and then ask God for His peace as is necessary for each virtue. For there is a moderation which is acquired by asceticism, and there is a moderation which is given to the soul by God. The same is true of love, prayer, wisdom and all the rest." + St. Nicholas Cabasilas (+1392) Interpretation of the Divine Liturgy, II, 13
So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
"Anyone who considers himself guilty before God and repents must believe that the reproach and contempt of others towards him is just and to be endured." + St. Gregory Palamas (+1359) Homilies, p.13
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
"If a man does not tell everything to his spiritual father, then his path is crooked and does not lead to the Kingdom of Heaven. But the path of one who tells everything leads directly to the Kingdom of Heaven." + St. Silouan the Athonite (+1938) Writings, XIII.9
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
“The enemy will run like a wild ass from the man who has tasted the sweetness of prayer.” + St. Cleopa of Romania (+1998)
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
"The forgiveness of insults is a sign of true love, free from hypocrisy. For thus the Lord also loved this world." + St. Mark the Ascetic (+360) Homilies, 2.48
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
“He who wants God to hear his prayer quickly must, before anything else, as soon as he gets up to speak to God, pray with all his heart for his enemies, and God will then hear all he has to ask.” + Abba Zeno the Wonderworker (+451) The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
"All virtues help the mind to acquire divine love. But most of all, the pure prayer. For by this it flies to God, coming out of all that is." + St. Maximus the Confessor (+662) Chapters about Love
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
"Just as a strongly flowing fountain is not blocked up by a handful of earth, so the compassion of our Creator is not overcome by the wickedness of his creatures" + St. Isaac the Syrian (+700)
However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
"The Gospel is whatever Christ is, who, descending from Heaven to Earth, brought with Him as God, and whatever He did for us as God-man, and whatever He gave us as Savior in His God-human body, in the Church. These things constitute the Gospel." + St. Justin Popovich (+1972) Man and God-man, Studies about Orthodox Theology, 1974