“Virtues are in the middle, the royal way about which the saintly elder (Saint Basil the Great) said, "Travel on the royal way and count the miles." As I said, the virtues are at the midpoint between excess and laxness. That is why it is written, "Do not turn to the right or the left" (Prov 4:27) but travel on the "royal way" (Num. 20:17). Saint Basil also says, "The person who does not allow his thoughts to incline towards excess or deprivation but directs it to the midpoint, that of virtue, is upright in heart."” WayHeartPersonsDoeSaidTruthTurnsLeftVirtueWrittenMiddleSaintMilesExcessRoyalEldersDeprivationInclineBasil Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“Therefore, we know about God that He loves and shows pity on His creatures, and also that He is the source of wisdom and knows how to govern everything concerning us. Nothing is impossible for Him, but everything is subject to His will. We must also realize that everything He does is for our benefit and we must accept it with thankfulness...as from a benefactor and a good lord even if is troublesome. For everything is done with right judgment, and God, Who is merciful, does not overlook even the smallest sadness that we suffer.” IfsKnowsDoeDoneShowsSufferingRealizingCompassionAcceptingLordKnow HowImpossibleSadnessSubjectsSourceWords Of WisdomCreaturesBenefitsJudgmentPitySmallestThankfulnessMercifulTroublesomeNothing Is ImpossibleBenefactors Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“A man who gives way to his passions is like a man who is shot by an enemy, catches the arrow in his hands, and then plunges it into his own heart. A man who is resisting his passions is like a man who is shot by an enemy, and although the arrow hits him, it does not seriously wound him because he is wearing a breastplate. But the man who is uprooting his passions is like a man who is shot by an enemy, but who strikes the arrow and shatters it or turns it back into his enemies heart.” MenWayGivingHeartDoeHandsTurnsPassionEnemyHe ManShotsStrikesWoundsDenialArrowsPlungeResistingSelf-denialUprooting Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“It is God, Who is merciful and grants everyone what he needs, Who is building him up when He gives him more than he needs; in doing so He shows the abundance of His love for men and teaches him to give thanks. When He does not grant him what he needs, He makes him compensate for the thing he needs through the working of the mind and teaches him patience.” MenNeedsGivingMindDoeShowsChristianTeachBuildingThanksAbundanceOrthodoxGrantsHis LoveOrthodox ChristianMerciful Book:Discourses and Sayings Source: Discourses and Sayings
“If a man really sets his heart upon the will of God, God will enlighten a little child to tell that man what is His will. But if a man does not truly desire the will of God, even if he goes in search of a prophet, God will put into the heart of the prophet a reply like the deception in his own heart.” IfsMenHeartChildrenLittlesDoeChristianDesireGods WillDeceptionProphetOrthodoxEnlighteningOrthodox Christian Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“By accepting a suspicion against the neighbor, by saying, 'What does it matter if I put in a word about my suspicion? What does it matter if I find out what my brother is saying or what a guest is doing?' the mind begins to forget about its own sins and to talk idly about his neighbor, speaking evil against him, despising him, and from this he falls into the very thing he condemns. Because we become careless about our own faults and do not lament our own death, we lose the power to correct ourselves and we are always at work on our neighbor.” IfsMindDoeMatterChristianFallEvilLosesSinForgetAcceptingBrotherFaultsNeighborMy BrotherOrthodoxGuestsSuspicionCarelessLamentDoes It Matter Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“When the devil looks at a man who sincerely desires not to sin, he is not so unintelligent as to suggest to him (as he would to a hardened sinner) that he go and commit fornication or go and steal. He knows we do not want that and he does not set out to tell us something we do not want to hear; but he finds out that little bit of self-will or self-righteousness and through that, with the appearance of well doing, he will do us harm.” KnowsMenWantWellsLooksLittlesDoeSelfChristianDesireBitsSinLittle BitDevilAppearanceHarmStealingCommitSinnerOrthodoxRighteousnessSincerelyOrthodox ChristianHardenedSelf RighteousnessSelf WillUnintelligent Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“He answered, "The woman whom You gave to be with me" (Gen 3:9-12), he did not say, "the woman deceived me," but "The woman whom You gave to me," as if he wanted to say: "This catastrophe has come upon me because of You." So it is, brethren, since Man is not accustomed to blame himself. He does not hesitate to consider even God as the cause of evil.” IfsMenDoeWantedEvilCausesHumilityBlameCatastropheAccustomedDeceivedBrethrenBecause Of You Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
