“A man who prays without ceasing, if he achieves something, knows why he achieved it, and can take no pride in it... for he cannot attribute it to his own powers, but attributes all his achievements to God, always renders thanks to him and constantly calls upon him, trembling lest he be deprived of help.” IfsKnowsMenHelpingAchievePridePrayingAchievementThanksAttributesDeprivedTremblingThanks To Him Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“A man obtains the fear of God if he has the remembrance of his unavoidable death and of the eternal torments that await sinners; If he tests himself every evening as to how he has spent the day, and every morning as to how he has spent the night, and if is not sharp in his relations with others.” IfsMenInspirationalChristianNightReligiousMorningEternalTestsRelationEveningSinnerOrthodoxEvery MorningRemembranceTorment 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
“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
“Self-indulgence takes many forms. A man may be self-indulgent in speech, in touch, in sight. From self-indulgence a man comes to idle speech and worldly talk, to buffoonery and cracking indecent jokes. There is self-indulgence in touching without necessity, making mocking signs with the hands, pushing for a place, snatching up something for oneself, approaching someone else shamelessly. All these things come from not having the fear of God in the soul and from these a man comes little by little to perfect contempt.” MenMayLittlesSoulSelfHandsChristianFormPerfectSpeechJokesSightOneselfPushingOrthodoxTouchingContemptIdleWorldlyIndulgenceSelf IndulgenceSelf Indulgent Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“Sin is one thing but instinctive reaction or passion is another. These are our reactions: pride, anger, sexual indulgence, hate, greed, and so on. The corresponding sins are the gratification of these passions: when a man acts and brings into corporeal reality those works which were suggested to him by his desires. It is impossible to exist without desires arising, but not to give way to them is by no means impossible.” MenWayGivingMeanRealityChristianDesireHatePassionSinImpossibleOne ThingPrideGreedReactionsOrthodoxGratificationIndulgenceOrthodox ChristianCorresponding Book:Discourses and Sayings Source: Discourses and Sayings
“If you cannot be merciful, at least speak as though you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, at least do not be a troublemaker. If you cannot be assiduous, at least in your thought be like a sluggard. If you are not victorious, do not exalt yourself over the vanquished. If you cannot close the mouth of a man who disparages his companion, at least refrain from joining him in this.- St. Isaac the Syrian” IfsMenSpeakHumilityMouthsSinnerCompanionJoiningMercifulRefrainPeacemakerIsaacTroublemaker Author:Dorotheus of Gaza
“Oh, Brethren, what is the result of pride? Oh, see what humility can do? What was the need for all these sufferings? For, if from the beginning Man had humbled himself, obeyed God, and kept the commandment he would not have fallen.” IfsMenNeedsSufferingCan DoResultsHumilityPrideFallenCommandmentsBrethren 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
