“He who has realized love for God in his heart is tireless in his pursuit of the Lord his God, and bears every hardship, reproach and insult nobly, never thinking the least evil of anyone.” ThinkingHeartChristianEvilLordBearsPursuitGod LoveInsultOrthodoxHardshipOrthodox ChristianReproachInsulted Author:Maximus the Confessor
“Dispassion and humility lead to spiritual knowledge. Without them no one will see the Lord.” ChristianSpiritualLordHumilityOrthodoxOrthodox ChristianSpiritual Knowledge Author:Maximus the Confessor
“The patient endurance of the saints exhausts the evil power that attacks them, since it makes them glory in sufferings undergone for the sake of the truth. It teaches those too much concerned with a life in the flesh to deepen themselves through such sufferings instead of pursuing ease and comfort; and it makes the flesh's natural weakness in the endurance of suffering a foundation for overwhelming spiritual power. For the natural weakness of the saints is precisely such a foundation, since the Lord has made their weakness stronger than the proud devil.” MadeChristianSpiritualSufferingEvilNaturalLordTeachToo MuchProudComfortGloryWeaknessDevilConcernedStrongerFoundationPatientSakeSaintFleshEaseEnduranceOrthodoxOverwhelmingOrthodox ChristianSpiritual Power Author:Maximus the Confessor
“He who is a beginner on the way must not be brought to practise the commandments by kindness alone, but must more often be induced to continue the struggle by being rigorously reminded of God's judgment. In this way he will not only be moved by love to desire what is divine, but will be moved by fear to avoid what is evil. For 'I will sing to Thee, O Lord, of mercy and judgment' (Ps. 101:1 LXX). He will sing to God charmed by love, and steeled by fear he will have strength for the song.” WayChristianDesireSongEvilLordKindnessStruggleDivineJudgmentMercyMovedTheeOrthodoxCommandmentsOrthodox ChristianOften IsBeginnersPractiseCharmedHaving Strength Author:Maximus the Confessor
“If we keep the path of virtue undefiled through devout and true knowledge, and do not deviate to either side, we will experience the advent of God revealed to us because of our dispassion. For 'I will sing a psalm and in a pure path I will understand when Thou wilt come to me' (cf. Ps. 101:1-2). The psalm stands for virtuous conduct; understanding indicates the spiritual knowledge, gained through virtue, by means of which we perceive God's advent, when we wait for the Lord vigilant in the virtues.” IfsMeanChristianSpiritualWaitingUnderstandingSidesLordVirtuePathPurePerceiveOrthodoxVirtuousOrthodox ChristianAdventVigilantPsalmsCfsTrue KnowledgeDeviateSpiritual KnowledgeKnowledge Gained Author:Maximus the Confessor
“Those who seek the Lord should not look for Him outside themselves; on the contrary, they must seek Him within themselves through faith made manifest in action. For He is near you: 'The word is... in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith' (Rom. 10:8) - Christ being Himself the word that is sought.” ShouldLooksHeartMadeActionChristianChristLordMouthsContraryOrthodoxManifestOrthodox Christian Author:Maximus the Confessor
“Remember how the Lord rebukes Martha when He says: 'You are anxious and troubled about many things: one thing alone is needful' (Lk. 10:41-42) ? to hear the divine word; after that, one should be content with anything that comes to hand.” ShouldHandsChristianRememberLordOne ThingDivineOrthodoxAnxiousOrthodox ChristianRebuke Author:Evagrius Ponticus
“... we should not worry about clothes or food? Such anxiety is a mark of? unbelievers, who reject the providence of the Lord and deny the Creator. An attitude of this kind is entirely wrong for Christians who believe that even? sparrows? are under the care of the holy angels (cf. Mt. 10:29). The demons, however? suggest worries of this kind? The divine word can bear no fruit, being choked out by our cares. Let us, then, renounce these cares, and throw them down before the Lord, being content with what we have at the moment?” ShouldBelieveKindMomentsCareChristianAttitudeLordWorryDivineBearsHolyAnxietyClothesAngelMarkFruitCreatorDenyDemonRejectsOrthodoxProvidenceOrthodox ChristianRenounceSparrowsCfsUnbelieversBeing Content Author:Evagrius Ponticus
“How can it be other than right to worship the Body of the Lord, all-holy and all-reverend as it is, announced as it was by the archangel Gabriel, formed by the Holy Spirit, and made the Vesture of the Word? It was at any rate a bodily hand that the Word stretched out to raise her that was sick of a fever (Mk. 1:31): a human voice that He uttered to raise Lazarus - the dead (Jn. 11:43); and, once again, stretching out His hands upon the Cross, He overthrew the prince of the power of the air, that now works (Eph. 2:2) in the sons of disobedience, and made the way clear for us into the heavens.” WayHumansMadeBodyHandsChristianSpiritHeavenVoiceLordClearAirSonHolyWorshipCrossesSickRaisesRateHoly SpiritOrthodoxDisobedienceFeverOrthodox ChristianStretchingGabrielArchangelHuman VoiceReverendsLazarus Author:John of Kronstadt
“... faithfully and strenuously you should resist the heretics in defense of the only true and life-giving faith, which the Church has received - the apostles and imparted to her sons. For the Lord of all gave to His apostles the power of the Gospel, through whom also we have known the truth, that is, the doctrine of the Son of God: to whom also did the Lord declare: 'He who hears you, hears Me; and he who despises you, despises Me, and Him who sent Me' (Lk. 10:16).” GivingShouldChristianChurchKnownLordSonDefenseDoctrineOrthodoxDespiseApostlesOrthodox ChristianHeretic Author:Pope Clement I
“When our Lord says, 'I have not spoken of Myself' (Jn. 12:49), and again, 'As the Father said to Me, so I speak' (Jn. 12:50), and 'The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's Who sent Me' (Jn. 14:24), and in another place, 'As the Father commanded Me, even so I do' (Jn. 14:31), it is not because He lacks deliberate purpose or power of initiative, nor yet because He has to wait for the preconcerted key-note, that He employs language of this kind. His object is to make it plain that His own will is connected in indissoluble union with the Father.” KindSaidChristianPurposeFatherSpeakLanguageWaitingLordObjectsMinesKeysUnionsNotesConnectedOrthodoxInitiativeDeliberateOur LordOrthodox Christian Author:Saint Basil
“Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” ShouldJesusChristPrayerLordPracticeSonJesus ChristDecidedMercySinnerRemembranceOrthodox ChristianLord Jesus ChristLord God Author:Seraphim of Sarov