Cover a man who stumbles, so long as you receive no harm from him …and give him encouragement. Then your Master’s loving kindness will bear you up.”
Abba Isaak
holy outbursts
Grace acts secretly, but often it bursts out in the open, in holy outbursts and deeds… there is fire inside wood but it is hidden. Rub a piece of wood against another piece, and you get smoke :: then fire appears.
There is electricity in amber and sealing wax but it is not visible. Rub a piece and immediately you will notice the attraction of small particles and even some sparking.
The telegraph is also silent, but as soon as the device begins to produce friction, electricity immediately awakens and acts swiftly.
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saint theophan the recluse
only one thing is needed
only one thing is needed
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Spiritual needs are above all, and when they are satisfied, then even though the others are not :: peace exists ~ but when spiritual needs are not satisfied, then even though all other needs are richly satisfied, there is no peace.
That is why the satisfaction of them is called
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the one thing needful
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Saint Theophan the Recluse
o ye peoples
O ye peoples of the earth, fashioned by God, know your Creator and His love for us!
Know the love of Christ, and live in peace and thereby rejoice in the Lord,
Who in His mercy waits for all men to come unto Him.
Saint Silouan
ye shall find rest
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matt 11:29-30
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“The spirit as a force which has come from God, knows God, seeks God and in Him alone finds rest”
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saint theophan the recluse
on what is prayer
“to pray is to stand before God
with the mind in the heart and to go on standing
before Him day and night until the end of life”
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Saint Theophan the Recluse
everything is simple
“Everything is simple. Begin gradually and you will be able to do everything. Even if you are not able to do everything as you would like. Do what you are able to do. The Lord is not strict about minor details. He values diligence and purpose.”
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Saint Theophan the Recluse
heart of humus
“The sowing, germination and development of the Christian life differs in essence from the sowing, germination and development of the natural life. The difference is the result of the special character of the natural life and its relationship to our human nature. A man is not born a Christian, but becomes such after birth.
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The seed of Christ falls on a heart that is already beating.
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Since the natural man is fallen, he is opposed to the demands of Christianity. In a plant, however, the beginning of life is the stirring sprout in the seed, an awakening of dormant powers.
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The beginning of a true Christian life in man is a kind of re-creation and rebirth, an endowment of new powers and of new life.”
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Saint Theophan the Recluse
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just how is one to be
on guarding the heart
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“Just how is one to be?…to shun everyone is, of course impossible, but refuse whenever possible to enter into this circle of worldly life. When it does pull you against your will, act as if you were not there.
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look but do not see, listen but do not hear
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Let what you see pass by your eyes and what you hear pass by your ears. Outwardly behave like everyone else, be straightforward and sincere, but guard your heart from sympathies and attractions.
The main thing is to guard the heart, then you will be there in body but not in soul, faithfully carrying out the commandment of the Apostle ‘be as they that use this world, as not abusing it ‘(1 Cor 7:31)”
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Saint Theophan the Recluse
the force of love
“the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12)
“No one on this earth can avoid affliction and although the afflictions that the Lord sends are not great – men imagine them beyond their strength and are crushed by them. This is because they will not humble their souls and commit themselves to the Will of God. But the Lord Himself guides with Grace those who are given over to God’s will and they bear all things with fortitude for the sake of God whom they so loved. And through Him they are glorified forever. It is impossible to escape tribulation in this world but the man who is given over to the Will of God bears tribulation easily by putting his trust in the Lord – so his tribulations pass. Embracing suffering with Faith and Trust – that is the key to beating them without getting crushed by them.
+Elder Sophrony
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