+
afflictions will never cease, but God gives us the kind of heart we need, not to simply withstand them, but to profit by them.
+
like a city under perpetual siege, the human heart will always be surrounded and under perpetual attack, but it will always have God as its defender
+
elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
+
repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair.
+
Saint John Climacus
step 5 :: the ladder of divine ascent :: no. 1
+
longing for God extinguished longing for parents. and so anyone who says he has both is deceiving himself. he should listen to Him Who says “no one can serve two lords”
saint john climacus
step 3 :: on exile or pilgrimage :: no. 16
+
do all the good you can
do not speak evil of anyone
do not steal from anyone
do not lie to anyone
do not be arrogant toward anyone
do not hate anyone
do not be absent from the Divine Services
be compassionate to the needy
do not offend anyone
+
Saint John Climacus
the ladder of divine ascent
step 1 :: on renunciation of the world :: no. 21
+
A man does not cease to feel pain because he has seen God. On the contrary, God’s presence is often felt in the midst of great agony, in the midst of great pain, in moments of great loss and failure, for he who would lose his life for My sake shall find it (Matt 16:25).
+
Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
Psalms and the Life of Faith
+
never condemn anyone
do not even try to judge whether
a person is good or bad
but keep your eyes on that one
evil person whom you must give account for
—>yourself<—
+
saint ignatius brianchaninov
+
Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting point of our journey to Pascha.
+
Metropolitan Kallistos
the inner unity of the triodion
+
It is in the Liturgical assembly, through prayer and the Sacraments, that we experience and share in God’s love and holiness. God ceaselessly empties Himself, for no other reason than to fill us with Himself.
+
Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra
Psalms and the Life of Faith
+
Each person must bear the weaknesses of others.
Who is perfect?
Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled?
Hence we are all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that he, himself, is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another sick person.
+
Elder Ephraim of Philothoeu
+
To kindle the grace of God in yourself, exercise yourself also in reading the Word of God. The Word of God is a hammer that crushes and softens our stony hearts; it is a fire that burns away the uncleanness of our sins and warms our cold hearts (cf. Jer 23:29).
+
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
gladsomelife.com 