Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior

Every temptation, every trouble, every attack of the devil, if we are attentive and patient, can bring us great benefit. The devil attacked Job with such fury! But what harm did he do to him in the end? Nothing. On the contrary, it brought him greater holiness and a brighter glory. When we are vigilant, the devil cannot harm us. However, he can, without his will, be of use to us, increase our virtue. Look what happens when someone blows on a fire. At first, it seems to put it out. But in the end, not only does he not put it out, but he inflames it even more. Without problems, without troubles, without illnesses, without sorrows, what would a man do? He would give himself up to debauchery and drunkenness, he would wallow in the mire like a pig, he would completely forget God and His commandments. But in this way, the struggles and fears, the troubles and trials keep him in a certain state of wakefulness; they become schools of philosophy for him, exercises of the soul. Just as the golds...

“Let us not do good deeds to receive blessings. Let us cultivate the noble and precious love that God has, and not the cheap, worldly love, full of human weaknesses. — Father, it is difficult for me to offer my love where it is not appreciated. — You do not have true love, that is why you struggle. Whoever has true love does not think whether his love is appreciated or not. The sacrifice he makes for his neighbor, because he does it out of pure love, he does not even remember. — How can I, Father, forget the good I do? — Throw it to the wind... And so you will forget it. But also forget the evil that others do to you. In this way you will gather spiritual wealth without realizing it.” Saint Paisios Agioritos

The Christian must guard against sick conceit, that is, both the feeling of superiority for his virtues and the feeling of inferiority for his sinfulness. The inferiority complex is one thing, and humility is quite another; repentance is one thing, and melancholy is quite another. A psychiatrist once came to me and began to condemn Christianity because, he said, it creates complexes of guilt and melancholy. I replied: “I agree that some Christians, because of their own mistakes or those of others, are trapped in the guilt complex, but you must also agree that those in the world often fall into an even more serious disease – pride. The religious consciousness of guilt, along with Christ, disappears, finally, through repentance and confession, while the pride of those who live far from Christ does not disappear at all.” Through these explanations, many of my doubts regarding the psychological problems of Christian life were dispelled. I understood that the Elder wanted us to guard agains...

An eagle was flying high, enjoying the beauty of the world and thinking to himself: "I fly over vast distances: valleys and mountains, seas and rivers, fields and forests; I see a multitude of animals and birds; I see cities and villages and how people live. But the country rooster knows nothing outside the yard in which he lives and sees only a few people and a few animals. I will fly to him and tell him about the life of the world." And the eagle came to sit on the roof of the farm and saw how cheerfully and cheerfully the rooster walked among the hens and thought: "It means that he is satisfied with his fate; but, nevertheless, I will tell him what I know." And the eagle began to talk to the rooster about the beauty and wealth of the world. At first, the rooster listened attentively, but did not understand anything. Seeing that he did not understand anything, the eagle became sad and found it difficult to talk to the rooster. In turn, the rooster, not understandi...

Remember, my soul, the terrible and terrifying miracle of your Creator, Who for you became man and suffered for your salvation; His angels tremble, the Cherubim are terrified, the Seraphim are terrified, and all the heavenly powers glorify Him unceasingly, and you, unhappy soul, are lazy, at least from now on do not postpone, my dear soul, holy repentance, sorrow of heart and atonement for your sins. But postponing year after year, month after month, and day after day, you will no longer want to repent with all your heart, and you will not find anyone to pity you; oh, with how many torments you will begin to repent, but to no avail. Having the opportunity to do a good deed today, do not postpone, my beloved soul, do not postpone holy repentance, because you cannot know what today may bring, any misfortune may befall you tonight, because you do not know what day or night will bring you: a long life or a hard and sudden death awaits you. Today, my dear soul, is the time of holy repentanc...

The Fathers said about a brother who lived near a great elder, that, entering the elder's cell, he stole. And the elder saw and did not rebuke him, but worked harder, saying that perhaps the brother was in need. And the elder had much hardship, hardly earning his bread. When the elder was about to die, the brothers surrounded him and, seeing the one who stole from him, he said to him: - Come near to me. And he kissed his hands, saying: - I thank these hands, for through them I go to the Kingdom of Heaven! And that one, humbling himself and repenting, also became a skilled monk, from the deeds he saw in that great elder. Extract from the Egyptian Patericon .

What a good model of teaching the Samaritan woman presents to us today! She had gone to get ordinary water, but at the spring of ordinary water she found the spring of salvation. It is clear that her soul was not completely absorbed by daily worries. Therefore, the Lord managed, in a few words, to shift her attention from earthly things to heavenly things and, under the pretext of drawing water, teaches her to seek that water after which the one who drinks it will never thirst. “ Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst, for the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water springing up to eternal life ” (John 4:13-14). Hearing this, the woman said to Him, pleading: “Lord, give me this water!” The Holy Church, in her hymns on this day, draws our special attention to this moment and presents to us the Lord, Who calls us: “ Let anyone who thirsts come to Me and drink ” – expecting us, li...

You write to me that you are tired of earthly life. But have you forgotten what awaits sinful people in the afterlife? For it is a million times harder and more painful there than on earth, and those who have lived here by chance are not accepted into God's Paradise. Therefore, we must first obtain through repentance and tears the forgiveness of sins and pray to God to have mercy on us at His Terrible Judgment. It is better for Him to punish us here than to send us to eternal torment beyond, which we deserve because of our daily sins. Humble yourself, correct yourself, and consider yourself the worst of all people in the world. Venerable Joseph of Optina

When you begin to pray, you remember your sins and weep for them . That is how you should pray. Sometimes you feel peace and joy, and you think that these are from the enemy. If they were from the enemy, according to the sayings of the Holy Fathers, the joy would be confused, it would not bring peace and tranquility to the soul. And do not be surprised that the Lord gives you peace and tranquility in prayer, for this does not always happen according to your worthiness, but according to the unknown judgments of God . And therefore, when you feel such joy and tranquility, consider yourself completely unworthy of this gift of God and completely reproach yourself before the Lord, saying that because of your carelessness, you cannot keep this gift in yourself and that is why you are quickly losing it . Elder Joseph of Optina

Temptations are permitted to reveal your hidden passions, so that they may be fought, and thus the soul may be healed. And these are proofs of divine mercy . Therefore, confidently leave yourself in the hands of God and ask for His help, so that He may strengthen you in your struggle. Hope in God never leads you to despair . Temptations bring humility . God knows the patience of each of us and allows temptations according to our strength. But let us also take care to be vigilant and mindful, so that we ourselves do not lead ourselves into temptation. Trust in the good, powerful, and living God, and He will lead you to rest. After trials, spiritual joy follows. The Lord follows those who endure trials and tribulations out of love for Him. Do not be discouraged in spirit and do not be afraid . I do not want you to grieve and be troubled by everything that happens against your will, no matter how righteous it may be. Such grief testifies to the existence of selfishness. Be mindful of the...

What can we do when the grip of passions is stronger than the love of Christ? How do we pass from death to life? Archim. Zacharias: Kneeling and confessing to God precisely what is happening within us: “ Lord, You see, I am weak and cannot resist these passions without Your help. But You, Lord, come and dwell in my heart, and by Your power make me strong not only to resist these passions, but also to accept Your will as the law of my existence, which will raise my life above this world and its passions. ” Always, when we feel weak, we must confess our helplessness before God and call upon His help, humbly surrendering ourselves to His power. We must remember that with His help we can become victorious even over our helplessness. The victory is His, but He is pleased to share it with us. Archimandrite Zaharia Zaharou

“ The moments of suffering and sacrifice are moments of blessing , for next to every cross there is a resurrection.” Dear believers, the life of each of us is sprinkled with trials. There are moments when the pain seems too great, when the tears no longer stop, and when we wonder why we have to go through such suffering. But faith teaches us a profound truth: no cross is useless and no suffering is meaningless . Jesus Christ showed us through His life that the path to glory passes through the cross . He did not avoid suffering, but accepted it with humility and love , transforming it into victory. Through His Resurrection, He gave us all the hope that after every night comes a morning, after every tear comes comfort. Suffering, no matter how hard it is, has the power to draw us closer to God. In moments of trial, man turns more sincerely to prayer, seeks help, and opens his heart. There, in the silence of pain, God works most profoundly. Sacrifice, in turn, is a proof of love . When yo...

A simple, thoughtless word, even an innocent one, said in an instant about someone, how much you have to beg to get rid of its consequences. And who can assure you that you are truly forgiven? A spiritual father can even forgive you for the deed, but you bear its consequence. How good it is to know how to be silent and to know how to speak nicely about others! Who knows how much God loves the one whom the world points its finger at?! How much the Lord Jesus Christ is angry with empty words, unnecessary words, shameful words, and especially murderous words. This self-control will be much praised, pleasing, and crowned. See how much one can gain in one day with a closed mouth? Archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc

The saints never asked to be free from troubles. But may God grant them patience! Because in patience the reward is gained. In patience, the martyr's crown is received, not in joy. Therefore, let no man despair. Do you have an illness? Do you have sadness? Let God lead you as He knows how. What concerns us is to be patient and to say: " Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me! ". Every man has his cross. We are Christians, and we have Christ as our model. He went up to Golgotha ​​... if indeed we suffer with Him, that together with Him we may also be glorified (Romans 8:17). But we say it (all of us). But when we have to put these words into practice, it is a little hard, a little hard, we would say. Father Ephrem Katunayake

Judging things superficially, some conclude that God is forgetful or evil. You see, man, at the suggestion of Satan, does nothing but blame God and his fellow men for his own mistakes. If we start from the idea that God is good, we will deduce that there is a well-founded reason for that delay. We must seek to find out what we have to gain from it. Here is what has just occurred to me: Just as He does not “punish” us immediately for our unseemly deeds, but gives us time to see our mistake and ask His forgiveness, so too, for a good reason, He does not reward us immediately for the good we have done and does not fulfill our requests at once. The Lord “delays” both the punishment and the reward. Otherwise, there would be a danger of falling into the sin of pride if God answered our prayers immediately. You see, few people are spiritually mature enough for this not to offend them. Kiris Vasile

“I was wrong” has the power to deliver from hell Devils, out of pride, turned away from God thousands of years ago and continue to turn away from pride and remain unrepentant. If they said a “Lord have mercy,” God would do something for them too. Let them say a “I was wrong”; but they do not say “I was wrong.” If the devil had said “I was wrong,” he would have become an angel again. God’s love knows no bounds. But the devil has a stiff will, stubbornness, selfishness; he does not want to bow down, he does not want to be saved. A frightening thing! And this even though they were angels! Saint Paisios the Athonite

– Elder, what will help me not to judge? – Is everything always as you think? – No. – Well, then you should say: “I do not always think correctly; I am often wrong. Here, in this case I thought this way, but it turned out that I was wrong. In the other case, I judged in one way, but I was mistaken, and thus I wronged the other. Therefore, I must not listen to my thoughts.” Each of us, more or less, has had cases when he was mistaken in his judgment. If he remembers the cases when he judged and was mistaken, then he will avoid judging. But even if he was never mistaken, but was right, how does he know the intentions of the other? Does he know how this or that thing happened? Let us not jump to conclusions easily. When I was young, I too was always judging. Because I lived with little thoughtfulness and had a false piety, I judged everything that seemed to me wrong. When someone lives in the world a little more spiritually, he can see many flaws in others, and almost none of the virtues....

A man who loved Christ, from Babylon in Egypt, and was one of the honorable, was a few years ago entrusted by the authorities with the care of the prison, behaving well and compassionately towards those imprisoned therein. We need not mention his name, for he is still alive. This man told us with the most terrifying oaths: “One day, after some sorcerers had been imprisoned with me, I often went in to examine them separately, as is the custom of those who are entrusted with such a task, taking down their statements and their words in writing, in order to bring the matter to the authorities. One of them, who was older, when he saw my discernment, that I behaved towards them with love for people and that I had feelings of compassion for all those there, took me aside and said to me in the Theban language: “ I swear to you by God, Who delivered us into your hands, that you will never sit at our examination, of the four sorcerers, without first taking communion and wearing the cross around ...

Nothing is accidental on earth, nothing is done without God's providence ! We resist divine providence and grumble, as a child does when his mother or father forbids him. And he reacts out of selfishness and stubbornness that are evident in his request. He may even leave home and curse his parents because they did not do his will. When you have a suffering, a temptation, a spiritual, physical, or economic hardship, whether it is illness, temptation, or any other evil, kneel down and pray, asking that God's will be done and not yours. And God, Who permits temptation, at the same time offers man the means by which he can overcome it. Pain also exerts its work on the saints, in order to multiply their glory in Heaven, thanks to the patience they show! But often, saints also suffer to be an example to other people, as happened with the much-tried Job, with Saint Singlitichia, and with so many other saints. Abba Ephrem the Philotheus

The friends of Christ love everyone from the heart. But they are not loved by everyone. And the friends of the world neither love everyone, nor are they loved by everyone. The friends of Christ keep their love uninterrupted until the end; the friends of the world, until they clash with each other because of the things of the world. In all that we do, God takes into account the purpose, as has often been said: whether we work for Him, or for something else. Therefore, when we want to do any good, let us have as our purpose not the pleasure of men, but God, so that, always looking to Him, we may do everything for Him, lest we both endure fatigue and lose the reward. Saint Maximus the Confessor