Let us work at being renewed…
Hour by hour, day by day, let us by penitence work at being renewed, so that we may learn to fight and wrestle with the devils, our enemies who are always at war with us.
–Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
We shall deliver our souls…
We see many men who are moved by the desire of transitory things to endure many toils and labors. They will travel great distance and even disregard wife and children and every other glory and enjoyment, and prefer nothing to their purpose in order that they may secure the attainment of their goal. If, then, there are some who make every effort to attain transitory and temporal ends even to the point of laying down their very lives, shall we not deliver our souls and bodies to death for the sake of the King of kings and Lord of lords (I Tim 6:15), the Creator and Sovereign of all things?
–Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
Listen less to listen more…
Listen rather less to your own thoughts, so as to be able to listen more to God.
–François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
Let us give ourselves to God…
Let us give ourselves to God without any reserve, and let us fear nothing. He will love us, and we shall love Him. His love, increasing every day, will take the place of everything else to us. He will fill our whole hearts; He will deprive us only of those things that make us unhappy. He will cause us to do in general, what we have been doing already, but which we have done in an unsatisfactory manner; whereas, hereafter, we shall do them well, because they will be done for His sake. Even the smallest actions of a simple and common life will be turned to consolation and recompense. We shall meet the approach of death in peace; it will be changed for us into the beginning of the immortal life.
–François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
We can reach spiritual maturity…
We do not reach the final stage of spiritual maturity through divine power and grace alone, without ourselves making any effort; but neither on the other hand do we attain the final measure of freedom and purity as a result of our own diligence and strength alone, apart from any divine assistance. “If the Lord does not build the house, it is said, and protect the city, in vain does the watchman keep awake, and in vain do the laborer and the builder work.” (Psalm 127:1)
–Saint Macarius the Great (295-392)
Concealed sins of the soul…
The virgin soul that desires to be united to God must keep itself pure not only from overt sins like unchastity, murder, theft, gluttony, backbiting, falsity, avarice, greed and so on; but to an even greater degree it must keep itself pure from sins that are hidden, such as desire, self-esteem, love of popularity, hypocrisy, love of power, wiliness, malice, hatred, unbelief, envy, self-love, affectation and other things of this kind. According to Scripture, these concealed sins of the soul are just as pernicious as the overt sins.
–Saint Macarius the Great (295-392)
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