The prayer of…
The prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that he is praying.
— Saint Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356)
Holiness does not…
Holiness does not demand anything great, beyond the ability of the person. It depends on God’s love; every daily act can be transformed into an act of love.
— Saint Ursula Julia Ledochowska (1865-1939)
Thy will be done…
Here is the luminous teaching of our Savior: “Thy will be done.” (Matt. 6:10). Whoever sincerely pronounces this prayer leaves his own will and puts all things in the will of God. But the will inspired by the demons consists is self-justification and trust in ourselves, and then they easily subject a man who receives this sort of thought.
— Saint Barsanuphius the Great (Sixth Century)
A life lived…
A life lived in the world can be as good, in the eyes of God, as one spent in a monastery. It is indeed only the keeping of God’s commandments, love of all, and a true sense of humility that matter, wherever we are.
— Saint Macarius of Optina (1788-1860)
Christ both did and taught…
But it is the will of God that Christ both did and taught. Humility in dealings with others; steadfastness in faith; modesty in words; justice in deeds; mercifulness in works; discipline in morals. To be unable to do a wrong, and to be able to bear a wrong when it is done; to keep peace with the brethren; to love God with all one’s heart; to love God because he is a Father but fear him because he is God; to prefer nothing whatever to Christ because he preferred nothing to us; to adhere inseparably to his love; to stand faithfully and bravely by his cross; when there is any conflict over his name and honor, to exhibit in discourse that steadfastness in which we proclaim him; in torture, to show that confidence in which we unite; in death, that patience in which we are crowned – this is what it means to want to be co-heirs with Christ, this is what it means to do what God commands, this is what it is to fulfill the will of the Father.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
The Cross is…
The Cross is the resurrection of the dead. The Cross is the hope of Christians…The Cross is the foundation of the Church, the establishment of the universe. –Saint Ephrem of Syria (c. 306 – 373)
About
