Let there be one home, one table, a shared wealth, one bed, and one soul for you, and make room for the fear of the Lord in your midst. Fear of the Lord is the ornament of the marriage bed; the marriage bed that is devoid of it will be judged cursed and unclean by the Lord.
–Elizabeth of Schönau (1129-1165)
God cares not for your works, when He is deprived of your heart and love.
–Johannes Tauler OP (1300–1361)
Turn away from all that you will so soon be forced to leave; set not your heart on anything so transitory.
–Saint John of Ávila (1500-1569)
Do not be upset if you do not immediately receive what you asked God to give you. The Lord wants to give you greater things than you have even thought to pray for – to teach you to persevere in prayer.
–Evagrius Ponticus (345-399)
How lovely is prayer, and how radiant are its works. Prayer is acceptable to God when it goes with good deeds, and it is heard when it rises out of a spirit of forgiveness. Prayer is always answered when it is pure and sincere. Prayer is powerful when it is suffused with God’s vigor.
–Saint Aphrahat the Persian (270-345)
If, in the course of your prayers, you feel a special joy or are moved in the heart by something, then stay with it for a while.
–Saint John Climacus (c. 525-606)
