Those who pray…
Those who pray but accumulate sorrows and grudges inside them are likened to people who draw water from the well and empty it into a leaking container.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
You will not pray clearly…
A bound person cannot run. Nor can the mind, which works like a slave for a certain passion, be able to offer a true prayer, because it is dragged around and wanders here and there on account of impassioned thoughts and cannot remain undisturbed. You will not be able to pray clearly if you are preoccupied with material things and are agitated by incessant cares, because prayer implies riddance of every care.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
If we pray to God and…
If we weave by day and undo at night, nothing gets woven. If we build by day and destroy by night, nothing is ever built. If we pray to God and do evil before Him, the nothing is woven, and a house for our soul is not built.
–Saint Nicholas of Serbia (1880-1956)
Prayer with force…
If you do not feel like praying then force yourself. The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is higher than prayer unforced. You do not want to, but force yourself. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force (Matthew 1112).
–Saint Ambrose of Optina (1812-1891)
When a drought takes place…
While you will be subjected to this storm in your heart, Jesus will continue to live in the bark of your soul and there, although sleeping, he will not stop loving you and will help you to fight against the storm. Don’t worry when you see a drought take a firm hold in your heart. Remain convinced that this is evidence of your deep love for Jesus, since it is by love that you put up with this suffering while ardently longing for his coming.
–Marcel Nguyễn Tân Văn (1928–1959)
A good meditation…
A good meditation, even when it is interrupted by occasional nodding, is much more beneficial than many outward religious exercises.
–Johannes Tauler (c. 1300-1361)
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