Detached from All Earthly Things

“When you are completely detached from all earthly things and when, your conscience clear, you are at any moment ready in heart to leave this present life and to dwell with the Lord, then you may recognize that you have acquired true virtue. If you want to be known to God, do all that you can to remain unknown to men.” 

- Saint Theognostos

God Belongs to All...

"God belongs to all free beings. He is the life of all, the salvation of all—faithful and unfaithful, just and unjust, pious and impious, passionate and dispassionate, monks and seculars, wise and simple, healthy and sick, young and old—just as the diffusion of light, the sight of the sun, and the changes of the weather are for all alike; ‘for there is no respect of persons with God’"


- Saint John Climacus

Faith Without Love

"Just as the thought of fire does not warm the body, so faith without love does not actualize the light of spiritual knowledge in the soul."

- Saint Maximos the Confessor

Salvation, or Ruin!

"And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13). Was it possible to talk like this before the countenance of God, Who is strict of course in righteousness, but is always ready to have mercy upon a sinner who truly repents? Envy obscured sensible thoughts, deliberate transgression hardened his heart, and behold, Cain rudely answers to God Himself: Am I my brother’s keeper? (Gen. 4:9). God wants to soften his stony heart with the hammer of His strict judgement; but Cain does not give in, and locked in his coarseness, he commits himself to the lot which he prepared for himself through his envy and murder. What is amazing is that after this he lived like anyone else: he had children, established a household and maintained earthly relations. Yet the mark of being outcast and of his despair still lay on him. So it is an inner affair, which occurs in the conscience, out of the realization of one’s relation to God, under the influence of burdensome passions, sinful habits, and deeds. Let people heed this now especially! But together with this let people resurrect their belief that there is no sin greater than God’s mercy; however, both time and work are needed to soften the heart. But it is either salvation, or ruin!"  

- Saint Theophan the Recluse

Reference: http://days.pravoslavie.ru/en/Days/20120222.htm

Patiently Endure

“Patiently endure the distressing and painful things that befall you, for through them God in His providence is purifying you.”

- Saint Thalassios the Libyan

Two Kinds of Christians

'Anglican Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, has said, “There are two kinds of Christians. On the one side, those who believe that Christianity is a revealed religion and, on the other side, those who believe that you can make it up as you go along.”  Well, in regard to that division, Orthodox and Evangelicals come down firmly on the first side.'

- Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

The Most Convincing Apostles of Christianity

"Those who live always according to the spirit of Christ are, without the use of words, the best preachers of Christ and the most convincing apostles of Christianity."

- Saint Theophan the Recluse