# Lifestyles & Discussion > Peace Through Religion >  The Journey towards Love

## TER

From the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian:


We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you dont love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?

_"For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen_ (1 John 4:20).

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## Corydoras

*That is an excellent and classic passage. Glad you posted it!!!*

However, it's important to note that if your spouse or romantic friend is slapping, hitting, or beating you, you should get away - running away from someone who is trying to harm you doesn't prevent you from loving them or having compassion on them... it is NOT holy martyrdom to stay with an abuser. Rather, fleeing saves your life so you can do good on earth another day. This is particularly critical if children are involved, for the sake of their spiritual and physical well-being.

Orthodox 24-Hour Domestic Violence Crisis Line:  (251) 342-8994

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## Live_Free_Or_Die

bump

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## BuddyRey

That was excellent.  Mind if I share that with the folks at the Dudeism.com forum?

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## TER

> That was excellent.  Mind if I share that with the folks at the Dudeism.com forum?


Please do!

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## dannno

> From the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian:
> 
> 
> We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you don’t love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?
> 
> _"For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen”_ (1 John 4:20).



Except Muslims. Amen!!

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## dannno

> That was excellent.  Mind if I share that with the folks at the Dudeism.com forum?


Why, cause it ends with 1 John 4:20 ?

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## BuddyRey

> Why, cause it ends with 1 John 4:20 ?


LOL!  No, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice that.

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## TER

*5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (Epistle of St. John the Theologian).*

Commentary by St. Justin Popovich:

The most important thing is to know that believing in Christ means to have eternal life. This is the central and preeminent realization of every Christian. I believe and that is why I have eternal life. I have eternal life because I believe. From this realization, fearlessness and confession of faith are born; and readiness, as well, for every sacrifice for Christ, patience and joyous suffering for Christ. This realization becomes not just a guide, but also a supreme, guiding, and moral principle for a Christian. He then normalizes and regulates everything according to it. He then feels and knows that his highest concern is to achieve eternal life through every feeling, every thought, every act, and every deed. Then, this begins for us an unceasing struggle, and unceasing experience of the evangelic virtues, unceasing rebirth of oneself into something newer and newer, into a better and better man; always looking unto the Founder and Finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus and His labourers and followers (cf. Heb. 12: 1-2). Then, man always keeps in mind the evangelic batter call and rule: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called (I Tim. 6:12). You are a Christian; your calling is to achieve eternal life, to fight day and night for eternal life; and for the safe of it, you must bear every torment, every hardship, every struggle with joy. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (II Cor. 4:17), to us who look at the eternal and search for that which is eternal; for our main purpose is eternal life (cf. II Cor. 4:18).

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## TER

Continue your lessons and dont look at what this or that person is doing- just pay attention to yourself (Deut. 15:9). If many of your fellow-students are lewd, impious, blasphemous, and unruly, dont you imitate them. When the Lord sent His disciples into the world to preach the Gospel, He told them: _I am sending you as sheep amid wolves: become wise like serpents and innocent like doves_ (Matt. 10:16). And you, my child, are like a sheep amid wolves: become wise, and do not let the wickedness of the depraved, lewd, and impious influence you. Imitate the honey bee, which knows many impure, foul-smelling, and filthy places, but does not stop at these. He selects the fragrant and choice blossoms of the bushes and tress, and he gathers up the honey and the fragrant, aromatic wax. If you see anyone who is good, wise, pious and virtuous, imitate and keep company with him. Anyone you see that is lewd, filthy, impious, blasphemous, proud, envious and vindictive, do not approach him and do not keep company with him; but do not find fault with him, for Christ said: _Do no judge, so that you may not be judged, and do not condemn, so that you may not be condemned_ (Luke 6:37).

Love, respect and take care of your parents, and your brothers as well. If they dont listen to you, and scorn you, then dont tell them anything. Just pray that the Lord may enlighten them to be at peace with one another. Also pray that the Lord may grant peace to the whole world and that we may all be deemed worthy of the heavenly and unending life and kingdom. Amen.

Excerpt taken from the book:
Father Philotheos Zervakos: Paternal Counsels, Vol.1

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## TER

_"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

This I command you, to love one another."_

John 15:9-17

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## TER

_"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; 
It is not irritable or resentful; It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 
For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."_

1 Cor 13:4-8

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## TER

_"No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us."_

1 John 4:12-19

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## TER

_"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."_

Matt 22:36-40

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## TER

"Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always.  There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lord’s commandment, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault – he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.

Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love grace is preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls."

_-St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

"Let us not render evil for evil, and we shall not receive our due for our sins. For we find the forgiveness of our trespasses in the forgiving of our brothers; and the mercy of God is hidden in mercifulness to our neighbor. Therefore the Lord said, Forgive, and you shall be forgiven, and, With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. See how the Lord bestowed on us the method of salvation and has given us eternal power to become sons of God!"

_-St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies, so that the soul pities them as if they were her own children. There are people who desire the destruction, the torment in hell-fire of their enemies, or the enemies of the Church. They think like this because they have not learned divine love from the Holy Spirit, for he who has learned the love of God will shed tears for the whole world.

You say that So-and-so is an evil-doer and may he burn in hell fire. But I ask you  supposing God were to give you a fair place in paradise, and you saw burning in the fire the man on whom you had wished the tortures of hell, even then would you really not feel pity for him, whoever he might be, an enemy of the Church even? Or is it that you have a heart of steel? But there is no place for steel in paradise. Paradise has need of humility and the love of Christ, which pities all men. The grace of God is not in the man who does not love his enemies.

O merciful Lord, by Thy Holy Spirit teach us
to love our enemies, and to pray for them with tears.
O Lord, send down Thy Holy Spirit on earth
that all nations may know Thee, and learn Thy love.

O Lord, as Thou Thyself didst pray for Thine enemies,
so teach us, too by Thy Holy Spirit, to love our enemies.
O Lord, all peoples are the work of Thy hands;
turn them from enmity and malice to repentance,
that all my know Thy love.

O Lord, Thou didst command us to love our enemies,
but it is hard for us sinners, if Thy grace be not with us.
O Lord, pour down Thy grace upon the earth.
Let all the nations of the earth come to know Thy love;
to know that Thou lovest us with a mothers love,
and more than a mothers love
for even a mother may be forgetful of her children,
but Thou forgettest never,
because Thy love for Thy creation is boundless,
and love cannot forget.

O merciful Lord, by the riches of Thy mercy
save all peoples.

_-St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

"If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man."

_-St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

The Way of Life is this: Thou shalt love first the Lord thy Creator, and secondly thy neighbor as thyself; and thou shalt do nothing to any man that thou wouldst not wish to be done to thyself.

What you may learn from these words is to bless them that curse you, to pray for your enemies, and to fast for your persecutors. For where is the merit in loving only those who return your love? Even the heathens do as much as that. But if you love those who hate you, you will have nobody to be your enemy.

_- The Didache_

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## Maximus

> The Way of Life is this: Thou shalt love first the Lord thy Creator, and secondly thy neighbor as thyself; and thou shalt do nothing to any man that thou wouldst not wish to be done to thyself.
> 
> What you may learn from these words is to bless them that curse you, to pray for your enemies, and to fast for your persecutors. For where is the merit in loving only those who return your love? Even the heathens do as much as that. But if you love those who hate you, you will have nobody to be your enemy.
> 
> _- The Didache_


I love the Didache

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## TER

"God is Love. And if we call upon God in our life as the Holy Fathers teach us, then we are calling upon Love. If we know and believe that He is present everywhere at all times and if we are united with Him in our hearts, He will teach us how to love our neighbor. For we do not know how to love either the Lord or our neighbor. The evil spirits often so interfere with the Divine love given us by God that they often lure us away from the path of real and true love. Their suggestions are full of the physical and emotional aspects of this world: enjoyment and lust, which is nothing but enslavement.

It often happens that a person, either young or old, falls in love with another person or even an object. Some people fall in love with gold and cannot bear to be separated from it or from their wealth, house, and possessions, and they become enslaved. If someone were to take this from them, they would become desperate. Many times the powers of evil bring such people to the brink of self-destruction.

Is this love? The spirits of evil often come and meddle with the Divine love that God has planted in us. That kind of love (corrupted by the evil spirits) is without discernment. But the love of God is boundless…Love is perfection, says the Apostle (Rom. 13:10). God is perfect, He is faultless. And so, when Divine love becomes manifest in us in the fullness of Grace, we radiate this love not only on the earth, but throughout the entire universe as well. So God is in us, and He is present everywhere. It is God’s all-encompassing love that manifests itself in us. When this happens we see no difference between people – everyone is good, everyone is our brother, and we consider ourselves to be the worst of men, servants of every created thing.

In this kind of love we are humbled; our soul is at peace and in humility. And humility is the perfection of the Christian life. It is not in the raising of the dead or in working miracles that Christian perfection lies, but in extreme humility. When we are illumined by the Grace of the Holy Spirit in the fullness of Divine love, then we want to serve everyone and help everyone. Even when we see a little ant struggling, we want to help him.

So, love is sacrifice. Love sacrifices itself for its neighbor."
_
-Elder Thaddeus_

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## TER

If you have something on your conscience that bothers you, then go directly and make a prostration to show your repentance: Please, forgive me, my brother, for I was wrong. This action corrects your mistake. Do not disregard your conscience. We may wrong one another for we are human. Whether someone said something bad to you or he did not carry out what you asked him to do, your conscience might be troubled. Without exception, humble yourself before your brother and say forgive me. 

~Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

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## TER

Let your soul devote itself to the prayer 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me' in all your worries, for everything and for everyone. Don't look at what's happening to you, look at the light, at Christ, just as the child looks to its mother when something happens to it. See everything without anxiety, without depression, without strain and without stress. There is no need to exert yourselves and strain yourselves. Let all your effort be directed toward the light and toward acquiring the light, so that instead of devoting yourselves to thoughts of despair, which do not come from the Spirit of God, you devote yourselves to the praise of God.

All unpleasant things which are within your soul and cause you anxiety can become occasions for the glorification of God and cease to torment you. Have trust in God. Then you will forget the worries and become His instruments. Distress shows that we are not entrusting our life to Christ. Doesn't St. Paul say, _We are afflicted on every side, but not distressed_?

Deal with everything with love, kindness, meekness, patience and humility. Be rocks. Let all the waves break over you and turn back leaving you untroubled. You'll say, 'That sounds fine, but is it possible?' The answer is 'Yes, always - with the grace of God.' If we look at things in human terms, of course, it is impossible. But instead of affecting you adversely, all these things can be of benefit to you, increasing your patience and your faith. Because all the difficulties that surround us represent a kind of gymnastics for us. We exercise ourselves in patience and endurance. Listen and I'll give you an example.

A man once came to me and started to recount all his grievances with his wife. When he had finished I said to him:
'Are you really so stupid?'
'What's so stupid about what I've been saying?' he asked.
'Everything,' I replied. 'This wife of yours loves you deeply.'
'I know,' he said, 'but look at all the things that she does to me...'
'She does all these things to you to sanctify you, but you're too dim-witted to realize it. Instead of being sanctified, you are infuriated and you make your life hell.'
If only he had had patience and humility, he wouldn't have missed those opportunities for sanctification.

- from Wounded By Love, The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

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## TER

To believe in Christ's words and deeds is easy, for it only involves believing in our hearts and confessing with our tongues. But the test of the truth of our faith is by our deeds and behavior. After faith comes the "narrow gate" and the hard way, which everyone who has believed in Christ must go through. The narrow gate is the critical point at which one crosses from the wide way, which leads to destruction, to the hard way, which leads to life. It is where the heart and conscience are examined in the light of the cross.

The worst enemies hidden within a believer are hatred, feuding, anger, judgmentincluding judging others without judging oneselfdefaming others, and trying to remove the speck out of their eyes while ignoring the log fixed in the pupil of one's own eye (cf. Matthew 7:3).

Unfortunately, there are those who find these sins insignificant and are oblivious to them. They are unaware that these sins have become part of their nature. They practice them shamelessly as if Scripture and the Day of Judgment did not existas if there were no narrow gate in front of them.

Faith to them will be of no use, because those who behave in such a way have trampled on love, despising and abusing it.

Love is God. It is the testimony to the true Faith and its effectiveness. Christ's teachings will always remain on a higher plane than that which the human race will ever attain to, even by its utmost efforts, in order that humanity may ever remain penitent before God and Christ, and therefore, hold fast to Divine Grace.

 Matthew the Poor

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## TER

If someone, who sees Christ's sacrifice and love, does not believe that He is our God... 
and in order to believe asks for miracles, he will neither be able to truly love, nor to truly believe in Him.

Christ was incarnated, mocked, whipped, crucified, out of His extreme love for humankind; He shed His blood for us. All these facts explicitly indicate to everyone that He is true love. Impelled by the fact that God is love, we should love Him in return and believe that He is our God, for we know no good apart from Him.

_-Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos, +1994_

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## TER

…”A house is not built by beginning at the top and working down. You must begin with the foundations in order to reach the top.” They said to him, “What does this saying mean?” He said, “The foundation is our neighbor, whom we must win, and that is the place to begin. For all the commandments of Christ depend on this alone.”

_-Abba John the Dwarf_

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## TER

If a man builds a house and leaves it without a roof, this house can’t be used at all. In the same way, if a man acquires all the virtues but not love, the house remains roofless and is of no benefit at all.

_-Elder Philotheos of Paros, +1980_

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## TER

It is a fearful thing to hate whom God has loved. To look upon another- his weaknesses, his sins, his faults, his defects- is to look upon one who is suffering. He is suffering from negative passions, from the same sinful human corruption from which you yourself suffer. This is very important: do not look upon him with judgemental eyes of comparison, noting the sins you assume you'd never commit. Rather, see him as a fellow sufferer, a fellow human being who is in need of the very healing of which you are in need. Help him, love him, pray for him, do unto him as you would have hime do unto you. 

_- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

"Our life and our death are with our neighbor. If we do good to our neighbor, we do good to God; if we cause our neighbor to stumble, we sin against Christ."
_
-St. Anthony the Great_

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## TER

"Man becomes fearful of judging others and looks upon every other person as better than himself. And if he sees other people, be they adulterers or unrighteous, he considers them as better than himself ~ a fact that he truly feels in his hidden conscience and not something just claimed in his outward speech. This he does from a heart free of all impurities. He looks upon everything as good, for he looks and thinks with God's mind."

_-St. Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh_

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## TER

"Snatch your neighbor from his sins, so far as you can, and refrain from condemning him, for God does not reject those who turn to him. Let no evil word about your brother stay in your mind, so that you can say, 'Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.' (Matthew 7:12)."
_
-St. Hyperichius_

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## TER

"Remember this, my dear brothers: be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God's righteousness is never served by man's anger; so do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in youaccept and submit to the Word which has been planted in you and can save your souls.

But you must do what the Word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. To listen to the Word and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then, after a quick look, going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habitnot listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practicewill be happy in all that he does.

Nobody must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world."

_-James 1:19-27_

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## heavenlyboy34

This thread reminds me of Tolstoy's short story "Where Love Is, God Is".

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## TER

"We become truly personal by loving God and by loving other humans... In its deepest sense, love is the life, the energy, of the Creator in us." 

_- Met. Kallistos Ware_

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## TER

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness." 

_-Jean Vanier_

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## TER

"Following Christ has nothing to do with success as the world sees success. It has to do with love."
_
-Madeleine L’Engle_

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## TER

A Christian must not be fanatic; he must have love for all people.

Those who inconsiderately toss comments, even if they are true, can cause harm. I met an author who was extremely pious, but was in the habit of speaking to the (secular) people around him in a blunt manner, which however penetrated so deep that it shook them very severely. He told me at one time: During a gathering, I said such and such a thing to a lady. But the way that he said it, crushed her. Look, I said to him, you may be tossing golden crowns studded with diamonds to other people, but the way that you throw them can smash heads  not only the sensitive ones, but the sound ones also.

Lets not stone our fellow-man in a. Christian manner. The person who  in the presence of others  checks someone for having sinned, or speaks in an impassioned manner about a certain person, is not moved by the Spirit of God: he is moved by another spirit. The way of the Church is LOVE; it differs from the way of the legalists.

The Church sees everything with tolerance and seeks to help each person, whatever he may have done, however sinful he may be. I have observed a peculiar kind of logic in certain pious people. Their piety is a good thing, and their predisposition for good is also a good thing; however, a certain spiritual discernment and amplitude is required so that their piety is not accompanied by narrow-mindedness or strong-headedness (strong, as in unturning). The whole basis is for someone to be in a spiritual state, so that he may have that spiritual discernment, because otherwise he will forever remain attached to the letter of the Law, and the letter of the Law can be deadly.

The one who possesses humility will never act like a teacher; he will listen, and whenever his opinion is requested, he will respond humbly. In other words, he will reply like a student. Whoever believes that he is capable of correcting others is filled with egotism.

_-Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos_

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## TER

The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies, so that the soul pities them as if they were her own children. There are people who desire the destruction, the torment in hell-fire of their enemies, or the enemies of the Church. They think like this because they have not learned divine love from the Holy Spirit, for he who has learned the love of God will shed tears for the whole world.

    You say that So-and-so is an evil-doer and may he burn in hell fire. But I ask you  supposing God were to give you a fair place in paradise, and you saw burning in the fire the man on whom you had wished the tortures of hell, even then would you really not feel pity for him, whoever he might be, an enemy of the Church even? Or is it that you have a heart of steel? But there is no place for steel in paradise. Paradise has need of humility and the love of Christ, which pities all men. The grace of God is not in the man who does not love his enemies.
_
-St Silouan the Athonite_

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## BuddyRey

TodaysEpistleReading, I've been quietly following your observations regarding subjects of faith for quite a while, but I finally just had to pop in and say that I find your religious writings here among the wisest, most kind, humble, and spiritually uplifting of any I've read on these forums (or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter).  I don't know what denomination you follow (if any), but whichever it is, my gut and the "still, small voice" tells me you're on the right track!

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## TER

God bless you, my friend, for your kind words.  I tell you the truth, it is much easier to 'appear' as a good Christian on the internet than it is to be one in the real world, and in this regard, I am an example and am far from where I should be.  Nevertheless, I thank you and would also like to tell you that your posts are sincere, informative, and have helped me tremendously.  May the Light of God continue to shine within you, my brother.

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## heavenlyboy34

> TodaysEpistleReading, I've been quietly following your observations regarding subjects of faith for quite a while, but I finally just had to pop in and say that I find your religious writings here among the wisest, most kind, humble, and spiritually uplifting of any I've read on these forums (or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter).  I don't know what denomination you follow (if any), but whichever it is, my gut and the "still, small voice" tells me you're on the right track!


 +1

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## TER

Rightly did the Lord say, My burden is light. For what sort of weight is it, what sort of toil is it to forgive ones brother his offences, which are light and of no importance, and to be pardoned for ones own, and immediately justified? He did not say, Bring me money, or calves, or goats, or fasting, or vigils, so that you could say, I have none, I cannot, but he ordered you to bring what is light and easy and immediate, saying, Pardon your brother his offences, and I will pardon yours. You pardon small faults, a few halfpennies, or three pennies, while I give you the ten thousand talents. You only pardon without giving anything, I nevertheless both grant you pardon and give you healing and the Kingdom. And I accept your gift, when you are reconciled to the one who is your enemy, when you have enmity against no one, when the sun does not go down on your anger. When you have peace and love for all, then your prayer is acceptable, and your offering well-pleasing, and your house blessed and you blesséd. But if you are not reconciled with your brother, how can you seek pardon from me? You trample on my words, and do you demand pardon? I, your Master, demand, and you pay no attention, and do you, a slave, dare to offer me prayer, or sacrifice, or first fruits, while you have enmity against someone? Just as you turn your face from your brother, so I too turn my eyes from your gift and your prayer.

Again I entreat you, brethren, since God is love, he is not well-pleased by things that take place without love. How would God accept prayer, or gifts, or first fruits, or offering from a murderer, unless they first repented in accordance with Gods word? But you will no doubt say to me, I am not a murderer. And I will prove to you that you are, or rather John the Theologian will convict you, when he says, Every one who hates their brother is a homicide.

So then, my beloved brethren, let us not prefer anything, let us not hasten to obtain anything more than love. Let no one have anything against anyone, let no one repay evil for evil. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, but let us forgive our debtors everything and let us welcome love, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Because what gain is there, my children, if someone has everything, but does not have love which saves? For just as if someone were to make a great dinner in order to invite the King and the rulers, and were to prepare everything sumptuously, so that nothing might be lacking, but had no salt, would anyone be able to eat that dinner? Certainly not. But he would have lost everything he had spent and wasted all his hard work, and brought ridicule on himself from those he had invited. So it is in the present instance. For what advantage is there in toiling against winds, without love? For without it every deed, every action is unclean. Even if someone has attained complete chastity, or fasts, or keeps vigil; whether they pray or give banquets for the poor; even if they think of offering gifts, or first fruits, or offering; whether they build churches, or do anything else, without love all those things will be reckoned as nothing by God. For the Lord is not pleased by them. Listen to the Apostle when he says, If I speak with the tongues of Angels and of humans; if I have prophecy and know all mysteries, and have complete knowledge, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I gain nothing. For one who has enmity against their brother and thinks they offer something to God, will be as though they sacrificed a dog, and their offering will be reckoned as the wages of prostitution.

Therefore never want to do anything without love, because love covers a multitude of sins. What good we despise! Of how many good things, of what joy are we deprived when we have not acquired love! Judas did not wish to acquire it and went from the midst of the choir of the Apostles, abandoning the true Light, his own Teacher, and hating his own brothers he walked in darkness. And so Peter, the prince of the Apostles, said, Judas transgressed and went to his own place. And again, John the Theologian says, One who hates their brother is in darkness, and walks about in the dark, and does not know where they is going, because darkness has blinded their eyes.

But if you say, I may not love my brother, but I love God, he convicts you when he says, If someone says, "I love God" and hates his brother, he is a liar. For someone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen? Therefore one who has love for his brothers and has no enmity for anyone, who fulfils the word of the Master, Do not let the sun go down on your anger, truly loves God, is a disciple of Christ who says, By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

It is clear then that the disciples of Christ are recognized by this, by true love. One who has hatred against his brother and thinks he loves Christ is a liar and deceives himself. For the Apostle John says, We have this commandment from him, that one who loves God should love his brother. And again the Lord says, You are to love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself. And he adds, wishing to show the power of love, On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.

What a remarkable wonder, that one who has unfeigned love fulfils the whole of the Law. For the fulfilment of the Law is love, as the Apostle says . O unfathomable power of love! O infinite power of love! Nothing is more precious than love, neither in heaven nor on earth. That is why the Apostle Paul, having learned that nothing is worth as much as love, wrote and despatched to the ends of the inhabited world these words, Brethren, owe no one anything, except to love one another, to lay down your lives for one another. It is love that is the fulfilment of the Law. Love is unerring salvation. It dwelt from the beginning in Abels heart; it was Noës helmsman; it worked with the Patriarchs; rescued Moses; made David the dwelling of the Holy Spirit; made its tabernacle in the Prophets; gave strength to Job. And why should I not mention the greatest of all? It brought the Son of God from heaven down to us. Through love the One without flesh became flesh, the One without time entered time for us, the Son of God became son of man. Through love all things were ordered for our salvation; death was destroyed, Hell cast down, Adam recalled and Eve set free. Through love the curse was abolished, Paradise was opened, life was revealed, the Kingdom of heaven was promised. Love caught the fishers of fish in its net and made them fishers of men; competed alongside the Martyrs and gave them strength; turned the deserts into cities; filled mountains and caves with chanting; made mortals into angels; showed men and women how to tread the narrow and difficult way. But where should I stop pursuing what cannot be grasped? Who is capable of recounting the loves achievements? I think even the Angels cannot recount them as they deserve.

O blessed love, giver of all good things! O blessed love, who make those who long for you blessed! Blessed and truly thrice blessed the one who has acquired love from a pure heart and conscience.

When you hear about love, you are not to understand worldly and carnal love, one concerned with taverns and drinking parties, whose belly and repute is their God, whose love is defined by the table, whose love is hostile to God. There they invite friends and not enemies, there the poor are not present, there are laughter, hand clapping and tumults, there drunkenness and disgraceful behaviour. Of this the Apostle said, Whoever thinks they are a friend of the world, becomes an enemy of God. Of this love [agapi], or rather deception [apati], not to say more, where God does not visit, God said, The heathen do the same. For if you love those who love you, what grace is that to you, or what reward do you have?

We are not speaking of such love, we do not proclaim it or pursue it, but rather that which is without pretence, without blame, unspotted, incomparable, which holds all things and whose name is given to every good thing, which the Lord showed when he said, That one should lay down ones life for ones friends. And the Lord himself taught this and did it, and laid down his life, not only for his friends, but also for his enemies. For this was how God loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son for us. Through this love the Apostle Paul, who had this divine love, said, Love does not work evil for ones neighbour, does not repay evil for evil, not insult for insult, but is always patient, is kind, is not jealous, is not provoked, does not reckon up evil, does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices with justice. It supports all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Such love as this never fails.

One who has this is blessed both in the present age and in the one to come. One who has this blessed love is not proud, not envious, never hates anyone, does not ignore a pauper, does not turn away a beggar, does not neglect an orphan, a widow, a stranger. One who has this not only loves those who love them  for the heathen do this too  but also those who afflict them. Stephen, the first martyr, because he had this divine love, prayed for those who were stoning him and said, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

Again I say, and I will not stop saying, Blessed is one who has despised all earthly and perishable things and acquired love. Such a persons reward increases every day. Such a persons reward and crown has been prepared, the Kingdom of heaven has been given them. All the Angels call them blessed; all the Powers of heaven praise them; the choirs of the Archangels receive them with joy. For them the gates of heaven will be speedily opened, and they will enter with boldness1, take their stand by the throne of God, be crowned by Gods right hand, and will reign with him for endless ages.

Who is more blessed than this? Who higher than this? Who more honoured than this? See to what height love carries those who possess it. Rightly did the Apostle say that we should owe no one anything, except to love one another. For God is love, and one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in them to the ages. Amen.

_-St. Ephraim the Syrian_

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## falconplayer11

> TodaysEpistleReading, I've been quietly following your observations regarding subjects of faith for quite a while, but I finally just had to pop in and say that I find your religious writings here among the wisest, most kind, humble, and spiritually uplifting of any I've read on these forums (or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter).  I don't know what denomination you follow (if any), but whichever it is, my gut and the "still, small voice" tells me you're on the right track!


I agree. Thank you for your comments on this forum.

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## TER

_"The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us" (Romans 5:5)_

Love is joy and love anoints the heart of man with joy. Brethren, love is power and love anoints the heart of man with power. Love is peace and love anoints the heart of man with peace. And from joy, power and peace, courage is born and love anoints the heart of man with courage.

The love of God, as a fragrant oil, is shed abroad in our hearts by no other than the Holy Spirit, the All-gentle and All-powerful Spirit. Completely undeserved by us, the Spirit of God is shed abroad in us: the love of God in our hearts in the Mystery [Sacrament] of Chrismation. However, in time we neglect this love and by sin we alienate ourselves from God and fall into the disease of spiritual paralysis. And the Holy Spirit unwilling to abide in an impure vessel, distances Himself from our heart. When the Holy Spirit distances Himself from us, then joy, power, peace and courage also departs from us immediately. We become sorrowful, weakened, disturbed and fearful. But the All-good Spirit of God only distances Himself from us but does not abandon us completely. He does not abandon us but He offers to us who are sick remedies through the Mystery of Repentance and the Mystery of Holy Communion. When we again cleanse ourselves through the Mysteries [Sacraments] of Repentance and Communion then He, the Holy Spirit of God, again abides in us and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. We fall, we rise, we fall and we rise! When we fall, the Spirit of God stands by us and raises us if we desire to be raised. However, when we are raised, the Spirit of God stands within us all until we, by sin and foolishness, do not desire to fall. Thus, we in this life interchangeably become a fertile field and a wilderness, sons of repentance and prodigal sons, fullness and emptiness, light and darkness.

O All-Good Holy Spirit of God, do not depart from us either when we want You and when we do not want You. Be with us all the time until our death and save us for life eternal. 

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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## TER

Remember, never to fear the power of evil more than your trust in the power and love of God.
_
—Hermas, one of the Seventy sent out by Christ_

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## TER

"But I say to you," the Lord says, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you." Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.
_
—St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

"He has shown you, O mortal what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you?
but to do justice, to live kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God."
_
Micah 6:8_

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## TER

"All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God." 
_
—St. Diadochus of Photike_

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## TER

"However hard I try, I find it impossible to construct anything greater than these three words, 'Love one another' —only to the end, and without exceptions: then all is justified and life is illumined, whereas otherwise it is an abomination and a burden."
_
—Mother Maria of Paris_

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## TER

"Ever let mercy outweigh all else in you. Let our compassion be a mirror where we may see in ourselves that likeness and that true image which belong to the Divine nature and Divine essence. A heart hard and unmerciful will never be pure."
_
—St. Isaac of Syria_

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## TER

The blessed apostle described even the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit as things that would vanish. He points to love alone as without end. 'Prophecies will end, languages cease and knowledge will fail' (I Cor. 13:8). As for love, 'love will never cease.'

Actually, all gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present dispensation. Love, however, will never be cut off. It works in us and for us, and not simply in this life. For when the burden of physical need has been laid aside in the time to come it will endure, more effectively, more excellently, forever unfailing, clinging to God with more fire and zeal through all the length of incorruption.
_
—John Cassian_

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## TER

"There is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbor. When you hear someone complaining and you struggle with yourself and do not answer him back with complaints; when you are hurt and bear it patiently, not looking for revenge; then you are laying down your life for your neighbor." 
_
—Abba Poemen_

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## TER

"You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. 

Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil."
_
—St Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

One day, while St. Antony was sitting with a certain Abba, a virgin came up and said to the Elder: 'Abba, I fast six days of the week and I repeat by heart portions of the Old and New Testament daily.' To which the Elder replied: 'Does poverty mean the same to you as abundance?' 'No', she answered. 'Or dishonour the same as praise?' 'No, Abba.' 'Are your enemies the same for you as your friends?' 'No', she replied. At that the wise Elder said to her: 'Go, get to work, you have accomplished nothing.' 
_
—St. Peter of Damaskos_

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## TER

"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."
_
—St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Give up your own will, for it is ones spiritual death. And let each one of you cover up each others faults, so that Christ in turn will cover up yours. For if you seek justice from your brother, immediately you find yourself up against God, Who puts up with you the sinner. Now that He has awakened you with His grace, you dont want to put up with your weak brother. So where is your justice? And what if Christ takes away His grace from you and demands the ten thousand talents you owe? What hast thou, ungrateful man, that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory every day as if thou hadst not received it?

Say to yourself: If you are standing, my soul, you do so only because grace is supporting you. And if your brother falls, he falls because grace is absent. Therefore, thank God and do not usurp foreign things as if they were yours, because then God takes His grace away and gives it to him, with the result that you fall and your neighbor rises. You will see your mistake then, but it will be too late. So whoever amongst you seeks justice, let him know that it is this: to bear the burden of ones brother until ones last breath.

_- Elder Joseph of Mount Athos_

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## TER

If you wish to be saved, seek no other thing here in this world as much as love.

_- St Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

Renunciation teaches us not only that we not greedily seek advantages for our soul but that we not be stingy, that we always be extravagant in our love, that we achieve a spiritual nakedness, that our soul holds nothing back, that we not hold back anything sacred and valuable which we would not be ready to give up in Christs name to those who need it. Spiritual renunciation is the way of holy foolishness, folly in Christ. It is the opposite of the wisdom of this age. It is the blessedness of those who are poor in spirit. It is the outer limit of love  According to material laws  if I give away a piece of bread, then I became poorer by one piece of bread  (and by extension) if I give my love, I have become impoverished by that amount of love, and if I give up my soul then I become completely ruined and have nothing left to save  According to the law of the spirit, every spiritual treasure given away not only returns to the giver like an unspent ruble but it grows and becomes stronger. He who gives receives back in return; he who becomes poor becomes wealthier.  In turning away from the exclusive focus upon Christ in a genuine act of self-negation and love, one offers himself to othersthen one meets Christ himself face to face in the one for whom he offers himself and in that communion he unites with Christ himself  the mystery of union with man becomes the mystery of union with God. That which was given away returns. The love which was expended never diminishes the source of that love, because the source of love in our heart is Love itself, Christ  Here we are speaking about a genuine emptying out, in a partial imitation of how Christ emptied himself by becoming incarnate in humanity. We must likewise empty ourselves completely, becoming, so to speak, incarnate in another human soul, offering to it the full measure of Gods image which is contained in ourselves.

_- Mother Mary Skobstova of Paris_

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## TER

A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Saviour Himself. He deigned to say: not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents then over ninety righteous ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgments a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.

Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostles, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: _“our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of wickedness under heaven” (Ephesians 6:12)._

_-St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

"Love for our enemies is the highest degree of love for our neighbor ordained by the Gospel. He who has attained love for his enemies has attained perfection in the matter of love for his neighbor, and to him the gates of love for God have opened automatically."

_-St. Ignaty Brianchaninov_

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## TER

"Nothing so much as love brings together those who have been sundered and produces in them an effective union of will and purpose. Love is distinguished by the beauty of recognizing the equal value of all men. Love is born in a man when his soul's powers - that is, his intelligence, incensive power and desire - are concentrated and unified around the divine. Those who by grace have come to recognize the equal value of all men in God's sight and who engrave His beauty on their memory, possess an ineradicable longing for divine love, for such love is always imprinting this beauty on their intellect."

_-St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

"I was born to love people. It doesn’t concern me if he is a Turk, black, or white. I see in the face of each person the image of God. And for this image of God I am willing to sacrifice everything." 

_-Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos_

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## TER

"You ask, 'Must one do something?' Of course one must! And do whatever comes along - in your circle of friends and in your surroundings - and believe that this is and will be your real work. More will not be demanded of you. It is a great misconception to think, whether for the sake of heaven or, as the modernists put it, to 'make one's mark on humanity', that one must undertake great, reverberating tasks. Not at all. It is necessary only to do everything according to the commandments of God. Just what exactly? Nothing in particular - only those things which present themselves to everyone in the circumstances of life, those things which are required by the every day happenings we all encounter. This is how God is. God arranges the fate of each man, and the whole course of one's life is also the work of His most gracious foreknowledge, as is, therefore, every minute and every encounter. Let's take an example: a beggar comes up to you; it is God who has brought him. What should you do? You must help him. God has brought the beggar, of course, desiring you to act toward this beggar in a manner pleasing to Him, and He watches to see what you will actually do [...]. If you do what is pleasing to God, you will be taking a step toward the ultimate goal, the inheritance of heaven. Generalize this occurrence, and you find that in every situation and at every encounter one must do what God wants him to do. And we know truly what He wants from the commandments He has given us. If someone seeks help, then help him. If someone has offended you, forgive him. If you yourself have offended someone, then hasten to ask forgiveness and to make peace."

_-St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

"What is a merciful heart? It is the heart's burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons and for every created thing; and by the recollection and sight of them the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. From the strong and vehement mercy which grips his heart and from his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or see any injury or slight sorrow in creation. For this reason he continually offers up tearful prayer, even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner he even prays for the family of reptiles because of the great compassion that burns in his heart without measure in the likeness of God."

_-St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

“Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

_-St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

"If we want to fare well in this life and go to Paradise, and to call our God love and father, we must have two loves:  the love for God and the love for our neighbor.  It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature not to have them.  Just as a swallow needs two wings in order to fly in the air, so we need these two loves, because without them we cannot be saved."

_-St. Cosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."

_-St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love"

_-Blessed Mother Teresa_

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## TER

"Faith is the beginning of love; the end of love is knowledge of God."

_- Abba Evagrius_

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## TER

"For him who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of dispassion there is no difference between his own and another's, or between Christians and unbelievers, or between slave and free, or even between male and female. But because he has risen above the tyranny of the passions and has fixed his attention on the single nature of man, he looks on all in the same way and show the same disposition to all."

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

"God is long-suffering and merciful to you: this you experience many times every day. Be long-suffering and merciful to your brethren, also fulfilling the words of the Apostle, who thus speaks of love before everything: "Love suffereth long, and is kind." You desire that the Lord should rejoice you by His love, rejoice on your part the hearts of others by your tender love and kindness."

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

"He who has love in Christ must observe the commandments of Christ. The binding power of the love of God - who is able to set it forth? The radiance of His beauty - who can voice it to satisfaction? The sublimity to which love leads up is unutterable. Love unites us with God, love covers a multitude of sins; love endures everything, is long-suffering to the last; there is nothing vulgar, nothing conceited, in love; love creates no schism; love does not quarrel; love preserves perfect harmony. In love all the elect of God reached perfection, apart from love nothing is pleasing to God. In love the Master took us to Himself. Because of the love which He felt for us, Jesus Christ Our Lord gave His Blood for us by the will of God, His Body for our bodies, and His soul for our souls."

_- St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

"He who is not indifferent to fame and pleasure, as well as to love of riches that exists because of them and increases them, cannot cut off occasions for anger. And he who does not cut these off cannot attain perfect love."

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

"He who loves God consciously in his heart is known by God (cf. I Cor. 8:3), for to the degree that he receives the love of God consciously in his soul, he truly enters into God's love. From that time on, such a man never loses an intense longing for the illumination of spiritual knowledge..."

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

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## TER

"He who loves the Lord has first loved his brother, because the second is a proof of the first."

_- St. John of Mt. Sinai_

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## TER

"If your heart has been softened either by repentance before God or by learning the boundless love of God towards you, do not be proud with those whose hearts are still hard. Remember how long your heart was hard and incorrigible.

Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers."

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovic_

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## TER

In the life of the holy Apostle John the Theologian it was said, among other things, that when he had grown so old that he couldn't come to a meeting of the faithful, his disciples carried him there in their arms. And he, not being in a condition to preach an extensive sermon, repeated only his favorite words, which contain the essential foundation of Christianity: "My children, love one another!" I also repeat to you, I repeat even a hundred times: love, love all without exception, both those who love you and those who do not.

_- Abbess Thaisia_

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## TER

The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. The soul that has learned of Gods grace to pray, feels love and compassion for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us.

The Lord taught me to love my enemies. Without the grace of God we cannot love our enemies. Only the Holy Spirit teaches love, and then even devils arouse our pity because they have fallen from good, and lost humility in God.

I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord, saying: O Lord, we are all Thy creatures. Have pity on Thy servants and turn their hearts to repentance, and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with, constrain your heart to love enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will shoe you the way. But the man who thinks with malice of his enemies has not Gods love within him, and does not know God.

If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies  know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for, in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts  or good thoughts.

The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love his enemies.

Understand me. It is so simple. People who do not know God, or who go against Him, are to be pitied; the heart sorrows for them and the eye weeps. Both paradise and torment are clearly visible to us: We know this through the Holy Spirit. And did not the Lord Himself say, The kingdom of God is within you? Thus eternal life has its beginning here in this life; and it is here that we sow the seeds of eternal torment.

Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God.

What shall I render unto Thee, O Lord, for that Thou hast poured such great mercy on my soul? Grant, I beg Thee, that I may see my iniquities, and ever weep before Thee, for Thou art filled with love for humble souls, and dost give them the grace of the Holy Spirit.

O merciful God, forgive me. Thou seest how my soul is drawn to Thee, her Creator. Thou hast wounded my soul with Thy love, and she thirsts for Thee, and wearies without end, and day and night, insatiable, reaches toward Thee, and has no wish to look upon this world, though I do love it, but above all I love Thee, my Creator, and my soul longs after Thee.

O my Creator, why have I, Thy little creature, grieved Thee so often? Yet Thou hast not remembered my sins.

Glory be to the Lord God that He gave us His Only-begotten Son for the sake of our salvation. Glory be to the Only-begotten Son that He deigned to be born of the Most Holy Virgin, and suffered for our salvation, and gave us His Most Pure Body and Blood to eternal life, and sent His Holy Spirit on the earth.

O Lord, grant me tears to shed for myself, and for the whole universe, that the nations may know Thee and live eternally with Thee, O Lord, vouchsafe us the gift of Thy humble Holy Spirit, that we may apprehend Thy glory.

_- St. Silvanus the Athonite_

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## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment.  Still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.

He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.
_
- St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

The one who loves Christ thoroughly imitates Him as much as he can. Thus Christ did not cease to do good to men. Treated ungratefully and blasphemed, He was patient; beaten and put to death by them, He endured, not thinking ill of anyone at all. These three are the works of love of neighbour in the absence of which a person who says he loves Christ or possesses His kingdom deceives himself. For he says, Not the one who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter in the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father. And again, The one who loves Me will keep My commandments, and so forth.

The whole purpose of the Saviors commandments is to free the mind from incontinence and hate and bring it to the love of Him and of ones neighbour, from which there springs the splendour of holy knowledge in all its actuality.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

_ "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."- Epistle of St. John 1:4_

Through life in the Holy Trinity, through communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, mans being is filled with true joy, which is nothing other than divine blessedness. Without this, mans being is filled with grief, sorrow, and woe. If not with that, then what can death- and even before death, sin- fill the human being? A current of bitterness, or sinful pleasures that gradually change into bitterness, pours forth into the soul through every sort of sin. In every case, through each sin committed, at least a drop of bitterness falls on the soul and imperceptibly spreads throughout the soul. When the time comes, it grows into an enormous sorrow, and man, very often, does not even know where this grief in his soul and heart comes from. Through communion with Christ and His holy virtues, mans being is filled with unceasing joy. Through living the love of Christ, mans being is filled with inexpressible joy, as well as from living the righteousness of Christ, the goodness of Christ, the humility and meekness of Christ. And when man looks into himself- behold, he is completely filled with divine joy, and there is not a trace of grief or fear of death in him. Therefore, the holy Theologian proclaims:_ And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full_.

_-St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

God, Who is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all men equally as His handiwork. But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At the same time, in His goodness he is merciful to the sinner and by chastising him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue. Similarly, a man of good and dispassionate judgment also loves all men equally. He loves the virtuous man because of his nature and the probity of his intention; and he loves the sinner, too, because of his nature and because in his compassion he pities him for foolishly stumbling in darkness.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

So often when we say I love you we say it with a huge I and a small you.

We use love as a conjunction instead of it being a verb implying action. Its no good just gazing out into open space hoping to see the Lord; instead, we have to look closely at our neighbor, someone whom God has willed into existence, someone whom God has died for. Everyone we meet has a right to exist, because he has value in himself, and we are not used to this. The acceptance of others is a danger to us, it threatens us. To recognize the other's right to be himself might mean recognizing his right to kill me. But if we set a limit to his right to exist, it's no right at all. Love is difficult. Christ was crucified because he taught a kind of love which is a terror for men, a love which demands total surrender: it spells death.

If we turn to God and come face to face with him, we must be prepared to pay the cost. If we are not prepared to pay the cost, we must walk through life being a beggar, hoping someone else will pay. But if we turn to God we discover that life is deep, vast and immensely worth living.

_-Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of Sourozh_

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## TER

“Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.”

_- St. Dorotheus of Gaza_

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## TER

"Leave all human injustices to the Lord, for God is the Judge, but as to yourself, be diligent in loving everybody with a pure heart."

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

"Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when Joy is the fundamental thing in him, and Grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive state of mind; Praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; Joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live."

_-  G. K. Chesterton_

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## TER

"The blessed apostle described even the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit as things that would vanish. He points to love as alone without end. 'Prophecies will end, languages cease and knowledge will fail' (I Cor. 13:8). As for love, 'love will never cease'. Actually, all gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present dispensation. Love, however, will never be cut off. It works in us and for us, and not simply in this life. For when the burden of physical need has been laid aside in the time to come, it will endure, more effectively, more excellently, forever unfailing, clinging to God with more fire and zeal through all the length of incorruption."

_- St. John Cassian_

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## TER

"Do not be vexed with those who show pride, or malice, effeminacy, and impatience in their intercourse with you, or others, but , remembering that you yourself are subject to the same and greater sins and passions, pray for them and be meek with them."

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

"He who is insolent towards men is insolent towards God... Respect in man the grand, inestimable image of God and be forbearing towards the faults and errors of fallen man, so that God may be forbearing towards your own..."

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

One of us asked Abba Sisoes, "What is pilgrimage, Abba?" He answered, "Keep silent; and wherever you go, say, 'I am at peace with all men.' That is pilgrimage."

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## TER

The love of God… is easy to understand: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’  This love is unbounded.  God does not _need_ our love, so the love we show Him transcends all demands, all necessity, and all categorization.  It is a perfect love.  It is a love which we show to God because He draws us, without any compulsion, towards Himself.  In loving God, we go beyond the love of family, the love of country, the love of self.  Nothing more need be said, for this love is so demanding and so great that on it rests our salvation.

_-Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna_

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## TER

and pray without ceasing in behalf of other men. For there is in them the hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting: to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error, be steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty, manifest your gentleness.

While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lordwho ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned?that no plant of the devil may be found in you, but that you may remain in all holiness and sobriety in Jesus Christ, both with respect to the flesh and the spirit.

_- St. Ignatius of Antioch, third Bishop of Antioch and disciple of St. John_

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## TER

Direct all your attention to the acquisition of love for your neighbor as the basis of your life and your task.  Love your neighbor according to the dictates of the commandments of the Gospel, not at all according to the dictates and impulses of your heart.  The love planted by God in our nature was damaged by the fall and cannot act correctly.  On no account allow it to act!  Its actions have lost their purity.  Love your neighbor in the following way:  Do not get angry with him and do not bear resentment or a grudge against him.  Do not allow yourself to say to your neighbor any reproachful, abusive, sarcastic or caustic words.  Maintain peace with him as far as possible.  Humble yourself in his presence.  Do not try to have your revenge on him either directly or indirectly.  Whenever possible, yield to him.  Get out of the habit of arguing and quarrelling, and reject it as a sign of pride and self-love.  Speak well of those who speak evil of you.  Pay good for evil.  Pray for those who cause you various offences, wrongs, temptations, persecutions.  Whatever you do, on no account condemn anyone; do not even try to judge whether a person is good or bad, but keep your eyes on that one evil person for whom you must give an account before God  yourself.

Treat your neighbors as you would like them to treat you.  Forgive and pardon men their offences against you from the depth of your heart, so that your heavenly Father may forgive you your countless offences, your debt of sin.

_- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov_

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## TER

Meekness is an unchangeable state of mind, which remains the same in honor and dishonor.

Meekness consists in praying calmly and sincerely for a neighbor when he causes many turmoils.

Meekness is a rock overlooking the sea of anger, which breaks all the waves that dash against it, yet remains completely unmoved.

Meekness is the buttress of patience, the door, or rather, the mother of love, and the foundation of discernment, for it is said: The Lord will teach the meek His ways. It prepares us for the forgiveness of sins; it is boldness in prayer; an abode of the Holy Spirit, a fellow-worker of obedience, the guide of the brotherhood, a bridle for the enraged, a check to the irritable, a minister of joy, the imitation of Christ, something proper to angels, shackles for demons, a shield against bitterness.

_- St John Climacus_

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## TER

Do not ask for love from your neighbor, for if you ask and he does not respond you will be troubled. Instead show your love for your neighbor and you will be at rest and so will bring your neighbor to love.

_- St Dorotheos of Gaza_

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## TER

Life giving faith consists in unquestioning belief in Christ as God. Only when Christ is accepted as perfect God and perfect Man does the plenitude of spiritual experience described by the Apostles and Fathers become possible. Christ is now the cornerstone on which we must construct our entire life, both temporal and eternal Christ, having linked God and man inseparably in Himself, is the one and only solution of the apparently insoluble conflict [of evil in the world]. He is in truth the Savior of the world (John 4.42.) He is the measure of all things, human and divine. He is the sole way to the Father. He is the sun which illumines the universe. Only in His light can the way be seen.

_- Archmandrite Sophronius Sakharov_

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## TER

Let us not overlook Him here, hungry, in order that He Himself may feed us there. Here let us clothe Him, that He may not send us forth naked from the safe refuge with Him. If we give Him to drink here, we shall not say with the rich man: ‘Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool our tongues’ (Luke 16:24). If here we receive Him into our homes, there He will prepare many mansions for us. If we go to Him when He is in prison, He Himself will free us also from our bonds. If, when He is a stranger, we take Him in, He will not look down upon us as strangers when we are in the Kingdom of heaven, but will give to us a share in the heavenly City. If we visit Him when He is sick, He Himself will quickly free us also from our infirmities.

_ - St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

The love of God is not taught. No one has taught us to enjoy the light or to be attached to life more than anything else. And no one has taught us to love the two people who brought us into the world and educated us. Which is all the more reason to believe that we did not learn to love God as a result of outside instruction. In the very nature of every human being has been sown the seed of the ability to love. You and I ought to welcome this seed, cultivate it carefully, nourish it attentively and foster its growth by going to the school of God’s commandments with the help of His grace.

_ – St Basil the Great_

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## TER

At the beginning of our spiritual journey, when we are spiritually immature, our entire religious attitude is ego- centered, emotional, and rational. The deeper level of awareness, the noetic consciousness [that is, the consciousness of the nous], has not yet been fully opened. We are our egos, defined by our passions. We are far from being authentic persons because we are caught up in our isolated individualism. [But] as we grow, and gain more control over our passions, and our souls become purified, Grace illumines our noetic consciousness. We become more aware of Gods presence, and more aware of the other. We move away from self-centeredness. The focus of our attention is on God. As this happens, our own personal I expands and encompasses others, so that we cannot conceive of ourselves in isolation from God and our brothers. This is the bond of authentic spiritual love, empowered by Grace. The more we grow in this noetic consciousness, the more our love embraces all of those around us. We pray from the heart for them, and for the whole world. We are purified by Grace, so that we can authentically love in a purely unselfish way. This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian: to authentically love.

By truly loving God and our neighbor we are purified, illumined, and deified. We are restored from our fallen state, from our ego/self-centeredness, and from the tyranny of our rational and emotional consciousness. The passions come under control, subordinated to the love of the Other. We become purified of all that focuses us on ourselves and of all barriers to love.

_ - Fr. Isaaky_

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## TER

As we cross the sea of the world, repentance should be our ship, reverential awe its pilot, and love its harbour. 

_- St Isaac of Syria_

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## TER

The blessed apostle offers as a summary of salvation the perfection of these three virtues. `Now,’ he says, `these three things remain – faith, hope, love’ (1 Cor. 13:13). For it is faith – with its fear of the judgement and punishment to come – which brings about the decline of sin’s contagion. It is hope which draws our mind from the things of the present and which in its anticipation of heavenly rewards spurns all the pleasures of the body. And it is love which fires us to long for Christ, to be zealous for the fruit of the spiritual virtues and to detest utterly whatever is contrary to these virtues.

_- St. John Cassian_

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## TER

“We shall not care what people think of us, or how they treat us. We shall cease to be afraid of falling out of favor. We shall love our fellow men without thought of whether they love us. Christ gave us the commandment to love others but did not make it a condition of salvation that they should love us. Indeed, we may positively be disliked for independence of spirit. It is essential in these days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect – it will not matter provided that the Lord accept us. And vice versa: it will profit us nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and sings our praises, if the Lord declines to abide with us. This is only a fragment of the freedom Christ meant when He said, ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8.32). Our sole care will be to continue in the word of Christ, to become His disciples and cease to be servants of sin.”

_- Elder Sophrony of Essex_

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## TER

...the soul copies the life that is above, and is conformed to the peculiar features of the Divine nature; none of its habits are lift to it except that of love, which clings by natural affinity to the Beautiful. For this is what love is; the inherent affection towards a chosen object. When, then , the soul, having become simple and single in form and so perfectly godlike, find that perfectly simple and immaterial good which is really worth enthusiasm and love, it attaches itself to it and blends with it by means of the movement and activity love, fashioning itself according to that which it is continually finding and grasping. 

_- St. Gregory of Nyssa_

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## TER

An old man was asked, 'How can I find God?' He said, 'In fasting, in watching, in labors, in devotion, and, above all, in discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that which God seeks: charity and humility.' 

_- from the Desert Fathers_

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## TER

Christ said, 'I came not to send peace, but a sword' and 'division'. Christ summoned us to war on the plane of the spirit, and our weapon is 'the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.' Our battle is waged in extraordinarily unequal conditions. We are tied hand and foot. We dare not strike with fire or sword: our sole armament is love, even for enemies. This unique war in which we are engaged is indeed a holy war. We wrestle with the last and only enemy of mankind death. Our fight is the fight for universal resurrection. 

_- Archimandrite Sophrony_

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## TER

Christ's words that the 'first will be last, and the last will be first' (Mt.19:30) refer to those who participate in the virtues and those who participate in love. For love is the last of the virtues to be born in the heart, but it is the first in value, so that those born before it turn out to be 'the last.' 

_- St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world. 

_- St. Innocent of Irkutsk_

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## TER

He who truly loves God, is devoted to His holy will; and no matter what might befall him, he accepts everything, as from the hand of God, with the firm faith that all this serves to his spiritual benefit. For the soul that is devoted to God, the misfortunes that befall it in this life serve as steps leading it up to perfection. 

_- St. John Climacus _

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## TER

He in whom there is love, does not consider anyone alien to himself, but all are to him his own people; he in whom there is love, does not become irritated, is not proud, does not become inflamed with anger, does not rejoice over injustice, is not mired in falsehood, does not consider anyone as his enemy; he in whom there is love, endures everything, is compassionate, is long-suffering. Therefore, he who has acquired love is blessed. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God (I John 4:16). 

_- St. Ephraim the Syrian_

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## TER

If we are not willing to sacrifice this temporal life, or perhaps, even the life to come, for the sake of our neighbor, as were Moses and St. Paul, how can we say that we love him? For Moses said to God concerning his people, 'If Thou wilt forgive their sins, forgive; but if not, blot me as well out of the book of life which Thou hast written' (Ex. 32:32. LXX); while St. Paul said, 'For I could wish that I myself were severed from Christ for the sake of my brethren' (Rom. 9:3). He prayed, that is to say, that he should perish in order that others might be saved - and these others were the Israelites who were seeking to kill him. 

_- St. Peter of Damascus_

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## TER

If we want to fare well in this life and to go to Paradise, and to call our God love and father, we must have two loves: the love for God and the love for our neighbor. It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature not have them. Just as a swallow needs two wings in order to fly in the air, so we need these two loves, because without them we cannot be saved. 

Let us have love for God and for our fellow men. Then God comes and brings us joy and implants the eternal life in our hearts, and we fare well in this life and also go to Paradise, there to rejoice forever. 

Fortunate is the man who has these two loves in his heart, that for God and that for his brethren. He surely has God; and whoever has God has every blessing and does not bear to commit sin. Again, wretched is the man who does not have these two loves. Surely he has the devil and evil, and always sins. God, my brethren, asks us to have these two loves. As He Himself says in His Holy Gospel: "On these two commandments hang all the law and the Prophets." Through these two loves all the Saints of our Church, men and women, attained sainthood and won Paradise. Whoever has blessed love, firstly for God and secondly for his fellow Christian, becomes worthy of receiving the Holy Trinity in his heart. 

If you wish to be saved, seek no other thing here in this world as much as love. 

_- St. Cosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

If your heart has been softened either by repentance before God or by learning the boundless love of God towards you, do not be proud with those whose hearts are still hard. Remember how long your heart was hard and incorrigible. 

Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers. 

_- Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic_

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## TER

In order not to be in daily bondage to the passions and the devil, you must set yourself an object to aim at, have this object constantly in view, and endeavor to attain it, conquering all obstacles by the name of the Lord. What is this object? The Kingdom of God, the Divine palace of glory, prepared for believers from the creation of the world. But as this object can only be attained by certain means, it also is necessary to have such means at one's disposal. And what are these means? Faith, hope, and love, especially the last. Believe, hope, and love, especially love, disregarding all obstacles; love God above everything and your neighbor as yourself. If you have not sufficient strength to preserve in your heart these inestimable treasures, fall down more often at the feet of the God of Love. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you," for He Who has promised is true. Walking, sitting, lying down, conversing, or working, at every time, pray with your whole heart that faith and love may be given to you. You have not yet asked for them as you should ask - fervently and instantly - with the firm purpose of obtaining them. Say now, "I will begin to do so henceforth.

- Saint John of Kronstadt

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## TER

Know my brethren that love has two characteristics, two gifts. One of them is to strengthen man in what is good and the other is to weaken him in what is evil. I have a loaf of bread to eat; you do not have. Love tells me: Do not eat it alone, give some to your brethren and you eat the rest. I have clothes; love tells me: Give one garment to your brother and you wear the other one. I open my mouth to accuse you, to tell you lies, to deceive you; but at once I remember love and it deadens my mouth, and does not allow me to tell you lies. I stretch out my hands to take what belongs to you, your money, all your possessions. Love does not allow me to take them. Do you see, my brethren, what gifts love has? 

_- St. Cosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

Love bestows prophecy; love yields miracles; love is an abyss of illumination; love is a fountain of fire, in the measure that it wells up, it inflames the thirsty soul. Love is the state of angels. Love is the progress of eternity. 

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Men love one another, commendably or reprehensibly, for the following five reasons: either for the sake of God, as the virtuous man loves everyone and as the man not yet virtuous loves the virtuous; or by nature, as parents love their children and children their parents; or because of self-esteem, as he who is praised loves the man who praises him; or because of avarice, as with one who loves a rich man for what he can get out of him; or because of self-indulgence, as with the man who serves his belly and his genitals. The first is commendable, the second is of an intermediate kind, the rest are dominated by passion. 

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Rejoice at every opportunity of showing kindness to your neighbor as a true Christian who strives to store up as many good works as possible, especially the treasures of love. Do not rejoice when others show you kindness and love - consider yourself unworthy of it; but rejoice when an occasion presents itself for you to show love. Show love simply, without any deviation into cunning thoughts, without any trivial, worldly, covetous calculations, remembering that love is God Himself. Remember that He sees all your ways, sees all the thoughts and movements of your heart. 

_- Saint John of Kronstadt _

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## TER

Repentance and humility establish the soul. Charity and meekness strengthen it. 

_- Monk Evagrius_

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## TER

The compassionate soul loves, helps, consoles, shares the suffering of an afflicted fellow human being. It works for the spreading of the Gospel, motivated by love for the sinner. We ought to feel sorrow within our souls for persons who live far from God.

The stand of the Lord towards Zacchaeus should serve as a lesson for Christians. Through His stand the Lord showed that we ought to embrace sinners with our love and not to avoid them. It shows us that we ought to seek the power of God to bring them to the regeneration which is effected by our Savior Jesus Christ. 

So let us approach sinners with love. And if in the end we do no succeed in bringing them close and fully to the path of God, let us even then not cease praying for them. Perhaps our fervent prayer will be listened to by our compassionate God and He will grant to them the regeneration of their soul. 

_- Saint Raphael_

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## TER

The natural love of the soul is one thing, and the love which comes to it from the Holy Spirit is another. The activity of the first depends on the assent of our will to our desire. For this reason it is easily taken over and perverted by evil spirits when we do not keep firmly to our chosen course. But the love which comes from the Holy Spirit so inflames the soul that all its parts cleave ineffably and with utter simplicity to the delight of its love and longing for the divine. The intellect then becomes pregnant through the energy of the Holy Spirit and overflows with a spring of love and joy. 

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

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## TER

When a man begins to perceive the love of God in all its richness, he begins also to love his neighbor with spiritual perception. This is the love of which all the scriptures speak. Friendship after the flesh is very easily destroyed on some slight pretext, since it is not held firm by spiritual perception. But when a person is spiritually awakened, even if something irritates him, the bond of love is not dissolved; rekindling himself with the warmth of the love of God, he quickly recovers himself and with great joy seeks his neighbors's love, even though he has been gravely wronged or insulted by him. For the sweetness of God completely consumes the bitterness of the quarrel. 

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

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## TER

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil. 

_- St Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Your see, beloved, how great and wonderful love is, and there is no setting forth its perfection. Who is able to possess it, except those to whom God grants this privilege? Let us, therefore, earnestly beg of His mercy, that we may be found to possess a love unmixed with human partiality and above reproach. All the generations from Adam down to this day have passed away; but those who are perfected in love in the measure of God's grace, have a place among the saints, and they will be made manifest when the Kingdom of Christ comes to visit us. 

_- St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

`But the king came in to look at the guests, and saw there a person not clothed in a wedding garment.' What do we think is meant by a the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For is we say it is baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast, but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy Church, and has faith, but does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this is what our Creator Himself possessed when He came to the marriage feast to join the Church to Himself. 

_- St. Gregory the Great_

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## TER

Real, true love  cleaves to the good, even though found in the worst enemy, and though directly opposing love's desire. Love is no respecter of persons. It is not intimidated by the possible danger its expression might incur.

_- Martin Luther_

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## TER

Apart from love nothing whatever has existed, nor ever will. Its names and actions are many. More numerous still are its distinctive marks; divine and innumerable are its properties. Yet it is one in nature, wholly beyond utterance whether on the part of angels or men or any other creatures, even such as are unknown to us. Reason cannot comprehend it; its glory is inaccessible, its counsels unsearchable. It is eternal because it is beyond time, invisible because thought cannot comprehend it, though it may perceive it. Many are the beauties of this holy Sion not made with hands! He who has begun to see it no longer delights in sensible objects; he ceases to be attached to the glory of this world.

_—St. Symeon the New Theologian_

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## TER

A man who is wrathful with us is a sick man; we must apply a plaster to his heart - love; we must treat him kindly, speak to him gently, lovingly. And if there is not deeply-rooted malice against us within him, but only a temporary fit of anger, you will see how his heart, or his malice, will melt away through your kindness and love - how good will conquer evil. A Christian must always be kind, gracious, and wise in order to conquer evil by good.

_—St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

The fruits of the earth are not brought to perfection immediately, but by time, rain and care; similarly, the fruits of men ripen through ascetic practice, study, time, perseverance, self-control and patience.

_- St. Anthony the Great_

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## TER

It is when we love the other, the enemy, that we obtain from God the key to an understanding of who he is, and who we are. It is only this realization that can open to us the real nature of our duty, and of right action. To shut out the person and to refuse to consider him as a person, as an other self, we resort to the impersonal “law” and to abstract “nature.” That is to say we block off the reality of the other, we cut the intercommunication of our nature and his nature, and we consider only our own nature with its rights, its claims, it demands. And we justify the evil we do to our brother because he is no longer a brother, he is merely an adversary, an accused. To restore communication, to see our oneness of nature with him, and to respect his personal rights and his integrity, his worthiness of love, we have to see ourselves as similarly accused along with him… and needing, with him, the ineffable gift of grace and mercy to be saved. Then, instead of pushing him down, trying to climb out by using his head as a stepping-stone for ourselves, we help ourselves to rise by helping him to rise. For when we extend our hand to the enemy who is sinking in the abyss, God reaches out to both of us, for it is He first of all who extends our hand to the enemy. It is He who “saves himself” in the enemy, who makes use of us to recover the lost groat which is His image in our enemy.

_- Thomas Merton_

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## TER

Let us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their (the Apostles) teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves and encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, purifying our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. Let us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## Eagles' Wings

> You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil. 
> 
> _- St Seraphim of Sarov_


I'd like to know more about this Saint, TER.  Do you have a website where I can get this quote as well as other info?  I've not been on the forum for a while and came right to this quote - Thanks be to God.       Louise

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## TER

Most certainly, Louise!  Glory be to God!

St. Seraphim was a Russian saint in the 1700s who is amongst the most beloved saints of 'modern' times (that's how you know we are talking about an Orthodox saint, when the 1700's are considered 'modern' times! lol)

He was an ascetic wonder-worker who spent a thousand days and a thousand nights praying on a rock in an isolated forest, stopping only to eat a bit and sleep for just a few hours.  He was known for his meekness, joyfulness, and peace of heart and once in his life was visited by Christ Himself.  He attracted pilgrims from all over seeking his holy council, and his companion in the isolated hut in the woods was a bear who loved him deeply.  He become known throughout Russia for his gifts of discernment and the miraculous healings attributed to his prayers before God.   Truly a remarkable saint and reminiscent of the great saints of the ancient Church who were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  He is amongst one of the most beloved and revered saints of the past couple of hundred years and reverence for him is not limited to the Orthodox Church, as Pope John Paul II referred to him as a saint in one of his books.  

This is a classic story about him which you should definitely read.  Its called *On Acquisition of the Holy Spirit*

There are also many excellent books with his sayings and his biography which I can give you when you have finished reading the above story.  For a quick bio, here is the Wikipedia and OrthodoxWiki articles on him.

This is a* GREAT RESOURCE* as well of quotes attributed to him which I highly recommend.

Here are just a sampling:

"Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved."

"Where there is God, there is no evil. Everything coming from God is peaceful, healthy and leads a person to the judgment of his own imperfections and humility."

"When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented."

"The devil is like a lion, hiding in ambush (Ps 10:19, 1Pe 5:8). He secretly sets out nets of unclean and unholy thoughts. So, it is necessary to break them off as soon as we notice them, by means of pious reflection and prayer."

"It is necessary that the Holy Spirit enter our heart. Everything good that we do, that we do for Christ, is given to us by the Holy Spirit, but prayer most of all, which is always available to us."

"A sign of spiritual life is the immersion of a person within himself and the hidden workings within his heart."

"Excessive care about worldly matters is characteristic of an unbelieving and fainthearted person, and woe to us, if, in taking care of ourselves, we do not use as our foundation our faith in God, who cares for us! If we do not attribute visible blessings to Him, which we use in this life, then how can we expect those blessings from Him which are promised in the future? We will not be of such little faith. By the words of our Saviour, it is better first to seek the Kingdom of God, for the rest shall be added unto us (see Mt. 6:33)."

"True hope seeks the one Kingdom of God and is sure that everything necessary for this mortal life will surely be given. The heart cannot have peace until it acquires this hope. This hope pacifies it fully and brings joy to it. The most holy lips of the Saviour spoke about this very hope: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28)."

"Oh, if you only knew what joy, what sweetness awaits a righteous soul in Heaven! You would decide in this mortal life to bear any sorrows, persecutions and slander with gratitude. If this very cell of ours was filled with worms, and these worms were to eat our flesh for our entire life on earth, we should agree to it with total desire, in order not to lose, by any chance, that heavenly joy which God has prepared for those who love Him."

"The reading of the word of God should be performed in solitude, in order that the whole mind of the reader might be plunged into the truths of the Holy Scripture, and that from this he might receive warmth, which in solitude produces tears; from these a man is wholly warmed and is filled with spiritual gifts, which rejoice the mind and heart more than any word."

"God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil—for the devil is cold—let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance."

"The body is a slave, the soul a sovereign, and therefore it is due to Divine mercy when the body is worn out by illness: for thereby the passions are weakened, and a man comes to himself; indeed, bodily illness itself is sometimes caused by the passions." 

"Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

"When despondency seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather, fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil: "What are you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave of evil? You dare not do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head."

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## TER

All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good.

_- Saint John Vianney_

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## TER

Peace in our souls is impossible unless we beg the Lord with all our hearts to give us love for all men.  The Lord knew if we did not love our enemies, we should have no peace of soul, and so He gave us the Commandment, 'Love your enemies.'  Unless we love our enemies, we shall only now and then be easy, as it were, in our souls; but if we love our enemies, peace will dwell in us day and night.

_- Saint Silouan the Anthonite_

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## TER

It is demanded of us, Christians, that we receive these heavenly and most sweet tidings {the Gospel} gratefully as they are sent from Heaven, and that from a pure heart we always give thanks to God our Benefactor,  Who so freely had mercy on us, and that we show holy obedience and compliance in all thankfulness.  For conscience itself instructs and convinces us to be thankful to our Benefactor.  He loved us who are unworthy.  Let us also love Him Who is worthy of all love.  Love requires that we never offend the beloved.  God is offended by every sin.  Let us keep away from every sin and let us do His holy will that we may not offend Him as our compassionate Father and Benefactor.

_- Saint Tikon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

We cannot serve anyone with whom we have animosity.  This is why the Gospels stress forgiveness.  Our Lord even forgave those who crucified Him, crying out from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)  If we are to serve the world, we must first be able to forgive everyone and anyone.  The slightest amount of unforgiveness or anger towards anyone is enough to keep us from God, for in God there is only love.

_- Bishop Joseph_

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## TER

We must see to it that our pleasing of others always ministers to their good in some way, edifies them, adds something to their character, and makes them braver, truer, and happier.  The world is full of discouraged people, and we have the power to say a hopeful word or do a kindness which will drive the discouragement from their hearts and move them again, with strength for brave, victorious, and songful living.  Love is the greatest thing in the world.  We are to see to it that everything we do and every influence of our life shall be for our neighbor's good.  We are bound so to live that we shall do hurt to none, but shall edify---add something to the life of everyone.

_- Saint Alexandra Tsaritsa the New Martyer_

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## TER

Life is blessedness, and not simply because we believe in blessed eternity; but here on earth life can be blessed, it we live with Christ, fulfilling His holy commandments. If a man is not tied to earthly goods, but will in all things rely only on God, he live for Christ and in Christ, then life here on earth will become blessed.

_- St. Barsanuphius of Optina_

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## TER

Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. [1 Pet. iv. 8] Love beareth all things, is long-suffering in all things. [1 Cor. xiii. 4, etc] There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.

_- St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

“Direct all your attention to the acquisition of love for your neighbor as the basis of your life and your task.  Love your neighbor according to the dictates of the commandments of the Gospel, not at all according to the dictates and impulses of your heart.  The love planted by God in our nature was damaged by the fall and cannot act correctly.  On no account allow it to act!  Its actions have lost their purity….  Love your neighbor in the following way:  Do not get angry with him and do not bear resentment or a grudge against him.  Do not allow yourself to say to your neighbor any reproachful, abusive, sarcastic or caustic words.  Maintain peace with him as far as possible.  Humble yourself in his presence.  Do not try to have your revenge on him either directly or indirectly.  Whenever possible, yield to him.  Get out of the habit of arguing and quarreling, and reject it as a sign of pride and self-love.  Speak well of those who speak evil of you.  Pay good for evil.  Pray for those who cause you various offenses, wrongs, temptations, persecutions.  Whatever you do, on no account condemn anyone; do not even try to judge whether a person is good or bad, but keep your eyes on that one evil person for whom you must give an account before God – yourself.

Treat your neighbors as you would like them to treat you.  Forgive and pardon men their offences against you from the depth of your heart, so that your heavenly Father may forgive you your countless offenses, your debt of sin.”

_- St. Ignatius Brianchaninov:_

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## TER

Christ was Risen, and so we too must be resurrected with Christ, in order to ascend with Him. Our Resurrection is two-fold: in body and in spirit. Our bodily Resurrection will take place on the Last Day. We speak of this when we recite the Creed, the Symbol of Faith: “I look for the Resurrection of the dead.” To be resurrected spiritually is to depart from our sins, to turn away from the vanities of this world, and to abide in true repentance and faith; to take up the struggle against any sin, to do the will of our Heavenly Father, to live His truth, and to follow Christ, the Son of God, with humility, love, meekness, and patience. This the new creation of which the Holy Apostle speaks when he says, “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature….” (II Corinthians 5, 17); a new person, renewed through repentance and faith, a true Christian, a living member of Christ and an heir to the Kingdom of God.

_- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

“To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve. Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At this point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ.”

_- Elder Paisius of Mount Athos_

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## TER

“Where there is grace, the fount of life, there good works come from the heart. When the Holy Spirit visits, any labor becomes easy, unceasing prayer flows from the heart, and the eyes continuously shed tears. This may be accompanied by spiritual enlightenment and pure, sober reasoning; for it is then that the Holy Spirit acts within a man.”

_- Fr. Sergius Chetverikov_

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## TER

“Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modestly, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.”

_- Elder Athanasius of Grigoriou_

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## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.

He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.

_- St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

Accordingly, dearly beloved, let us do everything for the purpose of giving glory to our Lord, and let us not be an occasion of scandal to anybody. This after all, is the unfailing lesson given us by the whole world’s teacher, blessed Paul, as for example when he says, “If food is a source of scandal to my brother, let me never till the end of time touch meat again;” and again, “By sinning against your brothers in this way through bruising your tender conscience, you sin against Christ.” A stern admonition that, entailing a heavy condemnation. In other words, he is saying, don’t think the harm will be inflicted solely on one person: it passes on to Christ himself, who for that person was crucified. So if the Lord was not swayed from being crucified for him, would you not make every effort to avoid giving him any occasion for scandal? You will find Paul giving this advice everywhere to his disciples; it is, after all, the factor that keeps our life together. Hence he uses these words in writing in another letter: “Let each of you consider not your own concerns but the concerns of others;” and again in another place: “Everything is lawful for me, but not everything edifies others.” Do you see the apostolic attitude? Even repercussion for myself on that account, yet to avoid interfering with my neighbor’s spiritual progress I would not presume to behave like that. Do you see the soul full of loving concern- how he has no eye at all for his own interests, but shows us in every way that the greatest virtue consists in taking great care for our neighbor’s spiritual progress.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Everyday experience shows that even people who in their inner depths accept Christ’s commandment to love one’s enemies do not put it into practice. Why? First of all, because without grace we cannot love our enemies. But if, realizing that this love was naturally beyond them, they asked God to help them with His grace they would certainly receive this gift.

_- St. Silvanus the Athonite_

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## TER

Everyone has a cross to carry. Why? Since the leader of our faith endured the cross, we will also endure it. On one hand, the cross is sweet and light, but, on the other, it can also be bitter and heavy. It depends on our will. If you bear Christ’s cross with love then it will be very light; like a sponge or a cork. But if you have a negative attitude, it becomes heavy; too heavy to lift.

_- Elder Ephraim of Katounakia_

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## TER

For an offence, whatever kind may have been given, one must not only not avenge oneself, but on the contrary must all the more forgive from the heart, even though it may resist this, and must incline the heart by conviction of the word of God: If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt. 6:15); and again, Pray for them which despitefully use you (Matt. 5:44).

One must not nurse in one’s heart malice or hatred towards a neighbhor who bears ill-will; but we must strive to love him and, as much as possible, do good, following the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you (Matt. 5:44).

And thus, if we will strive, as much as lies in our power, to fulfill all this, then we may hope that Divine light will shine early in our souls, opening to us the path to the Jerusalem on High.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

_- St. Paul the Apostle_

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## TER

I weep and mourn with pity for mankind.  Many people think to themselves, ‘I have sinned much- plundered and killed, used violence, slandered and led a wanton life; and done many other wrong things.’  And shame keeps them from the path of repentance.  But they forget that in God’s sight all their sins are as drops of water in the sea.   O my brethren the world over, repent while there is still time.  God mercifully awaits our repentance.  As God is love, so the Holy Spirit in the saints is love.  Ask, and the Lord will forgive.  And when you receive forgiveness, there will be joy and gladness in your soul, and the grace of the Holy Spirit will enter your soul, and you will cry: ‘This is true freedom.  True freedom is in God and of God.’

_- Saint Silouan of Mount Athos_

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## Johnny Appleseed

forget E=Mc2 write me a formula for love

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## TER

Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another. We do not discover the secret of our lives merely by study and calculation in our own isolated meditations. The meaning of our life is a secret that has to be revealed to us in love, by the one we love. And if this love is unreal, the secret will not be found, the meaning will never reveal itself, the message will never be decoded. At best, we will receive a scrambled and partial message, one that will deceive and confuse us. We will never be fully real until we let ourselves fall in love–either with another human person or with God.

_- Fr. Thomas Merton_

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## TER

The fundamental, original commandment is: love! It is a small word, but it expresses an all-encompassing thing. It is easy to say: you must love, but it is not easy to attain love to the necessary degree. It is also not exactly clear how to attain it; this is why the Savior surrounds this commandment with other explanatory rules: love as thyself; and as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Here is shown a degree of love that one can call boundless; for is there any limit to one’s love for oneself? And is there any good which one would not want for himself from others? Meanwhile, however, the instructions are not impossible to fulfill. The matter depends upon having perfect compassion toward others, to fully transfer their feelings to yourself, to feel the way they feel. When this occurs, there will be no need to point out what you must do for others in a given situation: your heart will show you. You must only take care to maintain compassion, otherwise egoism will immediately approach and return you to itself and confine you in itself. Then you will not lift a finger for another, and will not look at him, though he might be dying. When the Lord said: love thy neighbor as thyself, He meant that our neighbor should be in us, that is, in our heart, instead of our own selves. If our “I” remains in there as before, we cannot expect anything good to come of it….

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

You mustn’t wage your Christian struggle with sermons and arguments, but with true secret love. When we argue, others react. When we love people, they are moved and we win them over. When we love, we think that we offer something to others, but in reality we are the first to benefit.

_- Elder Porphyrios_

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## Working Poor

> forget E=Mc2 write me a formula for love


Love is all there is my friend that is the real secret

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## TER

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.  For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,  not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.  And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.  For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.  And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

_- St. John (1 John 3)_

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## TER

...without love the works of virtue are not praiseworthy or profitable to the man who practices them, and the same is true of love without works. St. Paul makes this fully clear with reference to works when he writes to the Corinthians, _'If I do this and that, but have no love, it profits me nothing'_ (cf. I Cor. 13:1-3); and with reference to love the disciple especially beloved by Christ writes, _'Let us not love in word or tongue but in action and truth'_ (I John 3:18).

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## westkyle

Thank you for the quotes TER. They are inspiring.  God bless.

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## TER

"...And if by grace, it will be said, how did we not all come to be saved?  Because you refused.  For grace, even though it be grace, saves the willing, not those who will not have it, and turn away from it, those who persist in fighting against it, and opposing themselves to it."

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Prayer is a request for what is good, offered by the devout of God.  But we do not restrict this request simply to what is stated in words...  We should not express our prayer merely in syllables, but the power of prayer should be expressed in the moral attitude of our soul and in the virtuous actions that extend throughout our life...  This is how you pray continually -- not by offering prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer.

_- St. Basil the Great_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve. Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At this point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ.

_- Elder Paisius of Mount Athos_

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## TER

Faith is the beginning of love; the end of love is knowledge of God.

_- Abba Evagrius_

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## TER

Such is the power of love: it embraces, and unites, and fastens together not only those who are present and near, and visible, but also those who are distant. And neither time, nor separation in space, nor anything else of that kind, can break up and divide in pieces the affection of the soul.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

God's will is done on earth as in heaven when, in the way indicated, we do not disparage one another, and when not only are we without jealousy but we are united one to another in simplicity and in mutual love, peace, and joy, and regard our brother's progress as our own and his failure as our loss.

_-St. Symeon Metaphrastis_

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## TER

Patient endurance is the fruit of love, for 'love patiently endures all things' (I Cor. 13:7), and teaches us to achieve such endurance by forcing ourselves so that through patience we may attain love...

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## TER

Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled underfoot by all and despised, accepting injustice, contempt and mockery; unless he undergoes all these things with joy for the sake of the Lord, not claiming any kind of human reward whatsoever – glory or honor or earthly pleasures – he cannot become a true Christian.

_- St Mark the monk_

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## TER

Very many wish to be vouchsafed the Kingdom without labors, without struggles, without sweat; but this is impossible.

If you love the glories of men, and desire to be worshiped, and seek comfort, you are going off the path. You must be crucified with the Crucified One, suffer with Him that suffered, that you may be glorified with Him that is glorified.

_- St. Macarius of Egypt_

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## TER

Now listen to what the Gospel instructs us to be. In the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you; bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you; unto him that smiteth thee on one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid him not to take thy coat also. Give to every one that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. And as you would want that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

These directions may seem impossible. But they are not impossible, they are just not of this world. We grow into them gradually, and to the extent that we are able. But even when we fail at them practically, we keep them before us, for directional purposes, like the ancient mariners kept the North Star, for their bearings. The world, which does not know Christ, may have to be mistrustful and cold. But Christians, on the contrary, must remain loving and open, or else we lose the very Salt of Christ within us, and we become good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot. The most important thing, is to resist hardheartedness, and to cultivate a soft heart, even in the midst of difficulties. It is difficult to love those, whom we should, by the best of worldly standards, hate. But to love even the hateful, is perhaps the Saints first duty. God give us the grace to love those, whom by all worldly standards, we should hate. The Gospel tells us, then we will be children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

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## TER

True Christian love is not just a feeling or a pleasant disposition of the soul. It is a self-sacrificing, ceaseless, life-long act of heroism unto death. It is fiery yet dispassionate, not dependent on anything, not on being loved in return or having a kinship of blood. One no longer thinks of receiving something for oneself. One can be spat upon and reviled, and yet in this suffering there is such a deep, profound peace that one finds it impossible to return to the lifeless state one was in before the suffering. One blesses life and all that is around one, and this blessing becomes universal. Such love can only come from God. This is the only love that Christ is truly interested in, the love He came to earth to show and teach humanity. With this love He gave up His Spirit on the Cross.

_- Fr. Damascene Christensen_

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## TER

Remember that the Lord is in every Christian. When your neighbor comes to you, always have great respect for him, because the Lord is in him, and often expresses His will through him. ‘It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure’ (Phil. 2:13). Therefore, do not grudge anything to your brother, but do unto him as unto the Lord; especially as you do not know in whom the Lord will come and visit you; be impartial to all, be kind to all, sincere and hospitable. Remember that sometimes God speaks even through unbelievers, or disposes their hearts towards us, as it happened in Egypt when the Lord gave Joseph favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Gen. 39:21).

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lord’s commandment, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault – he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.  Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love grace is preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies, so that the soul pities them as if they were her own children. There are people who desire the destruction, the torment in hell-fire of their enemies, or the enemies of the Church. They think like this because they have not learned divine love from the Holy Spirit, for he who has learned the love of God will shed tears for the whole world. 

_ - St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Neither do walls or rich furniture make a home. Millionaires in magnificent mansions may never know a home. But where there are good relationships, where love binds the family together and to God, there happiness is always to be found. For good relationships are heaven anywhere. Monotony and misery cannot exist where there is love. But the fire of love must be kept burning warmly and brightly with the sweet wood of sacrifice. In teaching us to cross out the "I" out of life, our Lord tells us the secret of happiness; what the Saints call the ecstasy of self-forgetfulness. For divine love is always self-effacing, seeks to give rather than to receive, to serve rather than to be served, to love rather than to be loved, and will sacrifice anything for the beloved. Only then does love become a clean and holy fire in the heart, and not an ugly flare of lust.

_ - St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

When a man begins to perceive the love of God in all its richness, he begins also to love his neighbor with spiritual perception. This is the love of which all the scriptures speak. Friendship after the flesh is very easily destroyed on some slight pretext, since it is not held firm by spiritual perception. But when a person is spiritually awakened, even if something irritates him, the bond of love is not dissolved; rekindling himself with the warmth of the love of God, he quickly recovers himself and with great joy seeks his neighbor's love, even though he has been gravely wronged or insulted by him. For the sweetness of God completely consumes the bitterness of the quarrel.

_ - St. Diadochos of Photiki_

----------


## TER

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lords commandment, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault  he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.

Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love grace is preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls._

- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

To love our neighbors as ourselves, to live according to the commandments of Christ, will lead us to the garden of Gethsemane, where Christ prayed for the whole world.

_- Archimandrite Sophrony
_

----------


## TER

The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies, so that the soul pities them as if they were her own children. There are people who desire the destruction, the torment in hell-fire of their enemies, or the enemies of the Church. They think like this because they have not learned divine love from the Holy Spirit, for he who has learned the love of God will shed tears for the whole world.

You say that So-and-so is an evil-doer and may he burn in hell fire. But I ask you — supposing God were to give you a fair place in paradise, and you saw burning in the fire the man on whom you had wished the tortures of hell, even then would you really not feel pity for him, whoever he might be, an enemy of the Church even? Or is it that you have a heart of steel? But there is no place for steel in paradise. Paradise has need of humility and the love of Christ, which pities all men. The grace of God is not in the man who does not love his enemies.

O merciful Lord, by Thy Holy Spirit teach us
to love our enemies, and to pray for them with tears.
O Lord, send down Thy Holy Spirit on earth
that all nations may know Thee, and learn Thy love.

O Lord, as Thou Thyself didst pray for Thine enemies,
so teach us, too by Thy Holy Spirit, to love our enemies.
O Lord, all peoples are the work of Thy hands;
turn them from enmity and malice to repentance,
that all my know Thy love.

O Lord, Thou didst command us to love our enemies,
but it is hard for us sinners, if Thy grace be not with us.
O Lord, pour down Thy grace upon the earth.
Let all the nations of the earth come to know Thy love;
to know that Thou lovest us with a mother’s love,
and more than a mother’s love
for even a mother may be forgetful of her children,
but Thou forgettest never,
because Thy love for Thy creation is boundless,
and love cannot forget.

O merciful Lord, by the riches of Thy mercy
save all peoples.
_
- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

”A house is not built by beginning at the top and working down. You must begin with the foundations in order to reach the top.” They said to him, “What does this saying mean?” He said, “The foundation is our neighbor, whom we must win, and that is the place to begin. For all the commandments of Christ depend on this alone.”
_
- Saying of Abba John the Dwarf_

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## TER

The person who truly loves God and Christ even though he may perform a thousand good works, considers himself as having done nothing because of his insatiable longing for the Lord. Even if he should tear down the body with fasts and vigils, he considers himself as though he had never even yet begun to develop virtues. Although various gifts of the Spirit or even revelations and heavenly mysteries may be given to him, he believes that he has acquired nothing because of his immense and insatiable love for the Lord.

But daily he perseveres in prayer with a hungering and a thirst in faith and love. He has an insatiable desire for the mysteries of grace and for every virtue. He is wounded with love for the heavenly Bridegroom through grace which he has dwelling within himself.
_
- St. Macarius_

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## TER

Let us not render evil for evil, and we shall not receive our due for our sins. For we find the forgiveness of our trespasses in the forgiving of our brothers; and the mercy of God is hidden in mercifulness to our neighbor. Therefore the Lord said, “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven,” and, “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” See how the Lord bestowed on us the method of salvation and has given us eternal power to become sons of God!

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

----------


## TER

Love and hatred are not merely subjective feelings, affecting the inward universe of those who experience them, but they are also objective forces, altering the world outside ourselves...if this is true of my love, it is true to an incomparably greater extent of Christ's love. The victory of his suffering love upon the Cross does not merely set me an example, showing me what I myself may achieve if by my own efforts I imitate him. Much more than this, his suffering love has a creative effect upon me, transforming my own heart and will, releasing me from bondage, making me whole, rendering it impossible for me to love in a way that would lie altogether beyond my powers, had I not first been loved by him.

_― Kallistos Ware_

----------


## TER

*Ephesians 3*

New King James Version (NKJV)


_The Mystery Revealed_

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

_
Purpose of the Mystery
_

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship[a] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;[b] 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.


_Appreciation of the Mystery
_

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.





Footnotes:
a   Ephesians 3:9 NU-Text and M-Text read stewardship (dispensation).
b   Ephesians 3:9 NU-Text omits through Jesus Christ.
C   Ephesians 3:14 NU-Text omits of our Lord Jesus Christ.

New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

----------


## TER

Do not regard the feelings of a person who speaks to you about his neighbor disparagingly, but rather say to him: Stop, brother! I fall into graver sins every day, so how can I criticize him?' In this way you will achieve two things; you will heal yourself and your neighbor with one plaster. This is one of the shortest ways to the forgiveness of sins; I mean, not to judge. `Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.

_- St. John Climacus,_ The Ladder of Divine Ascent

----------


## TER

"In love did God bring the world into existence; in love is God going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of the one who has preformed all these things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised."

_ - St. Isaac of Syria_

----------


## TER

Nature rebels when the arrogant human mind endeavors to tame its boundless forces endowed by the Creator in its seemingly insignificant and inactive elements. In considering from a spiritual perspective the grievous natural phenomena that plague our planet repeatedly and successively in recent times, we appreciate and acknowledge the belief that these are inseparable from the spiritual and ethical deviation of humanity. The signs of this deviation – such as greed, avarice, and an insatiable desire for material wealth, alongside an indifference toward the poverty endured by so many as a result of the imbalanced affluence of the few – may not be clearly related to the natural occurrences in the eyes of scientists. Yet, for someone examining the matter spiritually, sin disturbs the harmony of spiritual and natural relations alike. For, there is a mystical connection between moral and natural evil; if we wish to be liberated from the latter, we must reject the former.

_ - Archbishop Demetrios, GOA_

----------


## TER

"Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things."

 - Fyodor Dostoevsky

----------


## TER

"True faith, then, is an unconditional orientation of the whole person toward the will of God. God does not punish man for his sins and sinfulness in this life, or even in the life to come. We forge our own destiny. That which we call "hell" is our own creation. We may experience it already in this life and, by our own choices, experience the fullness of it in the age to come. God has set as the destiny of all people; immortality, participation in the glory of the Godhead, the joy of the all-embracing Divine Love. God has set this as our destiny and not only taught us how to attain to it, but in Christ has made it clearly possible for us to arrive at it. Because of his sins, man always falls short of this destiny, but because of Christ Who, as true human, arrived at this destiny and attained to it for all mankind, (Rm.5:12) we can inherit it anyway by choosing to strive for a life in Christ (Rm. 3:24-30)."

_- Archbishop Lazar Puhalo_

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## TER

"...every day we should stand in awe of Him, as He is with us, and do what is pleasing before Him. If we are unable now to perceive Him with our physical eyes, we can, if we are watchful, see Him continuously with the eyes of our understanding, and not just see Him, but reap great benefits from Him. This vision destroys all sin, demolishes all evil, and drives away everything bad. It gives birth to purity and dispassion, and bestows eternal life."

_ - St. Gregory Palamas_

----------


## TER

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lords commandment, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault  he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.

Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love grace is preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls.
_
- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

Let us not render evil for evil, and we shall not receive our due for our sins. For we find the forgiveness of our trespasses in the forgiving of our brothers; and the mercy of God is hidden in mercifulness to our neighbor. Therefore the Lord said, “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven,” and, “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” See how the Lord bestowed on us the method of salvation and has given us eternal power to become sons of God!

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

----------


## TER

The most important thing is to know that believing in Christ means to have eternal life. This is the central and preeminent realization of every Christian. I believe and that is why I have eternal life. I have eternal life because I believe. From this realization, fearlessness and confession of faith are born; and readiness, as well, for every sacrifice for Christ, patience and joyous suffering for Christ. This realization becomes not just a guide, but also a supreme, guiding, and moral principle for a Christian. He then normalizes and regulates everything according to it. He then feels and knows that his highest concern is to achieve eternal life through every feeling, every thought, every act, and every deed. Then, this begins for us an unceasing struggle, and unceasing experience of the evangelic virtues, unceasing rebirth of oneself into something newer and newer, into a better and better man; always looking unto the Founder and Finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus and His labourers and followers (cf. Heb. 12: 1-2). Then, man always keeps in mind the evangelic batter call and rule: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called (I Tim. 6:12). You are a Christian; your calling is to achieve eternal life, to fight day and night for eternal life; and for the safe of it, you must bear every torment, every hardship, every struggle with joy. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (II Cor. 4:17), to us who look at the eternal and search for that which is eternal; for our main purpose is eternal life (cf. II Cor. 4:18). 

_- St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

Although the Holy Fathers praised monasticism as the angelic state, and although many of the greatest saints lived their lives and attained perfection in the deaf and lifeless desert, nevertheless, the Orthodox Church does not recommend tonsuring to all the faithful. Neither all those in the desert were saved nor all those in the world were lost, said one saint. To a city dweller who, with no inclination for monasticism, desired to enter the monastery, St. Niphon said: My child, a place neither saves nor destroys a man, but deeds save or destroy. For him who does not fulfill all the commandments of the Lord, there is no benefit from a sacred place or from a sacred rank. King Saul lived in the midst of royal luxury and he perished. King David lived in the same kind of luxury and he received a wreath. Lot lived among the lawless Sodomites and he was saved. Judas was numbered among the apostles and he went to Hades. Whoever says that it is impossible to be saved with a wife and children deceives himself. Abraham had a wife and children, three-hundred-eighteen servants and handmaidens, much gold and silver but, nevertheless, he was called the Friend of God. Oh, how many servants of the Church and lovers of the desert have been saved! How many aristocrats and soldiers! How many artisans and field-workers! Be pious and be a lover of men and you will be saved!

_- from The Prologue of Orchid_

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## TER

The grace-filled Christian life is supposed to begin in baptism. But those who preserve this grace are rare; the majority of Christians lose it. We see some people who are more or less depraved in their present lives, because they had poor beginnings which were allowed to develop and take root in them. Others perhaps had good beginnings, but during the early years of their youth, whether by personal inclination or through temptation from others, forgot these beginnings and acquired evil habits. Such people no longer lead a true Christian life. Our holy faith offers the Mystery of Repentance for this. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (I Jn. 2:1). If you have sinned, acknowledge the sin and repent. God will forgive the sin and once again give you a new heart...and a new spirit (Ez. 36:26). There is no other way: Either do not sin, or repent. Judging by the number of those who have fallen away from Baptism, one could even say that repentance has become for us the only source of true Christian life.

_- St Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

"Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian activities, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. But mark, my son, only the good deed done for Christ's sake brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is not done for Christ's sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of God in this. ..."

"What do you mean by acquiring?" I asked Father Seraphim. "Somehow I don't understand that."

"Acquiring is the same as obtaining," he replied. "You understand, of course, what acquiring money means? Acquiring the Spirit of God is exactly the same. You know well enough what it means in a worldly sense, your Godliness, to acquire. The aim in life of ordinary worldly people is to acquire or make money, and for the nobility it is in addition to receive honours, distinctions and other rewards for their services to the government. The acquisition of God's Spirit is also capital, but grace-giving and eternal, and it is obtained in very similar ways, almost the same ways as monetary, social and temporal capital.

God the Word, the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, compares our life with a market, and the work of our life on earth He calls trading, and says to us all: Trade till I come, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. That is to say, make the most of your time for getting heavenly blessings through earthly goods. Earthly goods are good works done for Christ's sake and conferring on us the grace of the All-Holy Spirit." 

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

“The Holy Spirit teaches true prayer. No one, until he receives the Holy Spirit, can pray in a manner truly pleasing to God; because if anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit begins to pray, his soul is distracted in different directions from one thing to another, and he cannot fix his thoughts on any one thing. Moreover, he does not know properly either himself or his own need, or how to ask or what to ask of God, in fact he does not even know what God is like. But a person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells knows God and sees that He is his Father, and knows how to approach Him, and how to ask and what to ask of Him. His thoughts during prayer are orderly, pure, and aspire to a single object – God. And by prayer he can do literally anything, and can even move mountains from place to place.”

_- Saint Innocent of Alaska_

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## moostraks

bump....

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## TER

Is someone seeking help? Help him.
Does someone ask something of you? Give it.
Has someone offended you? Forgive him.
Have you offended someone? Rush to ask forgiveness and make peace.
Does someone praise you? Do not be proud.
Does someone scold you? Do not be angry.
Do you have struggles and sufferings? Be patient.
Is it time to fast? Then fast.
Is it time to work? Then work.
Your Father in Heaven is Holy and Loving.
Strive to be holy and loving like Him.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

----------


## TER

Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. [1 Pet. iv. 8] Love beareth all things, is long-suffering in all things. [1 Cor. xiii. 4, etc] There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.

_- St. Clement of Rome_

----------


## TER

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this worlds goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

_- John 3:11-20_

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## TER

If you wish to be saved, seek no other thing here in this world as much as love.

_ - St Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

If you would be simple-hearted like the Apostles, would not conceal your human shortcomings, would not pretend to be especially pious, if you would walk free from hypocrisy, then that is the path. While it is easy, not everyone can find it or understand it. This path is the shortest way to salvation and attracts the grace of God. Unpretentiousness, guilelessness, frankness of soul - this is what is pleasing to the Lord, Who is lowly of heart. Except ye become like children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God (Matt. 18:13).

_- Elder Leonid of Optina_

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## TER

How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside of themselves, in foreign lands and journeys, in riches and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in diversions and vain things, which have a bitter end! It is the same thing to construct the tower of happiness outside of ourselves as it is to build a house in a place that is consistently shaken by earthquakes. Happiness is found within ourselves, and blessed is the man who has understood this. Happiness is a pure heart, for such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus says Christ of those who have pure hearts: "I will visit them, and will walk in them, and I will be a God to them, and they will be my people." (II Cor. 6:16) What can be lacking to them? Nothing, nothing at all! For they have the greatest good in their hearts: God Himself!

_- St. Nektarios of Aegina_

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## TER

As then nothing should be put before love, so on the other hand nothing should be put below rage and anger. For all things, however useful and necessary they seem, should yet be disregarded (so) that disturbing anger may be avoided, and all things even which we think are unfortunate should be undertaken and endured that the calm of love and peace may be preserved unimpaired, because we should reckon nothing more damaging than anger and vexation, and nothing more advantageous than love.

_- Saint John Cassian_

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## TER

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.
_
- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

"You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed"

_- The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ; Luke 10:41-42_

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## TER

"Remember, never to fear the power of evil more than your trust in the power and love of God."

— Hermas, one of the Seventy sent by Christ

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## TER

"God, Who is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all men equally as His handiwork. But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At the same time, in His goodness He is merciful to the sinner and by chastising him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue. Similarly, a man of good and dispassionate judgment also loves all men equally. He loves the virtuous man because of his nature and the probity of his intention; and he loves the sinner, too, because of his nature and because in his compassion he pities him for foolishly stumbling in darkness."

_—St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

"Apart from love nothing whatever has existed, nor ever will. Its names and actions are many. More numerous still are its distinctive marks; divine and innumerable are its properties. Yet it is one in nature, wholly beyond utterance whether on the part of angels or men or any other creatures, even such as are unknown to us. Reason cannot comprehend it; its glory is inaccessible, its counsels unsearchable. It is eternal because it is beyond time, invisible because thought cannot comprehend it, though it may perceive it. Many are the beauties of this holy Sion not made with hands! He who has begun to see it no longer delights in sensible objects; he ceases to be attached to the glory of this world."

_St. Symeon the New Theologian_

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## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.

He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.

_St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

_—St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He deigned to say: not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgments a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.

_- St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

"But I say to you," the Lord says, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you." Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

[1] "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
[2] Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and
every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
[3] You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.
[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
[5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
[6] If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
[7] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
[8] By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
[9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
[10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 
[11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
[12] "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

_- The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ; John 15:1-12_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve. Then, in your prayer you will say: My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord. At this point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ.

_- Elder Paisius of Mount Athos_

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## PierzStyx

"The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs." -The Prophet Joseph Smith.

"Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won't profit you at all....Without charityor the pure love of Christwhatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive. When we inspire and teach others to fill their hearts with love, obedience flows from the inside out in voluntary acts of self-sacrifice and service" -Elder Joseph b. Wirthlin, Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Love is the supreme truth of the universe. So much so, the scripture says, "God _is_ love." If we are to be true disciples of Jesus Christ we must try and love as He loves. And his love is a pure love. When we look upon our fellow man we should try and not see an enemy, even if they are one. Rather we should see our brother or our sister, someone we ar estranged from, and seek to heal that breach by love for them. I really believe that if we are trying to be like Christ then that love will come naturally, as His grace changes us to be more like Him then we will begin to act more like Him in our own limited ways. We will forgive them their sins, and seek however we can to help them along the path of salvation. And as we are filled with God's love and reflect that love, have "Christ in our countenance", obedience will stop being a chore and become a pleasure. Because we love HIm we will keep His commandments. In this way God respects our liberty and individual will.

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## TER

If you do what is pleasing to God, you will be taking a step toward the ultimate goal, the inheritance of heaven. Generalize this occurrence, and you find that in every situation and at every encounter one must do what God wants him to do. And we know truly what He wants from the commandments He has given us. If someone seeks help, then help him. If someone has offended you, forgive him. If you yourself have offended someone, then hasten to ask forgiveness and to make peace.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man is the same - the image of God.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Christ did not come to explain human suffering, or to eliminate it. Rather, He came to fill human suffering with His presence.

_- Fr. George Calciu_

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## TER

Love for our enemies is the highest degree of love for our neighbor ordained by the Gospel. He who has attained love for his enemies has attained perfection in the matter of love for his neighbor, and to him the gates of love for God have opened automatically.

_- St. Ignaty Brianchaninov_

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## TER

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

_—Romans 13:8-10_

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## TER

All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God.

_- St. Diadochus of Photike_

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## TER

However hard I try, I find it impossible to construct anything greater than these three words, 'Love one another' only to the end, and without exceptions: then all is justified and life is illumined, whereas otherwise it is an abomination and a burden.
_
- Mother Maria of Paris_

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## TER

He who does not envy the spiritually mature and is merciful to the wicked has attained an equal love for all.

_- St. Thalassios the Libyan_

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## TER

One day, while St. Antony was sitting with a certain Abba, a virgin came up and said to the Elder: 'Abba, I fast six days of the week and I repeat by heart portions of the Old and New Testament daily.' To which the Elder replied: 'Does poverty mean the same to you as abundance?' 'No', she answered. 'Or dishonour the same as praise?' 'No, Abba.' 'Are your enemies the same for you as your friends?' 'No', she replied. At that the wise Elder said to her: 'Go, get to work, you have accomplished nothing.' 

-_ St. Peter of Damaskos_

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## TER

Love never hates anyone, never reproves anyone, never condemns anyone, never grieves anyone, never abhors anyone, neither faithful nor infidel nor stranger nor sinner nor fornicator, nor anyone impure, but instead it is precisely sinners, and weak and negligent souls that it loves more, and feels pain for them and grieves and laments, and it feels sympathy for the wicked and sinners, more than for the good, imitating Christ Who called sinners, and ate and drank with them. For this reason, showing what real love is, He taught saying, `Become good and merciful like your Father in Heaven,' and as He rains on bad and good and makes the sun to rise on just and unjust alike, so also is the one who has real love, and has compassion, and prays for all.

_- Abba Ammonas_

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## moostraks

bump for healing and peace...

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## TER

Love is the kingdom in which the Lord mystically promised that his disciples should eat and drink.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Christ did not know measure in His love for people,  and in this love He lowered Himself in His Divinity to the point of being incarnated as Man and took upon Himself the sufferings of all. In this sense He teaches us by His example not of a measured limit in love, but rather an absolute and immeasurable surrendering away of oneself, by definition a laying down of ones soul for others.

_- Saint Maria of Paris_

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## TER

Direct all your attention to the acquisition of love for your neighbour as the basis of your life

_- St. Ignaty Brianchaninov_

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## TER

Examine yourself and strive to adorn it with love, humility, compassion and hope. Seek the regeneration of your soul, enlightened by the voice of the Gospel and helped by God. With fear and love for the Heavenly Father, proceed to sow the seeds of Gods word on good soil. Cultivate the talent given by Christ for the salvation of your soul.

_- St. Raphael of Lesvos the Wonderworker_

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## TER

It is pointless for someone to say that he has faith in God if he does not have the works which go with faith. What benefit were their lamps to the foolish virgins who had no oil (Mt. 25:1-13), namely, deeds of love and compassion?
_
- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## TER

Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and vivifies it, whilst hatred painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and tyrannise themselves.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

He who has no love cannot be called a Christian… The whole Gospel is summarized in compassion. And this secures immortality and eternal life to man.

_- Fr Justin Popovitch_

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## TER

The man who loves God benefits from both praise and blame: if commended for his good actions he grows more zealous, and if reproved for his sins he is brought to repentance. Our outward life should accord with our inner progress, and our prayers to God with our life.

_- St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

The way of the Church is LOVE; it differs from the way of the legalists. The Church sees everything with tolerance and seeks to help each person, whatever he may have done, however sinful he may be.

_- Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos_

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## TER

The best assurance we have is love. Let me ask you, how do you know when someone really, truly loves you? Would it be in what they say to you, or by the things they give you? Suppose that someone dies for you, would you believe it then? Most of us would die for someone we really loved. We might even die for a good person. But who would willingly die for an evil man? Would you die for Hitler, or Stalin, or Pol Pot?

Heres the thing! Jesus died for Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. He died for you and me, even though we lived as Gods enemies. Do you understand this? Do you see the mystery of this love? Isnt this the ground upon which all hope stands? No matter how you feel, and especially if you feel despair, you must be convinced of Gods love. It is only when you are convinced that you have a solid place to stand, a place that no passion can move or destroy.This solid conviction is called faith and faith is the energy of hope.

- Father John Moses

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## TER

Know my brethren that love has two characteristics, two gifts. One of them is to strengthen man in what is good and the other is to weaken him in what is evil. I have a loaf of bread to eat; you do not have. Love tells me: Do not eat it alone, give some to your brethren and you eat the rest. I have clothes; love tells me: Give one garment to your brother and you wear the other one. I open my mouth to accuse you, to tell you lies, to decieve you; but at once I remember love and it deadens my mouth, and does not allow me to tell you lies. I stretch out my hands to take what belongs to you, your money, all your possessions. Love does not allow me to take them. Do you see, my brethren, what gifts love has?

_- Saint Cosmas the Aetolian_

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## TER

In love did God bring the world into existence; in love is God going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of the One who has performed all these things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised.

_- Saint Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Love for Christ overflows into love for one’s neighbor, love for truth, love for holiness, for the world, for purity, for everything divine, for everything deathless and eternal … All these forms of love are natural manifestations of love for Christ. Christ is the God-man, and love for Him always means love for God and for man. When we love Christ God, we also love all that is divine, immortal and Christ-like in people. We can’t truly love people if we do not love them for the sake of these causes. Any other love is pseudo-love, which is easily changed into lovelessness and hatredness toward people. True love for man comes from love for God, and love for God grows in accordance with the keeping of His commandments.

_- St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

If we want to fare well in this life and go to Paradise, and to call our God love and father, we must have two loves: the love for God and the love for our neighbor.  It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature not to have them. Just as a swallow needs two wings in order to fly in the air, so we need these two loves, because without them we cannot be saved.

_- St. Cosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

The Lord is always waiting for us to unite ourselves with Him in love; but instead, we drift further and further away from Him. We know that there can be no life without love. This means that there is no life without God, for God is Love. But His love is not according to the understanding of the world. The love that the world gives us consists of suffering and enslavement, because the spirits of evil interfere with it. There is a little bit of love, but mostly it is just enslavement.

_- Elder Thaddeus_

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## TER

Draw nigh to the righteous, and through them you will draw nigh to God. Communicate with those who possess humility, and you will learn morals from them. A man who follows one who loves God becomes rich in the mysteries of God; but he who follows an unrighteous and proud man gets far away from God, and will be hated by his friends.

_-St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Our life is with our neighbor… If we gain our brother, we have gained GOD, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.

_-St. Anthony the Great_

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## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.

He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

_St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

Hate stirs up strife but love covereth all offenses.
_
Proverbs 10:12_

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## TER

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

_—Romans 13:8-10_

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## Sola_Fide

My apologies for the thread derailment TER.  Here is the link to the article:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...And-The-Gospel

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## TER

God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

The great test is the love of enemies. Love is not just a nice feeling when I am with certain people whom I find it easy to be with. It is very hard to love those who are unjust to us, or are unjust to those whom we care about, or are unjust to the Church. Yet, as Saint Silouan said, ”the criterion of the true Christian is love of enemies.” This is at the heart of the Gospel.

_- Sister Magdalene from Essex_

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## TER

“There is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbor. When you hear someone complaining and you struggle with yourself and do not answer him back with complaints; when you are hurt and bear it patiently, not looking for revenge; then you are laying down your life for your neighbor.”

_—Abba Poemen_

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## TER

But I say to you, the Lord says, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you. Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.

_ St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

...without love the works of virtue are not praiseworthy or profitable to the man who practices them, and the same is true of love without works. St. Paul makes this fully clear with reference to works when he writes to the Corinthians, 'If I do this and that, but have no love, it profits me nothing' (cf. I Cor. 13:1-3); and with reference to love the disciple especially beloved by Christ writes, 'Let us not love in word or tongue but in action and truth' (I John 3:18). 

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## TER

Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world. 

_- St. Innocent of Alaska_

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## TER

God is long-suffering and merciful to you: this you experience many times every day. Be long-suffering and merciful to your brethren, also fulfilling the words of the Apostle, who thus speaks of love before everything: "Love suffereth long, and is kind." You desire that the Lord should rejoice you by His love, rejoice on your part the hearts of others by your tender love and kindness. 

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

He who has love in Christ must observe the commandments of Christ. The binding power of the love of God - who is able to set it forth? The radiance of His beauty - who can voice it to satisfaction? The sublimity to which love leads up is unutterable. Love unites us with God, love covers a multitude of sins; love endures everything, is long-suffering to the last; there is nothing vulgar, nothing conceited, in love; love creates no schism; love does not quarrel; love preserves perfect harmony. In love all the elect of God reached perfection, apart from love nothing is pleasing to God. In love the Master took us to Himself. Because of the love which He felt for us, Jesus Christ Our Lord gave His Blood for us by the will of God, His Body for our bodies, and His soul for our souls. 

_ - St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

He who loves the Lord has first loved his brother, because the second is a proof of the first. 

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

He who truly loves God, is devoted to His holy will; and no matter what might befall him, he accepts everything, as from the hand of God, with the firm faith that all this serves to his spiritual benefit. For the soul that is devoted to God, the misfortunes that befall it in this life serve as steps leading it up to perfection.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers. 

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovic_

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## TER

Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers. 

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovic_

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## TER

In 1944, the Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko's mother took him from Siberia to Moscow. They were among those who witnessed a procession of twenty-thousand German war prisoners marching through the streets of Moscow:
The pavements swarmed with onlookers, cordoned off by soldiers and police. The crowd was mostly women -- Russian women with hands roughened by hard work, lips untouched by lipstick, and with thin hunched shoulders which had borne half of the burden of the war. Every one of them must have had a father or a husband, a brother or a son killed by the Germans. They gazed with hatred in the direction from which the column was to appear.

At last we saw it. The generals marched at the head, massive chins stuck out, lips folded disdainfully, their whole demeanor meant to show superiority over their plebian victors.

"'They smell of perfume, the bastards," someone in the crowd said with hatred. The women were clenching their fists. The soldiers and policemen had all they could do to hold them back.

All at once something happened to them. They saw German soldiers, thin, unshaven, wearing dirty blood-stained bandages, hobbling on crutches or leaning on the shoulders of their comrades; the soldiers walked with their heads down. The street became dead silent -- the only sound was the shuffling of boots and the thumping of crutches.

Then I saw an elderly women in broken-down boots push herself forward and touch a policeman's shoulder, saying, "Let me through." There must have been something about her that made him step aside. She went up to the column, took from inside her coat something wrapped in a colored handkerchief and unfolded it. It was a crust of black bread. She pushed it awkwardly into the pocket of a soldier, so exhausted that he was tottering on his feet. And now from every side women were running toward the soldiers, pushing into their hands bread, cigarettes, whatever they had. The soldiers were no longer enemies. They were people. 

_- A Precocious Autobiography, Yevgeny Yevtushenko_

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## TER

When a man begins to perceive the love of God in all its richness, he begins also to love his neighbor with spiritual perception. This is the love of which all the scriptures speak. Friendship after the flesh is very easily destroyed on some slight pretext, since it is not held firm by spiritual perception. But when a person is spiritually awakened, even if something irritates him, the bond of love is not dissolved; rekindling himself with the warmth of the love of God, he quickly recovers himself and with great joy seeks his neighbors's love, even though he has been gravely wronged or insulted by him. For the sweetness of God completely consumes the bitterness of the quarrel. 

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

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## TER

You have not yet acquired perfect love if your regard for people is still swayed by their characters - for example, if, for some particular reason, you love one person and hate another, or if for the same reason you sometimes love and sometimes hate the same person.

_- St. Maximos the Confesson_

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## TER

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.

_- St Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Your see, beloved, how great and wonderful love is, and there is no setting forth its perfection. Who is able to possess it, except those to whom God grants this privilege? Let us, therefore, earnestly beg of His mercy, that we may be found to possess a love unmixed with human partiality and above reproach. All the generations from Adam down to this day have passed away; but those who are perfected in love in the measure of God's grace, have a place among the saints, and they will be made manifest when the Kingdom of Christ comes to visit us.

_- St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

Men love one another, commendably or reprehensibly, for the following five reasons: either for the sake of God, as the virtuous man loves everyone and as the man not yet virtuous loves the virtuous; or by nature, as parents love their children and children their parents; or because of self-esteem, as he who is praised loves the man who praises him; or because of avarice, as with one who loves a rich man for what he can get out of him; or because of self-indulgence, as with the man who serves his belly and his genitals. The first is commendable, the second is of an intermediate kind, the rest are dominated by passion.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Only the perfect person, with a perfect conscience, a perfect mind, and perfect power, can have perfect love. Such a person is our God. What every man eagerly desires for his person is therefore that which exists in the person of his Creator. What all people value - love above all - that is therefore what the Creator is - Love. And so it has been from time immemorial to today and unto ages of ages.

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovic_

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## TER

Such is the power of love: it embraces, and unites, and fastens together not only those who are present and near, and visible, but also those who are distant. And neither time, not separation in space, nor anything else of that kind, can break up and divide in pieces the affection of the soul. 

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

On one occasion, a certain excellent man, who feared God in his life and works, and who was living in the world, went to Abba Poemen. Some of the brethren, who were also with the old man, were asking him questions, wishing to hear a word from him.

Then Abba Poemen said to the man who was in the world, "Speak a word to the brethren," but he begged him saying, "Forgive me, father, but I came to learn." And the old man pressed him to speak and, as the force of his urging increased, he said, "I am a man living in the world, and I sell vegetables, and because I do not know how to speak from a book, listen ye to a parable.

"There was a certain man who had three friends, and he said to the first, 'Since I desire to see the Emperor come with me,' and the friend said unto him, 'I will come with thee half the way.' And the man said to the second friend, 'Come, go with me to the Emperor's presence,' and the friend said to him, 'I will come with thee as far as his palace, but I cannot go with thee inside.'

"And the man said the same unto his third friend, who answered and said, 'I will come with thee, and I will go inside the palace with thee, and I will even stand up before the Emperor and speak on thy behalf.'"

Then the brethren questioned him, wishing to learn from him the meaning of the riddle, and he answered and said unto them, "The first friend is abstinence, which leadeth as far as one half of the way. The second friend is purity and holiness, which lead to heaven. And the third friend is loving-kindness, which establishes a man before God and speaketh on his behalf with great boldness."

_- The Desert Fathers_

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## TER

Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modestly, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.

_- Elder Athanasius_

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## TER

Where there is grace, the fount of life, there good works come from the heart. When the Holy Spirit visits, any labor becomes easy, unceasing prayer flows from the heart, and the eyes continuously shed tears. This may be accompanied by spiritual enlightenment and pure, sober reasoning; for it is then that the Holy Spirit acts within a man.

_- Fr. Sergius Chetverikov_

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## TER

Always remember that at the Last Judgement we are judged for loving Him, or failing to love Him, in the least person.

_- Archbishop Anastasios of Albania_

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## TER

Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

"You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble." (James 2:19)

They alone know how to believe in God who love God who are Christians not only in name but also in action and [way of] life, because without love faith is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian —without love, the faith of a demon.

_—The Venerable Bede_

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## TER

The blessed apostle described even the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit as things that would vanish. He points to love alone as without end. 'Prophecies will end, languages cease and knowledge will fail' (I Cor. 13:8). As for love, 'love will never cease.'

Actually, all gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present dispensation. Love, however, will never be cut off. It works in us and for us, and not simply in this life. For when the burden of physical need has been laid aside in the time to come it will endure, more effectively, more excellently, forever unfailing, clinging to God with more fire and zeal through all the length of incorruption."

_- St. John Cassian_

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## TER

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

_- Colossians 3:12_

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## TER

"The Truth in person says, 'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you and pray for them who persecute you and say evil of you falsely' (Lk. 6:27). It is virtue therefore before men to bear with adversaries; but it is virtue before God to love them; because the only sacrifice which God accepts is that which, before His eyes, on the altar of good work, the flame of charity kindles.

_- St. Gregory the Great_

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## TER

What is the will of God that St. Paul urges and invites each of us to attain (cf. I Thes. 4:3)? It is total cleansing from sin, freedom from the shameful passions and the acquisition of the highest virtue. In other words, it is the purification and sanctification of the heart that comes about through fully experienced and conscious participation in the perfect and divine Spirit.

_- St. Makarios of Egypt_

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## TER

As the world attracts us with its appearance, and abundance and variety, it is not easy to turn away from it unless in the beauty of things visible the Creator rather than the creature is loved; for, when He says, 'you shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and from all your mind, and from all your strength' (Mt. 22:37), He wishes us in nothing to loosen ourselves from the bonds of His love. And when He links the love of our neighbor also to this command, He enjoins on us the imitation of His own goodness, that we should love what He loves and do what He does.

_- St. Leo the Great_

----------


## TER

Who hated sin more than the saints? But they did not hate the sinners at the same time, nor condemn them, nor turn away from them. But they suffered with them, admonished them, comforted them, gave them remedies as sickly members, and did all they could to heal them.

_- St. Dorotheos of Gaza_

----------


## jmdrake

> Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world. 
> 
> _- St. Innocent of Alaska_


Nice thoughts.  Thanks for sharing.  I didn't know Alaska had a saint.  Interesting biography.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocent_of_Alaska  So he was married?  How does that work in the Orthodox church?

----------


## TER

> Nice thoughts.  Thanks for sharing.  I didn't know Alaska had a saint.  Interesting biography.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocent_of_Alaska  So he was married?  How does that work in the Orthodox church?


It is my pleasure to share these pearls of wisdom with my friends here at RPF!  

The US has several recognized Orthodox saints, St. Herman being another one.  Others include St. Raphael of Brooklyn, St. John of San Francisco.  Indeed, America has many saints, though some have not yet been recognized 'officially' yet.  This is because saints are not publicly glorified as such until usually many many years after they have reposed for several reasons, most notably so that time will prove that they have indeed preached the true faith.  The Orthodox Church does not follow a legalistic approach to canonization and it is the lay people of the Church who call for such official recognition through appeal and remembrance of these holy followers of Christ (that is, in effect, it is a bottom up grassroots movements).   This differs slightly from the practices of the the western Church, where there are certain legalistic requirements and conditions which must first be met and then approved by a single bishop (notably, in the case of Roman Catholicism, the Pope).  It must also be stated that canonization does not make one a saint, but rather, it is simply a public declaration by the Church that the person is already recognized as one through their lives as children of God in the image of God and graced by the Holy Spirit.

The questions regarding the members of the priesthood and marriage is a good one.  In the early Church, we find that St. Peter was married as were other Apostles of Christ.  Indeed, marriage was not an impediment to the priesthood or even to become a bishop in the early Church.   However, it became evident that as clergy are fallible men and prone to temptation as we all are, the Church in synod (as was always the traditional way to resolve doctrinal disputes such as is described in the Acts of the Apostles) decreed that while men who were already married could enter the priesthood, men who entered the priesthood unmarried must remain so.  Indeed, even now, it is forbidden for an unmarried priest to become married and remain in the priesthood (though of course, this does not mean that their marriage is not blessed.  Rather, they cannot hold the office of priest and thus must find other ways to minister to the Church and the local community.) 

This used to be the practice for the Roman Catholic Church, though later they unilaterally decided that all members of the clergy must not be married and remain celibate.  Many believe this is one of the reasons why the Roman Church is plagued with so many sexually related scandals and there is encouraging talk that they may revert to the original practice of the earlier undivided Church and allow married men into the priesthood. 

The Church in council also determined that in order to have the bishop be as one married solely to the Church and shepherd to the whole flock within his see (and to avoid the many distractions involved with the married life), the Church decided that only unmarried or widowed members of the clergy (usually monks) could become ordained bishops.

Thus, we see this with regards to St. Innocent, who was first married, then entered into the priesthood.  When his wife sadly died unexpectedly, he then entered into the monastic life as was later encouraged to become a bishop.

He has, by the way, written an excellent work entitled "Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven" and I HIGHLY recommend you (and everyone else) read this.  It will become clear to you when reading this why this man was and is regarded as a saint and in fact he is aptly called 'the Apostle to America'.

----------


## PierzStyx

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations.

It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.

This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.

Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere Latitat [Latin, “truly hides”]—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

-C.S. Lewis

http://www.verber.com/mark/xian/weight-of-glory.pdf

----------


## Eagles' Wings

> It is my pleasure to share these pearls of wisdom with my friends here at RPF!  
> 
> Alaska has several saints, St. Herman being another one.  Others include St. Raphael of Brooklyn, St. John of San Francisco.  Indeed, America has many saints, though some have not yet been recognized 'officially' yet.  This is because saints are not publicly glorified as such until usually many many years after they have reposed for several reasons, most notably so that time will prove that they have indeed preached the true faith.  The Orthodox Church does not follow a legalistic approach to canonization and it is the lay people of the Church who call for such official recognition through appeal and remembrance of these holy followers of Christ (that is, in effect, it is a bottom up grassroots movements).   This differs slightly from the practices of the the western Church, where there are certain legalistic requirements and conditions which must first be met and then approved by a single bishop (notably, in the case of Roman Catholicism, the Pope).  It must also be stated that canonization does not make one a saint, but rather, it is simply a public declaration by the Church that the person is already recognized as one through their lives as children of God in the image of God and graced by the Holy Spirit.
> 
> The questions regarding the members of the priesthood and marriage is a good one.  In the early Church, we find that St. Peter was married as were other Apostles of Christ.  Indeed, marriage was not an impediment to the priesthood or even to become a bishop in the early Church.   However, it became evident that as clergy are fallible men and prone to temptation as we all are, the Church in synod (as was always the traditional way to resolve doctrinal disputes such as is described in the Acts of the Apostles) decreed that while men who were already married could enter the priesthood, men who entered the priesthood unmarried must remain so.  Indeed, even now, it is forbidden for an unmarried priest to become married and remain in the priesthood (though of course, this does not mean that their marriage is not blessed.  Rather, they cannot hold the office of priest and thus must find other ways to minister to the Church and the local community.) 
> 
> This used to be the practice for the Roman Catholic Church, though later they unilaterally decided that all members of the clergy must not be married and remain celibate.  Many believe this is one of the reasons why the Roman Church is plagued with so many sexually related scandals and there is encouraging talk that they may revert to the original practice of the earlier undivided Church and allow married men into the priesthood. 
> 
> The Church in council also determined that in order to have the bishop be as one married solely to the Church and shepherd to the whole flock within his see (and to avoid the many distractions involved with the married life), the Church decided that only unmarried or widowed members of the clergy (usually monks) could become ordained bishops.
> ...


TER, I am burning up my printer ink copying this work.  I am so excited to read it.  Having been a Catholic for decades and loving many parts of it, perhaps God is leading into this direction of Orthodoxy.  I have always loved the writing of the Saints, while keeping Scripture and Tradition as a firm foundation as well.

----------


## Eagles' Wings

> Our life is with our neighbor If we gain our brother, we have gained GOD, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.
> 
> _-St. Anthony the Great_


This passage reminds me of the discussion we are having on another thread about the issues of Life and abortion.  Ending the Life of the Unborn through abortion is a scandal against our brother/sister.  May we continue to pray and encourage women to choose Life.

----------


## TER

> TER, I am burning up my printer ink copying this work.  I am so excited to read it.  Having been a Catholic for decades and loving many parts of it, perhaps God is leading into this direction of Orthodoxy.  I have always loved the writing of the Saints, while keeping Scripture and Tradition as a firm foundation as well.


Please let us know what you think of this wonderful work of St. Innocent. And may our loving Father in Heaven bless you in all things!

----------


## Eagles' Wings

> Please let us know what you think of this wonderful work of St. Innocent. And may our loving Father in Heaven bless you in all things!


Yes, I will let you know and blessings to you as well.

----------


## TER

Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.  If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.

_- Fyodor Dostoevsky_

----------


## TER

True faith, then, is an unconditional orientation of the whole person toward the will of God. God does not punish man for his sins and sinfulness in this life, or even in the life to come. We forge our own destiny. That which we call "hell" is our own creation. We may experience it already in this life and, by our own choices, experience the fullness of it in the age to come. God has set as the destiny of all people; immortality, participation in the glory of the Godhead, the joy of the all-embracing Divine Love. God has set this as our destiny and not only taught us how to attain to it, but in Christ has made it clearly possible for us to arrive at it. Because of his sins, man always falls short of this destiny, but because of Christ Who, as true human, arrived at this destiny and attained to it for all mankind, (Rm.5:12) we can inherit it anyway by choosing to strive for a life in Christ (Rm. 3:24-30).

_- Archbishop Lazar Puhalo_

----------


## TER

God is truth and light. God’s judgment is nothing else than our coming into contact with truth and light. In the day of the Great Judgment all men will appear naked before this penetrating light of truth. The ‘books’ will be opened. What are these ‘books’? They are our hearts. Our hearts will be opened by the penetrating light of God, and what is in these hearts will be revealed. If in those hearts there is love for God, those hearts will rejoice in seeing God’s light. If, on the contrary, there is hatred for God in those hearts, these men will suffer by receiving on their opened hearts this penetrating light of truth which they detested all their life.

So that which will differentiate between one man and another will not be a decision of God, a reward or a punishment from Him, but that which was in each one’s heart; what was there during all our life will be revealed in the Day of Judgment. If there is a reward and a punishment in this revelation – and there really is – it does not come from God but from the love or hate which reigns in our heart. Love has bliss in it, hatred has despair, bitterness, grief, affliction, wickedness, agitation, confusion, darkness, and all the other interior conditions which compose hell.

_ - St. Symeon the New Theologian_

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## TER

Everything comes down to our relationship with the Triune God  the God of love. All is based on love and freedom. On the unconditional love of God, and the freedom we have to respond to that love with love. Love to all people, whether they are non-Christians and non-believers. Respect for all. Love for all. Witness to this truth of love. This is what our faith is about.

_- Archbishop Anastasios_

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## TER

If you wish to attain to true knowledge of the Scriptures, hasten to acquire first an unshakeable humility of heart. That alone will lead you, not to the knowledge that puffs up, but to that which enlightens, by the perfecting of love. 

_ - St. John Cassian_

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## jj-

Love doesn't exist.

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## TER

Through the fall our nature was stripped of divine illumination and resplendence. But the Logos of God had pity upon our disfigurement, and in His compassion He took our nature upon Himself. On Tabor He manifested it to His elect disciples clothed once again most brilliantly. He showed what we once were and what we shall become through Him in the age to come -- if we choose to live our present life, as far as possible, in accordance with His ways.

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## TER

God is perfect, He is faultless. And so, when Divine love becomes manifest in us in the fullness of Grace, we radiate this love --- not only on the earth, but throughout the entire universe as well. So God is in us, and He is present everywhere. It is God’s all-encompassing love that manifests itself in us. When this happens, we see no difference between people: everyone is good, everyone is our brother, and we consider ourselves to be the worst of men --- servants of every created thing.

_- Elder Thaddeus_

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## TER

Never confuse the person, formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him, because evil is but a chance misfortune, illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God, and this remains in him despite every disfigurement.

_– St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God.

_- St. Diadochus of Photike_

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## TER

The bodies of fellow human beings must be treated with greater care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last shirt, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are equally justifiable and necessary. The way to God lies through love of other people and there is no other way. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked if I was successful in my ascetic exercises or how many prostrations I made in the course of my prayers. I shall be asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners: that is all I shall be asked.

_ – Mother Maria of Paris_

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## TER

The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world. 

_- Saint Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

He who wants to be stamped with the virtues should pursue before everything else and at all times fear of God and holy love, the first and greatest of the commandments (cf. Mt 22:38). Let him continually beseech the Lord to send this love into his heart, and thus let him advance and grow, augmenting it day by day through the ceaseless and unbroken remembrance of God. Through diligence and effort, concern and struggle he becomes capable of acquiring love for God, given form within him by the grace and bounty of Christ. Through such love the second commandment, love for one's neighbor (cf. Mt. 22:39), can easily be attained. Let these two primary commandments take precedence over the others and let him pursue them more than the others. In this way the secondary commandments will follow naturally on the primary.
_
- St. Makarios of Egypt_

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## TER

Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modesty, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.
_
- Elder Athanasius of Grigoriou_

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## TER

Just as people do not enter a war in order to enjoy war, but in order to be saved from war, so we do not enter this world in order to enjoy this world, but in order to be saved from it. People go to war for the sake of something greater than war. So we also enter this temporal life for the sake of something greater: for eternal life. And as soldiers think with joy about returning home, so also Christians constantly remember the end of their lives and their return to their heavenly fatherland.
_
- St. Nicholas of Serbia_

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## TER

A Christian must be courteous to all. His words and deeds should breath with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which abides in his soul, so that in this way he might glorify the name of God. He who regulates all of his speech also regulates all of his actions. He who keeps watch over the words he is about say also keeps watch over the deeds he intends to do, and he never goes out of the bounds good and benevolent conduct. The graceful speech of a Christian is characterized by delicateness and politeness. This fact, born of love, produces peace and joy. On the other hand, boorishness gives birth to hatred, enmity, affliction, competitiveness, disorder and wars.

_- St. Nektarius of Aegina_

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## TER

With all your power, ask the Lord for humility and brotherly love, because God freely gives His grace for love towards one's brother. Do an experiment on yourself: one day ask God for love towards your brother, and another day - live without love. You will see the difference.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Love sinners, but hate their deeds, and do not disdain sinners for their failings, so that you yourself do not fall into the temptation in which they abide... Do not be angry at anyone and do not hate anyone, neither for their faith, nor for their shameful deeds... Do not foster hatred for the sinner, for we are all guilty... Hate his sins, and pray for him, so that you may be made like unto Christ, who had no dislike for sinners, but prayed for them.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies in such way that we pity their souls as if they were our own children.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

As God illumines all people equally with the light of the sun, so do those who desire to imitate God let shine an equal ray of love on all people. For wherever love disappears, hatred immediately appears in its place. And if God is love, then hatred is the devil. Therefore as one who has love has God within himself, so he who has hatred within himself nurtures the devil within himself.

_- St. Basil the Great_

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## TER

Whoever sees in himself the traces of hatred toward any man on account of any kind of sin is completely foreign to the love of God. For love toward God does not at all tolerate hatred for man.

_- St. Maximos the Confess_

----------


## TER

What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers ... For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

_- St. Augustine_

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## TER

Happy is the man in whom there is love for God, for he bears God within himself. The one in whom there is love is with God, above all things. Whoever has love in himself does not fear. He is never mad at anyone, nor does he exalt himself above anyone. He does not calumniate anyone, nor does he listen to the calumniator. He does not compete with anyone, is not jealous, does not rejoice in the fall of another, does not slander the fallen, but sympathizes with him and helps him. He does not disdain his brother who is fallen into need, but helps him and is ready to die for him. Whoever has love fulfills the will of God.

_- St. Ephraim the Syrian_

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## TER

It very often happens that the mist of the spirit of malice surrounds our heart, and does not allow us to speak peaceably with our neighbours, who have once or several times offended us, or expressed ill-will towards us. We must pray fervently to the Lord, that He Himself would disperse this mist of malice, and fill our heart with mercy and love, even towards our enemies, for they, in the blindness of the passions - of pride, envy, covetousness, malice - do not themselves know what they do, as the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ knew not what they did when they persecuted Him all His life and at last put Him to a shameful death. We must remember that the Christian religion consists in loving our enemies: 'For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans do the same?' (Mt. 5:46).

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

If I give all my goods to feed the poor... if I add to this sacrifice the fiery martyrdom of my flesh; if I hand my body over for the sake of Christ; if, nevertheless, I am impatient, prone to anger, jealous, proud; if I become enraged when wrongs are done to me; if I am on the lookout for my own interest; if my thoughts are evil; if I do not patiently and gladly endure all that happens to me; then the renunciation and the martyrdom of the outer man will be of no benefit to me as long as the inner spirit wallows in its old and sinful ways. It will be of no value that when in the first zeal of conversion I despised the simple substance of the world, which is neither good nor bad but neutral, if I took no care to throw out at the same time the evil goods of a corrupt heart and made no effort to achieve a Godlike love, a love which is patient and kind, which is not jealous, not boastful, which does not show annoyance or is wrong-headed, which is not on the lookout for itself, which thinks no evil, which endures all and sustains all, and which, finally, never allows itself to slip into the snares of sin.

_- St. John Cassian_

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## TER

Let others mock at you, oppose you, when you are under the influence of any passion; do not be in the least offended with those who mock at or oppose you, for they do you good; crucify your self-love and acknowledge the wrong, the error of your heart. But have the deepest pity for those who mock at words and works of faith and piety, of righteousness; for those who oppose the good which you are doing... God preserve you from getting exasperated at them...

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

So long as the soul advances 'from strength to strength' (Ps. 84:7) and 'from glory to glory' (II Cor. 3:18), that is, so long as it advances from one degree of virtue to a greater degree and from one level of spiritual knowledge to a higher level, it remains a 'sojourner', one who has no permanent home, as in the saying, 'My soul has long been a sojourner' (Ps. 120:6 LXX). For great is the distance and many are the levels of knowledge through which the soul must pass before it reaches 'the place of the miraculous tabernacle, the house of God itself, with the voice of exultation and thanksgiving, and the sound of feasting' (Ps. 42:4 LXX). It advances continually from one hymn of praise to another, from one level of divine contemplation to another, full of joy and thankfulness for what it has already seen. For all those who have received the Spirit of grace into their hearts celebrate in this festive manner, crying 'Abba, Father' (Gal. 4:6).

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

You should continually and unceasingly call to mind all the blessings which God in His love has bestowed on you in the past, and still bestows for the salvation of your soul. You must not let forgetfulness of evil or laziness make you grow unmindful of these many and great blessings, and so pass the rest of your life uselessly and ungratefully. For this kind of continual recollection, pricking the heart like a spur, moves it constantly to confession and humility, to thanksgiving with a contrite soul, and to all forms of sincere effort, repaying God through its virtue and holiness. In this way the heart meditates constantly and conscientiously on the words from the Psalms: 'What shall I give to the Lord in return for all His benefits towards me?' (Psalm 116:12).

_- St. Mark the Ascetic_

----------


## TER

The blessed apostle described even the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit as things that would vanish. He points to love as alone without end. 'Prophecies will end, languages cease and knowledge will fail' (I Cor. 13:8). As for love, 'love will never cease'. Actually, all gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present dispensation. Love, however, will never be cut off. It works in us and for us, and not simply in this life. For when the burden of physical need has been laid aside in the time to come, it will endure, more effectively, more excellently, forever unfailing, clinging to God with more fire and zeal through all the length of incorruption.
_
- St. John Cassian_

----------


## TER

It is pointless for someone to say that he has faith in God if he does not have the works which go with faith. What benefit were their lamps to the foolish virgins who had no oil (Matt. 25:1-13), namely, deeds of love and compassion? What good did calling Abraham his father do to that rich man frying in the unquenchable flame for his pitilessness towards Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? What use was his apparent obedience to the invitation to that man who had failed to acquire through good works a garment fitting for the divine wedding and the bridechamber of immortality? He was invited and approached because he clearly believed, and he sat down alongside those holy guests, but when he was convicted and put to shame for being clothed in depraved habits and deeds, he was mercilessly bound hand and foot, and cast into hellfire, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 22:11-14).
_
- St. Gregory Palamas_

----------


## TER

Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when Joy is the fundamental thing in him, and Grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive state of mind; Praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; Joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live.
_
- G. K. Chesterton_

----------


## TER

What we gain from fasting does not compensate for what we lose through anger. Our profit from scriptural reading in no way equals the damage we cause ourselves by showing contempt for a brother. We must practice fasting, vigils, withdrawal, and the meditation of Scripture as activities which are subordinate to our main objective, purity of heart, that is to say, love, and we must never disturb this principal virtue for the sake of those others. If this virtue remains whole and unharmed within us nothing can injure us, not even if we are forced to omit any of those other subordinate virtues. Nor will it be of any use to have practiced all these latter if there is missing in us that principal objective for the sake of which all else is undertaken.

_- St. John Cassian_

----------


## TER

Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshiper of the world.

_- St. Innocent of Alaska_

----------


## TER

...in this world truth exists in shadows and conjectures. That is why there is need for the blessed passion of holy love, which binds the intellect to spiritual contemplation... 

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

...the soul copies the life that is above, and is conformed to the peculiar features of the Divine nature; none of its habits are lift to it except that of love, which clings by natural affinity to the Beautiful. For this is what love is; the inherent affection towards a chosen object. When, then , the soul, having become simple and single in form and so perfectly godlike, find that perfectly simple and immaterial good which is really worth enthusiasm and love, it attaches itself to it and blends with it by means of the movement and activity love, fashioning itself according to that which it is continually finding and grasping. 

_- St. Gregory of Nyssa_

----------


## TER

And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." Divine Truth is contained and found in the commandments of the Gospel. Divine love gives us will, strength, and perseverance for we walk after the [divine] commandments, for we walk after His commandments in them and with them. Our love -- as much towards the Lord Christ as towards men -- consists of living according to the commandments of Christ. For at the end, everything comes back to this double commandment: the commandment of love of God and one's neighbor. This is why the holy Evangelist recalls all the commandments to a single one: This is the commandment, That ... you walk in it [love]. We now know that the entire Gospel of Christ is contained in the single commandment on love: he who lives in love lives in Christ God. Thus, he who fulfills the Gospel of God is deserving of heaven and earth.

_-St. Justin Popovich_

----------


## TER

What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children. Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behaviour is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.

_- Elder Porphyrios_

----------


## TER

It says somewhere at Evergetinos, that a monk had the following characteristic, whatever you asked him for a service, he always wanted to help. If you told him I would like to remove my bed but I cannot do it alone, he said I am coming, lets go!. Someone else asked  I would like your help for that activity,  I am coming to help you. Someone: Come to the garden for a while, I would like to dig I will come he used to say. Continuously. Sacrifice, Love. That is Christianity.

_- Andreas Konanos_

----------


## TER

To live without speaking is better than to speak without living. For the former who lives rightly does good even by his silence, but the latter does no good even when he speaks. When words and life correspond to one another they are together the whole of divine philosophy.

_- St. Isidore of Pelusium_

----------


## jmdrake

> And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." Divine Truth is contained and found in the commandments of the Gospel. Divine love gives us will, strength, and perseverance for we walk after the [divine] commandments, for we walk after His commandments in them and with them. Our love -- as much towards the Lord Christ as towards men -- consists of living according to the commandments of Christ. For at the end, everything comes back to this double commandment: the commandment of love of God and one's neighbor. This is why the holy Evangelist recalls all the commandments to a single one: This is the commandment, That ... you walk in it [love]. We now know that the entire Gospel of Christ is contained in the single commandment on love: he who lives in love lives in Christ God. Thus, he who fulfills the Gospel of God is deserving of heaven and earth.
> 
> _-St. Justin Popovich_


I take it "the Evangelist" is John?  The above reads a lot like 1 John 4.

----------


## TER

> I take it "the Evangelist" is John?  The above reads a lot like 1 John 4.


Correct!  'The Evangelist' in Orthodox writings refers to the Apostle John, who is also known as St. John the Beloved (from the gospel writings calling him the one whom Christ loved) and also St. John the Theologian (as his Gospel is far and away the more theological and mystical of the four).

----------


## jmdrake

> What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children. Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behaviour is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.
> 
> _- Elder Porphyrios_


Good quote.  I sent this to my wife.  It reminds me of a book we both read called "Parenting by the Spirit."  The book is based on the two part principle of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit when disciplining your children and teaching them to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as opposed to voices tempting them to do wrong.

----------


## Eagles' Wings

> Good quote.  I sent this to my wife.  It reminds me of a book we both read called "Parenting by the Spirit."  The book is based on the two part principle of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit when disciplining your children and teaching them to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as opposed to voices tempting them to do wrong.


Proverbs 28:13, says, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy".

Children need parents to help them form a conscience.  There is right and wrong and most importantly God's commandments from both the Old and New Testament.  Satan can disguise himself as an "angel of light" and talks to our minds, trying to confuse us.  Parents must lead their children to Jesus Christ and His saving Grace, as He is that Grace.

We've recently removed our television and all electronic "entertainment", this in a household with teens.  We've stopped listening to rock and country music.  We are ernestly paying off all debt because God does not want true Christians to be in debt, including mortgages.  This is due to taking the Lord seriously when we read Scripture.  

After many years of being a Christian, there is still so much to learn.  The Holy Spirit urges the person who is willing, to confess all sin and turn away from it.

----------


## TER

Let us love one another, and we shall be loved by God. Let us be long*suffering toward one another, and He will be long*suffering toward our sins. Let us not render evil for evil, and He will not render to us according to our sins. We shall find remission of our transgressions in forgiving our brethren; for God's mercy toward us is concealed in our mercifulness toward our neighbor. This is also why the Lord said: Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37). And if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14). After this, our salvation is already in our power.

If love worketh no ill to his neighbor (Romans 13:10), then does not he, who envies his brother, who is brought into grief by his good reputation,who tarnishes him * does not he make himself alien to love and liable to eternal condemnation?

If love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10), then is not he, who remembers evil against his brother, who prepares snares for him, who curses him and rejoices at his fall , is not he a lawbreaker, and is not he worthy of eternal torment?

If he that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law (James 4:11), and the law of Christ is love (John 13:34), then does not the slanderer fall away from the love of Christ, and does not he make himself the cause of his own eternal torment?

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:46). Why did He command this? In order to free thee from hatred, resentment, wrath, remembrance of wrongs and to vouchsafe thee the greatest acquisition of perfect love, which it is impossible for one who does not love all men equally to possess, according to the example of God, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:4).

Men love each other in a praiseworthy or blameworthy manner according to the following five reasons: Either for the sake of God, as the virtuous man loves everyone, and even the man who is not yet virtuous loves the virtuous; or by nature, as parents love their children, and vice versa; or out of vainglory, as the praised loves the praiser; or out of avarice, as when a man loves a rich man for what he can get out of him; or out of love of pleasure, as the man who serves his belly and what is below the belly loves a giver of banquets. The first of these is praiseworthy, the second is in between, the rest are passionate.

A temptation was occasioned for thee by a brother, and resentment has brought thee to hatred; be not overcome with hatred, but vanquish hatred with love. Thou mayest vanquish it thus: Sincerely pray to God for him, accepting the apology offered by the brother; or heal him thyself by an apology, considering thyself the cause of the temptation and being determined to endure until the cloud passes.

Be not quick to reject spiritual love; for no other path to salvation has remained to men.

If thou wouldst be delivered from passionate thoughts, acquire abstinence and love of neighbor. 

_- St. Maximos_

----------


## TER

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

_- Romans 12:3-5_

----------


## TER

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-  even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

_- 1 Corinthians 10:31-33_

----------


## TER

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,  while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

_- 1 Corinthians 12:12-26_

----------


## TER

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

_- Ephesians 1:18-23_

----------


## TER

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church- for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church.

_- Ephesians 5:25-32_

----------


## TER

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

_- Colossians 1:17-20_

----------


## TER

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

_- Colossians 3:14-16_

----------


## TER

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

_- Ephesians 2:19-22_

----------


## TER

We love because he first loved us.

_- 1 John 4:19_

----------


## TER

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

_- 1 Peter 4:8_

----------


## TER

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

_- 1 John 4:7_

----------


## Eagles' Wings

> Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
> 
> _- Ephesians 2:19-22_


This is one of my favorite passages.  What a privilege to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within a believer.  What Love and Grace.

----------


## jmdrake

> Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
> 
> _- 1 John 4:7_


I learned this song at a Christian high school.

----------


## TER

Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord’ (Heb. 12:14), Why did he say ‘strive’? Because it is not possible for us to become holy and to be saints in an hour! We must therefore progress from modest beginnings toward holiness and purity. Even were we to spend a thousand years in this life we should never perfectly attain it. Rather we must always struggle for it every day, as if mere beginners.

_- St. Symeon the New Theologian_

----------


## TER

How are you to know if you are living according to the will of God?
Here is a sign: if you are distressed over anything it means that you have not fully surrendered to God’s will, although it may seem to you that you live according to his will. He who lives according to God’s will has no material cares. If he has need of something, he offers himself and the thing he wants to God; and if he does not receive it, he remains as unworried as if he had got what he wanted.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

Christians ought at all times to preserve the remembrance of God… in order that they may show love to the Lord not only when they go into the place of prayer, but that also when they are working, talking, or eating, they may preserve the remembrance of God, and a sense of love and yearning towards Him.

_- St. Macarius of Egypt_

----------


## TER

If a man has no worries about himself at all for the sake of love toward God and the working of good deeds, knowing that God is taking care of him, this is a true and wise hope. But if a man takes care of his own business and turns to God in prayer only when misfortunes come upon him which are beyond his power, and then he begins to hope in God, such a hope is vain and false. A true hope seeks only the Kingdom of God… the heart can have no peace until it obtains such a hope. This hope pacifies the heart and produces joy within it.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

----------


## TER

As the memory of fire does not warm the body, so faith without love does not bring about the illumination of knowledge in the soul.

_– St. Maximus the Confessor_

----------


## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve. Then, in your prayer you will say: My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord. At this point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ.

_-Elder Paisius of Mount Athos_

----------


## TER

When we are in trouble or despair of have lost hope, we should do what David did: pour out our hearts to God and tell Him of our needs and troubles, just as they are. It is because He can deal with us wisely that we confess to God: He can make our troubles easy to bear. If this is our benefit, and can save us from dejection which destroys and corrupts.
_-St. Hesychius the Priest_

----------


## TER

Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modestly, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.


_-Elder Athanasius of Grigoriou_

----------


## TER

You are to love every man from your own soul, but in God alone are you to place your hope and serve Him with your whole strength.


_- Saint Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

Do you think that the man-loving God has given you much so that you could use it only for your own benefit? No, but so that your abundance might supply the lack of others.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

----------


## TER

There is harm not only in trying to gain wealth but also in excessive concern with even the most necessary things.
It is not enough to despise wealth, but you must also feed the poor and, more importantly, you must follow Christ.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

----------


## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward. The perfect person does good through love.  His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.  He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.  The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.

_  - St. Clement of Alexandria_

----------


## TER

God is truth and light. God’s judgment is nothing else than our coming into contact with truth and light. In the day of the Great Judgment all men will appear naked before this penetrating light of truth. The ‘books’ will be opened. What are these ‘books’? They are our hearts. Our hearts will be opened by the penetrating light of God, and what is in these hearts will be revealed. If in those hearts there is love for God, those hearts will rejoice in seeing God’s light. If, on the contrary, there is hatred for God in those hearts, these men will suffer by receiving on their opened hearts this penetrating light of truth which they detested all their life.

So that which will differentiate between one man and another will not be a decision of God, a reward or a punishment from Him, but that which was in each one’s heart; what was there during all our life will be revealed in the Day of Judgment. If there is a reward and a punishment in this revelation – and there really is – it does not come from God but from the love or hate which reigns in our heart. Love has bliss in it, hatred has despair, bitterness, grief, affliction, wickedness, agitation, confusion, darkness, and all the other interior conditions which compose hell.

_ - St. Symeon the New Theologian_

----------


## TER

Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we can contribute nothing to him. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong, what is ugly, what is distorted. Christ looked at everyone he met, at the prostitute, at the thief, and saw the beauty hidden there. Perhaps it was distorted, perhaps damaged, but it was beauty none the less, and what he did was to call out this beauty.

_- Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh_

----------


## TER

One critical thing Jesus taught was that controlling the world is not just impossible but inherently sinful. Our task as Christians is to control no one but ourselves and to love all. Our main weapon must always be example, not control.

_  - Fr. Antony_

----------


## TER

To abandon the struggle for private happiness, to expel all eagerness of temporary desire, to burn with passion for eternal things--this is emancipation, and this is the free man's worship... United with his fellow-men by the strongest of all ties, the tie of a common doom, the free man finds that a new vision is with him always, shedding over every daily task the light of love.

_ - Bertrand Russell_

----------


## TER

It can happen that when we are at prayer some brothers come to see us.  Then we have to choose either to interrupt our prayer or to sadden our brother by refusing to answer him.  But love is greater than prayer. Prayer is one virtue among others, whereas love contains them all.

_- St. John Climacus_

----------


## TER

My heart only has entrances. It doesn’t have exits. Whoever enters remains there. Whatever he may do, I love him the same as I loved him when he first entered into my heart. I pray for him and seek his salvation.

_- Elder Epiphanios_

----------


## TER

The Martyrs won Paradise through their blood; the Ascetics, through their ascetic life. Now you, my brethren, who have children, how will you win Paradise? By means of hospitality, by giving to your brothers who are poor, blind, or lame.

_- Saint Cosmas the Aetolian_

----------


## TER

There is no possession more precious than prayer in the whole of human life. Never be parted from it; never abandon it. But, as our Lord said, let us pray that out toil may not be for nothing,`When you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone, that your heavenly Father may forgive you your faults.
_
- St. Ephrem the Syrian_

----------


## TER

The time of the end, though it seems to be near, we do not know. Let us then struggle while it is still day, with the time and the weapons which our All-merciful God has given us!

_-Fr. Seraphim Rose_

----------


## TER

Through life in the Holy Trinity, through communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, man’s being is filled with true joy, which is nothing other than divine blessedness. Without this, man’s being is filled with grief, sorrow, and woe. If not with that, then what can death- and even before death, sin- fill the human being? A current of bitterness, or sinful pleasures that gradually change into bitterness, pours forth into the soul through every sort of sin. In every case, through each sin committed, at least a drop of bitterness falls on the soul and imperceptibly spreads throughout the soul. When the time comes, it grows into an enormous sorrow, and man, very often, does not even know where this grief in his soul and heart comes from. Through communion with Christ and His holy virtues, man’s being is filled with unceasing joy. Through living the love of Christ, man’s being is filled with inexpressible joy, as well as from living the righteousness of Christ, the goodness of Christ, the humility and meekness of Christ. And when man looks into himself- behold, he is completely filled with divine joy, and there is not a trace of grief or fear of death in him. Therefore, the holy Theologian proclaims: _And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full._

_- St. Justin Popovich_

----------


## TER

"The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist."

_- Pope St. Gregory the Great_

----------


## TER

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."

_- St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

"The person who loves God cannot help loving every man as himself, even though he is grieved by the passions of those who are not yet purified. But when they amend their lives, his delight is indescribable and knows no bounds. A soul filled with thoughts of sensual desire and hatred is unpurified. If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man."

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

What is the mark of love for your neighbor? Not to seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the benefit of the one loved, both in body and in soul.

_- St. Basil the Great_

----------


## TER

We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.

_- Blessed Mother Teresa_

----------


## TER

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

_- St Augustine_

----------


## TER

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

_- St Augustine_

----------


## heavenlyboy34

I hope you don't mind me adding to your thread my friend.  I have been intrigued by St Augustine lately.   Feel free to have this removed if you don't like it.
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

----------


## TER

He alone loves the Creator perfectly
who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.

_- Venerable Bede_

----------


## TER

Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.
_
-  Thomas à Kempis_

----------


## TER

> I hope you don't mind me adding to your thread my friend.  I have been intrigued by St Augustine lately.[/URL]


A holy man indeed!  Please feel free to share!

----------


## TER

Do we forgive our neighbors their trespasses? God also forgives us in His mercy. Do we refuse to forgive? God, too, will refuse to forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us. The forgiveness, then, of your sins or unforgiveness, and hence also your salvation or destruction, depend on you yourself, man. For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation. You can see for yourself how terrible it is. 

_- St. Philotheos of Sinai_

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## TER

And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.' For we have many sins. For we offend both in word and in thought, and very many things we do worthy of condemnation; and 'if we say that we have no sin' (I Jn. 1:8), we lie, as John says...The offenses committed against us are slight and trivial, and easily settled; but those which we have committed against God are great, and need such mercy as His only is. Take heed, therefore, lest for the slight and trivial sins against you, you shut out for yourself forgiveness from God for your very grievous sins. 

_- St. Cyril of Jerusalem_

----------


## TER

With all your power, ask the Lord for humility and brotherly love, because God freely gives His grace for love towards one's brother. Do an experiment on yourself: one day ask God for love towards your brother, and another day - live without love. You will see the difference.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

A Christian must be courteous to all. His words and deeds should breath with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which abides in his soul, so that in this way he might glorify the name of God. He who regulates all of his speech also regulates all of his actions. He who keeps watch over the words he is about say also keeps watch over the deeds he intends to do, and he never goes out of the bounds good and benevolent conduct. The graceful speech of a Christian is characterized by delicateness and politeness. This fact, born of love, produces peace and joy. On the other hand, boorishness gives birth to hatred, enmity, affliction, competitiveness, disorder and wars.

_- St. Nektarius of Aegina_

----------


## TER

Adorn yourself with truth, try to speak truth in all things; and do not support a lie, no matter who asks you. If you speak the truth and someone gets mad at you, don't be upset, but take comfort in the words of the Lord: Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of truth, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:10).

_- St. Gennadius of Constantinople_

----------


## TER

Do not lose your temper with those who sin. Do not have a passion for noticing every sin in your neighbor and judging it, as we usually do. Everyone will give an answer for himself before God. Especially, do not look with evil intention on the sins of those older than you, with whom you have no business. But correct your own sins, your own heart.

_- St. John of Kronstad_

----------


## TER

We all have to die, beloved brethren, and it will be hard for us if, while we are in this world, we do not love each other, if we are not reconciled to our enemies, whom we have offended, and if one has grieved another, if we do not forgive him. Then we will not have eternal blessedness in that world, and the heavenly Father will not forgive our sins.

_- St. Peter of Cetinje_

----------


## TER

Do not disdain the commandment to love, for through it you become a son of God, and when you break it, you become a son of Gehenna.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

----------


## TER

As God illumines all people equally with the light of the sun, so do those who desire to imitate God let shine an equal ray of love on all people. For wherever love disappears, hatred immediately appears in its place. And if God is love, then hatred is the devil. Therefore as one who has love has God within himself, so he who has hatred within himself nurtures the devil within himself.

_- St. Basil the Great_

----------


## TER

"Love covers a multitude of sins," (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards one's neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves.

_- St. Theophan the Reclus_

----------


## TER

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

_- John 15:1-8_

----------


## Carson

You've got to be careful. 

Sometime it seems if you find fault in others that you become the new volunteer that has to fill that role.

----------


## TER

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love.

 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  These things I command you, that you love one another."
_
- John 15:9-17_

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## TER

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  He who hates Me hates My Father also.  If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.  But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’


“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

_- John 15:18-27_

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## heavenlyboy34

*"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
~St. Augustine*

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## jmdrake

> "Love covers a multitude of sins," (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards one's neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves.
> 
> _- St. Theophan the Reclus_


1 Peter 4:8 is one of my favorite verses.

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## jmdrake

> *"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
> ~St. Augustine*


Hmmm....sounds like James 1:27 _James 1:27

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world._

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## TER

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil - for the devil is cold - let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

The forgetting of wrongs is a sign of true repentance. But he who dwells on them and thinks that he is repenting is like a man who thinks he is running while he is really asleep.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Such is the power of love: it embraces, and unites, and fastens together not only those who are present and near, and visible, but also those who are distant. And neither time, not separation in space, nor anything else of that kind, can break up and divide in pieces the affection of the soul.

_-St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Give to the poor, so that even if you keep silent (and thousands upon thousands of mouths defend you) almsgiving will take your side and plead on your behalf. Almsgiving is the salvation of the soul. For this reason, just as wash basins are found before the churchs doors filled with water so that you may wash your hands, the poor sit outside of the church so you may wash the hands of your soul. Have you washed  your physical hands with water? Wash the hands of your soul with almsgiving.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

The body is made of earth; yet it is not something dead but alive and endowed with a living soul. Into this soul is breathed a spirit–the spirit of God, intended to know God, to reverence Him, to seek and taste Him, and to have its joy in Him and nothing else.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

When I was seriously ill and on the point of leaving this life, I didn’t want to think about my sins. I wanted to think about the love of my Lord, my Christ, and about eternal life. I didn’t want to feel fear. I wanted to go to the Lord and to think about His goodness, His love. And now that my life is nearing its end, I don’t feel anxiety or apprehension, but I think that when I appear at the Second Coming and Christ says to me: Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? I will bow my head and I will say to Him: ‘Whatever you want, my Lord, whatever your love desires. I know I am not worthy. Send me wherever your love wishes. I am fit for hell. And place me in hell, as long as I am with You. There is one thing I want, one thing I desire, one thing I ask for, and that is to be with You, wherever and however You wish.

_- Elder Porphyrios_

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## TER

Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.

_- St. Dorotheus of Gaza_

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## TER

But I say to you, the Lord says, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you. Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.
_
 St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## jmdrake



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## Eagles' Wings

> It can happen that when we are at prayer some brothers come to see us.  Then we have to choose either to interrupt our prayer or to sadden our brother by refusing to answer him.  But love is greater than prayer. Prayer is one virtue among others, whereas love contains them all.
> 
> _- St. John Climacus_


This made me smile.  How many times have I said, "Lord, please help me to love this child, as he/she interrupts my time with You."   I am amazed at how much love our teens and young adults need.  May we never forsake them, nor our wonderful Father God.

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## TER

> 


And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

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## TER

When your soul becomes insensitive, brother, it is useful to read the Holy Scriptures and the heart-touching words of the Holy and God-bearing Fathers, to remember Gods Last Judgment, the departure of the soul from the body, and the terrible powers that can greet it, and with whose cooperation the soul committed evil acts in this brief and tormented life. It is also useful to remember how we shall appear before the terrible and righteous judgment seat of Christ, and not only for our deeds, but for words and thoughts shall we give an answer before God, before all His angels, and in general before all creation.

Remember just as often also that sentence which the terrible and righteous Judge shall pronounce against those who stand at His left side: Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). It is good also to remember the great sorrows of mankind in order that the cruel and insensitive soul might be thereby if only involuntarily softened, and come to a recognition of its sinfulness.

You are failing in brotherly love because you accept suspicious thoughts against your neighbor, and trust your own heart; this happens to you also because you do not want to endure anything that goes against your will. Thus; before anything else you should, with Gods help, under no circumstances believe your own opinions, and strive with all your might to humble yourself before your brothers, and with all your soul cut off your will before them. If one of them injures you, or causes you sorrow in any way, then you should pray for him, according to the words of the Fathers, as for one who has given you great benefit and has healed your love of pleasure. Through this your irritability will decrease, for in the words of the Holy Fathers, love is the reigns on irritability. And before all, pray to God to give you attentiveness and understanding, so that you might know what is that good, perfect and acceptable will of God (Rom. 12:2); also pray for the strength to be ready for every good work. For to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.

_- St. Dorotheos_

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## TER

What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for every created thing. At the recollection and at the sight of them such a person’s eyes overflow with tears owing to the vehemence of the compassion which grips his heart; as a result of his deep mercy his heart shrinks and cannot bear to hear or look on any injury or the slightest suffering of anything in creation. This is why he constantly offers up prayer full of tears, even for the irrational animals and for enemies of truth, even for those who harm him, so that they may be protected and find mercy.

_- St Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

He who loves himself, cannot love God.  But he who doesn’t love himself because of he overwhelming richness of the love of God, loves God, for such a person never seeks his own glory, but that of God.  Because he who loves himself seeks his own glory, but he who loves God, loves the glory of Him who made him. since it is proper to the sensitive soul to always seek first the glory of God in all the commandments which he is carrying out, and secondly, to enjoy himself in his humility.

_- St. Diadochos_

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## TER

Couples should have a purified love for one another… To live harmoniously couples need from the very start to set their love as the foundation of their life, a true genuine love, one that is found in spiritual nobility, in sacrifice, not in fake, worldly and carnal love.  If there is love there is sacrifice, one will always arrive at the standpoint of the other, understand the other, have compassion for the other. And when we take our neighbor into our suffering heart, then we take Christ Himself into our heart, and He fills us with His ineffable exultation.

_- Elder Paisios the Athonite_

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## TER

God gave people the word love so that they could call their relationship to Him by this name. When people misuse this word to refer to their relationship with earthly things, it loses its meaning.

_- St. Nicholas of Serbia_

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## TER

Do you think that the man-loving God has given you much so that you could use it only for your own benefit? No, but so that your abundance might supply the lack of others.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Patience is necessary, like salt in food. For there is no other road for us to gain, get rich and reign. This is the road that our Christ traced out.  And all we who love Him ought to follow Him for the sake of His love.  Even though the wormwood is bitter to us, it nevertheless cleanses the blood and makes our body healthy. Without temptations, pure souls are not known, virtue does not show, patience is not discernible. Without temptations, it is impossible for the soul to become healthy. They are the cleansing fire which makes the soul pure and bright.

_- Elder Joseph the Hesychast_

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## TER

To Love means to look at a person and see in this person a treasure, something infinitely precious, something that's worth giving one's own life. Not giving it grudgingly but rejoicing in the fact that we can give, all our heart, all our intention, all our strength in the service of this person. And also conquer in us everything that is contrary to love which can hurt, which can diminish life of the person we want to love.

...Let us therefore think of the people who are around us..and ask ourselves...what can we offer them that will enhance their life, make it deep, make it great, bring joy into it...and then we will have fulfilled the law of love. The Lord says to us 'forget yourself, love the other, may your life be his joy, his strength, his inspiration.' Amen.

_- Metropolitan Anthony Bloom_

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## TER

It is a fearful thing to hate whom God has loved. To look upon another – his weaknesses, his sins, his faults, his defects – is to look upon one who is suffering. He is suffering from negative passions, from the same sinful human corruption from which you yourself suffer. This is very important: do not look upon him with the judgmental eyes of comparison, noting the sins you assume you’d never commit. Rather, see him as a fellow sufferer, a fellow human being who is in need of the very healing of which you are in need. Help him, love him, pray for him, do unto him as you would have him do unto you.

_- St Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

Never confuse the person, formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him, because evil is but a chance misfortune, illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God, and this remains in him despite every disfigurement.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

If you find that you have no love but desire to have it, do the works of love and the Lord will see your desire and effort and put love in your heart.

_- St. Ambrose of Optina_

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## TER

Long-suffering and readiness to forgive curb anger; love and compassion wither it.

_- St. Thalassios the Libyan_

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## TER

Do you know what a great gift it is that God gave us the right to speak to Him every hour and moment, wherever we are? He always listens to us. This is the greatest honor we have. For this reason we must love God.

_- Elder Porphyrios_

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## TER

In order to abide in the love of God it is essential for anger and ‘hate’ to attain their maximum intensity but be directed against the sin that lives in me, against the evil active in me – in me, not in my brother.

_- Saint Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

You do not just suddenly leap into heaven, but you enter it with humility. The worst of all sins is when we are overwhelmed by our pride and our own opinion about everything.

_- St. Macarius of Optina_

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## TER

The strongest walls between people and between nations are not built of iron or steel but are created by fear, hate, and prejudice. The only way to break down these walls is through the practice of forgiveness.

_- Fr. Anthony Coniaris_

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## TER

The main thing is to remember that the goal of our life is not material well-being and external happiness, but in acquiring the grace of God and in the preparation for life eternal, and for this, first of all, one must gather spiritual treasures which no one can ever take away. 

_- Metropolitan Hilarion_

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## TER

Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshiper of the world.

_- St. Innocent of Alaska_

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## TER

An old man was asked, 'How can I find God?' 

He said, 'In fasting, in watching, in labours, in devotion, and, above all, in discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that which God seeks: charity and humility.'

_- The Desert Fathers_

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## TER

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

_- Matthew 6:19-21_

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## TER

The remembrance of God is an all-powerful weapon, a mighty suit of armor against satan and the various sins. When the mind ceases to remember God and meditate upon divine things, man is overcome by negligence, indolence, forgetfulness, and then by evil desires! If you see your mind rushing towards the world, know that your soul lacks divine consolation, which is why it turns to the world for consolation. When a persons soul is warm towards God, he is enlightened and feels compunction, and it is impossible for his mind to incline towards the world at the same time. The soul inclines towards the world when it is united, in a sense, with God.

_- Elder Ephraim of Philotheou_

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## TER

By faith the intellect is confirmed in pondering God. The way of salvation is that of the constant remembrance of God. The intellect separated from remembrance of God is like a fish out of water. The freedom of a true man consists in his freedom from the passions, in his resurrection with Christ, and in a joyous soul.

_- St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

When you thus enter into the place of the heart, as I have shown you, give thanks to God and, praising his mercy, keep always to this doing, and it will teach you things that in no other way you will ever learn. Moreover you should know that when your mind becomes firmly established in the heart, it must not remain there silent and idle, but it should constantly repeat the Jesus prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me!" and never cease. For this practice, keeping the mind from dreams, renders it elusive and impenetrable to enemy suggestions and every day leads it more and more to love and longing for God.

_- St. Niceforous_

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## TER

Just as the blessings of God are unutterably great, so their acquisition requires much hardship and toil undertaken with hope and faith.

_- St. Macarius the Great_

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## TER

What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to climb hills and the summits of mountains! What, that we may ascend to heaven! If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.

_- St. Cyprian_

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## TER

A servant of the Lord is he who in body stands before men, but in mind knocks at Heaven with prayer.
_
- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

It is one thing neither to be stung nor angered by affronts and insults, nor by temptations and trials, and another to be pleased by them. It is one thing to pray for the people who do such things, and another to impress on one’s spirit the face of each one of them, and then, with tears of sincere love, to embrace them dispassionately as true friends without the least trace of dislike making its nest in the soul.

_-  St. Symeon the New Theologian_

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## TER

As long as man lives self-centeredly, he cannot forgive his fellowmen. His offended ego does not allow him to. However, when repents and decides to place God in the center of his life, then he forgives those who distressed, harmed, and were unjust to him. We must put up a hard struggle in order to liberate our souls from resentment, because egoism tyrannizes our soul. For this reason the Lord taught just to seek forgiveness from God, on the condition that we forgive those who trespass against us.

_- Archimandrite George Capsanis_

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## TER

Each person must bear the weaknesses of others. Who is perfect? Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled? Hence, we are all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that he himself is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another sick person.

_- Elder Ephraim_

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## TER

We cannot be saved by seeking just our own individual salvation; we need to look first to the good of others. In warfare, the soldiers who take to flight to save his own skin brings disaster on himself as well as on the others, whereas the good solider who takes up arms on behalf of his comrades saves his own life along with theirs. Many of our brothers and sisters have fallen in this battle, wounded and covered with blood, with no one to care for them. There is no one to look after then, no layman, no priest, no friend, no brother, because we are all of us seeking our own individual salvation, and thereby spoiling our chance of attaining it.

_- Saint John Chrysostom_

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## jmdrake

> We cannot be saved by seeking just our own individual salvation; we need to look first to the good of others. In warfare, the soldiers who take to flight to save his own skin brings disaster on himself as well as on the others, whereas the good solider who takes up arms on behalf of his comrades saves his own life along with theirs. Many of our brothers and sisters have fallen in this battle, wounded and covered with blood, with no one to care for them. There is no one to look after then, no layman, no priest, no friend, no brother, because we are all of us seeking our own individual salvation, and thereby spoiling our chance of attaining it.
> 
> _- Saint John Chrysostom_


^That reminds me of "He who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake will save it."

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## TER

What do I need? I need true and active Christian love; I need a loving heart which takes compassion on its neighbors; I need joy over their prosperity and well-being, and sorrow over their sorrows and illnesses, their sins, failings, disorders, woes, poverty; I need warm and sincere compassion for all the circumstances of their lives, joy for those who are joyous and tears for those who are in tears. Enough of selfishness, egoism, living only for oneself and acquiring everything only for oneself: riches, pleasures, the glory of this world; enough of spiritual dying instead of living, grieving instead of rejoicing, and carrying within oneself the poison of selfishness, for selfishness is a poison that is continuously poured into our hearts by Satan.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

I have heard people slandering, and I have rebuked them. And these doers of evil replied in self-defense that they were doing so out of love and care for the person whom they were slandering. I said to them: ‘Stop that kind of love, otherwise you will be condemning as a liar him who said: “Him that privily talked against his neighbor, did I drive away” (Ps. 100:5). If you say you love, then pray secretly, and do not mock the man. For this is the kind of love that is acceptable to the Lord.  But I will not hide this from you (and of course be careful, lest you judge the offender): Judas was in the company of Christ’s disciples, and the thief was in the company of murderers. Yet it is a wondrous thing, how in a single instant, they exchanged places.

_- St. John of Sinai_

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## TER

The highest prayer is that in which a person forgets all his needs, even the loftiest ones, burning with a single desire – to get as close as possible to the Lord, to place himself at His feet, to give Him all his heart. This is sublime love and sublime prayer, when one wishes to live only in the Lord, to love Him, to hide in His nearness, to be filled with His indescribable love.

_- St John the Wonderworker_

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## TER

Never be jealous of wealth. Always live modestly and humbly, without egotism. Egotism is a terrible sin. When you hear someone being accused, even though it may be true, never add more accusations, but always say something positive and be sorry for the person. Take care to always love the poor, the elderly, the orphans, the sick. Spend time with poor people and with those whom others humble. Earn your living with the honest sweat of your brow. Don’t forget to give alms. This is the path you must tread. Always think of what good thing you will do. These are the things that make up the life of a Christian.

_- Elder George of Drama_

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## TER

It is our duty, therefore, to be faithful to God, pure in heart, merciful and kind, just and holy; for these things imprint in us the outlines of the Divine likeness, and perfect us as heirs of eternal life.

_- St Cyril of Alexandria_

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## TER

The whole of time is a festival for Christians, because of the abundance of good things that have been given. . . The Son of God was made man for you; He freed you from death and called you to a kingdom. Therefore, you who have obtained and are still obtaining such things, how can it be less than your duty to keep the feast all your life? Let no one then be downcast about poverty, and disease, and craft of enemies. For it is a festival, even the whole of our time. For this reason Paul said: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice.”

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

For this reason, admiring the greatness of your condescension, I blended my fear with affection, and from these two, fear and affection, I created a single thing, love, made up of modesty and benevolence, in such manner that a fear devoid of affection did not become hatred, nor did an affection not joined to a prudent fear become presumption, but on the contrary that love be shown to be an immanent law of devotedness which harmonizes whatever is related by nature. By benevolence it masters hatred, and by reverence it pushes away presumption. Realizing that it (that is, fear) confirms divine love more than anything else, the blessed David has said, “The fear of the Lord is chaste and remains from age to age.” He well knew that this fear is different from the fear which consists of being afraid of punishments for faults of which we are accused, since for one thing this (fear of punishment) disappears completely in the presence of love, as the great evangelist John shows somewhere in his words, “Love drives out fear.” For another thing, the former (fear of the Lord) naturally characterizes the law of true concern; it is through reverence that the saints keep forever completely uncorrupted the law and mode of life of love toward God and toward each other.
_
- St. Maximus the Confessor
_

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## TER

For what use is existence to the creature if he cannot know his Maker? How could men be reasonable beings if they had no knowledge of the Word and Reason of the Father through whom they had received their being? They would be no better than the beasts, had they no knowledge except of earthly things; and why should God have made them at all, if He had not intended them to know Him? But, in fact, the good God has given them a share in His own image, that is, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and has made even themselves after the same image and likeness. Why? Simply in order that through this gift of God-likeness in themselves they may be able to perceive the Absolute Image, that is the Word Himself, and through Him to apprehend the Father, which knowledge of their Maker is for men the only really happy and blessed life.

_- St. Athanasius the Great_

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## I<3Liberty

TER, I'm pretty sure the last couple pages of this thread are the virtual equivalent of talking to yourself, but it's all cool.  I'm assuming you're just trying to bump the thread. 

Your quotes have kind of been all over the place, so what's your take on the journey towards each form of love (agape, storge, eros, phileo) and at what point would one achieve a godly degree of love? Is there even an achievable destination to this journey? 

1 John 4:20 in reference to eros love wouldn't be considered a godly form of love (a brotha lovin' a brotha?) This form of love is also a lot less objective than say the storge love between myself and my cat. I provide her with food, shelter, vet checkups, etc. with the end destination being a long happy and healthy life for my cat. Since humans outlive their pets, they can have an idea of how strong the storge love with their pet was and whether or not an end destination was reached. The same can't exactly be said for the agape love we express to Christ through a life commitment to living for him. Evaluation of this form of life is left to Christ on judgement day and even then, our love for Christ will live on, so can we really say there is a destination beyond expressing such love in the afterlife? Just a thought...

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## TER

Thank you for the interesting question!  And for your comment in the beginning of the post!  (I thought I've been talking to myself for at least the last ten pages!  ) 

The second comment you make about me 'just bumping the thread' is inaccurate, however.  I assure you my goal is not to "just bump" this thread (I would have simply wrote 'bump' like I always do), but rather to share with all my friends here some beautiful and profound quotes about God's love and how we can find it. 

I admit, the posts at times have been all over the place.  But the main theme I wished to keep was the theme of our duties as Christians and the suffering and sacrifice required to crucify our own passions and put on Christ our God.  

The main point I started out the thread was on forgiveness and love of our enemies.  From there it spread to other themes in the same vein, such as mercy, charity, etc.).

But anyway, that I hope answers some of your questions.

As for the other excellent questions:




> what's your take on the journey towards each form of love (agape, storge, eros, phileo) and at what point would one achieve a godly degree of love? Is there even an achievable destination to this journey?


The Holy Fathers of the Church describe three types of love and not four (although the three do include what the fourth is).  Namely, agape, eros and philia.

Here is a short summation:

The first definition of love as *agape* is love as the action of perfect goodness for the sake of the other. This is the most basic meaning of love: to do everything possible for the well-being of others. God Himself has this love as the very content of His being and life, for “God is agape.” It is with this love that spiritual per- sons must love first of all.

The second definition of love as *eros* is love for the sake of union with the other. Erotic love is no sin when it is free from sinful passions. It can be the utterly pure desire for communion with the other, including God. All spiritual writers have insisted that such love should exist between God and man as the pattern for all erotic love in the world between husband and wife. (See Sexuality, Marriage, and Family) Thus the mystical writers and spiritual fathers have used the Old Testament’s Song of Songs as the poetic image of God’s love for man and man’s love for God. (Philo the Jew, Gregory of Nyssa, Bernard of Clairvaux, John of the Cross, Richard Rolle in England, et al.) Indeed the prophets have used the image of erotic love in explaining the Lord’s relation with Israel. (Isaiah 54; Jeremiah 2-3,31; Ezekiel 16; Hosea) And Saint Paul uses this image for Christ’s love of the Church. (Ephesians 6) In the scriptures, the union of man with the Lord in the Kingdom of God is primarily revealed in the image of eros. (Matthew 22, Revelation 19-22)

_...for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted to her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)
_
_“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9)
_
The third type of love is friendship - *phila*. This also should exist between man and God. Man has no greater friend than God, and God Himself wants to be man’s friend. According to the scriptures, the very purpose of the coming of Christ was to dispel all enmity between God and man, and to establish the co-working of Creator and creature in the fellowship of friendship.

_Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11)
_
_Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants (or slaves), for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. (John 15: 13-15)
_
So it is that love as goodness, love as union, love as friendship are all to be found in God and man, between God and man, and between human beings. There is no form of true love which lays outside the realm of the spiritual life.

 In summation: The Kingdom of Heaven is our destination, for this is what God has prepared for those who love Him.  And this love we strive for and live for.  It is the love we we find power from and strength in.  To reach it, we must make it a journey of love!  For this is the way Christ taught us!  This is the way to God and union with God.  It is the way of redemption and salvation!

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## TER

How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside of themselves, in foreign lands and journeys, in riches and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in diversions and vain things, which have a bitter end! In the same thing to construct the tower of happiness outside of ourselves as it is to build a house in a place that is consistently shaken by earthquakes. Happiness is found within ourselves, and blessed is the man who has understood this. Happiness is a pure heart, for such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus says Christ of those who have pure hearts: "I will visit them, and will walk in them, and I will be a God to them, and they will be my people." (II Cor. 6:16) What can be lacking to them? Nothing, nothing at all! For they have the greatest good in their hearts: God Himself!

_- St. Nektarios of Aegina_

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## eduardo89

> Thank you for the interesting question!  And for your comment in the beginning of the post!  (I thought I've been talking to myself for at least the last ten pages!  )


Doesn't mean no one reads them! I think it's obvious by all the reps I've given you in this thread that your posts are very much appreciated

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## TER

> Doesn't mean no one reads them! I think it's obvious by all the reps I've given you in this thread that your posts are very much appreciated


Bah!  You just want me to rep you back!

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## TER



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## TER

The soul that loves God has its rest in God and in God alone. In all the paths that men walk in in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God. 

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Truth is not a thought, not a word, not a relationship between things, not a law. Truth is a _Person_. It is a _Being_ which exceeds all beings and gives life to all. If you seek truth _with love and for the sake of love_, she will reveal the light of His face to you inasmuch as you are able to bear it without being burned. 

_- St. Nicholas of Serbia_

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## eduardo89

> Bah!  You just want me to rep you back!


I do it because I truly enjoy your posts. But I wouldn't be opposed to you returning the love

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## TER

The Lord loves all people, but He loves those who seek Him even more. To his chosen ones the Lord gives such great grace that for love they forsake the whole earth, the whole world, and their souls burn with desire that all people might be saved and see the glory of the Lord. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience. 

_- St. Basil the Great_

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## TER

Cleanse your mind from anger, remembrance of evil, and shameful thoughts, and then you will find out how Christ dwells in you. 

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbor. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be in greater glory in His Kingdom. 

_-St. Silouan the Athonite,_

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## TER

The chief end of our life is to live in communion with God. To this end the Son of God became incarnate, in order to return us to this divine communion, which was lost by the fall into sin. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we enter into communion with the Father and thus attain our purpose. 

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

With all your power, ask the Lord for humility and brotherly love, because God freely gives His grace for love towards one's brother. Do an experiment on yourself: one day ask God for love towards your brother, and another day - live without love. You will see the difference. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

A Christian must be courteous to all. His words and deeds should breath with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which abides in his soul, so that in this way he might glorify the name of God. He who regulates all of his speech also regulates all of his actions. He who keeps watch over the words he is about say also keeps watch over the deeds he intends to do, and he never goes out of the bounds good and benevolent conduct. The graceful speech of a Christian is characterized by delicateness and politeness. This fact, born of love, produces peace and joy. On the other hand, boorishness gives birth to hatred, enmity, affliction, competitiveness, disorder and wars. 

_- St. Nektarius of Aegina_

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## TER

Draw nigh to the righteous, and through them you will draw nigh to God. Communicate with those who possess humility, and you will learn morals from them. A man who follows one who loves God becomes rich in the mysteries of God; but he who follows an unrighteous and proud man gets far away from God, and will be hated by his friends. 

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Adorn yourself with truth, try to speak truth in all things; and do not support a lie, no matter who asks you. If you speak the truth and someone gets mad at you, don't be upset, but take comfort in the words of the Lord: Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of truth, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:10). 

_- St. Gennadius of Constantinople_

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## TER

Strong faith in a man’s heart both requires and produces prayer, and a prayer life of many years produces love. The goal of our life is nothing other than cleansing our heart to such an extent that it is able to sing with joy. Thus, prayer of the heart leads to joy of the heart. Nothing is difficult for a joyful person, because he has love.

_- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica_

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## TER

A certain monk told me that when he was very sick, his mother said to his father, "How our little boy is suffering. I would gladly give myself to be cut up into pieces if that would ease his suffering." Such is the love of God for people. He pitied people so much that he wanted to suffer for them, like their own mother, and even more. But no one can understand this great love without the grace of the Holy Spirit. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

No matter how much we may study, it is not possible to come to know God unless we live according to His commandments, for God is not know by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to the belief that God exists, but they did not know God. It is one thing to belief that God exists and another to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound to any earthly thing. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

When the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit, then he clearly feels that the Lord is our own Father, the closest, dearest Father, the best. And there is no greater happiness than to love God with all the mind and heart, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, then all things bring joy to the soul. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Don't be troubled if you don't feel the love of God in yourself, but think about the Lord, that He is merciful, and guard yourself from sins, and the grace of God will teach you. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

The soul that has come to know God fully no longer desires anything else, nor does it attach itself to anything on the earth; and if you put before it a kingdom, it would not desire it, for the love of God gives such sweetness and joy to the soul that even the life of a king can no longer give it any sweetness. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and incentive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence. But without holiness, no one shall see the Lord, that is to say they will not attain eternal blessedness. It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (I Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints. 

_- St. Philaret of Moscow_

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## TER

And I, a sinner, have been trying to love God for more than forty years, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him. If we love someone we always remember him and try to please him; day and night our heart is occupied with that object. Is that how you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments? ‘For our good, for our happiness at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all else and to fulfill His holy will.'

_- St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

With the advent of Christ at the end of time, there will be a change and transformation of inclination and choice in human beings from faithlessness to faith, from wickedness to virtue, from ignorance to knowledge of God; because then, at the end of the ages, there will be through the same God, our Savior, a transformation and renewal of the whole human race that is all-encompassing, natural, and by grace, from death and corruption to immortal life and incorruption in the expected resurrection.

_- St Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

Christian faith is not a doctrinal system but a way of restoration of fallen man through the death of the God-Man and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

If you wish to know of the Lords love for us, hate sin and wrong thoughts.  And day and night pray fervently. The Lord will then give you His grace and you will know Him through the Holy Spirit.  And after death, when you enter into paradise, there too you will know the Lord through the Holy Spirit, as you knew Him on earth.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Are you wounded? Despair not. Have you fallen? Get up and say bravely: now I have begun. Fall down before your merciful Master and confess your sins. But before you say anything He will already know what you intend to say. Before you open your lips, He will see what is in your heart. You will not be able to say, “I have sinned” before you see Him stretch forth His hands to receive and embrace you. Approach with faith and He will cleanse you straightaway as He cleansed the leper, lift you from your bed as He lifted the paralytic, and raise you from the dead as He raised Lazarus.

_- St. Ephraim the Syrian_

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## TER

Behold, let no one say: I have committed many sins  there can be no forgiveness for me. He who says this does not know that God is the God of the penitent, that He came to earth not to save the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance, and that when someone repents the heavens rejoice over him. . . . Let us also run to Him, for all sinners who have run to Him have found salvation.

_- St. Ephraim the Syrian_

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## TER

However hard I try, I find it impossible to construct anything greater than these three words, Love one another only to the end, and without exceptions: then all is justified and life is illumined, whereas otherwise it is an abomination and a burden.

_- Mother Maria of Paris
_

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## jmdrake

> However hard I try, I find it impossible to construct anything greater than these three words, ‘Love one another’ —only to the end, and without exceptions: then all is justified and life is illumined, whereas otherwise it is an abomination and a burden.
> 
> _- Mother Maria of Paris
> _

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## TER

We have such a law: If you forgive, it means that God has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, it means that your sin remains with you.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Did you commit sin? Enter the Church and repent for your sin; for here is the physician, not the judge; here one is not investigated, one receives remission of sins.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Because God is love, one realizes that the greatest blessings are the trials, not the easy things…. The way of Orthodoxy is filled with difficulties and crosses, but it yields you to the path wherein you glorify God for all things and are thankful for all things - the Resurrection.

_- Elder Vasileios of Iveron_

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## TER

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbor. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be in greater glory in His Kingdom.

_– St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

And I, a sinner, have been trying to love God for more than forty years, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him. If we love someone we always remember him and try to please him; day and night our heart is occupied with that object.

Is that how you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments? ‘For our good, for our happiness at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all else and to fulfill His holy will.'

_– St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

If we want, Christian, to have our heart filled with divine love we must first empty them of the love of this world, its frivolous and sinful customs and then turn our hearts to the one God, our only good and happiness and eternal beatitude.

_– St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

Love does not reflect. Love is simple. Love never mistakes. Likewise believe and trust without reflection, for faith and trust are also simple; or better: God, in whom we believe and in whom we trust, is an incomplex Being, as He is also simply love.

_– St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

"You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble.” (James 2:19)

They alone know how to believe in God who love God, who are Christians not only in name but also in action and [way of] life, because without love faith is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian —without love, the faith of a demon.

_– St. Bede the Venerable_

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## TER

Do not say that you are the temple of the Lord, writes Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 7:4); nor should you say that faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save you, for this is impossible unless you also acquire love for Him through your works.

As for faith by itself, ‘the devils also believe, and tremble’ (Jas. 2:19).

_– S.t Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

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.

Just as the light of the sun attracts a healthy eye, so through love knowledge of God naturally draws to itself the pure intellect.

_– St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Better a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he knows, merits life in Heaven than one who though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a doctor, lacks the bread of love.

_– St. Bede the Venerable_

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## TER

When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.

_– St. Basil the Great_

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## TER

What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers … For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34)

_– St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

If you find that there is no love in you, but you want to have it, then do deeds of love, even though you do them without love in the beginning. The Lord will see you desire and striving and will put love in your heart.

_– St. Ambrose of Optina_

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## TER

“Love covers a multitude of sins,” (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards one’s neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves.

_– St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

When a man’s intellect is constantly with God, his desire grows beyond all measure into an intense longing for God and his incisiveness is completely transformed into divine love. For by continual participation in the divine radiance his intellect becomes totally filled with light; and when it has reintegrated its passable aspect, it redirects this aspect towards God, as we have said, filling it with an incomprehensible and intense longing for Him and with unceasing love, thus drawing it entirely away from worldly things to the divine.

_– St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Do not ask for love from your neighbor, for if you ask and he does not respond, you will be troubled. Instead show your love for your neighbour and you will be at rest, and so will bring your neighbour to love.

_– St. Dorotheos of Gaza_

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## TER

What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children. Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behavior is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.

_– Elder Porphyrios_

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## TER

When we teach children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their fellow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.

_– St John Chrysostom_

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## TER

…we often lightly pronounce sentence and form an idea about someone based upon… not even the knowledge of different facts of his biography, but much more often upon hearsay, conjecture, and our own opinions supported by nothing, yet influencing us so powerfully that we consider our opinions the sole and precise truth about one or another person. But this is not at all correct—not in 99 cases out of 100, but in all 100 cases. Therefore, if we speak about a negative, disagreeable, and suspicious relationship to a person, then we should definitely be speaking about our absence of love for him. And this absence, and even the very lack of desire to recognize it as a defect, says very much about our own selves. It says that we are far from the true Christian life.

After all, love for a person does not at all mean blindness and thoughtlessness; it does not at all mean some sort of self-deception. The loving person sees the inadequacies, vices, and weaknesses of another, but above all this observation stands another, higher knowledge—namely: that a human being is something immeasurably greater than the sum total of his vices, sins, and inadequacies. Every human being is a child of God, who unconditionally deserves love. And all the darkness that attacks him and is present in him, and is as if part of him, is only a part that to a greater or lesser degree influences the whole, but which does not have the ability to swallow him up irreversibly as long as he is still alive on the earth. Furthermore, the very fact that he abides in earthly life says that for him the story of the creation of his “personal eternity” is not yet finished, and the Lord is giving him time and the chance to take conscious steps toward a transformation of life. And the meaning of these steps is determined not even by deeds obvious to us humans, but by the power of good will, the conscious striving for God. The Lord alone can evaluate the true meaning of the heart’s striving in the context of all the circumstances—both inward and outward—of a person’s life, in the context of the difficulties that he has to overcome in his striving for God.
It would be better for us to be mistaken in thinking well of a person than to be mistaken in thinking poorly of him. Belief in the better in any case leaves a person with the chance to correct himself, even if he acted badly. That means a lot! And we do not sin by believing in what is better in a person, even if our hopes are seemingly unjustified. God also “believes” in that person and works with all His might to help effect his correction….

_- Father Dimitry Shishkin_

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## TER

Love alone harmoniously joins all created things with God and with each other.

_- St. Thalassios the Libyan
_

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## TER

Stop pleasing yourself and you will not hate your brother; stop loving yourself and you will love God.

 Once you have decided to share your life with spiritual brethren, renounce your own wishes from the start. Unless you do this, you will not be able to live peaceably either with God or with your brethren.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

Peace is an inner state of the heart and of the mind. But Christian peace is not a mere psychological condition; rather, it is a ‘relationship.’ Christian peace flows from the believers relationship with God and with other people. It’s impossible for a person to have a good, peaceful relationship with God and not enjoy peace with others. So if our relationship with God or others suffers, our peace will flee from us. Every person who does not feel a full, deep, eternal peace within him will find his relationship with God distorted. There is a hard verse, which I am reluctant to quote, but here it is: “There is no peace for the wicked” (Is. 57:21, NKJ). Any deformation in our relationship with God, or friends, or family, or colleagues, or even with enemies, causes our peace to flee. That is why Christ focused strongly on man’s relationship with his neighbor….He desires peace to sink deep within us; for without this, He cannot reign over our hearts.

_- Matthew the Poor_

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## TER

Couples should have a purified love for one another… To live harmoniously couples need from the very start to set their love as the foundation of their life, a true genuine love, one that is found in spiritual nobility, in sacrifice, not in fake, worldly and carnal love.  If there is love there is sacrifice, one will always arrive at the standpoint of the other, understand the other, have compassion for the other. And when we take our neighbor into our suffering heart, then we take Christ Himself into our heart, and He fills us with His ineffable exultation.

_- Elder Paisios the Athonite_

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## TER

Such is the power of love: it embraces, and unites, and fastens together not only those who are present and near, and visible, but also those who are distant. And neither time, not separation in space, nor anything else of that kind, can break up and divide in pieces the affection of the soul.

_-St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Evil is corrected by good; faults by love, kindness, meekness, humility and patience. Acknowledge yourself as the greatest of sinners. Of those who appear to you to be sinners, or are sinners in fact, consider yourself worse and lower than all. Be rid of all pride and malice against your neighbor, all impatience and bad-temper, and only then - with love and long-suffering towards them - try to cure others. Until then, cover the sins of others with your indulgent love.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

_- Ephesians 3:14-19_

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## TER

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

_- John 13:34-35_

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## TER

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

_- Psalms 100:5_

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## TER

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

_- Psalms 86:5_

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## TER

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

_- Psalms 89:14_

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## TER

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

_- Psalms 59:16_

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## TER

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.

_- Psalms 26:2-3_

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## TER

I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

_- Psalms 31:7_

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## TER

Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

_- Psalms 31:16_

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## TER

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

_- Psalms 36:5_

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## TER

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

_- Psalms 63:3_

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## TER

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

_- Psalms 66:20_

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## TER

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you

_- Psalms 86:5_

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## TER

BRETHREN, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, _but through love be servants of one another_. *For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."*

But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.  But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

_- Galatians 5:11-21_

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## TER

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?"

_- Matthew 5:44-46_

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## TER

"And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

- Matthew 5:47-48

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## TER

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

_- Matthew 6:24-34_

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## TER

I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.

_- St. Basil the Great_

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## TER

The demons either tempt us themselves or arm against us those who have no fear of the Lord. They tempt us themselves when we withdraw from human society, as they, tempted our Lord in the desert. They tempt us through other people when we spend our time in the company of others, as they tempted our Lord through the Pharisees. But whichever line of attack they choose, let us repel them by keeping our gaze fixed on the Lord’s example.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Man is not a being isolated from the rest of creation; by his very nature he is bound up with the whole of the universe… In his way to union with God, man in no way leaves creatures aside, but gathers together in his love the whole cosmos disordered by sin, that it may be transfigured by grace.

_-  St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## RJB

Some of these gems should have there own threads.

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## TER

No matter how much we may study, it is not possible to come to know God unless we live according to His commandments, for God is not know by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to the belief that God exists, but they did not know God. It is one thing to belief that God exists and another to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound to any earthly thing.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## RJB

Much needed bump

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## TER

"But I say to you," the Lord says, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you." Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

If we want, Christian, to have our heart filled with divine love we must first empty them of the love of this world, its frivolous and sinful customs and then turn our hearts to the one God, our only good and happiness and eternal beatitude.

_– St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

And I, a sinner, have been trying to love God for more than forty years, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him. If we love someone we always remember him and try to please him; day and night our heart is occupied with that object.

Is that how you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments? ‘For our good, for our happiness at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all else and to fulfill His holy will.’

_- St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

“You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble.” (James 2:19)

They alone know how to believe in God who love God, who are Christians not only in name but also in action and [way of] life, because without love faith is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian —without love, the faith of a demon.

_– St. Bede the Venerable
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## TER

When a man receives something Divine, in his heart he rejoices; but when he receives something diabolic, he is disturbed. The Christian heart, when it has received something Divine, does not demand anything else in order to convince it that this is precisely from the Lord; but by that very effect it is convinced that this is heavenly, for it senses within itself spiritual fruits: love, joy, peace, and the rest (cf. Gal. 5:22).

_– St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Stop defiling your flesh with shameful deeds and polluting your soul with wicked thoughts; then the peace of God will descend upon you and bring you love.

_ - St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Better a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he knows, merits life in Heaven than one who though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a doctor, lacks the bread of love.

_– St. Bede the Venerable
_

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## TER

“Love covers a multitude of sins,” (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards one’s neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves.

_– St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

“Illumine our hearts, O Master Who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Thy gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of Thy blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing unto Thee. For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, Who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.”

_– Prayer read silently by the priest before the reading of the Gospel_

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## TER

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.

_  - Thomas Merton_

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## TER

"Remember! – It is Christianity TO DO GOOD always – even to those who do evil to us. It is Christianity to love our neighbour as ourself, and to do to all men as we would have them Do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful, and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts, and never make a boast of them, or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always to shew that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything. If we do this, and remember the life and lessons of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and try to act up to them, we may confidently hope that God will forgive us our sins and mistakes, and enable us to live and die in Peace."

_   - Charles Dickens_

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## TER

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, according to the Lord's commandment, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault – he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived hatred for his brother.

_    - St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

The Perfect Person's Rule of Life:  The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward. The perfect person does good through love.  His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.  He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.  The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.

_     - St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.  If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.

_    - Fyodor Dostoevsky_

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## Eagles' Wings

> Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
> 
> _- Psalms 66:20_


Yes, Praise be to God.

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## RJB

John 15:12  This is my commandment: Love each other in *the same way I have loved you.*

A protestant lady told me of the overwhelming feeling of awe she gets when she contemplates the love of God for her.  I try to do that often, and it blows my mind

The Priest last Sunday said in his homily that God knew how we'd turn out but he loved us so much he made us anyway.  That made my wife and I laugh.  Great is his love.

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## TER

_"Not everyone who says, `Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 7:21)._

Brethren, one does not gain the Kingdom of God with the tongue, but with the heart. The heart is the treasury of those riches by which the kingdom is purchased; the heart and not the tongue! If the treasury is full with the riches of God, i.e., a strong faith, good hope, vivid love and good deeds, then the messenger of those riches, the tongue, is faithful and pleasant. If the treasury is void of all those riches, then its messenger [the tongue] is false and impudent. The kind of heart, the kind of words. The kind of heart, the kind of deeds. All, all depends on the heart.

Hypocrisy is helpless before men, and is even more helpless before God. "If then I am a father," says the Lord through the Prophet Malachi, "If then I am a father where is the honor due to me?" And If I am a master, where is the reverence due to me?" (Malachi 1:6). That is, I hear you call me father, but I do not see you honoring me with your heart. I hear you call me master, but I do not see fear of me in your hearts.

Our prayer: "Lord! Lord!" is beautiful and beneficial only when it emerges from a prayerful heart. The Lord Himself commanded that we pray unceasingly, but not only with the tongue to be heard by men, but rather enclosed in the cell of the heart so that the Lord could hear and see us.

Lord, majestic and wonderful, deliver us from hypocrisy and pour Your fear into our hearts so that our hearts could stand continually upright in prayer before You. 

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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## TER

The world has many poor in spirit, but not in the right way;
 and many who mourn, but over money matters and loss of children;
 and many who are meek, but in the face of impure passions;
 and many who hunger and thirst, but to rob another's goods and to profit unjustly.
 And there are many who are merciful, but to the body and to its comforts; 
 and clean of heart, but out of vanity;
 and peacemakers, but who subject the soul to the flesh;
 and many who suffer persecution, but because they are disorderly;
 many who are reproached, but for shameful sins.

 Instead, only those are blessed who do and suffer these things for Christ and following his example. For what reason? 

"Because theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and "they shall see God," and so forth. So that it is not because they do and suffer these things that they are blessed (since those just mentioned do the same), but because they do and suffer them for Christ and following his example.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

_"… that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering" (Ephesians 4:1-2)._

Be not proud, be not angry, be not faint-hearted; for these are unworthy of a Christian calling. This calling is so elevated and wonderful that it is difficult for a man to safeguard himself from pride; yet it is difficult to keep oneself above faint-heartedness when dangers and losses occur.

Against these three unhealthy states, the Apostle emphasizes three healthy states: against pride, lowliness; against anger, meekness; against faint-heartedness, longsuffering. It must be said that these three virtues - lowliness, meekness and longsuffering - do not express in full measure the loftiness of the Christian calling. But then, nothing in this world can fully express the height of the Christian calling. The preciousness and richness of this calling cannot be seen here on earth: it is like a closed chest that a man carries through this world, but only opens it and avails himself of its riches in the other world. Only someone who could raise himself to the highest heavens and see Christ the Lord in glory with the angels and the saints could assess the loftiness of the Christian calling; for there is the victorious assembly of all God's chosen ones from earth who were made worthy of this exceedingly high honor.

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Thy name is the name most dear to us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen. 

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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## TER

A young and inexperienced man in spiritual combat underlines his every good work by self-praise. But the experienced soldier in the midst of struggles with passions and demons minimizes his every deed and intensifies his prayer for God's help. Abba Matoes used to say: "The closer a man is to God, the more sinful he sees himself to be." He also was known to say: "When I was young, I thought perhaps that I was doing some good; and now when I am old, I see that I do not have any good deed." Did not our Lord say: "No one is good but One, that is God" (Matthew 19:17). Therefore, if only the one God is good and the source of all good, how can a good deed be done that is not from God? And, how can someone who does a good deed ascribe it to himself and not to God? If this is so, with what then can mortal man be praised? By nothing, except with God and the goodness of God!

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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## heavenlyboy34

> Love all God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.  If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.
> 
> _    - Fyodor Dostoevsky_


Do post more Dostoevsky whenever you can.  He had a wonderful way with words.  ~hugs~

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## TER

What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

_ - Fyodor Dostoevsky_

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## TER

"The faith passes, so to speak, through a distiller and becomes ideology. And ideology does not beckon [people]. In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought… For this reason Jesus said to them: ‘You have taken away the key of knowledge.’ The knowledge of Jesus is transformed into an ideological and also moralistic knowledge, because these close the door with many requirements.

... The faith becomes ideology and ideology frightens, ideology chases away the people, distances, distances the people and distances  the Church from the people. But it is a serious illness, this of ideological Christians. It is an illness, but it is not new, eh? Already the Apostle John, in his first Letter, spoke of this. Christians who lose the faith and prefer the ideologies. His attitude is: be rigid, moralistic, ethical, but without kindness. This can be the question, no? But why is it that a Christian can become like this? Just one thing: this Christian does not pray. And if there is no prayer, you always close the door."

The key that opens the door to the faith is prayer.... When a Christian does not pray, this happens. And his witness is an arrogant witness.... He who does not pray is arrogant, is proud, is sure of himself. He is not humble. He seeks his own advancement. Instead, when a Christian prays, he is not far from the faith; he speaks with Jesus."

_  - Pope Francis_

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## TER

No where does Jesus command us to rule like autocrats forcing our views, morals and doctrines on anyone. If his kingdom were of this world, then he would have done so. In fact, he resisted this temptation in the wilderness when Satan showed him all the kingdoms of earth and offered them to him to rule and we must also resist it. Because His kingdom is not of this world He teaches the opposite way - the way of self-sacrifice even to the point of death.  If we follow him, then we will not make demands on our neighbors.  We do so out of fear and desire, the two surest signs that we have not yet understood the Gospel.

_   – Fr. Antony_

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## TER

We should give thanks to God, as it is said: ‘In everything give thanks’ (I Thess. 5:18). Closely linked to this phrase is another of St. Paul’s injunctions: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (I Thess. 5:17), that is, be mindful of God at all times, in all places, and in every circumstance. For no matter what you do, you should keep in mind the Creator of all things. When you see the light, do not forget Him who gave it to you; when you see the sky, the earth, the sea and all that is in them, marvel at these things and glorify their Creator; when you put on clothing, acknowledge whose gift it is and praise Him who in His providence has given you life. In short, if everything you do becomes for you an occasion for glorifying God, you will be praying unceasingly. And in this way your soul will always rejoice, as St. Paul commends (cf. I Thess. 5:16).

_– St. Peter of Damaskos_

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## TER

If we want, Christian, to have our heart filled with divine love we must first empty them of the love of this world, its frivolous and sinful customs and then turn our hearts to the one God, our only good and happiness and eternal beatitude.

_ St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

God and the devil are found at opposite poles. No one can turn his face to God who has not first turned his back on sin. When a man turns his face to God, all of his paths lead to God. When a man turns his face away from God, all of his paths lead to perdition. When a man finally rejects God by word and in his heart, he is no longer fit to do anything that does not serve for his complete destruction, both of his soul and of his body.

_ St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love his enemies.

_- St Silouan_

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## TER

When people say that it is impossible to attain perfection, to be once and for all free from the passions, or to participate fully in the Holy Spirit, we should cite Holy Scripture against them, showing them that they are ignorant and speak falsely and dangerously. For the Lord said: "Become perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48), perfection denoting total purity; and: "I desire these men to be with Me wherever I am, so that they may see My glory." (John 17:24) He also said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Matt. 24:35) And St. Paul is saying the same as Christ when he writes: ". . . so that we may present every man perfect in Christ." (Col. 1:28) and: ". . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13) Thus by aspiring to perfection two of the best things come about, provided we struggle diligently and unceasingly: we seek to attain this perfect measure and growth; and we are not conquered by vanity, but look upon ourselves as petty and mean because we have not yet reached our goal.

Those who deny the possibility of perfection inflict the greatest damage on the soul in three ways. First, they manifestly disbelieve the inspired Scriptures. Then, because they do not make the greatest and fullest goal of Christianity their own, and so do not aspire to attain it, they can have no longing and diligence, no hunger and thirst for righteousness; (cf. Matt. 5:6) on the contrary, content with outward show and behavior and with minor accomplishments of this kind, they abandon that blessed expectation together with the pursuit of perfection and of the total purification of the passions. Third, thinking they have reached the goal when they have acquired a few virtues, and not pressing on to the true goal, not only are they incapable of having any humility, poverty and contrition of heart but, justifying themselves on the grounds that they have already arrived, they make no efforts to progress and grow day by day.

People who think it is impossible to attain through the Spirit the "new creation" of the pure heart (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) are rightly and explicitly likened by the apostle to those who, because of their unbelief, were found unworthy of entering the promised land and whose bodies on that account "were left lying in the desert." (Heb. 3:17)

_- St. Symeon Metaphrastis_

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## TER

Simplicity before others, guilelessness, mutual love, joy and humility of every kind, must be laid down as the foundation of the community. Otherwise, disparaging others or grumbling about them, we make our labor profitless. He who persists ceaselessly in prayer must not disparage the man incapable of doing this, nor must the man who devotes himself to serving the needs of the community complain about those who are dedicated to prayer. For if both the prayers and the service are offered in a spirit of simplicity and love for others, the superabundance of those dedicated to prayer will make up for the insufficiency of those who serve, and vice versa. In this way the equality that St. Paul commends is maintained (cf. 2 Cor. 8:14): he who has much does not have to excess and he who has little has no lack (cf. Exod. 16:18).

God's will is done on earth as in heaven when, in the way indicated, we do not disparage one another, and when not only are we without jealousy but we are united one to another in simplicity and in mutual love, peace and joy, and regard our brothers' progress as our own and his failure as our loss.

_- St. Symeon Metaphrastis_

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## TER

OUR Lord warns us not to neglect one another's sins, not by searching out what to find fault with, but by looking out for what to amend. For He said that his eye is sharp to cast out a mote out of his brother's eye, who has not a beam in his own eye. Now what this means, I will briefly convey to you, Beloved. A mote in the eye is anger; a beam in the eye is hatred. When therefore one who has hatred finds fault with one who is angry, he wishes to take a mote out of his brother's eye, but is hindered by the beam which he carries in his own eye. A mote is the beginning of a beam. For a beam in the course of its growth, is first a mote. By watering the mote, you bring it to a beam; by nourishing anger with evil suspicions, you bring it on to hatred. 

_- St Augustine_

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Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after a victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.

_- St. Augustine_

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If a man has no worries about himself at all for the sake of love toward God and the working of good deeds, knowing that God is taking care of him, this is a true and wise hope. But if a man takes care of his own business and turns to God in prayer only when misfortunes come upon him which are beyond his power, and then he begins to hope in God, such a hope is vain and false. A true hope seeks only the Kingdom of God... the heart can have no peace until it obtains such a hope. This hope pacifies the heart and produces joy within it.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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Love alone harmoniously joins all created things with God and with each other.

_- St. Thalassios the Libyan_

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Be concerned with the good upbringing of children and the care of the elderly and infirm - These are works of mercy, commanded of us Christians by the Lord - for which He promises a reward to all those who fulfill His commandments: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Therefore, I hope that you will not grow weary of these works of mercy, but pray to the Lord for understanding, to know where, how and what to say or how to act, and for help in performing the good work, and then act, according to your strength and ability.

_- St. Joseph of Optina_

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## TER

Be persecuted, rather than be a persecutor. Be crucified, rather than be a crucifier. Be treated unjustly, rather than treat anyone unjustly. Be oppressed, rather than zealous. Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice.

_- St Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

To believe in a God is one thing, to know God another.

_ - Saint Silouan the Athonite_

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## Snew

I love this thread

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*The Didache*

60 AD

The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations.

Chapter 1. The Two Ways; The First Commandment


There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, you shall love God who made you; second, your neighbour as yourself; and all things whatsoever you would should not occur to you, do not also do to another. And of these sayings the teaching is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. For what reward is there, if you love those who love you? Do not also the Gentiles do the same? But love those who hate you, and you shall not have an enemy. Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts. If someone gives you a blow upon your right cheek, turn to him the other also, and you shall be perfect. If someone impresses you for one mile, go with him two. If someone takes away your cloak, give him also your coat. If someone takes from you what is yours, ask it not back, for indeed you are not able. Give to every one that asks you, and ask it not back; for the Father wills that to all should be given of our own blessings (free gifts). Happy is he that gives according to the commandment; for he is guiltless. Woe to him that receives; for if one having need receives, he is guiltless; but he that receives not having need, shall pay the penalty, why he received and for what, and, coming into straits (confinement), he shall be examined concerning the things which he has done, and he shall not escape thence until he pay back the last farthing. Matthew 5:26 But also now concerning this, it has been said, Let your alms sweat in your hands, until you know to whom you should give.


Chapter 2. The Second Commandment: Gross Sin Forbidden

And the second commandment of the Teaching; You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, Exodus 20:13-14 you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, Exodus 20:15 you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten. You shall not covet the things of your neighbour, Exodus 20:17 you shall not forswear yourself, Matthew 5:34 you shall not bear false witness, Exodus 20:16 you shall not speak evil, you shall bear no grudge. You shall not be double-minded nor double-tongued; for to be double-tongued is a snare of death. Your speech shall not be false, nor empty, but fulfilled by deed. You shall not be covetous, nor rapacious, nor a hypocrite, nor evil disposed, nor haughty. You shall not take evil counsel against your neighbour. You shall not hate any man; but some you shall reprove, and concerning some you shall pray, and some you shall love more than your own life.

more...

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## TER

In order to abide in the love of God it is essential for anger and ‘hate’ to attain their maximum intensity but be directed against the sin that lives in me, against the evil active in me – in me, not in my brother.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve. Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At this point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ.

_- Elder Paisius of Mount Athos_

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## TER

If a man is stirred by the wisdom of God, which seeks our salvation and embraces everything, and he is resolved for its sake to devote the early hours to God and to watch in order to find His eternal salvation, then, in obedience to its voice, he must hasten to offer true repentance for all his sins and must practice the virtues which are opposite to the sins committed. Then through the practice of the virtues for Christs sake, he will acquire the Holy Spirit, Who acts within us and establishes in us the Kingdom of God.

_-St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Ever let mercy outweigh all else in you. Let our compassion be a mirror where we may see in ourselves that likeness and that true image which belong to the Divine nature and Divine essence. A heart hard and unmerciful will never be pure.

_– St. Isaac of Syria_

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## TER

Christ said, ‘I came not to send peace, but a sword’ and ‘division’. Christ summoned us to war on the plane of the spirit, and our weapon is ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ Our battle is waged in extraordinarily unequal conditions. We are tied hand and foot. We dare not strike with fire or sword: our sole armament is love, even for enemies. This unique war in which we are engaged is indeed a holy war. We wrestle with the last and only enemy of mankind — death. Our fight is the fight for universal resurrection.

_– Archimandrite Sophrony_

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## TER

If you want to cure your soul, you need four things. The first is to forgive your enemies. The second is to confess thoroughly. The third is to blame yourself. The fourth is to resolve to sin no more. If we wish to be saved, we must always blame ourselves and not attribute our wrong acts to others. And God, who is most compassionate, will forgive us.

_- Saint Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

If a man insults me, kills my father, my mother, my brother, and then gouges out my eye, as a Christian it is my duty to forgive him. We who are pious Christians ought to love our enemies and forgive them. We ought to offer them food and drink, and entreat God for their souls. And then we should say: “My God, I beseech Thee to forgive me, as I have forgiven my enemies.” “God created woman equal with man, not inferior. My Christian, you must love your wife as your companion, and not consider her as your slave, for she is a creature of God, just as you are. God was crucified for her as much as you. You call God ‘Father,’ she calls Him ‘Father’ too. Both of you have the same Faith, the same Baptism, the same Book of the Gospels, the same Holy Communion, the same Paradise to enjoy. God does not regard her as inferior to you.

_- Saint Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

“For love does not seek its own, it labors, sweats, watches to build up the brother: nothing is inconvenient to love, and by the help of God it turns the impossible into the possible …. Love believes and hopes …. It is ashamed of nothing. Without it, what is the use of prayer? What use are hymns and singing? What is the use of building and adorning churches? What is mortification of the flesh if the neighbor is not loved? Indeed, all are of no consequence …. As an animal cannot exist without bodily warmth, So no good deed can be alive without true love; it is only the pretence of a good deed.

_– St Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

It is certainly a finer and more wonderful thing to change the mind of enemies and bring them to another way of thinking than to kill them, especially when we recall that the [disciples] were only twelve and the whole world was full of wolves. . . . We ought then to be ashamed of ourselves, we who act so very differently and rush like wolves upon our foes. So long as we are sheep we have the victory; but if we are like wolves we are beaten, for then the help of the shepherd is withdrawn from us, for he feeds sheep not wolves. . . . This mystery [of the Eucharist] requires that we should be innocent not only of violence but of all enmity, however slight, for it is the mystery of peace.

_– St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside of themselves, in foreign lands and journeys, in riches and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in diversions and vain things, which have a bitter end! It is the same thing to construct the tower of happiness outside of ourselves as it is to build a house in a place that is consistently shaken by earthquakes. Happiness is found within ourselves, and blessed is the man who has understood this. Happiness is a pure heart, for such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus says Christ of those who have pure hearts: "I will visit them, and will walk in them, and I will be a God to them, and they will be my people." (II Cor. 6:16) What can be lacking to them? Nothing, nothing at all! For they have the greatest good in their hearts: God Himself!

_- St. Nektarios of Aegina_

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## TER

Spiritual love burns (and is made to burn) in the soul through mercifulness, gentleness, cheerfulness, and kindness shown indiscriminately toward good and evil men alike.

Hope is made steadfast and becomes firmly established in a man through earnest desire and expectation of the good things which he looks for (in the world to come).

Faith shines and casts its light in the soul through hope in the Spirit’s promises concerning the things which will be revealed in us.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

What is most terrible to man? Death? Yes, death. None of us can imagine, without terror, how he will have to die and breathe his last sigh. And how parents grieve when their beloved children die, when they lie breathless before their eyes!

But, brethren, do not fear, and do not grieve beyond measure. By His death Jesus Christ our Saviour has conquered our death, and by His resurrection He has laid the foundation for our resurrection, and every week, every Sunday, we solemnize in the risen Christ our common future resurrection from the dead, and begin beforehand the life eternal, to which our present temporal life is but a short, narrow, and most sorrowful way. For a true Christian death is merely like a sleep until the day of resurrection, or like birth into a new life.

And thus in solemnizing every week the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection from the dead, let us learn to continually die to sin, and to rise with our souls from dead works, to enrich ourselves with virtues, and not sorrow inconsolably for the dead. Let us learn to meet death without dread, as the decree of the Heavenly Father, which, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, has lost its terror.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Once we have entrusted our hope about something to God, we no longer quarrel with our neighbor over it.

_- Saint Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

There is no prayer so quickly heard as the prayer whereby a man asks to be reconciled with those who are wroth with him. For when he charges himself with the offence, this prayer is immediately answered.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

As a man whose head is under water cannot inhale pure air, so a man whose thoughts are plunged into the cares of this world cannot absorb the sensations of that new world.

_- Saint Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to carry one’s cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many!

_– St. Anthony of Optina_

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## TER

What is most terrible to man? Death? Yes, death. None of us can imagine, without terror, how he will have to die and breathe his last sigh. And how parents grieve when their beloved children die, when they lie breathless before their eyes!

But, brethren, do not fear, and do not grieve beyond measure. By His death Jesus Christ our Saviour has conquered our death, and by His resurrection He has laid the foundation for our resurrection, and every week, every Sunday, we solemnize in the risen Christ our common future resurrection from the dead, and begin beforehand the life eternal, to which our present temporal life is but a short, narrow, and most sorrowful way. For a true Christian death is merely like a sleep until the day of resurrection, or like birth into a new life.

And thus in solemnizing every week the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection from the dead, let us learn to continually die to sin, and to rise with our souls from dead works, to enrich ourselves with virtues, and not sorrow inconsolably for the dead. Let us learn to meet death without dread, as the decree of the Heavenly Father, which, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, has lost its terror.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Life according to the Gospel, holy life, Divine life, that is the natural and normal life for Christians. For Christians, according to their vocation, are holy: That good tidings and commandment resounds throughout the whole Gospel of the New Testament1. To become completely holy, both in soul and in body, that is our vocation2. This is not a miracle, but rather the norm, the rule of faith. The commandment of the Holy Gospel is clear and most clear: as the Holy One who has called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of life (1 Peter 1:15).

_– St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

A man can know nothing about the judgments of God. He alone is the one who takes account of all and is able to judge the hearts of each one of us, as He alone is our Master. Truly it happens that a man may do a certain thing which seems to be wrong out of simplicity, and there may be something about it which makes more amends to God than your whole life; how are you going to sit in judgment and constrict your own soul? And should it happen that he has fallen away, how do you know how much and how well he fought; how much blood he sweated before he did it? Perhaps so little fault can be found in him that God can look on his action as if it were just, for God looks on his labor and all the struggle he had before he did it, and has pity on him. And do you know this, and what God has spared him for? Are you going to condemn him for this and ruin your own soul? And how do you know what tears he has shed about it before God? You may well know about the sin but do you not know about the repentance?

_– St. Dorotheos of Gaza_

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## TER

The forgiveness of insults is a sign of true love, free from hypocrisy. For thus the Lord also loved this world.

_– St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

When Christ is in our heart, we are contented with everything: what has been discomfort to us becomes the greatest comfort, what was bitter to us becomes sweet, poverty becomes wealth, our hunger is satisfied, and our sorrow turns to joy! But when Christ is not in the heart, then the man is not contented with anything, he does not find happiness in anything: neither in health nor in comfort, nor in ranks and honors, nor in amusements, or in rich palaces, nor in a luxuriously served table covered with all kinds of viands and drinks, nor in rich attire – in nothing. Ah! how necessary for the man is Christ, the Life-giver and Saviour of our souls!

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER



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## TER

Do not be surprised if you fall every day and do not surrender. Stand your ground bravely. And you may be sure that your guardian angel will respect your endurance. A fresh, warm wound is easier to heal than those that are old, neglected, and festering, and that need extensive treatment, surgery, bandaging, and cauterization. Long neglect can render many incurable. However, all things are possible with God.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Ever let mercy outweigh all else in you. Let our compassion be a mirror where we may see in ourselves that likeness and that true image which belong to the Divine nature and Divine essence. A heart hard and unmerciful will never be pure.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

We know that the greater the love, the greater the sufferings of the soul. The fuller the love, the fuller the knowledge( of God ). 

The more ardent the love, the more fervent the prayer. The more perfect the love, the holier the life.


_- St. Silouan the Anthonite_

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## TER

Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

One must behave affectionately toward one’s neighbors, not showing even a hint of offense. When we turn away from a person or offend him, it is as if a rock settles on our heart. One must try to cheer the spirit of an embarrassed or dejected person with words of love. 

When you see a brother sinning, cover him, as counseled by St. Isaac the Syrian: "Stretch out your vestment over the sinner and cover him." 

In our relations with our neighbors we must be equally pure towards everyone in word as well as in thought; otherwise we will make our life useless. We must love others no less than ourselves, in accordance with the law of the Lord: "Thou shalt love ... thy neighbour as thyself" (Lk. 10:27). But not so much that our love for others, by extending past the boundaries of moderation, diverts us from fulfilling the first and main law of love towards God, as our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Mt. 10:37).

_- St.Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

As sins consist mostly of malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from the malady of sin with kindness and love. 

This is an important truth, which we often forget. Very often we act in the opposite manner, we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride to pride.

Thus, evil grows within us, and does not decrease, it is not cured, rather it spreads....

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Spiritual love is superior to the love between natural brothers and sisters because one relates to another through Christ and not a common mother. Those who possess this pure (noble) love are full of kindness, because they have Christ inside them and the Godhead is depicted on their faces. Naturally, it is impossible for Christs love to enter within us unless we separate our self from our love, offer it to God and His images, and give ourselves to others without wanting them to commit themselves to us. 

Those who suffer deeply for the salvation of the whole world and help in their own way (as strugglers) and humbly entrust themselves to the hands of God, feel the greatest joy in the world. Their life is a constant doxology, for they flutter about internally like angels, glorifying God day and night. Those, however, who neglect the salvation of their souls and try to find joy and rest in this vain life, are continually tortured and entangled in endless worldly machinery and live in hell in this life. 

Those who have philotimo, because they move within the heavenly sphere of doxology, joyfully accept their trials as well as their blessings, and glorify God for them. Thus, they are continuously receiving Gods blessing from everything and are melting internally out of gratitude towards God, which they express in every spiritual way possible, like children of God. 

Although the Good God gives us abundant blessings, acts always for our own good and has made everything to be of service to us and to be sacrificed for us, from plants to animals and birds, whether big or small, and even though God Himself sacrificed His life to redeem man, many of us remain indifferent and wound Him with our great ingratitude and insensitivity. And, all of this even though He has given us our conscience as an inheritance together with all His other blessings. 

Conscience is the first law of God, which He deeply carved in the hearts of the First Created, and consequently, each one of us takes it as a "photocopy" from his parents when he is born. Those who have managed to sensitize their consciences through the daily study of themselves feel themselves estranged from this world; and, as a result, worldly people are dumfounded by their discerning behavior. Those, however, who do not examine their consciences are neither benefited by spiritual study nor by the advice of the Elders, nor are they even able to keep Gods commandments, since they quickly become insensitive. 

Those who are sensitive and have philotimo, and who observe everything with precision, are usually wronged by the insensitive ones due to the constant concessions they make for them out of love. However, Gods love is always on their side. Oftentimes, they wrong themselves due to their hypersensitivity, overemphasizing their minor sins or bearing the burden of others faults; but once again, God comforts them with His heavenly kindness and, at the same time, strengthens them spiritually. 

Those who wrong or wound sensitive people inwardly are not human. 

Those who claim they are sensitive, loving, and discreet and endure the injustices of others, but say, "Let them receive theirs from God," are fooled by the deceiver without realizing it, since this is a way to curse politely. In this life everyone takes exams in order to pass on to eternal life, Paradise. It is my feeling that this polite curse is below the spiritual passing mark. 

Those who wrong others wrong themselves eternally; those who joyfully accept the injustice of others are entitled to an eternal reward with interest. 

Naturally, every person will be paid by the boss for whom he worked. Those who work for Christ shall receive a hundredfold now in this time and, in the world to come, eternal life (Mark 10:30); and those who work for the dark boss will receive darkness even now. 

Those who work for Christ but are prideful pollute their virtues, just as fried eggs are contaminated when birds droppings fall on them. They then can only be thrown in the trash along with the frying pan. 

All those, however, who work humbly, acquire virtues and share their hidden experiences out of humility and love, are the greatest benefactors, because they give spiritual charity and positively help souls which are weak and unsound in the Faith. Those who throw even their own selves to the world, out of love, after having driven out the world from within them, fly into Heaven and are not caught by the world. 

Love with external poverty greatly assists in acquiring the inner poverty of the passions. These two kinds of poverty make man rich in Gods kindness. 

Good people do not keep evil in their hearts, but neither do they keep their kindness to themselves. For this reason, they do not possess elegant things and are not moved by the worlds beauties. In this, their fervent faith in God as well as their great love is made manifest. 

There is no man more intelligent than the merciful one who gives away earthly, perishable things and buys imperishable, heavenly things. Likewise, there is no greater fool in the world than the greedy one who gathers things continually and yet is deprived continually, finally buying hell with his collected savings. Those, naturally, who are lost in material things are totally lost, for they have also lost Christ. 

Sadness and stress always dominate the person who is dominated by material things, for sometimes he fears that people will take away his possessions, and other times he is afraid they will take away his soul. The miser, whose hand has become numb from squeezing it too hard, has also constricted his heart and turned it into stone. In order to be cured, he must visit destitute people and sympathize with them, so he will be forced to slowly open up his hand. Consequently, his stony heart will soften and become humane, and thus the gates of Paradise will also open for him. 

Kindness softens and opens up the heart, as oil opens a rusty lock. 

Those who come close to people in pain, naturally draw near to God, because God is always by the side of His children who are in pain. 

God spiritually strengthens His children who have philotimo, who help their fellow men carry their crosses, and He relieves them from their own crosses (trials). 

Those who think about the heavy crosses of the righteous, never worry about their own small trials, for, although they have made more mistakes in their life, they suffer less than the righteous. 

Those who suffer trials unjustly imitate Christ; and those who face hardships due to their sins are blessed, because they are forgiven their sins in this life. 

Those who do not co-suffer with those in pain, suffer from a fatal spiritual illness: mercilessness. Those who are annoyed by the moaning of sick people and react angrily because they cannot concentrate, suffer from many spiritual illnesses. 

Those who truly love and struggle correctly, can also endure with love, sacrifice themselves, and give rest to their neighbor, who is Christ. 

Those who wish others to provide for them but offer nothing in return, are constantly asking things from God without giving anything to Him, not even their sins (by repentance). Such people are completely estranged from God and deliver themselves of their own accord into the hands of the manslayer (the devil). Because they have only cultivated love for their own selves, it follows that great anguish will then develop in them and that they will suffer hell, in part, already in this life. 

Those who do not put themselves in the place of their suffering fellow man are deserted by God, experience a terrible fall, and learn to feel pain. Those, on the other hand, who feel compassion, care for other people, and ignore their own selves, are protected by God and are looked after both by God and by men. 

When someone gives his heart to God, then the mind of this man is also seized by the love of God. He is indifferent towards worldly things and continually thinks about the Heavenly Father, and being divinely in love, he glorifies his Creator day and night like an angel. 

Merely the thought of Gods benevolent acts is enough to make the heart of a person who has philotimo break; yet even more so, when he thinks of his numerous sins and the great mercy of God. 

Those who struggle and sense their sinfulness as well as Gods loving-kindness and who trust in His great mercy, elevate their souls to Paradise with great confidence and little physical effort, if they have good intentions. 

People who struggle hard, with much devotion, and have reached the angelic state to a certain extent and are nurtured with celestial honey, nevertheless offer nothing significant to God compared with what He has offered us. For they eat honey while offering Him wax. They eat sweet fruits and offer God tree resin with the censer. Therefore, we do nothing and offer nothing to God, compared with His great loving-kindness. For, while the Good God produces beautiful fruit with our rubbish or even with manure, in order to feed us, we wretched people turn beautiful fruit into manure. 

As the kindness of God renders everything useful for a good purpose, so too must we, His creatures, make good use of everything in order to be benefited and benefit others. 

Kind people naturally derive benefit even from their fellow mens failings, for they use them as a strong brake on themselves in order to take care not to be derailed. But those who are deceitful, unfortunately, are not benefited, not even by other peoples virtues, because they interpret them with their wily lexicon, being darkened by the gloom of the manslayer. They spiritually wrong themselves and others, and are always upset and continually upset others with their spiritual darkness; whereas, actual cloudy weather causes sadness only to people who suffer from grief. 

Kindness is one of Gods many qualities; therefore, it always spreads joy, drives away the clouds, and opens up hearts like the spring sunshine which makes the earth blossom. It even warms up snakes and takes them out of their cold holes so they, too, can enjoy Gods kindness. 

Ill-tempered people are always strangled by thoughts, and with their frozen hearts they freeze and choke afflicted people who have come to them for consolation. Good-tempered people, on the other hand, with their spiritual (noble) love, being contrite with pain, strangle demons, liberate souls, and spread divine consolation to their fellow men. 

Fervent spiritual love renders sensitive people more sensitive, and makes insolent ones more insolent. 

An orphan, especially if it has lost its mother, and even if it is a little porcupine, must be embraced with pain and fervent love, so as to first feel warmth, take courage, and open up its heart. 

The fervent love of Christ nourishes more than any other material food and gives many calories to the soul and body. Oftentimes, it even cures incurable diseases without medication and brings rest to souls. 

Those who do not sacrifice their physical health for the love of Christ, scorning their bodily rest, will not find spiritual rest, either in this life or in the next, eternal life. 

Those who, out of pure love, sacrifice even their own lives to protect their fellow men, imitate Christ. These people are, of course, the greatest heroes, because even death trembles before them, since they defy death out of love. Thus, they triumph with immortality, and, taking the key to eternity out from beneath the gravestone, they proceed freely to eternal blessedness. 

It is preferable for a sensitive person to be himself killed once, out of love, in order to protect his fellow man, than to cop out or back out and be constantly slaughtered by his conscience for the rest of his life. 

Sacrifice for our fellow man conceals our great love for Christ. Those who have good intentions to give alms, but have nothing and on this account are afflicted, give charity with the blood of their hearts. 

Those who want to be martyred for the love of Christ when martyrdom is not an option, can manifest this love that burns within them through bodily asceticism for the sake of the souls of the reposed which are burning, so that these souls will find a little rest. 

Indifferent and merciless people, who think only of their own selves, insensitively satisfying themselves, simultaneously fill their hearts with much anguish. Within them works the little worm of a troubled conscience, and they are tormented already in this life. Merciful people, on the other hand, since they are always filling others with love, are always filled with the love of God and His abundant blessings

_- Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain_

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## TER

The Way of Love is the simplest and most direct way to join in union with Christ. Through our love of Him we are sanctified.

Elder Porphyrios says, 

Whoever experiences Christ within himself, experiences ineffable things––holy and sacred things. He lives in exultation. With Christ as our lover there is no loneliness. We find peace and joy. The thought of Christ permeates everything. We find patience and have endurance of everything.

Elder Porphyrios says that with our love of Christ even our passions disappear. There is no longer possibility for hatred, dislikes, anxieties or depressions. Not even death concerns us. He says this longing we have for Christ makes even death seem like a bridge what we can cross in an instant to continue our life in Christ We find ourselves in Christ and Him in us.

With our Love of Him there is no longer pain or suffering. Our craving for God, our passionate love for Him, overcomes all pain.

He says 

Divine craving defeats every pain, and so every pain is transformed and becomes love of Christ. Love Christ and He will love you All pains will pass away, they will be defeated and transformed. Everything is transformed by this love. 

The love of God transforms everything; it sanctifies, amends and changes the nature of everything. 

_- teachings of St. Porphyrios_

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## TER

Although it is natural and usual to love those who love us and to do good to those who do good to us (Mt 5:46-47; Lk 6:32-33), to love our enemies is distasteful to our nature. One can say that it isn't in our power but is an attitude that can only be the fruit of grace, given by the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Silouan the Athonite writes, "The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one's enemies, and does not accept it." 

The Staretz repeatedly says that love of enemies is impossible without grace: "Lord, You have given the commandment to love enemies, but this is difficult for us sinners if Your grace is not with us"; "Without God's grace we cannot love enemies"; "He who does not love his enemies, does not have God's grace"; "He who has not learned to love from the Holy Spirit, will certainly not pray for his enemies." On the contrary, St. Silouan always teaches that this attitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit: "The Lord has commanded us to love our enemies, and the Holy Spirit reveals this love to us"; "One can only love one's enemies through the grace of the Holy Spirit"; "When you will love your enemies, know that a great divine grace will be living in you." 

This grace does not suddenly erupt in the soul, but rather shows itself in a divine pedagogy, where taking into account the weakness and the difficulties of man, the Holy Spirit progressively teaches him to love and teaches him all the attitudes and ways which will allow him to do so. "The Holy Spirit teaches us to love even our enemies"; "The Holy Spirit teaches the soul a profound love for man and compassion for the lost. The Lord had pity for those who were lost. . . . The Holy Spirit teaches this same compassion for those who go to hell"; "I could not speak about it if the Holy Spirit had not taught me this love"; "The Lord taught me love of enemies. . . . The Holy Spirit taught [me] to love." 

The grace of the Holy Spirit shows to him who possesses it the way to love his enemies. But it also reveals to him the foundation of this love: the love of God for all people and His will to save them: "No man can know by himself what divine love is if the Holy Spirit does not instruct him; but in our Church divine love is known through the Holy Spirit, and that is why we speak about it." Grace also "gives man the capacity and the strength to love his enemies, and the Spirit of God gives us the strength to love them." 

Staretz Silouan insists that because love of enemies is a fruit of grace, it is essentially through prayer that it can be obtained. Several times he urges us to "ask the Lord with our whole being to give us the strength to love all men." He also advises to pray to the Mother of God and the Saints: "If we are incapable [of loving our enemies] and if we are without love, let us turn with ardent prayers to the Lord, to His Most Pure Mother, and to all the Saints, and the Lord will help us with everything, He whose love for us knows no bounds." The Staretz confesses that he himself constantly prays God for this: "I continuously beg the Lord to give me the love of enemies. . . . Day and night I ask the Lord for this love. The Lord gives me tears and I weep for the whole world." Wishing in his universal love for all men to receive such a gift, he links them to himself in his prayer: "Lord, teach us through Your Holy Spirit to love our enemies and to pray for them with tears . . . Lord, as you prayed for your enemies, so teach us also, through the Holy Spirit, to love our enemies." 

Yet obtaining the grace to love one's enemies presupposes other conditions. 

The love of enemies is completely bound to the love of God: we have seen that the principal foundation for the love of enemies is the love that God shows to all His creatures equally and His will that all people should be saved, and Christ gave us a perfect example of such love throughout his earthly life. The love of God leads man to accomplish His will and to imitate Him as much as possible, and so also to love his enemies. The Staretz also notes that he who does not love his enemies shows that he has not learned from the Holy Spirit to love God. 

To love one's enemies is also tightly bound to humility. The Staretz often associate these two virtues. Almost all the difficulties we encounter in loving our enemies are linked with pride: it is from pride that flows the affliction that follows upon insults, hated, bad temper, spite, the desire for revenge, contempt for one's neighbor, refusing to forgive him and to be reconciled with him. 

Pride excludes the love of enemies and love of enemies excludes pride: "If we love our enemies, pride will have no place in our soul." The fact that humility goes hand in hand with love of enemies proves the presence of grace and the authenticity of love: "If you have compassion for all creatures and love your enemies, and if, at the same time, you judge yourself the worst of all people, this shows that the great grace of the Lord is in you." 

Indeed humility is the indispensable condition to receive and keep the grace that teaches us to love our enemies and gives us the strength to do so. The Staretz advises: "Humiliate yourself, then grace will teach you." On the other hand, "pride makes us lose grace. . . . The soul is then tormented by bad thoughts and does not understand that one must humiliate oneself and love one's enemies, for without that one cannot please God." 

The Staretz sometimes also stresses the role played by penitence in connection with humility. "Regard yourself the worst of men," he advises. This is an attitude of great humility that of its nature implies penitence. He who counts himself the worst of men necessarily thinks others better than himself; he will judge and blame himself, and not judge and criticize his enemies, for he tends to estimate them better than himself. 

The Staretz also gives us the example of another penitential attitude -- asking God's forgiveness each time one has not loved one's enemy: "If I judge someone or look at him angrily, my tears dry up and I fall into despondency; and again I start asking the Lord to forgive me, and the merciful Lord forgives me, a sinner. "Through such an attitude, by which the soul humbly recognizes before God its faults and shortcomings and obtains from Him forgiveness, an opening can be made that becomes bigger and bigger for grace and unceasing progress in love. As to a total absence of compassion for enemies, it shows the presence and the action of an evil spirit; sincere repentance is the only way to be freed from it." 

The insistence on prayer, humility and penitence shows that, although St. Silouan recognizes a determining role to the action of grace in acquiring love of enemies, he does not neglect the role played by the efforts that man makes. The Staretz is very conscious of the importance of the initial action; this is why he says, "I beg you, try," and states, "In the beginning, force your heart to love your enemies." The efforts one makes must manifest themselves in a general way in a straight intention and constant good will, stretched toward the realization of God's command. God will not fail to respond. 

For the person who feels discouraged by such a demanding task, St. Silouan reassures him: "Seeing your good intention, the Lord will help you in everything." The Staretz who felt in himself so acutely human powerlessness and weakness seems to think constantly of these words of the Apostle: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13) and witnesses in his own experience the mighty help that everyone can receive from God. 

For Christ there are no enemies:  The Staretz would say that for Christ there are no enemies -- there are those who accept "the words of eternal life," there are those who reject and even crucify; but for the Creator of every living thing, there can be no enemy. So it should be for the Christian, too, who "in pity for all must strive for the salvation of all."

Wherein, then, lies the force of the commandment, "Love your enemies"? Why did the Lord say that those who keep His commandments would know from very experience whence the doctrine? 

. . . . God is love, in superabundance embracing all creatures. By allowing man to actually know this love the Holy Spirit reveals to him the path of fullness of being. To say "enemy" implies rejection. By such rejection a man falls from the plenitude of God. . . ."The whole paradise of Saints lives by the Holy Spirit, and from the Holy Spirit nothing in creation is hid," writes the Staretz. "God is love and in the Saints the Holy Spirit is love. Dwelling in the Holy Spirit, the saints behold love and embrace it, too, in their love." 

. . . .[It] is possible to judge whether a given state of contemplation was a reality or an illusion only after the soul had returned to consciousness of the world; for then, as the Staretz pointed out, if there were no love for enemies and so for all creatures, it would be a true indication that the supposed contemplation had not been a real communion with God.

_- teachings of St. Silouan_

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## TER

How can we love our neighbor? 

This question troubles many people, myself included. Before responding to it, we need to understand who our neighbor is. The Lord explains in the Gospel that our neighbor is anyone who stands in need of our help  even if hes a complete stranger to us, of a different nationality, or a member of another religion. This person might be unpleasant in appearance and we might not feel anything positive towards him, but anyone who needs help is our neighbor. Its this very person that the Lord commands us to love. 

Theres another commandment in the Gospel: to love our enemies. Wise people have said that this commandment is not about the enemies of our country, but about personal enemies. If we are to love our enemies, then shouldnt it be easier to love our neighbor? But in actual fact, even this is very difficult for us  to say nothing of loving our enemies, which strikes us as impossible. 

But if the Lord has given us this commandment, it means that Hes placed the ability to love in us. We probably find it difficult to love not because its beyond our strength, but because weve been corrupted by sin and because we love ourselves too much. In order to love our neighbor, we need to do something. But before we begin to do anything, we need to understand why we dont have the love that should be in us. 

God placed loved in our nature. But why doesnt a husband love his wife, or parents love their children? Why dont children love their parents? Why do infidelity and betrayal take place? Why has natural love for others become unnatural? If its difficult for us to love our own families, then what can be said about people who are different from us: the homeless, whom we contemptuously call bums, or guest workers and migrants? 

Love has been placed in our nature; we were created by God for love. But for some reason this love isnt in me! We might say that human nature, having been corrupted by sin, has lost this ability. This is in fact the case. We have been created in Gods likeness. God, in His essence, is Love. We were created by God in His image and likeness, with the ability to love placed in us. This is our nature, too. Just as the divine nature is love, so too is human nature love. 

Therefore it isnt strange that we should love our neighbors, but rather that we dont love them. How has this happened? Its because our nature has been corrupted by sin and our love has turned into self-love. Weve turned in on ourselves, and therefore were unable to love. 

But this raises another problem. The site Orthodox and the World is addressed to Orthodox readers. But Orthodox people, apart from having natural love, also have the gift of supernatural love. Every Orthodox Christian has been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit  in the name of the Trinity, Which in essence is love. And every baptized person has been anointed with holy myrrh, and the gift of the Holy Spirit  the gift of love, the gift of knowing the will of God, of participating in the sacred rites  has been given to him in this anointing. Why hasnt this gift been realized in us? 

Why do we think its difficult to love our neighbor? After all, this should be natural and joyful for us. I think the answer is clear: its because were sinful and because sin is active in us. Because weve trampled on the gifts given to us in Baptism and Chrismation and are unable to stir up this love in ourselves. We dont live the way we should, instead we live like everyone around us. 

Christians are part a certain twenty-first century arrangement in which theres no room for love. In our lives we have career, money, pleasure, certain contractual relationships, politics, art, psychology (when things get bad, we can go to a psychologist), medicine to live longer, and entertainment  but theres no room for love. For us, love comes in second place  or third, or fourth, or tenth. Theres no room for God in this arrangement, either. 

Therefore, in order to learn to love our neighbor, we need to leave this world. This is what the Lord calls us to do: to leave this downward course that can ultimately carry us to the depths of hell; to get off this track upon which people are moving, people who look more like streetcars than people. 

In order to love our neighbor, we need first of all to fulfill the first commandment. We need to love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul, and with all our thoughts and feelings. Without this, we cant learn to love our neighbor, we cant fix our nature thats been corrupted by sin, we cant be transformed, and we cant accept Gods gifts in all their fullness. 

A small seed of eternal life and heavenly joy has been planted in us, but it hasnt flowered or grown. But this very seed can become a tree in which the birds of the air can lodge. But our lives get in the way of this. 

We need to remember God, to remember Him always. We need to seek God, to seek unity with Christ. Through heartfelt and constant prayer, through reading our prayer rules, but not limiting ourselves to them. We need to seek Him by participating in the Mysteries of the Church, repenting of our sins, and participating in the Mystery of Holy Communion. Without this its impossible to learn to love God and neighbor. We need to read the Gospel not just like an ordinary book, but with faith that the Lord, through these words, can reveal His will to us, letting each person know what he should be doing. Because love is joy. If we dont learn this joy, well go through life for nothing. 

After all, we can only fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor here on earth. In the Heavenly Kingdom love will be granted to all. There one wont have to exert oneself or make an effort to love those whom one finds unpleasant. This can only be done only here on earth. Its only here that we can deprive ourselves of something in order to show love to another by giving it to him. In the Heavenly Kingdom everybody will have enough of everything. There one wont need to care for the sick, look after the homeless, or give part of our money to a widow with child  there the Lord will fill everything. 

We can love our neighbor only here on earth. If we dont do this, it means that were not alive, because were not fulfilling the purpose that God has placed before us; it means that weve deviated from the right path. I think that by thinking about all this, we can learn how to love.

_- Bishop Panteleimon of Smolensk_

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## TER

_Excerpts from the diary of St. John of Kronstadt on Love_ 

Be zealous after love: all things shall pass away, but love shall eternally remain, as God Himself, who is Love. 

Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and vivifies it, whilst hatred painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and tyrannise themselves

What is sweeter than love? And yet there is not much love in us! Wherefore? We love our flesh exceedingly, and with it everything carnal, material and earthly! Let us, therefore, despise the flesh and walk by the spirit, mortifying the works of the flesh by the spirit.

Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses the love of every father, of every mother, of the tenderest wife, have mercy upon us!

Looking upon the Saviour's cross, contemplate Love, crucified upon it for our salvation; and think, for what blessedness He has saved us, and from what torments He has redeemed us! He has snatched us from the jaws of the beast and has brought us to the Father! O love! O redemption! O terrors of everlasting torments! O indescribable, endless blessedness!

The most abominable enemy [the devil] endeavours to destroy love by love itself: love for God and our neighbour  by love for the world, for its fleeting blessings and its corrupt, impious habits, by carnal love, by the love of riches, of honours, of pleasure, of various amusements. Therefore let us extinguish every love for this world in ourselves, and let us kindle in ourselves, by self-denial, love for God and our neighbour. Every beauty in this world (personal beauty) is only a faint, insignificant shadow of the uncreated beauty, of the unspeakable goodness of God's face; every earthly enjoyment is nothing in comparison to future delights. I pray, Lord, that the faith of Christ may penetrate into the depths of my heart, that Christ's Gospel may penetrate all my thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds, into all my bones and my brains, and not me only, but all men, as the universal truth, the highest wisdom, and the life eternal. " And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent."[806]

The heart that loves carnal delights is unfaithful to the Lord. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."[509]

What is mercy? Mercy is to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, who do us harm, who drive us away, to defend those who are persecuted, and so on.

What is the name of our God? Love, Mercy, Compassion, Bountifulness. When you pray, contemplate with the eyes of your heart Love and Mercy standing before you  the Lover of men listening to you.

God is love, and I am an image of God; therefore I ought to be all love. God is the most perfect good, free from the least shadow of evil; I am an image of God; therefore I ought also to be perfectly good, without even a shadow of evil.

Love does not suffer self-justification, does not exalt itself, is not puffed up.

In order to test yourself, whether you love your neighbour in accordance with the Gospel, pay attention to yourself at the time when others offend you, abuse you, mock at you, or do not render you the respect due to you, and which is customary in social intercourse, or when your subordinates err against the rules of the service, and are negligent. If you remain calm on such occasions, are not filled with the spirit of enmity, hatred, impatience  if you continue to love these persons as much as previously, before their offences or negligence, then you do love your neighbour in accordance with the Gospel; but if you become irritable, angry, agitated, then you do not do so. "If ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?"[792]

The purer the heart is, the larger it is, and the more able it is to find room within it for a greater number of beloved ones; whilst the more sinful it is, the more contracted it becomes, and the less number of beloved can it find room for, because it is limited by self-love, and that love is a false one; we love ourselves in objects unworthy of the immortal soul  in silver and gold, in adultery, in drunkenness, and such like.

We stand before the altar of love in the presence of Incarnate Love Itself, but we have no love to each other. How strange it is! And we do not even care about this. But love will not come of itself without our zeal, efforts and activity.

Up till now you have not learned to love your neighbour. You answer men's dislike towards you by dislike on your part. But do the contrary; answer others' dislike by heartfelt goodwill and love; the more dislike you see towards you, the more you should love. Dislike is a malady, and a sick person should be more pitied, should be shown greater care and greater love, exactly because he is ill. Do you not know that the bodiless enemy uses his craftiness against all, infects all with the poison of his hatred? And you, too, are not exempt from his craftiness. Do not serve him, then, the spirit of enmity, but serve the God of love with the utmost zeal. Remember that God the Word died for your brethren.

The Lord is my life, my breath, my strength, my light, peace and joy, my food and drink; what shall I bring to such a Benefactor, or what shall I render unto Him? I will render unto Him, with His help, obedience to His Will, the fulfilment of His commandments. "If ye love Me," says He Himself, "keep My commandments."[1227] I will endeavour to please Him by seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and by counting earthly blessings as naught in comparison to heavenly ones; I will not let my heart cleave to anything earthly. O, Lord! grant me strength to accomplish this. Strengthen me Thyself by Thy right hand. My Strength, do not forsake me! Grant that I may put my trust in Thee alone, my Nourisher  in Thee, Who hast never forsaken me!

_
- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Once the Elder was invited on board a frigate that had come from St. Petersburg. The captain of the frigate was a man quite learned, highly educated; he had been sent to America by Imperial command to inspect all the colonies. With the captain were some 25 officers, likewise educated men. In this company there sat a desert-dwelling monk of small stature, in an old garment, who by his wise conversation brought all his listeners to such a state that they did not know how to answer him. The captain himself related: "We were speechless fools before him!"

Father Herman gave them all one common question: "What do you, gentlemen, love above all, and what would each of you wish for his happiness?" Diverse answers followed. One desired wealth, one glory, one a beautiful wife, one a fine ship which he should command, and so on in this fashion. "Is it not true," said Father Herman at this, "that all your various desires can be reduced to one - that each of you desires that which, in his understanding, he considers best and most worthy of love?" "Yes, it is so," they all replied. "Well, then, tell me," he continued, "can there be anything better, higher above everything, more surpassing everything and in general more worthy of love, than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who created us, perfectly adorned us, gave life to all, supports all, nourishes and loves all, who Himself is love and more excellent than all men? Should not a person then love God high above all and desire and seek Him more than all else?" All began to say: "Well, yes! That is understood! That speaks for itself!"

"And do you love God?" the Elder then asked. All replied: "Of course, we love God. How can one not love God?" "And I, sinful one, for more than forty years have been striving to love God, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him," answered Father Herman; then he began to show how a person should love God. "If we love someone," he said, "we always think of him, strive to please him, day and night our heart is occupied with this subject. Is it thus that you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always think of Him, do you always pray to Him, and fulfill His holy commandments?" It had to be acknowledged that they did not! "For our good, for our happiness," concluded the Elder, "at least let us make a promise to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this very moment we shall strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will!" 

Behold what an intelligent, superb conversation Father Herman conducted in society; without doubt this conversation must have imprinted itself on the hearts of his listeners for their whole life!

_- teachings of St. Herman_

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## TER

When grace is operative in the soul of someone who is praying, then he is flooded with the love of God, so that he can no longer bear what he experiences.

Afterwards, this love turns towards the world and man, whom he comes to love so much that he seeks to take upon himself the whole of human pain and misfortune so that everyone else might be freed from it. In general he suffers with every grief and misery, and even for animals, so that he weeps when he thinks they are suffering.

These are the properties of love, but it is prayer that activates them and calls them forth.

This is why those who are advanced in prayer do not cease to pray for the world. To them belongs even the continuation of life, however audacious and strange this may seem. And you should know that, if such people disappear, then the end of this world will come.

_- Elder Joseph the Hesychast_

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## TER

Five Languages of Love 


The First is a smile.

The Second is tears.

The Third is a gentle touch.

The Fourth is prayer.

The Fifth is love.

With these five languages you can travel the entire earth and the whole world will be yours.

_- Elderess Gabriela_

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## RJB

That is so true.  I traveled to a few rough countries and rough American cities where people warned me of the natives, but I've found that a smile, good manners and a bit of kindness got me out of just about every jam.





> Five Languages of Love 
> 
> 
> The First is a smile.
> 
> The Second is tears.
> 
> The Third is a gentle touch.
> 
> ...

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## TER

Fear of torment is the way of a slave, desire of reward in the heavenly kingdom is the way of a hireling, but God's way is that of a son, through Love.

_- St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite_

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## TER

Man seeks joy and happiness in heaven. He seeks what is eternal, far from everyone and everything. He seeks to find joy in God. God is a mystery. He is silence. He is infinite. He is everything. Everyone possesses this inclination of the soul for heaven. All people seek something heavenly. All beings turn towards Him, albeit unconsciously.

Turn your mind towards Him continually. Learn to love prayer, familiar converse with the Lord. What counts above all is love, passionate love for the Lord, for Christ the Bridegroom. Become worthy of Christ’s love. In order not to live in darkness, turn on the switch of prayer so that divine light may flood your soul. Christ will appear in the depths of your being. There, in the deepest and most inward part, is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within you [Luke 17:21].

_– St. Porphyrios_

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## TER

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other, not even those whom you catch committing an evil deed. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a morass of filth that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Keep away from the spilling of speech. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult, outrage, and will shield your glowing hearts against the evil that creeps around.

_– St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

You see very clearly that it is extremely difficult, and without God’s grace and your own fervent prayer and abstinence, impossible, for you to change for the better.  You feel within yourself the action of a multitude of passions: of pride, malice, envy, greediness, the love of money, despondency, slothfulness, fornication, impatience, and disobedience; and yet you remain in them, are often bound by them, whilst the long-suffering Lord bears with you, awaiting your return and amendment; and still bestows upon you all the gifts of His mercy.

Be then indulgent, patient, and loving to those who live with you, and who also suffer from many passions; conquer every evil by good, and, above all, pray to God for them, that He may correct them—that He may turn their hearts to Himself, the source of holiness.

Do not help the Devil to spread his kingdom. Hallow the name of your Heavenly Father by your actions; help Him to spread His Kingdom on earth. ‘For we are laborers together with God.’

Be zealous of the fulfillment of His will on earth, as it is in heaven. Forgive them that trespass against you with joy, as a good son rejoices when he has a chance of fulfilling the will of his beloved father.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

If we are not willing to sacrifice this temporal life, or perhaps even the life to come, for the sake of our neighbor, as were Moses and St. Paul, how can we say that we love him? For Moses said to God concerning his people, ‘If Thou wilt forgive their sins, forgive; but if not, blot me as well out of the book of life which Thou hast written’ (Ex. 32:32 LXX); while St. Paul said, ‘For I could wish that I myself were severed from Christ for the sake of my brethren’ (Rom. 9:3). He prayed, that is to say, that he should perish in order that others might be saved — and these others were the Israelites who were seeking to kill him.

_- St. Peter of Damaskos_

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## TER

When a man really considers his neighbor as himself, he will never tolerate having more than his neighbor. If he does have more, but refuses to share things generously until he himself becomes as poor as his neighbor, then he will find that he has not fulfilled the commandment of the master. He no longer wants to give to all who ask, and instead turns away from someone who asks of him while she still has a penny or a crust of bread. He has not treated his neighbor as he would like to be treated by him. In fact, even if a man had given food and drink and clothes to all the poor, even the least, and had done everything else for them, he has only to despise or neglect a single one and it will be reckoned as if he had passed by Christ and God and He was hungry and thirsty.

_- St. Simeon the New Theologian_

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## TER

There is the case of a man minding his own business, sitting at peace and quiet; and when a brother comes up and says an annoying word to him, he is put out by it. And from the circumstances he thinks that he is justifiably angered, and he speaks against the one who troubled him, saying, ‘If he had not come and spoken to me and annoyed me I should not have been at fault.’ This is a delusion: this is false reasoning! It was not the one who spoke that put him in a bad mood. He only showed that it already existed in him; so that he could, if he chose, make reparation for his fault. But the man referred to above is like clean-looking winter wheat, externally good and ready to use; but when someone crushes it, its corruption is revealed. He was sitting at peace but he had this anger inside him and he did not know it. One word to him from the other and the corruption hidden inside him leapt out.

_– St. Dorotheos of Gaza_

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## TER

If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man.

_– St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## Terry1

> If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man.
> 
> _– St. Maximus the Confessor_


God never said it was going to easy though did He. *sigh*  I've got my eyes on the prize---now that does take the edge off a bit.

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## TER

The Holy Spirit is love. He gives the soul the strength to love enemies. Anyone, however, who does not love his enemies, does not know God.

_- St. Silouan_

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## TER

Those who suffer deeply for the salvation of the whole world and help in their own way (as strugglers) and humbly entrust themselves to the hands of God, feel the greatest joy in the world. Their life is a constant doxology, for they flutter about internally like angels, glorifying God day and night. Those, however, who neglect the salvation of their souls and try to find joy and rest in this vain life, are continually tortured and entangled in endless worldly machinery and live in hell in this life.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside of themselves, in foreign lands and journeys, in riches and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in diversions and vain things, which have a bitter end! In the same thing to construct the tower of happiness outside of ourselves as it is to build a house in a place that is consistently shaken by earthquakes. Happiness is found within ourselves, and blessed is the man who has understood this. Happiness is a pure heart, for such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus says Christ of those who have pure hearts: “I will visit them, and will walk in them, and I will be a God to them, and they will be my people.” (II Cor. 6:16) What can be lacking to them? Nothing, nothing at all! For they have the greatest good in their hearts: God Himself! 

_-St. Nektarios_

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## TER

“The world has many poor in spirit, but not in the right way; and many who mourn, but over money matters and loss of children; and many who are meek, but in the face of impure passions; and many who hunger and thirst, but to rob another’s goods and to profit unjustly. And there are many who are merciful, but to the body and to its comforts; and clean of heart, but out of vanity; and peacemakers, but who subject the soul to the flesh; and many who suffer persecution, but because they are disorderly; many who are reproached, but for shameful sins. Instead, only those are blessed who do and suffer these things for Christ and following his example. For what reason? ‘Because theirs is the kingdom of heaven,’ and ‘they shall see God,’ and so forth. So that it is not because they do and suffer these things that they are blessed (since those just mentioned do the same), but because they do and suffer them for Christ and following his example.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

We know that the greater the love, the greater the sufferings of the soul. The fuller the love, the fuller the knowledge of God. The more ardent the love, the more fervent the prayer. The more perfect the love, the holier the life.

_- St. Silouan the Anthonite_

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## TER

As sins consist mostly of malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from the malady of sin with kindness and love. 

This is an important truth, which we often forget. Very often we act in the opposite manner, we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride to pride.

Thus, evil grows within us, and does not decrease, it is not cured, rather it spreads....

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## moostraks

> _Excerpts from the diary of St. John of Kronstadt on Love_ 
> 
> Be zealous after love: all things shall pass away, but love shall eternally remain, as God Himself, who is Love. 
> 
> Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and vivifies it, whilst hatred painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and tyrannise themselves
> 
> What is sweeter than love? And yet there is not much love in us! Wherefore? We love our flesh exceedingly, and with it everything carnal, material and earthly! Let us, therefore, despise the flesh and walk by the spirit, mortifying the works of the flesh by the spirit.
> 
> Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses the love of every father, of every mother, of the tenderest wife, have mercy upon us!
> ...


I think I need to print this one out for myself. My greatest frustration has always been nasty bullies. I cannot stand when someone abuses another to elevate themselves especially those who do such through their religion. It brings out the worst in me because in their callousness and arrogance they destroy the light in other people's souls. It breaks my heart.

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## TER

Good people do not keep evil in their hearts, but neither do they keep their kindness to themselves. For this reason, they do not possess elegant things and are not moved by the world’s beauties. In this, their fervent faith in God as well as their great love is made manifest.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

Love with external poverty greatly assists in acquiring the inner poverty of the passions. These two kinds of poverty make man rich in God’s kindness.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

The Christian ministry involves compassionate love. It is necessary to accept in our own hearts the difficulties and sadness of those who come to us, even to enter into our heart their sufferings, so that we might identify with them.  This is the very definition of compassion, they very love the incarnate Christ has for us.

_- Elder Sophronius_

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## moostraks

I think I have just come up with a new project for myself. I love the beautiful journals they sell in stores such as Target and have picked up a couple recently but never get around to journaling. I think I might take the time and use this thread as a starting point to write out many of these posts to help me on my path. I have found that writing something by hand helps my memory and from memory then my spirit. It gives me at least a purpose to fill a beautiful book with words of beauty. 

Thank you TER for this thread. It has been a frequent source of comfort and admonition for me.

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## TER

Thank you moostraks.  May the words of the saints spoken in love and hope of the joyful expectation of our future life with the Lord our God always be as an anchor of faith for your soul in this life amongst raging waves, and may our loving God be to you the harbor of tranquility, security, and protection whenever the storm clouds gather and threaten to disturb your peace.  Praying always in our hearts: our hope is the Father, our refuge the Son, our shelter the Holy Spirit.  O Holy Trinity, glory be to Thee!

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## TER

*Question: "What is meant by the verse in 1 Peter 4:8: "...love will cover a multitude of sins"?"*

First, let's look at what the Fathers say about this verse:

"Then the blessed Chaeremon: There are, said he, three things which enable men to control their faults; viz., either the fear of hell or of laws even now imposed; or the hope and desire of the kingdom of heaven; or a liking for goodness itself and the love of virtue. For then we read that the fear of evil loathes contamination: "The fear of the Lord hateth evil" (Proverbs 8:13). Hope also shuts out the assaults of all faults: for "all who hope in Him shall not fail" (Psalm. 33[34]:23). Love also fears no destruction from sins, for "love never faileth" (1 Corinthians 13:8); and again: "love covers a multitude of sins"(1 Peter 4:8). And therefore the blessed Apostle confines the whole sum of salvation in the attainment of those three virtues, saying "Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three" (1 Corinthians. 13:13). For faith is what makes us shun the stains of sin from fear of future judgment and punishment; hope is what withdraws our mind from present things, and despises all bodily pleasures from its expectation of heavenly rewards; love is what inflames us with keenness of heart for the love of Christ and the fruit of spiritual goodness, and makes us hate with a perfect hatred whatever is opposed to these. And these three things although they all seem to aim at one and the same end (for they incite us to abstain from things unlawful) yet they differ from each other greatly in the degrees of their excellence. For the two former belong properly to those men who in their aim at goodness have not yet acquired the love of virtue, and the third belongs specially to God and to those who have received into themselves the image and likeness of God. For He alone does the things that are good, with no fear and no thanks or reward to stir Him up, but simply from the love of goodness. For, as Solomon says, "The Lord hath made all things for Himself"(Proverbs 16:4). For under cover of His own goodness He bestows all the fulness of good things on the worthy and the unworthy because He cannot be wearied by wrongs, nor be moved by passions at the sins of men, as He ever remains perfect goodness and unchangeable in His nature" (St. John Cassian, quoting Abbot Chaeremon, Conferences 11:6:1).

"For after that grace of baptism which is common to all, and that most precious gift of martyrdom which is gained by being washed in blood, there are many fruits of penitence by which we can succeed in expiating our sins. For eternal salvation is not only promised to the bare fact of penitence, of which the blessed Apostle Peter says: "Repent and be converted that your sins may be forgiven;" and John the Baptist and the Lord Himself: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Acts 3:19; Matthew 3:2): but also by the affection of love is the weight of our sins overwhelmed: for "charity covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). In the same way also by the fruits of almsgiving a remedy is provided for our wounds, because "As water extinguishes fire, so does almsgiving extinguish sin.(Sirach. 3:33)." -St. John Cassian, quoting Abbot Pinufius, Conferences 20:8:1)

"Whoso doeth contrary to charity and contrary to brotherly love, let him not dare to glory and say that he is born of God: but whoso is in brotherly love, there are certain sins which he cannot commit, and this above all, that he should hate his brother. And how fares it with him concerning his other sins, of which it is said, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us?" Let him hear that which shall set his mind at rest from another place of Scripture; "Charity covereth a multitude of sins" (St. Augustine, Tractates on John, Homily 5:3).

Love covers a multitude of sins, (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards ones neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves(St. Theophan the Recluse, Letters, VI.949).

"Whose work is it to disturb, to condemn and to harm, if not that of the demons? And here we prove to be helpers of the demons in our own perdition and our neighbor's. Why is this so? Because there is no love in us! For "love will cover a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). The saints do not condemn one who sins and do not turn away from him, but suffer with him, grieve over him, make him to understand, comfort him, heal him, as a sick member, and do everything in order to save him" (Abba Dorotheus).

Love is the fulfillment of the Law. If we truly love, we will keep God's commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). Christ said "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7), and that if we forgive others, we will be forgiven (Matthew 6:14). So it is clear that if we truly love, we will be kept by that love from intentionally sinning, and because we love, God will forgive us our sins, voluntary and involuntary, known and unknown, and will show us mercy on the day of judgment.

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## TER

Christians should judge no one, neither an open harlot, nor sinners, nor dissolute people, but should look upon all with the simplicity of soul and a pure eye. Purity of heart, indeed, consists in seeing sinful and weak men and having compassion for them and being merciful.

_- St. Macarius the Great_

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## TER

You must love every human being with all your heart while placing your trust in God only, and serving Him with all your might.  Because while He is protecting us, our friends will favor us and our enemies will be powerless to do us harm.  When He forsakes us, all our friends will leave us and our enemies will take charge over us.  While friends of Christ genuinely love everybody, they are not loved by all.  Worldly friends do not love everybody and are not loved by everyone.  Friends of Christ retain their love to the end, while worldly friends for a while — before something occurs between them that creates a conflict over some worldly matter.

_- Saint Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Good people do not keep evil in their hearts, but neither do they keep their kindness to themselves. For this reason, they do not possess elegant things and are not moved by the world’s beauties. In this, their fervent faith in God as well as their great love is made manifest.


_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

The more a person progresses in the spiritual life attending to himself, the wider the eyes of the soul open and the more clearly he discerns his mistakes and the many benefactions of God. Thus man is humbled and inwardly crushed, and then the Grace of God — divine enlightenment — comes naturally and he becomes more discerning.


_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve (of the large family of Adam, of God). Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At that point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ. 

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

The word of God was not given to you so that it should lay written only on paper, but so that we may use it spiritually, that we may be enlightened and guided in the true way and salvation, that our morals may be corrected, and that we may live according to its rule in this world, and that we may please God. If you wish, therefore, to be a true Christian, then without fail you must take care to live by its rule. For the word of God is a heavenly seed. It must, then, yield fruit in us after its kind, that is a holy and heavenly life, otherwise it will accuse us on the day of the fearful Judgement of Christ. Live, therefore, as the word of God teaches, and then correct yourself. Do not pry idly into the mysteries.

_- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

You see very clearly that it is extremely difficult, and without God’s grace and your own fervent prayer and abstinence, impossible, for you to change for the better.  You feel within yourself the action of a multitude of passions: of pride, malice, envy, greediness, the love of money, despondency, slothfulness, fornication, impatience, and disobedience; and yet you remain in them, are often bound by them, whilst the long-suffering Lord bears with you, awaiting your return and amendment; and still bestows upon you all the gifts of His mercy.

Be then indulgent, patient, and loving to those who live with you, and who also suffer from many passions; conquer every evil by good, and, above all, pray to God for them, that He may correct them—that He may turn their hearts to Himself, the source of holiness.

Do not help the Devil to spread his kingdom. Hallow the name of your Heavenly Father by your actions; help Him to spread His Kingdom on earth. ‘For we are laborers together with God.’

Be zealous of the fulfillment of His will on earth, as it is in heaven. Forgive them that trespass against you with joy, as a good son rejoices when he has a chance of fulfilling the will of his beloved father.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Absolutely nothing will help us if we are not lenient toward the weaknesses of men and forgive them. For how can we hope that God will forgive us if we do not forgive others?

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

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## TER

The forgiveness of insults is a sign of true love, free from hypocrisy. For thus the Lord also loved this world.

_– St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

A soul that is nurtured by hatred toward man can not be at peace with God, Who has said: If you forgive not men their sins, neither shall your Father forgive your sins (Matt. 6:15). If a man does not want to be reconciled, you must at least guard yourself from hating, praying with a pure heart for him, and speaking no evil of him.

_- St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

Christ prayed for those that crucified Him: ‘Father, count not this sin against them; they know not what they do.’ Archdeacon Stephen prayed for those who stoned him so that the Lord would not judge this sin against them. And so we, if we wish to retain grace, must pray for our enemies. If you do not find pity on a sinner who will suffer in flames, then you do not carry the grace of the Holy Spirit, but rather an evil spirit; and while you yet live, you must free yourself from his clutches through repentance.

_– St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

When we teach children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their fellow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.

_– St John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Life according to the Gospel, holy life, Divine life, that is the natural and normal life for Christians. For Christians, according to their vocation, are holy: That good tidings and commandment resounds throughout the whole Gospel of the New Testament1. To become completely holy, both in soul and in body, that is our vocation2. This is not a miracle, but rather the norm, the rule of faith. The commandment of the Holy Gospel is clear and most clear: as the Holy One who has called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of life (1 Peter 1:15).

_– St. Justin Popovic_

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## TER

Think nothing and do nothing without a purpose directed to God. For to journey without direction is wasted effort.

_– St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

The chief end of our life is to live in communion with God. To this end the Son of God became incarnate, in order to return us to this divine communion, which was lost by the fall into sin. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we enter into communion with the Father and thus attain our purpose.

_– St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

When our soul has no love for Christ, we are like ships that have no fuel, no gas in their engines. We must always remember Christ with love. Then our soul will leap for joy.

_- Elder Amphilochios of Patmos_

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The Lord calls to him all sinners; He opens His arms wide, even to the worst among them. Gladly He takes them in His arms, if only they will come to Him.

_– St. Macarius of Optina_

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## TER

Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God’s mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

God is loving to man, and loving in no small measure. For say not, I have committed fornication and adultery: I have done dreadful things, and not once only, but often: will He forgive? Will He grant pardon? Hear what the Psalmist says:_ How great is the multitude of Your goodness, O Lord!_

Your accumulated offenses surpass not the multitude of God’s mercies: your wounds surpass not the great Physician’s skill. Only give yourself up in faith: tell the Physician your ailment: say thou also, like David: _I said, I will confess me my sin unto the Lord_: and the same shall be done in your case, which he says immediately: _And you forgave the wickedness of my heart._

_– St. Cyril of Jerusalem_

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## TER

…should we fall, we should not despair and so estrange ourselves from the Lord’s love. For if He so chooses, He can deal mercifully with our weakness. Only we should not cut ourselves off from Him or feel oppressed when constrained by His commandments, nor should we lose heart when we fall short of our goal…let us always be ready to make a new start. If you fall, rise up. If you fall again, rise up again. Only do not abandon your Physician, lest you be condemned as worse than a suicide because of your despair. Wait on Him, and He will be merciful, either reforming you, or sending you trials, or through some other provision of which you are ignorant.

_– St. Peter of Damascus_

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## TER

The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things.

For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.

_– St. Anthony the Great_

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## TER

There is no man more intelligent than the merciful one who gives away earthly, perishable things and buys imperishable, heavenly things. Likewise, there is no greater fool in the world than the greedy one who gathers things continually and yet is deprived continually, finally buying hell with his collected savings. Those, naturally, who are lost in material things are totally lost, for they have also lost Christ.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

The consummation of the entire course consists in these three things:

in _repentance_,

in _purity_,  and

in _perfection_.

What is repentance? It is the abandoning of former deeds and grieving over them.

What, succinctly, is purity? It is a heart that shows mercy to all created nature.

And what is perfection? It is profound humility, which is the abandoning of everything visible and invisible: by visibly [I mean that one abandons] all things perceived by the senses and by invisible [I mean that one abandons] all thought concerning them.

Once an elder was asked, ‘What is repentance?’ And he replied, ‘Repentance is a contrite and humble heart.’

‘And what is humility?’ ‘It is a twofold voluntary death to all things.’

‘And what is a merciful heart?’ ‘It is the heart’s burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons, and for every created thing; and by the recollection and sight of them the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. From the strong and vehement mercy which grips his heart and from his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in creation. For this reason he offers up tearful prayer continually even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner he even prays for the family of reptiles because of the great compassion that burns without measure in his heart in the likeness of God.’

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

There are three very grievous kinds of war. 

The one is public, when our soldiers are attacked by foreign armies.

 The second is, when even in time of peace, we are at war with one another.

 The third is, when the individual is at war with himself, which is the worst of all.

 For foreign war will not be able to hurt us greatly. What, I pray, though it slaughters and cuts us off? It injures not the soul. Neither will the second have power to harm us against our will; for though others be at war with us, we may be peaceable ourselves. For so says the Prophet, For my love they are my adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer (Ps. 109:4); and again, I was at peace with them that hate peace; and, I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. (Ps. 120:6, 7, LXX) 

But from the third, we cannot escape without danger. For when the body is at variance with the soul, and raises up evil desires, and arms against it sensual pleasures, or the bad passions of anger, and envy; we cannot attain the promised blessings, till this war is brought to an end; whoever does not still this tumult, must fall pierced by wounds that will bring that death that is in hell. We have daily need therefore of care and great anxiety, that this war may not be stirred up within us, or that, if stirred up, it may not last, but be quelled and laid asleep.

_ St John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Nothing is so characteristically Christian as being a peacemaker.

_– St Basil the Great_

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## TER

I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.

_– St Basil the Great_

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## TER

I have learnt to know one who proves that even in a soldier’s life it is possible to preserve the perfection of love to God, and that we must mark a Christian not by the style of his dress, but by the disposition of his soul.

_– St Basil the Great_

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## TER

_Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God._ 

Who are these? Those who imitate the Divine love of others, who show forth in their own life the characteristic of the Divine energy. The Lord and Giver of good things completely annihilates anything that is without affinity and foreign to goodness. This work He ordains also for you, namely to cast out hatred and abolish war, to exterminate envy and banish strife, to take away hypocrisy and extinguish from within resentment of injuries smoldering in the heart. Instead, you ought to introduce whatever is contrary to the things that have been removed. For as light follows the departure of darkness, thus also these evil things are replaced by the fruits of the Spirit: by charity, joy, peace, benignity, magnanimity, all the good things enumerated by the Apostle (Gal 5:22). How then should the dispenser of the Divine gifts not be blessed, since he imitates the gifts of God and models his own good deeds on the Divine generosity?

But perhaps the beatitude does not only regard the good of others. I think that man is called a peacemaker par excellence who pacifies perfectly the discord between flesh and spirit in himself and the war that is inherent in nature, so that the law of the body no longer wars against the law of the mind but is subjected to the higher rule and becomes a servant of the Divine ordinance.

_ St. Gregory of Nyssa_

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## TER

When our hearts are reluctant we often have to compel ourselves to pray for our enemies, to pour out prayer for those who are against us. Would that our hearts were filled with love! How frequently we offer a prayer for our enemies, but do it because we are commanded to, not out of love for them. We ask the gift of life for them even while we are afraid that our prayer may be heard. The judge of our soul considers our hearts rather than our words. Those who do not pray for their enemies out of love are not asking anything for their benefit.

Jesus, our advocate, has composed a prayer for our case. And our advocate is also our judge. He has inserted a condition in the prayer that reads:_ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us._ Sometimes we say these words without carrying them out. Thus our words bind us more tightly.

_– St. Gregory the Great_

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## TER

What are we to do then, my friends? We must bestow our love on our brothers and sisters. We must not allow any malice at all to remain in our hearts. May almighty God have regard for our love of our neighbor, so that He may pardon our iniquities! Remember what He taught us: Forgive, and you will be forgiven. People are in debt to us, and us to them. Let us forgive them their debts, so that what we owe may be forgiven.

_– St Gregory the Great_

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## TER

The peace which removes the enticements of the passion and calms the perturbations of the spirit is loftier than that which puts down the invasion of barbarians. For it is a greater thing to resist the enemy inside you than the one far off.

_– St. Ambrose of Milan_

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## TER

Remembrance of wrongs is the consummation of anger, the keeper of sin, hatred of righteousness, ruin of virtues, poison of the soul, worm of the mind, shame of prayer… You will know that you have completely freed yourself of this rot, not when you pray for he person who has offended you, not when you exchange presents with him, not when you invite him to your table, but only when, on hearing that he has fallen into bodily or spiritual misfortune, you suffer and weep for him as for yourself.

_– St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Where the Savior is named, there every demon is driven out. Again, who has ever so rid men of their natural passions that fornicators become chaste and murderers no longer wield the sword and those who formerly were craven cowards boldly play the man? In a word, what persuaded the barbarians and heathen folk in every place to drop their madness and give heed to peace, save the faith of Christ and the sign of the cross? What other things have given men such certain faith in immortality as have the cross of Christ and the resurrection of His body?

_– St Athanasius the Great_

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## TER

The Savior has taught men what they could never learn among the idols. It is also no small exposure of the weakness and nothingness of demons and idols, for it was because they knew their own weakness that the demons were always setting men to fight each other, fearing lest, if they ceased from mutual strife, they would turn to attack the demons themselves. For in truth the disciples of Christ, instead of fighting each other, stand arrayed against demons by their habits and virtuous actions, and chase them away and mock at their captain the devil. Even in youth they are chaste, they endure in times of testing and persevere in toils. When they are insulted, they are patient, when robbed they make light of it, and, marvelous to relate, they make light even of death itself, and become martyrs of Christ.

_– St Athanasius the Great_

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## TER

You have many things to ponder. Ponder paradise, where Cain, who destroyed his brother through jealousy, does not return. Ponder the kingdom of heaven to which the Lord admits only those of one heart and mind. Ponder the fact that only those can be called the sons of God who are peace-makers, who, united by divine birth and law, correspond to the likeness of God the Father and Christ. Ponder that we are under God’s eyes, that we are running the course of our conversation, and life with God Himself looking on and judging, that then finally we can arrive at the point of succeeding in seeing Him, if we delight Him as He now observes us by our actions, if we show ourselves worthy of His grace and indulgence, if we, who are to please Him forever in heaven, please Him first in this world.

_– St Cyprian of Carthage_

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## TER

From the sacrament of the cross you receive both food and drink; let the wood, which availed at Mara in a figure for sweetening the taste, avail you in truth for soothing the softened breast, and you will not labor for the remedy for increasing the health. Cure yourself at the source from which you had been wounded. Love those whom you hated before; esteem those whom you envied with unjust disparagements. Imitate the good, if you can follow them; if you cannot follow them, surely rejoice with them and congratulate your betters Your debts will be forgiven you, when you yourself shall forgive. Your sacrifices will be accepted, when you shall come to God as a peacemaker.

_– St Cyprian of Carthage_

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## Terry1

> From the sacrament of the cross you receive both food and drink; let the wood, which availed at Mara in a figure for sweetening the taste, avail you in truth for soothing the softened breast, and you will not labor for the remedy for increasing the health. Cure yourself at the source from which you had been wounded. Love those whom you hated before; esteem those whom you envied with unjust disparagements. Imitate the good, if you can follow them; if you cannot follow them, surely rejoice with them and congratulate your betters Your debts will be forgiven you, when you yourself shall forgive. Your sacrifices will be accepted, when you shall come to God as a peacemaker.
> 
> _ St Cyprian of Carthage_


This convicts me in my spirit, yet knowing what our Lord told us that we would be persecuted for our faith.  So being a peacemaker is actually not what Jesus said is it?  He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, yet the message He gave us to give does not bring peace itself--it brings division, causes those who reject it to hate us even when we are peaceful and the message is love and life to them.

What we are told is to be peaceful when giving this message that will not bring about peace.  We are told be loving and kind when we will be persecuted for telling the truth.  So--what we are commanded to do and how to do it does not mean that peace will be the result of it, but that we are to remain as examples of love in a dark world where we are called to wield the sword of truth in such a way that will not bring peace at all, but rather cause division between the darkness and the light of this world.

How then can peace accomplish peace then the very message we were given to witness does the exact opposite?  Which then leads me to this that our Lord has told us here:

Matthew 10:

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

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## TER

Terry, please read this.  It is long, but well worth it:

_Father Thomas Hopko is Dean of Saint Vladimirs Seminary in Crestwood, New York, the author of many books and essays, and a member of the advisory board of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship._

*Father Thomas, many people recognize there is a value in forgiving and being forgiven, but see it only on the human level, without a theological dimension. Would you say forgiveness is a divine act?*

If a person is inspired by the spirit of God, he or she can forgive, certainly. People can forgive. But Im not sure you can say that in general there is the feeling that forgiveness is of value. I have met people who would say, I dont care. I can go on and live my life; it really doesnt matter to me. If Im not bothering you and you arent bothering me, why be reconciled? This is plain indifference.

Another reason why people dont value forgiveness is that they consider it to be collusion with evil. They feel that if a person has done something really terrible, he or she should be reminded of it until death, and further, that the evil should be avenged. And of course, most of us feel that any offense committed against us is irreparable. Nothing that the other person does can ever cancel it. If you kill my child, for example, there is nothing you can do in reparation, and for me to forgive would simply be to condone the evil. So Im not sure that most people value forgiveness.

When you look at it from the point of view of justice, there is no reason for forgiveness. Only if God exists and we realize that there is either a world with evil or no world at all, only then can we understand that we are going to have to undergo the trial of evil. But if that is not there, I dont know why anyone would forgive. Or want to. But I do think that people who are not believers in God, by the fact they are made in Gods image, can have the sense that reconciliation is better than allowing the evil to go on. By definition, forgiveness is breaking the chain of evil, beginning by recognizing that evil really has been done. People tend to think forgiveness means something bad was not really done, that a person didnt understand the consequences, or whatever. If that were the case, there would be no need for forgiveness; it could be seen simply as a mistake. Forgiveness has to admit, and rage over, and weep over a real evil, and only then say, We are going to live in communion one with another. We are going to carry on. Never forgetting  you cant, at any rate  but carrying on in a spirit of love without letting the evil poison the future relationship. Certainly that is what happens theologically. The striking thing in the Gospel is that God refuses to let evil destroy the relationship. Even if we kill him, he will say, Forgive them.

*Implied in what you say is that relationship is the highest aim, and that an obstacle to relationship is what calls the need for forgiveness.*

I prefer the word communion to relationship. The Orthodox approach is that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that God is a Trinity of persons in absolute identity of being and of life in perfect communion. Therefore, communion is the given. Anything that breaks that communion destroys the very roots of our existence. Thats why forgiveness is essential if there is going to be human life in the image of God. We are all sinners, living with other sinners, and so 70 times 7 times a day we must re-establish communion  and want to do so. The desire is the main thing, and the feeling that it is of value.

The obsession with relationship  the individual in search of relationships  in the modern world shows there is an ontological crack in our being. There is no such thing as an individual. He was created, probably, in a Western European university. We dont recognize our essential communion. I dont look at you and say, You are my life.

Modern interpretations of the commandment in the Torah reflect this individualistic attitude. The first commandment is that you love God with all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength, and the second is that you love your neighbor as yourself. The only way you can prove you love God is by loving your neighbor, and the only way you can love your neighbor in this world is by endless forgiveness. So, love your neighbor as yourself. However, in certain modern editions of the Bible, I have seen this translated as, You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. But thats not what it says.

I recall a televised discussion program in which we were asked what was most important in Christianity. Part of what I said was that the only way we can find ourselves is to deny ourselves. Thats Christs teaching. If you cling to yourself, you lose yourself. The unwillingness to forgive is the ultimate act of not wanting to let yourself go. You want to defend yourself, assert yourself, protect yourself. There is a consistent line through the Gospel  if you want to be the first you must will to be the last. The other fellow, who taught the psychology of religion at a Protestant seminary, said, What you are saying is the source of the neuroses of Western society. What we need is healthy self-love and healthy self-esteem. Then he quoted that line, You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. He insisted that you must love yourself first and have a sense of dignity. If one has that, forgiveness is either out of the question or an act of condescension toward the poor sinner. It is no longer an identification with the other as a sinner, too. I said that of course if we are made in the image of God its quite self-affirming, and self-hatred is an evil. But my main point is that there is no self there to be defended except the one that comes into existence by the act of love and self-emptying. Its only by loving the other that myself actually emerges. Forgiveness is at the heart of that.

As we were leaving a venerable old rabbi with a shining face called us over. That line, you know, comes from the Torah, from Leviticus, he said, and it cannot possibly be translated love your neighbor as you love yourself. It says, You shall love your neighbor as being your own self. Your neighbor is your true self. You have no self in yourself.

After this I started reading the Church Fathers in this light, and thats what they all say  Your brother is your life. I have no self in myself except the one that is fulfilled by loving the other. The Trinitarian character of God is a metaphysical absolute here, so to speak. Gods own self is another  His Son. The same thing happens on the human level. So the minute I dont feel deeply that my real self is the other, then Ill have no reason to forgive anyone. But if that is my reality, and my only real self is the other, and my own identity and fulfillment emerges only in the act of loving the other, that gives substance to the idea that we are potentially God-like beings. Now, if you add to that that we are all to some degree faulty and weak and so on, that act of love will always be an act of forgiveness. Thats how I find and fulfill myself as a human being made in Gods image. Otherwise, I cannot. So the act of forgiveness is the very act by which our humanity is constituted. Deny that, and we kill ourselves. Its a metaphysical suicide.

*You are making a distinction here between the individual and the person.* 

The individual is the person that refuses to love. When a person refuses to identify in being and value with the least, even with the enemy, then the person becomes an individual, a self enclosed being trying to have proper relationships  usually on his or her own terms. But again, we would say that the person only comes into existence by going out of oneself into communion with the other. So my task is not to decide whether or not I will be in relationship with you but to realize that I am in communion with you: my life is yours, and your life is mine. Without this, there is no way that we are going to be able to carry on.

*Forgiveness is not an achievement, an act, so much as the development of an understanding of reality?*

It is a decision in the sense that you have to will it. You have to choose life. A person can choose death by not forgiving. So there is a sense in which you can destroy yourself by not saying yes to the reality that actually exists. Thats the choice: yes or no to what truly exists. Forgiveness is the great yes. So there is a choice. In the Greek patristic tradition, the more a person is a person, the more we realize and will our communion with others in the act of love, the less we choose. So the freer we are, the less choice we have.

Thats almost opposite to the post-Enlightenment, secular Western thought. We tend to think the freer we are, the more choice we have. For example, if you would sin against me and I want to love with the love of God, then I do not have a choice whether or not I should forgive you, I only have a choice whether or not I will. And I must, if I want to be alive. If I were truly holy, I wouldnt even choose  it would be a spontaneous act.

*As an individual, if someone or insults me offends me or betrays me, it is impossible to forgive them, lacking this understanding of the reality of our interconnectedness. So this understanding is needed.* 

Otherwise there is no reason to forgive.

*There is a reason, because one suffers from not being able to forgive.*

Yes, but within the categories of what we would call the fallen world, there is no reason, unless communion enters into the picture.

I think that in our culture the willingness to admit there is real evil is difficult for us  it is such a violent and awesome position towards life. Of course, people in tremendous pain  rape victims, incest victims, etc.  have to forgive if they are going to go on living. But the main forgiving that needs doing in everybodys life, the central act of forgiveness and one that indicates spiritual maturity in every case without exception, is the forgiveness of the parents. We tend either to blame parents or idealize them  both of which cripple life. In order to forgive them, one must first admit the offense, and that may mean enduring incredible pain. Rage and sadness have to be faced in order to forgive. The reason that we cant forgive is because we dont want to face the pain and rage, to admit what really happened.

So people try to live without facing all this. Or when that becomes impossible, it can mean trying to lose oneself in a cult or other form of collective. You sell your soul so that you dont have to choose anymore. This wish to escape is what fueled a great deal of what happened in the 60s and since. People wanted to lose themselves; they couldnt handle the individual freedoms, because they werent on a deep enough level. So there was a flight. I think even the feminist movement is a response to this. In The Flight from Woman, Karl Stern shows that in Western culture there has been an almost pathological flight from the feminine, from woman, which means a flight from communion, a flight from the other. The individualistic, radical, fallen, male values became the values for the culture as a whole, and thats the cause of the Western neuroses.

The burden of freedom is cruel  how cruel is the love of God. But thats what we are called for. The individualistic or the collectivistic solutions will not work. We are persons made for free and voluntary communion in love and truth in reality with other persons. This means that in the way we experience life, mercy and forgiveness are at the heart of it, beginning in ones own family. Thats where its so, so painful.

My feeling, being a radical Orthodox Christian, is that God is not removed from the world but rather enters into the world and gets nailed to a cross. Unless we accept Christ crucified, which is a scandal to those who want God to be some kind of power figure and total foolishness to those who want it all to fall into place intellectually, within our terms, theres no Gospel. But if Christ crucified is at the heart of the matter, then evil is real and forgiveness is real and freedom is real, and theres no other way to deify life but through an act of mercy.

*There are some who feel that to understand all is to forgive all. If we could see the entire chain of causality, there would be no reason to forgive, because we would understand.* 

I wouldnt agree. Actually, when you see things clearly, you can see that certainly we are victimized. Theres a woman Im thinking of who must forgive her father and her uncle for raping her over a period of years when she was a child. Once she begins to see things, she can admit that her father was also a victim, that in many ways he was conditioned  thats what the Bible means when it says sins visited to the fourth generation. There is such a thing as a tradition of evil. Thats why I like to use the expression that forgiveness is breaking the chain of evil. But everyone is given that possibility to break that chain. As long as Im understanding, justifying, explaining, I become just one more link in the chain of evil.

*Could you explain what you mean by evil?* 

In Orthodox theology, we speak about evil, or sin, as either voluntary or involuntary  conscious or unconscious. We would not define sin as the cold-blooded, freely sovereign and intellectual act whereby I perpetrate some evil  destroy someones life, for example. Its much more complicated. One of the points of the Adam story is that we are not born in Paradise. It is anything but Paradise. A child of a hysterical, drug-addicted parent is going to be born drug addicted as well. There is a tendency toward evil in us, biologically, psychologically, genetically. Father Alexander Schmemann used to say that the spiritual life consists in how you deal with what you have been dealt. Weve all been dealt something. Our theological claim is that where you have a good measure of faith, and love, and forgiveness, you can restore human nature. You can pass on a more healthy, integrated, peaceful, joyful humanity to your progeny. You can be a presence of forgiveness and mercy, but you can also be a presence of the opposite. In order to be a presence of mercy, you must admit tragedy; you cant just explain it away in terms of genetics, or economics.

There is a freedom: what you do with what you have. Its not a sovereign freedom as though I were just emerging as a pristine pure angel. No. But the point is if you could see the causes and influences, you would come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of victimization, but at the same time, there are opportunities for people to break the chain of evil, to forgive and not to allow it to go on. Sartre says you make a choice every second. A choice about what? A choice about what you are going to do about where you are. At the very heart of that choice is always going to be an act of forgiveness.

In The Pillar of Fire, Karl Stern writes that what the modern person cannot accept is forgiveness and grace. We would rather take our punishment, as it were. God says, No, I forgive you whether you like it or not. Thats the only fire of hell  this loving forgiveness of God. Thats why Jesus says there is only one unforgivable sin  the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. And what is that? It is the unwillingness to be forgiven and to forgive. The proud cannot accept grace.

*Much is being written about the need to forgive oneself. Does that make sense in Christian terms?*

Of course. Forgiving oneself means accepting forgiveness from God  and from other people. Evagrios of Pontus, a fourth-century writer, said that there are in us many selves, really, but at base there are two: the real self, which is the Christ-self, and a legion of other selves, which are the Adamic selves. What happens when we hear the word of grace is that we are split down the middle. We dont want grace because of the pain we have to face, the fears and so on. But one of the things that happens  one of the lies of the Devil, so to speak  is the conviction that we are not worth it. It isnt for us. We are too bad, worthless. Then there comes a point, as Evagrios said, when the Christ-self needs to be convinced that yes, I exist, and I am acceptable, and so to have pity and mercy on those other selves.

*Do you see a difference between evil or sinful acts and a larger attitude that chooses darkness rather than light? Evil is not outside of us, isnt that so?*

For many people evil resides in someone else. But I think your distinction is very good, because our understanding of the Christian view is that we will sin until we die. Even baptism is for the forgiveness of sins all the days of our life. Baptism puts us in the context of forgiveness and mercy, which then allows what is called the invisible warfare, the unseen struggle, to go on. You are going to be sinful  thats why Jesus says seventy-times-seven. It is inherent in the human life. Sin is to be expected, but the loving of the darkness is not.

*In the Christian view, we are reconciled, we are forgiven. Paul Tillich, in a sermon on the parable of the sinful woman and the Pharisee, points out that repentance comes after being forgiven. It is not a payment in order to be forgiven.* 

Its both. However, its important from our perspective what the woman in the parable then does. She does not live happily ever after but enters into a life of tremendous struggle.

Chrysostom says you are baptized in order to struggle. Take Mary of Egypt, the classic example of the forgiven harlot: she went into the desert and wept the rest of her life, not to win God by her tears, or to earn forgiveness; not to make reparation; but out of the love of God for being liberated and for the sense of what sin really is and the desire not to fall into it again. One problem in both the liberal and the fundamentalist forms of Christianity is the absence of an ongoing ascetic dimension. If you dont have to pay for your sins because Jesus has, this can open the door to a life of profligacy. The more liberal line is: this is the way I am; this is the way God made me. God loves me, God forgives me, and so theres nothing for me to do but carry on with my life.

*What do you mean by the ascetic dimension?* 

It is making nothing an end in itself except God, that is, ordering the natural passions to their proper end, which is God himself, and love itself. The passions are part of our nature but must be directed in the service of love, love meaning the good of the other, the affirmation of the other. This nature must affirm the truth, the reality of things the way they are. The metaphysical base is a communion of love and being and truth for which we have been created. To say yes to that is the deified life. But to say yes to that, in the fallen world, means that you must, as Saint Paul says, crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. You must kill the ego. The old Adam has to die, and he always dies kicking and screaming. The multiplicity of these false selves must be exposed, and that is not easy. The evil of other people has to be named and forgiven, which is also not easy.

In the short stories of Flannery OConnor, you find that the moment of grace is usually a violent moment. To see things clearly, to realize, as OConnor says, that even the virtues will be burnt up, very often requires an incredibly violent act. We often need to be shaken into that realization. It seems to me that thats the meaning in the scriptures of the trials and sufferings and afflictions and so on  to have people realize what and who they are, really. Thats the ascetic dimension, because the minute a person says, I will work to show mercy, every devil in hell will work to try to stop him.

*You spoke of the division in us between the Christ-self and the legion of other selves  two natures at war within us. Is it that one nature has ultimately to be transformed? You also spoke about a person who is free and yet has no choice  this is a totally transformed being, isnt it?* 

We would say theres a human nature that when it is truly itself is full of the grace of God and in communion with God and is, therefore, deified and becomes one with the divine nature. On the other hand, there is the human nature that is broken, fragmented, estranged from its real foundation and in need of salvation. The transforming power of grace is there. But in a sense, it takes all of time to be deified. There are no miracles on this level. The degree of suffering that has to take place is very great.

*Its an incarnated struggle on this level.* 

Yes, and I believe it cant be done alone. You need a community.

*Our culture places great emphasis on improving oneself. There is a difference between that and being made whole, being brought to your true nature.* 

The saints speak about spiritual hedonism, where you want peace and joy but you dont want reality. Thats why Saint Paul says that you can give your body to be burned but if you have not love, you are nothing.

You find people who love religion, love the Jesus Prayer, spend their whole life searching for pure prayer, yet they miss the mark. I once met someone who met a monk at Mount Athos who was in a very bad state, very dark, very bitter, very angry. When asked what was the matter, he said, Look at me; Ive been here 38 years, and have not yet attained pure prayer. This fellow was saying how sad he thought this was. Another man present said, Its a sad story all right, but the sadness consists in the fact that after thirty-eight years in a monastery hes still interested in pure prayer. You can make pure prayer an idol, too. Those are the worst forms of idolatry.

A person must be helped to want joy, to see that it is possible. And then what is difficult is that all of these other things have to be acknowledged for what they really are, together with all the pain that has to be experienced.

The other day a woman said to me, Its not enough for me to say I have to forgive my father. I cant do that until I experience the rage and the sadness and the anger over how my childhood was. And thats what I have been afraid to do. Just because you know with your head that someone has offended you, that you ought to forgive them  thats not forgiveness. But how do you achieve the actual reconciliation where you are really at peace with the other? One must experience in full the pain of the actual harm that was done. Thats the hardest part of forgiveness. Thats the block for most people. It has to be gone through again and again, and layer after layer has to come up.

When forgiveness is needed, one of the hardest things is to face the fact that the way I handled being harmed wasnt always the best, that I have a certain responsibility for allowing myself to have been harmed. One does have to admit, very often, that there were choices for one as well. Theres always some form of symbiosis at work. Thats why Chrysostom could write that the world is filled with evil but no one can harm him who does not harm himself.

The great example for Christians would be their Christ-like martyrs who have not allowed themselves to be touched by that evil, what Evagrios calls allowing the devil to rejoice two times. You are sinned against; the devil rejoices. You react with vengeance or without forgiveness, and the devil rejoices two times. Never give the second joy.

So forgiveness is not just the healing of the other, it is the healing of yourself, too. If you dont forgive, you allow yourself to be poisoned. Thats why Jesus says, Do not resist the evildoer. The minute that you resist or react in kind, you become part of the evil yourself. Thats the radical teaching of the Cross.

Ultimately it comes to this. We are forgiven whether we like it or not. If we accept it, then we, too, become forgivers, and its called Paradise. But if we dont accept it, it is hell. When you reject the forgiveness, you destroy yourself. You refuse communion.

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## TER

Without God all blessedness is cursedness and woe, life is death, joy and sweetness are bitterness. To live with God is happiness in misfortune, riches in poverty, glory in dishonor, and consolation in sorrow. Without God there cannot be true repose, peace and consolation.

_- St Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

Our Father awaits us with great zeal and desire, and with love He will see us returning from afar, and He will look upon us with compassionate eyes, and we shall be dear to Him, and He will fall on our neck running and embrace us and kiss us with His holy love. He will not reproach us, and He will no longer remember our sins and iniquities, and all the holy Angels and all His elect will begin to rejoice over us.

_- St Tikhon of Zadonsk_

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## TER

In order to accept and perceive the light of Christ in one’s heart, it is necessary to divert oneself from the external as much as possible. First, by cleansing the soul with penitence and good deeds with true faith in the Crucified; then, by closing the physical eyes, it is necessary to immerse the mind in the heart and appeal to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ continually. Then, by measure of our zealousness and fervor of spirit for the Beloved (Lk. 3:22), a person with the calling of this name finds delight, which arouses a thirst toward greater enlightenment.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## Terry1

> Terry, please read this.  It is long, but well worth it:
> 
> _Father Thomas Hopko is Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, New York, the author of many books and essays, and a member of the advisory board of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship._
> 
> *Father Thomas, many people recognize there is a value in forgiving and being forgiven, but see it only on the human level, without a theological dimension. Would you say forgiveness is a divine act?*
> 
> If a person is inspired by the spirit of God, he or she can forgive, certainly. People can forgive. But I’m not sure you can say that in general there is the feeling that forgiveness is of value. I have met people who would say, “I don’t care. I can go on and live my life; it really doesn’t matter to me. If I’m not bothering you and you aren’t bothering me, why be reconciled?” This is plain indifference.
> 
> Another reason why people don’t value forgiveness is that they consider it to be collusion with evil. They feel that if a person has done something really terrible, he or she should be reminded of it until death, and further, that the evil should be avenged. And of course, most of us feel that any offense committed against us is irreparable. Nothing that the other person does can ever cancel it. If you kill my child, for example, there is nothing you can do in reparation, and for me to forgive would simply be to condone the evil. So I’m not sure that most people value forgiveness.
> ...


That's an excellent thesis on forgiveness TER and one that everyone should read and take note of including myself.  I once struggled with forgiveness too.  I came to understand that I wasn't capable of it on my own because I tried so very hard.  But I will add that forgiveness isn't something that happens in us over-night or instantly either.  It is definitely something we have to strive for continually as we all work out our salvation.  

Forgiveness to me became a daily stretch of faith in that I had to literally bite my tongue, force myself to keep in mind what the Lord said about needing to forgive that we ourselves may also be forgiven.  I still struggle with it and it doesn't always come easy, but it can happen as long as we continually abide in Christ believing that everything we say and do to others counts either for us or against us.  And each and every time we succeed in restraining ourselves through our faith--we are overcoming through Christ Revelation 3:5.

Spiritual character takes a lifetime to build as we continue to abide in Christ.  We all stumble, we all make mistakes and we're all still existing in these bodies and in this dark world where every day is a test of our faith and endurance in Christ.  I take lessons from myself all of the time by trying to see myself as others do--that's not always successful either----but the getting back up and dusting ourselves off to begin again with each new day and getting better and better at it is what makes all the difference at the end of the day.

Thanks for sharing this TER--it all helps and is very strengthening spiritually.

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## TER

Do not pray so that everything will be according to your wishes, because it may not always conform to God’s will — but better pray "Thy will be done," and in every matter, pray this way because He always wants everything good and beneficial for your soul.

_- St. John Cassian_

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## Terry1

> Do not pray so that everything will be according to your wishes, because it may not always conform to God’s will — but better pray "Thy will be done," and in every matter, pray this way because He always wants everything good and beneficial for your soul.
> 
> _- St. John Cassian_



This is something I always do, even though I do ask God for favors--it's always "if it be within your will Father".  Where ever two are joined together in prayer, if they ask anything and it be within the will of God, He will hear--they will receive it.  He has always answered my prayers and it's so evident in my life.  Thank you Lord.

+ reps for this post TER.

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## TER

Do all your work in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and thus shall your fruits be carried up to heaven.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

God helps us in what is good, while the enemy incites us to evil, but this depends also on our own wills; we must constrain ourselves to what is good, but with moderation and knowing the measure of our strength. We must study our souls to know what is salutary for us; it may be more profitable to one man to pray, for another to read or write. It is a good thing to read but it is better to pray without distraction, and better still to weep; to each as it is given to him by the Lord. To be sure, when we rise from sleep we must render thanks to God, then repent and pray our fill. Next, we should read to rest the mind, and after that pray again, and work. Grace proceeds from everything that is good, but above all from brotherly love.

_ - St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

The Lord never ceases calling us to Himself: “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” He nourishes us with His most precious Body and Blood. In His mercy He schools us by His Word and the Holy Spirit. He has revealed His mysteries to us. He lives in us and in the sacraments of the Church, and leads us to where we shall behold His glory. But this glory shall each man behold according to the measure of his love. The more a man loves, ardently does he set his face towards God, yearning to be with the Beloved Lord, and therefore will he approach the nearer to Him; while the man who loves but little will have but little desire for the Lord, and man who does not love at all will neither wish nor aspire to see the Lord, and will spend his life in darkness. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

You don't need money nor titles to get to know God.
How much joy for us that the Lord not only forgives our sins , but also gives the soul the knowledge of Him , if only to be humbled .And the last poor person in the world can be humbled to know God through the Holy Spirit . You don't need money, nor titles to get to know God , but only humility . The Lord is given for free of charge , only because of His mercy . Before I did not know , but now I see every day , every hour , every minute clearly the mercy of God . God gives peace even at bedtime and without God there is no peace to the soul .

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Psalm 26

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## TER

Another divine-human virtue, that we must have by all means, is love. Love, my brethren, should not have limits. Love does not ask who is a good person and who is not, who loves me and who hates me. The good Christian loves everyone: they love friends and enemies, they love sinners and criminals, without however loving their sins and crimes. Such love is a gift of God, and this is why we must ask for it from God in our prayers. Let us say in our prayers: "Lord Jesus Christ, God of love, give me Your love, that I may give it to everyone!

_- Metropolitan Jeremiah_

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## TER

The faithful of our Church are adherents of various political views; they are citizens of many states. The closer we are to God, the closer we are to one another. The faith in Christ and love of Christ unite, not divide, people.

_- Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev_

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## TER

Although the Good God gives us abundant blessings, acts always for our own good and has made everything to be of service to us and to be sacrificed for us, from plants to animals and birds, whether big or small, and even though God Himself sacrificed His life to redeem man, many of us remain indifferent and wound Him with our great ingratitude and insensitivity. And, all of this even though He has given us our conscience as an inheritance together with all His other blessings.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

The greater the love, the greater the compassion of soul. The fuller the love, the fuller the knowledge of God. The more ardent the love, the more illumined the prayer. The more perfected in love, the life more perfected in holiness.

_- Elder Sophrony of Essex_

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## TER

Where there is God, there is no evil. Everything coming from God is peaceful, healthy and leads a person to the judgment of his own imperfections and humility.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

The more one hurts, the more divine consolation one receives, because otherwise it is not possible to stand the pain... God especially consoles those who hurt for others.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

Bear the insults of your enemy in silence, and open your heart only to the Lord. Try in any way possible to forgive those who humiliate you or take away your honor, by the words of the Gospel: "Of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again" (Lk. 6:30).

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

An active life serves to purify us of sinful passions and raises us to the level of functioning perfection; at the same time it clears the way to a contemplative life. For only those cleansed of passions and the perfect can set out on that other life, as can be seen from the words of the Holy Scriptures: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt. 5:8), and from the words of Gregory the Theologian: "Only those who are perfect by their experience can without danger proceed to contemplation."

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Insults from others must be born without disturbance; one must train oneself to be of such a nature, that one can react to insults as if they did not refer to oneself. Such an exercise can bring serenity to our heart and make it a dwelling of God Himself.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## RJB

> Insults from others must be born without disturbance; one must train oneself to be of such a nature,* that one can react to insults as if they did not refer to oneself*. Such an exercise can bring serenity to our heart and make it a dwelling of God Himself.
> 
> _- St. Seraphim of Sarov_


  This is a gem for me today.


This is true.  I've found most insults are not directed at us but rather what we project of ourselves or that which we attach to ourselves.

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## TER

Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbor and you must love your neighbor.

_—Timothy Kelle_

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## TER



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## TER



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## TER

There is no prayer so quickly heard as the prayer whereby a man asks to be reconciled with those who are wroth with him. For when he charges himself with the offence, this prayer is immediately answered.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

If it is a mark of extreme meekness, even in the presence of one’s offender, to be peacefully and lovingly disposed towards him in one’s heart, then it is certainly a mark of hot temper when a person continues to quarrel and rage against his offender, both by words and gestures, even when by himself.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

Once we have entrusted our hope about something to God, we no longer quarrel with our neighbor over it.

_- Saint Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

The drunkard, the fornicator, the proud - he will receive God's mercy.  But he who does not want to forgive, to excuse, to justify consciously, intentionally that person closes himself to eternal life before God, and even more so in the present life.  He is turned away and not heard.

_- Elder Sampson of Russia_

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## TER



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## TER



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## TER

Virtues are formed by prayer.

Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.

Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.

_- St. Ephrem of Syria_

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## TER

Blessed the one who loves holiness like the light & has not defiled his body with dark deeds in the sight of the Lord.

_- St. Ephrem the Syrian_

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## TER

Giving alms must be done with a spiritually kind disposition, in agreement with the teachings of St. Isaac the Syrian: "If you give anything to him who asks, may the joy of your face precede your alms, and comfort his sorrow with kind words."


_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

To deny oneself means to give up one’s bad habits; to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad thoughts or desires; to suppress every evil thought; not to desire to do anything out of self love, but to do everything out of love for God.

_- St. Innocent of Alaska_

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## TER

If we do not have love we are deprived of everything. For nothing attracts God so much as charity. And nothing enrages God so much, as for us to be uncharitable.

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

Why do we judge our neighbors? Because we are not trying to get to know ourselves. Someone busy trying to understand himself has no time to notice the shortcomings of others. Judge yourself — and you will stop judging others. Judge a poor deed, but do not judge the doer. It is necessary to consider yourself the most sinful of all, and to forgive your neighbor every poor deed. One must hate only the devil, who tempted him. It can happen that someone might appear to be doing something bad to us, but in reality, because of the doer’s good intentions, it is a good deed. Besides, the door of penitence is always open, and it is not known who will enter it sooner — you, “the judge,” or the one judged by you.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

We must love people and accept them in our hearts as God presents them to us. It has been thus ordained by the Lord Himself and by the Orthodox Tradition.

_- Eldress Gabriela_

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## TER

Only the great truth of the Resurrection of Christ can explain the exceptionally rapid spread of the Christian faith over the whole face of the earth amid the most unfavorable conditions and situations. What else could compel thousands upon thousands of people throughout the centuries to endure indescribable torments, to shed their blood, and to give up their life for Christ? What other force could compel the rich, the noble, men of high rank, and even emperors of the proud pagan world to humbly bow down before the foot of the Cross of Christ and glorify His Resurrection? Indeed, what could compel many thousands of men and women to renounce the vain blessings, comforts, and pleasures of this world which lies in evil, and to withdraw to the deserts, mountains, caves, and precipices to live a God-pleasing life in unceasing prayer, silence, fasting, and struggles, so as to more certainly unite with Christ in the after-life, which He opened to us through His glorious Resurrection from the dead?

_- Archbishop Averky of Syracuse_

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## TER

The Lord wants us to love each other; this is the essence of freedom — love for God and for your neighbor. This is both freedom and equality. But in earthly titles there can be no equality; this is of no concern to the soul, however. Not everyone can be a king or a prince; not everyone can be a patriarch or an abbot, or a leader, but no matter what your title you can love God and serve Him, and that is all that matters. And whoever loves God more on earth shall be in greater glory in the Kingdom.

_- St. Silouan_

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## TER

Those who struggle and sense their sinfulness as well as God’s loving-kindness and who trust in His great mercy, elevate their souls to Paradise with great confidence and little physical effort, if they have good intentions.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## TER

When we walk in simplicity, keep the commandments, and patiently and persistently seek divine love with tears and pain, guarding Jethro's sheep like Moses --- that is, guarding the good and spiritual movements and meditations of the nous during the heat of the day and the frost of the night of continuous battles and temptations, which we crush with our struggle and humility --- then we are counted worthy of seeing God and the Bush in our hearts, burning with the divine fire of Love,, burning but not consumed. 

And having approached it through noetic prayer, we hear the divine voice in a mystery of spiritual knowledge saying, "Put off thy sandals from thy feet!" That is, put off from yourself every self-will and worry for this age as well as all childish thoughts, and be subject to the Holy Spirit and His divine will, "for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."

_- Elder Joseph the Hesychast_

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## TER

As a man who drinks wine and gets drunk on a day of mourning forgets all the pangs of his sorrow, so the man who in this world (which is a house of lamentation) is drunk with the love of God, forgets all his sorrows and afflictions and becomes insensible to all sinful passions through his inebriation.

His heart is made steadfast by hope in God, his soul is as light as a winged bird, at every moment his mind rises out of the earth and soars far above
the heavens through the meditation of his thoughts, and he takes delight in the immortal things of the Most High, his prayer is unceasing, and he is like a man who has the wind for his steed, so that his enemy cannot overtake him.  Every time he seeks him, he flies from him.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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This one is for Originalist:

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## pcosmar

> 


Now that is a powerful truth right there.
I don't care who you are.

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## eduardo89

> 


I don't like admitting when a Georgian is right, but he's right.


Gabriel was born as Goderdzi Urgebadze in Tbilisi in the family of a Communist Party functionary, who was murdered in 1931. After a compulsory service in the Soviet army, he decided to join the monastic life and was ordained into monkhood under the name of Gabriel in 1955. He made himself famous by tearing down a banner depicting Vladimir Lenin during an International Workers' Day parade in downtown Tbilisi in 1965. He was arrested, tried, ruled to be psychotic, and confined to a mental hospital for seven months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_(Urgebadze)

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## pcosmar

> I don't like admitting when a Georgian is right, but he's right.


I agree Ed.. And this is my main issue with religion (any religion) People will often defend and follow their church and leaders (with their mind) than follow Christ (with their heart).

it is something to be mindful of, and cautious about.

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## TER

Seek God daily. But seek Him in your heart, not outside it. And when you find Him, stand with fear and trembling, like the Cherubim and the Seraphim, for your heart has become a throne of God. But in order to find God, become humble as dust before the Lord, for the Lord abhors the proud, whereas He visits those that are humble in heart, wherefore He says: "To whom will I look, but to him that is meek and humble in heart?"
_
- St. Nektarios of Aegina_

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## TER

Whoever strives towards God and really wants to become Christ’s follower must follow Him, endeavoring to improve himself and become a new person, not retaining anything within oneself that is peculiar to the ancient person — for it is said:" if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

_- St. Macarius the Great_

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## TER

There is nothing on earth that I need, except that which is most essential. What do I need, what is most essential? I need the Lord, I need His grace, His kingdom within me. On earth, which is the place of my wanderings, my temporary being, there is nothing that is truly mine, everything belongs to God and is temporal, everything serves my needs temporarily.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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If a person does not have superfluous care for himself, out of his love for God and for virtuous deeds, and knows that God will take care of him, then this hope is true and wise. But if a person places all his hope in his works, and turns to God in prayer only when unforeseen misfortunes befall him, then he, seeing that he lacks the means of averting them in his own abilities, begins to hope for help from God -- but such a hope is trivial and false. True hope seeks the one Kingdom of God and is sure that everything necessary for this mortal life will surely be given. The heart cannot have peace until it acquires this hope. This hope pacifies it fully and brings joy to it. The most holy lips of the Saviour spoke about this very hope: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28).

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

True joy comes from seeing God in all things, knowing God in all things. To know of God in the wisdom of the mind, this brings shimmers of peace and a foretaste of joy. Yet such joy is bounded, able to be swayed; for he who knows God’s presence but in part, still is able to imagine His absence. One, who sees God only in this place or in that, sees Him missing from those places in between. His joy is fleeting, for as in a moment it arises in the perception of God’s presence, so it retreats in the illusion of His absence. The one whose joy is stable, solid and penetrating, is he who knows of God’s presence among all things, with all things, and in all things. Even as in the temple, so, too, in the school. Even as in the Church, so, too, in the field. From the brightest star to the smallest blade of grass, he sees the beautiful mystery of Christ present as all in all. He beholds the leaf with reverence, as the vessel of his direct encounter with the grace of God. He beholds his sister with love, seeing in her the energies of the blessed Divinity. He begins to see God present in more and more, and absent from less and less; until he comes to the divine realization that there is no place that God is not, that the whole of creation around him shimmers in radiance with the presence of the Most Holy. He understands that perceptions of God’s absence are but an illusion in which there is no truth.

Then is joy most full, most pure. Then it is unfailing, for in all things is God encountered; and where God is, there true joy also abides. Even in sorrow, joy is known; for the earth itself cries out in witness of Christ’s presence in the sorrow — of the divine love that pervades even the deepest human grief. In loneliness, one too finds joy: for all creation sings of the Creator’s grace, and through it the Creator Himself is present, reaching out to His children.

Behold God the all-present, all-loving, all-merciful Father, everywhere existing and ever the same. Behold the source and giver of joy, abounding in this world of life. Behold God indeed, who has the power to save and the compassion to redeem.

_- Anonymous_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve (of the large family of Adam, of God). 

Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At that point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ." 

_- Elder Paisios of Mount Athos_

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## moostraks



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>

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## TER

Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and incentive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence. But without holiness, no one shall see the Lord, that is to say they will not attain eternal blessedness. It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints.

_- St Philaret of Moscow_

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## TER

Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man is the same – the image of God.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you. 

_- St. Jerome_

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## TER

One must behave affectionately toward one’s neighbors, not showing even a hint of offense. When we turn away from a person or offend him, it is as if a rock settles on our heart. One must try to cheer the spirit of an embarrassed or dejected person with words of love.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Those who, out of pure love, sacrifice even their own lives to protect their fellow men, imitate Christ. These people are, of course, the greatest heroes, because even death trembles before them, since they defy death out of love. Thus, they triumph with immortality, and, taking the key to eternity out from beneath the gravestone, they proceed freely to eternal blessedness.

_- Elder Paisios_

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## Kevin007

> From the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian:
> 
> 
> We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you dont love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?
> 
> _"For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen_ (1 John 4:20).


Not good enough.. Why do that only for other Christian? True love is doing it for those that hate you.

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## jmdrake

> Not good enough.. Why do that only for other Christian? True love is doing it for those that hate you.


The inclusion of the one does not imply the exclusion of the other.

_John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another._

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## moostraks

> If a person does not have superfluous care for himself, out of his love for God and for virtuous deeds, and knows that God will take care of him, then this hope is true and wise. But if a person places all his hope in his works, and turns to God in prayer only when unforeseen misfortunes befall him, then he, seeing that he lacks the means of averting them in his own abilities, begins to hope for help from God -- but such a hope is trivial and false. True hope seeks the one Kingdom of God and is sure that everything necessary for this mortal life will surely be given. The heart cannot have peace until it acquires this hope. This hope pacifies it fully and brings joy to it. The most holy lips of the Saviour spoke about this very hope: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28).
> 
> _- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

We should regard all people as saints. We all carry within us the same '' old self ''. Our neighbor, whoever he is, is '' flesh of our flesh, '' he is our brother and, according to St. Paul, we owe no one anything, except to love one another. We can never pass judgment on others, for no one ever hated his own flesh.

_- St. Porphyrios_

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## TER

Love is higher than everything. If you find that you have no love within you but wish to obtain it, then perform acts of love, even though at the beginning without love. God will see your desire and suffering and will implant love into your heart. "Those who have an unsightly heart should not despair, because with God’s help they can reform it. All you need to do is watch yourself attentively, do not allow an opportunity to be beneficial to your close one slip by, disclose your thoughts to your starets and be benevolent to the utmost. Of course this cannot be done suddenly, but God is very patient. He only terminates the life of a person when He sees that he is ready to cross over into eternity, or, when He sees that there is no hope for improvement in him.

_- Elder Ambrose of Optina_

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## TER

One must behave affectionately toward one’s neighbors, not showing even a hint of offense. When we turn away from a person or offend him, it is as if a rock settles on our heart. One must try to cheer the spirit of an embarrassed or dejected person with words of love.

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## TER

Those who, out of pure love, sacrifice even their own lives to protect their fellow men, imitate Christ. These people are, of course, the greatest heroes, because even death trembles before them, since they defy death out of love. Thus, they triumph with immortality, and, taking the key to eternity out from beneath the gravestone, they proceed freely to eternal blessedness.

_- St. Paisios_

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## TER

Love for Christ knows no bounds, neither does love for your neighbour. It should extend everywhere, to the ends of the earth. Everywhere, to everyone. 

Let me give you an example. There was a monk who had two disciples. He tried very hard to bring them up to scratch and make them better. But he was worried about whether they were really making any progress in the spiritual life, if they were making headway, and if they were ready for the kingdom of God. He waited for a sign from God about this, but didn’t get an answer. One day, there was going to be a vigil in another skete that was a good few hours away from theirs. They’d have to make their way through the desert. He sent his disciples off early, so that they’d get there early and get the church ready, while the Elder himself was to leave later in the afternoon. The disciples were well on their way when suddenly they heard groaning. There was a man there, badly hurt and asking for help;

– Take me with you, please. Ι’m stuck out here in the desert. Nobody ever comes by. I’ll never get any help. There’s two of you. Pick me up and carry me to the nearest village.

– We can’t. We’re in a hurry to get to the vigil. We’ve been told to get it ready.

– Please! Take me with you. If you don’t, I’ll die and get eaten by wild animals.

– We can’t. Sorry, but we have to do what we’ve been told.

And they left. In the afternoon, the Elder left for the vigil. He went along the same path. He got to the place where the injured man was lying. He saw him, went up to him and said:

– What’s the matter, man of God? What is it? How long have you been here? Didn’t anybody see you?

– This morning a couple of monks came by and I asked them to help me, but they were in a hurry to get to a vigil.

– I’ll take you. Don’t worry.

– You can’t. You’re an old man. You can’t lift me. No way!

– No, I’ll take you. I can’t leave you.

– But you can’t lift me’

– I’ll bend over and lift you on top of me. It’ll take time, but I’ll get to the nearest village. A little bit today, a little bit tomorrow, but I’ll get you there.

So he lifted him, difficult though it was, and started to trudge through the sand. He was sweating freely and thought: ‘Even if it takes three days, I’ll get there’. As he was tramping along, he began to feel that the burden was becoming lighter, and then, at one point, he seemed not to be carrying anything at all. He turned his head to see what was going on and, to his amazement, saw he was carrying an angel. The angel said to him:

– God sent me to tell you that your two disciples don’t deserve to enter the kingdom of God, because they don’t have any love.

_Source: ΑγίαΖώνη, Periodical of the Church of the Holy Girdle, Patisia, vol. 19, 2010_

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## TER

Now, my children, I want to ask you the following, and tell me the truth: Who do you love? God or the devil? Undoubtedly, you will say that you love God..

Let us see if this love for God is correct and perfect, or if it is deficient and in need of anything else? How can we determine this? Let us suppose that you have a child.

 I love you, respect you, and say good things about you to others; however, I beat up your child, I brush him aside, I speak badly about him to others, I take his food and eat it, I take his clothes and wear them. 

It seems to me that this is not real love. If we love the father, we must also love his child.


Similarly, whoever loves God must also love his brother, his fellow Christian. Because we all have one father: God. We have one faith and one baptism. We commune from the same Holy Mysteries. We have one head: our Christ. We have one faith, one law, one worship, and we are all brothers.

Furthermore, my children, you should realize that love has two attributes. One strengthens man to do good; the other restrains him from doing evil. Assume, my children, that I have a loaf of bread to
eat and water to drink, but you have nothing. 

Love tells me, "Do not eat your bread alone, but give some of it to your brothers and then eat the rest of it." I have clothes to wear. Love tells me, "Give one of your garments to your brother and keep the other one to wear." I am about to open my mouth to criticize you, to lie to you, to trick you. As soon as I think of love, it paralyzes my lips and does not allow me to mislead you. 

I am about to stretch out my hands to steal your possessions, your money, everything you own. Love, however, does not allow me to take anything.  Do you see, my brothers, what kind of gifts love contains? 

_- St. Kosmas Aitolos_

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## TER

Those who wish others to provide for them but offer nothing in return, are constantly asking things from God without giving anything to Him, not even their sins (by repentance). Such people are completely estranged from God and deliver themselves of their own accord into the hands of the manslayer (the devil). Because they have only cultivated love for their own selves, it follows that great anguish will then develop in them and that they will suffer hell, in part, already in this life.

_-St. Paisios_

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## TER

To some people your love will be expressed with joy and to others it will be expressed with your pain. You will consider everyone your brother or your sister, for we are all children of Eve (of the large family of Adam, of God). 

Then, in your prayer you will say: ‘My God, help those first who are in greater need, whether they are alive or reposed brothers in the Lord.’ At that point, you will share your heart with the whole world and you will have nothing but immense love, which is Christ." 

_-St. Paisios_

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## TER

God calls all men without exception. But not all respond to the call of His love. Those who do, with their whole being, meet with manifold trials, often extraordinarily severe. Those who love God suffer torments not to be endured by the man of little faith who inevitably becomes mentally disturbed. But faith and love of Christ beget great courage, which saves people from falling ill when they encounter evil spirits. They know the suffering yet, in spite of their experience, they not only remain normally sane- that is, they do not lose their self-possession, their mental and moral control- but their faculties attain an incomparably greater depth and refinement than is to be found in the average man.

    God is invisible, and the spiritual paths to Him are unseen. Who can describe in words this mysterious life? The protests of reason will detach the follower of Christ from love of God- reason being incapable of containing the word of Christ which appears to be utter folly. Sometimes desire for the delights of this life will separate the ascetic from the love of God, sometimes fear of pain and death. Now he will be tempted by the sublimity and light of other experiences and achievements; or by the magnitude of other possessions or possibilities. At times he will be led astray by visions of angels and other heavenly bodies, at times by the violence of dark and terrifying forces. 

_- Blessed Sophrony of Essex_

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## TER

We did not inherit the guilt of the original ancestral sin, but its consequences. With this, due to our remoteness from God, the entire human race is fallen and is in corruption with the tendency towards evil. This can be given a parallel example: if our natural environment due to our current irrational use of it is irreversibly damaged, the next generations of people will have no responsibility for the evil they were born in, but they will inherit the corruption of nature.

We can observe how largely the character of parents is inherited by their children and grandchildren. Aggression can be inherited, for example, and is manifested even before the infant is exposed to the environment.

    The Mystery of Baptism restores us to God, and erases the consequences of the fall, our remoteness from God. However, the tendency towards evil remains, which is why the Church offers us the next Mystery, Chrismation, which is the grace of the Holy Spirit to fight against evil, our passions. These passions developed because we departed from God. After the fall, Adam acquired the fear of responsibility and hatred. He did not take upon himself and account for his part in the fall, but he attributed it to Eve and to God who gave him Eve.

    The evil that exists in each of us, exists as a tendency and not an action, it exists with “potential” and not in “activity”. Its action depends on us. When we seek the grace of God through prayer and the Mysteries of the Church, we can more easily conquer the evil within us.

    Evil is like a seed. If you water it, it will bloom, if not, it will not grow. We all have the seed of evil, even the saints. The saints did not water the seed, they did not create opportunities for sin in their thoughts, desires and actions.

    The death of the First-formed, due to their distancing from God, was followed by their descendents. Spiritual death (the inclination of the soul towards evil) and physical death (the corruption of the body) are symptoms for all of humanity. After the common resurrection and judgement, sin and death will eventually be eliminated. The Apostle Paul writes: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26).

_- Archimandrite Maximos Panagiotou, Holy Monastery of Panagia Paramythia in Rhodes_

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## TER

God is not envious. God has no self-esteem, no ambition. Infinitely great, He is likewise infinitely humble. Divine humility differs from our human humility in that it never involves comparison: it is an inalienable attribute of the boundlessly generous love of God. God patiently seeks out each one of us along our way, and therefore we can all in varying degrees come to know God. But perfect knowledge of God is not possible apart from or without Christ- no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. 

_- Blessed Sophrony of Essex_

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## TER

No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak with anger. 

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

The road leading to our union with God is one and unique. It is not composed of segments. It is the integral life in Christ. Our divinization is realized with the grace of the Holy Spirit and with our own free choice. Within the Church, a constant struggle and an unending journey to be with God, is realized objectively through participation in the Holy Mysteries, with the exercise of the virtues, through prayer and in love. This journey of ours is a journey of hope, which learns under the direction of love. But we must confess, too, that love is a mystery. Can we honestly say that it has been fully revealed to us in this world? Of course not. That divine love, which is God Himself, revealed itself to us and filled us with light, but with only a few of its rays. It will be revealed fully to us in the age to come, in the age of light. But from this very moment, whoever truthfully and genuinely loves God with holy passion and divine eros, and his brother as well, enters into the divine light. “He who loves his brother remains in the light” (1 John 2:10). With godly love “the darkness is overcome and the true light already shines” (1 John 2:8). The love of God and the love of human beings are not two loves, but rather, two aspects of the one and only true love, which leads to the light.

    See it clearly. Love is transformed to light. And light is the Godhead itself: “Light is the Father, light the Logos, light, as well, is the Holy Spirit” the Pentecost hymn proclaims. United with love, which is light, which is the Lord God Himself, the individual person becomes light as well. The human being becomes filled with the Eternal and Uncreated Light, enabled now to enter that eternal light, the divine Kingdom, where the light of the Holy Trinity will shine in the heart of every person who has obtained it. All those who walked the road of Theosis, who obtained this divine light, will shine like new Suns in the divine Kingdom. They will be transfigured by the Holy Spirit which bestows this light, and they will become likenesses of the Son. They will become themselves, other Christs. 

_- Archimandrite Christoforos Stavropoulos_

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## TER

Love is the root and fountain and mother of all good things. For as root it puts forth thousands of branches of the virtues, and as a fountain it pours forth quantities of living water, and as a mother it encloses within its embrace all who have recourse to it. 

_- St John Chrysostom_

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## TER

_from “Partakers of the Divine Nature” by Archimandrite Christoforos Stavropoulos._

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## TER



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## TER

Of course it is hard [to pray for others]… to pray for people is to shed blood. But we must pray none the less. Everything that grace has ever taught must be performed to the end of one’s life… The Lord at times forsakes the soul in order to prove her, that she may testify her understanding and free will; but if a man does not constrain himself to pray he will lose grace, whereas if he evinces good will, grace will love him and abandon him no more. 

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

"In the spiritual world we see a practice contrary...to the normal order of things: there, those who are above wait upon those below, sacrificing themselves for their sakes, to bring them to the same degree of wealth, to the same fullness of which they themselves are possessed. The motive power is love, which cannot bear to see the loved one suffeirng privation. Thus the incontestable and eternal Master and Lord said that He 'came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many'. The accepted doctrine concerning angels is that they are a higher form of being than we are, yet St. Paul says they are 'ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.' The Lord enjoins His disciples to do as He did when He washed their feet...."

_- St. Silouan_

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## TER

If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies - know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for, in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts - or good thoughts. 
_
- St. Silouan_

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## TER

The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love his enemies.

_- St. Silouan_

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## TER

“Do not let pass any opportunity to pray for anyone, either at his request or at the request of his relatives, friends, of those who esteem him, or of his acquaintances. 

The Lord looks favorably upon the prayer of our love, and upon our boldness before him. Besides this, prayer for others is very beneficial to the one himself who prays for others; it purifies the heart, strengthens faith and hope in God, and enkindles our love for God and our neighbor. 

When praying, say thus: ‘Lord, it is possible for Thee to do this or that to this servant of Thine; do this for him, for Thy name is the Merciful Love of Men and the Almighty.’”

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER



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## TER

Understand the words of Holy Scripture by putting them into practice, and do not fill yourself with conceit by expiating on theoretical ideas. 

_- Saint Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

No matter how much the waves of temptation rise up against your soul, always hasten to Christ. The Saviour will always come to your aid and will calm the waves. Believe that the Lord has providentially arranged such experiences for your soul’s healing and do not reject them, seeking bodily peace and imaginary tranquility, for it is better to be shaken and yet to endure. If you will gain an insight from this, it will greatly lighten your struggle and you will gain more peace than if you do not. 

_- St. Leo of Optina_

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## Sola_Fide

> No matter how much the waves of temptation rise up against your soul, always hasten to Christ. The Saviour will always come to your aid and will calm the waves.* Believe that the Lord has providentially arranged such experiences for your soul’s healing and do not reject them, seeking bodily peace and imaginary tranquility, for it is better to be shaken and yet to endure*. If you will gain an insight from this, it will greatly lighten your struggle and you will gain more peace than if you do not. 
> 
> _- St. Leo of Optina_



TER,  do you believe that God providentially arranges everything,  including the bad experiences?  Does this mean God's providence chooses the sin that leads up to bad experiences?

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## TER

We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life. . .I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom!

_ - St. Tikhon of Voronezh_

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## Sola_Fide

> We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life. . .I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom!
> 
> _ - St. Tikhon of Voronezh_



What is this man's hope?   Is his hope in the perfect life of Christ on His behalf?   Or is it in his own good works?

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## TER

Be persecuted, rather than be a persecutor.
  Be crucified, rather than be a crucifier.
  Be treated unjustly, rather than treat anyone unjustly.
  Be oppressed, rather than be an oppressor.
  Be gentle rather than zealous.
  Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

More than all things love silence: it brings you a fruit that tongue cannot describe. In the beginning we have to force ourselves to be silent.  But then there is born something that draws us to silence.  May God give you an experience of this 'something' that is born of silence.  If you only practice this, untold light will dawn on you in consequence...after a while a certain sweetness is born in the heart of this exercise and the body is drawn almost by force to remain in silence.

_ - St. Isaac of Syria_

----------


## TER

As a grain of sand weighed against a large amount of gold, so, in God, is the demand for equitable justice weighed against his compassion. As a handful of sand in the boundless ocean, so are the sins of the flesh in comparison with God's providence and mercy. As a copious spring could not be stopped up with a handful of dust, so the Creator's compassion cannot be conquered by the wickedness of creatures.

_- St. Isaac of Syria_

----------


## TER

Do not say that God is just...David may call him just and fair, but God's own Son has revealed to us that he is before all things good and kind. He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (Luke 6.35). How can you call God just when you read the parable of the labourers in the vineyard and their wages? 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong...I choose to give to this last as I give to you...do you begrudge my generosity?' (Matthew 20.13)

Likewise how can you call God just when you read the parable of the prodigal son who squanders his father's wealth in riotous living, and the moment he displays some nostalgia his father runs to him, throws his arms round his neck and gives him complete power over all his riches? It is not someone else who has told this about God, so that we might have doubts. It is his own Son himself. He bore this witness to God. Where is God's justice? Here, in the fact that we were sinners and Christ died for us ...

O the wonder of the grace of our Creator! O the unfathomable goodness with which he has invested the existence of us sinners in order to create it afresh!...Anyone who has offended and blasphemed him he raises up again...Sin is to fail to understand the grace of the resurrection. Where is the hell that could afflict us? Where is the damnation that could make us afraid to the extent of overwhelming the joy of God's love? What is hell, face to face, with the grace of the resurrection when he will rescue us from damnation, enable this corruptible body to put on incorruption and raise up fallen humanity from hell to glory?...Who will appreciate the wonder of our Creator's grace as it deserves?...In place of what sinners justly deserve, he gives them resurrection. In place of the bodies that have profaned his law, he clothes them anew in glory...See, Lord, I can no longer keep silent before the ocean of thy grace. I no longer have any idea how to express the gratitude that I owe to thee...Glory be to thee in both the worlds that thou hast created for our growth and delight, guiding us by the path of they majestic works to the knowledge of they glory!

_- St. Isaac of Syria_

----------


## RJB

I need to remember this:




> "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved."
> --St. Seraphim of Sarov

----------


## Sola_Fide

> Be persecuted, rather than be a persecutor.
>   Be crucified, rather than be a crucifier.
>   Be treated unjustly, rather than treat anyone unjustly.
>   Be oppressed, rather than be an oppressor.
>   Be gentle rather than zealous.
>   Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice.
> 
> _- St. Isaac the Syrian_


WHY do these things? 

Do you do them to GET saved? 
Or do you do them because you ARE saved?

The answer to this question determines whether you are a Christian or not.

----------


## TER

Christians love one another.

They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If a man has something, he gives freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a stranger, Christians take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother.

They don't consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit of God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail, or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs. If it is possible, they bail him out. If one of them is poor and there isn't enough food to go around, they fast several days to give him the food he needs.

This is really a new kind of person. 
There is something divine in them.


_- From a report given by a pagan official,Aristides,
 to the Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD), who was seeking justification to outlaw Christianity_.

----------


## Sola_Fide

> Christians love one another.
> 
> They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If a man has something, he gives freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a stranger, Christians take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother.
> 
> They don't consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit of God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail, or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs. If it is possible, they bail him out. If one of them is poor and there isn't enough food to go around, they fast several days to give him the food he needs.
> 
> This is really a new kind of person. 
> There is something divine in them.
> 
> ...



Source?

----------


## TER

When a sunbeam falls on a transparent substance, the substance itself becomes brilliant, and radiates light from itself. So too Spirit-bearing souls, illumined by Him, finally become spiritual themselves, and their grace is sent forth to others. From this comes knowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of hidden things, distribution of wonderful gifts, heavenly citizenship, a place in the choir of angels, endless joy in the presence of God, becoming like God, and, the highest of all desires, becoming God.

_- St. Basil the Great_

----------


## Sola_Fide

> When a sunbeam falls on a transparent substance, the substance itself becomes brilliant, and radiates light from itself. So too Spirit-bearing souls, illumined by Him, finally become spiritual themselves, and their grace is sent forth to others. From this comes knowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of hidden things, distribution of wonderful gifts, heavenly citizenship, a place in the choir of angels, endless joy in the presence of God, becoming like God, and, * the highest of all desires, becoming God.*
> 
> _- St. Basil the Great_



You think you can BECOME God?  I've rarely heard blasphemy like this!

----------


## TER

The nature of things is measured by the interior disposition of the soul; that is, the kind of person one is will determine what he thinks of others. He who has attained to genuine prayer and love no longer puts things into categories. He does not separate the righteous from sinners, but loves all equally, and does not judge them, just as God gives the sun to shine and the rain to fall both on the just and the unjust.

_ - St. Nikitas Stethatos_

----------


## TER

The reason that we have both good and wicked thoughts together is not, as some suppose, because the Holy Spirit and the devil dwell together in our intellect, but because we have not yet consciously experienced the goodness of the Lord.  As I have said before, grace at first conceals its presence in those who have been baptized, waiting to see which way the soul inclines; but when the whole man has turned toward the Lord, it then reveals to the heart its presence there with a feeling words cannot express.

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

----------


## TER

If you wish to attain to true knowledge of the Scriptures, hasten to acquire first an unshakeable humility of heart. That alone will lead you, not to the knowledge that puffs up, but to that which enlightens, by the perfecting of love." 

_ - St. John Cassian_

----------


## Sola_Fide

> The reason that we have both good and wicked thoughts together is not, as some suppose, because the Holy Spirit and the devil dwell together in our intellect, but because we have not yet consciously experienced the goodness of the Lord.  As I have said before, grace at first conceals its presence in those who have been baptized, *waiting to see which way the soul inclines; but when the whole man has turned toward the Lord,] it then reveals to the heart its presence there with a feeling words cannot express.*
> 
> _- St. Diadochos of Photiki_



If man is sinful, and a slave to sin as Jesus says,  how can he "turn himself to the Lord"?

----------


## TER

Every one of us is in the image of God, and every one of us is like a damaged icon. But if we were given an icon damaged by time, damaged by circumstances, or desecrated by human hatred, we would treat it with reverence, with tenderness, with broken-heartedness. We would not pay attention primarily to the fact that it is damaged, but to the tragedy of its being damaged. We would concentrate on what is left of its beauty, and not on what is lost of its beauty. And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person as an individual, but also - and this is not always as easy - with regard to groups of people, whether it be a parish or a denomination, or a nation. We must learn to look, and look until we have seen the underlying beauty of this group of people. Only then can we even begin to do something to call out all the beauty that is there. Listen to other people, and whenever you discern something which sounds true, which is a revelation of harmony and beauty, emphasize it and help it to flower. Strengthen it and encourage it to live.

_- Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh_

----------


## Sola_Fide

> If you wish to attain to true knowledge of the Scriptures, hasten to acquire first an unshakeable humility of heart. That alone will lead you, not to the knowledge that puffs up, but to that which enlightens, by the perfecting of love." 
> 
> _ - St. John Cassian_


How can a heart who is a slave to sin "acquire humility of heart"?

----------


## TER

*True Repentance will Bring Sanctification*


_
Wounded by Love_, By St Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia

There is nothing higher than what is called repentance and confession. This sacrament is the offering of Gods love of humankind. In this perfect way a person is freed of evil. We go and confess and we sense our reconciliation with God; joy enters us and guilt departs. In the Orthodox Church there is no impasse. There is no impasse because of the existence of the confessor who has the gift of grace to forgive. To be a confessor is a great thing!

I had the habit from the time I was a boy and its a habit I still have  that whenever I sinned I went and confessed and everything went away. I would jump for joy. I am sinful and weak. I resort to Gods compassion and I am saved, I became calm and I forget everything. Every day I think that I sin, but I desire that whatever happens to me I turn into prayer and I dont keep it locked within me.

Sin makes a person very confused psychologically. The confusion doesnt dissipate whatever you do. Only with the light of Christ does the confusion depart. Christ makes the first move, Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden Thereafter we accept this light in our goodwill, which we express with our love towards Him, with our prayer and with the sacraments.

For the soul to repent it must first awake. It is in this awakening that the miracle of repentance occurs. This is where human will plays its role. The awakening, however; is not something that rests only with the individual man or woman. The individual on his own is unable to bring it about. God intervenes. Then divine grace comes. Without grace a person cannot repent. The love of God does everything. He may use something  an illness, or something else, it depends  in order to bring a person to repentance.

Accordingly repentance is achieved through divine grace. We simply make a move towards God and from then onwards grace supervenes [Yet], if there are not the preconditions for Christ to enter into us, repentance does not come. The preconditions are humility, love, prayer, prostrations, and labour for Christ Repentance is a very delicate matter. True repentance will bring us sanctification.

----------


## TER

He who would be saved should ever have his heart disposed to repentance and broken, according to the Psalmist: A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise (Ps. 50:17). In such brokenness of spirit a man can easily pass securely through the artful snares of the proud devil, whose whole care consists in agitating the human spirit, and in agitation sowing his tares, in accordance with the words of the Gospel: Lord, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this (Matt. 13:27-28). When, however, a man strives within himself to have his heart humble and his thought not agitated, but peaceful, then all the snares of the enemy are without effect; for where there is peace in one's thoughts, there resides the Lord God Himself - His place is in peace (Ps. 75:3).

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

----------


## TER

...Repentance which is true and truly from the heart persuades the penitent not to sin any more, not to mix with corrupt people, and not to gape in curiousity at evil pleasures, but to despise things present, cling to things to come, struggle against passions, seek after virtues, be self-controlled in every respect, keep vigil with prayers to God, and shun dishonest gain. It convinces him to be merciful to those who wrong him, gracious to those who ask something of him, ready with all his heart to bend down and help in any way he can, whether by words, actions or money, all who seek his assistance, that through kindness to his fellow-man he might gain God's love in return for loving his neighbor, draw the Divine favour to himself, and attain to eternal mercy and God's everlasting blessing and grace.

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

----------


## Sola_Fide

> Yet], if there are not the preconditions for Christ to enter into us, repentance does not come. The preconditions are humility, love, prayer, prostrations, and labour for Christ… Repentance is a very delicate matter. True repentance will bring us sanctification.


How can a sinful man meet the "preconditions" of grace if he is a slave of sin?

----------


## TER

‘If you fall, rise and you shall be saved.’ You are a sinner, you continually fall, learn also how to rise; be careful to acquire this wisdom. This is what the wisdom consists in: learning by heart the psalm, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness,’ inspired by the Holy Spirit to the king and prophet David, and say it with sincere faith and trust, with a contrite and humble heart. After your sincere repentance, expressed in the words of King David, the forgiveness of your sins shall immediately shine upon you from the Lord, and your spiritual powers will be at peace. The most important thing in life is to be zealous for mutual love, and not to judge anyone. Everybody shall answer for himself to God, and you must look to yourself. Beware of malice.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

You see very clearly that it is extremely difficult, and without God’s grace and your own fervent prayer and abstinence, impossible, for you to change for the better.  You feel within yourself the action of a multitude of passions: of pride, malice, envy, greediness, the love of money, despondency, slothfulness, fornication, impatience, and disobedience; and yet you remain in them, are often bound by them, whilst the long-suffering Lord bears with you, awaiting your return and amendment; and still bestows upon you all the gifts of His mercy.

Be then indulgent, patient, and loving to those who live with you, and who also suffer from many passions; conquer every evil by good, and, above all, pray to God for them, that He may correct them—that He may turn their hearts to Himself, the source of holiness.

Do not help the Devil to spread his kingdom. Hallow the name of your Heavenly Father by your actions; help Him to spread His Kingdom on earth. ‘For we are laborers together with God.’

Be zealous of the fulfillment of His will on earth, as it is in heaven. Forgive them that trespass against you with joy, as a good son rejoices when he has a chance of fulfilling the will of his beloved father.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

At the door of Your compassion do I knock, Lord; send aid to my scattered impulses which are intoxicated with the multitude of the passions and the power of darkness. You can see my sores hidden within me: stir up contrition—though not corresponding to the weight of my sins, for if I receive full awareness of the extent of my sins, Lord, my soul would be consumed by the bitter pain from them. Assist my feeble stirrings on the path to true repentance, and may I find alleviation from the vehemence of sins through the contrition that comes of Your gift, for without the power of Your grace I am quite unable to enter within myself, become aware of my stains, and so, at the sight of them be able to be still from great distraction.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

I ask you to try something. If someone grieves you, or dishonors you, or takes something of yours, then pray like this: “Lord, we are all your creatures. Pity your servants, and turn them to repentance,” and then you will perceptibly bear grace in your soul. Induce your heart to love your enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, shall help you in all things, and will Himself show you experience. But whoever thinks evil of his enemies does not have love for God and has not known God.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Christ prayed for those that crucified Him: ‘Father, count not this sin against them; they know not what they do.’ Archdeacon Stephen prayed for those who stoned him so that the Lord would not judge this sin against them. And so we, if we wish to retain grace, must pray for our enemies. If you do not find pity on a sinner who will suffer in flames, then you do not carry the grace of the Holy Spirit, but rather an evil spirit; and while you yet live, you must free yourself from his clutches through repentance.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Let others mock at you, oppose you, when you are under the influence of any passion; do not be in the least offended with those who mock at or oppose you, for they do you good; crucify your self-love and acknowledge the wrong, the error of your heart.

But have the deepest pity for those who mock at words and works of faith and piety, of righteousness; for those who oppose the good which you are doing, or which you wish to instill into others.

God preserve you from getting exasperated with them, for they are deserving of pity and tears. 

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

----------


## TER

Cleanse your mind from anger, remembrance of evil, and shameful thoughts, and then you will find out how Christ dwells in you.

_-St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## Sola_Fide

> Christ prayed for those that crucified Him: ‘Father, count not this sin against them; they know not what they do.’ Archdeacon Stephen prayed for those who stoned him so that the Lord would not judge this sin against them. And so we, if we wish to retain grace, must pray for our enemies. If you do not find pity on a sinner who will suffer in flames, then you do not carry the grace of the Holy Spirit, but rather an evil spirit; and while you yet live, you must free yourself from his clutches through repentance.
> 
> _- St. Silouan the Athonite_


Is "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" in the earliest Greek manuscripts?

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## TER

One needs to distinguish a sinner from a penitent. If you have taken upon yourself the role to rebuke the sinner, guard yourself well, that you do not rebuke the penitent also. How dear the repentant sinner is to God, call to mind the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Therefore, let it be very dear for you, he who has become dear to God. At one time it happened that a monk succumbed to sin for which he was banished from the monastery. This monk went to St. Anthony, confessed his sin, repented and remained with Anthony for a period of time. Then Anthony sent him back again to the monastery but they did not receive him and, again, they banished him. Again, the penitent came to Anthony. Again, Anthony sent him back to the monastery with a message to the fathers of the monastery: One boat experienced shipwreck and lost its cargo; with great difficulty did that boat arrive in the harbor and you wish to drown even that which was saved from drowning! Hearing this wise message, the fathers received with joy the penitent brother into the monastery.

_- St. Nikolai Velimirovich_

----------


## TER

If your heart has been softened either by repentance before God or by learning the boundless love of God towards you, do not be proud with those whose hearts are still hard. Remember how long your heart was hard and incorrigible. Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers.

_- St Nikolai Velimirovich_

----------


## TER

A true Christian is made by faith and love of Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He said: I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety and nine just ones. 

Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He said to the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. 

From these judgements a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept the torment of despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.

_- St. Herman of Alaska_

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## TER

Today, people ask to be loved and that is why they are disappointed. The right thing to do is not to care whether they love you or not at all, but rather, whether you love Christ and other people. This is the only way in which the soul is filled.

_- St. Porphyrios of Greece_

----------


## TER

God is good, dispassionate, and immutable. Now someone who thinks it reasonable and true to affirm that God does not change, may well ask how, in that case, it is possible to speak of God as rejoicing over those who are good and showing mercy to those who honor Him, and as turning away from the wicked and being angry with sinners. 

To this it must be answered that God neither rejoices nor grows angry, for to rejoice and to be offended are passions; nor is He won over by the gifts of those who honor Him, for that would mean He is swayed by pleasure. It is not right that the Divinity feel pleasure or displeasure from human conditions. He is good, and He only bestows blessings and never does harm, remaining always the same. We men, on the other hand, if we remain good through resembling God, are united to Him, but if we become evil through not resembling God, we are separated from Him. By living in holiness we cleave to God; but by becoming wicked we make Him our enemy. It is not that He grows angry with us in an arbitrary way, but it is our own sins that prevent God from shining within us and expose us to demons who torture us.

 And if through prayer and acts of compassion we gain release from our sins, this does not mean that we have won God over and made Him to change, but that through our actions and our turning to the Divinity, we have cured our wickedness and so once more have enjoyment of Gods goodness. Thus to say that God turns away from the wicked is like saying that the sun hides itself from the blind.

_- St. Anthony the Great_

----------


## TER

Man seeks joy and happiness in heaven. He seeks what is eternal far from everyone and everything. He seeks to find joy in God. God is a mystery. He is silence. He is infinite. He is everything. Everyone possesses this inclination of the soul for heaven. All people seek something heavenly. All beings turn towards Him, albeit unconsciously.

Turn your mind towards Him continually. Learn to love prayer, familiar converse with the Lord. What counts above all is love, passionate love for the Lord, for Christ the Bridegroom. Become worthy of Christ’s love. In order not to live in darkness, turn on the switch of prayer so that divine light may flood your soul. Christ will appear in the depths of your being. There, in the deepest and most inward part, is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within you [Luke 17:21].

_- St. Porphyrios_

----------


## TER

Those who desire and crave to belong to Christ and who abandon themselves to the will of God become worthy. It’s a great thing, all-important, to have no will. The slave has no will of his own. And it is possible for us to have no will of our own in a very simple manner: through love for Christ and the keeping of His commandments.

He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves me; and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. [John 14:31].

Effort is required. For we have to wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this age [Eph. 6:12]. We have to wrestle with the roaring lion [1 Pet. 5:8]. We cannot allow the devious enemy to prevail in the struggle. 

_- St. Porphyrios_

----------


## TER

What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children. Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behavior is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.

_- St. Porphyrios_

----------


## Sola_Fide

> Those who desire and crave to belong to Christ and who abandon themselves to the will of God become worthy. It’s a great thing, all-important, to have no will. The slave has no will of his own. And it is possible for us to have no will of our own in a very simple manner: through love for Christ and the keeping of His commandments.
> 
> He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves me; and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. [John 14:31].
> 
> Effort is required. For we have to wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this age [Eph. 6:12]. We have to wrestle with the roaring lion [1 Pet. 5:8]. We cannot allow the devious enemy to prevail in the struggle. 
> 
> _- St. Porphyrios_


If "effort is required", and only those who "abandon their will to God" will "become worthy", who then can be saved?   

Have you done this TER?  If you say yes, and if you take any satisfaction in your striving,  you have just committed the sin of pride.

So, explain this to me please.

----------


## TER

Abandoning one's will to God requires work.  It requires the taming of the passions and overcoming temptations. It requires obedience to the Lord's commandments.  It requires tears and humiliations.  It requires death to the world and selfless martyrdom for the love of the other, both God and neighbor, in the fullness of love, which is trinitarian.  If you are going to posit the argument that no work is required of man, then I am not buying any of it.  Even Adam in Paradise had work to do in cultivating the land and being a steward over the earth.  

 Every good thing comes from God above, this is the orthodox belief.  God graces those who follow His Son in self-giving love.  God sends His blessings on those who do His will.  All glory goes to God above and any progress is on account of the mercy of God.

God knows we cannot be perfect like His Son in the condition we are born in. That is the very reason His Word came into the world - to do what no other person could do.  God, in His mercy, knows we cannot be Christ on our own, and so through the work of His Son, we have been given access to the divine nature, the energy, life, and glory of God.  This is through the work of the divine Spirit of God, co-equal and eternal with the Father and the Son.  Work is not a fallen concept - it is in accordance to the image of God and His likeness. It is the Holy Spirit of God which strengthens where we are weak, lifts where we are down, transforms and transfigures our created nature into the perfection of Christ through our union with His Spirit.  We become bearers of Christ, Who is the Firstfruits of man's new creation and our Prototype to salvation.  

This happens EVEN NOW, IN THIS WORLD, IN THE SAINTS.  These living temples of the Holy Spirit are the living evidence of the Holy Spirit of God immenent in this world and filling with divine flame and power. These holy men and women manifest the Body of Christ in the world, which is the Church, the ekklessia or assembly of the baptized in Christ.  They are the very presence of Christ within the world.  

The canonized Book of Acts of the Apostles ended on the last page written by St. Luke, but the acts of the Holy Spirit has never ceased to be written in the history of the world.  God has been guiding and defending His Church from the Day of Pentecost, and it is through the very testimony and witness of the Saints, and often times by their blood, which God has worked through providentially in order to carry down the Gospel of Christ and fulfill the commission of Christ to go and baptize the nations.

----------


## moostraks

> If your heart has been softened either by repentance before God or by learning the boundless love of God towards you, do not be proud with those whose hearts are still hard. Remember how long your heart was hard and incorrigible. Seven brothers were ill in one hospital. One recovered from his illness and got up and rushed to serve his other brothers with brotherly love, to speed their recovery. Be like this brother. Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers.
> 
> _- St Nikolai Velimirovich_


<3

----------


## TER

The free will of all intelligent beings has been tested and till now is being tested until it is confirmed in goodness. Because without trials, goodness is never firm. 

Every Christian is subjected to some kind of test: one with poverty, another with sickness, a third with various bad thoughts, the fourth with some type of misfortune or humiliation, while another, with perplexities. This tests the strength of ones faith, and hope, and love for God, that is, shows the persons inclinations, his attachments, whether he aims for sorrows or is still affixed to earthly things. 

So that through these trials a person-Christian himself could see in what position he is in, what his disposition is, and involuntarily humble himself. Because without humility, as all the holy fathers of Godly wisdom confirm in one voice, all our works are unsettled. Even the free will of Angels was tested. If the Heavenly dwellers could not escape the test, then more so must the free will be tested of those living on earth.

_- Elder Ambrose of Optina_

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## Sola_Fide

> The free will of all intelligent beings has been tested and till now is being tested until it is confirmed in goodness. Because without trials, goodness is never firm. 
> 
> Every Christian is subjected to some kind of test: one with poverty, another with sickness, a third with various bad thoughts, the fourth with some type of misfortune or humiliation, while another, with perplexities. This tests the strength of one’s faith, and hope, and love for God, that is, shows the person’s inclinations, his attachments, whether he aims for sorrows or is still affixed to earthly things. 
> 
> So that through these trials a person-Christian himself could see in what position he is in, what his disposition is, and involuntarily humble himself. Because without humility, as all the holy fathers of Godly wisdom confirm in one voice, all our works are unsettled. Even the free will of Angels was tested. If the Heavenly dwellers could not escape the test, then more so must the free will be tested of those living on earth.
> 
> _- Elder Ambrose of Optina_



*"I once laboured hard for the free will of man, until the grace of God at length overcame me."*

-Augustine

----------


## Natural Citizen

Love will find a way. 

- _Tesla_

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## TER

_Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,_ *but have not love*, I have become_ sounding brass_ or _a clanging cymbal_.

 And though I have _the gift of prophecy_, *and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,* _and though I have_ *all faith*, *so that I could remove mountains*, 

*BUT HAVE NOT LOVE*, 

I am nothing.

 And though I bestow _ALL my goods to feed the poor_, and though I give _my body TO BE BURNED_, 

But 

have

not 

love,

.....it profits me nothing.
*LOVE*

_ suffers long_ 

and is kind;


 love does not envy; 



love does not_ parade itself_, 


is not puffed up; 



_does not behave rudely_


_does not seek its own_,

(Love) is not provoked, 

thinks _no evil_;

 does not rejoice in _iniquity_, 


*but rejoices in the TRUTH*;


 (*Love*) 

_bears all things_, _believes all things_, _hopes all things_, _endures all things_.


*LOVE*_ never fails_.


But whether there are prophecies,_they will fail;_ 

whether there are tongues, _they will cease;_

 whether there is knowledge, _it will vanish away._ 

For we know_ in part_ and we prophesy _in part._

_But when that which is_ perfect has come,

 then that which is in part *will be done away.*


When I was a child, 

I spoke as a child, 

I _understood_ as a child, 

I _thought_ as a child; 


_but when I became a man, I put away childish things_. 


For now we see in a mirror, _dimly_, 

_but_ _then_ 


face to* FACE*. 



Now I know in part, _but then_* I shall know* _just as I also am known_.



And now abide faith, hope, love, 

...these three; 


but the greatest of these is 



*LOVE*.

_- The Holy Apostle Paul,  1 Corinthians 13_

----------


## TheTexan

Is the Journey to love, a wheel in the sky that keeps turning?

----------


## TER

> Is the Journey to love, a wheel in the sky that keeps turning?


More like a ladder...

----------


## Sola_Fide

> More like a ladder...


No. Grace is not a ladder you climb.  Grace is a ladder Jesus descended down for a man, dug his rotting bones out of the ground, and brought him back up the ladder alive, carrying him by His power alone all the way.

This is the difference between the religion of man, and the religion of Christianity.   The difference between the gospel that saves, and a gospel that is not really good news.

----------


## TER

> No. Grace is not a ladder you climb.  Grace is a ladder Jesus descended down for a man, dug his rotting bones out of the ground, and brought him back up the ladder alive, carrying him by His power alone all the way.
> 
> This is the difference between the religion of man, and the religion of Christianity.   The difference between the gospel that saves, and a gospel that is not really good news.


What is not really good news?  That God expects us to earn our wages and serve Him?  Seems like the doctrine of sola fide has caused you tunnel vision and limited your understanding of the rest of the gospel.  

He expects us to work, and by our acts, such as how we forgive, He will judge us and forgive us.

What He doesn't want is us complaining when He gives mercy to those whom He gives mercy.  He doesn't like it when we act as if He owes us _anything_, sinners and disobedient children that we are.  Just because we might think in our minds and in our faith that He is God, and then go on to proudly convince ourselves we are saved as some special elect _and think that is all that we need to do_, does not make it so and misses a great part of the rest of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The friends of the paralytic climbed a ladder so that they might bring him closer to Christ, and lowered him from the roof so that Jesus might heal him.

It was their faith which healed the man, just as Christ had said. 

 But their faith was not mere mental ascent, or an acknowledgment that there is hope and power in Christ, but it was a faith coupled with carrying their friend, climbing a ladder, balancing on a roof, so that they might bring him to his Savior.  

Jesus saw them, what they had done, and knew their faith by their works, as St. James, the Brother of the Lord, explained, namely, show me your faith by your works.

Sola, if you limit your religion to certain doctrines (which incidentally are novel interpretations and historically rejected), while at the same time ignoring the rest of the teachings of Christ, you will fail to understand that while God's grace does not work on a ladder, for everything He gives us is free and according to His great love and mercy, our lives in this world certainly is a ladder, through which we demonstrate our complete faith, not merely by our words, our thoughts, or our confessions, but in our works of charity and love, in the image of those who carried their suffering brother upon a roof.

This Sunday, coincidently, the Orthodox Church celebrates as the Sunday of the Paralytic, commemorating that wonderful miracle by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

----------


## Sola_Fide

> What is not really good news?  That God expects us to earn our wages and serve Him?  Seems like the doctrine of sola fide has caused you tunnel vision and limited your understanding of the rest of the gospel.  
> 
> He expects us to work, and by our acts, such as how we forgive, He will judge us and forgive us.
> 
> What He doesn't want is us complaining when He gives mercy to those whom He gives mercy.  He doesn't like it when we act as if He owes us _anything_, sinners and disobedient children that we are.  Just because we might think in our minds and in our faith that He is God, and then go on to proudly convince ourselves we are saved as some special elect _and think that is all that we need to do_, does not make it so and misses a great part of the rest of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
> 
> The friends of the paralytic climbed a ladder so that they might bring him closer to Christ, and lowered him from the roof so that Jesus might heal him.
> 
> It was their faith which healed the man, just as Christ had said. 
> ...


Yes.  The false gospel that says men are saved by what we do is not good news at all....because men can't do it.




> *Galatians 2:21
> 
> I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.*

----------


## TER

> Yes.  The false gospel that says men are saved by what we do is not good news at all....because men can't do it.


The false gospel which says that what we do doesn't affect our salvation is from the devil.

----------


## Sola_Fide

> The false gospel which says that what we do doesn't affect our salvation is from the devil.


No it isn't.   Men are saved completely irregardless of what they do:




> *Titus 3:4-5
> 
> But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.*

----------


## TER

> No it isn't.   Men are saved completely irregardless of what they do:


When Christ appeared, that is, when He became incarnate, it was not because of the righteousness of men that He condescended Himself and in humility took upon Himself our created nature, but rather He became incarnate and came to save us because of His great love and mercy.

This doesn't mean that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, and Christ explained in parable after parable that what we do and don't do DOES matter and that we will be judged by what we do and don't do.

If you wish to discuss this further with someone who is interested in debating with you, please start another thread.

----------


## Sola_Fide

> When Christ appeared, that is, when He became incarnate, it was not because of the righteousness of men that He condescended Himself and in humility took upon Himself our created nature, but rather He became incarnate and came to save us because of His great love and mercy.
> 
> This doesn't mean that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, and Christ explained in parable after parable that what we do and don't do DOES matter and that we will be judged by what we do and don't do.
> 
> If you wish to discuss this further with someone who is interested in debating with you, please start another thread.


The verse isn't talking about the Incarnation,  it's talking about the salvation of the elect.

----------


## TER

"The Holy Spirit is love and sweetness to the soul, the mind and the body; but when the soul loses grace, or grace is diminished once again the soul will seek the Holy Spirit in tears, and yearn for God and and cry:

My Soul yearns of the Lord, and I seek Him in tears.  How could I not seek Thee, O Lord: For Thou Thyself hast sought me out forehand, and gavest me to delight in thy Holy Spirit; and now my soul yearns for Thee.  My heart fell to loving Thee, and I pray Thee: give me to the end to abide in thy love. For the sake of thy love empower me to endure all sickness and affliction. My soul is seized with fear and trembling when I would write of the love of God. My soul is poor and without strength to describe the Lord's love. My spirit fails, but love constrains me to write. The Lord ascended into heaven and awaits our coming; but to be with the Lord we must be like Him, or like little children lowly and meek- and we must serve him.

Where I am, there shall also my servant be, we too shall be with Him in the Kingdom of heaven. But now my soul is overspread with melancholy and I am unable to lift an undistracted mind to God, and I have no tears wherewith to bewail my evil deeds: my soul is withered away and spent with the night of this life...

...No man of himself can know what is God's love, unless he be taught of the Holy Spirit; but God's love is known in our Church through the Holy Spirit, and so we speak of this love...

...The Lord bestows such grace on His chosen that they embrace the whole earth, the whole world, with their love, and their souls burn with longing that all men should be saved and behold the glory of the Lord.

If you would know the Lord, humble yourself to the utmost. Be obedient and sober in all things. Love truth. And the Lord of a surety will give you to know him through the Holy Spirit; and then you will by experience know what love towards God is, and what love towards man is. And the more perfect the love, the more perfect your knowledge.  There is love in small measure; there is a means of love, and there is a great love.

The man who fears sin loves God. The man with a tender heart loves Him more. Still greater is the love of the man in whose soul dwells light and joy. But the man with grace in soul and body has perfect love. This is the grace the Holy Spirt gave to the Martyrs, the grace that helped them to bear every suffering with fortitude.

Where a man fears to distress God by sinning in any way-that is the first degree of love.The man whose mind is undistracted has love in the second degree, which is greater than the first. A third and still greater degree of love is when a man is aware of grace in his soul. And, finally, the man who as the grace of the Holy Spirit both in soul and body is in a state of perfect love; and if he preserves this grace the bone of his body will turn into sacred relics, as did the bones of the holy Martyrs, the Prophets, the blessed Fathers, and the other great Saints.

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls it seems to them that it is an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit, she feels without a shadow of doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest, the best and dearest of fathers, and there there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds, according to the Lord's commandment, and our neighbor as oneself. And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her; but when it is lost sight of man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury , and does not realise that he himself is at fault- he has lost his love for God and has accused or conceived a hatred for his brother.

Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love is grace preserved; but if we do not love our brother the grace of God will not come into our souls.

If people kept Christ's commandments there would be paradise on earth, and with little labour every man would suffice his needs, and the Spirit of God would live in the souls of men for he Himself seeks us and would dwell in us, and if He does not take up His abode in us it is only because of the proudness of our minds."

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## libertygrl

> From the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian:
> 
> 
> We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you dont love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?
> 
> _"For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen_ (1 John 4:20).



That was quite moving.  And a great reminder for us all.   I would also add love of "self" because there's a lot of self loathing in this world  too.  I think, the first step in loving GOD is loving yourself because he dwells in us all.  And if you're not happy with yourself first,  you can't attract happiness and love and be a light to others.  That's a beautiful image as well.

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## TER

The first step in loving ourself is in loving God Who created us and gives us life.  We must respect the image of God within us and love the freedom and uniqueness He has given us, for these are great gifts He has given us.  We must in turn worship and praise Him to the best of our abilities.

  We must also adore the Lord Who dwells within us, and embrace Him as the earth did in the cave where He was born in the flesh, in the beautiful image of the Nativity.

We must accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts, in the beautiful image of the Annunciation, in the humility and obedience of the Virgin and Mother of God, so that He might enter and fill our hearts as He did the Virgin's womb.

We must worship the Spirit of God within us and grow in everlasting love and communion with God, Who is our Father. 

If we love ourselves, it is first that we must love God.

We must, indeed, die to our own selfish will and our own pride.  And in the beautiful image of the Cross, in self sacrifice out of love for another, crucify ourselves to the world that is passing in order to gain the everlasting Kingdom which awaits those who persevere to the end of time.  God calls all to become a servant and steward, but not all use their talents for the glory of God and to gain eternal life and inherent the Heavenly Kingdom.

Our crucified Savior Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of God through Whose sacrifice and blood seals the eternal covenant of God and gives it life and forgiveness, has shown that in order to gain ourselves and indeed the entire world, we must first give ourselves and our own wills over to God.  Thereby we will out last time and that which is dying in the world, and instead inherent eternal and divine life.  

Our realization as true human beings is _in the other_, in communion with the other. Then it is with ourselves.  Indeed, this is trinitarian communion and mode of being, as one to another and then together to and with the other.  This is the beautiful image of the Holy Trinity, the fullness of everything and unity of multiplicity.  Through what we give for the other, we abide in God and God abides in us.  All the commandments and teachings of the Lord are to this end.  So that through and in God and God in us, we might find true personhood and true human existence and _being_. 

In a word, _love_ is the closest thing we created beings can know of the essence of the uncreated God and the reason of our being.

----------


## TER

And you are correct, my dear libertygrl, not is self-loathing, but in thanksgiving and with hope.

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## libertygrl

> Is the Journey to love, a wheel in the sky that keeps turning?


 Yes and -  "Someday love will find you. Break those chains that bind you."

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## TER

"I love those that love Me; and they that seek Me shall find grace."

_- Jesus Christ_, Proverbs 8:17

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## TER

The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world.

_- St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

_- St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

Love never hates anyone, never reproves anyone, never condemns anyone, never grieves anyone, never abhors anyone, neither faithful nor infidel nor stranger nor sinner nor fornicator, nor anyone impure, but instead it is precisely sinners, and weak and negligent souls that it loves more, …, imitating Christ Who called sinners, and ate and drank with them.

_- Abba Ammonas_

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## TER

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbour. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be greater in glory in His Kingdom.

_- St Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

Of all the afflictions that burden the human race, there is not one, whether spiritual or bodily, that cannot be healed by the Holy Scriptures.”

_- St John Chrysostom_

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## TER

St. Herman of Alaska on Love for God

Once the Elder was invited on board a frigate that had come from St. Petersburg. The captain of the frigate was a man quite learned, highly educated; he had been sent to America by Imperial command to inspect all the colonies. With the captain were some 25 officers, likewise educated men. In this company there sat a desert-dwelling monk of small stature, in an old garment, who by his wise conversation brought all his listeners to such a state that they did not know how to answer him. The captain himself related: "We were speechless fools before him!"

Father Herman gave them all one common question: "What do you, gentlemen, love above all, and what would each of you wish for his happiness?" Diverse answers followed. One desired wealth, one glory, one a beautiful wife, one a fine ship which he should command, and so on in this fashion. "Is it not true," said Father Herman at this, "that all your various desires can be reduced to one - that each of you desires that which, in his understanding, he considers best and most worthy of love?" "Yes, it is so," they all replied. "Well, then, tell me," he continued, "can there be anything better, higher above everything, more surpassing everything and in general more worthy of love, than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who created us, perfectly adorned us, gave life to all, supports all, nourishes and loves all, who Himself is love and more excellent than all men? Should not a person then love God high above all and desire and seek Him more than all else?" All began to say: "Well, yes! That is understood! That speaks for itself!"

"And do you love God?" the Elder then asked. All replied: "Of course, we love God. How can one not love God?" "And I, sinful one, for more than forty years have been striving to love God, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him," answered Father Herman; then he began to show how a person should love God. "If we love someone," he said, "we always think of him, strive to please him, day and night our heart is occupied with this subject. Is it thus that you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always think of Him, do you always pray to Him, and fulfill His holy commandments?" It had to be acknowledged that they did not! "For our good, for our happiness," concluded the Elder, "at least let us make a promise to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this very moment we shall strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will!" 

Behold what an intelligent, superb conversation Father Herman conducted in society; without doubt this conversation must have imprinted itself on the hearts of his listeners for their whole life!

----------


## heavenlyboy34

> Of all the afflictions that burden the human race, there is not one, whether spiritual or bodily, that cannot be healed by the Holy Scriptures.”
> 
> _- St John Chrysostom_


St. Chrysostom is great!  I celebrate his liturgy most weeks.  Lots of links to his homilies here (along with other writings of the Church Fathers): http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/index.html

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## TER

Imagine a circle with its center and radii or rays going out from this center. The further these radii are from the center the more widely they are dispersed and separated from one another; and conversely, the closer they come to the center, the closer they are to one another. 

Suppose now that this circle is the world, the very center of the circle is God, and the lines going from the center to the circumference or from the circumference to the center are the paths of men’s lives. Then here we see the same. 

Insofar as the Saints move inward within the circle towards its center, wishing to come near to God, then, in the degree of their penetration, they come closer both to God and to one another; moreover, inasmuch as they come nearer to God, they come nearer to one another, and inasmuch as they come nearer to one another, they come nearer to God. It is the same with drawing away …. 

Such is the property of love; inasmuch as we are outside and do not love God, so each is far from his neighbor. But if we love God, inasmuch as we come near to Him by love of Him, so we become united by love with our neighbors, and inasmuch as we become united by love with our neighbors, so we become united with God. 

_- St. Dorotheos of Gaza_

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## TER

It seems that we do not understand one thing: it is not good when we return the love of those who love us, yet hate those who hate us. We are not on the right path if we do this. We are the sons of light and love, the sons of God, his children. As such we must have His qualities and His attributes of love, peace, and kindness towards all.

_- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica_

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## TER

I also maintain that those who are punished in Gehenna are scourged by the scourge of love.

Nay, what is so bitter and vehement as the torment of love?

I mean that those who have become conscious that they have sinned against love suffer greater torment from this than from any fear of punishment.

For the sorrow caused in the heart by sin against love is more poignant than any torment.

It would be improper for a man to think that sinners in Gehenna are deprived of the love of God.

Love is the offspring of knowledge of the truth which, as is commonly confessed, is given to all.

The power of love works in two ways. It torments sinners, even as happens here when a friend suffers from a friend.

But it becomes a source of joy for those who have observed its duties.

Thus I say that this is the torment of Gehenna: bitter regret.

But love inebriates the souls of the sons of Heaven by its delectability.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

The person who loves God cannot help loving every man as himself, even though he is grieved by the passions of those who are not yet purified. But when they amend their lives, his delight is indescribable and knows no bounds.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

Avoid by every means occasions, causes, and words that produce enmity, and avail yourself of every opportunity and occasion to show holy and sincere love.

By doing the first, the inimical disposition of the soul will little by little be eradicated, and by the second, love will be nourished and strengthened.

Do not allow yourself for a moment to have any ill-feeling against anyone; always be kind to everyone, conquering your evil disposition by the love that endureth all things and conquereth all things.

Avoid obstinacy, self-will, and opposing your neighbor; do not persist in having your own way, in order to satisfy your caprice, or in order to intentionally injure anyone.

_- St. John Kronstadt_

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## TER

The thief who received the kingdom of heaven, though not as the reward of virtue, is a true witness to the fact that salvation is ours through the grace and mercy of God.

All of our holy fathers knew this and all with one accord teach that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.

Humility, in its turn, can be achieved only through faith, fear of God, gentleness and the shedding of all possessions.

It is by means of these that we attain perfect love, through the grace and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory through all the ages. Amen.

_- St. John Cassian_

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## TER

Such are the souls of the saints: they love their enemies more than themselves, and in this age and in the age to come they put their neighbor first in all things, even though because of his ill-will he may be their enemy. They do not seek recompense from those whom they love, but because they have themselves received they rejoice in giving to others all that they have, so that they may conform to their Benefactor and imitate His compassion to the best of their ability; ‘for He is bountiful to the thankless and to sinners’ (cf. Luke 6:35).

_- St. Peter of Damascus_

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## TER

‘If you fall, rise and you shall be saved.’ You are a sinner, you continually fall, learn also how to rise; be careful to acquire this wisdom. This is what the wisdom consists in: learning by heart the psalm, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness,’ inspired by the Holy Spirit to the king and prophet David, and say it with sincere faith and trust, with a contrite and humble heart. After your sincere repentance, expressed in the words of King David, the forgiveness of your sins shall immediately shine upon you from the Lord, and your spiritual powers will be at peace. The most important thing in life is to be zealous for mutual love, and not to judge anyone. Everybody shall answer for himself to God, and you must look to yourself. Beware of malice.

_- St. John on Krondstat_

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## TER

God says, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (Deut. 6:5); yet how much have the fathers said and written  and still say and write  without equaling what is contained in that single phrase? For, as St Basil the Great has said, to love God with all your soul means to love nothing together with God; for if someone loves his own soul, he loves God, not with all his soul, but only partially; and if we love ourselves and innumerable other things as well, how can we love God or dare to claim that we love Him? It is the same with love of ones neighbor. If we are not willing to sacrifice this temporal life, or perhaps even the life to come, for the sake of our neighbor, as were Moses and St. Paul, how can we say that we love him? For Moses said to God concerning his people, If Thou wilt forgive their sins, forgive; but if not, blot me as well out of the book of life which Thou hast written (Ex. 32:32 LXX); while St. Paul said, For I could wish that I myself were severed from Christ for the sake of my brethren (Rom. 9:3). He prayed, that is to say, that he should perish in order that others might be saved  and these others were the Israelites who were seeking to kill him.

_- St. Peter of Damascus_

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## TER

One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain. Those who are devout and whose intellect enjoys the love of God participate in the life of virtue; the ordinary intellect, however, is worldly and wavering, producing both good and evil thoughts, because it is changeful by nature and directed towards material things. But the intellect that enjoys the love of God punishes the evil which arises spontaneously because of man’s laziness.

_- St. Anthony the Great_

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## TER

Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our enemies in such way that we pity their souls as if they were our own children.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

If you are remembering evil against someone, then pray for him; and as you remove through prayer the pain of the remembrance of the evil he has done, you will stop the advance of the passion. And when you have attained brotherly love and love for mankind, you will completely cast this passion out of your soul. Then when someone else does evil to you, be affectionate and humble toward him, and treat him kindly, and you will deliver him from this passion.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

It is a great art to succeed in having your soul sanctied.  A person can become a saint anywhere. He can become a saint in Omonoia Square*, if he wants. At your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love. Make a new start every day, with new resolution, with enthusiasm and love, prayer and silence — not with anxiety so that you get a pain in the chest.

_- St. Porphyrios_ 


* Omonoia Square: the commercial center of Athens, also synonymous with vice and corruption

----------


## TER

When you are insulted by someone or humiliated, guard against angry thoughts, lest they arouse a feeling of irritation, and so cut you off from love and place you in the realm of hatred.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

Every man on earth is sick with the fever of sin, with the blindness of sin and is overcome with its fury. As sins consist mostly of malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from the malady of sin with kindness and love. This is an important truth, which we often forget. Very often we act in the opposite manner: we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride with pride. Thus, evil grows within us and does not decrease; it is not cured – rather it spreads.

_- St. John of Krondstat_

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## TER

Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.

_- St. Isaac of Syria_

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## TER

If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

----------


## TER

If we want, Christian, to have our heart filled with divine love we must first empty them of the love of this world, its frivolous and sinful customs and then turn our hearts to the one God, our only good and happiness and eternal beatitude.

_- St. Tickhon of Zadonsk_

----------


## TER

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbor. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important. And whoever loves God more on earth will be in greater glory in His Kingdom.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

----------


## TER

'You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble.’ (James 2:19)

They alone know how to believe in God who love God, who are Christians not only in name but also in action and [way of] life, because without love faith is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian —without love, the faith of a demon.”

_- St. Bede the Venerable_

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## TER

Do not say that you are the temple of the Lord, writes Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 7:4); nor should you say that faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save you, for this is impossible unless you also acquire love for Him through your works.

As for faith by itself, the devils also believe, and tremble. (Jas. 2:19)

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

When a man receives something Divine, in his heart he rejoices; but when he receives something diabolic, he is disturbed. The Christian heart, when it has received something Divine, does not demand anything else in order to convince it that this is precisely from the Lord; but by that very effect it is convinced that this is heavenly, for it senses within itself spiritual fruits: love, joy, peace, and the rest (cf. Gal. 5:22).

_- St. Seraphim of Sarov_

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## Sola_Fide

> Do not say that you are the temple of the Lord, writes Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 7:4); nor should you say that faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save you, for this is impossible unless you also acquire love for Him through your works.
> 
> As for faith by itself, ‘the devils also believe, and tremble.’ (Jas. 2:19)
> 
> _- St. Maximos the Confessor_


This is horribly wrong.  This is the opposite of Christianity.   The Bible, in so many places and so many ways, declares that there is no amount of works that can save you.   This is the religion of the world.   All the world's religions say that man must do good works to be saved.  Christianity says that it is only _Christ's_ perfect works that can save, and a man is saved by fully trusting in _Christ's_ works for salvation. 

Don't be misled by these worldly Pharisaical liars who say that man must do works to be saved.  

As for the verse in James, the demons believe God is one.  Well, that is not saving faith.  Monotheism alone is not saving faith.  The reason the demons aren't saved is because they believe in the wrong propositions.   Jews or Muslims are not saved either, because monotheism alone is not saving faith.  Saving faith is something that is Christocentric.

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## TER

'I believe in one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.’ Do you believe that all Orthodox Christians are members of one and the same body, and that therefore we must all ‘keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” must care for one… another, help one another? Do you believe that the saints are likewise members of the one body of Christ – that is, of the Church, and are our brethren, interceding for us before God in heaven? Do you respect every Christian, as a member of Christ, as His brother according to human nature? Do you love everybody as yourself, as your own flesh and blood? Do you generously forgive offenses? Do you help others in need, if you yourself have means? Do you teach the ignorant? Do you turn the sinner from the error of his ways? Do you comfort those who are in affliction? Faith in the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church inspires, obliges you to do all this; and for all this you are promised a great reward from the Head of the Church – our Lord Jesus Christ.

_- St. John of Kronstadt_

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## TER

To love Christ means not to be a hireling, not to look upon a noble life as an enterprise or trade, but to be a true benefactor and to do everything only for the sake of love for God

_- St. John Chrysostom_

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## TER

God is loving to man, and loving in no small measure. For say not, I have committed fornication and adultery: I have done dreadful things, and not once only, but often: will He forgive? Will He grant pardon? Hear what the Psalmist says: _How great is the multitude of Your goodness, O Lord!_

Your accumulated offenses surpass not the multitude of Gods mercies: your wounds surpass not the great Physicians skill. Only give yourself up in faith: tell the Physician your ailment: say thou also, like David: _I said, I will confess me my sin unto the Lord_: and the same shall be done in your case, which he says immediately: _And you forgave the wickedness of my heart._

_- St. Cyril of Jerusalem_

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## TER

What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers … For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' (Luke 23:34)

_- St. Augustine of Hippo_

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## TER

If you find that there is no love in you, but you want to have it, then do deeds of love, even though you do them without love in the beginning. The Lord will see you desire and striving and will put love in your heart.

_- St. Ambrose of Optina_

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## TER

“Love covers a multitude of sins,” (I Pet. 4:8). That is, for love towards one’s neighbor, God forgives the sins of the one who loves.

_- St. Theophan the Recluse_

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## TER

When a man’s intellect is constantly with God, his desire grows beyond all measure into an intense longing for God and his incisiveness is completely transformed into divine love. For by continual participation in the divine radiance his intellect becomes totally filled with light; and when it has reintegrated its passable aspect, it redirects this aspect towards God, as we have said, filling it with an incomprehensible and intense longing for Him and with unceasing love, thus drawing it entirely away from worldly things to the divine.

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

..without love, the works of virtue are not praiseworthy or profitable to the man who practices them, and the same is true of love without works. St. Paul makes this fully clear with reference to works when he writes to the Corinthians, 'If I do this and that, but have no love, it profits me nothing' (cf. I Cor. 13:1-3); and with reference to love the disciple especially beloved by Christ writes, 'Let us not love in word or tongue but in action and truth' (I John 3:18).

_- St. Gregory Palamas_

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## TER

An old man was asked, 'How can I find God?' He said, 'In fasting, in watching, in labors, in devotion, and, above all, in discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that which God seeks: charity and humility.

_- The Desert Fathers_

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## TER

And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." Divine Truth is contained and found in the commandments of the Gospel. Divine love gives us will, strength, and perseverance for we walk after the [divine] commandments, for we walk after His commandments in them and with them. Our love -- as much towards the Lord Christ as towards men -- consists of living according to the commandments of Christ. For at the end, everything comes back to this double commandment: the commandment of love of God and one's neighbor. This is why the holy Evangelist recalls all the commandments to a single one: This is the commandment, That ... you walk in it [love]. We now know that the entire Gospel of Christ is contained in the single commandment on love: he who lives in love lives in Christ God. Thus, he who fulfills the Gospel of God is deserving of heaven and earth. 

_- St. Justin Popovich_

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## TER

Christ's words that the 'first will be last, and the last will be first' (Mt.19:30) refer to those who participate in the virtues and those who participate in love. For love is the last of the virtues to be born in the heart, but it is the first in value, so that those born before it turn out to be 'the last.'

_- St. Mark the Ascetic_

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## TER

For him who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of dispassion there is no difference between his own and another's, or between Christians and unbelievers, or between slave and free, or even between male and female. But because he has risen above the tyranny of the passions and has fixed his attention on the single nature of man, he looks on all in the same way and show the same disposition to all. 

_- St. Maximos the Confessor_

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## TER

He who loves God consciously in his heart is known by God (cf. I Cor. 8:3), for to the degree that he receives the love of God consciously in his soul, he truly enters into God's love. From that time on, such a man never loses an intense longing for the illumination of spiritual knowledge...

_- St. Diadochos of Photiki_

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## TER

He who loves the Lord has first loved his brother, because the second is a proof of the first. 

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

He who says that he loves the Lord but is angry with his brother is like a man who dreams that he is running.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## TER

He who truly loves God, is devoted to His holy will; and no matter what might befall him, he accepts everything, as from the hand of God, with the firm faith that all this serves to his spiritual benefit. For the soul that is devoted to God, the misfortunes that befall it in this life serve as steps leading it up to perfection.

_- St. John Climacus_

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## otherone

Is it possible to love God, and not your brother?
Or love your brother, and not God?

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## TER

Love does not depend on time, and the power of love continues always. There are some who believe that the Lord suffered death for love of man but because they do not attain to this love in their own souls, it seems to them that it is all an old story of bygone days. But when the soul knows the love of God through the Holy Spirit, she feels without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is our Father, the closest and dearest of fathers, and there is no greater happiness than to love God with all our mind, with all our heart and with all our soul, according to the Lord’s commandment, and our neighbor as ourself.

And when this love is in the soul, everything rejoices her, but when it is lost sight of, man cannot find peace, and is troubled, and blames others as if they had done him an injury, and does not realize that he himself is at fault: he has lost his love for God and has accused, or conceived a hatred for, his brother. Grace proceeds from brotherly love, and by brotherly love is grace preserved; but if we do not love our brother, then the grace of God will not come into our souls.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

The Lord is always waiting for us to unite ourselves with Him in love; but instead, we drift further and further away from Him. We know that there can be no life without love. This means that there is no life without God, for God is Love. But His love is not according to the understanding of the world. The love that the world gives us consists of suffering and enslavement, because the spirits of evil interfere with it. There is a little bit of love, but mostly it is just enslavement.

_- Elder Thaddeus_

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## TER

The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he does not have personal advantage as his aim. But as soon as he has realized the beauty of doing good, he does it with all his energies and in all that he does.

He is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

_—St. Clement of Alexandria_

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## TER

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

_—Romans 13:8-10 (by St. Paul, the Beloved Apostle of Jesus Christ)_

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## TER

“But I say to you,” the Lord says, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you.” Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God.

_– St. Maximus the Confessor_

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## TER

He who has love in Christ must observe the commandments of Christ. The binding power of the love of God - who is able to set it forth? The radiance of His beauty - who can voice it to satisfaction? The sublimity to which love leads up is unutterable. Love unites us with God, love covers a multitude of sins; love endures everything, is long-suffering to the last; there is nothing vulgar, nothing conceited, in love; love creates no schism; love does not quarrel; love preserves perfect harmony. In love all the elect of God reached perfection, apart from love nothing is pleasing to God. In love the Master took us to Himself. Because of the love which He felt for us, Jesus Christ Our Lord gave His Blood for us by the will of God, His Body for our bodies, and His soul for our souls. 

_- St. Clement of Rome_

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## TER

A certain monk told me that when he was very sick, his mother said to his father, “How our little boy is suffering. I would gladly give myself to be cut up into pieces if that would ease his suffering.” Such is the love of God for people. He pitied people so much that he wanted to suffer for them, like their own mother, and even more. But no one can understand this great love without the grace of the Holy Spirit.

_- St. Silouan the Athonite_

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## TER

I also maintain that those who are punished in Gehenna are scourged by the scourge of love.

Nay, what is so bitter and vehement as the torment of love?

I mean that those who have become conscious that they have sinned against love suffer greater torment from this than from any fear of punishment.

For the sorrow caused in the heart by sin against love is more poignant than any torment.

It would be improper for a man to think that sinners in Gehenna are deprived of the love of God.

Love is the offspring of knowledge of the truth which, as is commonly confessed, is given to all.

The power of love works in two ways. It torments sinners, even as happens here when a friend suffers from a friend.

But it becomes a source of joy for those who have observed its duties.

Thus I say that this is the torment of Gehenna: bitter regret.

But love inebriates the souls of the sons of Heaven by its delectability.

_- St. Isaac the Syrian_

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## TER

Christians, have we understood the great responsibility that we have taken on before God through baptism? Have we come to know that we must conduct ourselves as children of God, that we must align our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, that we must love God with all our hearts and always patiently await union with Him? Have we thought about the fact that our heart should be so filled with love that it should overflow to our neighbor? Do we have the feeling that we must become holy and perfect, children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven? We must struggle for this, so that we may not be shown unworthy and rejected. Let none of us lose our boldness, nor neglect our duties, nor be afraid of the difficulties of spiritual struggle. For we have God as a helper, who strengthens us in the difficult path of virtue.

_- St. Nektarios of Aegina_

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## TER

Such are the souls of the saints: they love their enemies more than themselves, and in this age and in the age to come they put their neighbor first in all things, even though because of his ill-will he may be their enemy. They do not seek recompense from those whom they love, but because they have themselves received they rejoice in giving to others all that they have, so that they may conform to their Benefactor and imitate His compassion to the best of their ability; ‘for He is bountiful to the thankless and to sinners’ (cf. Luke 6:35).

_- St. Peter of Damascus_

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## TER

The Lord loves all people, but He loves those who seek Him even more. To his chosen ones the Lord gives such great grace that for love they forsake the whole earth, the whole world, and their souls burn with desire that all people might be saved and see the glory of the Lord. 

- St. Silouan the Athonite

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## TER

A certain monk told me that when he was very sick, his mother said to his father, "How our little boy is suffering. I would gladly give myself to be cut up into pieces if that would ease his suffering." Such is the love of God for people. He pitied people so much that he wanted to suffer for them, like their own mother, and even more. But no one can understand this great love without the grace of the Holy Spirit. 

- St. Silouan the Athonite,

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## TER

How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside of themselves, in foreign lands and journeys, in riches and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in diversions and vain things, which have a bitter end! In the same thing to construct the tower of happiness outside of ourselves as it is to build a house in a place that is consistently shaken by earthquakes. Happiness is found within ourselves and blessed is the man who has understood this. Happiness is a pure heart, for such a heart becomes the throne of God. Thus, says Christ of those who have pure hearts: "I will visit them, and will walk in them, and I will be a God to them, and they will be my people." (II Cor. 6:16) What can be lacking to them? Nothing, nothing at all! For they have the greatest good in their hearts: God Himself! 

- St. Nektarios of Aegina

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## TER

The soul that loves God has its rest in God and in God alone. In all the paths that men walk in in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God. 

- St. Isaac the Syrian

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## TER

Truth is not a thought, not a word, not a relationship between things, not a law. Truth is a Person. It is a Being which exceeds all beings and gives life to all. If you seek truth with love and for the sake of love, she will reveal the light of His face to you inasmuch as you are able to bear it without being burned. 

- St.Nicholas of Serbia

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## TER

God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves. 

- St. John Chrysostom

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## TER

As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience.  

- St. Basil the Great

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## TER

Many rich and powerful men would pay dearly to see the Lord or His Most Pure Mother, but God does not appear in riches, but in the humble heart... Every one of the poorest men can be humble and come to know God. It need neither money nor reputation to come to know God, but only humility. 

- St. Silouan the Athonite

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## TER

No matter how much we may study, it is not possible to come to know God unless we live according to His commandments, for God is not known by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to the belief that God exists, but they did not know God. It is one thing to believe that God exists and another to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound to any earthly thing. 

- St. Silouan the Athonite

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## heavenlyboy34

> As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience.  
> 
> - St. Basil the Great


Is this from one of the homilies? If so, please cite it-I'd like to read the whole thing.

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## TER

> Is this from one of the homilies? If so, please cite it-I'd like to read the whole thing.


It’s hidden in this page, about 60% of the way down.   This was the best source I could find on the internet. 

It’s from his commentary on Psalm 29

http://ia802605.us.archive.org/22/it...29mbp_djvu.txt

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## aikon

I'm gonna throw in my beloved Augustine:

"So, what does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men."

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## TER

Greetings my friends.

I wish you all well and ask for your forgiveness.  May the Lord forgive us.  

A blessed Pascha (Easter) to those who celebrated on Sunday and Kali Anastasi to those who will be celebrating this approaching Sunday.

Christ is Risen and has overcome the world!  Have strength and courage and faith.

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