The Church Fathers
“ Our holy fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and concentrated wholly on this one doing , that is , on guarding the heart , convinced that , through this practice , they would easily attain every other virtue , whereas without it not a single virtue can be firmly established .”
-- St . Symeon the New Theologian , 949 - 1022 , Cyprus §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
“ Oh , what great happiness and bliss , what exaltation it is to address oneself to the Eternal Father . Always , without fail , value this joy which has been accorded to you by God ’ s infinite grace and do not forget it during your prayers ; God , the angels and God ’ s holy men listen to you .”
-- St . John of Kronstadt , 1829 - 1901 , Russia
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“ The Holy Spirit often visits us ; but if He does not find rest how can He remain ? He departs . Joy is in the hearts of those who are cleansed and who are able to maintain within themselves the grace of the Holy Spirit of the All-holy Trinity . There is no greater joy and happiness for man . I am not able to describe to you how one feels then .”
“ The evil one cannot comprehend the joy we receive from the spiritual life ; for this reason he is jealous of us , he envies us and sets traps for us , and we become grieved and fall . We must struggle , because without struggles we do not obtain virtues .
The Drunk Monk and Elder Paisios
Once on Mount Athos there was a monk who lived in Karyes . He drank and got drunk every day and was the cause of scandal to the pilgrims . Eventually he died and this relieved some of the faithful who went on to tell Elder Paisios that they were delighted that this huge problem was finally solved .
Father Paisios answered them that he knew about the death of the monk , after seeing the entire battalion of angels who came to collect his soul . The pilgrims were amazed and some protested and tried to explain to the Elder of whom they were talking about , thinking that the Elder did not understand .
Elder Paisios explained to them : “ This particular monk was born in Asia Minor , shortly before the destruction by the Turks when they gathered all the boys . So as not to take him from their parents , they would take him with them to the reaping , and so he wouldn ’ t cry , they just put raki into his milk in order for him to sleep . Therefore he grew up as an alcoholic . There he found an elder and said to him that he was an alcoholic . The elder told him to do prostrations and prayers every night and beg the Panagia to help him to reduce by one the glasses he drank .
After a year he managed with struggle and repentance to make the 20 glasses he drank into 19 glasses . The struggle continued over the years and he reached 2-3 glasses , with which he would still get drunk .”
-- Elder Ieronymos of Aegina , 1883 - 1966 , Greece §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
“ The Holy Eucharist is the first , most important , and greatest miracle of Christ . All the other Gospel miracles are secondary . How could we not call the greatest miracle the fact that simple bread and wine were once transformed by the Lord into His very Body and His very Blood , and then have continued to be transformed for nearly two thousand years by the prayers of priests , who are but simple human beings ? And what is more , this mystery has continued to effect a miraculous change in those people who communicate of the Divine Mysteries with faith and humility .”
“ If you do good , you must do it only for God . For this reason you must pay no attention to the ingratitude of people . Expect a reward not here , but from the Lord in heaven . If you expect it here - it will be in vain and you will endure deprivation .”
The world for years saw an alcoholic monk who scandalized the pilgrims , but God saw a fighter who fought a long struggle to reduce his passion .
Without knowing what each one is trying to do what he wants to do , what right do we have to judge his effort ?
It is necessary most of all for one who is fasting to curb anger , to accustom himself to meekness and condescension , to have a contrite heart , to repulse impure thoughts and desires , to examine his conscience , to put his mind to the test and to verify what good has been done by us in this or any other week , and which deficiency we have corrected in ourself in the present week . This is true fasting .
Holy Hierarch Basil the Great
-- St . Ambrose of Optina , 1812 - 1891 , Russia
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The Apostle ’ s Path 7