Saint Macarius the Great is Asked About the Way in Which One Should Pray

Saints Macarius the Great, Onuphrius the Great & Peter the Athonite

Abba Macarius was asked, ‘How should one pray?’ The old man said, ‘There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one’s hands and say, “Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.” And if the conflict grows fiercer say “Lord, help!” He knows very well what we need and he shews us his mercy.

* This excerpt was taken from the book “The Sayings of the Desert Fathers” which was translated by Benedicta Ward

Saint Isaac the Syrian on Doing At Least the Little Things

St. Isaac the Syrian

If you cannot be merciful, at least speak as though you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, at least do not be a troublemaker. If you cannot be assiduous, at least in your thought be unlike like a sluggard. If you are not victorious, do not exalt yourself over the vanquished. If you cannot close the mouth of a man who disparages his companion, at least refrain from joining him in this.

* This excerpt was taken from the book  “The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian”

Fr. Demetrius Staniloae on the Passions

Fr. Demetrius Staniloae

The passions represent the lowest level to which human nature can fall.  Both their Greek name, pathi, as well as the Latin, passiones, show that man is brought by them to a state of passivity, of slavery. In fact, they overcome the will, so that the man of the passions is no longer a man of will; we say that he is a man ruled, enslaved, carried along by the passions.

Another characteristic of the passions is that in the man unquenchable thirst is manifested, which seeks to be quenched and can’t be. Blondel says that they represent man’s thirst for the infinite, turned in a direction in which they can’t find their satisfaction. Dostoevsky has a similar idea.

Nilus the Ascetic writes that the stomach, by gluttony, becomes a sea impossible to fill – a good description of any passion. This always unsatisfied infinity is due both to the passion in itself, as well as to the object with which it seeks satisfaction. The objects which the passions look for can’t satisfy them because objects are finite and as such don’t correspond to the unlimited thirst of the passions. Or as St. Maximus puts it, the passionate person finds himself in a continuous preoccupation with nothing; he tries to appease his infinite thirst with the nothingness of his passions, and the objects which he is gobbling up become nothing, by their very nature. In fact, a passion by its very nature searches for objects, and it seeks them only because they can be completely under the control of the ego, and at its mercy. But objects by nature are finite, both as sources of satisfaction and in regard to duration; they pass easily into nonexistence, by consumption. Even when the passion also needs the human person in order to be satisfied, it likewise reduces him or her to an object, or sees and uses only the objective side; the unfathomable depths hidden in the subjective side escape him.

http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/the-essence-of-the-passions-staniloae/

Saint John Climacus on the Blessed State of Repentant Sinners

St. John Climacus

I consider those fallen mourners more blessed than those who have not fallen and are not mourning over themselves; because as a result of their fall, they have risen by a sure resurrection.

* This excerpt was taken from the book “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” by St. John Climacus

Metropolitan Philaret of New York on the Faith of Non-Orthodox Christians

Metropolitan Philaret Voznesensky of New York

It is self evident, however, that sincere Christians who are Roman Catholics, or Lutherans, or members, of other non-Orthodox confessions, cannot be termed renegades or heretics—i.e. those who knowingly pervert the truth… They have been born and raised and are living according to the creed which they have inherited, just as do the majority of you who are Orthodox; in their lives there has not been a moment of personal and conscious renunciation of Orthodoxy. The Lord, “Who will have all men to be saved” (I Tim. 2:4) and “Who enlightens every man born into the world” (Jn. 1.43), undoubtedly is leading them also towards salvation in His own way.

http://orrologion.blogspot.com/2009/06/towards-salvation-in-his-own-way.html

Fr. Justin Popovich on Knowledge and Asceticism

Fr. Justin Popovich

The more a man exercises himself in the virtues, the greater becomes his knowledge of God. The more he knows God, the greater is his asceticism. This is an empirical and pragmatic path. “If any man will do his [God’s] will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God.” (John 7:17)  In other words: It is by living the truth of Christ that one comes to know its veracity and uniqueness. This is truly an empirical, experimental and pragmatic path. The knowledge of the truth is not given to the curious but to those who follow the ascetic way. Knowledge is a fruit on the tree of virtues, which is the tree of life. Knowledge comes from asceticism. For the true Christian, Orthodox philosophy is in fact the theanthropic ascesis of the intellect and of the whole person. Here, those arresting words of the Savior are especially significant. “Him who hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” (Luke 8:18)

* This excerpt was taken from the book “Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ” by Fr. Justin Popovich

Saint Moses the Ethiopian is Asked to Judge his Brother

St. Moses the Ethiopian

A brother at Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to say to him, ‘Come, for everyone is waiting for you.’ So he got up and went. He took a leaking jug, filled it with water and carried it with him. The others came out to meet him and said to him, ‘What is this, Father?’ The old man said to them, ‘My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another.’ When they heard that they said no more to the brother but forgave him.

* This excerpt was taken from the book “The Sayings of the Desert Fathers” translated by Benedicta Ward

Saint John Chrysostom on One’s Conscience

St. John Chrysostom

Though a man who has committed a sin and performed an iniquitous deed be successful in hiding from all men, yet from the judgment of his own conscience he cannot hide. On the contrary, he always bears about in himself this accuser, which disturbs him, torments him and never slackens. Like a diligent physician, it never ceases to offer its medicines; and though it is not obeyed, even then it does not let up, but continues constantly to be concerned; it continuously reminds us of sin, not allowing the sinner to come to oblivion, in order at least through this to make us not so inclined toward previous sins.

http://theburningbush.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/st-john-chrysostom-on-the-conscience/

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Creation

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia

Nature is sacred. The world is a sacrament of the divine presence, a means of communion with God. The environment consists not in dead matter, but in living relationships. The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory.

http://www.orth-transfiguration.org/library/orthodoxy/through/

Saint Nicholas Velimirovic of Zica on Pride

St. Nicholas Velimirovic of Zica

No one, not even the Lord Himself, takes pleasure in instructing the proud. No one wants to give instruction to him who cries out that he knows everything. Mysteries shall be revealed to the meek, says the wise Sirach (Sirach 3:19). David also speaks of God, saying: He guides the meek to justice, He teaches the meek His way (Psalm 25:9). The proud person is he who wants to teach everyone yet does not want to be taught anything by anyone. The humble man is he who does not wish to teach anyone but continually desires to be taught by someone, no matter whom. An empty ear of corn raises its head above the field, and the full ear of corn hangs down with a bowed head.

O proud man, if only your guardian angel would somehow remove the veil from your eyes and show you the endless open sea of all that you do not know. You would kneel before every man before whom you have exhibited pride and kneel before every man whom you have belittled. You would cry out lamenting: “Forgive me, forgive me! I do not know anything!”

* This excerpt was taken from the book “The Prologue of Ohrid” by St. Nicholas Velimirovic