Quotes: The Fathers of The Faith

Joannicius · Feb 14, 2005

Please join with me in sharing the great quotes of our Fathers in The Faith that we may learn more of knowing our Creator.

"Unless a man hates all the activity of this world, he cannot worship God. What then is meant by the worship of God? It means that we have nothing extraneous in our intellect when we are praying to Him: neither sensual pleasure as we bless Him, nor malice as we sing His praise, nor hatred as we exalt Him, nor jealousy to hinder us as we speak to Him and call Him to mind. For all these things are full of darkness"

Isaiah the Solitary

No*s · Feb 15, 2005

This is a good thread Joannicus. It came at a good time. I'll add to it later.

No*s · Feb 16, 2005

I saw this one just now in an article on fasting. I really liked it:

Now, having seen clearly and definitely that spiritual life and perfection do not only consist in these visible virtues, of which we have spoken, you must also learn that it consists in nothing but coming near to God and union with Him, as was said in the beginning. -- St. Theophon the Recluse

Joannicius · Feb 16, 2005

St. Theophon the Recluse knew God, I do believe.
His writings are RICH

Thanks
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From St. John of the Ladder
(for those who don't know The Ladder is a book a lot of the monastics read every Lent......it's a difficult read)

Some people carelessly living in the world inquired of me: How can we, who have wives and are taken up with social cares, lead the solitary life? I replied to them as follows: All of the good works that you are able to dodo them. Speak evil of no one. Do not tell lies to anyone. Do not boast to anyone. Do not hate anyone. Do not be absent from the Divine Services. Be generous to those who have need of help. Do not offend anyone. Do not take that which belongs to another. And be satisfied with that which your wives give you. If you do this, you will not be far away from the Kingdom of Heaven.

No*s · Feb 19, 2005

From the Harrowing of Hades:

Then the King of Glory in his majesty
trampled on death,
and laid hold of Prince Satan
and delivered him to the power of Hades,
and drew Adam to him,
to his own brightness.

No*s · Feb 19, 2005

From the Divine Liturgy:

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish.
The Lord will reign forever; Thy God, O Zion, to all generations.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Only-begotten Son and Immortal Word of God,
Who for our salvation didst will to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary,
Who without change didst become man and wast crucified,
Who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit:
O Christ our God, trampling down death by death, save us!

Joannicius · Feb 22, 2005

I love the fact that our Lord trampled down death by death!

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Here is a prayer by St. Basis the Great

(one of few true theologian by Orthodox definition)

Almighty God, Lord of angels and all creation, Who dwell on high yet care for the lowly, Who search the heart and know every hidden thing, eternal and unchanging Light, we trust in Your great mercy to hear the prayers offered from our unclean lips. Forgive the sins we have committed in knowledge or in ignorance, in thought, word, or deed; and cleanse us, body and soul, from every stain. Allow us to pass through the darkness of this present life watchful and alert, always expecting the coming bright day of Your Only-begotten Son, our Lord, God, and Savior, jesus Christ. He shall come in glory to judge all people and reward us according to our deeds. Help us to put away laziness, be full of courage, and be found doing His work ready to enter His glorious kingdom with joy. You are the true light of every creature, and to You all creation sings. Amen

No*s · Feb 22, 2005

We need not forget the Jesus Prayer

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Joannicius · Feb 23, 2005

That's a truth beyond words!!!!!!!!!!

Joannicius · Feb 25, 2005

One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

IT IS ONE, since it is the mystical body of Christ, which cannot be divided. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph. 4:5, 6) Our Lord Himself prayed that the Church might be "one" even as He and the Father are one (John 17:22)

IT IS HOLY because "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27),

IT IS CATHOLIC, because it is full and complete, for all peoples, and cover every aspect of life. In it there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all in all." (Colossians 3:11)

IT IS APOSTOLIC, because it preserves the Apostolic Church without break or change in doctrine and in apostolic succession. It has the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 1:3) The term "Orthodox" is used as a summary of all the four marks of the Church. Basically it means "right-teaching" and implies the worship of God in the right way.

No*s · Feb 26, 2005

It is better to be silent and be real, than to talk and not be real. It is good to teach, if one does what one says. Now there is one such teacher, who "spoke and it happened"; indeed, even the things which he has done in silence are worthy of the Father. Th one who truly possesses the word of Jesus is able to hear this silence, that he may be perfect, that he may act through what he says and be known through his silence. Nothing is hidden from the Lord; even our secrets are close to him. Therefore let us do everything with the knowledge that he dwells in us, in order that we may be his temples, an dhe may be in us as our God--as, in fact, he really is, as will be made clear in our sight by the love which we justly have for him.

St. Ignatius to the Ephesians

michel · Feb 26, 2005

Prayer of St Columba

Be,Lord Jesus, a bright flame before me,
aguiding star above me,
a smooth path below me,
a kindly shepherd behind me,
today, tonight, and forever.

Sava · Feb 27, 2005

[font=&quot]"Orthodox Christianity is clearly the tradition that was given us who are flesh and blood of the Westand it can be clearly seen in the Western Europe of the first ten centuries. But it also happens that Orthodox Christianity is not merely a tradition like any other, a handing down of spiritual wisdom from the past; it is Gods Truth here and nowit gives us immediate contact with God such as no other tradition can do."

"Orthodox Christians, surrounded by and already swimming in a sea of humanist-worldly philosophy and practice, must do everything possible to create their own islands, in that sea, of other-worldly, God-oriented thought and practice."

- Bl. Fr. Seraphim Rose
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Sava · Feb 27, 2005

[font=&quot]The world is the general name for all passions. When we wish to call the passions by a common name, we call them the world. But when we wish to distinguish them by their special names, we call them passions. The passions are the following: love of riches, desire for possessions, bodily pleasures from which comes sexual passion, love of honor gives rise to envy, lust for power, arrogance and pride of position, the craving to adorn oneself with luxurious clothing and vain ornaments, the itch for human glory which is a source of rancor and resentment, and physical fear. Where these passions cease to be active, there the world is dead... Someone has said of the Saints that while alive they were dead; for though living in the flesh, they did not live for the flesh. See for which of these passions you are alive. Then you will know how far you are alive to the world, and how far you are dead to it.

- St. Issac the Syrian
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Sava · Feb 27, 2005

[font=&quot]"I hear a man boasting not that he has a knowledge of the Scriptures, but rather that he possesses a Bible written in golden characters. And tell me then, of what profit is this? The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts."
[/font][font=&quot]
"You are a hopeless lot. You know the names of all the charioteers but not even the names of the evangelists."

- St. John Chrysostom
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Sava · Feb 27, 2005

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"The time will come when the devil puts himself inside a box and starts shouting; and his horns will stick out from the roof-tiles."

"They will ask for your rifles. Retain two. Give one and keep the other. A single rifle will save a hundred souls."

"Out of schools will come things which your mind can't imagine. "

"You will see people flying in the sky like blackbirds and hurling fire on the earth. Those alive then will run to the graves and shout: "Come out, you who are dead, and let us who are living in.""

- Prophecies of St. Kosmas Aitolos

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Sava · Feb 27, 2005

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West, while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exlusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Ireneus, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth--no one.

- St. Sava

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No*s · Feb 27, 2005

Thank you for those Sava. I've been meaning to read some of Fr. Seraphim Rose's books, but have read only a little (he seemed to have insight on many things, though I'm a little nervous about the toll-houses). I especially liked those prophecies. I may have to find out more about St. Kosmas Aitolos

.

Joannicius · Feb 27, 2005

Sava said:
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West, while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exlusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Ireneus, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth--no one.

- St. Sava

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I haven't read much about St. Sava, and this is good to have you here with us.
Thanks for the quotes.

Joannicius · Mar 8, 2005

"The proud man thinks he can comprehend everything with his mind. The Lord does not grant this... The Lord does not manifest Himself to the proud soul.

Pride is difficult to detect in oneself, but the Lord leaves the proud to be tormented by their impotence until they humble themselves."

St. Silouan of Mount Athos

"Send your treasures to the heavenly storage room. Deposit your wealth in Gods Bank, distributing it to the poor, the orphans and the widows, so that you can receive a million times more in the Second coming of Christ."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

"Never refer to an enemy using scandalous names, but use respectful ones; on hearing this, your soul will learn from the tongue, become accustomed and undergo a change of heart towards him."

--St. John Chrysostom

Quotes: The Fathers of The Faith

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