St. Nikolai (Velimirovic)
There is nothing in this world more loathsome than ingratitude, nothing more offensive or more destructive to the soul.
Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)
Her whole life was an example for all of us Christians; and Her Dormition is also an example for us, so that our passing into eternal life might be peaceful and calm, as if falling asleep.
Fr. Dn. Paul Siewers
To follow St. Laurence in witness, without tempting God but with a desire to bear witness without compromising our faith in our Lord, is not just sentimental idealism, but a form of spiritual warfare.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
Christians must fear sinning, lest they lose the grace of God.
Priest Leonid Bartkov
When we justify our cohabitation as a “psychological test,” we are not just falling—we are trying to pass off our fall as a rise.
Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)
For a Christian, wealth is not the purpose of life at all. If wealth comes into a Christian’s life, it is a trust, a calling to serve his neighbor.
Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)
The end of the world will come not from the increase of sins, but from the inability to forgive.
Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic
For Orthodoxy, the fundamental goal is the deification of man, his transformation in Christ, and not anything of this world.
Every passion that takes root in our hearts is a harbinger of war. The guarding of the senses, the guarding of the mind, and of judgment expressed aloud, should keep us from this all-encompassing war.
Archimandrite Sofian (Boghiu)
This is precisely what today’s feast calls each of us to do: to undergo an inward transformation, to be purified and enlightened, and to bring our lives into harmony with the holy will of God, who always desires what is good and blessed for us and for all mankind.
Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)
Here is the ideal that Christ left us: meekness, the spirit of humility, the spirit of love, and the spirit of self-sacrifice—this is always associated with self-emptying; we will always have to humble ourselves.
Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)
Outward domination of one person over another is fundamentally incompatible with the preaching of the Cross.
Fr. James Guirguis
The Lord says in effect, “I have forgiven and will continue to forgive you, but you must also forgive others continually.”
Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov)
These Seven Holy Youths fell into a deep and sound sleep; they did not die, but rather fell asleep, and they told this story themselves almost two centuries after they were sealed in this cave.
Forgiveness is not amnesia. Forgiveness is not saying, “Nothing terrible happened.” No, something terrible did happen. Evil is evil. Forgiveness is not reconciliation with evil. Forgiveness is renouncing personal revenge. It is breaking the chain of evil within oneself.
Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)
Our faith is called Christianity because Christ is at its center. We look to Him, we strive towards Him, and we become like Him.
Sanctity inspires, heals, and calls us to goodness. It proves that the Gospel is not a distant ideal but real life, accessible to each of us.
For the hermits, silence was the battlefield of continuous spiritual warfare. In solitude, the usual worldly concerns disappeared, and a person was left face to face with his own passions and with temptations from the evil one and the demons.
While God speaks to us about grace and forgiveness, people speak about laws and punishments. Strength forgives, but weakness punishes.
In our neighbor, we find either salvation or perdition.
