Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic
Every sin is usually preceded by a simple thought, depending on a person’s particular weakness. If there is no habit of cutting off such thoughts, they gradually grow and develop, eventually enslaving the person.
As the great spiritual father of our time, Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), observes, all the wartime “slaughters” of biblical Israel depicted in the Old Testament are but a prefiguration of the mental annihilation of sinful thoughts, so that no trace of them remains.
Bishop Veniamin (Milov)
The saints of Russia shine like bright stars in the Church’s firmament. They shine upon us with the light of their spiritual feats, their moods, their holy words and deeds, inspiring us to imitate them.
It makes no difference whether a man carries in his bag a single stone weighing one hundred kilograms, or a thousand pebbles weighing one hundred grams each: on his back he will be carrying the same weight.
Here the analogy with medicine is almost complete, with the priest being only a servant of the True Physician of soul and body—the Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore very important to find a priest who is spiritually experienced, so that he may adequately treat the wounds of our soul.
Repentance is not merely a matter of feeling sorry for having committed a sin. True repentance is precisely what the original word signifies—a change of mind—meaning the acquisition of an entirely new way of thinking and acting.
Priest Tarasiy Borozenets
The saints’ victory does not consist in never having fallen, but in steadfastly pressing toward the goal set before them—the Kingdom of Heaven—and remaining faithful to God until the end.
Ekaterina Silinskaya
From an Orthodox point of view, it’s important to see that behind these external outbursts, there’s almost always internal disorder in the soul.
The key issue is our encounter with God in eternity—those whose souls are healthy will experience that encounter as eternal light, while those whose souls are sick will experience it as eternal darkness.
Fr. James Guirguis
The beauty of our faith is that God gives each one of us exactly what we need to grow and become saintly.
Hieromonk Nikon
Saints are people who lived and still live close to us, but unlike many of us, they are guided neither by the spirit of the modern world, nor by changing public opinion, nor by popular views or customs, but solely by the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Gospel, and the Word of God.
Priest Aleksandar Sekulic
Priest Aleksandar Sekulic is a cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Belgrade. He answers some questions and talks about the great Serbian archpastors he has seen in his life.
Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)
Our measure is Christ. Truth is known through faith. Reason is a great gift from God, but it must be the servant of faith, and not its judge.
Fr. Lawrence Farley
In Christ we are not simply isolated individuals, cogs in the secular machine relentlessly grinding out “progress”, but members one of another, valued and called to truly authentic human existence.
Priest Maxim Yanyshevsky
Having inner integrity is also essential in ordinary life, when you are not afraid to stand out and express your opinions, trying to maintain peace and dialogue with others. This is an indicator of inner maturity and self-sufficiency.
St. Gregory speaks of welcoming the Holy Spirit of God into your hearts as you would welcome your beloved friend or an esteemed guest into your own home.
Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)
Through the Holy Eucharist, through Communion, we affirm our unity with Christ, we affirm that we, the Church, are the Body of Christ.
Hieromonk Seraphim (Panich)
If you want to understand what the love of God is, then you cannot do without the Trinity. And the mystery of the Holy Trinity is comprehended—only partially—in the experience of spiritual life with ascetic labors.
The world seems to have thrown the persecuted one overboard. But it is there, overboard, that he suddenly finds himself very close to the Lord, in His Kingdom.
St. Cleopa (Ilie)
He who fears God is above all the sages of this age. Blessed and thrice blessed is he who prepares for the heavenly journey.
