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.
Priest Leonid Bartkov
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.
Archimandrite Melchisedek (Artiukhin)
Some revere the monastic way of life while being unable to fully understand it; some consider it the pinnacle of Christian life, others an unnecessary extreme.
We are the iron, often cold and lifeless. Yet we can be activated through prayer.
Hierodeacon Iliodor (Shevchuk)
His life’s path was joyless and very difficult; he was an outcast in his own homeland and he had to flee into the desert to escape the persecution of a wicked king. St. Elias went through severe trials and spiritual distress. It was very hard for him, but he passed through all this with God, without abandoning the ministry entrusted to him.
Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)
Learned and uneducated, rich and poor alike—everyone deeply loves St. Seraphim. It was this love, coming from the believing heart, that once played a key role in his canonization.
We’re called to be united around the Gospel truth and the testimony that the Lord has left us.
Viktor Luzhkov
Today, more and more often, people say that they get burnout not at their jobs, but at home, with their loved ones.
