Are you weak or strong?
Saint Nicholas Velimirovich When you place your trust in other people, you’re being weak, but when your place it in God you’re being strong. Cleave to God and all His power will be with you. Confess your weakness before Him and He’ll send you His all-powerful Grace. Source: pemptousia.com...
Stupid, false and deceptive
Saint John of Kronstadt Sinners won’t achieve remission of their sins unless they first realize with all their heart that these are senseless, destructive and illusory. Just as they committed the sin and found it pleasant and enjoyable, so now they must repent and confess that it was deceptive...
Lessons in humility
Joseph the Hesychast When the heart is humbled, it’s overshadowed by Divine Grace, which brings contrition, tears, peace and love. When you yourself are humbled, everybody else will seem to you to be saints. But when you’re proud and puffed up, everybody seems bad to you. All of these...
Putting yourself in the place of others
Saint Paisios the Athonite Putting yourself in the place of other people is a great aid in acquiring internal kindness, because then love comes naturally, as do pain, humility, and gratitude to God through continuous hymns of praise and prayer of the heart for our neighbor. Then our prayer...
The great virtue
Saint Isaac the Syrian In truth, the great virtue is to feel sorry for those who are evil and to benefit sinners more than the righteous. Give alms with a cheerful countenance and you’ll always bring comfort to those who are sad. On the day you feel sorry for...
Against traps and temptations
Elder Cleopa of Romania There are two most powerful weapons with which we overcome all the traps and temptations of the devil: the first is holy prayer and the second is humility. Source: pemptousia.com ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a 501(c)3 and an...
His place is in peace
Saint Saint Seraphim of Sarov When people try to have a humble heart and peaceful thoughts, then none of the plots of the enemy can be implemented. Because where the thoughts are peaceful, that’s where God Himself finds peace: ‘His place is in peace’ (Ps. 75, 3). Source: pemptousia.com...
Non-exercised virtue disappears quickly
Saint Gregory the Theologian Virtue which is not exercised disappears quickly under the pressure of various circumstances. We have to be swift to move from evil to good, but inflexible as regards turning from good to evil. Source: pemptousia.com ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK Orthodox Christian Network...
The appropriate organs to receive the divine gifts
Saint Maximos the Confessor The intellect is the organ of wisdom, whereas the reason is that of knowledge. The natural, internal certainty of the intellect and of the reason is the organ of faith, which is a product of wisdom and knowledge. Natural charity is the organ of the gift...
Suffering unjustly
Saint Arsenie Boca It’s better for you to suffer evil than to become the cause of evil. The sorrow of someone who’s suffering unjustly is preferable to the joy of someone who’s working with injustice. Source: pemptousia.com ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is...
