Holy quotes help us in difficult situations of life, make our thoughts go in the right direction, teach us humility and gaining a Peaceful spirit. Many people turn to them for help and reassurance, and they give them this. God gave the holy fathers the wisdom they deserved by deep study of the Gospel and the Bible, meditations on the word of God, regular prayers and fasting.
Reflections on the soul
The Holy Fathers, of course, could not ignore the soul of man. It is useful to read their quotes about the soul - a holy place in human flesh, where the spirit lives. It is through her that a person can speak with God. Many are well aware of the words of St. John Chrysostom that the subject of God's love is a meek and humble soul. Saint John of Kronstadt said that before setting to work, one should think carefully about whether the soul needs it, whether it will be useful for it. And only if you understand that yes, then go for it, and success will accompany you in everything.
How to do this? Just talk to your soul, meditate. If doubts arise, it means that the soul does not want you to do this. Remember the expression "the soul does not lie", do not go against it, once again weigh the pros and cons. St. Theophan the Recluse has such sayings about the soul, where after each prayer he advises to speak with his soul, because "... the enemy of our souls is not so much afraid of attention, that is, conversations with the soul, for then a person comes to know of his bad position. ”
In the reflections of this recluse there are also such quotes about the soul, where he says that the soul takes part in every business and every thought. But God lives in it only when a person leads pious thoughts about him. He said that empty and vain thoughts generate empty and vain affairs. A good fruit is born of good and righteous thoughts.
Soul cleansing
The soul, like the body, must be in constant purity. The quotes of the holy fathers contain a list of those traits of a person that can pollute the soul. According to St. John Chrysostom, this is laziness, excessive peace and gluttony, the condemnation of loved ones and strangers, envy and filth. In addition, unforgiven insults that cause anger, a sense of revenge, as well as hopelessness and oppression pollute the soul. How to clean it?
Quotes from the Holy Fathers give instructions on how to do this. According to St. John Chrysostom, there are three actions that must be followed. The easiest of them is to live according to the commandments of Christ. The next is forgiveness, in which you need to reflect on your actions and confess sins. Confession assumes that a person has realized his sin before the Lord and people and asks for his forgiveness from the Son of God. By this he purifies his conscience and soul.
Then comes the acquisition of the peaceful Spirit. According to the holy quotes of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, this involves putting oneself in such a state that the spirit of a person does not disturb anything: neither sorrow, nor slander, nor persecution, nor reproach. It must be remembered that the grace of God is in the soul. According to the Lord, the kingdom of God is within us. Under the kingdom of God, he implied the grace of the Holy Spirit.
About the benefits of the post
Quotes about religion tell us that the Holy Fathers in their writings reflected on how to grab the grace of the Holy Spirit. One way is post. The statements of St. Seraphim of Sarov about what constitutes a post are interesting. According to his ideas, he does not consist in eating rarely, but in eating little. You should not eat once a day, you need to eat often, but not enough. Refusal to eat pleasant food is necessary to pacify the flesh and give freedom to the Spirit.
The true fasting is that part of the food that you want to eat yourself, to give to those in need. He said, especially bearing in mind weak women, that one did not need to exhaust oneself by strict fasting and remember that the most serious sin is despondency. He advised him to be careful in every way: "Run, fear like fire, and be kept from the most important thing - despondency."
About food for the weak during the days of fasting, he said that no one died of bread and water, but lived for a hundred years. Non-observance of fasting, he considered it a sin. In the holy quotes of St. Theophan the Recluse, you can read that the exploits of the body (fasting) are necessary to get rid of the passions that overwhelm him. It is necessary to humble the body, because without this one cannot achieve the humility of passions. Spiritual feat is also composed of good thoughts, which must be constantly present. And, of course, during fasting you need to read the Bible and the gospel.
Bible and Gospel Quotes
The storehouse of human wisdom is concentrated in the Bible and the Gospel, which teach a person love and faith. They encrypted the path of oneness with God. Here you can find the answer to any everyday question that seems insoluble, you just need to read, passing everything through your heart and mind. People who constantly read the Gospel are surprised to note that the same text is perceived differently each time. Words written several millennia ago have magical powers that act on a person in an incomprehensible way, depending on the state of a person’s soul.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote that about all his thoughts, as well as about the thoughts of his neighbor, you must always consult the Gospel, since it is in it, as mentioned above, that you can find answers to any questions. Such words belong to Saint Ignatius: "The path to God is prayer, the soul of prayer and attention."
Saint John Chrysostom spoke of giving the Holy Scripture to mankind in such a way that it was given to us from above not by chance, but to correct the soul. That God is not so annoyed by human sins as a reluctance to change. God grants his love to those who, realizing their sins, repent of them, trying to cleanse their souls and not repeat their mistakes in the future.
Holy Fathers about libel
A person has many sins, for which, if a person does not realize them and does not repent, God's punishment awaits him. One of them is perjury. According to St. Basil the Great, the slanderer is doing harm not only to the agreed upon, but also to himself and the listeners. He said that if a complaint is unfair, then this is slander. Rev. Efim the Syrian said: "If someone speaks with your brother to you, humiliating him with malice, then do not oppose him, so as not to get what you do not want."
According to him, one should not belittle the honor of one's neighbor when they stipulate him: "Do not reduce it in your eyes, this will protect you from the sin of slander." Do not pass on to others information heard from a slanderer and defaming your neighbor. Since in this case a person himself becomes a slanderer. How often it is possible to meet similar situations in our lives when people with enthusiasm and interest endure gossip, not suspecting that they become slanderers.
Patience in life
The greatest grace in life is patience, which strengthens the spirit, makes it strong. Many holy fathers devoted their thoughts to this quality of man, whose Orthodox quotes speak of this. Rev. Ephraim the Syrian characterized patience with a wonderful gift that frees a person from anger, temper, contempt. These feelings destroy the soul of man. With the help of patience is the purification of the soul.
Everyone faced in life with insults and humiliations, which, in his opinion, were inflicted unfairly. What to do in this case? The Monk Neil of Sinai said on this occasion that if an offense is inflicted, then one should resort to patience, and the harm will go to the offender, God's punishment awaits him.
Holy fathers about peace of mind
How to win peace of mind, which makes a person strong and gives him the love of God? Saint John Chrysostom wrote that if a person wants to, no one will be able to offend him, and even with their attacks the offender is of great benefit to those who bear resentments meekly. To achieve this state, you need: first, absolution; secondly, generosity and patience; thirdly, philanthropy and meekness; fourthly, getting rid of the anger that destroys a person from the inside brings him a lot of trouble.
How to hold back and not respond to the attacks of the offender? John Chrysostom also said: “If someone will offend you, insult you, you just need to imagine what God's punishment will be to your offender, and you will not be angry, and you will shed tears in sorrow for them.” Do not be afraid that others will accuse you of cowardice, as this is wisdom.
Is it necessary to show immense sorrow for one's sins?
Reading Orthodox quotes, you can find tips on how to pass this or that test. It is very difficult to live according to God's covenants. Although the Holy Fathers believe that this is the easiest of the trials bestowed upon us by the Lord. Each evening, a man, reflecting on a day, can count many actions that violate this commandment. Their quantity or severity can cause feelings of grief or guilt. This is normal. But is it worth it to grieve over it?
The immense sorrow of their sins is rejected by the Holy Fathers, since God has been granted hope to man. The Monk Ambrose Optinsky said that one should grieve over his sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness and hope for his mercy. In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the all-powerful doctor of our sins.
Reflections of the Holy Fathers on Love
Love is the holy feeling that God gives us. It would seem that love is simple. It is difficult to hate, as this feeling is painful and destructive. But look around and see that in this world of hatred is no less than love. But the Lord commanded: “Love one another,” while reminding us: “... My good. My burden is easy ”(Matt. 11-30). Saint Tikhon of Zadonsky said that one must follow the Lord and take upon himself the blessed yoke and easily bear his burden.
Prelate Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his sermons repeated that not only and not so much we seek the love of the Lord as he wants us to be able to accept his love. We can confirm that we are ready to accept the love of the Lord through prayer, observing all his commandments. Jesus Christ commanded us to love all, but most of all our enemies. A person capable of this knew the love of the Lord.
Lord, thy will be done!
Often, tired of another problem, a person begins to murmur against the Lord, assuming even the worst that God forgot, turned away from him. This can bring despair into a person. It must be remembered that despair is a great sin. The Lord never leaves those who believe in him.
Elder Alexy Zosimovsky said on this occasion that there was no need to murmur, because if God had forgotten man, he would not have been alive. One must learn to see the mercies of God. Each person prays for his own, but the Lord knows better what a person needs, what is more useful. Praying for deliverance from sorrows and sins, a person at the end of a prayer should say the words: "Lord, let your will be done." Handing yourself completely into the hands of the Lord and with humility overcome any trials that God always gives according to the strength of man.