A collection of scriptural meditations from Saints and Fathers of the Church.

Repentance raises the fallen, mourning knocks at the gate of Heaven, and holy humility opens it.

A fish swiftly escapes a hook and a sensual soul shuns solitude.

The lover of silence draws close to God. He talks to Him in secret and God enlightens him.

If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.

When you are praying, don’t rack your brains to find words. On many occasions the simple, monotonous stammering of children has satisfied their Father who is in heaven. Don’t bother to be loquacious lest the mind is bewildered in the search for words. The tax-collector gained the Lord’s forgiveness with a single sentence, and a single word charged with faith was the salvation of the robber. Loquacity in prayer often fills the head with foolish fancies and provokes distractions. Brevity on the other hand - sometimes only one word is enough - in general favors recollection.

Love and humility form a holy pair; what the first builds, the second binds, thus preventing the building from falling asunder.

Love, by its nature, is a resemblance to God, insofar as this is humanly possible. In its activity it is inebriation of the soul. Its distinctive character is to be a fountain of faith, an abyss of patience, a sea of humility.

Mourning according to God is sadness of soul and the disposition of a sorrowing heart, which ever madly seeks that for which it thirsts; and when it fails in its quest, it painfully pursues it, and follows in its wake grievously lamenting. Or thus: mourning is a golden spur in a soul which is stripped of all attachment and of all ties, fixed in a soul which is stripped of all attachment and of all ties, fixed by holy sorrow to watch over the heart.

Let all of us who wish to attract the Lord to ourselves draw near to Him as disciples to the Master, simply, without hypocrisy, without duplicity or guile, not out of idle curiosity. He Himself is simple and not composite, and He wants souls that come to Him to be simple and guileless. For you will surely never see simplicity bereft of humility.

A man who has embraced poverty offers up prayer that is pure, while a man who loves possessions prays to material images.

The angels know how to speak about love, and even they can only do this according to the degree of their enlightenment.

Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your around courageously. And assuredly the angel who guards you will honor your patience, while a wound is still fresh and warm it is easy to heal, but old, neglected and festering ones are hard to cure, and require for their care much treatment, cutting, plastering and cauterization. Many from long neglect become incurable. But with God all things are possible...

A servant of the Lord is he who in body stands before men, but in mind knocks at Heaven with prayer.

Where a fall has overtaken us, there pride has already pitched its tent; because a fall is an indication of pride.

People of high spirit bear offence nobly and gladly, but only the holy and righteous can pass through praise without harm.

Sleep is a particular state of nature, an image of death, inactivity of the senses. Sleep is one, but, like desire, its sources and occasions are many; that is to say, it comes from nature, from food, from demons, or perhaps, sometimes, from extreme and prolonged fasting, through which the flesh is weakened and at last longs for the consolation of sleep.

It is not safe to swim in one's clothes, nor should a slave of passion touch theology.

If you feel sweetness or compunction at some word of your prayer, dwell on it; for then our guardian angel is praying with us.

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Archangel Michael Orthodox Church
5025 E. Mill Rd
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147

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