• Vespers: Saturdays 5PM
  • Divine Liturgy: Sundays 9:30AM
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A collection of scriptural meditations from Saints and Fathers of the Church.

The greatest weapons of someone striving to lead a life of inward stillness are self-control, love, prayer, and spiritual reading.

Self-love -- that is, friendship for the body -- is the source of evil in the soul.

The soul's health consists in dispassion and spiritual knowledge; no slave to sensual pleasure can attain it.

Spiritual reading and prayer purify the intellect, while love and self-control purify the soul's passionate aspect.

In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire; at first they are choked by the smoke and cry, and by this means obtain what they seek -- as it is said, 'Our God is a consuming fire' -- so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work.

Fear of the Lord conquers desire, and distress that accords with God's will repulses sensual pleasure.

Blessed stillness gives birth to blessed children: self-control, love and pure prayer.

BROTHER: Who is the true monk? OLD MAN: He who makes his word manifest in deeds, and bears his passion with patient endurance; with such a man life is found, and the knowledge of the spirit dwells in him.

Love and self-control purify the soul.

All sin is due to sensual pleasure, all forgiveness to hardship and distress.

We are sons of God or of Satan according to whether we conform to goodness or to evil.

Self-control and strenuous effort curb desire; stillness and intense longing for God wither it.

Just as desire and rage multiply our sins, so self-control and humility erase them.

Concern for one's soul means hardship and humility, for through these God forgives us all our sins.

He who fears God will pay careful attention to his soul and will free himself from communion with evil.

O monk, take thou the greatest possible care that thou sin not, lest thou disgrace God Who dwelleth in thee, and thou drive Him out of thy soul.

Struggle until death to fulfill the commandments: purified through them, you will enter into life.

If you are not willing to repent through freely choosing to suffer, unsought sufferings will providentially be imposed on you.

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Parish

Mailing Address

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

Email, Phone, and Fax

[email protected]
440-526-5192 (Phone)