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

You were commanded to keep the body as a servant, not to be unnaturally enslaved to its pleasures.

In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.

A man is neither saved nor lost by the place he is in, but is saved or lost by his deeds. Neither a holy place nor a holy state is of use to him who does not fulfill the commandments of the Lord.

If you abandon God and are a slave to the passions, you cannot reap God's mercy.

Truly wretched and three times miserable is the soul that has left the world and dedicated itself to God but has not lived in a manner worthy of its promise. Then, brothers, let us not allow this age, which is short and contemptible and passes like a shadow, to steal that blessed and immortal life away from us.

Long-suffering and readiness to forgive curb anger; love and compassion wither it.

Do not neglect the practice of the virtues; if you do, your spiritual knowledge will decrease, and when famine occurs you will go down into Egypt (Genesis 41:57, 46:6).

The adversary will sit in the temple of Jerusalem, in order to show himself as Christ, he will demand that those who are captivated by him should worship him as Christ. The Antichrist will demand worship as if he were God.

Strive to love every man equally, and you will simultaneously expel all the passions.

Make the body serve the commandments, keeping it so far as possible free from sickness and sensual pleasure.

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

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

Observe your thoughts, and beware of what you have in your heart and your spirit, knowing that the demons put ideas into you so as to corrupt your soul by making it think of that which is not right, in order to turn your spirit from the consideration of your sins and of God.

He who guards his lips, watches over his soul; but he who is bold with his lips, dishonors himself. Silence gathers, but much talking scatters.

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

Patient endurance is the soul's struggle for virtue; where there is struggle for virtue, self-indulgence is banished.

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

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

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Mailing Address

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

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