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

God will allow persecution from the Antichrist not because He cannot stop it, but because He desires, as usual, His strugglers to be crowned, and for this reason, the reverent ones among the living will be taken up into the clouds, receiving, as a reward of honor, that which is higher than any man.

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

In Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a theory, a teaching, or a system, but rather, it is the living theanthropic hypostasis - the historical Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since they did not possess it. With Christ as the incarnate divine Logos the eternally complete divine Truth enters into the world. For this reason the Gospel says: 'Truth came by Jesus Christ' (John 1:17).

Listlessness is an apathy of soul; and a soul becomes apathetic when sick with self-indulgence.

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

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

The way of Godliness consists of these two things: True (pious) doctrines and good works. Without good works, true faith is not acceptable to God, likewise, good works are not acceptable to Him in the absence of True Faith (pious dogma).

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.

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

The intellect becomes a stranger to the things of this world when its attachment to the senses has been completely sundered.

The person who is unaffected by the things of this world loves stillness; and he who loves no human thing loves all men.

Worldly virtues promote human glory, spiritual virtues the glory of God.

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

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

Spiritual freedom is release from the passions; without Christ’s mercy you cannot attain it.

According to the degree to which the intellect is stripped of the passions, the Holy Spirit initiates the intellect into the mysteries of the age to be.

For God seeks nothing else from us, save a good purpose. Say not, How are my sins blotted out? I tell thee, By willing, by believing. What can be shorter than this? But if, while thy lips declare thee willing, thy heart be silent, He knoweth the heart, who judgeth thee. Cease from this day from every evil deed. Let not thy tongue speak unseemly words, let thine eye abstain from sin, and from roving after things unprofitable.

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

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440-526-5192 (Phone)