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

It is better to eat meat and drink wine and not to eat the flesh of one's brethren through slander.

The closet of the soul is the body; our doors are the five bodily senses. The soul enters its closet when the mind does not wander hither and thither, roaming among things and affairs of the world, but stays within, in our heart. Our senses become closed and remain closed when we do not let them be attached to external sensory things, and in this way our mind remains free from every worldly attachment, and by secret mental prayer unites with God its Father. 'And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly,' adds the Lord. God who knows all secret things sees mental prayer and rewards it openly with great gifts. For that prayer is true and perfect which fills the soul with Divine grace and spiritual gifts.

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

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

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

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

Patient endurance is the fruit of love, for 'love patiently endures all things' (I Cor. 13:7), and teaches us to achieve such endurance by forcing ourselves so that through patience we may attain love...

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

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

The study of divine principles teaches knowledge of God to the person who lives in truth, longing and reverence.

Lack of self-control is actually an evil both ancient and modern, though it did not precede its antidote, fasting. By means of our Forefathers' self-indulgence in paradise and their contempt for the fast already in existance there, death entered the world. Sin reigned and brought in the condemnation of our nature from Adam until Christ.

It is an insult to the intelligence to be subject to what lacks intelligence and to concern itself with shameful desires.

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

A wise man is one who pays attention to himself and is quick to separate himself from all defilement.

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

Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation; for as the Angels are said to have stood by the Lord's body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration.

Praise God continually with spiritual hymns and always remain in meditation and in this way you will be able to bear the burden of the temptations that come upon you. A traveler who is carrying a heavy load pauses from time to time and draws in deep breaths; it makes the journey easier and the burden lighter.

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

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

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