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

Pride is the forerunner of every fall.

Keep the commandments, and you will find peace; love God, and you will attain spiritual knowledge.

A haughty person is not aware of his faults, or a humble person of his good qualities. An evil ignorance blinds the first, an ignorance pleasing to God blinds the second.

Almsgiving heals the soul's incensive power; fasting withers sensual desire; prayer purifies the intellect and prepares it for contemplation of created beings. For the Lord has given us commandments which correspond to the powers of the soul.

Whoever reproaches us gives us a gift, but whoever praises us, steals from us.

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

Pride is known by its deeds as a tree is known by its fruits.

Unless a man keeps the commandments of God, he cannot progress, even in a single virtue.

In words of boastfulness and self-justification there always lie concealed contrariness and pride, from which God turns away. After sinning one ought immediately to 'flee.' But you say, where? To the calm haven of heartfelt repentance.

Sometimes, when we are overcome by pride or impatience and are unwilling to amend our ill-conditioned and disordered way of life, we complain that what we need is solitude, as though in solitude, meeting with no provocation, we should find there the virtue of patience, making excuses for our slackness, and laying the blame of our agitation not upon our own lack of patience, but ascribing it to the faults of our brethren, whereas so long as we impute to others the causes of our own faults, we shall never be able to reach the goal of patience and of perfection.

A true monk does no reproach and does not praise.

Nothing so abets our secret destruction as conceit and self-satisfaction, or so cuts us off from God and provokes our chastisement at the hands of other men as grumbling, or so disposes us to sin as a disorderly life and talkativeness.

Arrogance cannot bear to see itself scorned and humility held in honor.

If they will praise you, you must remain silent—do not say anything.

Our enemies (demons) fell because of their pride, and call us to follow them, and bring us feelings of praise. And if your soul accepts that praise, then grace will depart, until the soul becomes humble again. And so all your life you must learn the humility of Christ.

Pay no attention to praise and fear it; remember what one of the holy fathers says: 'If someone praises you, expect reproaches from him too.'

Arrogance cannot bear to see itself scorned and humility held in honor.

Pride is known by its deeds as a tree is known by its fruits.

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

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440-526-5192 (Phone)