Quotes

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

Constant Prayer

Pray ceaselessly, and spend day after day in heedfulness unto the salvation of your soul.

St. Paisius Velichkovsky

Tears

Satiety of the stomach dries the tear sprints, but the stomach when dried produces these waters.

St. John Climacus

Tears

What rain is for seeds tears are for those who are afflicted.

St. John Chrysostom

Tears

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.

St. Syncletica

Tears

Thus should we weep for the forgiveness of our sins. The words of the bearer of the purple should convince us of this: 'Going they went and wept, casting their seed; but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves (Ps. 125:6);' as well as the words of St. Isaac the Syrian: 'Moisten your cheeks with the tears of your eyes, that the Holy Spirit may abide in you, and cleanse the filth of your malice. Move your lord with your tears, that He may help you' (homily 68).

St. Seraphim of Sarov

Constant Prayer

Except for unceasing prayer we cannot draw near to God.

St. Isaac the Syrian

Tears

As the earth, long awaiting moistening and at last receiving it in abundance, suddenly is covered by tender and bright greenery, so also the heart, exhausted by dryness, and afterwards revived by tears, emits from itself a multitude of spiritual thoughts and feelings, adorned by the common flower of humility. The labor of weeping, being inseparable from the labor of prayer, requires the same conditions for success as prayer requires. Prayer needs patient, constant dwelling in itself; weeping requires the same. Prayer needs wearying of the body, and brings about exhaustion of the body; this exhaustion produces weeping, which must be born in the troubling and wearying of the body.

St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

Sinners

The flow of history confirms the reality of the Gospel: the Church is filled to overflowing with sinners. Does their presence in the Church reduce, violate, or destroy her sanctity? Not in the least! For her Head—the Lord Christ, and her Soul—the Holy Spirit, and her divine teaching, her mysteries, and her virtues, are indissolubly and immutably holy. The Church tolerates sinners, shelters them, and instructs them, that they may be awakened and roused to repentance and spiritual recovery and transfiguration; but they do not hinder the Church from being holy. Only unrepentant sinners, persistent in evil and godless malice, are cut off from the Church either by the visible action of the theanthropic authority of the Church or by the invisible action of divine judgment, so that thus also the holiness of the Church may be preserved.

Fr. Justin Popovich

Tears

When you shed floods of tears during prayer, do not exalt yourself for this, as though you were above many others. It is that your prayer has received help from above, so that, having zealously confessed your sins, you may incline the almighty to mercy by your tears.

St. Nilus of Sinai

Tears

Greater than baptism itself is the fountain of tears after baptism, even though it is somewhat audacious to say so. For baptism is the washing away of evils that were in us before, but sins committed after baptism are washed away by tears. As baptism is received in infancy, we have all defiled it, but we cleanse it anew with tears. And if God in His love for mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find.

St. John Climacus

Tears

For weeping delivers us from eternal fire and other future punishments, so the Fathers say.

St. Nilus of Sora

Tears

In truth, the moisture in the eyes drains the anger in the heart.

St. Nikolai Velimirovic

Constant Prayer

Constant prayer is the strength, and the armor, and the wall of the soul.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria

Tears

As writing is washed out by water, so sins can be washed out by tears.

St. John Climacus

Tears

Such tears should be preserved... because they have great power and action in destroying and uprooting sins and passions.

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Pray ceaselessly, and spend day after day in heedfulness unto the salvation of your soul.

Satiety of the stomach dries the tear sprints, but the stomach when dried produces these waters.

What rain is for seeds tears are for those who are afflicted.

Except for unceasing prayer we cannot draw near to God.

When you shed floods of tears during prayer, do not exalt yourself for this, as though you were above many others. It is that your prayer has received help from above, so that, having zealously confessed your sins, you may incline the almighty to mercy by your tears.

For weeping delivers us from eternal fire and other future punishments, so the Fathers say.

In truth, the moisture in the eyes drains the anger in the heart.

Constant prayer is the strength, and the armor, and the wall of the soul.

As writing is washed out by water, so sins can be washed out by tears.

Such tears should be preserved... because they have great power and action in destroying and uprooting sins and passions.

Above all pray for the gift of tears...

God is visiting you when tears come during prayer.

Only the tears of repentance are able to cleanse the soul.

"Just as over-drinking is a matter of habit, so too from habit comes over-sleeping. Therefore we must struggle with the question of sleep, especially in the early days of obedience, because a long-standing habit is difficult to cure."

St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 19

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