Quotes

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

Tribulations

Just as water when it squeezed on all sides shoots up above, so does the soul when it is pressed hard by dangers often rise to God and be saved.

St. John Climacus

Tribulations

In times of any sorrow, illness, poverty, need, disagreements, and any difficulty, it is better to spend less time in ruminating and talking to ourselves, and more often to turn to Christ our God and to his most pure Mother in prayer, even if it is only a brief one. Through that, the spirit of bitter despondency will be driven away, and the heart will be filled with joy and with hope in God.

St. Anthony of Optina

Poor

Do not shun poverty and afflictions, these wings of buoyant prayer.

St. Nilus of Sinai

Tribulations

It is not possible for any man to draw near to Christ without tribulation, and without afflictions his righteousness cannot be preserved unchanged. If he puts an end to the labors that make righteousness increase, he will put an end to that which guards it, and his righteousness will be like unguarded treasure. And he will be like a gladiator surrounded by enemy ranks and stripped of his weapons, like a ship bereft of its sails and tackle, and like a garden deprived of its source of water.

St. Isaac the Syrian

Tribulations

There can be no crowns without contests.

St. Basil the Great

Tribulations

Every tribulation reveals the state of our will, whether it inclines to the right or to the left. An unexpected tribulation is called temptation, because it subjects a man to a test of his secret dispositions.

St. Mark the Ascetic

Tribulations

Unless we bear with patience the afflictions that come to us unsought, God will not bless those that we embrace deliberately.

St. Gregory Palamas

Tribulations

Be certain that none can offend or hurt us without God's permission; and whenever God permits it, it is always for our good.

St. Macarius of Optina

Knowledge

If someone is judged worthy to receive the gift of knowledge but allows his heart to be full of bitterness or rancor or aversion to another, it is as if he had been struck in the eye by a thornbush. That is why knowledge is no good without charity.

St. Maximus the Confessor

Tribulations

Accept whatever the Lord sends with a willing spirit and do not groan at what is imposed on you, for why should you feel joy at being part of that crowd or pain at being excluded from it? Rather we should do everything to ensure that we are not excluded from the city of God.

St. Basil the Great

Tribulations

I do not dare to ask for relief in any of my battles, even if I am weak and utterly exhausted: for I do not know what is good for me.

St. Peter of Damascus

Tribulations

When a man walks the straight path, he does not have a cross. But when he begins to step away from one side to another, then various circumstances arise that push him back onto a right path. These pushes comprise a man's cross. They vary, of course, according to what each individual needs.

St. Ambrose of Optina

Tribulations

When you face bitter situations spiritually, eventually they become sweet.

Archimandrite Ioannikios Kotsonis

Tribulations

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

St. Thalassios the Libyan

Tribulations

Do not shun poverty and afflictions, these wings of buoyant prayer.

St. Nilus of Sinai

Tribulations

Tribulations are a good sign; they show that we are on the narrow way.

St. Joseph of Optina

Tribulations

We must through tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).The tribulations draw the mercy of God to the soul like the wind moves the rain. As the rain, if it falls very heavily when a plant is young and delicate, it will rot the plant and the fruit will be lost, while the wind will dry out a plant in part and secure it, so it is with the soul. Relaxation, carefreeness and comfort make it flabby and dissolute but temptations fortify it and unite it to God...

St. Dorotheus of Gaza

Tribulations

As long as you have bad habits do not reject hardship, so that through it you may be humbled and eject your pride.

St. Maximus the Confessor

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Just as water when it squeezed on all sides shoots up above, so does the soul when it is pressed hard by dangers often rise to God and be saved.

Do not shun poverty and afflictions, these wings of buoyant prayer.

There can be no crowns without contests.

Every tribulation reveals the state of our will, whether it inclines to the right or to the left. An unexpected tribulation is called temptation, because it subjects a man to a test of his secret dispositions.

Unless we bear with patience the afflictions that come to us unsought, God will not bless those that we embrace deliberately.

Be certain that none can offend or hurt us without God's permission; and whenever God permits it, it is always for our good.

If someone is judged worthy to receive the gift of knowledge but allows his heart to be full of bitterness or rancor or aversion to another, it is as if he had been struck in the eye by a thornbush. That is why knowledge is no good without charity.

Accept whatever the Lord sends with a willing spirit and do not groan at what is imposed on you, for why should you feel joy at being part of that crowd or pain at being excluded from it? Rather we should do everything to ensure that we are not excluded from the city of God.

I do not dare to ask for relief in any of my battles, even if I am weak and utterly exhausted: for I do not know what is good for me.

When a man walks the straight path, he does not have a cross. But when he begins to step away from one side to another, then various circumstances arise that push him back onto a right path. These pushes comprise a man's cross. They vary, of course, according to what each individual needs.

When you face bitter situations spiritually, eventually they become sweet.

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

Do not shun poverty and afflictions, these wings of buoyant prayer.

Tribulations are a good sign; they show that we are on the narrow way.

As long as you have bad habits do not reject hardship, so that through it you may be humbled and eject your pride.

St. Ambrose of Milan

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