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

If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.

Those who mourn and those who are insensitive are not subject to fear, but the cowardly often have become deranged. And this is natural. For the Lord rightly forsakes the proud that the rest of us may learn not to be puffed up.

Self-accusation before God is something that is very necessary for us; and humility of heart is extremely advantageous in our lives, above all at the time of prayer. For prayer requires great attention and needs a proper awareness, otherwise it will turn out to be unacceptable and rejected, and `it will be turned back empty' to our bosom.

God-fearing sorrow mourns either its own sins, or those of others.

He who smells the smell of one's own foul odor doesn't smell the foul odor of anyone else.

One who is capable of seeing himself is better than one who has been made worthy to see angels.

Should you accuse and condemn yourself before God for the sins on your conscience, you will be justified for doing so.

Who has conquered the body? He who has made the heart contrite. Who then has made the heart contrite? He who has denied himself.

If you are enclosed within yourself through prayer, humility, and mourning, you will find a spiritual treasure -- only let pride and criticism be far from you.

Do not regard the feelings of a person who speaks to you about his neighbor disparagingly, but rather say to him: 'Stop, brother! I fall into graver sins every day, so how can I criticize him?' In this way you will achieve two things: you will heal yourself and your neighbor with one plaster. This is one of the shortest ways to the forgiveness of sins; I mean, not to judge. 'Judge not, and ye shall not be judged,' (Luke 6:37).

As the gradual pouring of water on a fire completely extinguishes the flame, so the tears of mourning are able to quench every flame of anger and irritability. Therefore, we place this next in order. (after mourning).

There is yet another reason that may cause our prayer to go unanswered: namely, that though we pray we yet continue in sin.

The martyrs will show their torments, the ascetics their good works; but what will I have to show but my apathy and my incessant indulgence?

He alone knows himself in the best way who thinks of himself as being nothing.

Humble yourself, reproach yourself, consider yourself the very last and the very worst of all, condemn no one - and you will receive God's mercy.

A sign of deliverance from our falls is the continual reckoning of ourselves as debtors.

The man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he who praises Christ amid the congregation of men.

Be despised and rejected in your own eyes, and you will see the glory of God within yourself. For where humility blossoms, there God’s glory bursts forth.

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

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