Holy quotes help us in difficult life situations, make our thoughts go in the right direction, teach humility and gaining a Peaceful spirit. Many people turn to them for help and comfort, and they give it to them. God gave the holy fathers the wisdom they deserved by deep study of the Gospel and the Bible, meditation on the word of God, regular prayer and fasting.
Reflections on the soul
The Holy Fathers, of course, could not ignore the human soul. It is useful to read their quotes about the soul - a holy place in the human flesh, where the spirit lives. It is through her that a person can speak with God. Many are well aware of the words of St. John Chrysostom that the object of God's love is a meek and humble soul. St. John of Kronstadt said that before embarking on a task, one should think carefully whether this is necessary for the soul, whether it will be useful to it. And only if you understand that yes, then go for it, and success will accompany you in everything.
How to do it? Just talk to your soul, meditate. If doubts appear, it means that the soul does not want you to do this. Remember the expression “the soul does not lie”, do not go against it, once again weigh the pros and cons. St. Theophan the Recluse has such statements about the soul, where he advises after each prayer to talk with his soul, since “… the enemy of our souls is not afraid of anything as much as attention, that is, conversations with the soul, for then a person comes to knowledge his bad position.”
In the thoughts of this recluse there are also such quotes about the soul, where he says that the soul takes part in every deed and every thought. But God lives in it only when a person leads pious thoughts about him. He said that empty and vain thoughts give rise to empty and vain deeds. Good fruit is born from kind and righteous thoughts.
Purification of the soul
The soul, like the body, must be in constant purity. The quotes of the holy fathers contain a list of those human traits that can pollute the soul. According to St. John Chrysostom, this is laziness, excessive rest and gluttony, condemnation of loved ones and strangers, envy and filth. In addition, unforgiven insults pollute the soul, which give rise to anger, a sense of revenge, as well as hopelessness, depression. How to clean it?
The quotes of the Holy Fathers give instructions on how to do this. According to St. John Chrysostom, there are three actions that must be observed. The easiest of them is to live according to the commandments of Christ. Next -forgiveness, in which you need to comprehend your actions and confess sins. Confession assumes that a person has realized his sin before the Lord and people and asks forgiveness for him from the Son of God. By this he purifies his conscience and soul.
Next comes the acquisition of the peaceful Spirit. According to the holy quotes of St. Seraphim of Sarov, this involves bringing oneself into such a state that nothing disturbs the human spirit: neither sorrow, nor slander, nor persecution, nor reproach. We must remember that the grace of God is in the soul. According to the Lord, the kingdom of God is within us. Under the kingdom of God, he meant the grace of the Holy Spirit.
On the benefits of fasting
Quotes about religion tell us that the holy fathers in their writings thought about how to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. One way is to post. The statements of St. Seraphim of Sarov about what constitutes fasting are interesting. According to him, it does not consist in eating rarely, but in eating little. You should not eat once a day, you need to eat often, but not enough. Refusal to eat pleasant food is necessary to subdue the flesh and give freedom to the Spirit.
True fasting is to give that part of the food that you want to eat yourself to give to those in need. He said, especially referring to weak women, that one should not exhaust oneself with strict fasting and remember that the most serious sin is despondency. He advised him to beware in every possible way: “Run, be afraid like fire, and be kept from the main thing - despondency.”
About food for the weak in the days of fasting, he said that from bread and waterno one died, but lived for a hundred years. He considered it a sin not to observe the fasts. In the holy quotations of St. Theophan the Recluse, one can read that the exploits of the body (fasting) are necessary in order to get rid of the passions that overwhelm him. It is necessary to humble the body, because without this it is impossible to achieve humility of passions. Spiritual achievement is also made up of good thoughts, which must be constantly present. And, of course, during fasting it is necessary to read the Bible and the Gospel.
Bible and Gospel Quotes
The storehouse of human wisdom is concentrated in the Bible and the Gospel, which teach a person love and faith. They encode the path of unity with God. Here you can find the answer to any worldly question that seems unsolvable, you just need to read, passing everything through your heart and mind. People who constantly read the Gospel are surprised to note that the same text is perceived differently every time. Words written several thousand years ago have a magical power that affects a person in an incomprehensible way, depending on the state of the person's soul.
St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) wrote that about all your thoughts, as well as about the thoughts of your neighbor, you must definitely consult the Gospel, since it is in it, as mentioned above, that you can find answers to any questions. Saint Ignatius also owns the following words: “The path to God is prayer, the soul of prayer and attention.”
St. John Chrysostom spoke of the giving of the Holy Scriptures to mankind in such a way that it was given to us from above not by chance, but forsoul correction. That God is not so irritated by human sins as unwillingness to change. God grants his love to those who, realizing their sins, repent of them, trying to cleanse their souls and not repeat their mistakes in the future.
Holy fathers about slander
A person has many sins, for which, if a person does not realize them and does not repent, God's punishment awaits him. One of them is perjury. According to St. Basil the Great, the slanderer harms not only the slandered person, but also himself and his listeners. He also said that if a complaint is unfair, then it is slander. St. Efim the Syrian said: "If someone speaks against your brother in your presence, humiliating him with malice, then do not speak out against him, so as not to get what you do not want."
According to him, it is not necessary to diminish the honor of your neighbor when he is slandered: "Do not reduce it in your eyes, this will protect you from the sin of slander." Do not pass on to others information heard from a slanderer and discrediting your neighbor. Since in this case the person himself becomes a slanderer. How often can we meet such situations in our life when people endure gossip with enthusiasm and interest, not suspecting that they are becoming slanderers.
Patience in life
The greatest grace in life is considered to be patience, which strengthens the spirit, makes it strong. Many holy fathers devoted their thoughts to this quality of a person, whose Orthodox quotations speak of this. Venerable Ephraim the Syriancharacterized patience as a wonderful gift that frees a person from anger, temper, contempt. These feelings destroy the human soul. With the help of patience comes the purification of the soul.
Everyone has experienced insults and humiliations in life, which, in his opinion, were inflicted unfairly. What to do in this case? The Monk Nil of Sinai said on this occasion that if an offense is inflicted, then one should resort to patience, and the harm will pass to the offender, God's punishment awaits him.
Holy Fathers about peace of mind
How to gain peace of mind, which makes a person strong and gives him the love of God? St. John Chrysostom wrote that if a person wants, then no one can offend him, and even with his attacks, the offender brings great benefit to those who endure insults meekly. To achieve such a state, one needs: firstly, the remission of sins; secondly, generosity and patience; thirdly, philanthropy and meekness; fourthly, getting rid of anger, which destroys a person from the inside, brings him a lot of trouble.
How to restrain and not respond to the attacks of the offender? John Chrysostom also said: "If someone offends you, insults you, then you just need to imagine what God's punishment will be for your offender, and you will not be angry, but shed tears in sorrow for them." There is no need to be afraid that others will accuse you of cowardice, as this is wisdom.
Is it necessary to show immeasurable sorrow for one's sins?
Reading Orthodox quotes, you can find tips on how to pass this or that test. Highlyit is difficult to live according to God's covenants. Although the Holy Fathers believe that this is the easiest of the trials given to us by the Lord. Every evening a person, reflecting on the day he lived, can count many actions that violate this commandment. Their number or severity can cause feelings of grief or guilt. This is fine. But is it worth it to grieve so much?
Immeasurable sorrow for one's sins is rejected by the Holy Fathers, since God has given man hope. Saint Ambrose of Optina said that one should grieve over one's sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness and hope for His mercy. In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given the all-powerful physician of our sins.
Reflections of the holy fathers on love
Love is a holy feeling that God gives us. It would seem that love is easy. It is difficult to hate, because this feeling is painful and destructive. But look around and you will see that in this world there is no less hatred than love. But the Lord commanded: “Love one another”, while reminding us: “… My yoke is good. My burden is light” (Matthew 11-30). Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk said that one must follow the Lord and take upon oneself the blessed yoke and easily bear its burden.
St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) in his sermons repeated that not only and not so much we are looking for the love of the Lord, but he wants us to become able to accept his love. We can confirm that we are ready to receive the love of the Lord through prayer, keeping all of his commandments. Jesus Christ commanded us to love everyone, but most of all our enemies. A person who can do this has known love. Gentlemen.
God, your will be done
Often, tired of another problem, a person begins to grumble at the Lord, assuming even the worst that God has forgotten, turned away from him. It can bring despair to a person. It must be remembered that despair is a great sin. The Lord never abandons those who believe in him.
Elder Alexy Zosimovsky said about this that there is no need to grumble, because if God forgot a person, then he would not be alive. We must learn to see the grace of God. Each person prays for his own, but the Lord knows better what a person needs, what is more useful. Praying for deliverance from sorrows and sins, a person at the end of the prayer should say the words: “Lord, thy will be done.” Give yourself completely into the hands of the Lord and with humility overcome any trials that God always gives according to the strength of a person.
