Great quotes of Orthodox Christians

[MariaRegina]

Some Orthodox Christians, who are not yet canonized saints, have written or spoken some excellent lines. Embedded within the threads of this forum are hundreds of great quotes. Here is your chance to gather these fantastic statements into one thread.

Note: Anyone may post quotes here -- just be sure to give the author and book (and page number) or online credits (and url) if taken from copyrighted sources, so that Erwin and CF won't be cited for copyright violations. Please be sure to check the quote for accuracy.
P.S. Remember your signatures can change, so don't reference those.

[Alphabetical listing of famous quotes or sermons by topic
The Afterlife - post 25
Anyone who does not love is not free - post 26
On Apostasy - post 22
Apostolic Work of Prince St. Vladimir - post 22
Bible Translation - post 24
Bickering - post 32
Catholic Church - post 18
Causes of the Russian Catastrophe - post 22
Is Christ in your heart? - post 7
No Christ, no life - post 7
Christian Family Tree - post 30
Christian Unity - post 27
On the Church - post 22
To confess the Orthodox faith means to be crucified - post 26
Corrections and reproofs - post 11
Cross of the True Christian - post 22
On the Divine Liturgy - post 29
On Divine Love - post 38
Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear - post 22
About earthquakes - post 8
On evil - post 2
On Episcopalians - post 34
Evangelism - posts 40 and 41
Evil One - post 32
Family humor - post 4, 6, 8
Faith - post 50
Fasting - post 14, 22, 46, 47, 48, 49
Hell - post 31
For There Must Be Also Heresies Among You - post 22
Hymn of Entry - post 12, 26, 27
Icons - post 44
On judging others - post 3
Lenten readings - post 15
On lesbian ordinations to priesthood - post 34
On Liturgical Theology - Aidan Kavanagh - post 10
Mental Prayer - post 21
Mercy of God - post 50
Missionary work of the Church - post 16
Modern World - post 22
Mystery - post 50
On Monarchy - post 22
Old Testment - post 28
On Orthodox Tradition - post 37
The Passion of the Christ - post 17
On The Position Of The Orthodox Christian In The Contemporary World - post 22
Religion - post 42
Rules for Pious Life - post 5
St. Maximus the Confessor - post 9
The seeds we sow - post 13
On seeking glory for ourselves - post 35
Speaking in many languages - post 40
Speaking in tongues - post 40
Sunday of Orthodoxy - post 22
On the Temple - post 22
Thoughts on Great Lent - post 20
True Orthodoxy - post 22
The Value of Time - post 19
On Worship - post 36

Alphabetical listing of Orthodox authors, homilists, and speakers
Elder Amphilochios of Patmos - post 7
Metropolitan ANTHONY (Bloom) - post 13, 28
Archbishop Averky - post 22
Fr. Michael Azkoul - post 44
Fr. Panagiotes Carras - post 15
Reader Christopher (aka Oblio) - post 23
St. Cyril of Alexandria - post 18
Dianne (aka Countrymouse) - post 32
George Florovsky - post 37
Father George - post 24
Mother Gavrilia - post 40
icxn - post 41
Saint Ignatius of Antioch - post 35
Bishop IGNATIUS Briantchaninov - post 14
Ilias the Presbyter - post 11
Bishop Jeremiah the Hermit - post 19
St. John Climacus - post 3
Elder Joseph the Hesychast - post 21
Aidan Kavanagh - post 10
Metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky - post 20
St. John of Kronstadt - post 47, 49
Presbytera Irene Matta, M. Th. - post 25
Father Christopher Metropulos - posts 30, 36
Archbishop NATHANIEL - post 16
Archbishop PLATON of Kostroma - post 5
Elder Porphyrios - post 7
Fr. Alexander Schmemann - post 2, 29, 34, 42
St. Seraphim of Sarov - post 46, 49
Alex Slepukhof - post 31
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk - post 47
Archimandrite Vasileios - post 12, 26, 27
St. Nikolai Velimirovich - post 38

MODS: PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EDIT THIS POST AS NECESSARY

 

[MariaRegina]

On Evil

"Evil could achieve no victory whatsoever, no power at all in this world if it openly showed itself as evil. Evil conquers through deception, by pretending to be good. And this deception allows man to justify hatred, murder, slavery, lies, insanity. It is this deception which Christ overcomes and exposes."

Father Alexander Schmemann, Celebration of Faith, Sermons, Vol 1, I Believe. p. 78-81

 

[Moros]

I like the ones in my sigline.

The first is from Adversus Judaeos

The second is from Letters from Fr. Seraphim Rose

"Fire and water do not mix, neither can you mix judgment of others with the desire to repent. If a man commits a sin before you at the very moment of his death, pass no judgment, because the judgment of God is hidden from men. It has happened that men have sinned greatly in the open but have done greater deeds in secret, so that those who would disparage them have been fooled, with smoke instead of sunlight in their eyes."

-- St. John Climacus

 

[Maximus]

Here's one I like:

"Oh, man! We're late for Divine Liturgy again!"
- Me to my wife on almost any given Sunday.

Here's another:

"It's your fault."
- My wife to me on almost any given Sunday.

And a third:

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
- My daughter Anna, from her carseat in the backseat of the car on any given Sunday.

 

[MariaRegina]

----------------------------------------------------
RULES FOR PIOUS LIFE (Archbishop Platon of Kostroma)
----------------------------------------------------
Editor: Abbot Alexander (Mileant)

FORCE YOURSELF to get up early and on a set schedule. As soon as
you wake up, turn your mind to God: make the Sign of the Cross,
and thank Him for the night that has passed and for all His
mercies towards you. Ask Him to guide all your thoughts, feelings
and desires, so that everything you say or do will be pleasing to
Him.

As you dress, recollect the presence of the Lord and of your
Guardian Angel. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to put on you the robe
of salvation.

After washing yourself, get down to morning prayers. Pray
kneeling, with concentration, and with reverence and meekness, as
is proper before the eyes of the Almighty. Ask Him to give you
faith, hope, and charity, as well as calm strength to accept all
that the coming day may bring to you - its hardships and
troubles. Ask Him to bless your labors. Ask for help: to
accomplish some particular task that you face; to steer clear of
some particular sin.

If you can, read something from the Bible, especially from the
New Testament and the Psalms. Read with intent to receive some
spiritual enlightenment, inclining your heart to compunction.
Having read a little, pause and reflect on what you read, and
then proceed further, listening to what the Lord suggests to your
heart.

Try to devote at least fifteen minutes to spiritually contemplate
the teachings of the Faith and the profit to your soul in what
you have read.

Always thank the Lord that He did not leave you to perish in your
sins, but cares for you and in every possible way leads you to
the Heavenly Kingdom.

Start every morning as if you had just decided to become a
Christian and to live according to God's commandments.
As you enter upon your duties, strive to do everything towards
the glory of God. Start nothing without prayer, because whatever
we do without prayer later turns out to be futile or harmful. The
words of the Lord are true: "Without me, you can do nothing."

Imitate our Savior, Who labored helping Joseph and His most pure
Mother. While working, keep a good spirit, relying always on the
Lord's help. It is a good thing to repeat unceasingly the prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

If your labors are successful, give thanks to the Lord; if they
are not, place yourself in His will, for He takes care of us and
directs everything towards the better. Accept all hardships as a
penance for your sins - in the spirit of obedience and humility.

Before every meal, pray that God will bless the food and drink;
and after the meal give thanks to Him and ask Him not to deprive
you of spiritual blessings. It is good to leave the table feeling
a bit hungry. In everything, avoid excess. Following the example
of Christians of old, fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Do not be greedy. Be content having food and clothing, imitating
Christ Who became impoverished for our sake.

Strive to please the Lord in everything, so that you will not be
reproached by your own conscience. Remember God always sees you,
and so be carefully vigilant concerning the feelings, thoughts
and desires of your heart.

Avoid even the smallest sins, lest you fall into greater ones.
Drive away from your heart each and every thought or design that
moves you away from the Lord. Strive especially against unclean
desire; drive it out of your heart like a burning spark fallen on
your coat. If you do not want to be troubled by evil desires,
meekly accept humiliation from others.

Do not say too much, remember that for every spoken word we will
give account before God. It is better to listen than to talk: in
verbosity it is impossible to avoid sin. Do not be curious to
hear the news, which only entertains and distracts the spirit.

Condemn no one, but consider yourself to be worse than everyone
else. The one who condemns another is taking another's sins onto
himself; it is better to grieve about the sinner, and pray that
God will correct him in His own way. If someone does not listen
to your advice, do not dispute with him. But if his deeds are a
temptation to others, take appropriate measures, because their
good, being many, must carry more weight than his, being only
one.

Never argue or make excuses. Be gentle, quiet and humble; endure
everything, according to the example of Jesus. He will not burden
you with a cross that exceeds your strength. He will also help
you carry the Cross that you have.

Ask the Lord to give you the grace to fulfill His holy
Commandments as well as you can, even if they seem too difficult
to keep. Having done a good deed, do not expect gratitude, but
temptation: for love towards God is tested by obstacles. Do not
hope to acquire any virtues without suffering sorrows. In the
midst of temptations do not despair, but address God with short
prayers: "Lord, help... Teach me to... Do not leave... Protect
me... " The Lord allows temptations and trials; He also gives the
strength to overcome them.

Ask God to take away from you every thing that feeds your pride,
even if it will be bitter. Avoid being harsh, gloomy, nagging,
mistrustful, suspicious or hypocritical, and avoid rivalry. Be
sincere and simple in your attitude. Humbly accept the
admonitions of others, even if you are more wise and experienced.

What you do not want done to you, do not do to others. Rather, do
for them what you wish to be done for you. If anyone visits you,
be tender towards him, be modest, wise, and, sometimes, depending
on the circumstances, be also blind and deaf.

When you feel slack, or a certain coolness, do not leave off the
usual order of prayer and pious practices which you have
established. Everything that you do in the name of the Lord
Jesus, even the small and imperfect things, becomes an act of
piety.

If you desire to find peace, commit yourself completely onto God.
You will find no peace until you calm down in God, loving Him
alone.

>From time to time seclude yourself, following the example of
Jesus, for prayer and contemplation of God. Contemplate the
infinite love of our Lord Jesus Christ, His sufferings and death,
His Resurrection, His Second Coming and the Last Judgment.

Visit the church as often as possible. Confess more often and
receive the Holy Mysteries. Doing so you will abide in God, and
this is the highest blessing. During Confession, repent and
confess frankly and with contrition all your sins; for the
unrepented sin leads to death.

Devote Sundays to works of charity and mercy; for example, visit
someone who is sick, console someone who is in sorrow, save one
who is lost. If anyone will help the lost one turn towards God he
will receive a great reward in this life and in the age to come.
Encourage your friends to read Christian spiritual literature and
to participate in discussing spiritual matters.

Let the Lord Jesus Christ be your teacher in everything.
Constantly address Him by turning your mind to Him; ask yourself:
what would He do in similar circumstances?

Before you go to sleep, pray frankly and with all your heart,
look searchingly at your sins during the past day. You should
always compel yourself to repent with a contrite heart, with
suffering and tears, lest you repeat past sins. As you go to bed,
make the Sign of the Cross, kiss the cross, and entrust yourself
to the Lord God, who is your Good Shepherd. Consider that perhaps
this night you will have to appear before Him.

Remember the Lord's love towards you and love Him with all your
heart, your soul and your mind.

Acting in this way, you will reach the blessed life in the
Kingdom of Eternal Light.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

From: innerlightproductions.com 1-18-04

 

[Photini]

And a third:

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
- My daughter Anna, from her carseat in the backseat of the car on any given Sunday.

Just wait until little Anna has a sibling! You should hear some of the interesting things that come out of my mouth in the car on the way to church on any given Sunday. LoL! (nothing bad, just interesting)

 

[Photini]

"Life without Christ is not life. That's the way it is...If you don't see Christ in everything you do, you are without Christ."
--Elder Porphyrios

"When someone opens your heart, I'd like him to find nothing there but Christ."
--Elder Amphilochios of Patmos

 

[MariaRegina]

What do you say to children when there is an earthquake?

When my son was three years old, he didn't like to pray. He felt that prayers were for adults. He really wasn't into prayer, although he believed in God. I think he felt too unworthy because he knew he was a sinner. I won't go into what he did. It's too embarrassing.

Anyway, we had the Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987. My son stands up in bed and cries. I tell him, "Raise your arms to heaven and ask Jesus to stop the earthquake, because Jesus answers the prayers of little children."

Immediately, my son prays, "Jesus, stop this earthquake."

The earth immediately stops shaking. Wow! Immediate answer to prayers. From then on, my son believes in the power of prayer.

 

[MariaRegina]

Reflections on the feast day of St. Maximus - January 21
Courtesy of Nicodemus (from his priest):

Blessings! Through the prayers of St.Maximus the Confessor!

There are many wonderful Saints remembered in the
month of January. St.Maximus suffered horribly in the
in the 7th century in defense of Orthodoxy for a
theological point (affirming the presence of a human
will in Christ) which many today would consider purely
semantic and trivial.

That, by the way, is the danger of many modern
theological discussions of our time. The truths upon
which the Fathers stood and refused to budge, even at
great personal risk, are now looked upon, even by
professional "theologians" as curiosities - fine
points that can be "overcome" through "dialogue."

St.Maximus gave up his right hand and his tongue,
in refusing such dialogue! Through his prayers, may we
have even a bit of his courage for the sake of the
Truth and Holy Orthodoxy - for the true confession of
Christ !!!

 

[MariaRegina]

Aidan Kavanagh writes beautifully about Orthodox music:

"The liturgy, the dwelling place of present and remembered encounter
with the living God, itself begins to think and speak for the
assembly and turns wholly into music, not in the sense of outward,
audible sounds, but by virtue of the power and momentum of its inward
flow. Then, like the current of a mighty river polishing stones and
turning wheels by its very movement, the flow of liturgical worship
creates in passing, and by the force of its own laws, cadence and
rhythm and countless other forms and formations…

What results from a liturgical act is not only "meaning," but an
eccelesial transaction with reality, a transaction whose
ramifications escape over the horizon of the present, beyond the act
itself, to overflow even the confines of the local assembly into
universality. The act both changes and outstrips the assembly in
which it occurs. The assembly adjusts to that change, becoming
different from what it was before the act happened. This adjustment
means that subsequent acts of liturgy can never touch the assembly in
exactly the same way as the previous act did."

On Liturgical Theology, 87-88

 

[Photini]

The greater the pain that you feel, the more you should welcome the person whose reproof makes you feel it. For he is bringing about within you a total purification without which your intellect cannot attain the pure state of prayer.

~ Ilias the Presbyter

 

[Photini]

“The union of all for which the Church prays is not to be understood as an assembly of parts made up of “Christian communities,” but as an extension of the trinitarian unity divinely active in the liturgical body of the Church. “Reunion of the Church” is a totally inadmissible expression which clouds the issue. It originates, not from orthodox theological consciousness, but from a worldly outlook. If we put into practice plans and agreements of our own, substituting these for the mystical unity of the Trinity, it is a disaster and a condemnation for man, who is formed in the image of God.”
... Archimandrite Vasileios, “Hymn of Entry”.

 

[MariaRegina]

Metropolitan ANTHONY (Bloom), "On Death", Sobornost, vol.1, №2, 1978

[courtesy of Jeff the Finn]

The seeds we sow

Death is never the end. The good we have done continues after us and bears fruit in the lives of others. Unfortunately, the corollary is also true: we can also leave a legacy of evil.

On the positive side, consider the effect of the Gospels. There are countless people who have been converted and transformed by reading even a small passage from them. This they gain from what someone, many centuries ago, formulated and wrote down for the sake of Christ. I myself owe my faith to St Mark. If there is anything good that has come out of my life it is because one day, when I was fifteen years of age, I read St Mark's Gospel and Christ revealed himself and entered into my life.
By contrast, I think of quite other people who have written books, such as the French nineteenth century writer Gobineau. Gobineau wrote some remarkable short stories, but also a miserable little treatise on the inequality of races. It is a treatise that would now be altogether and deservedly forgotten, except for one thing: it was read by Hitler. It is difficult to suppose that Gobineau shares no responsibility before God for all that resulted from his book. He was a theoretician. But his theories became practice, and they were to cost millions of innocent lives.

In this connection, I remember a fable by Krylov. Two individuals were sentenced to hell and placed in neighbouring cauldrons. One was a murderer, the other had merely written some trashy novels. The author took a quick look over the rim of his cauldron to see how the murderer was faring. He himself was being boiled so fiercely that he could not imagine how his neighbour might be treated. To his indignation he saw the murderer basking in tepid water. He summoned the devil on duty and expressed his dissatisfaction: 'I merely wrote some novels, and yet you give me such a violent boiling. Whereas this man committed murder and he is relaxing as if that were his bath'. 'True', said the devil, 'but that's no accident, it's deliberate.' 'How so?' 'Well', said the devil, 'this man murdered someone in a fit of rage. So we give him a hard boiling every now and again because that's how his rage flared up, then we give him a rest because it subsided. As for you, whenever anyone buys one of your books we stoke up the fire under your cauldron and add extra fuel'.

There is a theological point here. Our life does not end conveniently when we die, even on earth. It continues over the centuries through heredity and through the by-products of our existence; and we continue to carry a responsibility for its repercussions. Thus, we have met today; I have spoken; I shall be answerable for anything that you will have received and for the way in which it may affect your life.

 

[MariaRegina]

Courtesy of Photini:

from Orthodox Life -Vol.2 Number 2 - March/April 1951

by
Bishop Ignatius Briantchaninov
​

The head or chief of the virtues is prayer; their foundation is fasting.

Fasting is constant moderation in food with prudent discernment in its use.

Proud man! You think so much and so highly of your mind, while all the time it is in complete and constant dependence on your stomach.

The law of fasting, though outwardly a law for the stomach, is essentially a law for the mind.

The mind, that sovereign ruler in man, if it wishes to enter into its rights of autocracy and retain them, must first submit to the law of fasting. Only then will it be constantly alert and bright; only then can it rule over the desires of the heart and body. Only with constant vigilance and temperance can the mind learn the commandments of the Gospel and follow them. The foundation of the virtues is fasting.

Newly-made man when placed in paradise was given a single commandment, a commandment concerning fasting. Of course, only one commandment was given because that was sufficient to have kept primitive man in his innocence.

The commandment did not speak of the quantity of food, but only prohibited a kind or quality. Let those who recognize a fast in quantity of food only and not in quality be silent. By devoting themselves to a practical study of fasting, they will see the significance of the quality of the food.
​

So important was the law of fasting declared by God to man in paradise that with the commandment was pronounced a threat of punishment for breaking it. The punishment consisted in the striking of men with eternal death.

And now a sinful death continues to strike the breakers of the holy commandment of fasting. He who does not observe moderation and due discernment in food cannot preserve virginity or chastity, cannot control anger, yields to sloth, despondency and sorrow, becomes a slave of vainglory and an abode of pride which gets into a man through his carnal state, which is caused most of all by luxurious and nourishing food.

The commandment to fast was renewed or confirmed by the Gospel. "Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with excessive eating and drinking," said the Lord. Overeating and drinking impart corpulence or grossness not only to the body, but to the mind and heart as well; that is, they reduce a person to a carnal state of soul and body.
​

Fasting, on the contrary, leads a Christian to a spiritual state. A person who is purified by fasting is humble in spirit, chaste. modest, silent, refined in the feelings of his heart and mind, light in body, fit for spiritual labors and contemplation, apt to receive divine grace.

The carnal man is completely immersed in sinful pleasures. He is sensual in body, in heart and in mind He is incapable not only of spiritual joy and of receiving divine grace, but even of spiritual occupations. He is nailed to the earth, wallowing in materiality, spiritually dead while alive.

"Woe to you who are full now, for you shall hunger!" (Lk. 6, 25). Such is the message of the World of God to breakers of the commandment of holy fasting. How will you nourish yourself in eternity when you have learnt here only to glut yourself with material foods and material pleasures which do not exist in heaven? What will you feed on in eternity when you have not tasted one of the good things of heaven? How can you eat and enjoy the good things of heaven when you have acquired no taste or sympathy for them, in fact have only acquired aversion for them?

The daily bread of Christians is Christ. Uncloying repletion with this bread is the saving satiety and delight to which all Christians are invited. Be insatiably filled with the Word of God; be insatiably filled with the doing of Christ's commandments; be insatiably filled with the table "prepared against those who trouble you," and be inebriated "with the strong chalice" (Ps. 22, 5).

"Where are we to begin," says St. Macarius the Great,** "we who have never engaged in searching our hearts? Let us stand outside and knock with prayer and fasting, as the Lord commanded; 'Knock and it will be opened to you' " (Mat. 7. 7).

This work which is proposed to us by one of the greatest teachers of monasticism was a work of the Holy Apostles. From the midst of it they were granted to hear the Spirit's messages. "While they were serving* the Lord and fasting," says the writer of their acts, "the Holy Spirit said: Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off" (Acts 13, 2). From the midst of their effort in which fasting was combined with prayer the Spirit's command concerning the call of the Gentiles to Christianity was heard.

Wonderful union of fasting with prayer! Prayer is powerless unless it is based on fasting, and fasting is fruitless unless prayer is built upon it.

Fasting frees a person from fleshly passions, while prayer wrestles with the passions of the soul and, having conquered them, it penetrates and permeates the person's whole constitution, and purifies it. Into the purified spiritual temple it introduces God.

He who sows his land without working it wastes his seed and instead of wheat reaps thorns. So too if we sow seeds of prayer without refining our flesh, instead of righteousness we shall produce sin. Our prayer will be ruined and robbed by various thoughts and fantasies, it will be defiled by sensual feelings. Our flesh came from the earth and unless it is cultivated like the earth it can never produce the fruit of righteousness.

On the other hand if anyone works his land with great care and at great expense but leaves it unsown, it will be covered with a thick crop of weeds. So if the body is refined by fasting but the soul is not cultivated by prayer, reading and humility, then fasting becomes the parent of numerous weeds — passions of the soul: pride, vainglory, scorn.

What is the passion of gluttony and drunkenness? Having lost regularity (that is, a sense of what is right and lawful), the natural craving for food and drink demands a much greater quantity and more varied quality than is needed for the maintenance of life and the bodily powers, and becomes a passion. Excessive food acts on the bodily powers in a way that is the reverse of its natural purpose; it acts harmfully, weakening and destroying them.

The craving for food is satisfied by a simple table and by refraining from excess and delight in food. First, excess and delight must be abandoned; in this way the desire for food is refined and reduced to order. But when desire becomes normal, it is satisfied with simple food.

On the other hand when the craving for food is satisfied with excess and delight it is coarsened. To arouse it we resort to a variety of tasty foods and drinks. At first our desire seems satisfied; then it becomes capricious, and finally it turns into a morbid passion constantly seeking repletion and pleasure, and never satisfied.

Having resolved to consecrate ourselves to the service of God, let us make fasting the foundation of our effort. The essential quality of every foundation should be an unshakable firmness; otherwise it will be impossible to construct a building on it, however solid the building itself may be. So let us never on any account, on any pretext whatever, allow ourselves to break our fast by overeating, and especially by drunkenness.

The use of food once a day not to repletion is regarded by the Holy Fathers as the best fast. Such a fast does not weaken the body by prolonged abstinence or overload it with excessive food, but keeps it fit for soul-saving activity. Such a fast presents no glaring peculiarity, and therefore the person fasting has no cause for boasting, to which people are so prone on account of virtue itself, especially when it stands out sharply.

Those engaged in physical labors or who are so weak in body that they cannot content themselves with the use of food once a day should eat twice. Fasting is for man, not man for fasting. But however often food is used, whether frequently or infrequently, satiety is strictly forbidden; it makes a person unfit for spiritual labours, and opens the door to other carnal passions.

Immoderate fasting — that is, prolonged excessive abstinence from food — is not approved by the Holy Fathers. From inordinate fasting and the exhaustion which results from it, a person becomes unfit for spiritual labours, frequently turns to gluttony, and often falls into the passion of boasting and pride.
​

Very important is the quality of food. The forbidden fruit of Paradise, although it was beautiful in appearance and tasted delicious, had a fatal effect on the soul. It imparted to it a knowledge of good and evil, and thereby ruined the innocence in which our first parents were created. And now food continues to have a powerful effect on the soul, which is particularly noticeable in the use of wine. This effect of food is due to its diverse action on the flesh and blood, and to the fact that the vapors and gases produced by it rise from the stomach into the brain and affect the mind. For this reason all intoxicating drinks are forbidden to the ascetic, since they deprive the mind of soberness and vigilance, and so of victory in the war of thought. The defeated mind, especially when it has been defeated by sensual thoughts in which it has taken pleasure, is deprived of spiritual grace. What was acquired by many protracted labours is lost in a few hours, in a few minutes.

"A monk should not use wine at all," said Saint Poemen the Great. This rule ought to be followed by every pious Christian who wishes to preserve his chastity and virginity. The Holy Fathers followed this rule, and if they did use wine, it was extremely seldom and with the greatest moderation. Heating foods should be banished from the table of the abstinent since they arouse bodily passions. Such are pepper, ginger and other spices.

The most natural food is that which was assigned to man by the Creator immediately after his creation — food of the vegetable kingdom. God said to our fist parents: "Behold I have given you every seed-bearing plant, the sowing seed which is on the whole earth; and every tree which has within it the fruit of seminal seed shall be to you for food" (Gen. 1, 29). It was only after the flood that the use of meat was allowed (Gen. 9, 3).

Vegetable food is the best for an ascetic. It is less heating for the blood and less fattening for the flesh. The vapors and gases it produces and which rise to the brain affect it less. Finally it is the most wholesome because it produces less mucus in the stomach. For these reasons, when vegetable food is used, it is particularly easy to preserve purity and mental alertness, and the power of the mind over the whole man; also the passions act more feebly, and the person is more capable of engaging in the labours of piety.

Fish foods, especially those prepared from large sea fish, are of quite another kind. They act more perceptibly on the brain, fatten the body, heat the blood, and fill the stomach with harmful mucus, specially when they are frequently or constantly used.

These effects are incomparably more violent in the case of meat. It has an extremely fattening effect on the flesh, it causes a special corpulency, and heats the blood. The vapors and gases it produces are very oppressive to the brain. For this reason it is not used at all by monks. It is the prerogative of people living in the world who are always engaged in hard physical labor. But even for them the constant use of meat is harmful.

"What!" at this point would-be wiseacres exclaim, "Meat is allowed man by God, and do you forbid its use?" To this we reply in the words of the Apostle, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify" (1 Cor. 10, 23). We decline from the use of meat not because we regard it as unclean but because it produces a special corpulence in our whole constitution and hinders spiritual progress.

Holy Church, by her wise rules and regulations, has allowed Christians living in the world to use meat. Yet she does not allow its constant use, but has divided the year into seasons of meat-eating and seasons of abstinence from meat in which the Christian is detached from his meat-eating. This fruit of the fasts can be discovered by experience by everyone who keeps them.

For those living the monastic life the use of meat is forbidden. In its place the use of milk foods and eggs is permitted during the seasons of meat-eating. At certain times and on certain days the use of fish is permitted them. But mostly they can use only vegetable food.

Vegetable food is used almost exclusively by the most zealous ascetics and exponents of piety, especially those who have felt within them the movement of the Spirit of God,* on account of the convenience mentioned above and the cheapness of this food. For drink they use only water and avoid not only heating and intoxicating beverages but even nourishing ones like all the drinks made from bread.

The rules of fasting are appointed by the Church with the object of helping her children and to supply direction for the whole of Christian society. At the same time it is prescribed for everyone to examine himself with the help of an experienced and discerning spiritual father and not to. impose upon himself a fast which is beyond his strength. We repeat — fasting is for man, and not man for fasting. Food given for the support of the body should not be used to destroy it.

"If you control your stomach," said Saint Basil the Great, "you will mount to Paradise; but if you do not control it, you will be a victim of death."* Here by the name Paradise should be understood a state of grace and prayer, and by death a passionate condition. A state of grace during our life on earth serves as a pledge of our eternal beatitude in the heavenly Eden. A fall into the power of sin and into a state of spiritual deadness serves as a pledge of our fall into the abyss of hell for eternal torment.
​

Amen.

​

 

[MariaRegina]

From: Fr. Panagiotes Carras
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004
Subject: Great Lent


Our lives as Orthodox Christians should be a constant journey along the path that leads us to our true home land, the Kingdom of Heaven. This journey, however, is often interrupted by our slipping from the true path and following strange paths which lead away from our Saviour.

Great Lent is an opportunity for us to take account of the direction we have been following and intensify our struggle to return to the true path. This struggle is both physical and spiritual because both our body and our soul need to work together to overcome the physical and spiritual passions which lead us astray.

Fasting, which is part of our physical struggle, will be futile if it is not accompanied by spiritual struggles against the passions of anger, selfishness and pride. This is why during Great Lent our prayers are increased and we ask the Lord to give us the enlightenment to recognize how far we have strayed. More frequent attendance of Lenten Church Services, a concerted effort to study the word of God and sincere preparation for Holy Confession must accompany our fasting and in this way prepare ourselves to receive the Grace of the Resurrection of our Saviour.

Struggling is not just for monastics. It is the path for all Christians. The following list includes just a few books that will prove helpful to those who wish to embark on this Lenten struggle.

“The Homilies” of Saint Gregory Palamas

“The Arena” by Bishop Ignatios Brianchaninov

“The Spiritual Homilies” of Saint Makarios the Great

“The Ethical Discourses” of St. Symeon the New Theologian

“Discourses and Sayings” of Saint Dorotheos of Gaza

“Letters of Direction” of Saint Macarius of Optina

“Journey to Heaven” by Saint Theophan the Recluse

 

[MariaRegina]

http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/105/A DOUBLE.htm

Published by Sofia -- The Herald, January 2004

"DOUBLE? OR NOTHING?"

"A Word to the Wise is Sufficient!" so goes an ancient proverb. The
title of this article, however, is based not on a wise proverb but on
a gambler's call. Does it speak of recklessness or of solid assurance
of success? Laying aside any reference to gambling, this call could
be aptly applied to the mission effort of the Church in North America
in her service to her Christ.

The true nature of the Church is, by her divine calling, missionary.
Mission can be within a nation and to the outside. The concern of
this article is mission within the nation. In this regard, nation
refers to Canada, as well as, to the United States. Mexico has its
own particular needs.

Orthodoxy was brought to North America both through the planned
mission program of the Church of Russia and through the un-planned
establishment of parishes by immigrant faithful from other Orthodox
nations. In the first instance, the Church of Russia instituted an
authentic mission program to reach the Native Alaskans. In the second
instance, immigrants brought their faith with them to nourish and
comfort them in the New World with little concern to reach out to
others. One reached out to establish the faith, and the other turned
inward to preserve the faith.

After two hundred years of the existence of Orthodoxy in North
America, we find that these two missionary efforts continue: mission
to the outside mostly through the work of the Orthodox Christian
Mission Center (O.C.M.C.), while mission within is in the hands of hierarchs.

Every jurisdiction establishes new (mission) parishes. In most cases,
mission means establishing a worshiping community for a particular
ethnic group. In other words, it is the continuation of the activity
initiated by the early immigrants to these shores and tends to be
more conservative than missionary. Even those parishes which are
established as ?American? often have ethnic founders upon whom the
new community was based, and this patchwork gives the mission a
unique flavor.

There is a particular mission recently established under the
jurisdiction of an ethnic hierarch whose priest sends out postcards
reminding individuals of the forthcoming service schedule. Around the
edge of the postcard are invitations to Greeks, Russians, Romanians,
Serbians, Ukrainians, etc., to attend. This is an effort to reach out
to those who are already Orthodox but who have no "ethnic" church to
attend and who accommodate to a multiplicity of liturgical languages
along with English.

The Greek-American Community, unlike the former Iron Curtain Nations
(ICN), has enjoyed continuous immigration over the decades since the
Russian Revolution. Its ethnic identity remained strong while those
of the ICN nations were weakened by the shame of belonging to a
people labeled as communist and as the Red Threat.

With the apparent change of governments in the former ICN, Orthodox
immigration to North America has increased greatly. A multitude of
new missions for ethnic identifiable immigrants has been established
for Romanians, Albanians, Bulgarians, Serbians, Russians, Ukrainians
and others. Thus, the growth in certain ethnic jurisdictions is based
on this mission within rather than mission to the outside. The Church
is taking care of her faithful wherever they may roam.

With the playing field of Orthodox immigration more or less leveled
out, is the Church effecting mission within the nation or is it still
merely maintaining and establishing communities for particular ethnic
groups? How strong is the hierarchs' conviction to reach out beyond a
particular ethnic pale? Is there a real concern? Only each hierarch
knows his own conviction. We do suggest that not enough is being done
to serve those of the ethnic groups who do not speak the language in
which the Divine Liturgy is being served in their particular parish.
Thus, the choice of the title, Double or Nothing. Both language
groups must be served. A hierarch who establishes English language
parishes is acting in a pastorally-responsible way befitting his role
as shepherd of the reason-endowed flock.

Does it not make sense and is it not a responsibility to create new
parishes using the English language for those faithful? Over the
decades, every ethnic church has lost the majority of their faithful,
because they no longer understood the language of the Divine
Services. They were lost, too, because their non-ethnic spouses were
not welcomed and the spiritual education of their children ignored.
They were lost, too, because they were judged as not being able to
fit into the inner-circle of the ethnic parish. They were lost, too,
by the droves, swallowed up by those who did serve them in an
understandable language, and large numbers enrolled in non-Orthodox
churches.

How often has hierarch, priest or layman said, "If they can't learn
the language then let them go elsewhere!" Among the many stories
reflecting this devastating attitude is that of a certain priest who,
when approached by a small group of his faithful interested in
learning more about the Bible in English, informed them that it was
not necessary and that they should spend time learning the language
of their forefathers. Today, that group is enlarged and exists as a
Pentecostal Community of Christians who study the Bible but are now
bereft of the sacraments and teachings of the Orthodox Church.

Some of the leaders of the Church, of thrice-blessed memory,
Metropolitan Anthony Bashir, Archbishop Valerian Trifa, Archbishop
Metrophan Noli, published by-lingual liturgical texts for use in
their ethnic parishes. We can also glory in the efforts of our Holy
Fathers Among the Saints, Bishop Innocent and Metropolitan Tikhon who
championed the use of the spoken tongue of the Alaskan Christians, in
addition to using Old Slavonic. Possibly the merit goes to the
Antiochian Church in North America that first established English-
speaking parishes, and most of the Dioceses of the Orthodox Church in
America establish new missions with English as the liturgical
language.

There is another story about the famous Orloff liturgical texts in
English printed in St. Petersburg at the end of the 19th Century and
shipped to North America. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Church
in America turned inward, became defensive, insisted on the use of
Old Slavonic over English and stored those beautiful books in the
recesses of some basement area. This conservative attitude can be
observed in all the ethnic Orthodox groups in North America which
were affected by control of their homelands by atheistic communist
governments. They must have felt as if they would become the remnant.
Although new generations did not learn the ethnic and liturgical
languages, neither did the Church learn the English language of the
land to sanctify it.

Furthermore, is it not incumbent upon the hierarchs to reach out to
the un-churched in a language they can understand? The most famous
example of the Slavonic-speaking Greek brothers, Saints Cyril and
Methodios of Thessalonika, bears witness to the absolute necessity
for intelligible communication of the teachings of Christ. There is
both the need to establish more English-speaking missions to serve
our faithful who do not speak one of the liturgical languages, as
well as to establish totally new missions to reach out to bring
others into the Church.

If the hierarchs, individually but much better in a synodal/collegial
way, were to establish parishes for their faithful who no longer
speak the ethnic language or cannot understand an archaic form of
liturgical language, the service to our Lord would be doubled! If the
hierarchs also established new missions as an outreach to the nation,
the witness would be quadrupled! Thus, there is a need for two kinds
of English speaking missions: those for the Orthodox who would be
lost because of the incomprehensibility of liturgical language and
for missions to the nation.

If we plant nothing, we reap the fruit of nothing. If we plant not,
others do and reap our faithful. Isolated from each, our left hand
knows not what our right is doing. We duplicate; we exacerbate; we
complicate. The Holy Spirit is economical and blesses that which is
well-planned. It is the same Holy Spirit, the Paraclete that gathered
the hierarchs together 10 years ago in Ligonier. The two documents
born of that unique SCOBA meeting held under the power of the Spirit
of Truth are the touchstone to what was stated, what was promised and
what has been implemented. We cannot gamble that which does not
belong to us, the faith given to us by the Lord. We have everything
to lose but also everything to gain! A reminder to the Wise is
sufficient.

+NATHANIEL, Archbishop
Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America
Orthodox Church in America

 

[nicodemus]

at a request via PM.
source: my priest's daily emails:

As to the movie, The Passion, which opens today,the
articles in recent bulletins have been put there to
show the reaction against the movie, sight unseen,
which reminds us of the hatred of Christ that is still
very real in the world. Do not assume I have
automatically endorsed the movie. It has been a good
opportunity, with Lent upon us, for discussing the
Orthodox teaching on the Cross (see Feb. bulletins).

The articles also suggested that Gibson has gone
overboard with the violence, whereas the Gospels are
very reticent in that aspect. That's an important
point. And this points to a different emphasis on the
Cross in the West as compared to Orthodoxy and the
ancient Church. The focus of the West since the schism
is on the extreme suffering and the vicarious
sacrifice (Christ is punished instead of us).
Orthodoxy focuses, as did the early Church, on
Christ’s sacrifice as His triumphant victory for us
against sin, death and the devil. Yes, His suffering
is real and fierce, but already people are saying the
movie “shows how it was”. Well, then people and the
movie are assuming a lot, if that’s the case.

Remember it is still a movie. One might go see it
during Lent some time, but the first week of Lent we
belong in church. Orthodoxy is not a Sunday religion.

In the Church is the only way Christ’s Passion will
ever heal us of our passions. Not by watching a movie.
And bare in mind, the only genuine spiritual
“experience” one can have from seeing it, is the
desire to repent of one’s sins and live anew for
Christ and in obedience to Him and the Church. Every
other “spiritual experience” is emotion that, however
sincere and heartfelt, will not save in the long run,
unless we have genuine repentance. That’s asking a lot
of a movie. Let’s not expect a movie to fix us (It may
indeed shock and horrify us - not sure how good that
is for our souls either...). But only Christ and the
Church can accomplish genuine healing and repentance.

 

[St. Tikon]

"One cannot have God as his father, who does not have the Holy catholic Church as his mother"

St. Cyril of Alexandria

 

[MariaRegina]

What is the most valuable thing on earth?

Time, because everything is acquired in time and all of man's business is conducted by time. You could have food, clothing, fabulous homes, wisdom - have all you want, but if you do not have time, it means - you have nothing.

What is the worst thing on earth for man?

The loss of time. Because by wasting time, we cannot acquire anything; we cannot have anything; by losing time, we lose everything. We even lose ourselves.

Another question: What do people value the least? And what is the most disorganized and the most squandered thing on earth?

Time. A large segment of the people live as if by guesswork, according to the accepted custom, day by day, year by year, not at all concerned about what they did with their days and years or how they lived their lives. Sometimes we mourn over the loss of some existing trifles, but we have no regrets at all, nor are we sorry, when we foolishly lose not just some petty cash, but the most precious minutes of our time.

This is why the Holy Apostle Paul cautions us against the useless waste of time and offers lawful provisions that we wisely regulate each minute of our life: "See then," says he, "that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as the wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16). When the Apostle says. "See then, redeem the time", with these words he wants us to understand that by time true happiness is also acquired, just as by money all things necessary for this physical life are purchased, and that consequently, the proper use of time is very similar to the use of money in good hands. A wise man will not lose a single penny foolishly; he will count exactly the entire amount which he has and will attach a special purpose for each cent. We must do exactly the same thing; and then we shall arrange our time; we must faithfully reckon with it, every hour and every minute must be determined for this or that purpose; every day must be redeemed with good deeds for our benefit and for the benefit of our neighbours. The Lord did not set aside one minute of our lives for idleness, harmful deeds, or simply to do nothing at all.

Bishop Jeremiah the Hermit

Courtesy of Photini

 

[MariaRegina]

Two page excerpt from "What is the Difference Between Orthodoxy and Western Confessions?" By Metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky

...Christianity is a life-long pursuit of virtue. Christianity is a pearl for which the wise merchant of the Gospel parable has had to sell all his possessions. It would seem that in the course of history this self-denying step, this taking up of the cross, meant different things: at the time of the earthly life of the Savior it was joining His disciples and following Him; later it became confession of faith and martyrdom; then, from the fourth to the twentieth centuries, -- seclusion and monasticism. In fact, however, these various exploits were only the means towards one end, one goal -- gradual attainment of spiritual perfection on earth, of the freedom from passions, of all virtues, -- just as we ask in the prayer of St. Ephraim, repeating it over and over during Great Lent with many bows and prostrations:

[ O Lord and Master of my life, the spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talk give me not. Prostration. But rather a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love bestow upon me Thy servant. Prostration. Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my own failings and not to condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen. Prostration.]

"This is the will of God, your sanctification," -- says the Apostle; we can attain to it only by setting this as the main and the only goal of our life, by living for the sake of holiness. This is what the true Christianity is all about; this is the essence of Orthodoxy vs. the heterodoxy of the West. In this respect (and, consequently, by their nature) the Oriental heresies such as Monophysites and Armenians are much closer to Orthodoxy than are the Western: like us, they have set spiritual perfection as the goal of a Christian life, but they differ from us in the teachings about the conditions for the attainment of that goal.

5. Controversy over Perfection

-- Do the Western Christians really say that there is no need for moral perfection? Would they deny that Christianity commands us to be perfect?
-- They would not say that, but they don’t see it as the essence of Christianity, either. Moreover, in their view of perfection and the means to attain it they would disagree with us on every word; they would not even understand, let alone agree, that it is precisely moral perfection that is the goal of a Christian life -- and not merely the knowledge of God (as Protestants would say) or service to the Church (Roman Catholics), for which virtues, in their opinion, God Himself gives us moral perfection as a reward.

Moral perfection is gained by intensive, strenuous effort, by inner struggle, by deprivations, and most of all -- by self-humiliation. An Orthodox Christian, by virtue of sincerely and diligently following the spiritual discipline, participates to a large extent in that struggle: the discipline itself is designed to facilitate our gradual mortification of passions and acquisition of blessed perfection. In this we are assisted by our divine services, by the efforts in preparation for the Holy Communion, by fasting, and by that almost monastic order of Orthodox life, codified in our Typicon and followed by our ancestors before Peter the Great, and by all those who live by the tradition up until this very day.

In short, the Orthodox faith is an ascetic faith; Orthodox theological thought -- that which does not lie a dead scholastic baggage, but influences our life and spreads among the people -- is a study of the ways of spiritual perfection. As such it is manifest in our church services through theological statements, references to Biblical events, commandments and reminders of the Last Judgement.

This, of course, is not foreign to the Western denominations either; but they understand salvation as an external reward given either for a certain amount of good deeds (also external), or for an unflinching faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. They have no knowledge, nor interest, in how a soul should gradually free itself from the bondage of passions, of how we should go from strength to strength on our way to freedom from sin and fullness of virtues. There are ascetics in the West, to be sure, but their life is dominated by dejected, senseless obedience to the age-old rules and requirements, for which they are promised forgiveness of sins and future eternal life. Eternal life has already appeared, as Apostle John says, and blessed communion with God is obtained by unflinching asceticism right now, in the words of St. Macarius the Great, -- all this is unknown to West.....

...If we trace all follies of the West, those developed in its religion as well as those rooted in its customs, which are transmitted to us through the "window of Europe," we will see them all stemming from ignorance of the nature of Christian faith as a personal struggle for gradual self-perfection. Such, for instance, is the Latino-Protestant concept of the Redemption as the revenge of the Divine Majesty, once offended by Adam, on Jesus Christ -- a concept which grew out of the feudal notion of knightly honor, restorable by shedding the blood of the offender; such is the material teaching about the Sacraments; such is also their teaching about the new instrument of Divine Revelation -- the Pope of Rome, whoever he might be in actual life; such, likewise, is the teaching of works of obligation and of supererogation. Such is, finally, the Protestant dogma of salvation through faith, which rejects the Church and her structure.

In all these fallacies Christianity is seen as something foreign to us, to our minds and hearts, some sort of negotiated agreement between us and the Godhead, stipulating, for reasons unknown, that we accept certain obscure statements and rules, and receive in return a reward of eternal salvation....

...And the reason for these follies is the failure to grasp the simple truth that Christianity is an ascetic religion, a teaching on gradual liberation from the passions, on the means and conditions of gradual acquisition of virtues, conditions both internal, that is, personal struggle, and external, that is, dogmatic tenets and grace-filled Mysteries, all having one purpose: to heal human sinfulness and lead us to perfection.