JULY 2009

DIARY

SEPTEMBER 2009

August 2009

PATH OF LIFE...
APPRECIATION!
The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.  
St. Irenaeus

PRAYERS
1 S The power of the gospel St. Irenaeus
2 X The Lord's Day St. Isaac of Syria
3 M Raise me up St. Romanos
4 T Foundations St. Symeon the New Theologian
5 W A clear rule for self-control St. John Cassian 
6 Th Truth is not a philosophical concept St. Justin Popovich 
7 F The good fight St. John Climacus
8 S God is a fire St. Seraphim of Sarov
9 X Poverty St. John Chrysostom 
10 M Every day St. Gregory the Great 
11 T Humility St. Anthony the Great 
12 W Remember St. Paisius Velichkovsky 
13 Th I am only just beginning St. Macarius the Great 
14 F Be strong in Me St. Romanos
15 S Why do you trouble yourself St. Isaac the Syrian 
16 X The life of the world Elder Nazarius 
17 M Gifts of the Holy Spirit St. Innocent of Irkutsk
18 T

Lord, help me

 St. Peter of Damascus 
19 W Ask God St. Anatoly of Optina
20 Th The soul that really loves God and Christ St. Macarius the Great 
21 F Nailed to the cross of Christ St. Macarius the Great
22 S How can I find God? Apophthegmata Patrum
23 X The hour of death St. Hesychius the Priest 
24 M Perfection St. Mark the Ascetic 
25 T

Do not be surprised that you fall every day

 St. John of the Ladder 
26 W True humility St. Martin of Braga 
27 Th Divine presence St. Benedict 
28 F The only thing we need Elder Herman of Mt. Athos 
29 S Praying alone St. John of Kronstadt 
30 X Waters St. Tikhon of Voronezh 
31 M Guarding the heart St. Symeon the New Theologian

Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church - Balamand Monastery

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The power of the gospel

The Lord of all gave to His apostles the power of the gospel, and 
by them we also have learned the truth, that is, the teaching of 
the Son of God - as the Lord said to them, `He who hears you hears 
Me, and he who despises you despises Me, and Him Who sent Me' 
[Lk.10:16]. For we learned the plan of our salvation from no other 
than from those through whom the gospel came to us. The first 
preached it abroad, and then later by the will of God handed it 
down to us in Scriptures, to be the foundation and pillar of our 
faith. For it is not right to say that they preached before they 
had come to perfect knowledge, as some dare to say, boasting that 
they are the correctors of the apostles. For after our Lord had 
risen from the dead, and they were clothed with the power from on 
high when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were filled with 
all things and had perfect knowledge. They went out to the ends of 
the earth, preaching the good things that come to us from God, and 
proclaiming peace from heaven to all men, all and each of them 
equally being in possession of the gospel of God. 

St. Irenaeus, Against the Heresies, III  
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The Lord's Day

The Lord's Day is a mystery of the knowledge of the truth that is 
not received by flesh and blood, and it transcends speculations. 
In this age there is no eighth day, nor is there a true Sabbath. 
For he who said that `God rested on the seventh day,' signified 
the rest [of our nature] from the course of this life, since the 
grave is also of a bodily nature and belongs to this world. Six 
days are accomplished in the husbandry of life by means of keeping 
the commandments; the seventh is spent entirely in the grave; and 
the eighth is the departure from it. 

St. Isaac of Syria, The Ascetical Homilies.I 
 

 

   

 Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

 

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Raise me up

The wicked one, on the watch,
carried me off as booty as I lazily slept. 
He led my mind into error;
he plundered my spirit and snatched away 
The wealth of Thy grace, this arch robber. 
So raise me up, as I am fallen, and summon me, Saviour, 
Thou who dost will that all men be saved. 

Kontakia of St. Romanos, A Prayer. 

 

 

 
   

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Foundations

The roof of any house stands upon the foundations and the rest of 
the structure. The foundations themselves are laid in order to 
carry the roof. This is both useful and necessary, for the roof 
cannot stand without the foundations and the foundations are 
absolutely useless without the roof - no help to any living 
creature. In the same way the grace of God is preserved by the 
practice of the commandments, and the observance of these 
commandments is laid down like foundations through the gift of 
God. The grace of the Spirit cannot remain with us without the 
practice of the commandments, but the practice of the commandments 
is of no help or advantage to us without the grace of God. 

St. Symeon the New Theologian 

 
   

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A clear rule for self-control

I shall speak first about control of the stomach, the opposite to 
gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat. I 
shall say nothing on my own account, but only what I have received 
from the Holy Fathers. They have not given us only a single rule 
for fasting or a single standard and measure for eating, because 
not everyone has the same strength; age, illness or delicacy of 
body create differences. But they have given us all a single goal: 
to avoid over-eating and the filling of our bellies... A clear 
rule for self-control handed down by the Fathers is this: stop 
eating while still hungry and do not continue until you are 
satisfied. 

St. John Cassian 

 
   
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Truth is not a philosophical concept

 

In Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a 
theory, a teaching, or a system, but rather, it is the living 
theanthropic hypostasis - the historical Jesus Christ (John 14:6). 
Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since they 
did not possess it. With Christ as the incarnate divine Logos the 
eternally complete divine Truth enters into the world. For this 
reason the Gospel says: "Truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). 

St. Justin Popovich 

 
   

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The good fight


Let us charge into the good fight
with joy and love without being afraid of our enemies.

Though unseen themselves, they can look at 
the face of our soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they 
take up arms against us all the more fiercely. For the cunning 
creatures have observed that we are scared. So let us take up arms 
against them courageously. No one will fight with a resolute 
fighter. 

St. John Climacus 
   

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God is a fire

God is a fire that warms and kindles
the heart and inward parts. 
Hence, if we feel in our hearts
the cold which comes from the 
devil - for the devil is cold -
let us call on the Lord.
He will come
to warm our hearts with perfect love,
not only for Him but 
also for our neighbor,
and the cold of him who hates the good will 
flee before the heat of His countenance. 

St. Seraphim of Sarov 

 

 
   

 Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

 

 

 

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Poverty

In the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and 
work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an 
obstacle even for those who do not devote themselves to it. Yet, 
when we must put aside our wrath, quench our envy, soften our 
anger, offer our prayers, and show a disposition which is 
reasonable, mild, kindly, and loving, how could poverty stand in 
our way? For we accomplish these things not by spending money but 
by making the correct choice. Almsgiving above all else requires 
money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms 
are given from our poverty. The widow who paid in the two mites 
was poorer than any human, but she outdid them all. 

St. John Chrysostom 

 
   

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Every day

Every day you provide
your bodies with good to keep them from failing.
In the same way
your good works should be the daily 
nourishment of your hearts.
Your bodies are fed with food
and your spirits with good works.
You aren't to deny your soul,
which is going to live forever,
what you grant to your body,
which is going 
to die. 

St. Gregory the Great 

 
   

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Humility


I saw the snares that the enemy
spreads out over the world
and I said groaning,

"What can get through
from such snares?"
Then I heard a voice saying to me,

"Humility." 

St. Anthony the Great 

 
   

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Remember


"Remember, O my soul, the terrible and frightful wonder: that your 
Creator for your sake became Man, and deigned to suffer for the 
sake of your salvation. His angels tremble, the Cherubim are 
terrified, the Seraphim are in fear, and all the heavenly powers 
ceaselessly give praise; and you, unfortunate soul, remain in 
laziness. At least from this time forth arise and do not put off, 
my beloved soul, holy repentence, contrition of heart and penance 
for your sins." 

St. Paisius Velichkovsky 
   

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 I am only just beginning

This is the mark of Christianity--however much a man toils, and 
however many righteousnesses he performs, to feel that he has done 
nothing, and in fasting to say, "This is not fasting," and in 
praying, "This is not prayer," and in perseverance at prayer, "I 
have shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to practice 
and to take pains"; and even if he is righteous before God, he 
should say, "I am not righteous, not I; I do not take pains, but 
only make a beginning every day." 

St. Macarius the Great 

 
   

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Be strong in Me


Be strong in Me; and you, too, Andrew; just as you were the first 
to find Me, you were found by me; so find the one who has 
wandered; 
Do not forget your first skill; from it I shall educate you for 
this new art. 
Formerly, naked into the deep sea, now naked into life; 
Formerly, hunting with a fishing-rod, now taught to fish with the 
cross; 
Formerly, you used a worm as bait; now I order you to hunt with My 
flesh. 
I alone know what is in the heart. 

Kontakia of St. Romanos, On the Mission of the Apostles. 
   

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Why do you trouble yourself


Why do you trouble yourself
in a house that is not your own?

Let the sight of a dead man be a teacher for you
concerning your 
departure from hence. 

St. Isaac the Syrian 
 

 
   

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The life of the world


Beguiling and deceptive is the life of the world, fruitless its 
labor, perilous its delight, poor its riches, delusive its honors, 
inconstant, insignificant; and woe to those who hope in its 
seeming goods: because of this many die without repentance. 
Blessed and mos blessed are those who depart from the world and 
its desires. 

Elder Nazarius 

 
   

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Gifts of the Holy Spirit


Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great 
and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with 
joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, 
the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the 
world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses 
them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. 
But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his 
learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and 
worshipper of the world. 

St. Innocent of Irkutsk,
Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

 
   

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Lord, help me


The demons are sleepless and immaterial,
death is at hand, and I am weak.

Lord, help me;
do not let Thy creature perish,
for Thou carest for me
in my misery. 

St. Peter of Damascus 

 

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Ask God

You cannot destroy
the passions on your own,
but ask God,
and He 
will destroy them,
if this is profitable for you. 

St. Anatoly of Optina 

 

 

 

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The soul that really loves God and Christ


The soul that really loves God and Christ, though it may do ten 
thousand righteousnesses, esteems itself as having wrought 
nothing, by reason of its insatiable aspiration after God. Though 
it should exhaust the body with fastings, with watchings, its 
attitude towards the virtues is as if it had not yet even begun to 
labour for them. 

St. Macarius the Great 

 

 
   

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 Nailed to the cross of Christ


Souls that love truth and God, that long with much hope and faith 
to put on Christ completely, do not need so much to be put in
remembrance by others, nor do they endure, even for a while, to be 
deprived of the heavenly desire and of passionate affection to the 
Lord; but being wholly and entirely nailed to the cross of Christ, 
they perceive in themselves day by day a sense of spiritual 
advance towards the spiritual Bridegroom. 

St. Macarius the Great 

 

 

 
   

 Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



 

 

 

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 How can I find God?


An old man was asked, 'How can I find God?' He said, 'In fasting, 
in watching, in labours, in devotion, and, above all, in 
discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without 
discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. 
Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by 
heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that 
which God seeks: charity and humility.' 

Apophthegmata Patrum 

 

 

 

 

 
   

 Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


 


 

 

 

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The hour of death


The hour of death will come upon us, it will come, and we shall 
not escape it. May the prince of this world and of the air (cf. 
John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) find our misdeeds few and petty when he 
comes, so that he will not have good grounds for convicting us. 
Otherwise we shall weep in vain. 'For that servant who knew his 
lord's will and did not do it as a servant, shall be beaten with 
many stripes' (cf. Luke 12:47). 

St. Hesychius the Priest 
 

 


 
   

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Perfection


Do not seek the perfection of the law
in human virtues,
for it is not found perfect in them.
Its perfection is hidden
in the Cross 
of Christ. 

St. Mark the Ascetic 

 
   

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Do not be surprised that you fall every day


Do not be surprised
that you fall every day;

do not give up, but 
stand your ground courageously.

And assuredly, the angel who 
guards you will honour your patience. 

St. John of the Ladder 
   

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 True humility


Behold, this is the true
and the Christian humility.

In this you 
will be able to achieve victory over every vice,
by attributing to God
rather than to yourself
the fact that you have won. 

St. Martin of Braga 

 
   

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Divine presence


We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that "the 
eyes of the Lord are looking on the good and the evil in every 
place." But we should believe this especially without any doubt 
when we are assisting at the Work of God. To that end let us be 
mindful always of the Prophet's words, "Serve the Lord in fear" 
and again, "Sing praises wisely" and "In the sight of the Angels I 
will sing praise to Thee." Let us therefore consider how we ought 
to conduct ourselves in the sight of the Godhead and of His 
Angels, and let us take part in the psalmody in such a way that 
our mind may be in harmony with our voice. 

St. Benedict 

 
   

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The only thing we need


Humility
is the only thing we need;

one can still fall having 
virtues other than humility

 -- but with humility
one does not 
fall. 

Elder Herman of Mt. Athos 

 
   

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Praying alone


When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected,
and you are wearied and oppressed
by your loneliness,
remember then, as always,
that God the Trinity looks upon you
with eyes brighter than the sun;
also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and 
all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, 
and where God is, there are they also. Where the sun is, thither 
also are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means. 

St. John of Kronstadt 
   

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Waters
 


God descends
to the humble
as waters flow down from the hills
into 
the valleys. 



St. Tikhon of Voronezh 

 

 
   

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 Guarding the heart


Our holy fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and 
concentrated wholly on this one doing, that is, on guarding the 
heart, convinced that, through this practice, they would easily 
attain every other virtue, whereas without it not a single virtue 
can be firmly established. 

St. Symeon the New Theologian 

 

 

Wise Sayings from The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church