Category Archives: Wisdom of the Church Fathers

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

To judge sins is the business of one who is sinless, but who is sinless except God? Whoever thinks about the multitude of his own sins in his heart never wants to make the sins of others a topic of conversation. To judge a man who has gone astray is a sign of pride, and God resists the proud. On the other hand, one who every hour prepares himself to give answer for his own sins will not quickly lift up his head to examine the mistakes of others.
– St. Gennadius of Constantinople, The Golden Chain, 53-55

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A discerning man, when he eats grapes, takes only the ripe ones and leaves the sour. Thus also the discerning mind carefully marks the virtues which he sees in any person. A mindless man seeks out the vices and failings … Even if you see someone sin with your own eyes, do not judge; for often even your eyes are deceived.
– St. John of the Ladder, Ladder, 10.16-17

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

Consistently pray in all things, so that you might not do anything without the help of God … Whoever does or busies himself with anything without prayer does not succeed in the end. Concerning this, the Lord said: “Without Me you can’t do anything”. (John 15:5)
– St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 2.94,166

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Give your intentions in prayer to God, Who knows everyone, even before our birth. And do not ask that everything will be according to your will, because a man does not know what is profitable for him. But say to God: Let Thy will be done! For He does everything for our benefit.
– St. Gennadius of Constantinople, The Golden Chain, 47

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and incentive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence.

But without holiness, no one shall see the Lord, that is to say they will not attain eternal blessedness. It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (I Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints.

– St Philaret of Moscow, Sermon of September 23, 1847

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

Grumbling is caused by misery and it can be put aside by doxology (giving praise). Grumbling begets grumbling and doxology begets doxology. When someone doesn’t grumble over a problem troubling him, but rather praises God, then the devil gets frustrated and goes off to someone else who grumbles, in order to cause everything to go even worse for him. You see, the more one grumbles, the more one falls into ruin.

St Paisios of Mt Athos

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

In order that you may move your will more easily to this one desire, in everything—to please God and to work for His glory alone—remind yourself often, that He has granted you many favours in the past and has shown you His love.

He has created you out of nothing in His own likeness and image, and has made all other creatures your servants; He has delivered you from your slavery to the devil, sending down not one of the angels but His Only-begotten Son to redeem you, not at the price of corruptible gold and silver, but by His priceless blood and His most painful and degrading death.

Having done all this He protects you, every hour and every moment, from your enemies; He fights your battles by His divine grace; in His immaculate Mysteries He prepares the Body and Blood of His beloved Son for your food and protection. All this is a sign of God’s great favour and love for you; a favour so great that it is inconceivable how the great Lord of hosts could grant such favours to our nothingness and worthlessness.

+ Unseen Warfare, St. Theophan the Recluse and St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

In times of affliction, unceasingly call out to the merciful God in prayer. The unceasing invocation of the name of God in prayer is a treatment for the soul which kills not only the passions, but even their very operation.

As a doctor finds the necessary medicine, and it works in such a way that the sick person does not understand, in just the same way the name of God, when you call upon it, kills all the passions, although we don’t know how this happens.
– St. Barsanuphius the Great, Instructions, 421

“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic His giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.”
― St. Nicholas of Myra

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

“Human beings have accumulated in their coffers gold and silver, clothes more sumptuous than useful, diamonds and other objects that are evidence of war and tyranny; then a foolish arrogance hardens their hearts; for their brothers in distress, no pity.

What utter blindness! . . . Attend not to the law of the strong but to the law of the Creator. Help nature to the best of your ability, honour the freedom of creation, protect your species from dishonour, come to its aids in sickness, rescue it from poverty …. Seek to distinguish yourself from others only in your generosity.

Be like gods to the poor, imitating God’s mercy. Humanity has nothing so much in common with God as the ability to do good.”

– St. Gregory of Nazianzus, On Love of the Poor

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

All that you lose in the name of God, you keep. All that you keep for your own sake, you lose.
All that you give in the name of God, you will receive with interest.
All that you give for the sake of your own glory and pride, you throw into the water.
All that you receive from people as from God will bring you joy.
All that you receive from people as from people will bring you worries.
– St. Nicholas of Serbia, Thoughts on Good and Evil

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Do you think that the man-loving God has given you much so that you could use it only for your own benefit? No, but so that your abundance might supply the lack of others.
– St. John Chrysostom, Conversations on the Book of Genesis, 20

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

‘You received divine grace from Heaven,
and by your own lips taught all to worship the One God in Trinity.

All-blessed, venerable John Chrysostom, deservedly, we praise you for you are a teacher clearly revealing things divine.’

Since it is likely that, being men, they would sin every day, St. Paul consoles his hearers by saying ‘renew yourselves’ from day to day.

This is what we do with houses: we keep constantly repairing them as they wear old. You should do the same thing to yourself. Have you sinned today? Have you made your soul old? Do not despair, do not despond, but renew your soul by repentance, and tears, and Confession, and by doing good things. And never cease doing this.

– St John Chrysostom

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

TRUE PRAYER is undistracted, prolonged, performed with a contrite heart and alert intellect. The vehicle of prayer is everywhere – humility, and prayer is a manifestation of humility. For being conscious of our own weakness, we invoke the power of GOD. PRAYER unites one with GOD, being a divine conversation and spiritual communion with the Being that is most beautiful and highest.

PRAYER IS FORGETTING EARTHLY THINGS, AN ASCENT TO HEAVEN. THROUGH PRAYER WE FLEE TO GOD.

PRAYER is truly a heavenly armour, and it alone can keep safe those who have dedicated themselves to God. Prayer is the common medicine for purifying ourselves from the passions, for hindering sin and curing our faults. Prayer is an inexhaustible treasure, an unruffled harbor, the foundation of serenity, the root and mother of myriads of blessings.

+ St Nectarios
from “Modern Orthodox Saints, St. Nectarios of Aegina”, Dr. Constantine Cavarnos