Orthodox Christianity Quotes

“Keep the fasts, my dear; that's supremely important! Wednesdays and Fridays, well, God will overlook that; but Lent itself, God forbid!”
― Ivan Goncharov, The Same Old Story

“And the Mother of God - what was her love for the Lord, her Son? No human being can conceive of the nature of her love save the Mother of God herself. But the Spirit of God opens our eyes to love. And in her was and is this same Spirit of God, Which is love, and therefore he who has come to know the Holy Spirit is able in part to conceive of the nature even of her love.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“Humility is the light in which we may behold the Light which is God – in the words of the Psalmist: “In thy light shall we see light.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“It is not he who disparages himself who shows humility (for who will not put up with himself?), but he who maintains the same love for the very man who reproaches him.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, Divine Ascent - Daily Quotes

“I planted a rose bush and Stephen, age 2, asked, “Can I bless the rose?” I said yes and he did the sign of the cross over the rose bush. Then he turned to me and said, “Can I bless the hose?” And so he did.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, “Do birds know all their letters?”: Funny Book of Quotes

“When the soul is full of the love of God, out of infinite joy she sorrows and in tears prays for the whole world, that all men may come to know their Lord and heavenly Father. There is no rest for her, nor does she desire rest, until all mankind delights in the grace of His love.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“When I asked Stephen, age two, for a kiss he would say, “I’ll give you a smooch.” He'd put his hands on each side of his face and pucker up, musing contentedly, “What kind shall I give her? […Grandma Joy’s ducky kisses, butterfly kisses, or….]”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, “Do birds know all their letters?”: Funny Book of Quotes

“Prayer comes with praying, as the Scriptures say; but prayer which is only a habit, prayer without contrition for our sins, is not pleasing to the Lord.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“We must be careful not to judge - extremely careful! It is so terrible that it is beyond words! "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Have we kept this? Even if we have no virtue but we don't judge, Christ will save us and take us to Paradise.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, Daily Quotes from "Words of the Heart" by Gerondissa Makrina Vassopoulou

“With my sins I am worse than a noisome cur but I began to beseech God for forgiveness, and He granted me not only forgiveness but also the Holy Spirit, and in the Holy Spirit I knew God.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“When Sean and Daniel were two and four years old I opened their play kitchen fridge door and found a stack of stuffed bears.

"Why are the bears in here?"

They replied with authority, “We’ve been huntin’!”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, “Do birds know all their letters?”: Funny Book of Quotes

“The Holy Spirit is love, and He gives the soul strength to love her enemies. And he who does not love his enemies does not know God.”
― Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald, A Year in the Holy Spirit with Saint Silouan the Athonite: - A Calendar of Daily Quotes

“Whoever is busy trying to know himself has no time to notice the faults of others. Judge yourself and you will stop judging others.”
― The Nun Magdalina

“The orthodox doctrine of Yahweh/Allāh as a just and loving God is a superannuated dogma, one which relies solely on people’s ignorance of ancient knowledge.”
― Priscilla Vogelbacher, The Gods of Genesis

“Još je Dostojevski s pravom rekao da je đavolov trijumf kada postigne da čovek prestane da veruje u njega!”
― Vladeta Jerotić, 50 pitanja i 50 odgovora iz hrišćansko-psihoterapeutske prakse

“Jer šta se krije iza fanatične maske nesrećnog čoveka? Strah i osećanje velike slabosti, nesigurnost i potreba za natkompenzacijom osećanja inferiornosti (psihijatrijskim rečnikom, među fanaticima mnogo je neurotičara, psihopata i psihotičara) i, što je najgore, nevera u veru ili ideju koju ovakav čovek fanatično zastupa; u fanatika , najzad, jača bude vera u demonsku, nego u Božiju moć.”
― Vladeta Jerotić, 50 pitanja i 50 odgovora iz hrišćansko-psihoterapeutske prakse

“Na jedna pitanja odgovor nećemo nikad dobiti i treba ih ostaviti autentičnim mističarima; na druga nećemo dobiti odgovor jer su površna, leteća, previše znatiželjna i raznovrsna. O njima najbolje govori Sveti Nikodim Agiorit (1748-1809) kad kaže: „Čuvati um od nekorisnog znanja i prazne radoznalosti. Interesovanje za mnogo stvari je često plod gordosti; to su zamke zlog duha koji pokušava da nas saplete radoznalošću...Raspredajući o visokim stvarima, zaboravljaju da čuvaju čistotu srca; gordost uma je gora od gordosti volje.” Ima, srećom, i trećih pitanja na koja jedino i dobijamo odgovor, a to su ona koja nas godinama istinski muče.”
― Vladeta Jerotić, 50 pitanja i 50 odgovora iz hrišćansko-psihoterapeutske prakse

“The pace of today's life, so quick, and so constantly pressured, makes people think only according to how somebody wants them to. A person is never alone; even when he is sent to a sanatorium or rest home for a rest, there is always a definite rhythm and program to follow, everything is decided for you. People are fed, informed, and taught what someone else has decided they need. Huge numbers of people are gathered together, but they are separated by the daily battle for life.

All this has affected even believers, brought them closer to the 'norm', made them indifferent. A prescribed way of thinking makes it difficult for a person to become a believer and makes it difficult for the believer to preserve his faith. But do remember, Christ's Church will live eternally even under these circumstances. Preserve your faith, fight for individuality of thought, pray more, read the Scriptures, and God will preserve you. He will not let you lose the clarity of your thoughts. He will not let you think like the faceless mass of indifferent and cold people.”
― Father Arseny

“The "pragmatic" position taken by many scientists and humanists who cannot be troubled to think about ultimate things--the position that these principles are no more than experimental hypotheses which collective experience finds reliable--is surely unsatisfactory; it may offer a psychological explanation of the faith these principles inspire, but since it does not establish the foundation of that faith in truth, it leaves the whole scientific edifice on shifting sands and provides no sure defense against the irrational winds that periodically attack it. [...] Every man, as we have seen, lives by faith; likewise every man--something less obvious but no less certain--is a metaphysician. The claim to any knowledge whatever--and no living man can refrain from this claim--implies a theory and standard of knowledge, and a notion of what is ultimately knowable and true. This ultimate truth, [...] is a metaphysical first principle, an absolute truth. But with the acknowledgement, logically unavoidable, of such a principle, the theory of the "relativity of truth" collapses, it itself being revealed as a selfcontradictory absolute.”
― Seraphim Rose, Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age

“Wisdom is better than strength, and a wise man is better than a strong man.”
― Wisdom 6:1

“The proud and the arrogant is called ignorant, who in anger worketh pride.”
― King Solomon, The Book Of Proverbs

“The icon is like a pair of spectacles which you put on to see heaven . . . Orthodox Christianity believes very strongly that you and I can meet the godhead, that we can almost become like gods. It's that extraordinary, frightening statement that Western Christianity is very shy of. - Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of History of the Church at Oxford University”
― Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects

“We should defend one another, for we are brothers—especially we who are of one Faith. There is an example of this in history. Once, when an official delegation of Constantinopolitan dignitaries was sent to the Saracens to negotiate peace, the Saracens argued that Christians disobeyed God’s commandment. They said: “Why do you Christians disobey Christ’s commandment to love your enemies, but instead persecute and kill us?” Now, a certain Cyril was part of this delegation. His answer to the Saracens was: “If, in a certain law, there are two commandments that must be fulfilled, which man shall be more righteous, he who fulfills both commandments or he who fulfills only one of them?” The Saracens answered, “He that fulfills both, of course.” Then Cyril said, “As individuals we forgive our enemies, but as a community we lay down our lives for one another. For the Lord has said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s neighbor. As a community we protect one another and lay down our lives for one another. Not only is your aim to enslave us physically, you also aspire to enslave us spiritually. It is for this reason that we defend ourselves. This, therefore, is justified.”
― Ana Smiljanic, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

“We should defend one another, for we are brothers—especially we who are of one Faith. There is an example of this in history. Once, when an official delegation of Constantinopolitan dignitaries was sent to the Saracens to negotiate peace, the Saracens argued that Christians disobeyed God’s commandment. They said: 'Why do you Christians disobey Christ’s commandment to love your enemies, but instead persecute and kill us?' Now, a certain Cyril was part of this delegation. His answer to the Saracens was: 'If, in a certain law, there are two commandments that must be fulfilled, which man shall be more righteous, he who fulfills both commandments or he who fulfills only one of them?' The Saracens answered, 'He that fulfills both, of course.' Then Cyril said, 'As individuals we forgive our enemies, but as a community we lay down our lives for one another. For the Lord has said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s neighbor. As a community we protect one another and lay down our lives for one another. Not only is your aim to enslave us physically, you also aspire to enslave us spiritually. It is for this reason that we defend ourselves. This, therefore, is justified.”
― Ana Smiljanic, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

“One must flatly reject Scripture if one is to contend that Good Works are not a part of saving faith. If you accept Scripture as truth, you must accept the Scriptures that say good works flow out of that faith like light and heat radiate from a fire.”
― Thomas Coletto

“Christianity teaches that trying to earn salvation through your own good deeds is impossible. Salvation comes through faith. But real faith always leads to action. If it doesn’t, then it’s not real. Scripture says faith without works is dead. And doing good just to try to earn favor with God is just as empty.”
― Thomas Coletto

“God created us to do good. That’s His plan for our lives. If He’s given us new life, it’s so we can live it in a way that bears fruit and glorifies Him.”
― Thomas Coletto

“Christianity rejects two wrong ideas. First, that doing good things to earn merit can save you. Second, that faith alone, without any fruit or change, is enough. Real saving faith is alive. It naturally produces good works, not because we’re trying to earn anything, but because we’re united with God and living in His will.”
― Thomas Coletto

“The fire of true faith will always produce the heat and light of good works. If our faith is alive, it will show.”
― Thomas Coletto

“I know not what storms still await me, but looking back, I sense in my heart an involuntary joy. Seeing many waves, through which my soul had to navigate, I am unexpectedly overjoyed. Heavy winds focused in on my soul; many unseen rocks awaited her, threatened her salvation, and still I survived. By human reckoning I should have died long ago. I am convinced that I was led by the strange and difficult paths of the inscrutable Providence of God; I am convinced that He stands watch over me as if holding my hand by His Almighty right hand. I submit myself to Him! May He lead me whither He wills; may He lead me, as He wishes, to a calm harbor, "where there is no sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing.”
― St. Ignatius Brianchaninov