Detachment, John Chrysostom (347-407), Page: Quotes, Quote Author, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life)
Be ready for the Spirit’s filling. This happens only when we have cleansed our souls of falsehood, anger, bitterness, sexual impurity, uncleanness and covetousness. It happens pens only when we have become compassionate, meek and forgiving to one another, only when facetiousness is absent, only when we have made ourselves worthy. Only then does the Spirit come to settle within our hearts, only when nothing is there to prevent it. Then he will not only enter but also fill us.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Page: Quotes, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life)
The Lord calls himself the vine and those united to him branches in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with him, and how important it is for us to remain in his love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Savior, those who are joined to him, as branches are to a vine, share in his own nature.
–Saint Cyril of Alexandria (378-444)
Detachment, Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), Page: Quotes, Quote Author, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life)
The pursuit of the contemplative life is something for which a great and sustained effort on the part of the powers of the soul is required: an effort to rise from earthly to heavenly things, an effort to keep one’s attention fixed on spiritual things, an effort to pass beyond and above the sphere of things visible to the eyes of flesh. –Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), Love (others), Page: Quotes, Quote Author, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life)
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.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Francis of Assisi (1181–1226), Page: Quotes, Quote Author, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life), Struggle (with Sin)
We must be firmly convinced that we have nothing of our own, except our vices and sins. We must all be on our guard against pride and empty boasting and beware of worldly or natural wisdom. A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but does nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with no desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit.
–Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Discipleship, Page: Quotes, Quote Topic, Spiritual (life)
[S]piritual life and perfection… consists in nothing but coming near to God and union with Him, as was said in the beginning. With this is connected a heartfelt realization of the goodness and greatness of God, together with consciousness of our own nothingness and our proneness to every evil; love of God and dislike of ourselves; submission not only to God but also to all creatures, for the sake of our love of God; renunciation of all will of our own and perfect obedience to the will of God; and moreover desire for all this and its practice with a pure heart to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31), from sheer desire to please God and only because He Himself wishes it and because we should so love Him and work for Him.
–Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite (1749-1809)
