Category: FAITH

  • And beware you do not blindly insist that things must work out according to what you consider to be right and good. God sometimes does permit such blind insistence to be followed by the fulfilment of our ardent desires. This always leads to misery and disaster (intended to open our eyes on our folly), and happens particularly often when our desires are founded on wild passions.

    Letters of Elder Macarius of Optina

  • Whether it was an angel or whether it was a demon that had left the purse, we distributed the money. As for you and me, whether what happened in our cases occured on account of an angel or on account of a demon, let us give glory to God, for occurences like these do not profit the soul at all except to purify it. Nevertheless, I give glory to you for having received food from an angel. Yes, it is possible for demons to steal some loaves of bread and bring them to someone, but such loaves will not nourish the body because things that belong to demons stink and if something comes from the demons the soul is confused when it sees it. If, however, it comes from the angels, the soul is not confused but remains steadfast and at peace at that time.

    The Life of Evagrius
    Coptic Church Review, Volume 21, Number 1, Spring 2000

  • God is answering in four ways: delaying, reversing the request, not answering, or answering immediately.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III

  • I have to rejoice in God and tell him, “Look Lord, I know you will save me no matter what. I am confident in this. I am confident that our Lord will work. If not now, then later.”

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Monastic Treasures for All of Us

  • Do not be afraid of the spread or apparent victory of something that is false or untrue…

    Such things will inevitably be defeated if made to stand before the Truth, however long it takes.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Experiences in Life

  • Walk then in the spirit, like Abraham, without knowing whither you go; be content with your daily bread, and remember that in the desert the manna of today could not be preserved until tomorrow without corrupting.

    —François Fénelon, Spiritual Progress

  • “He who believes the divine Scriptures with sure judgment, receives in the voice of God a demonstration that cannot be disputed. Faith, then, is not established by demonstration.”

    —Clement of Alexandria

  • “You will always be able to tell your parents or siblings or close friends’ voices even if you can’t see them or they are really far away. If you love someone, you can easily recognize their voice. Can you say the same for Christ? Do you know His voice? You must be able to recognize God’s voice even if you can’t see Him.”

    —Fr. Bishoy El Antony

  • “We have very little faith in the Lord, very little trust. If we trusted the Lord as much as we trust a friend when we ask him to do something for us, neither we as individuals nor our whole country would suffer so much.”

    — Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

  • “For it is a sign of the truest faith if we obey our superiors without any hesitation, even when we see the opposite of what we had hoped for happening.”

    —St. John Climacus