“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.”
—St. Augustine
Category: FORGIVENESS
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If a man has a friend and he is absolutely certain that his friend loves him, and if that friend does something to cause him suffering and be troublesome to him, he will be convinced that his friend acts out of love and he will never believe that his friend does it to harm him. How much more ought we to be convinced about God who created us, who drew us out of nothingness to existence and life, and who became a man for our sake and died for us, and who does everything out of love for us?
—Abba Dorotheos of Gaza -
Even if some people are foul and have reached the extremes of evil, often they have done one or two or three good things…. We ought to suspect the same also in the case of good people. Just as the most worthless people often do something good, so those who are earnest and virtuous often fail completely in some other respect.
—St. John Chrysostom, On Wealth and Poverty -
Parents, after all, recognize their imperfections, yet they strive to shield their children, even if the façade eventually unravels as kids grow up, detest their all-too-human parents, and understand and hopefully forgive them.
Bimbo Ubermensch, The Ocean
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The sun did not set before God initiated the reconciliation process in the same day, as we read in Genesis 3:8: “In the cool of the day.” When Adam sinned, he hid from the presence of God, but before the sun went down, God was looking for him: “The Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
Note that the reconciliation process takes time.
Nevertheless, our Lord started on the same day that Adam sinned. He did not wait, being upset with him, or avoid him for a month or so and then begin to look for him. He looked for Adam on that very day, “in the cool of the day,” before the sun went down.—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, Inner Healing
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For example, in trying to reconcile a couple, you might say, “Come, let us talk to your wife.” If the husband replies, “No! She offended me, so she must come to me” —that is a worldly response. But the Bible says clearly that you should go first to the person who sinned against you.
—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, Inner Healing
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In Ephesians 4:25, Saint Paul says, “Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor.” If I come to ask if you are upset with me, and you answer, “No, nothing is wrong,” but in your heart you are upset, then you are lying. If I ask you if something is wrong, you could answer, “Yes, actually something is bothering me.” The verse continues, “For we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin.”
—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, Inner Healing
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Some people use trickery. If they are at odds with someone standing in the first row in church, they stand five rows back, so that when the deacon says to greet one another, they are too far to greet one another. However, you can deceive yourself and your father of confession, but it is impossible to deceive our Lord. When the deacon says “greet one another” that includes not only those in your same bench in church, but every person in your life, whether they are present at church or not; you should be able to greet that person with a holy kiss.
—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, Inner Healing -
Many people say, “I do not like to confront because confrontation causes problems,” but when our life is Bible-based, we realize that it is impossible for our Lord Jesus Christ to give us a commandment that would cause problems. If confrontation causes problems, then we must examine if the fault is in not knowing how to confront.
—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, Inner Healing -
You must remember that you are a sinner. Always have that knowledge when you evaluate anyone else. I’m a sinner, they’re a sinner. Who am I to say my sin is better than theirs?
—Fr. Seraphim Holland
SO GOOD QUOTES 