SO GOOD QUOTES

Category: GRACE

  • Sometimes showed more love and gave more grace to strangers than to the people closest to me

    cruel optimism new year
    rayne fisher-quann

  • Those who pray, read the Bible, and work and sleep, will be given enlightenment at a moment of God’s grace.

    —Fr. Mina Dimitri

  • Those who are carried by grace might not need spiritual
    practices.

    But the majority of people are stopped by obstacles from
    natural dispositions and traditions, as well as obstructions by
    external effects. They need an inward struggle within
    themselves and a struggle against the wars that come from
    the outside.

    If one trained himself practically to be on the good path and
    followed it, he then has to stabilise himself and not to turn to
    his old behaviour. The love of good will then become part of
    his nature. That needs time and work of grace.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Words of Spiritual Benefit Vol. IV

  • Self-denial in working, where you say, “‘… yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:10).

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, WORDS OF SPIRITUAL BENEFIT VOL. II

  • THE ABANDONMENT OF GRACE

    Success or failure in one’s spiritual life depends on the work of grace and the extent of one’s acceptance or refusal of it.

    Grace always helps man, assists him in leading a spiritual path,warns and lifts him up if he falls.

    The divine grace does not force man to do good.

    His free will is still in power, sharing in the work with grace or
    not; resisting the work of grace until he falls or continues in his fall.

    Therefore, one sometimes abandons sharing in the work of
    grace. Sometimes grace abandons him. But it is a kind of
    partial abandonment. Complete abandonment would definitely lead to one’s destruction.

    What are the reasons for this abandonment? What is the
    wisdom behind it?

    The reason for the abandonment could be negligence on the side of the faithful and continual rejection of the work of grace. Therefore, grace abandons him until he feels the need for it.

    This abandonment leads to greater depth in one’s prayers and fastings, repentance and attachment to God.

    Pride could be the reason for this abandonment, or it could be one’s superiority over those who have fallen. Grace would then leave him for a little while so he would fall, realise his weakness and stop his arrogance. He would also feel the heaviness of war against those who fall and have sympathy on them instead of judging them with secrecy or in the open.
    Grace might forsake one for a while to experience spiritual combats and realise its depth and the faithfuls need for the divine support, as one would never win by relying on a human hand without grace.

    Grace might also forsake a person to get him accustomed to
    cautiousness and scrutiny, patience and victory of the Lord.

    During all that, the Lord says to the human soul, “For a mere
    moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will
    gather you.” (Is. 54:7)

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, WORDS OF SPIRITUAL BENEFIT VOL. IV

  • We have to realize the importance of the time in which we are living, so that we do not waste days and years, and have to submits ourselves to grace and truth, until we have removed all the obstacles of growth, because the time of visitation will end and the door will be shut, and we will suddenly find ourselves before the judgment. Time for each person is the present moment, because he cannot ensure the next moment; therefore, Paul the Apostle says, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.” (Romans 13:11)

    —H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, How to Develop Your Personality

  • “It may seem like many are on a path driving away from God, and many are for sure, but little do they know that all roads lead to God. Even the ones that are extremely against His will. You can run from God, but God will confront you.”

    —Fr. David Hanna

  • Sometimes we do not give thanks because we feel that it is too small or insignificant of a matter to give thanks for. Here, we mention one of the sayings of the spiritual fathers, “He is a liar who claims that he gives thanks for much, when he does not give thanks for the little.” Perhaps, we view it as something natural or ordinary and therefore do not feel the need to be thankful for it.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Characteristics of the Spiritual Path

  • Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we do not deserve.

  • “You were within me, but I was outside myself.”

    —St. Augustine