“Although one can be supported, comforted, and helped throughout one’s life, the step of death itself, the moment of death, well that has to be taken all alone.”
The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise
Cardinal Robert Sarah
Category: JUDGMENT
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If the Lord delays granting you full victory over your enemies and puts it off to the last day of your life, you must know that He does this for your own good; so long as you do not retreat or cease to struggle wholeheartedly. Even if you are wounded in battle, do not lay down your arms and turn to flight. Keep only one thing in your mind and intention—to fight with all courage and ardour, since it is unavoidable. No man can escape this warfare, either in life or in death. And he who does not fight to overcome his passions and his enemies will inevitably be taken prisoner, either here or yonder, and delivered to death.
Unseen Warfare
Lorenzo Scupoli -
“If you want to find rest in this life and the next, say at every moment, ‘Who am I?’ and judge no one.”
—Abba Poemen -
What vanities, what foolish fancies often occupy most of us, even in sight of the highest, the most important objects of faith, in sight of the greatest holiness. For instance, when a man stands before the icons of the Lord, of the Mother of God, of an Angel, of an Archangel, of one or a whole assembly of Saints, at home or in the temple, and, sometimes, instead of prayer, instead of laying aside, at this time, in this place, all worldly cares, he casts up his accounts and reckonings, goes over his expenses and receipts, rejoices at the gain, and grieves at the loss of profits, or the failure of some undertaking (without, of course, a single thought of spiritual profit or loss), or else he thinks evil of his neighbour, exaggerating his weakness, his passions, suspecting him, envying him, judging him, or if it is in church, he looks at the faces of those, standing near him, also how they are dressed, who is nice looking, and who not, or making plans what he shall do, in what pleasure or vanity he will spend the day, and so on. And this often happens at the time when the greatest, the most heavenly Sacrament of the Eucharist, that is, of the most-pure Body and Blood of our Lord, is being celebrated; when we ought to be wholly in God, wholly occupied in meditations on the mystery accomplished for our sakes, of the redemption from sin, from the eternal curse and death; and on the mystery of our being made godly in the Lord Jesus Christ. How low we have fallen, how earthly-minded we have become, and from what does it all proceed? From inattention, and the neglect of our salvation, from attachment to temporal things, from weakness of faith, or unbelief in eternity.
—St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ -
You are angry with your neighbour, your brother, and say of him: “He is such and such—a miser, malicious, proud,” or that he has done this and that, and so on. What is that to you? He sins against God, and not against you. God is his Judge, not you: unto God he shall answer for himself, not to you. Know yourself, how sinful you are yourself, what a beam you have in your own eye; how difficult it is for you to master and get the better of your own sins; how afflicted you yourself are by them; how they have ensnared you—how you wish for indulgence from others towards your own infirmities. And your brother is a man like you; therefore you must be indulgent to him as to a sinful man, similar in everything to yourself, as infirm as you; love him, then, as yourself, listening to the Lord saying: “These things I command you, that ye love one another”. [John 15.17]
—St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
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Imagine an absolutely clear glass filled with water. One look will tell whether the water is clean or not, and if dirty, how dirty. So will it be with us when we cross into the other world. Every impulse, however transient, of our heart, every thought, leaves its mark on the general sum of our life. Suppose that just once during the whole course of my earthly existence and evil thought crossed my mind…this single thought will leave a black spot on the body of my life, unless it be wiped out by repentant self-condemnation. Nothing can be hidden. We often reassure ourselves with the thought that nobody saw us, no one knows what we think or do. But when we begin to strive our utmost to prepare for eternity, everything is different and we yearn to be rid of all that is soiled within us. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Through sincere repentance and vigorous self-conviction before God and our fellows the inner man is cleansed – the water in the glass, passed through the spiritual filter or repentance, becomes pure again…So long as we have life there is the possibility of reformation.
—Elder Sophrony, of blessed memory -
“When people have these kind of problems, it’s time to stop asking what’s wrong with them and time to start asking what happened to them.”
— Dr. Robert Anda -
Even though we all hobble along with a limp and are filled with wounds and sins, we like to speak about others. When we visit a hospital, we will observe that all the patients have some type of illness. However, we will not see anyone criticizing another sick person. Have you ever noticed this? No one says to another patient: ‘Why are you lying in bed?’ Whereas, we are all sick spiritually; and yet, we criticize one another. We have a problem with our eye, and we like to occupy ourselves with someone who has lung disease. Unfortunately, we wretched people fail to realize this.
—Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona
SO GOOD QUOTES 