• Every thought which brings despair and excessive grief is from the devil, and you should reject it immediately, for it will cut the thread of prayer.

    —Elder Ephraim of Arizona

  • Do not do anything without signing yourself with the sign of the Cross! When you depart on a journey, when you begin your work, when you go to study, when you are alone, and when you are with other people, seal yourself with the Holy Cross.” 

    —Elder Cleopa of Sihastria

  • You lash out at other people for enjoying indulgences that you will never let yourself enjoy.

    —Heather Havrilesky, Ask Polly: ‘I’ve Lost My Joy and I Want It Back!’

  • Humility is acquired after struggles. When you know yourself you acquire humility, which becomes a (permanent) condition. Otherwise you can become humble for a moment, but your thought will say to you that you are something, although in reality you’re nothing; and you’ll be deluded like that to the moment of death. If death finds you with the thought that you are nothing, then God will speak. If, however, your thought says at the hour of death that you are something and you don’t understand it, all your effort goes to waste.

    —St Paisios of Mount Athos

  • Learning about other people’s routines has less to do with what we should be doing, and more to do with informing us about what does or doesn’t work for us.

    —Madeleine Dore

  • Some people ask if help is needed. And others just help. The former act as good people, and the latter are likened to Christ.

    —Monk Simeon of Mt. Athos

  • The criterion of my spiritual health is this: what is the state of relations between me and those with whom I live? No other criterion is higher. Family life is the measuring stick of Christian progress for those who live in the world.

    ―Sister Magdalen, Children in the Church Today: An Orthodox Perspective

  • “My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others.”

    —Thomas Merton

  • “Love and do as you will.”

    —St. Augustine

  • What am I to do with my life?

    We often hear people struggling trying to figure out how they can benefit mankind or society. Saint Theophan the Recluse reminds us that such questions are unnecessary questions. He says,

    There is no reason to torture yourself with difficult problems. You need to put out of your mind any plans about “multi-beneficial, all-embracing, common-to-all mankind” activity…

    Phrases such as “the good of mankind” and “the good of the people” are always on their tongues…they have in mind all mankind or at least all of its people lumped together. Probably you, after hearing so many profound ideas, were captivated by them, and when you turned your eyes to your real life, you saw with regret that you had vegetated in your family circle without benefit or purpose. Oh! Only now has someone opened your eyes!

    We must be careful about grand ideas or ideologies least we forget about our relationships with family and friends. What we are called to do as Christians is to first love God and second to love our neighbor with our whole heart. Our mission is to love, not save society or some general idea of mankind. We need to focus our attention on those who are right there in front of us. They are the ones we are to love, to help, to console, to understand. This is our purpose. So many are suffering in some way, let alone the many who lack even basic needs. If we live in an affluent neighborhood we are likely to ignore and forget about those who are in need just like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

    If fact, we often hear people disparaging those in real need as lazy or only looking for a handout. When they do so, they are speaking in generalities with a cold heart. When we face them and talk with them and listen to their story we find they are struggling with the basic elements of life.

    What are we to do? We are to stop thinking of grand schemes and turn in love to those near us. Talk with them, listen to them, and show that you care about them. One by one we can help each other and in this way we can impact society or mankind. Don’t waste time in general movements or causes. Open your eyes to what is directly in front of you.

    Saint Theophan says,

    Those who keep thoughts of the welfare of all mankind inattentively let slip by that which is in front of their eyes. Because they do not have the opportunity to perform a general work, and let slip by the opportunity to perform a particular work, they accomplish nothing towards the main purpose of life.

    All troubles come from a mental outlook that is too broad. It is better to humbly cast your eyes down toward your feet, and to figure out which step to take where. This is the truest path.

    What am I to do with my life?