Man’s feelings of alienation from the world causes him to avoid pressing himself into worldly matters, incidents, news, conversations, and upheavals. If any of these things reaches him, he does not interact with it or respond to it, but says to himself, “I am a stranger. What have I to do with this matter?”
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity
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Many times, however, we forget ourselves and our spirituality. We hear a specific story, for example, or read about a certain incident, or enter into a discussion, and forget that both our heart and mind are for the Lord. We continue talking, commentating, discussing, giving opinions, and zealously reply to those who oppose us. The matter is not worthy of any of this attention. However, despite this it reigns not only on our tongues and in our thoughts, but also our nerves and affections. Here, the waters have entered into our souls. We then become concerned and distressed over many matters. However, we are not occupied with the person who is needed, but we think “when we have a convenient time we will call for him” (Acts 24.25). We return to our homes, the matter being still in our minds, and we pour it into the minds of others and occupy them with it as well.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity -
Whoever repents, bearing his disgrace, accepts two types of punishment. The first type is the punishment he inflicts on himself, whether by bitter reprimand or by forbidding himself from things he loves, so that he renounces this world he previously loved. The second type is all of the punishments that come to him from the outside, whether from God or from other people. He accepts all of these punishments with satisfaction, without grumbling or complaining. He is convicted by them and feels that they are less than what he deserves.
Even those punishments which afflict him unjustly he also accepts with satisfaction, like what happened to Saint Ephraim the Syrian. He was imprisoned once unjustly, so he accepted this and said that he deserved it for an old sin which had no relation to this matter.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity -
If a man and a woman marry to satisfy their sexual appetites, or to further the material aims of themselves or their families, then the union is unlikely to bring blessings. But if a man and a woman marry in order to be companions on the journey from earth to heaven, then their union will bring great joy to themselves and to others.
—St. John Chrysostom -
If the Christian married couple lived a spiritual life, the clause of divorce could be abolished completely from the personal statute. There would be no need for it, as the great love that joins the married couple together would never allow divorce. On the contrary, instead of separation, the relationship between them will deepen day after day.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III -
Saint Macarius the Great said: “Judge yourself, my brother, before they judge you.” A father of of monks on the mountain of Nitria said to the saintly Pope Theopilus, “Believe me, my father, there is nothing greater than a person going back and blaming himself for everything.” You must then judge yourself first within your heart.
The Life of Repentance and Purity
H.H. Pope Shenouda III -
During the confession the penitent should neither justify nor defend himself, nor place the responsibility for his errors on others, nor transform the confession into a complaint. If those things are done, confession loses its meaning as a sign of repentance and one of its components.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity -
But if you love God, then you will be unable to sin, and the wicked one cannot touch you (1 John 3.9, 5.18).
Then the commandments will not be burdensome. Instead, the sin will be burdensome. The sin will be difficult, for no matter how the enemy tries to pressure your will, you resist and refuse to sin, and you say with all your heart: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39.9). You will find the Lord’s commandments joyful and luminous, enlightening the eyes (Psalm 18.9). Repentance becomes easy for you, and from it you obtain purity of heart.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity -
Without the love of God within you, you cannot repent. Without the love of God, you would not leave sin because of purity of heart, but merely as the outer proceedings of a formal reconciliation with God, because of fear of His anger and punishment. A person who fears God’s punishment and fears that sin might lead him into hell becomes religious. He calls this piety, that is, the fear of God and His anger. With this fear, he avoids practicing sin, but the sin does not stay away from his heart.
The heart continues swinging to the right and to the left, and will not settle except with love toward God.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity
SO GOOD QUOTES 