There is a well known saying: “He who lives only for himself never lived.” Then in the service, you must get out of your shell to meet others. You must get out of the “I” sphere to spread your love among all. You feel that your message in life is to do good to all those whom God send in your way. The more you gain experience in life and broadness in the heart, the circle of your service will get bigger. It would not be limited to your house and your family, and not only to your relatives, neighbours, friends and colleagues, but it will reach to a range that is wider and wider…
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means
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Do not rush and make a vow to God about something that later on you might not be able to carry out. For example, do not vow your virginity while in a state of spiritual excitement then realize that you are unable to live this life. Instead of the vow, offer your desire as a prayer. Say to Him: “Lord, this is my heart’s desire. If You see that it is good and possible for me, grant it and give me the strength to carry it out. Let it be according to Your will in my life.”
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means
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Do you practise this abstinence from food and drink? And do you reach a stage of hunger and you endure it?
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When you become hungry, you feel your weakness so you do not show off your strength but rely on God’s strength to support you. And when you become hungry and endure hunger, you acquire the virtue of endurance and self-control. Therefore do not eat whenever you feel hungry during fasting but persevere and endure. Take the blessing of feeling hungry, persevering and enduring it. Also when you experience hunger, you will feel the pain of the poor who have nothing to eat, so you will be sympathetic towards them and give unto them… This is what is meant by abstaining for a period of time during fasting.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means -
The purely intellectual thinking that is void of the work of the Spirit does not produce contemplation… It might produce knowledge or philosophy, but not contemplation.
There is a difference between a scholar and a worshipper, between the one who studies and the one who contemplates, between the one who searches the books and the one who receives from the Spirit.
Contemplation is not just a thought. It is mixing the thought with the heart, then leaving the heart as a tool in the hand of the spirit. Then the spirit prays to take from the Spirit of God. And what the spirit takes is given to the mind through the heart.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means -
Some put in their mind a specific idea that they have already decided on, then read to search for a verse to confirm what they have made up their mind about. Or they try to subjugate what is written in the Bible to their own thoughts. As for you, do not be like that, but read to learn and to know.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means -
Do not be satisfied just with the literary meaning … Through contemplation, you will find that one verse is like a wide sea that has no limits. As David said:
“I have seen the consummation of all perfection. But your commandment is exceedingly broad” (Ps 119:96).
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means -
Tell Him: ‘O Lord, I cannot find anybody except You who understands me.’
For with whom I feel safe, I open my heart to Him, tell Him all my secrets and explain my weakness, which He will hear and not despise. I pour my tears before Him and reveal my longing. With Him I don’t feel alone but with a heart that holds me and power that supports me… Without You, O Lord, I feel empty and void of any real existence. You are Emmanuel, God with us… My soul longs for Your omnipotent soul, and longs for what is above the material; the world and all that is in it… Yes, inside me there is longing for the unlimited and nobody will satisfy it except You…
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means
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A man decides to build a house. He digs down into the earth until he reaches solid rock, and then lays the foundations. He collects great lumps of stone, hews them into regular shapes, and puts them one on top of the other to make walls. He goes into the forest to chop down trees, which he saws into rafters for the roof. At last his work is complete. He stands back and admires his achievement. “Nothing can destroy such a strong building,” he says to himself; “my house will last forever.” Certainly such a man is skilled with his hands; but he is totally unskilled with his soul. Even if his house were to last forever, it is utterly irrelevant to him. He may be struck down by an accident or a disease within a few days. He may survive his full span, but as the breath leaves his body, his house will count for nothing. He might just as well have built himself a shelter from sticks and mud and used the time saved to concentrate on the salvation of his own soul.
On Living Simply
St. John Chrysostom -
When we see a person who has committed vicious sins and crimes escaping with impunity, we react with indignation. We want to see that person called to account and punished, and feel angry that this has not happened. But at such moments we should reflect on our own actions; indeed we should turn that sense of indignation inward against ourselves. Each of us should ask: “How many sins have I committed against others, when I have escaped with impunity?” There are, no doubt, many examples in all our cases. Recognizing this fact will cause our anger against others to melt away. More importantly, it will make us turn to God and ask forgiveness of these sins. Yet there is perhaps a difference between our own sins and the sins which we notice in others. Our own sins are probably quite subtle and inconspicuous, whereas the sins of others are obvious and gross. Should we, therefore, regard our own sins as less important or die? On the contrary, we should realize that subtle sins are frequently the most harmful. Obvious sins, such as robber and violence, are easily recognized, and so can often be guarded against by physical means. The more subtle sins, such as lying and slander and power-mongering are frequently hard to spot, and so difficult to prevent.
On Living Simply
St. John Chrysostom
SO GOOD QUOTES 