St. Gregory the Dialogist explains how you can become an all-new person: For it suits the old man to seek the present world, to love transitory things through desire, to raise the mind in pride, not to have patience, to ponder through pain of spite on the injury of a neighbor, not to give one’s [...]
Orthodox Christianity is truly an active faith. What we believe is very important, of course, but we need to do more than merely believe Church teachings—we need to “put feet” to our faith. Here’s what St. Gregory of Sinai says: A man has no right to be called faithful, if his faith is a bare [...]
One of the most common accusations made against Christianity is that it is oppressive to women, that it glorifies men but somehow dehumanizes women. But listen to what St. Kosmas Aitolos says, God created woman equal with man, not inferior. My Christian, you must love your wife as your companion, and not consider her as [...]
What is true wisdom? Is it how much you know, or your skill set, or is it something else? St. Peter of Damascus says, If someone seeks for success and pleasure, comfort and glory in this world, then he loves the wisdom of this world. But if someone struggles for what is contrary to these [...]
Have you ever noticed the tendency some people have to define the will of God largely according to what they want? Somehow, it’s always God’s will that they have the best position, or nicest things…But Lorenzo Scupoli says, A man who is moved towards doing one thing or another purely by the consciousness of God’s [...]
What makes you do good things? Is it a choice you make, or something God forces you to do? St. Maximos the Confessor answers: There are three things that move us to the good: natural tendencies, the holy Powers, good choice. The natural tendencies—as, for instance, when what we wish men would do for us, [...]
The saints tell us a great deal about watching our heart and mind, paying attention to both what goes into and comes out of them. St. Philotheos of Sinai describes the wonderful result that comes from such watchfulness: Let us go forward with the heart completely attentive and the soul fully conscious. For if attentiveness [...]
Our culture loves intense, “spiritual” experiences, but is generally unconcerned with what generates these experiences. St. Gregory of Sinai warns, The enemy tries to produce an illusion of some spiritual experience within us, offering us a mirage instead of the real thing—unruly burning instead of true spiritual warmth, and instead of joy, irrational excitement and [...]
Abba John the Dwarf said, I think it best that a man should have a little bit of all the virtues. Therefore, get up early every day and acquire the beginning of every virtue and every commandment of God. Use great patience, with fear and long-suffering, in the love of God, with all the fervor [...]
Many of us work diligently to keep our home clean—we dust, mop, and vacuum with a vengeance. But do we give the same effort to keeping our mind and body clean? An old man said to a brother, The devil is the enemy and you yourself are the house. The enemy never stops throwing all [...]
