“The heart that has learned to love feels sorry for every created thing…

Once I needlessly killed a fly. The poor thing crawled on the ground, hurt and mangled, and for three whole days I wept over my cruelty to a living creature, and to this day the incident remains in my memory…

The Spirit of God teaches the soul to love every living thing so that she would have no harm come to even a green leaf on a tree, or trample underfoot a flower of the field. Thus the Spirit of God teaches love towards all, and the soul feels compassion for every being.”

✝️ St Silouan of Mt. Athos (Sept 24)

“What is slander? It is every sort of wicked word we would dare not speak in front of the person whom we are complaining about.” ✝️ St Anthony the Great

Posing as a man in order to become a monk can present inevitable and sometimes unforeseen problems. St Theodora (Sept 11/ Sept 24), known in her monastic life as monk Theodore, was thrown out of the monastery on a false accusation that “he” had impregnated a young woman. The infant was given to Theodora and she humbly submitted to this new trial, settling with the child in a hut near the monastery.

After seven years in banishment, the hegumen allowed her to return to the monastery with the child, and in seclusion she spent two years instructing the child. Soon all the monks became witness to the signs worked through the prayers of St Theodora. The boy she raised later became the hegumen of the same monastery.

Your Nativity, O Theotokos, imparted joy to the entire earth, for out of you has risen the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God. He nullified the curse and instead gave His blessing; and causing death to be neutralized, He granted us eternal life.

Now is such a time that we know many prayers but we barely pray. We eat fasting food but we don’t fast. We amass information about the spiritual life but have no experience with it. We confess our sins but don’t repent. We go to church and stand throughout the services but our soul is not humbled before the Trinity. This is all because the heart is closed. It must open up to allow Christ in.

Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Attica

"Whoever sorrows over losing money never finds it again.

Whoever feels sorry for his own person who has died, does not give him life again.

Anyone who sorrows over an illness not only does not cure it, but also makes it worse.

But whoever is sorry for his sins, he alone achieves something greater than sorrow. It wipes out sins.

Therefore only one thing should truly grieve us: sin. Everything else is dust and smoke."

✝️ St John Chrysostom

"The Cross is exalted, and everything true gathers together, the Cross is exalted, and the city makes solemn, and the people celebrate the feast". ✝️ St Andrew of Crete, from a sermon for The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (Sept 14/ 27)

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18

The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (Sept 14/ Sept 27)

Throw out of your head the idea that you can, through a comfortable life, become what you must be in Christ!
☦️ St Theophan the Recluse

On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ was in trouble, as the world sees things. But when the sinful world considered Him to be completely destroyed, in fact He was victorious over death and hades. The Lord did not promise us positions as victors as a reward for righteousness, but told us, "In the world you will have tribulation -- but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). ☦️ St John Maximovitch

"Even on the Cross … He made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker." ✝️ St Athanasius

O Gladsome Light of the Holy Glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed Jesus Christ! Now that we have come to the setting of the sun and behold the light of evening, we praise God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For meet it is at all times to worship Thee with voices of praise. O Son of God and Giver of Life, therefore all the world doth glorify Thee.
Photo: Sunset on Mt Athos http://OrthoChristian.com

Having named her daughters with the names of the three Christian virtues, Faith, Hope, and Love, their pious widowed mother, Saint Sophia, raised them up in love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Sophia and her young daughters (Sept 30/17) did not hide their faith in Christ and they openly confessed it to all— including their joyful confession in the face of martyrdom before the emperor Hadrian in the second century.

“You blossomed in the courts of the Lord as a fruitful olive tree, holy martyr Sophia; in your contest you offered to Christ the sweet fruit of your womb, your daughters Faith, Hope, and Love. Together with them intercede for us all.”

A layman, if he wants to live righteously, must pray incessantly in his soul and, when he sits at work, says:
“Lord, do not turn Your Face away from me and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me!”
"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner!"
“Holy Mother of God, save my feeble soul!”
"Cross of Christ, save me by Your power!"
"All saints, intercede for me a sinner!"
✝️ St Nilus of Sinai

“Beneath thy compassion, We take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble, but rescue us from dangers, only pure one, only blessed one." —earliest known written prayer to the Theokotos, c. 250

“Faith is strengthened and increased through prayer, like a tree: the more it is watered, the more it grows. God’s grace descends upon the one who prays like a gentle rain and bedews his soul, and makes him fruitful for the doing of good works.” ☩ St Tikhon of Zadonsk

“Rouse yourselves! The world which you worship only flatters you. The heaviness of your flesh should not keep you back from our Saviour—the God of spirits and of all flesh. If you continue to drowse, you will imperceptibly fall under the influence of the evil spirits, who are anxious for the company even of swine. Be careful that you become not possessed by a devil.”

✝️ St Sebastian Dabovich of San Francisco and Jackson

Today is a good day to celebrate the mercy, miracles and wisdom of our great God!
“O thou greatest of them that are born of women, cease not to intercede for us who with faith honor thy divine conception, that we may find forgiveness of sins and Great Mercy."(from Great Vespers Doxasticon, Tone 6)
On Feast of the Conception of the Honourable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (Sept 23 / Oct 6) “the mercy, miracles and wisdom of God are celebrated: His mercy toward the devout and righteous parents of St John, the aged Zacharias and Elizabeth, who all their lives had wished for and begged a child from God; His miracle, that of John's conception in the aged womb of Elizabeth; His wisdom, in the dispensation of man's salvation.” From ‘The Prologue of Ohrid: Lives of Saints, Hymns, Reflections and Homilies for Every Day of the Year’ by St Nikolai Velimirović.