✝️ St. Gregory Palamas

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

The hesychastic life taught and lived by St Gregory Palamas calls us to move beyond our senses and withdraw inwards to pray the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". Hesychasm involves acquiring an "inner stillness" in prayer-- an obedience to Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Matthew to "go into your closet to pray."

"O wonder-working Gregory, glory of Thessalonica and preacher of grace, always intercede before the Lord that our souls may be saved."

☦️ St. Innocent, Enlightener of Siberia and Alaska (Mar 31):

“To take up your cross means to tolerate everything without complaining, regardless of how unpleasant things might become. For example, if someone has insulted you or laughed at you or provoked you, bear it all without anger or resentment. Similarly, if you helped someone and he, instead of showing gratitude, made up deceitful tales about you or if you wanted to do something good but were unable to accomplish it, bear it without despondency. Did some misfortune befall you? Did someone in your family become ill, or despite all your efforts and tireless labor did you repeatedly suffer failure? Has some other thing or person oppressed you? Bear all with patience in the name of Jesus Christ. Do not consider yourself punished unjustly, but accept everything as your cross.”

The Orthodox Church. Come home.

✝️ St. Paisios

“Never ask the Lord for anything earthly. He knows better than we do what is good for us. Always pray like this: "I surrender, O Lord, myself, my children and all my relatives and neighbors to your holy will.”

☦️ St. Seraphim of Vyritsky

One has to understand that even though the modern woman is poisoned by the idea of the equality between the sexes, this equality does not exist in nature. And what can understand that bitter truth better than a woman's heart? This means that the woman, trying to adapt to the world in exterior, deep inside still wants protection, she is afraid of shame and betrayal, and she is dreaming of a strong shoulder. She is prepared to say "get lost" to all these ideas of equality and democracy in 99 out of 100 times, if she gets simple family happiness. So this domestic harmony should be given to her. She should receive it. She should be given earned money, sincere kiss and soothing words of approval. Every woman should receive all that from her husband. And, my God, so much happiness and power, energy and devotion, so much endearment and care will the manly part of humanity receive! However, it is a pity that the majority of us are no longer Knights.

—Archpriest Andrew Tkachev

"We all feel that this Divine Love is somehow very far away, that God is very far away when, in fact, it is we who are moving further away from Him. He cannot move away from us, for He is life. All of Him is love." - Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

"I will enter Your house and worship toward your holy temple in the fear of You. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make my way straight before You, that with a pure heart I may glorify You forever: one divine power worshipped in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."

"As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience." ✝️ St. Basil the Great

Quick Hearing icon of the Theotokos, St. Panteleimon Monastery, Mount Athos

“When God apportioned the nations according to his Angels, knowing that you, O Virgin, would be his immaculate Mother, he then allotted you this great and beautiful mountain as an inalienable inheritance.” ☦️ Theotokion from the First Ode of the Canon of the Athonite Fathers

✝️ St. Macarius the Great

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life." ✝️ John 5:39

If you bear your cross with perseverance and seek comfort only from Him, then He, through His mercy, will not abandon you but will touch your heart and will impart to you the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is then that you will feel an indescribable delight, a wonderful inner peace and joy such as you have never experienced before, and at the same time you will feel an influx of spiritual strength; prayer will become easier and your faith stronger. Then your heart will be kindled with love of God and all people. All these are gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord decides to honor you with such gifts, do not consider them as rewards for your labors, and do not think that you have attained perfection. Such thoughts come from pride. The comforts and grace of the Holy Spirit are not rewards but gifts of divine mercy. Occasionally the Lord allows us to get a foretaste of future blessings so that we will put forth a greater effort in seeking His eternal Kingdom.
☦️ St Innocent, Enlightener of Siberia and Alaska (Reposed Mar 31, 1879),"The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven"

"Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

📖Proverbs 24:3-4

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 on your forehead, your body, your chest, your heart, your lips, your eyes, your ears. All of you should be sealed with the sign of Christ’s victory over hell. Then you will no longer be afraid of charms, evil spirits, or sorcery, because these are dissolved by the power of the Cross like wax before fire and like dust before the wind.

✝️ Elder Cleopa

O Christ our King, "as an innocent Lamb thou wast nailed to the Cross by wicked men for our sins, in Thy love for mankind." —Lenten Triodion