Испосник

"Он треба да расте, а јас да се смалувам!" (Јован 3,30)

[have-mercy-on-me-a-sinner]

Leave everything in God's hands and don't worry about the future. Whatever is beneficial and salutary for you, the Lord will send.

Elder Ieronymos of Aegina

[thybeautytheotokos]

“Glory to God should never be missing from our lips.” — St. Paisios the Athonite

[ahwr]

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

Rising from sleep, I thank You, Holy Trinity, for in the multitude of Your goodness and compassion, You were not angry with me the idler and sinner, nor have You destroyed me in my transgressions, but You maintained Your usual love for mankind; and when I was prostrate in despair, You raised me up to offer this morning prayer and to glorify Your power. And now enlighten the eye of my mind; open my mouth to contemplate Your words, and to understand Your commandments, and to do Your will, and to sing to You in heartfelt confession, and to praise Your all-holy name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

"You've got to get out of your head and into your heart. Right now your thoughts are in your head, and God seems to be outside you. Your prayer and all your spiritual exercises also remain exterior. As long as you are in your head, you will never master your thoughts, which continue to whirl around your head like snow in a winter's storm or like mosquitoes in the summer's heat. If you descend into your heart, you will have no more difficulty. Your mind will empty out and your thoughts will dissipate.

Thoughts are always in your mind chasing one another about, and you will never manage to get them under control. But if you enter into your heart and can remain there, then every time your thoughts invade, you will only have to descend into your heart and your thoughts will vanish into thin air. This will be your safe haven. Don't be lazy. Descend. You will find life in your heart. There you must live."

- St. Theophan the Recluse

[dramoor]

"From the creation, learn to admire the Lord! Indeed the magnitude and beauty of creation display a God who is the artificer of the universe. He has made the mode of creation to be our best teacher."

~St. John Chrysostom

(Photo © dramoor 2023)

[dramoor]

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

[dramoor]

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

"The first step toward freedom from anger is to keep the lips silent when the heart is stirred; the next, to keep the thoughts silent when the soul is stirred, the last, to be totally calm when unclean winds are blowing."

St. John Climacus.

[fromhersoul]

Oh God, if I was ever the reason of someone's pain, please heal them and forgive me.

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

“There is nothing better than peace in Christ, for it brings victory over all the evil spirits on earth and in the air. When peace dwells in a man’s heart it enables him to contemplate the grace of the Holy Spirit from within.”

— St. Seraphim of Sarov

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

Meekness means having a heart that is humbled and peaceful.

A proud person is never satisfied; everything bothers him, and he follows his own will. We must be obedient to the will of God in order to learn humility and meekness while we are still in this life, while there is still time. A heart that is full of love thinks not of itself, but of others. It prays for all living things and for the whole world.

~Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

1 John 4:17- 18

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

You must bear the spiritual infirmities of your brother gladly, and without annoyance. For when someone is physically ill, we are not only not annoyed with him, but we are exemplary in our care for him; we should also set an example in cases of spiritual illness.

St. Moses of Optina

[hieromonkcharbel-deactivated202]

Once a demonized youth went to the skete of some Fathers in order to be cured by their prayers. Out of humility, however, they fled. For much time, the unfortunate man suffered thus, until a certain elder took pity on him, crossed him with a wooden cross he had on his belt,

and cast out the evil spirit. "

"Since you evict me from my abode," the spirit said, "I will enter you." "

"Come," the elder courageously answered him. "

So it is that the demon entered into him and tortured him for a full twelve years. The holy one endured the struggle with fortitude, but fought against his enemy with superhuman fasting and unceasing prayer. All of those years he never even once put food in his mouth, chewing rather a few date pits every evening and swallowing only the

juice from them. "

Finally, conquered by the incessant struggle of the elder, the demon

freed him. "

Why are you leaving?" the elder asked him. "No one is casting you

out." "

"Your fasting destroyed me," answered the demon, becoming invisible.

[bast38]

“God became man so that man might become a god.” —St Athanasius of Alexandria