Elder Joseph the Hesychast: “Living in the wilderness has its own struggles, whereas living in the world has many other different kinds of struggles…” (From his letters)

You yourself know from experience that wherever we may be, my son, we need much patience. Living in the wilderness has its own struggles, whereas living in the world has many other different kinds of struggles. So be brave. And since you have chosen this burden, bear it with fear of God. And believe me,...

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: “My child, be careful with your imagination; all sins originate from the imagination; it is the root of sin…”

My child, be careful with your imagination. All sins originate from the imagination; it is the root of sin. So be careful. As soon as a fantasy of a person or deed comes, of something you saw or heard, immediately drive it away from your mind with anger and the prayer. Say it rapidly and...

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: “I pray, my child, that you resist egoistic and proud thoughts, for from them and from similar passions all the other evil passions originate, and by them a poor soul is pushed over the cliff of destruction…”

I pray, my child, that you resist egoistic and proud thoughts, for from them and from similar passions all the other evil passions originate, and by them a poor soul is pushed over the cliff of destruction. Pay no attention to passionate thoughts; disregard them completely, since the ugliness of evil is written all over...

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: “Pay no attention to whatever the enemy (demons) says to you…”

Pay no attention to whatever the enemy (demons) says to you. As soon as he is about to whisper something in your ear, immediately say, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”, or “Save me”, rapidly and without stopping, and soon you will see that the thought — or rather the pressure to accept the...

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia: “If you bear Christ’s cross with love, then it will be very light…”

Everyone has a cross to carry. Why? Since the leader of our faith endured the cross, we will also endure it. On one hand, the cross is sweet and light, but, on the other, it can be also bitter and heavy. It depends on our will. If you bear Christ's cross with love, then it...

Elder Joseph the Hesychast: About the Jesus prayer

"You don't see how , with every prayer you utter, many demons fall and turn back. You only see how much you are wounded. Know that they, also, are being beaten, and flee. Each time we show patience they flee in leaps, and with each prayer they are seriously wounded. So, in the time of...

San Justin Popovich: “The principal characteristic of falling into sin is always the same: wanting to be good for one’s own sake; wanting to be perfect for one’s own sake; wanting to be God for one’s own sake… The first radical protest that was voiced in the name of humanism but against the Divine-Human Christ and his Divine-Human organism—the Church—should be sought in Papism, not in Lutheranism. Papism is in fact the first and the oldest form of Protestantism…”

The principal characteristic of falling into sin is always the same: wanting to be good for one's own sake; wanting to be perfect for one's own sake; wanting to be God for one's own sake. In this manner, however, man unconsciously equates himself to the devil, because the devil also wanted to become God for...

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: “The remembrance of God is an all-powerful weapon, a mighty suit of armor against satan and the various sins…”

The remembrance of God is an all-powerful weapon, a mighty suit of armor against satan and the various sins. When the mind ceases to remember God and meditate upon divine things, man is overcome by negligence, indolence, forgetfulness, and then by evil desires! If you see your mind rushing towards the world, know that your...