The Divine Liturgy teaches us an ethos, the ethos of humility. As Christ sacrificed Himself, so also should we sacrifice ourselves. The type of the Divine Liturgy is the type of impoverishment for us. In the Divine Liturgy we try to be humbled, because we have the sense that there is the humble God. Every […]

Costly (fervent) love, which sacrifices itself and does not partake of the world, is itself consumed by the love of God from within. The life of man is then a continuous Lent and all of his days are a continuous joy of light. Costly love for God, with its sacrifices sweetens the heart to boiling, […]

The soft life makes people useless. Without toil and struggle sanctification doesn’t come. Let us struggle with all our powers to gain Paradise. The gate is very narrow, and don’t listen to those who say that everyone will be saved. This is a trap of Satan so that we won’t struggle. Elder Paisios

Let us not expect the spiritual spring if we don’t first pass through the spiritual winter during which the spiritual vermin die. We mustn’t expect the divine to blossom within us if the human hasn’t first died. Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain

Today, thousands of atheists fear the mere sight of a Christmas tree and millions of Muslims and others fear the thought that God could be so powerful as to visit every one of us in person. Like the farmer who wished that he could change into a bird in order to lead a flock of […]

“Whoever has faith in God and a sacrificial spirit does not consider himself. When someone does not cultivate the spirit of sacrifice, he thinks only of himself and wants everybody to sacrifice themselves for him. But whoever thinks only of himself is isolated from others as well as God—a double isolation—in which case he cannot […]

“Born of the Virgin, O Lord who existed before time, and coming down as an Infant in Your goodness, You accepted the choir of holy innocents as an offering. Their pure souls, radiant in the blood of martyrdom, are most worthy of the light. For shaming forever the wickedness of Herod and his foolish cruelty, […]

When we believe in God and have trust in His fatherly providence and concern, then we do not think of ourselves. Instead, we know that God is aware of all our needs and looks after our problems, from the simplest to the most serious one. The only thing we must want is to allow God’s […]

Conversation with Elder Paisios  of the Holy Mountain Visitor:    “I often see and judge the failings and defects of others”. Elder Paisios:  “Do you know what your illness is?” Visitor:    “No” Elder Paisios:     “That’s why you know the illness of others. If you knew your own illness, you wouldn’t know the illness of others. I […]

“The Lord was born in a cave to show that the whole world is one dark cave, which He alone can illumine. The Lord was born in Bethlehem – and Bethlehem means ‘the House of Bread’ to show that He is the only Bread of Life worthy of true men.” St. Nicholai of Zica