True fasting lies in rejecting evil, holding ones tongue, suppressing ones hatred, and banishing ones lust, evil words, lying, and betrayal of vows.
St. Basil the Great
The Potency of Prayer
30 December 2025
The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; it had bridled the rage of lions, hushed the anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings.
John Chrysostom
Guided by God’s Will
28 December 2025
Intelligent men have no need to listen to much talk, but should attend only to that which is profitable and guided by God’s will.
Anthony the Great
The Cross of Christ
25 December 2025
Do not seek the perfection of the law in human virtues, for it is not found perfect in them. Its perfection is hidden in the Cross of Christ.
St. Mark the Ascetic
True Freedom
21 December 2025
Instead of freedom from sin, people began to strive for freedom to sin. True freedom, freedom of spirit, Christian freedom came to be considered "despotism," "coercion," the oppression of the Church, while the dissipation of one's sinful will, which leads to enslavement of the spirit, was made life's ideal.
Archbishop Averky
Christ First
20 December 2025
It is when you forget God that you begin to entertain evil thoughts and commit wicked deeds.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem.
On Baptism
19 December 2025
You see how many are the benefits of baptism, and some think its heavenly grace consists only in the remission of sins, but we have enumerated ten honors [it bestows]! For this reason we baptize even infants, though they are not defiled by [personal] sins, so that there may be given to them holiness, righteousness, adoption, inheritance, brotherhood with Christ, and that they may be his [Christ’s] members.
John Chrysostom
Malicious Thoughts
15 December 2025
Satan's handiwork is to constantly put malicious and damaging thoughts in people's minds.
St. Paisios
The Goodness of God
10 December 2025
As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has 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
Without Ulterior Motivation
1 December 2025
Do everything simply and meekly. Do nothing with an ulterior motive. Don't say, I'll do this in order to have that result, but do it naturally, without taking cognizance of it. That is, pray simply and don't think about what God will bestow on your soul. Don't make any calculations. You know, of course, what God bestows when you enter into communion with Him, but it is as if you don't know. Don't discuss the matter even with yourself. So when you repeat the prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”, say it simply and ingenuously and think of nothing other than the prayer. These are very delicate matters and the intervention of the grace of God is required.
St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia
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