Beauty of Orthodoxy

"He who is not tempted cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven; without temptations, no one can be saved."

"To be in the image of God belongs to every human being, but to be in His likeness belongs only to those who through great love have enslaved their will to God."

"And he who has been renewed through the Spirit and has put off the old man with his deeds, is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, in no way receiving the old age of corruption."

"Violent force and unending pain are the lot of those who aim to ascend to heaven with the body, and this especially at the early stages of the enterprise, when our pleasure-loving disposition and our unfeeling hearts must travel through overwhelming grief toward the love of God and holiness."

-St. John Climacus

"As a mother is not angry with her infant child when it stumbles, but rather reaches out her hand to lift it up with great tenderness, so also the Lord, when we stumble in our weakness, does not turn away in anger but is ready to raise us up through our repentance."

"A small child, when it is frightened by something, immediately runs to its mother's breast and clings to her; in the same way, the soul that is attacked by evil thoughts or spiritual enemies must flee at once to the Lord through prayer and find safety."

"Do not be surprised if you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience."

"Just as water which is gradually heated in a pot eventually boils and overflows, so a child who is constantly fed with worldly ideas and passions eventually boils over with anger and desire. But if he is seasoned with the fear of God and holy teachings, he becomes a vessel fit for the Master's use."

Sobriety is like a house of light, in which the intellect dwells in safety, free from the dark thoughts that come from the demons. If we keep this house clean, Christ Himself will come and make His home in us, according to His promise."

"Monastic life is a constant violence to nature and an unceasing custody of the senses."