“I am not saying that we should not read so that we can plead ignorance and therefore be free of responsibility, for this is a cunning deception; I am saying that we should not read merely to pass our time pleasantly. The bad thing is that if someone reads a lot and has a strong memory, he may remember many things and may even talk a lot about what he has read, and thus deceive himself into thinking that he also personally observes the many things he reads. So he has created an illusion toward himself and others. So don’t be comforted by the thought that you read a lot….

So true! So, so true….

Amen, amen, and again I say amen! “We are truly free, in the spiritual sense, when we obey the will of God. But you see, whereas it is obedience that gives us true freedom, the evil one works the opposite way, presenting obedience as enslavement. Thus our youth, who have been poisoned by the spirit of rebellion, reject obedience. It is understandable that young people are tired of the various ideologies of the twentieth century. These systems have brought so much distortion to God’s beautiful creation and filled His creatures with anxiety, separating them from Him, the only source of true joy. – ‘With Pain and Love’; St. Paisios of…

“Through the prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me’, we’ll gain everything. Through this prayer, we’re cleansed, burnished and sanctified. This prayer is the life-belt of the body and of the soul. It’s the basis of perfection. You won’t be weighed down and you’ll fly. There’s no other way of salvation, purification and sanctification than prayer of the heart. It’s filled paradise with saints.” ( – Elder Amphilocius Makris)

Very well said! “Just as the earth in the spring is washed by the rain, warmed by the sun, and becomes covered with greenery and flowers, so you, beloved, wash your soul with tears of repentance, and warm it with the rays of God’s grace and feelings and intentions, which will indeed bring forth in you the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, and faith.” (St Tikhon of Moscow, 1901 booklet)