Words from the Saints -- December 24, 2019
Gerald Largent
"Guard your mind, and you will not be harassed by temptations. But if you fail to guard it, accept patiently whatever trial comes." --St. Mark the Ascetic
"Prayer is a petition for good addressed by the pious to God. But we do not rigidly confine our petition to words. Nor yet do we imagine that God requires to be reminded by speech. He knows our needs even though we ask Him not...I say that we must not think to make our prayer complete by syllables. The strength of prayer lies rather in the purpose of our soul and in deeds of virtue reaching every part and moment of our life." --St. Basil the Great
"Every genuine confession humbles the soul. When it takes the form of thanksgiving, it teaches the soul that it has been delivered by the grace of God." --St. Maximos the Confessor
"To deny oneself means to give up one's bad habits; to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad thoughts or desires; to suppress every evil thought; not to desire to do anything out of self love, but to do everything out of love for God." --St. Innocent of Alaska