Words from the Saints -- October 15, 2020

"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 supress 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

"The self-indulgent are distressed by criticism and hardship; those who love God are distressed by praise and luxury." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"If you do good, you must do it only for God. For this reason you must pay no attention to the ingratitude of people. Expect a reward not here, but from the Lord in heaven. If you expect it here--it will be in vain and you will endure deprivation." --St. Ambrose of Optina

"When sorrow comes to us, we must await consolations, but after the consolation, we must again await sorrows." --St. Hilarion of Optina

"You must bear the spiritual infirmities of your brother gladly, and without annoyance. For when someone is physically ill, we are not only not annoyed with him, but we are exemplary in our care of him; we should also set an example in cases of spiritual illness." --St. Moses of Optina

"The soul is greater than the body: the body becomes sick, and with that it is finished. But a spiritual sickness extends into eternity. Deliver us, O lord, from such illness, and grant us healing." --St. Macarius of Optina

"It is impossible for God not to show mercy on one who is genuinely striving to be saved." --St Pachomios of Chios

"Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man is the same -- the image of God." --St. John of Kronstadt

"The righteous have no sorrows that are not turned into joy, as sinners have no joy that is not turned into sorrow." --St. Dmitri of Rostov