Words from the Saints -- July 13, 2023

"Blessed the one who is always full of spiritual joy and has not grown slack in bearing the Lord's good yoke, for he will be crowned with glory." --St. Ephraim the Syrian

"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 tree of life is the knowledge of God; when, being purified, you share in that knowledge you attain immortality." --St. Thalassios the Libyan

"Love, unchangeable tranquility and our adoption as children of God are different from each other only in name. As light, fire and flame are present in the selfsame operation, so are these three manifestations of the Spirit. When someone is completely permeated with the love of God, the brightness of his soul is reflected by his whole personality as if in a mirror. Therefore the one who loves God also loves his brother or sister. Indeed, the second love is the proof of the first." --St. John Climacus

"If thou art a Christian, no earthly city is thine. Of our City 'the Builder and Maker is God.' Though we may gain possession of the whole world, we are withal but strangers and sojourners in it all! We are enrolled in Heaven: our citizenship is there! Let us not, after the manner of little children, despise things that are great, and admire those which are little." --St. John Chrysostom

"Blessed is the one who is fired by the fear of God, ever having in himself the fervor of the Holy Spirit, and who has burned up the thorns and thistles of the thoughts." --St. Ephraim of Syria