Words from the Saints -- December 17, 2019

"Learn something from the Scriptures by heart, and keep your mind focused on it. These things impede the demons from making assaults against us." --St. Nil of Sora

"A man who is truly without possessions is one who has renounced all his worldly goods and has absolutely nothing on earth except his body; and who, breaking his attachment to the body, has entrusted himself to the care of God and of the devout." --St. Maximos the Confessor

"Deeper spiritual knowledge helps the hard-hearted man: for unless he has fear, he refuses to accept the labor of repentance." --St. Mark the Ascetic

Words from the Saints -- December 10, 2019

"He took what is mine in order that He might impart to me what is His. He took it not to overturn it but to fill it." --St. Ambrose of Milan

"God is nearer to us than any man at every time. He is nearer to me than my raiment, nearer than the air or light, nearer than my wife, father, mother, daughter, son, or friend. I live in Him, soul and body. I breathe in Him, think in Him, feel, consider, intend, speak, undertake, work in Him." --St. John of Kronstadt

"If then we have angels, let us be sober, as though we were in the presence of tutors; for there is a demon present also." --St. John Chrysostom

"It is an insult to the intelligence to be subject to what lacks intelligence and to concern itself with shameful desires." --St. Thalassios the Libyan

"You who judge others, at some time be also a judge of yourself, look into the recesses of your own conscience; rather, because there is no shame, indeed, in doing wrong, and sin is so committed as if pleasure came rather through sins themselves, do you who are seen clearly and nakedly by all yourself also look upon yourself." --St. Cyprian of Carthage

Words from the Saints -- December 3, 2019

"Prayer does not consist merely in standing and bowing your body or in reading written prayers….it is possible to pray at all times, in all places, with mind and spirit. You can lift up your mind and heart to God while walking, sitting, working, in a crowd and in solitude. His door is always open, unlike man’s. We can always say to Him in our hearts 'Lord, Lord have mercy.'” --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

"Wickedness is an intricate net; and if someone is careless when partially entangled, he gets completely enmeshed." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"Descend into your heart, and there do battle with Satan." --St. Macarius the Great

"If you wish to be in control of your soul and body, forestall the passions by rooting out their causes." --St. Thalassios the Libyan

Words from the Saints -- November 26, 2019

"Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God." --St. Clement of Rome

"Let your prayer be completely simple. For both the publican and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a single phrase." --St. John Climacus

"The man who cries out against evil men, but does not pray for them will never know the grace of God." --St. Silouan of Mt. Athos

"Where there is no prayer and fasting, there are the demons." --St. Theophan the Recluse

"You should know that there is present with you the angel whom God has appointed for each man… This angel, who is sleepless and cannot be deceived, is always present with you; he sees all things and is not hindered by darkness. You should know, too, that with him is God." --St. Anthony the Great

Words from the Saints -- November 19, 2019

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude." --St. John Chrysostom

"The Psalms are the work of angels, a heavenly institution, the spiritual incense." --St. Basil the Great

"The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts." --St. John Chrysostom

"When a man grows inwardly and increases in holiness, he is something great and marvelous. But just as the elephant fears the mouse, so the holy man is still afraid of sin. Lest after preaching to others, he himself should be cast away (1 Corinthians 9:27)." --St. John of Karpathos

"You are a man, and yet you spit the venom of a poisonous serpent. You are a man and yet you become like a raging beast. You have been given a mouth not to wound but to heal." --St. John Chrysostom

Words from the Saints -- November 12, 2019

“Every vice leads in the end to forbidden pleasure; and every virtue to spiritual blessing. Each arouses what is akin to it.” --St. Mark the Ascetic

"We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life. . .I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom!" --St. Tikhon of Voronezh

"The blessedness of seeing God is justly promised to the pure of heart. For the eye that is unclean would not be able to see the brightness of the true light, and what would be happiness to clear minds would be a torment to those that are defiled. Therefore, let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled, and the inner eye be cleansed of all the filth of wickedness, so that the soul's gaze may feast serenely upon the great vision of God." --St. Leo the Great

"Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by Him and by His death" --St. Ignatius of Antioch

"Our Lord and Savior shows us this holy will (when our will perfectly says 'Thy will be done...') by giving us the example of its being done in Himself in order to suppress the free will of the flesh in us when He says: 'I have come not to do my own will, but to do the will of the One who sent me.' And again He says in His holy passion: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' This voice of fear in the Lord was that of the flesh He had assumed, and shows us that the acts of life must always be well considered if death to come must be feared." --St. Benedict of Nursia

Words from the Saints -- November 5, 2019

"The help of God is always ready and always near, but is given only to those who seek and work, and only to those seekers who, after putting all their powers to the test, cry out with their whole heart: 'Lord help us!'" --St. Theophan the Recluse

"It is pointless for someone to say that he has faith in God if he does not have the works which go with that faith." --St. Gregory Palamas

"Each time someone accepts humiliation for the sake of Christ's truth he will be glorified a hundredfold by other men. But it is better always to do good for the sake of blessings in the life to come." --St. Mark the Ascetic

Words from the Saints -- October 29, 2019

"Fire and water do not mix, neither can you mix judgment of others with the desire to repent." --St. John Climacus

"It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop,...while buying or selling,...or even while cooking." --St. John Chrysostom

"The more you pray to God in times of sorrow, the sooner you will feel His sweet consolation." --St. Anthony of Optina

Words from the Saints -- October 22, 2019

"Life of the soul is union with God, as life of the body is union with the soul. As the soul was separated from God and died in consequence of the violation of the commandment, so by obedience to the commandment it is again united to God and is quickened. This is why the Lord says in the Gospels, 'The words I speak to you are spirit and life' (John 6:63)." --St. Gregory Palamas

"Sin is a blazing fire. The less fuel you give it, the faster it dies down; the more you feed it, the more it burns." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"The person who fears the Lord has humility as his constant companion and, through the thoughts which humility inspires, reaches a state of divine love and thankfulness. For he recalls his former worldly way of life, the various sins he has committed and the temptations which have befallen him since his youth; and he recalls, too, how the Lord delivered him from all this, and how He led him away from a passion-dominated life to a life ruled by God. Then, together with fear, he also receives love, and in deep humility continually gives thanks to the Benefactor and Helmsman of our lives." --St. Maximos the Confessor

Words from the Saints -- October 15, 2019

"The Kingdom of Heaven is not a reward for works, but a gift of grace prepared by the Master for His faithful servants." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"How many times have I prayed for what seemed a good thing for me and not leaving it to God to do as He knows best But having obtained what I begged for, I found myself in distress because I had not asked for it to be, rather, according to God's will." --St. Nilus of Sinai

"It is possible to pray at all times, in all places, with mind and spirit. You can lift up your mind and heart to God while walking, sitting, working, in a crowd and in solitude. His door is always open, unlike man’s. We can always say to Him in our hearts 'Lord , Lord have mercy.'" --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

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Each Sunday the St. Panteleimon Ministry produces a devotional handout for our residents. It includes a brief overview of the saints commemorated during the upcoming week, along with a list of readings, a prayer list and prayers for various intentions. Most weeks we also provide words of wisdom from several Orthodox saints. We are pleased to offer a downloadable version of the devotional to anyone who subscribes to our email list. If you are interested in receiving the devotional each week and being among the first to hear the latest news about St. Panteleimon’s please click here.

Readings for the Week of October 13, 2019

10/13: 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1; Matthew 15:21-28

10/14: Ephesians 4:25-32; Luke 3:19-22

10/15: Ephesians 5:20-26; Luke 3:23-4:1

10/16: Ephesians 5:25-33; Luke 4:1-15

10/17: Ephesians 5:33-6:9; Luke 4:16-22

10/18: Colossians 4:5-9, 14, 18; Luke 10:16-21

10/19: 1 Corinthians 15:39-45; Luke 4:31-36

Words from the Saints -- October 8, 2019

"You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." --St. Paul (Colossians 3:12)

"The reading of Scriptures is a great means of security against sinning. Ignorance of Scripture is a great cliff, a deep abyss. It gives birth to heresies and introduces a corrupt way of life. Even one parable can help the soul to have contrition for a sin, to find a little rest from the concerns of the world. Reading Scripture each day will accomplish some great and noble good in us." --St. John Chrysostom

"What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers … For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'" (Luke 23:34). --St. Augustine of Hippo

Readings for the Week of October 6, 2019

10/6: 1 Corinthians 4:9-16; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 25:14-30; John 20:19-31

10/7: Ephesians 1:22-2:3; Mark 10:46-52

10/8: Ephesians 2:19-3:7; Mark 11:11-23

10/9: Ephesians 3:8-21; Mark 11:23-26

10/10: Ephesians 4:14-19; Mark 11:27-33

10/11: Ephesians 4:17-25; Mark 12:1-12

10/12: 1 Corinthians 14:20-25; Matthew 25:1-13

Words from the Saints -- October 1, 2019

"Always have a little icon of the Mother of God in your shirt, and venerate it when you go to sleep. The more you love her, the more she will love you. And whenever you cry out to her in difficult times, you will feel her help and consolation appreciably. She always intercedes unceasingly for all her children who fervently cry out to her." --St. Joseph the Hesychast

"The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. The soul that has learned of God’s grace to pray, feels love and compassion for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us." --St. Silouan of Mt. Athos

"When you take food to nourish your body, you can scarcely be induced to leave the table before you have fully satisfied your need and, except for an urgent reason, you will not readily do so. How much more eagerly ought you to linger over spiritual nourishment and strengthen your soul with prayer; for the soul is as far superior to the body as heaven is above the earth and -heavenly things above those of earth." --St. Basil the Great

"Do not steal anything from anyone, and take nothing, and be content with what you earn by your own labors. Be diligent and avoid idleness. For as diligence is pleasing to God, so idleness on the contrary, as a source of every evil, is a sin very offensive to God." --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

"If you believe in the Gospel that you like, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe in, but yourself." --St. Augustine of Hippo

"Blessed the one who loves truth continually and has not lent his mouth as an instrument of impiety by lying, for he fears the commandment about idle speech." --St. Ephraim of Syria

"Do not fear conflict, do not flip it. Where there is no struggle, there is no virtue; where faith and love are not tempted, it is not possible to be sure whether they are really present. They are approved and revealed in adversity, that is, in difficult and grievous circumstances, both outward and inward—during sickness, sorrow or privations." --St. John of Kronstadt

Words from the Saints -- September 24, 2019

“‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…’ Anyone who has not forgiven from the bottom of the heart the brother or sister who has done him wrong will only obtain from this prayer his own condemnation, rather than any mercy. It will be his own action that draws in much more severe judgment on himself, seeing that in effect by these words we are asking God to behave as we have behaved ourselves.“ —St. John Cassian

“To learn Christ-like humility is a great good. To the man who knows humility life is smooth and joyous, and the heart finds all things pleasant. Only to the humble does the Lord reveal Himself in the Holy Spirit, and if we do not humble ourselves, then we shall not see God. Humility is the light in which we may behold the light which is God; in the words of the Psalmist: ‘In Your light shall we see light (Psalm 36:9).’” —St. St Silouan of Mt Athos

“Let us receive correction, beloved, on account of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we admonish one another are both good and highly profitable, for they tend to unite us to the will of God.” —St. Clement of Rome

“A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the Word of the Savior Himself. He deigned to say: not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. Likewise, concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Pharisee, Simon: ‘To one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded.’ From these judgments a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.” —St. Herman of Alaska

“Therefore, don’t despair when you fall, but get up eagerly and... say, ‘Forgive me dear Christ. I am human and weak.’ The Lord has not abandoned you. But since you still have a great deal of worldly pride, a great deal of vainglory, our Christ lets you make mistakes and fall, so that you perceive and come to know your weaknesses every day, so that you become patient with others who make mistakes, and so that you do not judge the brethren when they make mistakes, but rather put up with them. —St. Joseph the Hesychast

Words from the Saints -- September 17, 2019

"The Lord, though he was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of whose who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from the dead, and cried aloud: 'Who will contend with me? Let him confront me. I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from their graves. Who has anything to say against me? I,' he said, 'am the Christ; I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one, and taken men up to the heights of heaven: I am the Christ.'" --St. Melito of Sardis

"God does not disdain prayers, but sometimes does not grant the desires expressed therein, specifically in order to have things come out better, in accordance with His Divine intent. What would happen if the All-knowing God completely fulfilled our wishes? I believe all human beings would eventually perish." --Elder Leo of Optina

"It is better to be consoled by your conscience alone, even if the whole world slanders you, than to be accused by your conscience, when the whole world heaps praises upon you." --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

"Let no man's place, or dignity, or riches, puff him up; and let no man's low condition or poverty abase him. For the chief points are faith towards God, hope towards Christ, the enjoyment of those good things for which we look, and love towards God and our neighbor." --St. Ignatius of Antioch

"The devil tries to soil and defile every good thing a man would do by intermingling with it his own seeds in the form of self-esteem, presumption, complaint, and other things of this kind, so that what we do is not done for God alone, or with a glad heart. Abel offered a sacrifice to God of the fat and firstlings of his flock, while Cain offered gifts of the fruits of the earth, but not of the firstfruits; and that is why God looked with favor on Abel's sacrifices, but paid no attention to Cain's gifts (cf. Gen. 4:3-5). This shows us that it is possible to do something good in the wrong way - that is to say, to do it negligently, or scornfully, or else not for God's sake but for some other purpose; and for this reason it is unacceptable to God." --St. Symeon Metaphrastis

Words from the Saints -- September 10, 2019

"Blessed is the mind which, during prayer, is drawn neither to the material nor to possessions." --St. Nilus of Sinai

"To know God we have no need of riches. We need only love our neighbor and be lowly in spirit, sober, and obedient; and for these virtues the Lord allows us to know Him. Could anything in this world be more precious than this knowledge?" --St. Silouan of Mount Athos

"For Your sake we came into being, so that we might delight in the paradise which You have planted and in which You have placed us." --St. Thalassios the Libyan

Words from the Saints -- September 3, 2019

"A hypocrite is someone who teaches his neighbor something he makes no effort to do himself." --St. Poemen

"Always be on your guard against your anger, and then you will not be carried away by other violent desires. Anger gives fuel to all sorts of other passions and always clouds the spiritual eye, disrupting the state of pure prayer." --Evagrios of Pontus

"Do you want to come to God; do you want to not be deluded and not to get lost; do you want not to die and to live forever? The Lord says: 'I am the Way, Truth and Life' (John 14:6). Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest!' (Matthew 11:28)" --St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Words from the Saints -- August 6, 2019

"Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife." --St. Leo the Great, Pope of Rome

"It is a great virtue to accept patiently whatever comes and, as the Lord enjoins, to love a neighbor who hates you." --St. Mark the Ascetic