Teachings of the Fathers

1. The humble never fall; after all, where could they fall, since they stand lower than everyone else?

Saint Macarius the Egyptian

 

2 Innocent and good people are hurt in life because they trust the wrong company...

Be careful with whom you spend time.

 

3The selfish person is very upset with everything.

The humble person is free and independent of everyone and everything.

Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia

 

4.Elder Ephraim of the Skete of Saint Andrew

A certain elder was constantly saying the prayer, My Virgin Mary, save me! My Virgin Mary, save me!

One day, a devil shot a real arrow at the elder, to injure him.

And as the arrow was coming towards him, it hit a fiery object and dissolved itself.

It was the Grace of the Virgin Mary that protected him.

The Virgin Mary always watches over her children and no one can harm them.

..

5 The Virgin Mary appeared some years ago to Elder Makrina (Vassopoulou), who was abbess at the Holy Monastery of Portaria in Volos, and said to her:

– I want you to tell the world to call upon me. It is my ministry as the Mother of Christ by nature and your Mother by grace, to help you. But if people do not call upon me, how will I help them?

May you all have the blessing of the Virgin Mary!

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6 Immaculate is good, imitation is domineering, likeness is divine, since the Lord is also innocent and holy.

Immaculate is a talisman of the soul, a purification of the mind, a guide of friendship, a mother of love.

It knows no concept of enmity and stands like a queen surrounded by all the virtues.

Saint John Chrysostom

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7 Patience

Do not be irritated and above all do not be angry. You cannot drive out or destroy evil with evil.

Evil fears only goodness and Love.

Saint Athanasius the Great.

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8. Did God not feel ashamed to become like you, and are you ashamed to become like Him?

Saint Symeon the New Theologian

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9. The only time that is not wasted is the time you have contact with Christ.

Whatever else you do, it will stay here and will not last beyond the grave.

Many people stumble on religious matters. They cannot understand, for example, that a Virgin gave birth. And they reject them. They put their logic in the way...

Many people stumble on religious matters. They cannot understand, for example, that a Virgin gave birth. And they reject them. They put their logic in the way...

I was talking to a student one day when I was traveling and he said to me:

– When you tell me that Christ was born only of a woman, without a man, I cannot believe that. I want man and woman, in order to believe in the (God)man Christ.

I said to him:

– Have you heard that Christ is called “Son of Man”?

– How should he have been called?

– Based on what you said, he should have been called “Son of Man.” You come from a mother and a father and are “son of man,” while Christ is called “Son of Man,” because he comes from one man and not from two men. That is, he did not sow. Now… you want two men, so that a man can be born. And I ask you: What is your theory? That we are from God or are we from some monkey?

– No, we are not from a monkey. We are from God.

– If you told me that we are from the ape and reject the Creator, I would have sent  you packing and we would stop the conversation. But now that you say that we are from God, let's move on. Can you tell me the father and mother of Adam?

– ...

He looked at me... He didn't know how to answer me.

– There was a time when there was no man and a man was found without a father and a mother? Can you tell me the father and mother of Eve? Was there no Eve?

– There was...

– Where was he found? You see immediately – immediately, that without an androgynous man we have a man. Adam. And without mother and father there was a woman. Two people, without parents. You see, beloved, that without a husband and wife, we had Adam and Eve and based on this couple we have multiplication. So God is the "master", who created without people, man and He Himself is now the "master", who only with a mother, presents man. Therefore it is possible for God and you do not use your logic to interpret His mysteries.

Dimitrios Panagopoulos the Preacher

 Either you go with the flow or you go with Christ. There is simply no middle ground.

The flow of the world easily carries you away

It teaches you to live for today, to measure your worth by successes, likes, money and image. It trains you to justify everything, to compromise your conscience, to do “a little of everything” so as not to lose anything.

But the price is heavy: the heart gets tired, the soul empties and the truth becomes blurred.

The word of God speaks clearly: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed” (Rom. 12:2)

Being with Christ means walking against the flow, with awareness and choice. It means letting His word control you, correct you and lift you up.

It means loving when it is inconvenient, forgiving when it hurts, standing in the light even when it is costly.

Christ does not promise comfort. He promises life.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)

Being with Him means choosing truth over deceit, obedience over selfishness, humility over projection.

It means living with an eternal perspective, even when everyone around you is looking only at the temporal.

The world says, “look at yourself.” Christ says, “lose yourself and find him.”

“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Matt. 16:26)

The choice is made every day. In small decisions. In the way you speak, in the way you think, in the way you stand toward others.

There it is clear which path you choose.

The current passes.

Christ remains.

And whoever walks with Him may go against everyone, but never lost.

“Choose the path of life — and go forward, even if you go against it.”

If you have the Grace of God, you have everything.

 

If you have the Grace of God, you have everything.

You can do everything.

You bear everything.

Even if you climb the steepest Golgotha.

Even if you have illnesses.

Even if you have poverty.

Even if you have suffering.

The Grace of God holds you and you endure and bear all the tortures.

And it makes you charming and beautiful.

And you also support others who see you.

Because we are all agents of education, as today's pedagogical science would say.

We produce education.

That is, we lead with our behavior and we influence others.

There it is!

We influence others!

Others observe.

And even Christians.

Everyone. Everyone.

+ Fr. Ananias Koustenis

Saint Porphyrios strongly recommended patience and prayer.

 

Saint Porphyrios strongly recommended patience and prayer.

He would tell me:

– Be patient, and whatever Christ sends us is for good.

Even the most bitter and the most difficult and the most unjust is for our good!

Be patient, pray…

A praying person is a thousand teachings.

A thousand teachings.

+ Fr. Ananias Koustenis