Shun even to appear harsh

You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.

- St Seraphim of Sarov

God is a Fire That Warms the Heart

“God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil – for the devil is cold – let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbour, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance”.- St Seraphim of Sarov

Creation as Sacred Gift

“When the holy elders say that everything was created for human beings, it does not mean that they are given a license to mindlessly subjugate and abuse the natural environment. The environment must be seen as sacred gift,, an arena that could help human beings toward the knowledge of God and their deification, their theosis. When that happens a human being begins to function in accordance to his true nature. He communes with himself, with God, with other human beings, and the whole world.

How does that state manifest itself in a person’s life, Fr. Maximus? Frosoula asked.

The moment love enters the heart, all fears evaporate. That’s the key sign that grace has visited your heart. This is why the saints were so fearless. They loved everybody and everything. They reached that state through continuous prayer. A saint is home with the entire universe. In fact the most awe-inspiring realization is to witness creation being tamed in the presence of saints. Many saints lived peacefully among wild animals without being harmed by them. Saint Gerasimos in Palestine had a lion as a pet. Saint Seraphim of Sarov enjoyed the company of a wild Russian bear and Elder paisios befriended snakes. Phenomena of this sort were and still are common on mount Athos and in the lives of the desert fathers of early christianity. As Abba Isaac the Syrian says, nature has within itself the sense of Adam prior to the fall. Just like Adam, who lived peacefully among wild animals without being harmed by them, human beings who are restored to their primordial, paradisiacal state relate to nature in an identical way.”- Fr Maximos in Gifts of the Desert by Kyriacos Markides.

The Heart

“The heart governs the whole body and when God’s grace possesses the heart, then it reigns over all thoughts. This is so because the heart is the place where the mind and the thoughts are found.” – St. Macarios of Egypt

“The heart is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. If the heart is right with God, the whole person is filled with light. If the heart is bad, the whole person is filled with darkness”.-Fr. Anthony Coniaris

“Our holy fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and concentrated wholly on this one doing, that is, on guarding the heart, convinced that, through this practice, they would easily attain every other virtue, whereas without it not a single virtue can be firmly established.”
- St Symeon the New Theologian

“God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil – for the devil is cold – let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbour, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance.”
- St Seraphim of Sarov

“What is the sign that a man has attained to purity of heart, and when does a man know that his heart has entered into purity? When he sees all men as good and none appears to him to be unclean and defiled, then in truth, his heart is pure.”
- St Isaac of Syria

How to Pray When time is Short

Which words to use when praying? What should one do, who does not have enough memory, who through lack of learning did not learn the most important prayers, and finally, those (and this life situation does occur) when there is simply not enough time to stand before the icons and read the compulsory morning and evening prayers? This question was decided by the great elder Seraphim of Sarov. Many visitors of the elder faulted themselves for praying very little, that they did not read even the mandated morning and evening prayers.

St. Seraphim established for such people the following easily accomplished rule:

“Upon rising from sleep, let each Christian, standing before the holy icons, read the prayer “Our Father” thrice, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. Then the song of the Mother of God: “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos Mary, full of grace…” also thrice. In conclusion the Creed: “I believe…” — once. Completing such a rule, let each Orthodox engage in his duties, to which he is assigned or called. During his work at home or along the way anywhere he should quietly read “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, a sinner,” but if others surround him, then, while busy with his duties, let him only say in his mind “Lord, have mercy,” — and thus until lunch. Right before lunch let him repeat the morning rule. After lunch, busy with his work, let every Christian read just as quietly: “Most Holy Mother of God, save me, a sinner.” When preparing for sleep, let every Christian again read the morning rule, i.e., “Our Father” thrice, “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos Mary” thrice and once “I believe.”

St. Seraphim explained that, keeping to this small “rule,” one can attain a measure of Christian perfection, because these three prayers — are the foundation of Christianity. The first, as the prayer given by the Lord Himself, is the pattern for all prayers. The second is brought from Heaven by the Archangel upon greeting the Mother of God. The Creed contains in itself all the salutary dogmas of the Christian faith.

In addition the elder counseled reading the Jesus prayer during activities, while walking, even in bed, and as confirmation used the following words from the letters to the Romans: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10: 13). For those who have time, the elder suggested reading the Gospel, canons, akathists, psalms. From Orthodoxphotos.com .

God is Fire

“God is fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil — for the devil is cold — then let us call upon the Lord and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him but for our neighbor as well.” – Saint Seraphim of Sarov