One day, time will run out.

One day, time will run out. Our eyes will not be able to look upon the holy icons or the life-creating mysteries of Christ, our ears will grow deaf to the beautiful chant of the Liturgy, our hands will not be able to make the sign of the cross anymore nor touch holy things, our tongue will not taste the body and blood of Christ, our lips will not kiss the saints. No, we will grow cold, and our muscles will contract, and we will stiffen, we will be laid in the casket with our faces covered before we are covered by the ground from which we came.

On that day, the Apostle Paul says, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (5:10).

“Prepare your heart for your departure,” St. Isaac says.

God does not grant big endowments without great temptations. St Isaac the Syrian

Be at peace with your own soul then heaven & earth will be at peace with you…The ladder that leads to the Kingdom is hidden within your soul..Dive into yourself and in your soul and you will discover the stairs by which to ascend.

Words of Eternal Life by St Isaac the Syrian

Silence is a mystery of the age to come, but words are instruments of this world.

The assembly of the humble is loved of God just as the assembly of the seraphim.

Be peaceful within yourself, and heaven and earth will be at peace with you. Be diligent to enter into the treasury that is within you, and you will see the treasury of Heaven: for these are one and the same, and with one entry you will behold them both. The ladder of the Kingdom is within you, hidden in your soul. Plunge deeply within yourself, away from sin, and there you will find steps by which you will be able to ascend.

A handful of sand, thrown into the sea, is what sinning is, when compared to God’s Providence and mercy. Just like an abundant source of water is not impeded by a handful of dust, so does the Creator’s mercy not defeated by the sins of His creations.

The pains of Love…Saint Isaac the Syrian

Be at peace with your own soul then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.The ladder that leads to the Kingdom is hidden within your soul… Dive into yourself and in your soul and you will discover the stairs by which to ascend.

St. Isaac the Syrian the Hesychast,Bishop of Nineveh

Commemorated on January 28

Paradise is the love of God…

Faith is the door to mysteries.

The knowledge of the Cross is concealed in the sufferings of the Cross. 

“Spread your cloak over the man who is falling and cover him. And if you cannot take upon yourself his sins and receive his  chastisement in his stead, then at least patiently suffer his shame and do not disgrace him“. Homily 51, Ibid ,no.165 in p.143 

A compassionate heart is one on fire for the whole of creation: for humanity, for birds, animals, demons, and all that exists … even our enemies, even the reptiles…

Those who are tormented in hell are tormented by the invasion of love. What is there more bitter and violent than the pains of love? Those who feel they have sinned against love bear in themselves a damnation much heavier than the most dreaded punishments. The suffering with which sinning against love afflicts the heart is more keenly felt than any other torment. It is absurd to assume that the sinners in hell are deprived of God’s love.Love is the offspring of knowledge of the truth which, as is commonly confessed, is given to all.The power of love works in two ways:

St. Isaac the Syrian - On PRAYER

Prayer is undoubtably the most frequently discussed and most thoroughly developed theme in Saint Isaac….

'Prayer', according to Evagrius Pontlcus, 'is the converse of the mind with God'.1 For Isaac the Syrian, the converse of the mind with God is the highest and most important spiritual activity of a Christian, and cannot be compared with any other endeavor: 'Just as nothing resembles God, so there is no ministry or work which resembles converse with God in stillness.2 By prayer Isaac understands the whole range of activities which accompany the converse of the mind with God:
Every good care of the intellect directed toward God and every meditation upon spiritual things is delimited by prayer, is called by the name of prayer and under its name is comprehended; whether you speak of various readings, or the cries of a mouth glorifying God, or sorrowing reflection on the Lord, or making bows with the body, or the alleluias of psalmody, or all the other things from which the teaching of genuine prayer ensues.3

No man is humble if he is not peaceful

 

No man has understanding if he is not humble

No man has understanding if he is not humble, and he who lacks humility is devoid of understanding. No man is humble if he is not peaceful, and he who is not peaceful is not humble. And no man is peaceful without rejoicing. In all the paths upon which men journey in this world they will find no peace, until they draw nigh to hope in God.