“Lord, have mercy on those who are despairing, help them and grant them peace.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“God loves us very much; He has us in mind in each and every moment and He protects us. We should know this and not be afraid of anything.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Don’t let anything deprive you of hope.”
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
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“May the Light of Thy Grace overcome the darkness that is in me.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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“You gaze upon the Icon of the Saviour and see that He looks at you from it with brightest eyes; this look is the image of how He actually looks upon you with His eyes, that are brighter than the sun, and sees all your thoughts, hears all your heartfelt distress and sighs… Therefore Pray before the Icon of the Saviour as before Himself.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“When despondency seizes us, let us not give into it. Rather, fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil: ‘What are you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave to evil? You dare not to do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head.'”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“Grief will succeed joy, and joy, grief, just as night follows day. This is how the Father of Lights has established the path of those who are being saved. Just have patience and hope: engrave these in the depths of your heart – with these, all adversities will be faced.”
Elder Ephraim of Arizona
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“Something which can help a person who is depressed is work, interest in life, the garden, plants, flowers, trees, the countryside, a walk in the open air – all these things tear a person away from a state of inactivity and awake other interests… To occupy oneself with the arts, with music and so on, is very beneficial. The thing that I place top of the list, however, is interest in the Church, in reading Holy Scripture and attending Services. As you study the Words of God you are cured without being aware of it… In our Church a cure is to be found through love for God and Prayer, provided this is done with all the heart.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“It sometimes happens that a person in despondency thinks to himself that it would be easier for him to be destroyed, or to be without any feeling and consciousness than to remain any longer in this unaccountably tormenting state of mind. One should try to get out of it as quickly as possible. Beware of the spirit of despondency, for it gives birth to every evil.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“Until we fully trust Christ, we are haunted by despondency and despair.”
Monk Simeon of Mount Athos
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“We must have our gaze fixed on Heaven. Then nothing here can shake us.”
Saint Amphilochios of Chios
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“When you are Praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always, that God the Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun; also all the Angels, your own Guardian Angel, and all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, and where God is, there are they also.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“Never lose hope, God always finds a way for those who trust Him.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“He has come to you in order to give you rest and to fill you with joy and peace in place of sadness.”
Elder Thaddeus Vitovnica
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“Pain is a psychological power which God implanted in us with a view to doing us good and leading us to love, joy, and Prayer. Instead of this, the devil succeeds in taking this power from the battery of our Soul and using it for evil. He transforms it into depression and brings the soul into a state of lethargy and apathy. He torments us, takes us captive and makes us psychologically ill. There is a secret. Turn the satanic energy into good energy. This is difficult and requires some preparation. The requisite preparation is humility. With humility you attract the Grace of God. You surrender yourself to the Love of God, to worship and to Prayer. But even if you do all in the world, you achieve nothing if you haven’t acquired humility. All the evil feelings, insecurity, despair and disenchantment, which come to take control of the soul, disappear with humility. The soul must turn to God’s love… Many of our Saints transformed depression into joy with their love for Christ. That is, they took this power of the Soul which the devil wished to crush and gave it to God and they transformed it into joy and exultation. Prayer and worship gradually transform depression and turn it into joy, because the Grace of God takes effect. Here you need to have the strength to attract the Grace of God which will help you to be united with Him. Art is required. When you give yourself to God and become one with Him, you will forget the evil spirit which drags at you from behind, and this spirit, when it is disdained, will leave. And the more you devote yourself to the Spirit of God, the less you will look behind to see the spirit that is dragging at you. When Grace attracts you, you will be united with God. And when you unite yourself to God and abandon yourself to Him, everything else disappears and is forgotten and you are saved. The great art, the great secret, in order to rid yourself of depression and all that is negative is to give yourself over to the love of God.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Do not lose heart. There is hope, and it is Christ.”
Saint Ephrem the Syrian
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“God is with us! When you lose all hope, He sends you something that you did not expect… you just have to believe in Him and love Him.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Every thought that brings despair and heavy sorrow is from the devil.”
Saint Joseph the Hesychast
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“When people are empty of Christ, a thousand and one other things come and fill them up: jealousies, hatreds, boredom, melancholy, resentment, a worldly outlook, worldly pleasures. Try to fill your Soul with Christ so that it’s not empty.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“God never abandons a Soul that puts its trust in Him.”
Saint Nikolas of Sora
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“The greatest secret to get rid of depression is to give yourself over to the Love of Christ.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyia
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“Depression is caused by over-stimulation of the mind, which is caused by idleness, vain chatter, or overeating.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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Geronda, why do I not always feel joy in my heart?
“If your mind is not with God, how will you feel the joy of God? You forget Christ, your mind is constantly busy with work, because your Spiritual motor stops. Include a Prayer and a quiet Chant, and fly forward, and you will turn around to Christ like a star.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“Do not be afraid, you are not alone. Lonely is he who does not know God, even if he is friends with half the world.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovic
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“Brethren, Christ is our one and only true friend.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovich
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“When I am dead, come to me at my grave, and the more often the better. Whatever is in your Soul, whatever may have happened to you, come to me as when I was alive and kneeling on the ground, cast all your bitterness upon my grave. Tell me everything and I shall listen to you, and all the bitterness will fly away from you. And as you spoke to me when I was alive, do so now. For I am living and I shall be forever.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“God cares for everyone. Despair is in effect a lack of faith.”
Saint George Karslides
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“At the time of darkness, more than anything else kneeling is helpful.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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“Try not to be idle. Because idleness is the mother of every vice, including despondency and despair.”
Saint Joseph of Optina
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“We ourselves aggravate our sorrows when we begin to complain.”
Saint Joseph of Optina
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“The devil always drives us into despair, because depression is satan’s utmost joy.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“…Send Your mercy and compassion to me so my grief will become joy.”
Saint Marina the Great Martyr
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“Do not be downcast about your problems. Take this Gospel and this Prayer Rope, read, Pray and call upon my name and I will help you. I am Saint Patapios.”
Saint Patapios of Thebes
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“When there is love for Christ, loneliness disappears.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Do not worry about anything. Anxiety is the devil’s work. When you see anxiety, know that it is the devil’s work. When we feel anxious in our struggle, let us know that we are not moving in the space of God. God is not a tyrant to drown us.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“You must not sorrow, for Christ has conquered all, Adam is resurrected, Eve set free, death slain.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“Despair is the loss of courage in the Soul.”
Saint John of Damascus
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Saint Seraphim would Pray to Our Most Holy Mother of God often saying:
“Fill my heart with joy, for you have received Joy and can heal all sorrow.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov