“Of all Holy works, the education of children is the most Holy.”
“The chief evil with relation to the body is love for the body and pitying it. This takes away all the Soul’s authority over the body and makes the Soul the slave of the body. And on the contrary, one who does not spare the body will not be disturbed in whatever he does by apprehensions born of blind love of life. How fortunate is one who is trained to this from childhood!”
“The goal of human freedom is not in freedom itself, nor it is in man, but in God. By giving man freedom, God has yielded to man a piece of His Divine authority, but with the intention that man himself would voluntarily bring it as a sacrifice to God, a most perfect offering.”
“If we compare our nature to copper, then copper in conjunction with silver is still the same nature but one that is now embellished in the Holy Baptism.”
“Learn about the teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church and hold onto them in your heart – and you will see the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Knowing what is contained in the Holy Mysteries of the Church, be a communicant of the Mysteries as often as possible, with Faith and with the Holy Tradition of the Church. Then the Divine Power of God, will not weaken and direct to the the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Make sure you live within the framework of the Church because then you will live in a Spiritual atmosphere and you will be fenced off from temptation, and your strength will never weaken in your path to Salvation, and no temptation will be able to leave you at difficult crossroads.”
“I will declare to you plainly, the highest and most perfect matter one hopes to attain is to draw near to God, and abide as one with Him.”
“The enemy is cunning, but the Angel of God is stronger than him: he will swing the sword, and all the spiderwebs of the enemy will scatter like dust, and be swept up by the wind.”
“Christian life is zeal, and the strength to remain in communion with God by means of an active fulfillment of His Holy Will, according to our Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Grace of God, to the Glory of His Most Holy Name.”
“It is well known how powerfully corrupt images act upon the Soul, no matter in what form they may touch it! How unfortunate is the child who, closing his eyes, or being left alone and going within himself, is stifled by a multitude of improper images -vain, tempting, breathing of the passions. This is the same thing for the Soul as smoke is for the head.”
“When the child begins to understand, the general means of fighting passions can be used. One must arm oneself against the passions from the beginning, and persecute them thereafter for the whole time of upbringing, so that the child might be able and might become accustomed to mastering them; for their disturbing attacks will not cease to the end of one’s life.”
“It is necessary that in the gaze of the parents there should be not only love, which is so natural, but also the faith that in their arms there is something more than a simple child. The parents must have the hope that He Who gave them this treasure under their watch as a vessel of Grace might furnish them also with sufficient means to preserve him. And finally, there should be ceaseless Prayer performed in the spirit, aroused by hope according to faith.”
