Feast Day: April 30th
The Life of Saint Ignatius: In caring for the perfecting of others, Archimandrite Ignatius himself progressed higher and higher toward Spiritual perfection. He taught not only by word, but also by his own example. His fondest wish was that he himself might attain the Spiritual beauty of the ancient Monks of the Thebaïd and of Egypt, whose lofty example had captivated him from his childhood. In order to come closer to his ideal, he did not spare his health or his strength in his Ascetical struggles…
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Prayers
Tropation – Tone 8: You were shown as the chosen beloved of Christ, united to Him by many afflictions and unceasing Prayer; and having received the Grace of the Holy Spirit, you were an exemplary teacher for the people. Remember us, O Holy Hierarch Ignatius, God-bearer of Russia, that by your teachings and Prayers, we may find saving repentance, and, with heartfelt love, be found in Christ.
Kontakion – Tone 8: While traversing the path of this Earthly life, O Hierarch Ignatius, nonetheless, unceasingly you observed the laws of Eternal Life, which you taught to your disciples. Wherefore, O Holy Father, Pray that we may follow them as well.
Fighting against passions


“Destroy within you the devil’s rule over you; destroy all his influence over you; acquire Spiritual freedom. The foundation for your struggle is the Grace of Holy Baptism; your weapon is the Prayer of Jesus.”
“Don’t become angry or shocked when you see in yourself the working of some passion. When a passion rises up in you, fight against it, trying to rein it in and root it out with humility and Prayer.”
“Satan dwells morally in a man when the man becomes a door of the devil’s will. It was in this way that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot (John 13:27), that is, he controlled his reason and will, and became one with him in spirit.”
“The devil converses with a person without using a voice, yet with words; because thoughts are the same as words, only not uttered by a voice, not clothed in sounds without which men cannot communicate their thoughts to each other. In the same word, Macarius the Great says, ‘The devil acts so cunningly that all evil appears to us as if it were born of itself in the Soul and not from the extraneous action of an alien spirit acting maliciously and endeavoring to remain hidden.'”
“In order to live Spiritually and draw breath from Grace, we must continually exhale the ashes of sin.”
“The mind that is occupied with the thought of God has little room for other thoughts, especially evil ones.”
“If you fall into sins through weakness, expunge them all immediately through repentance. But in any case, through rigid vigilance, try to avoid the sins you commit through weakness.”
“…awareness of sin is a result of love and humility, while unawareness is a result of pride and hardness of heart.”
“Besides the path of repentance, there is no other path that returns to Salvation.”
“Let us do all in our power to expel demons that have entered us through our negligence by the prayer of Jesus. It has the property of reviving those deadened by sin, and it has the property of driving out devils.”
“Salvation consists in the restoration of our communion with God.”
“Learn to know the spirit of the age, study it, so whenever possible you will be able to avoid its influence.”
“The Merciful and All-powerful God accepts all who come to Him. He stretches out His right hand to help our weakness. And so, even it you are full of evil habits that weigh you down like chains, do not despair of receiving your freedom. Begin the unseen warfare, fight bravely and constantly, and admit your defeats bravely.”
“The law of Fast seems to be a law for body but it is a law for mind in fact.”
“Let us not be scared, practicers of the Prayer of Jesus, either by winds or waves! By winds I mean diabolic thoughts and imaginings, and by waves the revolt of the passions aroused by thoughts and reveries. From the midst of the most furious storm, with perseverance, courage and weeping you will cry to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will rebuke the winds and waves.”
“Although a true servant of God is allowed to undergo a struggle with the many forms of solicitation and temptation to sin offered by satan and arising from our nature warped by the fall, yet God’s right hand is constantly supporting and guiding him. The very struggle brings the greatest profit, giving the combatant Spiritual experience, a clear and exact understanding of the corruption of human nature, of sin, of the fallen angel, leading the wrestler to contrition of spirit, to weeping and mourning over himself and all mankind.”
“Purified by tears of repentance, and Sanctified by frequent Prayer, the body mysteriously transforms into the temple of the Holy Spirit, making all the attacks of the enemy futile.”
“God gives His Mercy abundantly. But it’s up to us, with our free will, whether we accept it or reject it, as well as whether we accept it whole-heartedly or hypocritically. Because on this Earth, weeds grow so quickly, they put down deep roots and spread”
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Prayer
“It is only necessary to seek one thing: to be with Jesus. The man who remains with Jesus is rich, even if he is poor with regard to material things. Who ever desires the Earthly more than the Heavenly loses both the Earthly and the Heavenly. But whoever seeks the Heavenly is lord of the whole world.”
“Do you happen to have a moment free? Do not waste it in idleness! Do not waste it by using it for some impracticable and fatuous castle-building, or for some vain and trivial employment! Use it for the practice of the Jesus Prayer.”
“Your Eternal Life or eternal death depends on you. Consider well then, how careful and circumspect you need to be. Eternity’s not a game.”
“The rule! What a fitting name borrowed from the nature of the effect produced upon a person by Prayers which are called the rule! The Prayer rule sets the Soul unto the right and Holy path, teaching it to Worship God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23), because being left unattended, the Soul would have been unable to find the right path of Prayer. Being afflicted and blinded by sin, the Soul would keep straying from that path, often into pitfalls, such as distraction or idle dreaming, or wander after all sorts of empty and deceitful mirages of elated prayerful states invented by vanity and lust.”
“Intending to offer up your Prayer to God, cast aside all Earthly thoughts and cares. Do not engage in the thoughts which come to you at that time, however important or brilliant or necessary they might seem. Render to God the things that are God’s and you will have time to render what is necessary for temporal life in its own time.”
“Humility is that single altar on which it is allowed us, by Spiritual law, to offer the sacrifice of Prayer and on which the offered sacrifice of Prayer ascends to God and appears before His face. Humility is that single vessel into which the gifts of Grace are put by the finger of God.”
“By the power of the Name of Jesus, the mind is freed from doubt, indecision, and hesitation; the will is strengthened; and correctness is given to zeal and other properties of the Soul. Then only thoughts and feelings pleasing to God… are allowed to remain in the Soul. There is then no place for other thoughts and feelings… Having conquered and dispersed the enemies by the Name of Jesus, the mind joins the ranks of the Blessed spirits and enters for true Worship into the temple of the heart… singing a new Spiritual song, singing Mystically.”
“To say the Jesus Prayer a hundred times attentively and without haste about half an hour is needed, but some Ascetics require even longer. Do not say the Prayers hurriedly, one immediately after another. Make a short pause after each Prayer, and so help the mind to concentrate. Saying the Prayer without pauses distracts the mind. Breathe with care, gently and slowly.”
“During the time of adversity, do not seek human help, do not waste precious time, do not exhaust the strength of your soul to seek this helpless help. Expect the help of God, according to His Will in time people will come and help you.”
“Why does our Soul rebel against God’s Will and allowances? Because we have not revered God as God.”
“Let us become friends with the Heavenly dwellers, with the Holy Angels and the reposed Saints, so that they might accept us into the ‘everlasting home.’ Let us also know the fallen spirits, those evil and vile enemies of the human race, so that we can avoid their traps and avoid living with them eternally in the flames of hell. Let the Word of God be ‘a light unto my paths’ [Psalm 118:108].”
“Ascetic labours are necessary for a Christian, but the labours themselves do not free a person from his passions. Only the right hand of the Almighty can free him, only the Grace of the Holy Spirit.”
“The feelings that arise from Prayer and repentance consist of a clean conscience, a calm Soul, peace with all your near ones and contentment with all the circumstance of life, mercy and co-suffering toward all men, abstinence from all passions, coldness toward the world, submission to God, and strength during the fight with sinful thoughts and inclinations. With such feelings, in which one can foretaste Salvation, you should be content. Do not seek exalted Spiritual states or Prayerful ecstasy before their time. They are not as you imagine them to be – the activity of the Holy Spirit, Who gives high states of Prayer, is not comprehensible to a worldly mind.”
“True Prayer is the voice of true repentance.”
“The servant of God who fulfills the Commandments of the Gospel reveals passions within himself in ever-increasing numbers. Even as the Grace of the Holy Spirit within him creates Blessed Spiritual states, such as poverty of spirit, tears, meekness, chastity and Spiritual wisdom, he considers himself the worst of all sinners – a man who has never done anything good, a man guilty of countless sins [and] worthy of eternal suffering – in fiery Gehenna – for breaking God’s law.”
“A man-made Church or Temple of God during every Service is filled with the smoke of incense. So the air in the Church is constantly filled with aromas coming from the smoking incense. Even the Vestments and other appurtenances are redolent with the fragrant perfume. All who come to the Church for Prayer or for a Service are bound to breathe it. So, too, a temple of God not made by human hands but created and renewed by God – that is to say, a Christian and especially a Monk – should be constantly filled to overflowing with a sense of repentance. This sense of repentance should be stirred and aroused every time a Monk Prays; it should accompany and support his Prayer and give it wings to ascend to God. Otherwise, his Prayer will not be able to lift itself above the Earth and free itself from distraction.
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Trust in God








“A Christian should never and for no reason worry, for God’s Providence carries him in its arms. Our only care should be that we would ever remain faithful to the Lord.”
“Where is faith, there is no sadness, no fear, there is the courage and firmness, which nothing can resist.”
“I spent my entire life in sickness and sorrows, but without sorrows, how can one be saved? Illness is sent by God in place of and to make up for the deficiency of our struggles. I see that my ill health is a gift of God – His epitimia, His mercy.”
“At the difficult moments in life, Pray harder. Better and surer that you have recourse in Faith and Prayer to Almighty God rather than to the hollow calculations of the human mind, which usually prove to be flawed. Be discriminating in your requests, so as not to anger God with your lack of forethought.”
“Live each day as if you were about to die on that day… We must be ready at any time. Always be what you want to be at the moment of death.”
“Taking up our cross means obediently and humbly submitting ourselves to those temporary sorrows and afflictions that Divine Providence sees fit to allow against us for the cleansing away of our sins. Then the cross will serve us as a ladder from Earth to Heaven.”
“Stop making Prostrations for awhile; illness has taken their place. But do not stop Praying with heartfelt compunction.”
“If there is not a single event that is secret from God, then we must Glorify God for everything that happens.”
“True Christianity is Martyrdom. A Christian’s life is a chain of struggles and sufferings that constantly follow one another. The victor is given Life Eternal and is wedded to the Holy Spirit.”
“The Earth is a country of weeping, Heaven is a country of joy. Heavenly joy grows from seeds sown on Earth. These seeds are Prayer and tears.”
“There is no other key to open the gates of the Kingdom of God than the Cross of Christ. This key is given by God to those who choose and determine to enter the Kingdom of God; and they themselves try to obtain it, and they rejoice and exult over obtaining it as a pledge or guarantee of eternal, unutterable beatitude.”
“Carefully attend to yourself, so that with complete readiness and faith you may always submit to the Will of God and Our Lord Jesus Christ, both in life and in death, and in disappointment. Always expect great and terrible trials, sorrows, disappointments, temptations, and deaths, so that they may not defeat you by finding you unprepared.”
“One who has a living Faith in God and who surrenders himself to God with self-renunciation, remains untroubled in all trials and temptations caused by evil spirits, and sees in the fiends only the blind tools of Divine Providence. Without paying any attention to them during trials caused by them, he surrenders himself entirely to the Will of God. Surrender to the Will of God is a calm, restful haven in all trials and afflictions.”
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“Do not believe, that inner thoughts can be controlled without the control of the body. Fear bad habits more than devils.”
“Speak well of those who speak evil of you. Pay good for evil. Pray for those who cause you various offenses, wrongs, temptations, persecutions. Whatever you do, on no account condemn anyone; do not even try to judge whether a person is good or bad, but keep your eyes on that one evil person for whom you must give an account before God – yourself.”
“It is worth noticing that, after acquiring Spiritual understanding, the defects and faults of one’s neighbour begin to seem very slight and insignificant, as redeemed by the Saviour and easily cured by repentance – those very faults and defects which seemed to the carnal understanding so big and serious. Evidently the carnal mind, being itself a plank, gives them this huge significance. The carnal mind sees in others sins that are not there at all.”
“You receive the Cup which seemingly comes from the hands of man. What is it to you whether the bearer of the Cup acts righteously or unrighteously? As a follower of Jesus, your concern is to act righteously; to receive the Cup with thanksgiving to God and with a living faith; and courageously to drink it to the dregs.”
“You have a long struggle ahead of you. You have to cultivate within yourself a courageous frame of mind. Take a look at the objects of your love. Do you like them a lot? Are you very tied to them? Get rid of them! That rejection is what the Lord asks of you.”
“Do whatever good you can to your beloved loved-ones, whatever the Commandments declare, but always commit their care to God. And your blind, carnal, careless love will transform – little by little – into a Spiritual, wise, Holy love.”
“Humility is the life of Heaven on Earth.”
“While reading about the lepers, the paralyzed, the blind, the lame, and the possessed that the Lord healed, remember that your soul, which is covered in the sores of sin and is in bondage to the demons, is like these sick men. Learn from the Gospel to believe that the Lord Who healed them will heal you as well, if you will continually beg Him for this healing. Acquire also a proper disposition to be able to receive this healing. Those who are capable of receiving it know their own sinfulness and are determined to leave it behind. The proud, self-righteous man – that is, the sinner who does not see his own sinfulness – does not need the Saviour.”
“The time of our Earthly life is priceless; at this time we decide our eternal fate.”
“The light of Christ’s teachings is heavy and intolerable to the sons of the world. They run from it: into their dark, soundless pits; into distractions; into various earthly pastimes; into carnal pleasures. There, in their moral darkness, they live their earthly life – with no Spiritual, Eternal goals.”
“In order to follow Christ, let us take up our cross. The taking up of our cross is called the willing, pious submission to God’s Judgment, despite all sorrows that may be sent or allowed by God’s Providence. Grumbling and anger during sorrows and difficulties is a rejection of the cross. Only he who has taken his cross can follow after Christ – he is submissive to God’s Will, humbly acknowledging himself to be worthy of every judgment and punishment. The Lord who has commanded us to sacrifice ourselves, to reject the world and to carry the cross gives us the strength to fulfill His commandment. He who decides to fulfill this commandment and tries to fulfill it immediately realizes its necessity. This teaching, which seems cruel to the superficial and erroneous point of view of the carnal mind, turns out to be most wise and full of good things. It calls the fallen to Salvation, the dead to life, and those buried in hell to Heaven.”
“When you read the Gospels, do not seek enjoyment, do not search for exalted feelings, do not try to find brilliant thoughts. Seek instead to perfectly see Holy Truth. Do not content yourself with unproductive reading of the Gospels. Strive to fulfill its commandments, read it with deeds. This is the Book of Life, and one must read it with one’s life. Read the Gospels with the utmost reverence and attention. Do not consider anything in it unimportant, or unworthy of study. Every iota gleams with the rays of life… While reading about the lepers, the paralyzed, the lame and the possessed that the Lord healed, remember that your Soul – which is covered in the sores of sin, and is in bondage to the demons – is like these sick men. Learn from the Gospel to believe that the Lord Who healed them will heal you as well, if you will continually beg Him for this healing.”
“The Gospel Beatitudes are a Spiritual state that is revealed in the Christian from his fulfillment of the Gospel commandments; Beatitudes are revealed one after the other, one giving birth to another…”
“The people with whom you talk and associate have a great influence on you. Conversation and acquaintance: with scientists, result in new knowledge; with poets, in many exalted thoughts and feelings; with travelers, in much information about other countries – their manners and traditions. Therefore, it is obvious that conversation and acquaintance with a Saint will impart Sanctity.”
“Do you wish to learn the love of God? Shun every deed, word, thought, and feeling forbidden by the Gospel. By your enmity towards sin which is so hated by All-Holy God, you will show and prove your love for God. When due to weakness it happens that you fall into transgressions, heal them at once by repentance. But it is better to strive not to allow yourself even these transgressions, by strict watchfulness over yourself. Do you wish to learn the love of God? Assiduously learn the Commandments of the Lord in the Gospel, and strive to fulfill them in every deed. Strive to turn the Gospel virtues into habits, into your qualities. For a person who loves, it is natural to fulfill the will of the beloved with exactness. “I have loved Thy commandments more than gold and topaz: therefore, I directed myself toward all Thy commandments; every path of unrighteousness have I hated,” says the Prophet (Ps. 118:127,128). Such conduct is indispensable for maintaining fidelity to God. Fidelity is the unalterable condition of love. Without this condition, love is dissolved. By the constant shunning of evil and fulfilling of the Gospel virtues – which comprises the whole Gospel moral teaching – we attain the love of God. And by this same means do we abide in the love of God: “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love,” said the Saviour (John 15:10). The perfection of love consists in union with God; advancing in love is joined with inexpressible Spiritual consolation, delight, and enlightenment. But in the beginning of the struggle, the disciple of love must undergo a violent warfare with himself, with his own deeply damaged nature: evil, which through the fall became innate to our nature, has become for it a law, warring and revolting against the Law of God, against the law of Holy Love.”
“Dead faith, or confessing Christ merely out of unwilling necessity, is something of which the demons are capable. Such faith will only add to a person’s greater condemnation at the J udgment of Christ. The unclean spirit cried out to the Lord: ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? We know Who You are – the Holy One of God” [Mark 1:24]. Faith in the Gospels must be living; one must believe with the mind and the heart, confess the faith with one’s lips, and express and prove it with one’s life.”
“Whoever is intent in a profound appraisal of himself, whoever sees himself defiled by countless sins, whoever considers himself worthy of eternal suffering and weeps as though already condemned for them, [such a person barely sees the sins of his neighbours and easily excuses those deficiencies that he sees. From his whole heart, he gladly forgives all insults and offenses.”
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