Category: Elder

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American Orthodox Church History Elder Spirituality

Father Roman Braga

“Well Christ first of all is in you. Christ is not just some nice guy. He is God and God is within you. God is in our conscious, in our heart, in our minds, is not something material you see outside of yourself. You find God in yourself. You descend in your personality. We are eternal, we never die, the body is going to the cemetery but the conscious, the person is continually living. So when you descend into yourself, your conscious is infinite. And this infinity is the temple of the living God.”

– Archimandrite Roman Braga

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Church History Elder Saints Spirituality

Elders of Optina

“Truly wondrous is God in His Saints, Who revealed the Hermitage of Optina as a garden of eldership, / where the God-enlightened Fathers, knowing the secrets of the human heart, became valiant protectors of the people of God; / for they set those burdened by sin on the path of repentance, / enlightening those whose faith was wavering with the light of Christ’s teachings, / and teaching them the wisdom of God, / they felt compassion for the sick and healed them. / Now, in God’s glory, they pray unceasingly for our souls..”

– Kontakion for the Synaxis of the
Venerable Fathers of Optina

Categories
Church History Elder Saints Spirituality

Saint Gabriel the Fool for Christ

“Always remember, God is love. Perform acts of kindness to the best of your ability, as through such acts, you shall save yourself. Embrace modesty, for God showers His mercy upon His humble servants. Repent for your sins and do not delay for ‘tomorrow,’ as this delay is a snare set by the Devil. Love one another, for a person devoid of love cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.”.”

– Saint Gabriel, Fool for Christ

Categories
Christian Living Elder Prayer Saints Spirituality

Morning Prayer of the Optina Elders

“Besides the written Lives, and the many letters of spiritual instruction, a beautiful and powerful prayer was left to us by the holy elders of Optina. This prayer has become so essential to many people’s everyday lives that they often paste it into their prayer books, to be read every day along with the other morning prayers.”

-orthochristian.com

Categories
Church History Elder Saints Spirituality

Elder Proclu of Romania

“Do not fight against a person; we have to fight against the spirit of evil. Our fight is like this: We cannot do anything of our own strength, but the Holy Spirit helps us to the measure of our prayer with humility.”

– Monk Proclu