Words from the Saints -- November 27, 2018

"Whether praying alone or together with [others], struggle to pray, not out of habit but with awareness." --St. Nilus of Sinai

"Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor." --St. John Chrysostom

"The mercy of God is hidden in sufferings not of our choice; and if we accept such sufferings patiently, they bring us to repentance and deliver us from everlasting punishment." --St. Mark the Ascetic

"God does not forsake you. It is because he wishes to increase your glory that oftentimes he permits you to fall sick. Keep up your courage so that you may also hear him say: 'Do you think I have dealt with you otherwise than that you may be shown to be just?'" --St. John Chrysostom

"Yet you are not the sole author of the evil, but there is also another most wicked prompter, the devil. He indeed suggests, but does not get the mastery by force over those who do not consent." --St. Cyril of Jerusalem

"If you say something evil about your brother or sister, even if it is true, your soul suffers an unhealable wound. You can reveal the sins of another only when the sole intention in your heart is the benefit of the soul of the sinner." --St. Nikon of Optina

"If you cannot close the mouth of one who reviles his brother, at least avoid conversation with him." --St. Isaac the Syrian