Suffering Archives - Orthodox Church Quotes

4/7/2018 Suffering Archives - Orthodox Church Quotes
Orthodox Church Quotes

Simply quotes of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church fathers, saints, elders, hymns, prayers, and services.
TAG ARCHIVES: SUFFERING
St. Nikolai: On the Prayer of the Publican (I)

“God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are.” A sinful man
dares to say this, in church, to God’s face! What is the Church, if not a place where the sick meet their physician? Those sick from sin
come to confess their sickness to God the Physician, and to nd medicine and healing from Him who is the true Healer from all
human su ering and weakness, and the Giver of all good things. Do the healthy go to hospital, to boast of their health to the
doctor?
But this Pharisee did not come to the Temple with a whole and healthy soul, to boast of his health, but as a man seriously ill with
unrighteousness who, in the delirium of his sickness, no longer knows he is ill. Once, when I was visiting a mental hospital, the
doctor took me in front of a wire screen across the cell of the most seriously ill of his patients. “How do you feel?”, I asked him. He immediately replied: “How do
you think I feel, among all these madmen?”
+ St. Nikolai Velimirovich, “Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican: The Gospel on True and False Prayer” Homilies Volume 1: Commentary on the
Gospel Readings for Great Feasts and Sundays Throughout the Year
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Nikolai Velimirovich and tagged Church as a Hospital, God as Physician, Goodness of God,
Pharisee, Prayer, Publican and the Pharisee, Soul, Spiritual Healing, Spiritual Illness, Su ering, The Church on February 24, 2016
[http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2016/02/24/5087/] by ocqadmin.
St. Peter of Damascus: . . . if someone wants to be saved, no person and no

time, place or occupation can prevent him. He must not, however . . .
Brie y, we may say that in the nature of things, if someone wants to be saved, no person and no time, place or occupation can prevent
him. He must not, however, act contrary to the objective that he has in view, but must with discrimination refer every thought to the
divine purpose. Things do not happen out of necessity: they depend upon the person through whom they happen. We do not sin
against our will, but we rst assent to an evil thought and so fall into captivity. Then the thought itself carries the captive forcibly and
against his wishes into sin.
The same is true of sins that occur through ignorance: they arise from sins consciously committed. For unless a man is
drunk with either wine or desire, he is not unaware of what he is doing; but such drunkenness obscures the intellect
and so it falls, and dies as a result. Yet that death has not come about inexplicably: it has been unwittingly induced by the drunkenness to which
we consciously assented. We will nd many instances, especially in our thoughts, where we fall from what is within our control to what is
outside it, and from what we are consciously aware of to what is unwitting. But because the rst appears unimportant and attractive, we slip
unintentionally and unawares into the second. Yet if from the start we had wanted to keep the commandments and to remain as we were when
baptized, we would not have fallen into so many sins or have needed the trials and tribulations of repentance.
+ St. Peter of Damascus, Book I: A Treasury of Divine Knowledge, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 3)
http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/tag/suffering/page/5/ 1/27
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This entry was posted in St. Peter of Damascus and tagged Choices, Commandments, Drunkenness, Falling Away, Free Will, Repentance, Salvation, Su ering,
Thoughts, Trials on November 11, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/11/11/st-peter-of-damascus-if-someone-wants-to-be-saved-no-person-
and-no-time-place-or-occupation-can-prevent-him-he-must-not-however/] by .
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov: You receive the Cup which seemingly comes . . .
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.
+ St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, The Cup of Christ
Read in full at Orthodox England
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and tagged Commandments, Eucharist, Faith, Righteousness,
Su ering, Thanksgiving on October 24, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/10/24/st-ignatius-brianchaninov-you-receive-the-cup-which-
seemingly-comes/] by .
St. Silouan: A certain monk told me that when he was very sick . . .
A certain monk told me that when he was very sick, his mother said to his father, “How our little boy is su ering. I would gladly give myself
to be cut up into pieces if that would ease his su ering.” Such is the love of God for people. He pitied people so much that he wanted to
su er for them, like their own mother, and even more. But no one can understand this great love without the grace of the Holy Spirit.
+ St. Silouan the Athonite, IX.10, Wisdom from Mount Athos: The Writings of Staretz Silouan, 1866-1938
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Silouan the Athonite and tagged Divine Love, Grace of God, Incarnation, Love, Motherhood,
Su ering on October 23, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/10/23/st-silouan-a-certain-monk-told-me-that-when-he-was-very-sick/] by .
St. Theophan the Recluse: Woe to those who are rich . . .

Woe to those who are rich, who are full, who laugh, and who are praised. But good shall come to those who endure every wrongful
accusation, beating, robbery, or compulsory di culty. This is completely opposite to what people usually think and feel! The
thoughts of God are as far from human thoughts as heaven is from the earth. How else could it be? We are in exile; and it is not
remarkable for those in exile to be o ended and insulted. We are under a penance; the penance consists of deprivations and
labors. We are sick; and most useful for the sick are bitter medicines. The Savior Himself all of His life did not have a place to lay His
head, and He nished his life on the cross — why should his followers have a better lot? The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of preparedness to su er and bear
good-naturedly all that is sorrowful. Comfort, arrogance, splendor, and ease are all foreign to its searching and tastes. Its path lies in the fruitless, dreary desert.
The model is the forty-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert. Who follows this path? Everyone who sees Canaan beyond the desert, boiling over with
milk and honey. During his wandering he too receives manna, however not from the earth, but from heaven; not bodily, but spiritually. All the glory is within.
+ St. Theophan the Recluse, Thoughts for Each Day of the Year: According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
For the 19th Monday after Pentecost; Phil. 2:12-16; Luke 6:24-30
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Theophon the Recluse and tagged Body and Soul, Conceit/Arrogance, Cross, Falsely
Accused, Israelites Wandering in the Desert, Laughter, Manna, Old Testament Events, Old Testament People, Penance, Praise, Scripture Epistle of Philemon,
Scripture Gospel of Luke, Sorrow, Spiritual Healing, Spiritual Illness, Su ering, Take Up Your Cross, Wealth and Riches on October 12, 2015
[http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/10/12/st-theophan-the-recluse-woe-to-those-who-are-rich/] by .
From Unseen Warfare: You must never be afraid . . . that the enemy is too
strong against you, that his attacks are never ending . . .
You must never be afraid, if you are troubled by a ood of thoughts, that the enemy is too strong against you, that his attacks are never
ending, that the war will last for your lifetime, and that you cannot avoid incessant downfalls of all kinds. Know that our enemies, with all
their wiles, are in the hands of our divine Commander, our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whose honour and glory you are waging war. Since He
himself leads you into battle, He will certainly not su er your enemies to use violence against you and overcome you, if you do not yourself
cross over to their side with your will. He will Himself ght for you and will deliver your enemies into your hands, when He wills and as He
wills, as it is written: ‘The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee’ (Deut.
xxii, 14).
+ From Unseen Warfare, St. Theophan the Recluse and St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain, St. Theophon the Recluse and tagged Demonic Attack,
Demons, Enemies, Falling Down Getting Up, Free Will, God as Master, God's Will, Goodness of God, Omnipotence of God, orth, Overcoming Sin/Passions,
Scripture Book of Deuteronomy, Self-Will, Spiritual Labors, Spiritual Warfare, Su ering, Temptations, The Evil One on September 1, 2015
[http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/09/01/from-unseen-warfare-you-must-never-be-afraid-that-the-enemy-is-too-strong-against-you-that-his-
attacks-are-never-ending/] by .
St. Isaac the Syrian: I also maintain that those who are punished in Gehenna
are scourged by the scourge of love. . . .
I also maintain that those who are punished in Gehenna are scourged by the scourge of love.
Nay, what is so bitter and vehement as the torment of love?
I mean that those who have become conscious that they have sinned against love su er greater torment from this than from any
fear of punishment.
For the sorrow caused in the heart by sin against love is more poignant than any torment.
It would be improper for a man to think that sinners in Gehenna are deprived of the love of God.
Love is the o spring of knowledge of the truth which, as is commonly confessed, is given to all.
The power of love works in two ways. It torments sinners, even as happens here when a friend su ers from a friend.
But it becomes a source of joy for those who have observed its duties.
Thus I say that this is the torment of Gehenna: bitter regret.
But love inebriates the souls of the sons of Heaven by its delectability.
+ St. Isaac the Syrian, “Homily 72: On the Vision of the Nature of Incorporeal Beings, in Questions and Answers,” Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the
Syrian
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Isaac the Syrian and tagged Divine Love, Heaven, Hell, Joy, Love, Love of God, Punishment,
Regret, Sin, Spiritual Knowledge, Su ering, Torment, Truth on August 27, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/08/27/st-isaac-the-syrian-i-also-
maintain-that-those-who-are-punished-in-gehenna-are-scourged-by-the-scourge-of-love/] by .
St. Barsanuphius of Optina: You need not be despondent. Let those … who
do not believe in God . . .
You need not be despondent. Let those be despondent who do not believe in God. For them sorrow is burdensome, of course,
because besides earthly enjoyment they have nothing. But believers must not be despondent, for through sorrows they receive the
right of sonship, without which is impossible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
+ St. Barsanuphius of Optina, quoted from Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Barsanuphius of Optina and tagged Belief, Belief in God, Burdens, Despair, Faith, Faith in
God, Kingdom of Heaven, Living in the World, Material World, Sorrow, Su ering on August 26, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/08/26/st-
barsanuphius-of-optina-you-need-not-be-despondent-let-those-who-do-not-believe-in-god/] by .
St. Mark the Ascetic: . . . without a iction virtue has not been tested.
Do not claim to have acquired virtue unless you have su ered a iction, for without a iction virtue has not been tested.
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, On the Spiritual Law Two Hundred Texts, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Mark the Ascetic (St. Mark the Monk) and tagged A ictions, Living Orthodoxy, Quotes from
the Philokalia, Short Quotes, Spiritual Warfare, Su ering, Temptation, Virtue on August 25, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/08/25/st-mark-
the-ascetic-without-a iction-virtue-has-not-been-tested/] by .
St. Mark the Ascetic: Let all involuntary su ering teach you to . . .
Let all involuntary su ering teach you to remember God, and you will not lack occasion for repentance.
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts” No. 57, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Mark the Ascetic (St. Mark the Monk) and tagged Quotes from the Philokalia, Remembering
God, Repentance, Short Quotes, Su ering on August 20, 2015 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/08/20/st-mark-the-ascetic-let-all-involuntary-
su ering-teach-you-to/] by .
St. Anthony of Optina: Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a

full stomach . . .
“Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to
carry one’s cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many!”
+ St. Anthony of Optina
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This entry was posted in Needs Source, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Anthony of Optina and tagged Comfort, Cross, Gluttony, Kingdom of God,
Su ering on December 19, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/12/19/st-anthony-of-optina-of-course-it-would-be-easier-to-get-to-paradise-
with-a-full-stomach/] by ocqadmin.
St. John of Kronstadt: . . . rejoice in your su erings, thanking God . . .

“When you are subjected to the malicious and furious violence of the passions, and to the harassments of the Devil, during the ful llment
of various works for God, accept these su erings as su erings for the name of Christ, and rejoice in your su erings, thanking God; for the
Devil is preparing you, without knowing it himself, the most shining crowns from the Lord.”
— St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. John of Kronstadt and tagged Passions, Reward, Su ering, Thanksgiving, The Evil One,
Works on November 25, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/11/25/st-john-of-kronstadt-rejoice-in-your-su erings-thanking-god/] by .
St. Isaac the Syrian: Before the war begins . . .

“Before the war begins, seek after your ally; before you fall ill, seek out your physician; and before grievous things come upon you, pray,
and in the time of your tribulations you will nd Him, and He will listen to you.”
— St. Isaac the Syrian
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Isaac the Syrian and tagged Drawing to God, God as Father, Physician, Prayer, Spiritual
Warfare, Su ering on November 23, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/11/23/st-isaac-the-syrian-before-the-war-begins/] by .
St. John the Dwarf: You know that the rst blow the devil gave to Job . . .
“You know that the rst blow the devil gave to Job was through his possessions; and he saw that he had not grieved him nor separated
him from God. With the second blow, he touched his esh, but the brave athlete did not sin by any word that came out of his mouth in
that either. In fact, he had within his heart that which is of God, and he drew on that source unceasingly.”
+ St. John the Dwarf, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. John the Dwarf and tagged Conquering Evil, Material World, Old Testament Events, Old
Testament People, Righteous Job, Sickness, Sin, Su ering, The Evil One on November 22, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/11/22/st-john-the-
dwarf-you-know-that-the- rst-blow-the-devil-gave-to-job/] by .
St. Maximos the Confessor: You should know that you have been greatly
bene ted . . .
“You should know that you have been greatly bene ted when you have su ered deeply because of some insult or indignity; for by
means of the indignity self-esteem has been driven out of you.”
+ St. Maximos the Confessor, Four Hundred Texts on Love 1.30, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 2)
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Maximos the Confessor and tagged Humility, Insult, Pride, Quotes from the Philokalia, Self-
Esteem, Slander, Su ering on November 20, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/11/20/st-maximos-the-confessor-you-should-know-that-you-
have-been-greatly-bene ted/] by .
St. Nilus of Sinai: He who endures distress wil be granted joys . . .

“He who endures distress, will be granted joys; and he who bears with unpleasant things, will not be deprived of the pleasant.”
— St. Nilus of Sinai
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This entry was posted in St. Nilus of Sinai and tagged Endurance, Joy, Su ering on November 1, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/11/01/st-
nilus-of-sinai-he-who-endures-distress-wil-be-granted-joys/] by .
St. Maximos the Confessor: If God su ers in the esh . . .

“If God su ers in the esh when He is made man, should we not rejoice when we su er, for we have God to share our su erings?
This shared su ering confers the kingdom on us. For he spoke truly who said, ‘If we su er with Him, then we shall also be glori ed
with Him’ (Rom. 8:17).”
+ St. Maximos the Confessor, Four Hundred Texts on Love 1.24, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 2)
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Maximos the Confessor and tagged Cruci xion, God as Man, Incarnation, Kingdom of God,
Quotes from the Philokalia, Scripture Epistle to Romans, Su ering on October 26, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/10/26/st-maximos-the-
confessor-if-god-su ers-in-the- esh/] by .
St. Nikolai Velimirovich: You write how things are di cult for the world . . .
“You write how things are di cult for the world, and yet the world knows not why. If the world does not know, the Church of God does.
Things are di cult in the world because people are not brethren. Kinship between individuals and nations as been forgotten and people
act towards their neighbors as towards strangers in a foreign land… Christ said, All ye are brethren (Matt. 23:8)…because you have one
Father who is in Heaven, and you will remain brethren as long as you confess your one Father…”
— St. Nikolai Velimirovich
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This entry was posted in Needs Source, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Nikolai Velimirovich and tagged God as Father, Living in the World, Loving
Neighbor, Neighbor, Su ering, The Church, Trials on October 12, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/10/12/st-nikolai-velimirovich-you-write-
how-things-are-di cult-for-the-world/] by ocqadmin.
St. Mark the Ascetic: . . . misfortunes help a bad character . . .

“Just as the bitterness of absinth helps a poor appetite, so misfortunes help a bad character. For the rst bene ts the physical condition,
and the second leads to repentance.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Mark the Ascetic (St. Mark the Monk) and tagged Repentance, Soul and Body, Su ering on
September 25, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/09/25/st-mark-the-ascetic-misfortunes-help-a-bad-character/] by .
St. Mark the Ascetic: If you do not want to su er evil, do not in ict it . . .
“If you do not want to su er evil, do not in ict it, since the su ering of it inevitably follows its in iction. ‘For whatever a man sows he will
also reap’ (Gal. 6:7).”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic
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This entry was posted in Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Mark the Ascetic (St. Mark the Monk) and tagged Evil, Evil for Evil, Sowing and Reaping,
Su ering on September 7, 2013 [http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2013/09/07/st-mark-the-ascetic-if-you-do-not-want-to-su er-evil-do-not-in ict-it/] by .
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4/7/2018 Suffering Archives - Orthodox Church Quotes

Orthodox Church Quotes

TAG ARCHIVES: SUFFERING

St. Nikolai: On the Prayer of the Publican (I)

St. Peter of Damascus: . . . if someone wants to be saved, no person and no

+ St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, The Cup of Christ

Read in full at Orthodox England

St. Theophan the Recluse: Woe to those who are rich . . .

Thus I say that this is the torment of Gehenna: bitter regret.

But love inebriates the souls of the sons of Heaven by its delectability.

St. Anthony of Optina: Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a

+ St. Anthony of Optina

St. John of Kronstadt: . . . rejoice in your su erings, thanking God . . .

— St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

St. Isaac the Syrian: Before the war begins . . .

— St. Isaac the Syrian

+ St. John the Dwarf, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

St. Nilus of Sinai: He who endures distress wil be granted joys . . .

— St. Nilus of Sinai

St. Maximos the Confessor: If God su ers in the esh . . .

confessor-if-god-su ers-in-the- esh/] by .

— St. Nikolai Velimirovich

St. Mark the Ascetic: . . . misfortunes help a bad character . . .

— St. Mark the Ascetic

+ St. Mark the Ascetic

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