The passions spur us on like cruel drivers, daily urging us, through our love for earthly things, to act in opposition to the Lord and our own true welfare, and to do what is pleasing to that flatterer, Satan.
~St John of Kronstadt
Inessa Safronova’s A Spring Evening (2000)
You are a being who has fallen of your own free will, corrupted by sins; this ought to be a most powerful incentive to you for prayer. You daily receive the greatest mercies from God; this, too should be a powerful incentive to thank Him. You daily contemplate the works of omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God; this ought also to be an incentive to daily praise Him.
~St John of Kronstadt
Time passes without stopping and, my body, even during my lifetime, constantly changes and passes on, and the whole world as is seen in its motion, also passes on, as though it were hurrying to its appointed end, like a machine in motion. Where, then is constancy? Constancy is that which moves and directs all this to its purpose. God, the first Cause of all that is complex and created is constant, being Himself not complex, and therefore not passing but eternal. The souls of angels and men, created after the image of the first Cause, are also constant.
Everything else is like a soap bubble.
~St John of Kronstadt
St John of Kronstadt
Wherever I am, as soon as I raise the eyes of my heart in my affliction to God, the Lover of men immediately answers my faith and prayer, and the sorrow immediately departs. He is at every hour near me, only I do not see it, but I feel it vividly in my heart. Sorrow is the death of the heart and it is the falling away from God.
~St John of Kronstadt
Maria Vishnyak In the Lowlands (1986)
The Lord leads His chosen ones to glory by a narrow and sorrowful path; for even She, the Mother of God according to the flesh, received the prophecy of Simeon that a sword shall pierce Her soul, and She will experience heavy sorrows in her soul during Her Son’s suffering life, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Lk. 2:34–35). The path of all God’s chosen is thus sorrowful and narrow, for the world and the prince of this world—that is, the enemy of God and people, extremely presses the people of God. The Lord Himself allows them to go by the narrow way, inasmuch as He enables them to strive for God and put all their hope in Him.
~St. John of Kronstadt
St John of Kronstadt
“There is, my brethren, a true, real life, and there is a false, imaginary life. To live in order to eat, drink, dress, walk; to enrich ourselves in general, to live for earthly pleasures or cares, as well as to spend time in intriguing and underhanded dealings; to think ourselves competent judges of everything and everybody is – the imaginary life; whilst to live in order to please God and serve our neighbors, to pray for the salvation of their souls and to help them in the work of their salvation in every way, is to lead the true life. The first life is continual spiritual death, the second – the uninterrupted life of the Spirit.”
Ildar Akzhgitov’s St Nicholas the Wonderworker (date unknown)
Our life is an uninterrupted stream of God’s unspeakable mercies; therefore it should be continually thankful and praise God the Creator and Benefactor; our love for God and our neighbor, God’s image and our fellow member should be especially constant. By loving our neighbor we love God; by respecting every man, we respect the image of God and ourselves.
~St John of Kronstadt
St John of Kronstadt
There is nothing impossible unto those who believe; lively and unshaken faith can accomplish great miracles in the twinkling of an eye. Besides, even without our sincere and firm faith, miracles are accomplished, such as the miracles of the sacraments; for God’s Mystery is always accomplished, even though we were incredulous or unbelieving at the time of its celebration. “Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” (Rom. 3:3). Our wickedness shall not overpower the unspeakable goodness and mercy of God; our dullness shall not overpower God’s wisdom, nor our infirmity God’s omnipotence.
~St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
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†When you feel yourself to be an impious, impure, wicked, blasphemous sinner, and therefore, do not feel worthy to draw near to Our Lady and pray to her, then is the very time to pray fervently to her. Just because you feel yourself such a sinner; do not lie in the mire of sin, but come to Our Lady, stand before her image in hope that she herself is there. Show her without shame your sinful sores, have loathing for them and ask her to cleanse you from this spiritual leprosy and you will not be shamed.
†When a strange, proud, evil spirit disturbs you before or during the reading of the prayers to the Lord or to the Mother of God, then represent vividly to yourself that all those present in the temple are the children of the heavenly, most merciful Father and that He is their Father also, then pray to Him boldly, peacefully, joyfully, and freely, before the face of all men, fearing neither mockery nor contempt. Do not doubt but pray sincerely to the Heavenly Father, especially the Lord’s Prayer reverently and peacefully, knowing before Whom you are saying them.
†Our bodies consist of earthly elements; light, heat, air, water and earth; it will be dissolved into these same elements after death. Light and heat will be united to light and heat, the air to air, the water to water, the earth to earth. There are many leaves on a tree. They are formed and dissolved again. Glory to Thy creative power, Lord! Let us know and remember our earthiness, the shortness of our time and reverence the Creator. We are all the works of His hands, “the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3).
