Sayings of The Holy Fathers:
"A sign of utter meekness is to have a heart peacefully and lovingly disposed toward someone who has been offensive, and a sure proof of a hot temper is that a man, even when he is alone, should with word and gesture continue to rage and fulminate against some absent person who has given offense."
St. John Climacus
"For they say that God and man are paradigms one of another, that as much as God is humanized to man through love for mankind, so much is man able to be deified to God through love, and that as much as man is caught up by God to what is known in his mind, so much does man manifest God, who is invisible by nature, through the virtues."
St. Maximos the Confessor
"The eyes can distract the mind very quickly and cause it in a flash to slip into the place of sin. The eyes look upon something passionately; they fondly dwell upon the idol of beauty; in an instant it is impressed upon the mind; the soul is pleased by the sight of the idol; the mind transmits it appetite and desire to the heart, and the sin is committed without a witness, according to St. Basil. This then is what the Lord meant when He said: 'whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart' (Mt 5:28). This is why Solomon reminded us: 'Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids' (Prov. 6:25)."
St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain
St. John Climacus
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"For they say that God and man are paradigms one of another, that as much as God is humanized to man through love for mankind, so much is man able to be deified to God through love, and that as much as man is caught up by God to what is known in his mind, so much does man manifest God, who is invisible by nature, through the virtues."
St. Maximos the Confessor
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"The eyes can distract the mind very quickly and cause it in a flash to slip into the place of sin. The eyes look upon something passionately; they fondly dwell upon the idol of beauty; in an instant it is impressed upon the mind; the soul is pleased by the sight of the idol; the mind transmits it appetite and desire to the heart, and the sin is committed without a witness, according to St. Basil. This then is what the Lord meant when He said: 'whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart' (Mt 5:28). This is why Solomon reminded us: 'Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids' (Prov. 6:25)."
St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain
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