Sayings of the Holy Fathers:
Selected quotes from St. John Chrysostom :
"And He bids them have not only gentleness as sheep, but also the harmlessness of the dove. For thus shall I best show forth My might, when sheep get the better of wolves, and being in the midst of wolves, and receiving a thousand bites, so far from being consumed, do even work a change on them: a thing far greater and more marvellous than killing them, to alter their spirit, and to reform their mind; and this, being only twelve, while the whole world is filled with the wolves."
"Now who are they that allow their foot to slip? Those venturing into slippery matters, with no firm footing, such as the love of possessions, such as the longing for things of this life. That is the reason they constantly trip and fall, and expose themselves to the utmost risk. Those things, you see, are never firm, never immovable, but ever shifting and changing, and more in turmoil than the billows, in more rapid motion than the torrents of the river, and more unstable and fluid even than the sand itself. 'Lo, He Who guards Israel will neither slumber or sleep' (v. 4), that is, He will not abandon, nor betray, nor leave it naked and deserted. Wishing to suggest this he did not say simply, 'He Who guards Israel'; on the contrary, what he means is, if this has been His unfailing role, keeping you in safety from the beginning with your ancestors, He will not abandon His role nor cease doing what is habitual with Him on condition that you do not allow your foot to slip. Not only will
He not abandon you, but He will also defend you with great security."
"You see, nothing is as free as virtue, nothing as enslaved as vice. Hence elsewhere, too, someone says, 'A slave who is smart will have power over masters who are foolish.' In other words, just as someone who is not free, even though possessing untold wealth, is for that very reason particularly vulnerable to everyone, so too the one in thrall to passions is of more lowly estate than a spider."
"And He bids them have not only gentleness as sheep, but also the harmlessness of the dove. For thus shall I best show forth My might, when sheep get the better of wolves, and being in the midst of wolves, and receiving a thousand bites, so far from being consumed, do even work a change on them: a thing far greater and more marvellous than killing them, to alter their spirit, and to reform their mind; and this, being only twelve, while the whole world is filled with the wolves."
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"Now who are they that allow their foot to slip? Those venturing into slippery matters, with no firm footing, such as the love of possessions, such as the longing for things of this life. That is the reason they constantly trip and fall, and expose themselves to the utmost risk. Those things, you see, are never firm, never immovable, but ever shifting and changing, and more in turmoil than the billows, in more rapid motion than the torrents of the river, and more unstable and fluid even than the sand itself. 'Lo, He Who guards Israel will neither slumber or sleep' (v. 4), that is, He will not abandon, nor betray, nor leave it naked and deserted. Wishing to suggest this he did not say simply, 'He Who guards Israel'; on the contrary, what he means is, if this has been His unfailing role, keeping you in safety from the beginning with your ancestors, He will not abandon His role nor cease doing what is habitual with Him on condition that you do not allow your foot to slip. Not only will
He not abandon you, but He will also defend you with great security."
+ + +
"You see, nothing is as free as virtue, nothing as enslaved as vice. Hence elsewhere, too, someone says, 'A slave who is smart will have power over masters who are foolish.' In other words, just as someone who is not free, even though possessing untold wealth, is for that very reason particularly vulnerable to everyone, so too the one in thrall to passions is of more lowly estate than a spider."
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