Sayings of the Holy Fathers:
Fasting is the champion of every virtue, the beginning of the struggle, the crown of the abstinent, the beauty of virginity and sanctity, the resplendence of chastity, the commencement of the path of Christianity, the mother of prayer, the wellspring of sobriety and prudence, the teacher of stillness, and the precursor of all good works. Just as the enjoyment of light is coupled with healthy eyes, so desire for prayer accompanies fasting that is practiced with discernment.
St. Isaac the Syrian
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Justice was above the world when the devil offered all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. He was above the world Who touched nothing concerning the world, Who said: The prince of this world is coming, but in Me he shall find nothing. Learn, therefore, to be above the world even while in this world, and if you bear a body, may your interior wings soar up. He is above the world who bears God in his body.
St. Ambrose of Milan
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Do not say in your heart, "It is now impossible for me to acquire a virginal purity, for I have yielded in so many ways to the temptation and passions of the body." Once the soul engages fervently and strenuously in the labors of repentance and we shed tears of repentance, then the prison-house is razed to the ground, the fire of the passions is extinguished, we are spiritually reborn through the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit, and once again the soul becomes a palace of purity and virginity.
St. Nikitas Stithatos
St. Isaac the Syrian
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Justice was above the world when the devil offered all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. He was above the world Who touched nothing concerning the world, Who said: The prince of this world is coming, but in Me he shall find nothing. Learn, therefore, to be above the world even while in this world, and if you bear a body, may your interior wings soar up. He is above the world who bears God in his body.
St. Ambrose of Milan
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Do not say in your heart, "It is now impossible for me to acquire a virginal purity, for I have yielded in so many ways to the temptation and passions of the body." Once the soul engages fervently and strenuously in the labors of repentance and we shed tears of repentance, then the prison-house is razed to the ground, the fire of the passions is extinguished, we are spiritually reborn through the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit, and once again the soul becomes a palace of purity and virginity.
St. Nikitas Stithatos
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