Sayings of the Holy Fathers
"Be as kind, meek, humble, and simple as possible in your intercourse with all, considering yourself not hypocritically inferior to all in respect to your spiritual condition, that is, more sinful and weaker than all. Say to yourself, `Of all sinners I am the first.' From pride proceeds self-sufficiency, coldness, and insincerity in our behaviour to our inferiors, or to those from whom we do not expect to obtain any advantage."
St. John of Kronstadt
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"Beholding the undreamed-of richness of God's gifts, an obedient man is filled with fear and amazement both at God's almightiness and his own sin. He would then want to hide from God, that God should depart from him and he himself return to his old spirit and his old life. But as soon as God's splendor and His mercy are revealed to a man, his own sinfulness, unworthiness and long estrangement from God are instantly revealed to him."
Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich
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"Consider, therefore, the grace of the Spirit, how it is all-sufficient, enough for such a wide world in so many ages: far from being circumscribed or used up, it fills all with wealth and grace while itself in no way being consumed. Then, since the word 'spirit' is something with many meanings (it is called angel as well, remember, and soul, and breath, and many other names), He added 'some of My Spirit,' As, then a human being's spirit is related to the human being, so too God's, but remaining in a distinct person. Paul, too, suggested this in saying, 'I mean, what human being knows the depths of a human being if not the spirit of the human being that is within. Likewise, too no one knows the depths of God if not the Spirit of God,' not confusing the divine Persons - perish the thought - but revealing the nobility of the Spirit. At any rate, as complete as the soul's harmony with itself, so complete is the relation of the Spirit to the Father."
St. John Chrysostom
St. John of Kronstadt
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"Beholding the undreamed-of richness of God's gifts, an obedient man is filled with fear and amazement both at God's almightiness and his own sin. He would then want to hide from God, that God should depart from him and he himself return to his old spirit and his old life. But as soon as God's splendor and His mercy are revealed to a man, his own sinfulness, unworthiness and long estrangement from God are instantly revealed to him."
Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich
+ + +
"Consider, therefore, the grace of the Spirit, how it is all-sufficient, enough for such a wide world in so many ages: far from being circumscribed or used up, it fills all with wealth and grace while itself in no way being consumed. Then, since the word 'spirit' is something with many meanings (it is called angel as well, remember, and soul, and breath, and many other names), He added 'some of My Spirit,' As, then a human being's spirit is related to the human being, so too God's, but remaining in a distinct person. Paul, too, suggested this in saying, 'I mean, what human being knows the depths of a human being if not the spirit of the human being that is within. Likewise, too no one knows the depths of God if not the Spirit of God,' not confusing the divine Persons - perish the thought - but revealing the nobility of the Spirit. At any rate, as complete as the soul's harmony with itself, so complete is the relation of the Spirit to the Father."
St. John Chrysostom
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