Sayings of the Holy Fathers:
"God Who made the nature of time measured it out and determined it by intervals of days; and, wishing to give it a week as a measure, he ordered the week to revolve from period to period upon itself, to count the movement of time, forming the week of one day revolving seven times upon itself: a proper circle begins and ends with itself. Such is also the character of eternity, to revolve upon itself and to end nowhere. If then the beginning of time is called 'one day' rather than ' the first day.' it is because Scripture wishes to establish its relationship with eternity. It was, in reality, fit and natural to call 'one' the day whose character is to be one wholly separated and isolated from all the others."
St. Basil the Great
"If you love to delight, to move, and to attract your heart with the sweetness and the attraction of the love of Jesus, read continuously the Testament of the Lord as contained in the Gospel of St. John. The new Scripture is greater than the old; the four Gospels are greater than the new Scripture as a whole; the fourth Gospel is greater than the other three; and the Lord's Testament (ch. 13-17) is greater than the Gospel of St. John as a whole. In the Lord's Testament the Lord Himself spoke in a very special and most sweet and loving manner, not as a lord and teacher to his servants and disciples, but rather as a most compassionate and loving father to his beloved sons. He emptied Himself and poured upon His holy Apostles, and through them upon all of us, that depth of His heartfelt love."
St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
"When the heart is occupied with worldly things, especially superfluous ones, it forsakes the Lord - the Source of life and peace - and is therefore deprived of life and tranquillity, of light and strength; but when it repents of its care for vain things, and wholly turns from corruptible things to the incorruptible God, then the fountain of living water again begins to flow into it, and peace, tranquillity, light, strength, and boldness before God and man one more dwell within it. We must live wisely."
St. John of Kronstadt
St. Basil the Great
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"If you love to delight, to move, and to attract your heart with the sweetness and the attraction of the love of Jesus, read continuously the Testament of the Lord as contained in the Gospel of St. John. The new Scripture is greater than the old; the four Gospels are greater than the new Scripture as a whole; the fourth Gospel is greater than the other three; and the Lord's Testament (ch. 13-17) is greater than the Gospel of St. John as a whole. In the Lord's Testament the Lord Himself spoke in a very special and most sweet and loving manner, not as a lord and teacher to his servants and disciples, but rather as a most compassionate and loving father to his beloved sons. He emptied Himself and poured upon His holy Apostles, and through them upon all of us, that depth of His heartfelt love."
St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
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"When the heart is occupied with worldly things, especially superfluous ones, it forsakes the Lord - the Source of life and peace - and is therefore deprived of life and tranquillity, of light and strength; but when it repents of its care for vain things, and wholly turns from corruptible things to the incorruptible God, then the fountain of living water again begins to flow into it, and peace, tranquillity, light, strength, and boldness before God and man one more dwell within it. We must live wisely."
St. John of Kronstadt
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