Sayings of the Holy Fathers:
"I say that the ineffable speech which Paul heard spoken in Paradise were the eternal good things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived. These things, which God has prepared for those who love Him, are not protected by heights, nor enclosed in some secret place, nor hidden in the depths, nor kept at the ends of the earth or sea. They are right in front of you, before your very eyes. So, what are they? Together with the good things stored up in heaven, these are the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which we see every day, and eat and drink. These, we avow, are those good things. Outside of these you will not be able to find one of the things spoken of, even if you were to traverse the whole of creation. If you do want to know the truth of my words, become holy by practicing God's commandments and then partake of the holy things, and you will know precisely the force of what I am telling you."
St. Symeon the New Theologian
"I have seen petitioners and shameless beggars melt even the hearts of kings by the artful words they use. But I have also watched another kind of beggar, those poor in virtue, men who have no knack with words, who talk in humble, vague, and halting fashion, who are not ashamed to implore the King of heaven persistently from the depths of a desperate heart and who by their tenacity lay siege to His inviolable nature and His compassion."
St. John Climacus
"If you wish to pray as your ought, you have need of God, Who gives prayer to him who prays. So call to Him in prayer, saying, 'Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come' (Mt. 6:9-10), that is, the Holy Spirit and Thine only-begotten Son. For thus did the Lord Himself teach us, saying, 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth' (Jn. 4:24)."
St. Nilus of Sinai
St. Symeon the New Theologian
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"I have seen petitioners and shameless beggars melt even the hearts of kings by the artful words they use. But I have also watched another kind of beggar, those poor in virtue, men who have no knack with words, who talk in humble, vague, and halting fashion, who are not ashamed to implore the King of heaven persistently from the depths of a desperate heart and who by their tenacity lay siege to His inviolable nature and His compassion."
St. John Climacus
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"If you wish to pray as your ought, you have need of God, Who gives prayer to him who prays. So call to Him in prayer, saying, 'Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come' (Mt. 6:9-10), that is, the Holy Spirit and Thine only-begotten Son. For thus did the Lord Himself teach us, saying, 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth' (Jn. 4:24)."
St. Nilus of Sinai
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