Sayings of the Holy Fathers:
"I have observed men who were sick in soul and body and who, out of a sense of the great number of their sins, tried to do what was beyond their power, and therefore failed. To these I say that God judges our repentance not by our exertions but by our humility."
St. John Climacus
"There is no fellowship between light and darkness, says the Apostle (2 Cor. 6:14), but if all darkness departs, light must take its place; also once evil is removed, virtue takes its place. When this is brought about, the prudence of the flesh can no longer resist the Spirit (having been mortified, the flesh cannot be in opposition); rather, it becomes a well-disposed minister in every circumstance, subservient and docile in obedience to the Spirit's rule. When the support of the wicked soldier is taken away, the well-armed soldier of virtue takes his place. He is clothed with the breastplate of righteousness, bears the sword of the Spirit, has the protective covering of armor, the helmet of salvation, and the shield of faith: he thus bears the full spiritual armor. Then will the body, his servant, fear his master, that is, his mind, and it will readily take orders from its master who applies virtue which is applied to the body's service."
St. Gregory of Nyssa
"It is one thing to pray for rescue from bad thoughts, another to stand up against them, and another still to despise and ignore them. The first situation is exemplified by the one who said: 'O God, come and help me' (Ps. 69:2); the second by, 'I will speak a word of contradiction to those who reproach me' (Ps. 118:42), and 'You have made us a contradiction to our neighbors' (Ps. 79:7). And of the third the witness is the psalmist: 'I was silent and did not open my mouth, I put a guard on my mouth when the sinner was before me' (Ps. 38:10); 'The proud have gone too far in breaking the law, but I have not turned aside from my contemplation of You' (Ps. 118:51). So the man who stands in the middle position will often make use of the first of these, since he is insufficiently prepared, whereas the man who is still at the first stage cannot use the second method as a way of overcoming his enemies. However, the man who has come as far as the third step will completely ignore the demons."
St. John Climacus
St. John Climacus
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"There is no fellowship between light and darkness, says the Apostle (2 Cor. 6:14), but if all darkness departs, light must take its place; also once evil is removed, virtue takes its place. When this is brought about, the prudence of the flesh can no longer resist the Spirit (having been mortified, the flesh cannot be in opposition); rather, it becomes a well-disposed minister in every circumstance, subservient and docile in obedience to the Spirit's rule. When the support of the wicked soldier is taken away, the well-armed soldier of virtue takes his place. He is clothed with the breastplate of righteousness, bears the sword of the Spirit, has the protective covering of armor, the helmet of salvation, and the shield of faith: he thus bears the full spiritual armor. Then will the body, his servant, fear his master, that is, his mind, and it will readily take orders from its master who applies virtue which is applied to the body's service."
St. Gregory of Nyssa
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"It is one thing to pray for rescue from bad thoughts, another to stand up against them, and another still to despise and ignore them. The first situation is exemplified by the one who said: 'O God, come and help me' (Ps. 69:2); the second by, 'I will speak a word of contradiction to those who reproach me' (Ps. 118:42), and 'You have made us a contradiction to our neighbors' (Ps. 79:7). And of the third the witness is the psalmist: 'I was silent and did not open my mouth, I put a guard on my mouth when the sinner was before me' (Ps. 38:10); 'The proud have gone too far in breaking the law, but I have not turned aside from my contemplation of You' (Ps. 118:51). So the man who stands in the middle position will often make use of the first of these, since he is insufficiently prepared, whereas the man who is still at the first stage cannot use the second method as a way of overcoming his enemies. However, the man who has come as far as the third step will completely ignore the demons."
St. John Climacus
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