Tag Archive for ‘Basil’
Do you have any saints?
The story is told of Blessed Basil that, making a visitation of his monasteries, he said to one of the hegemons, “Have you got any saints here?” The Abba said, “Through your prayers, my lord, we all desire to be saints.” And again, Blessed Basil said to him, “No, I mean have you GOT any [...]
Live in Mindfulness
Although not much cultivated or esteemed today, the memory can be useful in our search for prayer. If, as Solzhenitsyn suggests, forgetfulness of God is the principal cause of all human woes, then remembering God becomes a significant step on the path to recovery.’ And if evil thoughts are the beginning of moral decline, thoughts [...]
What is the Essence of God?
The word “to know” has many meanings. We say that we know the greatness of God, his power, his wisdom, his goodness, his providence that cares for us, and the justice of his judgement, but not his very essence . . . . He who says that he does not know the essence is not [...]
Keep Our Hearts Watchful
Therefore we ought to keep our hearts with all watchfulness lest the desire for God be dislodged and driven from our souls by evil desires and filthy thoughts. On the contrary, let each one of us set on our souls the seal of the divine form and figure by means of the assiduous recollection and [...]
St. Basil on Scripture
The best way to discover our duty is to study the divinely inspired Scriptures, for in them we find both instructions about conduct and the lives of blessed men, delivered in writing. They are laid before us like living images of the godly life for the imitation of their good works. When we devote ourselves [...]
Pyoterius is Taught Humility
St. Basil told the story of a virgin living in a monastery who pretended to be an idiot possessed of a demon, and was considered by everybody to be so misguided that no-one would even eat with her. Her chosen way of life was to be found always in the kitchen, where she carried out [...]
Entries(RSS)