This Page Last Updated October 25^th, 2008 (new style reckoning)

 

 

Good Quotations

 

“The divine and sacred canons say: ‘He who has communion with an excommunicate, let him be excommunicated, as overthrowing the rule of the Church.’ And again: ‘He who receives a heretic is subject to the same indictment’ The great apostle and evangelist John says: ‘If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching with him, do not greet him and do not receive him into your house; for he who greets him communicates with his evil deeds’ (II John 10-11). If we are forbidden merely to greet him on the way, and if inviting him into our house is prohibited, how can it be otherwise not in a house, but in the temple of God, in the sanctuary at the mystical and terrible Supper of the Son of God Whoever belches out the commemoration of him who has been worthily cut off by the Holy Spirit for his arrogance towards God and the Divine things, becomes for that reason an enemy of God and the Divine things.” From an Epistle of the Martyred Fathers of the Holy Mountain to Emperor Michael Palaeologus against the heretical Patriarch John Beccus of Constantinople.

 

 

“Concerning the necessity of not permitting heretics to come into the house of God, so long as they persist in their heresy.” Canon 6 of the Council of Laodicea.

“That one must not accept the blessings of heretics, which are rather misfortunes than blessings.” Canon 32 of the Council of Laodicea.

“That one must not join in prayer with heretics or schismatics.” Canon 33 of the Council of Laodicea.

 

 

St. Symeon the New Theologian – He who does not have attention in himself and does not guard his mind cannot become pure in heart and so cannot see God. He who does not have attention in himself cannot be poor in spirit, cannot weep and be contrite, nor be gentle and meek, nor hunger and thirst after righteousness, nor be merciful, nor a peacemaker, nor suffer persecution for righteousness sake.

 

 

St. Meletius the Confessor – Submit not yourselves to monastics, nor to presbyters, who teach lawless things and evilly propound them. And why do I say only monastics or presbyters? Follow not even after bishops who guilefully exhort you to do and say and believe things that are not profitable. What pious man will keep silence, or who will remain altogether at peace? For silence means consent. Oftentimes war is known to be praiseworthy, and a battle proves to be better than a peace that harms the soul. For it is better to separate ourselves from them who do not believe aright than to follow them in evil concord, and by our union with them separate ourselves from God.

 

 

St. John Chysostom – The roads to hell are paved with the skulls of erring priests, and erring bishops are their lamp posts.

(Today we see these roads being multi-level superhighways lined from end-to-end with such lamp posts. Our job is just too easy, given the nature of these creatures and the ease with which their most trusted spiritual leaders can be tempted.)

Here is another good quote from Chrysostom – “No one can harm the man who does not harm himself.”

That no doubt is an exposition on 1 Peter 3:13 – And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

Concerning the Antichrist Chrysostom says, “he will be seated in the temple of God, not that in Jerusalem only, but also in every Church.” Commentary on 2 Thess. 2:3,4

 

 

“Chrysostomos loudly declares not only heretics, but also those who have communion with them, to be enemies of God.” St. Theodore the Studite, Epistle of Abbot Theophilus.

“Guard yourselves from soul-destroying heresy, communion with which is alienation from Christ.” St. Theodore the Studite, P.G. 99.1216.

“Some have suffered final shipwreck with regard to the faith. Others, though they have not drowned in their thoughts, are nevertheless perishing through communion with heresy.” St. Theodore the Studite.

 

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch – Fire and cross, packs of wild beasts, cuttings, rendings, crushings of bones, mangling of limbs, grinding of my whole body, wicked torture of the devil, let them come to me if only I may attain to Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

St. Mark the Ascetic – If the soul refrains from ‘words’ and in love is clothed with God alone, so that through mysterious knowledge the mind is inseparable from God, then that wise soul has the rest known as the Sabbath of Sabbaths. This is the “most holy Sabbath” as seen in Leviticus 16:31.

 

God honors those who love Him with dishonor, enriches them with utmost poverty, glorifies them by means of insults and scorn, through which they receive eternal life.

 

No one can endure difficulty unless they know that the sufferings will lead to something worth more than bodily comfort.

 

 

 

 

St. Isaac of  Nineveh – Humility is the last of three stages in which a person makes progress. The Lord reveals mysteries do to the virtue of humility. Hope is proven by humble suffering. Man is not perfect without true humility.

 

Along the lines of humility I found this reference in the book titled The Icon and the Axe, page ix – For many Russians, “…to think, feel, suffer and understand are one and the same thing.”

 

 

St. Maximus the Confessor said: “Even if the whole universe holds communion with the (heretical) patriarch, I will not communicate with him. For I know from the writings of the holy Apostle Paul: the Holy Spirit declares that even the angels would be anathema if they should begin to preach another Gospel, introducing some new teaching.” The Life of St. Maximus the Confessor.

 

 

St. Basil the Great – I receive also the holy apostles and prophets and martyrs. Their likenesses I revere and kiss with homage, for they are handed down from the holy apostles, and are not forbidden, but on the contrary painted in all our churches.

(his Oratio in Barlaam, Opp. i 515)

 

 

Revelation 18:4 Come out of her, My people.

Genesis 19:17 Escape for thy life.

Psalm 12:1 (LXX) A righteous man there is no more; for truths have diminished from the sons of men.

Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Ecclesiasticus 13:1 He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith.

Ecclesiasticus 23:22 He that obeyeth Me shall never be confounded, and they that work by Me shall dot do amiss.

Ecclesiasticus 25:16 I had rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than to keep house with a wicked woman.

Proverbs 25:24 I would rather dwell on the rooftop that live in a large house shared by a contentious woman.

Matt 15:26 “It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

Matt 21:44 “They who are offended by Him will be sifted; but whom He shall judge they will be utterly destroyed.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

1 Timothy 2:5 No athlete can win a crown unless he has kept the rules.

 

 

Comments on the First-Second Synod in the Life of St. Photios (Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, trans. by HTM):

Maintaining his meekness, his love for order, and the canons of the Church, St. Photios called a Council to convene in the Church of the Holy Apostles in the spring of 861 with the approval of Emperor Michael. This assembly later came to be known as the First-Second Council. Many bishops, including the representatives of Pope Nicholas, were in attendance. All confirmed the determinations of the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council, once more condemning the iconoclast heresy, and accepted Photios as the lawful and canonical patriarch. At this Council, seventeen holy canons were promulgated with the purpose of bringing disobedient monks and bishops into harmony with ecclesiastical order and tradition. The disobedient monks were expressly forbidden to desert their lawful bishop under the excuse of the bishop's supposed sinfulness, for such brings disorder and schism to the Church. The holy Council added that only by a conciliar decision could the clergy reject a bishop whom they thought to be sinful. This rule was adopted in direct response to those unreasonably strict monks who had separated themselves from their new Patriarch and his bishops. The holy Council, however, did distinguish between unreasonable rebellion and laudable resistance for the defense of the faith, which it encouraged. In regard to this matter it decreed that should a bishop publicly confess some heresy already condemned by the Holy Fathers and previous councils, one who ceases to commemorate such a bishop even before conciliar condemnation not only is not to be censured, but should be praised as condemning a false bishop. In so doing, moreover, he is not dividing the Church, but struggling for the unity of the Faith (Canon Fifteen).

 

 

 

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