Tag: fire
Thoughts to remember
Abba Evagrius said, ‘Sit in your cell, collecting your thoughts. Remember the day of your death. See then what the death of your body will be; let your spirit be heavy, take pains, condemn the vanity of the world, so as to be able to live always in the peace you have in view without… Read More ›
Abba Macarius and the Talking Skull
Abba Macarius said, ‘Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me. I said to it, “Who are you?” The skull replied, “I was high priest of the idols and of the pagans… Read More ›
Blessed candles have a mysterious role against darkness
It is a time of darkness. It is a time of light. As evil surges around us, the illuminations of God intensify. But it does no good to deny the evil. Do things feel strange to you right now? Does it seem like there is a “lull” — a feeling of aridity, or vacancy; the… Read More ›
Peace be with you
Abba Zosimos the Cilician said: When I was a young man, I left Mt. Sinai and went to Ammoniac to stay there in a cell. There I found an elder dressed in a short-sleeved shirt of palm-fibre. When the elder saw me, before greeting me, he said, “Why have you come here, Zosimos? Get away… Read More ›
Kindle the Divine Fire
Amma Syncletica said, “In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and, after wards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire. At first they are choked with smoke and cry, until they obtain what they seek…. Read More ›
God is a Fire that Warms the Heart
God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil – for the devil is cold – let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but… Read More ›
A Christian on Fire
A brother made a request of Abba , “Give me a word.” And he said to him, “When the kettle is on the fire, a fly or any other creature cannot touch it; but when it is cold, they sit on it. So it is for the [Christian]; as long as one abides in spiritual… Read More ›