Do you know what a great gift it is that God gave us the right to speak to Him every hour and moment, wherever we are? He always listens to us. This is the greatest honor we have. For this reason we must love God.
God concerns Himself with all the details of our lives. We must understand that He is not indifferent to our needs. We are not alone in this world. (I learned this spiritual truth in a revelation that I received in the altar of St. Sophia Church).
A person can become a saint anywhere. He can become a saint in Omonia Square, if he wants. At your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love. Make a new start every day, with new resolution, with enthusiasm and love, prayer and silence — not with anxiety so that you get a pain in the chest.
Something which can help a person who is depressed is work, interest in life. The garden, plants, flowers, trees, the countryside, a walk in the open air — all these things tear a person away from a state of inactivity and awake other interests. They act like medicines. To occupy oneself with the arts, with music and so on, is very beneficial. The thing that I place top of the list, however, is interest in the Church, in reading Holy Scripture and attending services. As you study the words of God you are cured without being aware of it.
You should not be concerned whether or not people like you, but you should be concerned about loving Christ and all your fellow human beings. Only in this way will your soul be filled with Jesus Christ.
Union will occur not by believing that all of us are the same thing and that all religions are the same. They are not the same… Our Orthodoxy is not related to other religions.
It is from revelation, the authentic and true religion. The other religions are human, hollow. They do not know the greatness of the Triune God. They do not know that our aim is to become gods according to grace, to attain likeness with the Triune God, to become one with Him and among ourselves.
A lazy person cannot become a Christian. It requires a great deal of work, a lot of work.
A person may speak about his sins and then brag about them while another person will speak of his sins and will be humbled by them.
You must ask God to forgive your sins. And God, from whom you ask this with pain and humbleness, will forgive your sins and He will heal your bodily ills.
Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behavior is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.
God loves us very much. He constantly has us in His thoughts and He protects us. We must believe this reality well and not be afraid of anything in life.
Sayings of the elder Porphyrios