“Do not be foolish in the requests you make to God, otherwise you will insult God through your ignorance. Act wisely in prayer, so that you may become worthy of glorious things. Ask for things that are honorable from Him Who will not hold back, so that you may receive honor from Him as a result of the wise choice your free will had made. Solomon asked for wisdom (3 Kg 3:8-14) – and along with it he also received the earthly kingdom, for he knew how to ask wisely of the heavenly King, that is, for things that are important.”
St. Isaac the Syrian
“The fact that a man slips into accidental sins demonstrates the weakness of his nature; for to our profit God has permitted our nature to be susceptible to sinful occurrences. For He has not thought it good to make the soul superior to these occurrences before the second regeneration. It is profitable for the soul to be susceptible to accidental sins because this pricks the conscience. To persist in them is, however, audacious and shameful.”
St. Isaac the Syrian,
The sick one who is acquainted with his sickness is easily to be cured; and he who confesses is pain is near to health.
Many are the pains of the hard heart; and when the sick one resists the physician, his torments will be augmented.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man cannot remain unscathed who spares his enemy on the field of battle, so the spiritual warrior cannot deliver his soul from destruction if he spares his body.
As a child, terrified by some frightening sight, runs to its parents, clutches the hem of their garments, and cries out to them, so too with the soul; for the more she is straightened and afflicted by fear arising from temptations, the more she hastens to cleave to God, crying out to
Him in continual supplication.
And so long as temptations persist, one assaulting her after the other, she multiplies her supplications; but once she finds herself again in spacious freedom, she gives herself over to wandering thoughts.
St. Isaac the Syrian
To select a good deed depends on the initiator; to realize the intention — that is God’s deed. Consequently, let us adhere to the rule, so that every good intention that comes to us is followed by frequent prayers, appealing to God to not only grant us help, but also if it is pleasing or not to Him. Because not every good intention comes from God, but only those that are beneficial.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man cannot remain unscathed who spares his enemy on the field of battle, so the spiritual warrior cannot deliver his soul from destruction if he spares his body.
As a child, terrified by some frightening sight, runs to its parents, clutches the hem of their garments, and cries out to them, so too with the soul; for the more she is straightened and afflicted by fear arising from temptations, the more she hastens to cleave to God, crying out to
Him in continual supplication.
And so long as temptations persist, one assaulting her after the other, she multiplies her supplications; but once
she finds herself again in spacious freedom, she gives herself over to wandering thoughts.
St. Isaac the Syrian
Our lack of understanding is not due to the
difficulty of temptations, but to our ignorance. Often it happens that while some are in the midst of these trials, they depart from the world laden with guilt, since they did not confess, but rather denied and blamed. But the merciful God waited with the hope that somehow they might be humbled, so that He might forgive them and
make for them a way of escape. And He would not only have provided them with a way of escape from their temptations, but would have forgiven
them their transgressions by reason of the brief confession of their hearts.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man cannot remain unscathed who spares his enemy on the field of battle, so the spiritual warrior cannot deliver his soul from destruction if he spares his body. As a child, terrified by some frightening sight, runs to its parents, clutches the hem of their garments, and cries out to them, so too with the soul; for the more she is straightened and afflicted by fear arising from temptations, the more she hastens to cleave to God, crying out to
Him in continual supplication. And so long as temptations persist, one assaulting her after the other, she multiplies her supplications; but once she finds herself again in spacious freedom, she gives herself over to wandering thoughts.
If men who are surrendered into the hands of judges to be punished for their wickedness humble themselves and straightway confess their iniquity
when they come before the scourges-their punishment is diminished, and with only slight afflictions they are released. But if there are among them some who are wicked and stiff necked, who refuse to confess, these are scourged, and in the end they confess involuntarily after many torments. And since their sides are already covered with wounds, they gain no profit from
this.
St. Isaac the Syrian
If men who are surrendered into the hands of judges to be punished for their wickedness humble themselves and straightway confess their iniquity
when they come before the scourges-their punishment is diminished, and with only slight afflictions they are released.
But if there are among them some who are wicked and stiff-necked, who refuse to confess, these are
scourged, and in the end they confess involuntarily after many torments. And since their sides are already covered with wounds, they gain no profit from this.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man cannot remain unscathed who spares his enemy on the field of battle, so the spiritual warrior cannot deliver his soul from destruction if he spares his body. As a child, terrified by some frightening sight, runs to its parents, clutches the hem of their garments, and cries out to them, so too with the soul; for the more she is straightened and afflicted by fear arising from temptations, the more she hastens to cleave to God, crying out to
Him in continual supplication.
And so long as temptations persist, one assaulting her after the other, she multiplies her supplications; but once she finds herself again in spacious freedom, she gives herself over to
wandering thoughts.
St. Isaac the Syrian
If men who are surrendered into the hands of judges to be punished for their wickedness humble themselves and straightway confess their iniquity
when they come before the scourges-their punishment is diminished, and with only slight afflictions they are released.
But if there are among them some who are wicked and stiff-necked, who refuse to confess, these are
scourged, and in the end they confess involuntarily after many torments. And since their sides are already covered with wounds, they gain no profit from this.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man who drinks wine and gets drunk on a day of mourning forgets all the pangs of his sorrow, so the man who in this world (which is a house of lamentation) is drunk with the love of
God, forgets all his sorrows and afflictions and becomes insensible to all sinful passions through his inebriation.
His heart is made steadfast by hope in God, his soul is as light as a winged bird, at every moment his mind rises out of the earth and soars far above
the heavens through the meditation of his thoughts, and he takes delight in the immortal things of the Most High, his prayer is unceasing, and he is like a man who has the wind for his steed, so that his enemy cannot overtake him.
Every time he seeks him, he flies from
him.
St. Isaac the Syrian
In a humble person, there is never any haste, hurry, confusion, agitated or petty thoughts — he dwells in tranquility at all times. There is nothing that could astonish, confuse or terrify him — because he is not terrified in sorrows and does not become dispirited, nor does he advance into a state of amazement or rapture when he is joyful. But all his joy and gladness are found in that, which is pleasing to His Lord.
St. Isaac the Syrian
As a man who drinks wine and gets drunk on a day of mourning forgets all the pangs of his sorrow, so the man who in this world (which is a house of lamentation) is drunk with the love of
God, forgets all his sorrows and afflictions and becomes insensible to all sinful passions through his inebriation.
His heart is made steadfast by hope in God, his soul is as light as a winged bird, at every moment his mind rises out of the earth and soars far above
the heavens through the meditation of his thoughts, and he takes delight in the immortal things of the Most High, his prayer is unceasing, and he is like a man who has the wind for his steed, so that his enemy cannot overtake him.
Every time he seeks him, he flies from
him.
St. Isaac the Syrian
