Made rich through His poverty

The Logos became man, so that man might become Logos.  Being rich, He became poor for our sakes, so that through His poverty we might become rich, (cf. II Cor 8:9).  In His great love for man, He became like us, so that through every virtue we might become like Him. 

 

CHRISTOS YENNATAI!  DOXASATE!

On the flowering of the Spirit within

The demons try to undermine your inward resolution by buffeting your souls with an untold variety of temptations.  Yet out of these many tribulations a garland is woven for you; Christ’s power ‘comes to its fullness in us in our weakness, (II Cor 12:9).  It is usually when our situation is most gloomy that the grace of the Spirit flowers within us.  ‘light has shone in the darkness for the righteous, (Ps 112:4 LXX), if, that is, ‘we hold fast to our confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firmly to the end,’ (Heb 3:6). 

That which is truly needful

Discern the wiles of the enemy with the light of grace and, throwing yourself before God with tears, confess your weakness, counting yourself nothing, even though the deceiver tries to persuade you to think otherwise.  Do not even ask for spiritual gifts unless they contribute to your salvation and help you to remain humble.  Seek the knowledge that does not make you conceited, but leads you to the knowledge of God.  Pray to be released from the tyranny of the passions before you die, and to depart this life in a state of dispassion or--more humbly--of compassion for the sins of others. 

St. Gregory Palamas on holy almsgiving

You should secretly give from what you have to those in need, so that you receive from God, Who sees in secret, a hundred times more, as well as life eternal in the age to come, (cf. Mt 6:4, Mk 10:30). 

Offering to God correction of offenses

A person who, knowing what faults he has committed, willingly and with due thankfulness endures the trials painfully inflicted on him as a consequence of these faults, is not exiled from grace or from his state of virtue; for he submits willingly and pays off his debts by accepting the trials.  In this way, while remaining in a state of grace and virtue, he pays tribute not only with his enforced sufferings, which have arisen out of the impassioned side of his nature, but also with his mental assent to these sufferings, accepting them as his due on account of his former offenses.  Through true worship, by which I mean a humble disposition, he offers to God the correction of his offenses.