Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A quote
“I didn’t become a Christian because somebody with a Bible badgered me till I was worn down. I wasn’t persuaded by the logic of Christian theology or its creeds. I met Christ. This was, at the time, a big surprise, and pretty disconcerting.” At the Corner of East and Now by Frederica Mathewes-Green, p. 3
Monday, October 20, 2008
Prayer
"God is truth, and my prayer should be truth as well as life; God is light and my prayer should be offered in the light of the mind and the heart; God is fire and my prayer should be ardent; God is perfectly free, and my prayer should be the free outpouring of the heart."
~St. John of Kronstadat, Spiritual Counsels
~St. John of Kronstadat, Spiritual Counsels
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday quote
"In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land."
Psalm 95, 1-2 (KJV)
[This was my post for today for The IDD Blog.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Faith
“In the last resort faith is an act of will, inspired by love. Our love may be chilled and our will eroded by the spectacle of the shortcomings, folly, and even sins of the Church and its ministers, but I do not think that one who has once had faith goes back over the line for these reasons…If He is a fraud and the Gospels fraudulent—that is: garbled accounts of a demented megalomaniac (which is the only alternative), then of course the spectacle exhibited by the Church…in history and today is simply evidence of a gigantic fraud. If not, however, then this spectacle is alas! only what was to be expected: it began before the first Easter, and it does not affect faith at all—except that we may and should be deeply grieved
“It takes a fantastic will to unbelief to suppose that Jesus never really ‘happened’, and more to suppose that he did not say the things recorded of him—so incapable of being ‘invented’ by anyone in the world at that time…” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 250, p. 337)
“It takes a fantastic will to unbelief to suppose that Jesus never really ‘happened’, and more to suppose that he did not say the things recorded of him—so incapable of being ‘invented’ by anyone in the world at that time…” (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 250, p. 337)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A poem
When You are Old
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
W.B. Yeats
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
W.B. Yeats
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Books
"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of theses small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things you don't get in real life--wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift."
~Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. 15
~Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. 15
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Quotes from The Art of Prayer
I posted a few quotes from the introduction HERE.
"Training, then, must also be twofold, outer and inner: outer in reading books, inner in thoughts of God; outer in love of wisdom, inner in love of God; outer in words, inner in prayer; outer in keenness of intellect, inner in warmth of spirit."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 44
"[Inner prayer is performed] not only standing or walking, but also lying down, in a word, always--whenever you happen to raise your mind to God."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 45
"The heart is a small vessel, but all things are contained in it; God is there, the angels are there, and there also is life and the Kingdom, the heavenly cities and the treasures of grace."
~St. Makarios of Egypt, p. 46
"No unity with God is possible except by an exceedingly great love."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 47
"Because all have grace, only one thing is necessary: to give this grace free scope to act....the more our heart is purified the more lively becomes our feeling towards God."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 59
"You must never regard any spiritual work as firmly established, and this is especially true of prayer; but always pray as if beginning for the first time. When we do a thing for the first time, we come to it fresh and with a new-born enthusiasm."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 74
"But constant repetition is not required. what is required is a constant aliveness to God--an aliveness present when you talk, read, watch, or examine something."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 83
It is important to remember that these authors are writing for other Orthodox Christians. They are assuming that their readers will attend church, confess and receive Communion regularly. St. Theophan says specifically not to regard the development of inner prayer as a substitute for the life in the Church or the Sacraments.
"Training, then, must also be twofold, outer and inner: outer in reading books, inner in thoughts of God; outer in love of wisdom, inner in love of God; outer in words, inner in prayer; outer in keenness of intellect, inner in warmth of spirit."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 44
"[Inner prayer is performed] not only standing or walking, but also lying down, in a word, always--whenever you happen to raise your mind to God."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 45
"The heart is a small vessel, but all things are contained in it; God is there, the angels are there, and there also is life and the Kingdom, the heavenly cities and the treasures of grace."
~St. Makarios of Egypt, p. 46
"No unity with God is possible except by an exceedingly great love."
~St. Dimitri of Rostov, p. 47
"Because all have grace, only one thing is necessary: to give this grace free scope to act....the more our heart is purified the more lively becomes our feeling towards God."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 59
"You must never regard any spiritual work as firmly established, and this is especially true of prayer; but always pray as if beginning for the first time. When we do a thing for the first time, we come to it fresh and with a new-born enthusiasm."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 74
"But constant repetition is not required. what is required is a constant aliveness to God--an aliveness present when you talk, read, watch, or examine something."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, p. 83
It is important to remember that these authors are writing for other Orthodox Christians. They are assuming that their readers will attend church, confess and receive Communion regularly. St. Theophan says specifically not to regard the development of inner prayer as a substitute for the life in the Church or the Sacraments.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
The Orthodox mind
The subject sounds very grand and complicated, and I don't count myself as qualified to say much about it. These are just two quotes from Bishop Kallistos Ware's Introduction to The Art of Prayer. I do think that they are very indicative of the kind of mind that true Orthodox ascetics seek to achieve.
"Neither [St. Theophan the Recluse or St. Ignatius Brianchaninov] sought to be 'original,' but they saw themselves rather as guardians and spokesmen of a great ascetic and spiritual heritage received from the past. At the same time they did far more than mechanically repeat earlier writers: for this tradition inherited from the past was also something which they had themselves experienced creatively in their own inner life."
In our times when so many people long to be "fresh" and "original," it seems strange to think that guarding and fully experiencing the truths of the past is a better path. But I think that it is a better path. I also think that thinking you're terribly original often leads you straight into group-speak. Think of all the young people out there with long hair who play guitars and who are convinced that they're terribly counter-culture. Or, on the other hand, think of all the people who bake all of their own whole-wheat bread and cook all of their own meals and, again, are convinced that they're terribly counter-culture. I like guitar, and I like whole-wheat bread and baking it, and cooking. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're something that we're not.
"It is necessary, then, for the ascetic to descend from the head into the heart. He is not required to abandon his intellectual powers--the reason, too, is a gift of God--but he is called to descend with the mind into his heart."
This part is terribly important, in my opinion, because it shows the Orthodox middle road. On one extreme we have those for whom Reason is God. On the other we have those completely governed by their emotions. The Orthodox teaching steers neatly between the two. At first glance it might seem that it tends more towards the second extreme, but as Bp. Kallistos explains earlier in the Introduction:
"[The heart] is the primary organ of man's being, whether physical or spiritual; it is the centre of life, the determining principle of all our activities and aspirations. As such, the heart obviously includes the affections and emotions, but it also includes much else besides: it embraces in effect everything that goes to compromise what we call a 'person.'"
A little food for thought, on a grey Tuesday.
"Neither [St. Theophan the Recluse or St. Ignatius Brianchaninov] sought to be 'original,' but they saw themselves rather as guardians and spokesmen of a great ascetic and spiritual heritage received from the past. At the same time they did far more than mechanically repeat earlier writers: for this tradition inherited from the past was also something which they had themselves experienced creatively in their own inner life."
In our times when so many people long to be "fresh" and "original," it seems strange to think that guarding and fully experiencing the truths of the past is a better path. But I think that it is a better path. I also think that thinking you're terribly original often leads you straight into group-speak. Think of all the young people out there with long hair who play guitars and who are convinced that they're terribly counter-culture. Or, on the other hand, think of all the people who bake all of their own whole-wheat bread and cook all of their own meals and, again, are convinced that they're terribly counter-culture. I like guitar, and I like whole-wheat bread and baking it, and cooking. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're something that we're not.
"It is necessary, then, for the ascetic to descend from the head into the heart. He is not required to abandon his intellectual powers--the reason, too, is a gift of God--but he is called to descend with the mind into his heart."
This part is terribly important, in my opinion, because it shows the Orthodox middle road. On one extreme we have those for whom Reason is God. On the other we have those completely governed by their emotions. The Orthodox teaching steers neatly between the two. At first glance it might seem that it tends more towards the second extreme, but as Bp. Kallistos explains earlier in the Introduction:
"[The heart] is the primary organ of man's being, whether physical or spiritual; it is the centre of life, the determining principle of all our activities and aspirations. As such, the heart obviously includes the affections and emotions, but it also includes much else besides: it embraces in effect everything that goes to compromise what we call a 'person.'"
A little food for thought, on a grey Tuesday.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Stories
A quick quote before I run off to class.
"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Tell...a story. Make some light."
~Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux
Monday, December 10, 2007
Quote from my current reading
"I just try to warn people who hope to be published that publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. The thing you had to force yourself to do--the actual act of writing--turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony."
--Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. xxvi
--Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. xxvi
Friday, November 16, 2007
~I spent an hour this morning straightening the Children's Lit section in the school library and I'm still not done. It was really messed up. At least I'll be able to finish it tonight and my OCD heart will be able to find peace.
~It was raining today and I forgot my umbrella, which means that I had to go a) to Russian b) from Russian to the library and c) from the library to the dorm in the rain. And I do mean rain. Not just a little sprinkle today. No, today had to be the day it was pouring. I arrived back here somewhat damp
~I enjoy candied ginger.
~I'm still not sure why all the angst this week. *shrugs* I think it's over now. [There was angst this week, but it wasn't apparent on here. And, as I said, I think it's over now.]
~I'm at 33,040 words on NaNo. YAY! Maybe I can make it to 35,000 tonight. That would be spiffy.
~Music and the decline of western civilization at the Common Room. I told this story there, but I'll tell it again. Last semester I took a basic group singing class and one of our assignments was to research a favorite singer and bring in an example of their music. For our actual singing assignments we were singing arias, art songs, folk songs, and a little musical theatre. I was the only one in the entire group who brought in a classical singer. I think my friend Anna did a classically trained singer who sings rock, but every other person in the entire room (this was probably 17 other people) did some sort of contemporary musician. The poor professor wrote on my assignment sheet, "Thank you so much for not doing a pop singer!"
~It made me happy when the DHM replied to my comment on that post and said that the HG and I are kindred spirits. I like kindred spirits, even when I haven't met them in real life.
~I like chocolate too.
~I'd like to move off campus next year because I am having major issues with fasting this year. But I'm not sure how that would work with money, especially if this summer is like last summer and I can't get a job. So....if you wouldn't mind praying about that, I'd appreciate it!
~We have a new quote on our door: "Then do not be so quick to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." ~J.R.R. Tolkien
~It was raining today and I forgot my umbrella, which means that I had to go a) to Russian b) from Russian to the library and c) from the library to the dorm in the rain. And I do mean rain. Not just a little sprinkle today. No, today had to be the day it was pouring. I arrived back here somewhat damp
~I enjoy candied ginger.
~I'm still not sure why all the angst this week. *shrugs* I think it's over now. [There was angst this week, but it wasn't apparent on here. And, as I said, I think it's over now.]
~I'm at 33,040 words on NaNo. YAY! Maybe I can make it to 35,000 tonight. That would be spiffy.
~Music and the decline of western civilization at the Common Room. I told this story there, but I'll tell it again. Last semester I took a basic group singing class and one of our assignments was to research a favorite singer and bring in an example of their music. For our actual singing assignments we were singing arias, art songs, folk songs, and a little musical theatre. I was the only one in the entire group who brought in a classical singer. I think my friend Anna did a classically trained singer who sings rock, but every other person in the entire room (this was probably 17 other people) did some sort of contemporary musician. The poor professor wrote on my assignment sheet, "Thank you so much for not doing a pop singer!"
~It made me happy when the DHM replied to my comment on that post and said that the HG and I are kindred spirits. I like kindred spirits, even when I haven't met them in real life.
~I like chocolate too.
~I'd like to move off campus next year because I am having major issues with fasting this year. But I'm not sure how that would work with money, especially if this summer is like last summer and I can't get a job. So....if you wouldn't mind praying about that, I'd appreciate it!
~We have a new quote on our door: "Then do not be so quick to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." ~J.R.R. Tolkien
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A quote, a quote, my kingdom for a quote!
Yes, I do know that is wrong. Shush!
“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain rolled back and turned all to silver glass, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
One of the most beautiful quotes ever. I wish I could write like that.
“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain rolled back and turned all to silver glass, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
One of the most beautiful quotes ever. I wish I could write like that.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Nature and God
"Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me."
~C.S. Lewis
~C.S. Lewis
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Au revoir
Tomorrow my sister and I leave for the My Life in Christ Youth Conference in Indiana. We'll be gone until July 17th and I really doubt I'll be updating until then. The only chance of seeing me about is if I get very bored in the airport late at night. And I probably shouldn't be updating then anyway. When it's late at night I get a little weird.
I'm looking forward to the conference and looking forward to being in the Midwest again. I spent most of my life there and the West still feels a little odd.
I hope to return with book reports and maybe conference reports and thoughts and all sorts of things. Hopefully some of them will actually happen. But until then, I leave you with this thought from St. Herman of Alaska:
"From this day, from this hour, from this moment, let us strive to love God with all our hearts and to do His holy will."
I'm looking forward to the conference and looking forward to being in the Midwest again. I spent most of my life there and the West still feels a little odd.
I hope to return with book reports and maybe conference reports and thoughts and all sorts of things. Hopefully some of them will actually happen. But until then, I leave you with this thought from St. Herman of Alaska:
"From this day, from this hour, from this moment, let us strive to love God with all our hearts and to do His holy will."
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Prayer of the Optina Elders
This is a beautiful prayer by the Optina Elders (brief, secular, overview of Optina here). I've grown to particularly love it.
Optina
O Lord, grant unto me that with Thy peace I may greet all that this day is to bring. Grant unto me grace to surrender myself completely to Thy holy will. In every hour of this day insturct and guide me in all things. Whatever tidings I may receive during this day, do Thou teach me to accept tranquilly in the firm belief that Thy holy will governs all. Govern Thou my thoughts and feelings in all I do and say. When unforeseen things occur, let me not forget that all is sent by Thee. Teach me to behave sincerely and reasonably toward everyone, that I may bring confusion and sorrow to no one. Bestow on me, O Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day and to bear my part in its events. Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer, to forgive, and to love. Amen.
Image from the Wikipedia article
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Orthodox quotes, pt. 2
Don't worry, these won't be all I post.
"If we feel coldness, let us call upon God, and He will come and warm our hearts with His perfect love not only for Him, but also for our meighbor, and from the face of His warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be banished." ~Sts. Barsanuphius and John, Guidance Toward a Spiritual Life
"When something good is at hand, there warfare occurs. And thus, do not fear trials, but rejoice in them, because they will lead you to advancement...God will help and cover you." ~Sts. Barsanuphius and John, Guidance Toward a Spiritual Life
Sts. Barsanuphius and John
Image source.
"If we feel coldness, let us call upon God, and He will come and warm our hearts with His perfect love not only for Him, but also for our meighbor, and from the face of His warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be banished." ~Sts. Barsanuphius and John, Guidance Toward a Spiritual Life
"When something good is at hand, there warfare occurs. And thus, do not fear trials, but rejoice in them, because they will lead you to advancement...God will help and cover you." ~Sts. Barsanuphius and John, Guidance Toward a Spiritual Life
Sts. Barsanuphius and John
Image source.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Orthodox quotes
I decided to start a new series. For the next week I'll be posting on Orthodoxy. I'll probably also been posting on other things, but I will try to make sure that at least one post every day has something to do with Orthodoxy. To start off, here are a few quotes that I've come across recently.
"Of course God does not need prayer from us sinners, but in His love for us He likes to see us pray. Not only is the highest form of prayer....pleasing to Him....but even small acts done in His name are pleasing in His sight-every thought and intention directed to His glory and our salvation." ~Way of a Pilgrim
"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 upon the Lord. he will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance." ~St. Seraphim of Sarov
"True Orthodox fidelity to the past must always be a creative fidelity; for true Orthodox can never rest satisfied with a barren 'theology of repetition,' which, parrot-like, repeats accepted formulae without striving to understand what lies beyond it....An Orthodox thinker must see Tradition from within, he must enter into its inner spirit, he must re-experience the meaning of Tradition in a manner that is exploratory, courageous, and full of imaginative creativity." ~Bp. Kallistos (Timothy) Ware, The Orthodox Church
"The Orthodox Church on Good Friday thinks not simply of Christ's human pain and suffering by itself, but rather of the contrast between His outward humiliation and His inward glory. Orthodox see not just the suffering humanity of Christ, but a suffering God." ~Bp. Kallistos (Timothy) Ware, The Orthodox Church
"Of course God does not need prayer from us sinners, but in His love for us He likes to see us pray. Not only is the highest form of prayer....pleasing to Him....but even small acts done in His name are pleasing in His sight-every thought and intention directed to His glory and our salvation." ~Way of a Pilgrim
"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 upon the Lord. he will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance." ~St. Seraphim of Sarov
"True Orthodox fidelity to the past must always be a creative fidelity; for true Orthodox can never rest satisfied with a barren 'theology of repetition,' which, parrot-like, repeats accepted formulae without striving to understand what lies beyond it....An Orthodox thinker must see Tradition from within, he must enter into its inner spirit, he must re-experience the meaning of Tradition in a manner that is exploratory, courageous, and full of imaginative creativity." ~Bp. Kallistos (Timothy) Ware, The Orthodox Church
"The Orthodox Church on Good Friday thinks not simply of Christ's human pain and suffering by itself, but rather of the contrast between His outward humiliation and His inward glory. Orthodox see not just the suffering humanity of Christ, but a suffering God." ~Bp. Kallistos (Timothy) Ware, The Orthodox Church
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Heaven on earth
"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendour or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among humans, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty."
~Two emissaries of St. Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, after attending an Orthodox service at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. St. Vladimir and his people later converted to Orthodoxy. (Quoted in The Orthodox Church by Timothy [now Bishop Kallistos] Ware.)
~Two emissaries of St. Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, after attending an Orthodox service at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. St. Vladimir and his people later converted to Orthodoxy. (Quoted in The Orthodox Church by Timothy [now Bishop Kallistos] Ware.)
"Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim and chant the trice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity now lay aside all earthly care."
~The Cherubic Hymn from the Orthodox liturgy
~The Cherubic Hymn from the Orthodox liturgy
Sunday, December 03, 2006
December's Quote
From "In the Bleak Midwinter:
"What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,--
Yet what I can give Him,
Give my heart."
~Christina Rossetti
"What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,--
Yet what I can give Him,
Give my heart."
~Christina Rossetti
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
November's Quote
I didn't do terribly well with my entries last month. I beg your pardon--I'll try to do better this month. Anyway, here's November's quote.
"Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
