The nous (mind, intellect) which has rebelled against God becomes either bestial or demonic and, after having rebelled against the laws of nature, lusts after what belongs to others.
Just as parents have a special affection for the children who are the fruit of their own bodies, so the mind naturally clings to its own thoughts.
He who busies himself with the sins of others, or judges his brother on suspicion, has not yet even begun to repent or to examine himself so as to discover his own sins, which are truly heavier than a great lump of lead; nor does he know why a man becomes heavy-hearted when he loves vanity and chases after falsehood
Self love, as has often been said, is the cause of all impassioned thoughts. For from it are produced the three principal thoughts of desire; those of gluttony, avarice and self-esteem. From gluttony is born the thought of unchastity; from avarice, the thought of greed; from self-esteem, the thought of pride.
Let us show that we eat for the sake of living, and not
Whatever a man loves he inevitably clings to, and in order not to lose it he
There is nothing more burdensome and grievous then when our conscience accuses us , and there is nothing dearer than calmness and approval of our conscience. So many psychological illnesses are caused by
It’s one thing to give out excellent advice, but quite another to put it into practice personally…
Suffering cleanses the soul infected with the filth of sensual pleasure and detaches it completely from material things by showing it the
Every genuine confession humbles the soul. When it takes the form of thanksgiving, it…