Selections from On the Spiritual Law
“When reading the Holy Scriptures, someone who is humble and engaged in spiritual work will apply everything to himself and not to someone else.”
“At the times when you remember God, increase your prayers, so that when you forget Him, the Lord may remind you.”
“If a man tries to overcome temptations without prayer and patient endurance, he will become more entangled in them instead of driving them away.”
“Some call men intelligent because they have the power of discernment on the sensible plane. But the really intelligent people are those who control their own desires.”
“He who does not persevere in examining his conscience will not endure bodily suffering for God’s sake.”
“Accept present afflictions for the sake of future blessings; then you will never weaken in your struggle.”
“When harmed, insulted or persecuted by someone, do not think of the present but wait for the future, and you will find he has brought you much good, not only in this life but also in the life to come.”
~St. Mark the Ascetic (5th Century)
“At the times when you remember God, increase your prayers, so that when you forget Him, the Lord may remind you.”
“If a man tries to overcome temptations without prayer and patient endurance, he will become more entangled in them instead of driving them away.”
“Some call men intelligent because they have the power of discernment on the sensible plane. But the really intelligent people are those who control their own desires.”
“He who does not persevere in examining his conscience will not endure bodily suffering for God’s sake.”
“Accept present afflictions for the sake of future blessings; then you will never weaken in your struggle.”
“When harmed, insulted or persecuted by someone, do not think of the present but wait for the future, and you will find he has brought you much good, not only in this life but also in the life to come.”
~St. Mark the Ascetic (5th Century)
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