Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts Quotes

“God, who yearns for the salvation of all men and hungers for their deification, withers their conceit like the unfruitful fig tree (Matthew 21:19-21) - St. Maximos the Confessor”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“Spiritual knowledge comes through prayer, deep stillness, and complete detachment, while wisdom comes through humble meditation on Holy Scripture and, above all, through the grace given by God. - St. Diadochos of Photiki”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“Through the wisdom and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through adoption to sonship, we are crucified with Christ and buried with him, and we rise with him and ascend with him spiritually by imitating his way of life in this world. To speak simply, we become gods by the adoption through grace, receive the pledge of eternal blessedness, as St. Gregory the Theologian says. In this way, with regard to the eight evil thoughts, we become dispassionate, just, good, and wise, having God within ourselves -- as Christ himself has told us (John 14:21-23) -- through the keeping of the commandments in order, from the first to the last. - St. Peter of Damaskos”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“We then pray for the departed, that they may receive salvation so as to remind ourselves of our own death. It is a sign of love to pray for all men, even when we need the prayers of all. We also pray to be directed by God and to become what he wishes us to be; and to be united with others, sot hat through their prayers we may receive mercy, all the while regarding them as superior to ourselves. - St. Peter of Damaskos”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“Through repentance the filth of our foul actions is washed away. After this, we participate in the Holy Spirit, not automatically, but according to the faith, humility, and inner disposition of the repentance in which our soul is engaged. In addition, we must also have received complete remission of our sins from our spiritual father. For this reason it is good to repent each day, in accordance with the commandment that tells us to do this; for the words, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near' (Matthew 3:2), indicate that the act of repentance is unending. - St. Symeon the New Theologian”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“Through holy baptism we are granted remission of our sins, are freed from the ancient curse, and are sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit. But we do not as yet receive the perfection of grace ... for that is true only of those who are steadfast in faith and have demonstrated this through what they do. If after we have been baptized we gravitate toward evil and foul actions, we lose sanctification of baptism completely. But through repentance, confession, and tears we receive a corresponding remission of our former sins and, in this way, sanctification is accomplished by the grace of God. - St. Symeon the New Theologian”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“We will not be punished or condemned in the age to be because we have sinned, since we were given a mutable and unstable nature. But we will be punished if, after sinning we did not repent and turn from our evil ways to the Lord; for we have been given the power to repent, as well as the time in which to do so. Only through repentance shall we receive God's mercy, and not its opposite, his passionate anger. Nott hat God is angry with us: he is angry with evil. Indeed, the Divine is beyond passion and vengefulness, though we speak of it as reflecting, like a mirror, our actions and dispositions, giving to each of us whatever we deserve - St. Theognostos”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained

“Until a man is completely changed by repentance, he will be wise always to remember his sins with sorrow and to recall the eternal fire that they justly deserve. - Evagrios the Solitary”
― G.E.H. Palmer, Philokalia―The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained