Do not claim to have acquired virtue unless you have suffered affliction, for without affliction virtue has not been tested.
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, On the Spiritual Law Two Hundred Texts, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
Let all involuntary suffering teach you to remember God, and you will not lack occasion for repentance.
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts” No. 57, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
God ‘tested Abraham’ (cf. Gen. 22:1-14), that is, God afflicted him for his own benefit, not in order to learn what kind of man Abraham was – for He knew him, since He knows all things before they come into existence – but in order to provide him with opportunities for showing perfect faith.
St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts” No. 203, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“When you suffer some dishonor from men, recognize at once the glory that will be given you by God. Then you will not be saddened or upset by the dishonor; and when you receive the glory you will remain steadfast and innocent.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “On Those Who Think They are Made Righteous by Works: Two Hundred and Twenty-Six Texts” No. 68, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“He who is ignorant of the enemy’s ambush is easily slain; and he who does not know the causes of the passions is soon brought low.”
St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts” No. 76, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “On Those Who Think They are Made Righteous by Works: Two Hundred and Twenty-Six Texts” No. 48, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“Whoever prays for those who hurt him lays the demons low; but he who opposes his affronter is bound to the demons.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts” No. 45, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“We must receive the one who curses us as a messenger from God, rebuking our hidden evil thoughts, so that we, seeing our thoughts with exactness, might correct ourselves. For we do not know how many hidden evils we have; Only a perfect man can understand all of his own shortcomings.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 6
“When you have been insulted, cursed, or persecuted by someone, do not think of what has happened to you, but of what will come from it, and you will see that your insulter has become the cause of many benefits to you, not only in this age, but in that which is to come”
— St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 1.114
“The devil makes small sins seem smaller in our eyes, for otherwise he can’t lead us to greater evil.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 2:94
“You should continually and unceasingly call to mind all the blessings which God in His love has bestowed on you in the past, and still bestows for the salvation of your soul. You must not let forgetfulness of evil or laziness make you grow unmindful of these many and great blessings, and so pass the rest of your life uselessly and ungratefully.
For this kind of continual recollection, pricking the heart like a spur, moves it constantly to confession and humility, to thanksgiving with a contrite soul, and to all forms of sincere effort, repaying God through its virtue and holiness. In this way the heart meditates constantly and conscientiously on the words from the Psalms: ‘What shall I give to the Lord in return for all His benefits towards me?’ (Psalm 116:12).”
— St. Mark the Ascetic, Letter to Nicolas the Solitary, The Philokalia Vol. 1
“When you are wronged and your heart and feelings are hardened, do not be distressed, for this has happened providentially; but be glad and reject the thoughts that arise within you, knowing that if they are destroyed at the stage when they are only provocations, their evil consequences will be cut off, whereas if the thoughts persist the evil may be expected to develop.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“If one becomes angry with one’s neighbor on account of riches, fame or pleasure, one does not yet realize that God orders all things with justice.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“Think nothing and do nothing without a purpose directed to God. For to journey without direction is wasted effort.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic, The Philokalia Vol. 1
“Wickedness is an intricate net; and if someone is careless when partially entangled, he gets completely enmeshed.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic
“Some without fulfilling the commandments think that they possess true faith. Others fulfill the commandments and then expect the kingdom as a reward due to them. Both are mistaken.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic, On Those who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works, 18
“Every vice leads in the end to forbidden pleasure; and every virtue to spiritual blessing. Each arouses what is akin to it.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“Prayer comprises the complete fulfillment of the commandments; for there is nothing higher than love for God.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“Just as some snakes live in glens and others in houses, so there are some passions which take shape in our thoughts while others express themselves in action. It is possible, however, for them to change from one type to the other.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic
“Just as the bitterness of absinth helps a poor appetite, so misfortunes help a bad character. For the first benefits the physical condition, and the second leads to repentance.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic
“If you do not want to suffer evil, do not inflict it, since the suffering of it inevitably follows its infliction. ‘For whatever a man sows he will also reap’ (Gal. 6:7).”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic
“Guard your mind, and you will not be harassed by temptations. But if you fail to guard it, accept patiently whatever trial comes.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“Understand the words of Holy Scripture by putting them into practice, and do not fill yourself with conceit by elaborating on theoretical ideas.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, On the Spiritual Law Two Hundred Texts, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“Praise from others engenders sinful desire, while their condemnation of vice, if not only heard but accepted, engenders self-restraint.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“No one is as good and kind as the Lord is; but He does not forgive one who does not repent.”
“He who neglects action and depends on theoretical knowledge holds a staff of reed instead of a double-edged sword; and when he confronts his enemies in time of war, ‘it will go into his hand, and pierce it’ (2 Kgs. 18:21), injecting its natural poison.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
“Rain cannot fall without a cloud, and we cannot please God without a good conscience.”
— St. Mark the Ascetic
‘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.”
“Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled underfoot by all and despised, accepting injustice, contempt and mockery; unless he undergoes all these things with joy for the sake of the Lord, not claiming any kind of human reward whatsoever – glory or honor or earthly pleasures – he cannot become a true Christian.”
+ St. Mark the Ascetic, “Letter to Nicolas the Solitary”, The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 1)
“A humble man who lives a spiritual life, when he reads the Holy Scriptures, while relate all things to himself and not to others.”
– St. Mark the Ascetic, Sermon, 1.6
