On this, the 4th Sunday after Pentecost, we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils, the Holy Archangel Gabriel, Ven. Stephen of St. Sabbas Monastery (794), St. Julian, Bishop of Le Mans in Gaul (1st c.), the Martyr Serapion (193), the Martyr Marcian of Iconium (258), the Virgin Abbess Sarah of Scetis in Libya (370), St. Just, monk in Cornwall (5th c.), and St. Mildred, abbess of Minster in Thanet (England) (c. 700).
This place of ours has its own heaven. It is this holy church. For every Orthodox temple is also a piece of heaven on earth. And whenever you are in a church, behold, you are already in heaven. When the world torments you with its hell, hasten into a church; enter it, and behold, you have entered paradise. If people persecute you with their evil, take refuge in church, fall down before God, and He will take you under His gentle and almighty protection. Should it happen that entire legions of demons attack you, flee into church - among the angels; for a church is always full of angels, and the angels of God will defend you from all demons of this world. And nothing will be able to harm you. Do not forget, brethren, that we Christians are strong in God. Who then can be stronger than us? No one, no one at all. No one among men, no one among demons! And without God - what are we, as human beings in this world? A plaything of sin, a plaything of evil, a plaything in the hands of the demons. 0 my brother, my fellow man, the devil is laughing at you behind each sin into which he causes you to stumble. And if he causes you to stumble into many sins, the giggling of many demons echoes around you on all sides.
When a man is not with God, he is always a plaything of the devil, and the devil plays with him: one moment he fills his soul with impure thoughts, another moment he kindles his tongue with cursing, another moment he leads him into slandering, into calumny, into thievery, into debauchery, and into every other evil deed. And it continues this way until a man remembers God, takes refuge in the temple of God, and falls down before God. Then - he is entirely in heaven, and neither the human evils of the world, nor sins, nor demons can touch him. At that moment he is in a fortress defended by the angels, defended by God's saints, and with the fiery ardor of their prayers they consume every evil that is assailing them from men, from the world, from demons, from hell.
Do you know, brethren, what man's mightiest weapon on earth is, an invincible and all-victorious weapon - do you know? Prayer! Yes, prayer! That's right, prayer! Because by means of prayer a man commits his whole soul, his whole heart, and his whole life to God: and God becomes his defender and protector. What can people, what can demons do to him then? Nothing? Absolutely nothing! Therefore, the Lord commands us in His Gospel: "Pray without ceasing."
Why is there such much evil in the world today? Because people have thrown away their most reliable weapon, the all-victorious weapon with which every evil, every sin, and every demon are assuredly vanquished on all battlefields. And this weapon is prayer - prayer and fasting. It is the most reliable weaponry, because it is God's weaponry; the most reliable, all-victorious weaponry, because it is Christ's weaponry - the weaponry of the only true God in all realms. And He? He gave this weaponry to us Christians; it is preserved in the Church, and is bestowed in the Church. The Divine mouth of the Savior revealed to all the inhabitants of the earth this truth, this absolute truth: through prayer and fasting every impurity, every sin, every evil, and every demon are cast out by men.
- Saint Nicholai of Zicha (+1956)
Abba Dorotheos the Thebite once sent his disciple to get water from the well. No sooner had the disciple uncovered the well to draw water, than he saw a huge poisonous snake inside. Excited, he ran to his Elder.
"Abba! We are done for. Our water is poisoned. I found an asp in the well."
"And if the Evil One decides to put asps in all of the wells, will you die from thirst?" The Elder asked, shaking his head at the cowardice of his disciple.
Afterwards the Elder went to the well, picked up the bucket, and drew the water himself. He made the sign of the Cross and he said, "The malice of the Enemy cannot endure."
Do not pray for the fulfillment of your wishes, for they may not accord with the will of God, but pray as you have been taught, saying; Thy will be done in me (Luke 22:42). Always entreat Him in this way - that His will be done. For He desires what is good and profitable for you, whereas you do not always ask for this.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
Once St. Gregory the Dialogist wrote this about the price we have to pay to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven: It has no exact price. Everyone has to give everything he has. The Apostle Peter gave his nets and received the heavenly kingdom; the widow gave two mites; whoever has a million dollars, let him give that; and whoever has nothing, let him give his freedom.
If you do not feel like praying, you have to force yourself! The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is higher than prayer unforced. You do not want to, but force yourself. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force. (Matt. 11:12)
On insensitivity and lack of fear: Death is not beyond the hill, but beyond your shoulders, and we are very pig-headed! They could be hanging people on one side of town, while the other side of the town keeps on sinning, saying, "They won't reach us soon."
You must force yourself to do something good for your enemies; even if it is against your own will. But mainly do not take revenge on them, and be careful not to offend them with an appearance of contempt and humiliation.
Saint Ambrose of Optina (+1891)
One day, an Abbot, by God's providence, watched a gathering of demons. The demons gathered and exchanged thoughts on how to lead the people to sin.
One said, "Let's tell the world there is no God." The other said, "Let's tell them there is no Paradise and no Hell." The third said, "Let's tell them there is no life after death." The fourth said, "Let's make them curse." The fifth demon said, "Let's pull them into fornication, adultery and all the other sins of the flesh." All the demons expressed their opinion. At the end, they asked a demon who had not spoken at all, "What do you think? Tell us your opinion."
He then said, "I think we can tell the world God exists, there is life after death, and that there is Hell and Paradise. But we must convince people they still have time to repent."
They all agreed. They decided to counsel the world that the people will live many more years. Therefore, there is plenty of time available to repent.
The Abbot was terrified of the devious technique of the demons. He begged God to enlighten the people in order not to fall into this trap of the demons.