“From the time our sweet Jesus lifted the life-giving wood of the precious Cross on His immaculate shoulders and was hanged upon it, from that time and throughout the ages, lifting the cross is continued by His followers in the form of various afflictions and trials through which the Christian tryouts over the many forms of destructive self love. Through Luke the Evangelist Saviour stresses that ‘whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.’”
Elder Ephraim of Arizona
~Counsels from the Holy Mountain

“Christ wants us to eliminate our own will to zero. If you obtain a single one of the following virtues: purification, divine justice, love, obedience, and voluntary poverty, bear in mind that all of these virtues may be found in just one of these virtues. The same thing applies to our passions; one passion includes all our other passions…Purification requires the soul to be pure and clean through our own will; divine justice is the abandonment of our own will to the will of God; humility is to humble our will and elevate God’s will. Obedience means not to have our own will so that we are able to obey other people. Prayer means to take our mind off our own wishes and desires and concentrate on the will of God.”
Elder Paisios
~Quote from Mystagogy.com

“In the beginning it is necessary to say the prayer in a whisper, or even louder when confronted by duress and inner resistance. When this good habit is achieved to the point that the prayer may be sustained and said with ease, then we can turn inwardly with complete outer silence. In the first part of the little book {Way of the Pilgrim} a good example is given of the initiation into the prayer. Sound persistence and effort, always with the same words of the prayer not being frequently altered, will give birth to a good habit. This will bring control of the mind, at which time the presence of Grace will be manifested.”
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi

“The life of the Orthodox Church provides us with numerous examples of how Almighty God manifests His power through small and lifeless things—especially those things that serve as signs of the Incarnation, life and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such things include the Cross, icons of the Theotokos and the saints, holy water, oil, myrrh, and so forth…The power of the Cross is mysterious: no matter how unexplainable, it is true and indisputable. Yet St. John Chrysostom speaks of a custom in his time, in which the sign of the Cross is attached “on the emperor’s diadem , on the accoutrements of the soldiers, and it is traced on parts of the body—the head, the breast and the heart— and also on the table of oblation and over beds.… If we need to expel demons, we use the Cross; it also helps to heal the sick.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovic
~The Prologue of Ohrid

“We who are given the fullness of true Christianity are obliged to be working on ourselves, to be watching the signs of the times, and to be extremely joyful, as St. Paul is constantly saying: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: Rejoice!’ (Phil. 4:4). We rejoice because we have something which all the death and corruption of this world cannot take away, that is, the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ.”
Fr. Seraphim Rose

“I said since my elder has sent me I am not going to give up until I fall down. Only then am I free of responsibility. With a lot of difficulty I walk like a turtle for a few meters. I made the sign of the cross and I said “my panagia to the prayers of my elder help me.” After this little prayer the barrel on my back became lighter I walked a little, it felt a little lighter. I started walking normally. In a little while I felt that all of the weight was lifted. As soon as I started climbing a steep steps it was as if someone behind me was pushing me. I was almost running up the steps and at the same time I was saying the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ. Period.”. A loaded meal takes two hours to travel the distance between the port in our hutts. I assure you that I climb up in less than an hour with 65 kg of oral on my back.”
Abbott Haralambos
~Abbot Haralambos of Dionysiates

“A few words: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us” and “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”. We don’t need to read encyclopedias, nor many books. With these two little prayers, all Christians are saved. Monastics who do not have worldly concerns pray much and achieve heights. Our Panagia also helps much. It is like they are speaking into the ears of our Christ, because they are dedicated to the prayer and this is their primary work, and whoever has the gift of prayer in their heart, when they die they are not bothered by the toll-houses. Immediately after their death they go straight to Christ. There are no hindrances, because the name of Christ has power. God is fire.”
(Elder Ephraim of Arizona, 2014 Interview)

“Listen, I’ll explain this thing that seems like a mystery to you. In the evening during my prayer when I had finished and wanted to rest I saw Satan threatening to put obstacles and trials in the way of my decision and my plans. And I said to our Christ, “Lord, don’t stop him so I can show him that I love you and will endear the cold as long as you allow it.” So that was why all this happened I child so that I wouldn’t have heating as quickly as you wanted me to.”
Elder Joseph
~My Elder Joseph

Elder Joseph was one of the few Athonites Who had experienced the sober intoxication of divine grace and thus could clearly tell if something was from God, the demons are one’s nature. As he himself explained: “We know that once everyone has tasted wine can tell if they give him vinegar instead. This is how you should understand divine grace as well. One who has already tasted it recognizes delusion. For the demons imitate grace he who has eaten the prude of truth, as we have said, those who fruit of delusion.”
Elder Joseph
~My Elder Joseph

“Weren’t disobedience and self will because of the fall in the root of angels and men? Doesn’t the law of corruption at work in our sentient nature and condition have disobedience as its cause by which the whole creation groans and travails together according to Paul and anticipates its restoration through regeneration? Absolutely never in over a half-century of my life as a monk if I managed to have peace in my soul going in the activity or thought that concerned me if I found myself in disobedience are willfulness.”
Elder Ephraim
~Obedience is Life