“Elder Joseph’s move to this rough place did not please the subterranean demons who wanted the caves for themselves. They begin to disturb Geronda on a daily basis. Later he would tell his disciples: “When you came here you’ve found everything ready. If you only knew what I went through in the beginning here from the demons! The priests in the world exorcise the demons and command them to go to deserted places which is why they all piled up here! If you only knew what I went through!” But he was implying was that if his disciples had arrived back then they would not have lasted. In order to ruin Geronda’s vigil the demons started waking him up with noises every evening after sleeping for only an hour or an hour and a half.”
Elder Joseph the Hesychast
~My Elder Joseph

“A perfect person with a perfect conscience, perfect mind and perfect power can have perfect love. The person is our God. Every human being strives for his own personality because his creator is a personality. All human beings value love above all other things because their Creator is Love. So it was from the beginning, so it is today and so it will be unto the ages of ages.”
St. Nikolai Velimirovich
~ Missionary Letters #2

“Through sin man himself turns the earthly paradise into an earthly hell. If his soul is polluted with mortal sins he lives in a demonic state: he is fiercely defensive, is tormented, finds no peace. On the contrary who ever is close to God, whoever keeps his mind on higher things, on things above and always maintains good and positive thoughts in his mind will remain peaceful and live in paradise while on earth.”
Elder Paisios
~Spiritual Struggle

“People commit sins from their youth with words, with their eyes, with their mind, with consent, with deeds. Yet through one sudden shock, one misfortune, one great loss, all those sins are forgiven and one transforms from glass into a diamond.”
Elder Joseph
~Monastic Wisdom

“All church services in the Orthodox Church and many other prayers said outside the church begin with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, “Heavenly King Comforter…come and well within us”. Thus we pray for the Holy Spirit to move in and be inside us. This does not happen right away but after long struggles and prayers, fasting, mercy and labor. And only after all those things along with many tears and size, purify the heart so that the Holy Spirit moves into the heart in order to deify the heart, the mind and the will. Then the most high God abides in man and works everything in everything.”                                                                              Nikolai Velimirovich                                                                                                                                            ~Missionary Letters #3

“I believe you have understood. But we will also say this: they who love to be saved and have fear of God they are also found on the dry land. Abba Isaac names the passions “world.” Wherever there are passions there is the world. Wherever there is peace there is our sweet Christ.”
Elder Arsenios
~Elder Arsenios the Cave Dweller

“The power of Geronda’s pure prayer affected not just himself but even nature around him. When Geronda was praying, wild birds would come to the windows of his cell and peck at the panes.  One would think that this was the activity of the devil to hinder him from prayer. But, in fact the wild birds were attracted by Geronda’s space prayer.”                 Elder Joseph Hesychast                                                                                                                                           ~My Elder Joseph

“He invited all the unwanted people to come and eat with him. He justified himself by explaining: “Everyone wants the good people but no one wants the gruff ones. It would be better for us to die feeding them.” Helping so many people tired him and father Arsenio’s but he said, “It doesn’t matter; love! Love! Now is the time to profit to love and almsgiving.”
Elder Joseph
~My Elder Joseph (during the shortages of WWII)

“May a flame burn within your souls. When our heart has no love for Christ, we are like boats that have no fuel, no petrol in their engines. When someone opens your heart I want him to find nothing else there but Christ. Have a deep relationship with the Prince of Nazareth and give Him your whole heart to rest in.”
Quotes from Elder Amphilochios Makris
~Our Geronda

“The elder’s overflowing love also embraced wildlife. The animals felt it and they would approach him and eat out of his hand. He said, “I’ll say to Christ, ‘Christ have mercy on me a brute.’ But he will ask me, ‘Did you have mercy on the brutes, the animals?’ What will I have to say?” In fact he did have mercy on them and he loved them as creatures of God. “These poor things don’t have another paradise to look forward to.””
Elder Paisios
~Elder Paisios of Mount Athos