Love is the fruit of prayer ( St. Isaac the Syrian )

Love is the fruit of prayer ...

 Patiently abiding in prayer signifies a man's renunciation of himself.

Therefore the self-denial of the soul turns into love for God. 

 
St. Isaac the Syrian

Eternal Life ( St. Hesychius, St. Isaac the Syrian, St. Anthony )

LET US ALWAYS REMEMBER DEATH, for from this remembrance is born in us the putting aside of all cares and vanities, the preservation of the mind and unceasing prayer, a healthy attitude toward the body and a loathing of sin, and, if the truth be told, almost every live and active virtue flows forth from it. Therefore, let us, if possible, do this work as uninterruptedly as our breathing is uninterrupted.  ( St. Hesychius ) .


The Saviour called the many mansions of the Father the various capacities of the mind of those dwelling in that realm, that is, the distinction and diversity of spiritual gifts which they enjoy according to the capacity of the mind. For, not according to a diversity of places, but according to the degree of gifts does he call the mansions many.

Just as each man enjoys the perceptible sun, depending on the purity and receptivity of his power of sight, and just as illumination from one lamp varies in a house, although the light is not divided into many lights, so in the future age all the righteous will abide indivisibly in one realm, but each, according to his own capacity, is illumined by one noetic Sun, and, according to his worthiness, attracts joy and gladness to himself, even though from one air, from one place, throne, sight and image. And no one sees the measure of his friend, both higher and lower, lest, if he see the superior grace of his friend and his own deprivation, this be a cause of sorrow and grief for him. There, each, according to the grace given to him, is glad inwardly in his measure. Outside them all is one sight and realm ­ and besides these two degrees, I understand just one realm on high and another below, in the midst of them is variety in a diversity of gifts. ( St. Isaac the Syrian ).


Death, for men who understand it, is immortality; while for the simple, who do not understand it, it is death. And one should not fear this death, but ought to fear the perdition of the soul, which is ignorance of God. This is what is terrible for the soul! Life is the uniting and joining of the mind (spirit), soul and body; while death is not the perdition of these joined parts, but the dissolution of their union; God preserves all this even after the dissolution. Just as a man comes forth from his mother's womb, so does a soul come forth naked from the body. Some are pure and bright, some are spotted by falls, and some are black from many transgressions. That is why the wise and God­loving soul, remembering and considering the calamities and extremities that come after death, lives piously lest it be condemned and subjected to them. But the unbelievers, the mindless in soul, do not perceive and they sin, despising what is to come. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou dost not remember what was in the womb, so on issuing forth from the body thou dost not remember what was in the body. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou becamest better and greater in body, so on issuing forth from the body pure and undefiled, thou wilt be better and incorrupt, abiding in the heavens.

Mortal men ought to care about themselves, knowing in advance that death awaits them. For blessed immortality is the lot of the holy soul when it is good, and death eternal meets it when it is evil. Remember that thy youth is past and thy powers exhausted, while thine infirmities have grown and already the time of thy departure is near, when thou wilt give an account of all thy deeds; and know that there, neither will brother redeem brother, nor will father deliver son. Always remember thy departure from the body, and do not let eternal condemnation out of thy thoughts; if thou wilt act thus, thou wilt not sin unto the ages.  ( St. Anthony the Great )

 http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2014/01/eternal-life-st-hesychius-st-isaac.html

Concerning Carnal Sins ( Part 1 ) - St. Isaac the Syrian

Our salvation is a very serious and important matter, more important than anything else. What good is it to possess all the riches and treasures of the earth, said the Lord, if we end up losing our soul? (Mt. 16:26).
This is why we must preserve the fear of God in our souls, and proceed through this life prudently and cautiously.
We must be cautious of everything , especially carnal sins, which proceed to ravage our soul. God destroyed the city of Sodom because its inhabitants were only “flesh” and nothing spiritual existed within its boundaries. They were full of spiritual impurity, and on account of this God
turned away from them(Gn. 18:24).
On account of the fornication of only one person, twenty five thousand Jews were put to death in one hour(Nm. 25:9). What was the cause of Sampson’s fall, this giant figure who had been
dedicated to God while he was still in his mother’s womb?
He defiled his body with fornication and surrendered his body parts to sin. Even though he had accomplished great and awesome things, he subsequently fell because he was seduced by
carnal sin.
Thereafter, God abandoned him, he was taken
captive, chained, and handed over to his enemies
(Jdg.16:21). The prophet and king David, from whom Christ came forth, suffered identically.
Because he was careless for only a split second, he was allured by the beauty of a woman, and he fell into the dreadful sin of adultery(2 Kg. 11:2-4). This is why God punished him. David, however, repented with many tears for this serious sin, and God forgave him(2 Kg.12:13).
With all these examples, we must realize that God does not make exceptions. He punishes everyone regardless of whether they happen to be prophets, priests, judges, rulers, or other sanctified people chosen to reveal His name to the people. God does not take revenge; rather, He uses various disciplinary means so that man may realize his mistake, come to his senses, wake up from sin, and seek His mercy and forgiveness. From
all the above, we can see that God punishes
even His saints when they transgress His commandments.
The prophet Ezekiel writes that God does not take into consideration the elderly or the young
(i.e. man’s age), illustrating in this manner that
the Lord’s genuine and beloved people are they who have within them godly fear and who live devoutly according to His will. For God, the saints are they who keep His commandments and who have a clean conscience. Conversely, they who disregard God’s commandments are disregarded by God Himself: He turns His face away from
such people and detracts His grace from them.

Why did God punish Belshazzar? It was because he disregarded the sacred vessels that had been offered to God, which his father had pillaged
from Jerusalem, and he dared using them to drink
along with his concubines(Dan. 5:2-4). In this same manner, they who have devoted their bodies to God and subsequently dare to use their body parts for sinful deeds are punished harshly by
the Lord.
Therefore, let us not disregard the divine words and the warnings contained in the Holy Scriptures. Let us not enrage God with our immoral deeds and improprieties. Let us not shamelessly defile our bodies, which are the temple of God, as the Apostle Paul states (1 Cor. 6:19). 

http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org/index.php