Breath and Breathing
“God has given to the earth the breath which feeds it. It is his breath that gives life to all things. And if he were to withhold his breath, everything would be annihilated. His breath vibrates in yours, in your voice. It is the breath of God that you breathe—and you are unaware of it.” (Theophilus of Antioch) “The soul that is united and transformed in God breathes God in God with the same divine breathing with which God, while in her, breathes her in himself.” (St. John of
Boredom
“Boredom is the grandfather of despondency, and laziness is the daughter. In order to drive it away, exert yourself at work—do not be lazy at prayer. Then, boredom will pass and grace will come. And if you add patience and humility to this, you will spare yourself from much evil." (St. Ambrose of Optina) “People feel unhappy and they don't know why. They feel that something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on what.... They have everything, yet they want more. And whe
Faithfulness
““We can go through life, plodding along this way, without anybody even noticing. It’s a lifestyle that doesn’t fill up trophy cases or result in monuments being created. It can, however, end with “Well done, good and faithful servant” from our Lord. The excitement is in the results of being in a position to help family and friends grow. Success comes from being in a relationship with God that means fruitfulness by His definition…Social status is unimportant to God. He is int