“Grace and mercy are two divine energies by which we know God; through them, love for our Father in heaven is ignited within us. When we contemplate the great mercy of Christ, who gave Himself for our salvation and extends eternal life to us, it evokes love and gratitude. This love, in turn, impels us to strive for sanctification and theosis [union with God]. Thus, we discover that the grace and mercy of God are at work in us, completing our paltry efforts to attain the godliness He has revealed. That is mercy and grace!” (Dynamis 11/6/2019)
“Grace hides its presence within the baptized, waiting for the soul’s desire; when the whole man turns himself wholly to the Lord, then in an unutterable experience it reveals its presence in the heart…If man begins to advance by observing the commandments and unwearyingly invoking the Lord Jesus, then the fire of divine grace diffuses itself even to the exterior senses of the heart.” (St. Diadochos of Photike)
“How is it possible for sin and grace to dwell in the same heart, as if there were two different hearts? The illustration of fire may help. If you have a fire below a vessel and you put some wood on it, the fire flares up and the water in the vessel heats up and boils. But if you fail to put more wood on the fire it begins to fade gradually and goes out. In our hearts is the heavenly fire of grace. If we pray and meditate on the love of Christ, we add wood to the fire and our hearts burn with longing for God. If, on the contrary, we are negligent and give our attention to worldly affairs, vice enters the heart, takes it over and torments us. Nevertheless, the heart remembers the peace which it tasted earlier and begins to repent, to direct itself afresh towards God. On the one hand, then, peace is brought nearer, on the other, we are seeking it fervently in prayer. It is like stirring the fire which is warming the heart.” (St. Makarios the Great)
“When, through personal struggle and mainly by the grace of God, he attains the likeness [of God], then he is an actual person.” Namely, when a person has become transformed by grace, then he becomes a true person: in both the image and the likeness of God….We were all created in the image of God, but since the Fall, it is only through the grace of God—combined with man’s ascetic struggle—that we can become “in His likeness,” as we were meant to be, and as the first-created man was fashioned.” (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, Constantina R. Palmer)
“If you wish to preserve this gift of Grace, you must pray to God all the time in order to block oppressive and dark thoughts from your mind and thus preserve the peace and joy which you feel when you are illumined by Grace.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)