Quotes of the Day for February 6, 2026 – Thoughts on our humanity
- Michael Haldas
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
“St. John the Forerunner witnesses that he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism – this is how he knew that Jesus is the Messiah. Additionally, the fact that the Holy Spirit not only descended on Jesus but remained upon Him, signifies that God is restoring humanity to its glorious original position. In Genesis 6: 3, just before the Great Flood, God in His disappointment with sinful humanity says His Spirit will not remain on us forever. Now in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes and remains on humanity signifying an end to God’s displeasure. Divinity is again united to humanity, thanks to Jesus Christ, the God-man.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“…through Christ’s life, God appears to us as divine truth in visible form. Perfect truth, sacrificial love, and spotless holiness are all offered to man in Christ. In the life of Christ, human nature also appears in its completest form. Christ’s sincere humility and total obedience transfigure humanity; humanity is lifted out of the ashes and raised heavenward in order to find its place in God.” (Matthew the Poor)
“Prayer, ascetic life and, above all, the patient bearing of your cross of suffering and trials of life help you acquire a “compassionate heart”…A compassionate, loving, and merciful heart is a sign of restoration of human nature to its original integrity. Such a heart bears the unity of all humanity and the cosmos. Everything lives in a compassionate heart—people, animals, plants, and all organic and inorganic matter. Thus, the believer becomes like God. Like Christ, he is no longer separated from anything or anyone, because he bears all things within himself. Nothing is external and alien to him anymore, and he is not indifferent to anything anymore. He feels responsible for everyone and for everything that happens in humanity and in the universe. Such a person begins to perceive his neighbors through the words of the Apostle Paul: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body (1 Cor. 12:12). A believer who has acquired a compassionate heart resolutely sets himself up to serve his neighbors, with whom Christ identifies Himself.” (Metropolitan Serafim Joanta, St. Isaac the Syrian)
“When I write in a manner critical of modernity, I am often understood to be arguing for an abolition of technology and a return to an older, “simpler” time. It is not older and simpler that interests me – it is the recovery and practice of what it means to be truly human that matters. It is possible to be truly human and make use of technology. But it is also important to use it in such a manner that our humanity isn’t compromised…Our humanity is a tradition. I can only learn what it is to be a human being from another human being, someone who has successfully fulfilled that reality. Animals are no different. Birds do not suddenly fly – their flight is traditioned to them. Human beings learn to walk in a traditioned manner as well. Your computer or your phone will not teach you how to be a human being.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“This sickness of isolation weakens our resolve to live honorable lives….When you feel cut off from others, you feel less obligated to protect your community, or even yourself, from the base desires of fallen humanity. You may lose sight of your purpose. Alone, we do as we please; in the community, we remember that our actions affect those around us. When isolated, we are more likely to accept the degrading illusion of intimacy without responsibility. Eventually, disconnection begins to erode a lonely person’s very identity.” (Reverend Christopher T. Metropulos, D. Min)