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"The fragrance of flowers is incense to God. Flowers are censers." + St. Luke of Crimea 🎥Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery

A Father of the Church described what pride is "Comtempt for one's neighbour. Preferring oneself to everyone else. Impudence. Obscuration. Plumpness of the mind and heart, nailing them to the earthly. Denigration. Disbelief. Fallen carnal mind. Disobedience to God's law and to the Church. Following one's own carnal will. Reading heretical, lecherous, vain books. Disobeying authorities. Mordant derision. Leaving the Christ-imitating humility and silence. Loss of simplicity. Loss of love for God and for neighbour. False philosophy. Heresy. Godlessness/atheism. Ignorance. Death of the soul." St Ignatius Bryanchaninov, Bishop of Caucasus

"We sing the angelic hymn to Thee, O Mighty One! Holy, holy, holy art Thou, O God! Through the Mother of God have mercy upon us." (Troparia to the Holy Trinity) You thus praise God together with the angels. You are one assembly, one church, one family of God's with them by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. (St John of Kronstadt) Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

🌟☦️ This (he called it "Joy of all joys") is the icon which St Seraphim of Sarov prayed at. It is commonly known as "Unileniye". This word is an Orthodox term which does not have English counterpart. The closest explanation is softness due to the touch of God, melting of the heart. Most Holy Theotokos, save us!

☦️ St Ephraim the Syrian on Love ☦️ Miserable and wretched is one who is far from love. He spends his days in dream delirium. Who wouldn't lament about the man who is far from God, deprived from light and lives in darkness? Cause I tell you, my brethren, who does not have Christ's love, he is an enemy to Christ...

☦️🕯️ We suffer because we have no humility and we do not love our brother. From love of our brother comes the love of God. People do not learn humility, and because of their pride cannot receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore the whole world suffers.🕯️☦️ ♰ St. Silouan the Athonite ♰

☦️🕯️ Gluttony and satiety in food produce defiled lust, while free association with women enflames the fire of lusts ... At the time of struggle with defilement, punish your thoughts with lack of nourishment, so that you will think not of defilements, but of hunger, and reject the invitation to go visiting.🕯️☦️ ♰ St. Nilus of Sinai ♰

Saint Gregory the Theologian defines marriage as “the key of moderation and harmony of desires, the seal of a deep friendship… United in the flesh, one spirit, they urge each other on by the good of their mutual love. For marriage does not remove God, but brings all closer to Him, for it is God Himself Who draws us to it.” According to Saint John Chrysostom, the home is a “little church.” “If a man and a woman marry in order to be companions on the journey from earth to heaven, then their union will bring great joy to themselves and to others.”, he says.

☦️🌟 Abbess Anna of St. Nicholas monastery, known for the famous Elder Zosima. The Monastery is currently on the frontline. Her mother died from shelling.

Monasticism in the Orthodox Church is an image of life of Christ. It is striving to get closer to God, rejecting all that can hold back to earthly life. This is life in the world without being of the world. It is a calling to dedicate one’s life solely to God. Aloneness is somewhat not full, not complete, in marriage it is overcome by having another person, and in Monasticism another one is God. Ancient ascetics left the world not because of fear and wish to get saved, but because of world’s unpleasantness. They went to deserts not as to dark grave, but it was a bloomy and joyful spiritual place for them. Diadochos of Photiki said about leaving the world that we willingly refuse pleasures of this world when we try God’s pleasures feeling real wholeness.