John Cassian Quotes

43 quotes in 1124 categories

• The thief who received the kingdom of heaven, though not as the reward of virtue, is a true witness to the fact that salvation is…
• All of our holy fathers knew this and all with one accord teach that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.
• Humility, in its turn, can be achieved only through faith, fear of God, gentleness and the shedding of all possessions.
• It is by means of these that we attain perfect love, through the grace and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory…
• No other virtue makes man more equal to the angels, than the imitation of their way of life.
• God can be sensed when we gaze with trembling hearts at that power of his which controls, guides, and rules everything, when we contemplate his…
• The Doctor of our souls has placed the remedy in the hidden regions of the soul.
• If you wish to attain to true knowledge of the Scriptures, hasten to acquire first an unshakeable humility of heart. That alone will lead you,…
• The bond between friends cannot be broken by chance; no interval of time or space can destroy it. Not even death itself can part true…
• We are often indifferent to our brethren who are distressed or upset, on the grounds that they are in this state through no fault of…
• Actually, all gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present…
• ...just as the edifice of all the virtues strives upward toward perfect prayer so will all these virtues be neither sturdy nor enduring unless they…
• ...works of piety and charity... are necessary in this present life for as long as inequality prevails. Their workings here would not be required were…
• Fasts and vigils, the study of Scripture, renouncing possessions and everything worldly are not in themselves perfection, as we have said; theyare its tools. For…
• Perfection... is clearly not achieved simply by being naked, by the lack of wealth or by the rejection of honors, unless there is also that…
• When we say 'hallowed be Your name' to God what we are really saying is 'Father, make us such as deserve knowledge and understanding of…
• In proportion as the ardor of divine love brings you nearer to God, so will a larger concourse of saintly brethren flock to you. For,…
• True spiritual knowledge has sometimes flourished most grandly in some who were without eloquence and almost illiterate. And this is very clearly shown by the…
• God is not only to be known in His blessed and incomprehensible being, for this is something which is reserved for His saints in the…
• ... when death has been brought upon a saint, we ought not to think that an evil has happened to him but a thing indifferent;…

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