On Medicine:
"There is nothing to prevent us from calling doctors when we fall ill. Since the science of medicine was destined to be discovered at some time through human experimentation, natural remedies were already in existence for this purpose. However, we should not place our hope of healing in doctors but in our true Savior and Physician, Jesus Christ"
On Friendship:
"When a man begins to perceive the love of God in all its richness, he begins also to love his neighbor with spiritual perception. This is the love of which all the scriptures speak. Friendship after the flesh is very easily destroyed on some slight pretext, since it is not held firm by spiritual perception. But when a person is spiritually awakened, even if something irritates him, the bond of love is not dissolved; rekindling himself with the warmth of the love of God, he quickly recovers himself and with great joy seeks his neighbour's love, even though he has been gravely wronged or insulted by him. For the sweetness of God completely consumes the bitterness of the quarrel."
On Talking:
"When the door of the steam baths is continually left open, the heat inside rapidly escapes through it; likewise the soul, in its desire to say many things, dissipates itsremembrance of God through the door of speech, even though everything it says may be good. Thereafter the intellect, though lacking appropriate ideas, pours out a welter of confused thoughts to anyone it meets, as it no longer has the Holy Spirit to keep its understanding free from fantasy. Ideas of value always shun verbosity, being foreign to confusion and fantasy."
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I was inspired to find a good saint whom I had not read much of and pleasantly surprised to stumble across these awesome words of wisdom.
Three different people in my life whom I have on my heart and three different topics which correspond to what they are going through individually. I pray that they will read these words and know that God loves them very much. May we all be inspired by St Diadochos (5th C.), a man of great love for God!
This last one is for my wretched soul to remember...
On Love of God:
"Whoever loves himself cannot love God; but if, because of 'the overflowing richness' of God's love, a man does not love himself, then he truly loves God(Ephes.2,7).Such a man never seeks his own glory, but seeks the glory of God. The man who loves himself seeks his own glory, whereas he who loves God loves the glory of his Creator. It is characteristic of the soul which consciously senses the Love of God always to seek God's glory in every Commandment it performs and to be happy in its low estate. For glory befits God because of His majesty, while lowliness befits man because it unites us with God. If we realize this, rejoicing in the glory of the Lord,we too, like Saint John the Baptist, will begin to say unceasingly, 'He must increase, but we must decrease.'"
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