This question is the subject of a tremendous number of myths and fancies, and frequently of outright heretical perceptions. If we turn to Holy Scripture we will see that God is the Ruler of all things. When He shows His merciful face, all nature flourishes, whereas when He turns away in wrath all things collapse and crumble.

The concept of the fear of God has unfortunately become unpopular in our time. Yet as Scripture says, The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 110:10). These words are so important that the Word of God repeats them on numerous occasions. The path of Christian life begins with turning away from evil, and it continues with doing good.

In researching the nature of anger, freedom from anger, and meekness, the author draws on the works of Saint John of the Ladder—an ingenious expert on the activity of the human soul. Anger as such is placed in us by God, and its purpose is to serve as our soul’s immune function, that by this means we might be able to resist evil and learn the virtues.

DOWNLOAD E-BOOK FORMATS >> Booklet 6 of 12 from a series of talks given by Priest Daniel Sysoev entitled “How to Inherit Eternal Life.” Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God. There is a heart that is the focal point of our spirit, and into it we must enter during prayer. Prayer however must involve not only the soul, but also the body, which is an integral part of our…

In Holy Scripture the Holy Spirit teaches us to marvel at our own nature, and Saint Justin (Popovic) said that, after God, man is the most mysterious creature in the universe. Man is directly linked to the Creator, not only by virtue of his creation but in a special way: he is created in the image of God, and hence from the beginning he has been a being that is focused on the heights, striving ever upward.

Curbing gluttony and avarice is a means of curbing self-love, and not an end in itself. Some passions run deeper, while others are more superficial. The latter emerge from the former, like a stalk from the root. The very first passion was the passion of egoism, in which a person considers himself the most important thing in the world.