It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.
Saint John ChrysostomRead
No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Caring for others is more important than superficial acts of worship.
This quote emphasizes the importance of helping those in need over performing external religious rituals. Saint John Chrysostom suggests that neglecting the well-being of our neighbors in favor of beautifying places of worship is misguided, highlighting that our fellow human beings are the true sanctuaries that deserve our attention and care.
Themes
ServiceNeighbourFaithLoveCommunityCompassion
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon, a pastor could use this quote to encourage congregants to engage more in community service.
More from Saint John Chrysostom
All quotes →When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their follow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.
Saint John ChrysostomRead
Abba Moses asked Abba Sylvanus, Can a person lay a new foundation every day? The old man replied, If you work hard, you can lay a new foundation every moment. Abba Pimen said, To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul. The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
Saint John ChrysostomRead
I hear no one boast, that he hath a knowledge of the Scriptures, but that he owneth a Bible written in golden characters. And tell me then, what profiteth this? The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.
Saint John ChrysostomRead
Prayer should be the means by which I, at all times, receive all that I need, and, for this reason, be my daily refuge, my daily consolation, my daily joy, my source of rich and inexhaustible joy in life.
Saint John ChrysostomRead
Feeding the hungry is a greater work than raising the dead
Saint John ChrysostomRead
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