“We should fear both of them; namely, getting burnt by temptations, and getting destroyed by the water of corruption. See, fire will not burn you, and water will not destroy you; You pass through fire to water, then pass through water as well. That is why in the sacramental rites, fire is used first, and …
God does not judge the beauty of his work by the charm of the eyes and He does not form the same idea of beauty that we form. What He finds beautiful is what, in its perfection, shows all the fitness of art, and what works toward the usefulness of its purpose. So God, who …
Even if it be disease or poverty… for seen and unseen benefits… and for those which we receive against our will …but also whenever we are either in poverty, or in sicknesses, or are being insulted, then let us intensify our thanksgiving; thanksgiving, I mean, not in words, nor with the tongue, but in deeds …
