“Take care of your family – this is God’s blessing to you and the way of Salvation”
Elder John Krestiankin
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“Where husband, wife, and children are united by the bonds of virtue, concord, and love, there is Christ among them.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“Watch your vices, above all at home, where they appear freely, like moles in a safe place. Outside our own home, some of our vices are usually screened by other more decorous ones, whilst at home there is no possibility of concealing these black moles that undermine the integrity of the Soul.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“God especially loves and provides for large families. A large family provides children with many opportunities to grow up normally, as long as the parents give them the proper nurturing. One child helps the other. The oldest girl helps the mother; the second child takes care of the younger one, and so forth. There is a sense of giving, and they live in an atmosphere of sacrifice and love. The younger ones love and respect the older ones; and this is something that comes naturally in a large family.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“It is of great significance if there is a person who truly prays in a family. Prayer attracts God’s Grace and all the members of the family feel it, even those whose hearts have grown cold. Pray always.”
Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
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A wise Elder asked his disciples, “Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?” His disciples thought for a while, one of them said, “Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.” “But, why do you shout when the other person is just next to you?” asked the Elder, “Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?” The disciples continued to give some other answers but none satisfied the Elder. Finally he explained, “When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.” Then the Elder asked, “What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…” The Elder continued, “When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other. When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return! Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and vivifies it, whilst hatred painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and tyrannise themselves… What is sweeter than love? And yet there is not much love in us! Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses the love of every father, of every mother, of the tenderest wife, have mercy upon us!”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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The Saint spoke with sweet words and with discernment in order to comfort the pained and exhausted mother, and with discernment and a smile he said to the father: “I was proud of you last night. You chanted all night and Prayed. Good job! But you would have had an even greater blessing and reward if you sat a half hour instead of three, near your wife helping her to feed the children and put them to bed, because for married people, your Prayer Ropes and prostrations are your children. When they grow up you will have time to do them, but “a brother is helped by a brother”. Let everything be done by mutual consent.”
Saint Iakovos Tsalikis of Evia
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“Prayer has great power within the family. I know two siblings who not only kept their parents – who had a big problem between them – from separating, but even caused them to be more in love.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“Let your faith and hope in God be strengthened by the earthly relations of fathers to their children. For all of us are the children of the Father Which is in Heaven, Who is in truth the one Father of all creatures.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“We ought not, as soon as we leave Church, to plunge into business unsuited to Church, but as soon as we get home, we should take the Scriptures into our hands, and call our wife and children to join us in putting together what we have heard in Church.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“Lord, have mercy on families that are going through trying times. Pour Your abundant Love on them.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“There should be open discussions within the home. Also, the atmosphere of Prayer ought to prevail, not just an atmosphere of words.”
Saint Sophrony of Essex
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