Quotes about Hope

“Horses change lives. They give our young people confidence and
self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquillity to troubled souls-they give us hope!”

 Imagine the possibilities when we allow love to be the food that nourishes our soul. By living from love we acknowledge the wisdom of the earth and enter a pure state of divinity. The temple of the earth is such that we are all blessed beings able to  evolve our spirits and purify our hearts. Know that like sunshine through the tree of life you are a ray of hope for every person you come in contact with. Imagine!

 We are caretakers of the earth and as such we must use our minds in the highest way by embracing the beauty of all living things. Hear the winds whispering words of wisdom that inspire and instill hope for a brighter tomorrow. The sunshine in our souls radiates in a way that allows each of us to light a path of heavenly wholeness. Plant seeds of love and the earth will reap a harvest of happiness and joy.

In my heart there are visions of hope and beauty that celebrate the human imagination. Imagine Peace and you inspire the purpose within, Imagine Love and the seeds of possibilities will enable you to live your true nature and evoke your own greatness. Let us all be inspired to Imagine a world of unbridled joy and shared humanity for doing so will lead us to a rose garden of spirituality where happiness is a way of life.

'We were created for eternal life by our Creator, we are called to it by the word of God, and we are renewed by holy Baptism. And Christ the Son of God came into the world for this, that He should call us and take us there, and He is the one thing needful. For this reason your very first endeavor and care should be to receive it. Without it everything is as nothing, though you have the whole world under you.'
-- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Its five in the morning, I can see the first rays of sun trying to penetrate through this grey sky, trying to change its color to dark blue, and declare the dawn, but its strange, dawn and dusk both have the same color, both have same murky feel about them, but how different is their nature, one exemplifies the end, while the other symbolizes a new begining.. but is that end the end of hopes or end of sorrows.. or is that begining the begining of a new life or new difficulties which lie ahead... we cant ever figure it out... its all written and thats what destiny is....
Every begining can be a new end and every end can be a new begining...

Does the mirror change and bend when the scoffer stands before it laughing and scoffing at it? No, the mirror does not change and bend but remains the same as it was. Brethren, neither does God change or bend when scoffers laugh and scoff at Him. The unchanging and All-pure God knows that the scoffer scoffs at himself. By his scoffing at the holy things of God, the scoffer bends himself and makes himself hideous and the holy things of God remain intact.

O, how already in our times, in our days, many scoffers are already here! Many, too many but their multitudes are weaker than the One and Only One. What is a lot of dust before a strong wind? You have only to wait, to wait armed with patience until a strong wind blows.

Many and too many scoffers are already here, who scoff at God's word. They offer their own words in place of God's word; they offer the unholy in place of the holy, the putrid in place of the healthy, death dealing in place of life creating. The word of God is like a strong wind and their words are as dust.

The scoffers are already here, many and too many that scoff at God's works and still many more will arrive. They praise their works above God's works and say that the works of their hands are better and more comprehensible that the works of God. Their works are thievery; for all the good that they built, they built from God's materials and according to the likeness of God's buildings; and all the evil that they have built, they built from the devil's materials, and according to the likeness of the devil's buildings. Therefore, of what will the dust boast? With what will the scoffers praise today or tomorrow, when wild asses trample over their graves with their hooves?

All-pure Lord, Holy and Powerful are Your words, as a strong wind and holy are Your works, and there is no number or measure of them. All-pure Lord, save our tongues from scoffing and save our lives from the scoffers.

To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.

God's boundless wisdom has given each person a cross according to his/her character and strength.  If we carry our cross without grumbling, repent of our sins, and do not justify ourselves, then like the good thief we shall enter God's Kingdom.  But if we grumble, if we blaspheme God or our neighbor, we shall perish like the wicked thief---in great torment, with out hope of salvation to lessen our grief.  The choice lies in our own hands.  We must be wise like the repentant thief.  None of us will escape the cross.  Let us ease its weight through faith in God, resistance to sin, repentance, forgiveness of all our close ones, endurance of sorrows without murmuring, and prayer to the Lord.

If we are to become filled with a joy that the world cannot take away, we must give up everything, even our own selfish lives, so that we can be alive in our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Our Lord teaches us that all things come from Him. He is the source of all good. If we follow Him, even in times of sorrow and hardship, He increases us by allowing us to participate in His divinity.

Your Father in Christ,
Bishop JOSEPHhttp://www.antiochianladiocese.org/

"If you want to go straight before God, you need two walls.  Not of brick or stone or earth, but two spiritual walls.  Have fear of God on the right, because the Prophet Daniel says, 'With fear of God, man is diverted from all evil.'  On the left have fear of death because the Son of Sirach says, 'Son, remember your end and you will not sin.'  These two good deeds --- fear of God and remembrance of death --- deliver a man from all sin."

Elder Cleopa Ilie (+1998)

"Prayer is all-powerful on account of the all-powerful God Who acts in it.  It is the sword of the Spirit ,which is the Word of God.  Prayer by its nature is communion and union of man with God; by its action it is the reconciliation of man with God, the mother and daughter of tears, a bridge for crossing temptations, a wall of protection from afflictions, a crushing of conflicts, boundless activity, the spring of virtues, the source of spiritual gifts, invisible progress, food of the soul, the enlightening of the mind, an axe for despair, a demonstration of hope, release from sorrow, the wealth of monks."

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

"People were not created merely to live here on earth like animals that disappear after their death, but to live with God and in God, and to live not for a hundred or a thousand years, but to live eternally." 
-- Bishop INNOCENT, Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurilian and Aleutian Islands

"Hope is like a path in the countryside: originally there was no path - - yet, as people are walking all the time in the same spot, a way appears." - Lu Xun

"He who follows properly the spiritual pathway begins to see in himself more and more sins, until finally he sees himself completely immersed in sin.  Through his spiritual eyes he perceives his leprous soul.  He feels with his whole heart that he is dirt and filth, that he is unworthy even to call out the name of God.  Like the publican, unable to raise his eyes, he cries out with pain of heart: 'God have mercy on me the sinner.'  When a person maintains his soul in such a spiritual state for a long time, he finally emerges from it absolved, like the publican."

Abbot Nikon

"To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty." 
-- St. Justin the Philosopher

"For if you change from inhumanity to alms giving, you have stretched fourth the hand that was withered.  If you withdraw from theaters and go to church, you have cured the lame foot.  If you draw back your eyes from a harlot ... you have opened them when they were blind ... These are the greatest miracles."

Saint John Chrysostom

"Be careful with your mouth, but primarily with your mind; do not let evil thoughts start talking to you.  Do not let your mouth say words that could perhaps wound your brother.  Let your mouth put forth words which are fragrant: words of consolation, courage and hope.  It is a person's mouth that reveals his interior, inner man."

Elder Ephraim of Philitheou and St. Anthony's Orthodox Monasteries.www.stanthonysmonastery.org/index.php

"Those who submit to the Lord with simple heart will run the good race.  If they keep their minds on a leash, they will not draw the wickedness of the demons onto themselves."

Saint John Climacus.

Optimism is the opium of the people.

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.

In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write.

Where there is love there is life.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope.

If such a young nation as the U.S. could make it to superpower status, we could do it as well.

In God's wildness lies the hope of the world—the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware.

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.

If a blade of grass can grow in a concrete walk and a fig tree in the side of a mountain cliff, a human being empowered with an invincible faith can survive all odds the world can throw against his tortured soul.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.

Beware of despair.  You do not serve a tyrant, but your service is to a kind Lord, Who, taking nothing from you, He has given you all.  And when you did not exist at all, He fashioned you so that you would be in that [ state ] in which you now are.  Who is sufficient to render Him thanks for the fact that He has brought us into existence?  O the immeasurable grace!  Who can sufficiently honor Him with hymns?  For He has given us knowledge of all things.  And not only those which are manifest, but also of the hidden things.  For we know that if there is anything we do not know, it is necessary for us only to ask this [ knowledge ] from Him.

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 warmth of the love of God, he quickly recovers himself and with great joy seeks his neighbor's love, even though he has been gravely wronged or insulted by him.  For sweetness of God completely consumes the bitterness of the quarrel.