Anthony of Sourozh Quotes

Russia, Writer
June 19, 1914 – August, 4, 2003.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh was best known as a writer and broadcaster on prayer and the Christian life. He was a monk and Metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was founder and for many years bishop - then archbishop, then metropolitan - of the Diocese of Sourozh, the Patriarchate of Moscow's diocese for Great Britain and Ireland (the name 'Sourozh' is that of the historical episcopal see in Sudak in the Crimea). As a bishop he became well known as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director and writer on prayer and the Christian life.

Also known as Broadcaster

In the position of tension in which we are, between churchmanship and citizenship, our churchmanship is much freer than if we had better harmony between Church and State.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Church
- Position
- State
One of the dangers in prayer is to try to find words that will be somehow on the level of God. Unfortunately, as none of us are on a level with God, we fall short and waste a great deal of time in trying to find the right words.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Words
- Prayer
- Find

We prepare the ground for our prayer when we shed something which is not Christ's, which is unworthy of him, and only the prayer of one who can, like St. Paul say, 'I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me,' is real Christian prayer.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Prayer
- Ground
- Prepare
It is not the constant thought of their sins, but the vision of the holiness of God that makes the saints aware of their own sinfulness.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Saints
- Aware
- Sinfulness
To pluck a flower means to take possession of it, and it also means to kill it.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Flower
- Kill
- Pluck
Humility is the situation of the earth. It's there silent and accepting everything and in a miraculous way making out of all the refuse new richness...transforming corruption itself into a power of life and a new possibility of creativeness, open to the sunshine, open to the rain, ready to receive any seed we sow and capable of bringing thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold out of every seed.

Anthony of Sourozh
A prayer makes sense only if it is lived.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Prayer
- Sense
- Lived
...as long as you imagine you are rich there is nothing to thank god for, and you cannot be aware of being loved. Too often the kind of thanksgiving we offer is too much a general thanksgiving, and the kind of repentance we bring to God is too much a general repentance.

Anthony of Sourozh

You remember how you were taught to write. Your mother put a pencil in your hand, took your hand in hers, and began to move it. Since you did not know at all what she meant to do, you left your hand completely free in hers. This is like the power of God in our lives.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Power
- Mother
- Write
Abandon all, you will receive heaven.

Anthony of Sourozh
- Heaven
- Receive
- Abandon