One of my favorite quotes from The Ladder:
“The man wearing
blessed, God-given mourning,
like a wedding garment,
gets to know the spiritual laughter of the heart.”
St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 7.44
We may liken fasting to a burning coal
and prayer to frankincense.
Neither has value without the other,
but together,
the sweet savor of their incense fills the air.
“When a man begins to fast,
he straightaway years in his mind
to enter into converse with God.”
St Isaac the Syrian, Homily 37
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