Always seek in your prayers... ( Elder Ephraim of Arizona )

Always seek in your prayers first and foremost that God grant you humble-mindedness.

Persist in this request of yours, for without true humble-mindedness nothing good or worth a reward is achieved.


Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Humility is the most grace-filled virtue, a garment interwoven with gold..

The angels were in Heaven in glory and hymns; men were happy in their mansions; but God the Creator was within a cave and in a manger of animals, as the last pauper! What humility of our Jesus! Acquire this humility, my children. Humility is the most grace-filled virtue, a garment interwoven with gold. Blessed is the one clothed in it; he will acquire an ineffable spiritual beauty. On the contrary, the most filthy passion is egotistical pride.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona

He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue.....

Humility is a wonderful virtue, which makes fragrant the one who has it. He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue. When we get angry, or become enraged, or criticize, or do not obey, it is evident that we have a corresponding amount of pride and egotism. The more we progress in humility, the more the evil offspring of egotism will retreat. My children, let us humble ourselves for the Lord Who humbled Himself for us. The Lord showed so much humility, even to the point of crucifixion. So shouldn’t we, who are lowly by nature, bow our head to our brother? Do we expect always to get our own way? If we want Jesus to dwell within our heart, let us love and humble ourselves like Christ. Let us not grieve Him any more with egotistic manifestations. Let us not crucify Him again with expressions and conduct lacking brotherly love. No more bitterness in the holy heart of our most sweet Christ.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona

We must maintain a humble mindset

Above all, we should maintain a humble mindset. We must believe  that everything we accomplish is due to God’s help.
“What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”(1 Cor. 4:7) . Whatever we have, we have received it all from God.
Did you assist someone with your own hands? Very well. Didn’t God give you your hands? Did you say a good word with your mouth? Did you
save someone with your good advice? Do not boast! God gave you both your mouth and the ability to speak. Did you use your feet to run and serve others? Well, they also belong to God. Did you praise God with your heart, with your inner voice, and with your inherent logic? Did you have good thoughts about God and your neighbor? Again, the heart and mind are also God’s. Did you
perhaps even desire to be born? No! It was God Who brought you into existence. Since everything is a gift from God and all things must serve Him, then what can you possibly offer to God?
This is why Christ said to His disciples, “When you have done all that you were ordered to do, you must know that you are simple and worthless slaves”(cf. Lk. 17:10).
“I give to you [says Christ], and then you give to others. If I had not given to you, you would have nothing to give. You did not conceal the gift, but you transmitted it and multiplied it.
”Hence, what is rewarded is the desire to perform virtue, as in the parable of the talents (vid. Mt. 25:15-28). 
 
Elder Ephraim of Arizona 
from the book 
The Art of Salvation

http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org/weeklymessage.pdf 

Always say: “It is my fault; I am the cause; because of my passions I suffer; the cause of my evils is no one else but me, the thrice-wretched one”.

You, my child, should look only at yourself. You lack humility; your pride and obstinacy are causing those thoughts which you wrote about. If you humble yourself, if you blame yourself in all temptations and believe that you suffer them because of your passions and that the Elder and the brothers are not in fault, then immediately you will sense relief from those thoughts, and your wounds will heal. If you expect to be healed by any other means—namely, that the Elder or the brothers change—you labor in vain. Evil require eradication from the root, and its root is pride, egotism, obstinacy, the will, anger, etc. All these are healed with one medicine: by casting the burden of the error and temptation on yourself. Always say: “It is my fault; I am the cause; because of my passions I suffer; the cause of my evils is no one else but me, the thrice-wretched one”. Yes, my child, this is the highest truth, the true reality. Walk in accordance with what I advise; walk along these guidelines, and you will truly find the health and cure of your soul.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona

He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue.....

Humility is a wonderful virtue, which makes fragrant the one who has it. He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue. When we get angry, or become enraged, or criticize, or do not obey, it is evident that we have a corresponding amount of pride and egotism. The more we progress in humility, the more the evil offspring of egotism will retreat. My children, let us humble ourselves for the Lord Who humbled Himself for us. 

The Lord showed so much humility, even to the point of crucifixion. So shouldn’t we, who are lowly by nature, bow our head to our brother? Do we expect always to get our own way? If we want Jesus to dwell within our heart, let us love and humble ourselves like Christ. Let us not grieve Him any more with egotistic manifestations. Let us not crucify Him again with expressions and conduct lacking brotherly love. No more bitterness in the holy heart of our most sweet Christ.


Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Struggle with love, patience, and humility to disable the traps of the devil with God’s help.

Without the Lord’s assistance, we are unable to do anything good. Therefore, we need much humility to find repose for our souls. The evil one will never cease shooting at us with his flaming arrows and trying to overcome and dominate us. But we also have many deadly weapons. In particular, the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” literally burns him. This is why he tries to fight us in an indirect manner. But our Christ enlightens us with His holy commandments to fight him. 

The devil is using that person to fight you and make you transgress God’s holy commandments, and in this way to harm not only you, but primarily to grieve and fight God through your transgressions. Whereas, on the contrary, if we struggle to keep the word of God persistently, we not only save our souls, but also we become the means by which God is glorified. “Those who glorify me shall I glorify” (1 Kings 2:30 ). 

Therefore, my child, struggle with love, patience, and humility to disable the traps of the devil with God’s help. Perhaps through you, He will enlighten this person to repent. “Overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21 ).

Elder Ephraim of Arizona

He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue.

Humility is a wonderful virtue, which makes fragrant the one who has it. He who has humility also has obedience, love, patience, and every virtue. When we get angry, or become enraged, or criticize, or do not obey, it is evident that we have a corresponding amount of pride and egotism. The more we progress in humility, the more the evil offspring of egotism will retreat. 

My children, let us humble ourselves for the Lord Who humbled Himself for us. The Lord showed so much humility, even to the point of crucifixion. So shouldn’t we, who are lowly by nature, bow our head to our brother? Do we expect always to get our own way? If we want Jesus to dwell within our heart, let us love and humble ourselves like Christ. Let us not grieve Him any more with egotistic manifestations. Let us not crucify Him again with expressions and conduct lacking brotherly love. No more bitterness in the holy heart of our most sweet Christ.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Counsels from the Holy Mountain
Chapter Ten.
On Pride, Self-Reproach, and Humility