Dorotheus of Gaza Quotes

12 Sourced Quotes

It is God, Who is merciful and grants everyone what he needs, Who is building him up when He gives him more than he needs; in doing so He shows the abundance of His love for men and teaches him to give thanks. When He does not grant him what he needs, He makes him compensate for the thing he needs through the working of the mind and teaches him patience.

Dorotheus of Gaza
Sin is one thing but instinctive reaction or passion is another. These are our reactions: pride, anger, sexual indulgence, hate, greed, and so on. The corresponding sins are the gratification of these passions: when a man acts and brings into corporeal reality those works which were suggested to him by his desires. It is impossible to exist without desires arising, but not to give way to them is by no means impossible.

Dorotheus of Gaza
The grace of God comes swiftly to the soul when endurance is no longer possible.

Dorotheus of Gaza
Even if we cannot endure much labor because we are weak let us be set on humbling ourselves.

Dorotheus of Gaza
The more one is united to his neighbor the more he is united to God.

Dorotheus of Gaza
If a man really sets his heart upon the will of God, God will enlighten a little child to tell that man what is His will. But if a man does not truly desire the will of God, even if he goes in search of a prophet, God will put into the heart of the prophet a reply like the deception in his own heart.

Dorotheus of Gaza
When the devil looks at a man who sincerely desires not to sin, he is not so unintelligent as to suggest to him (as he would to a hardened sinner) that he go and commit fornication or go and steal. He knows we do not want that and he does not set out to tell us something we do not want to hear; but he finds out that little bit of self-will or self-righteousness and through that, with the appearance of well doing, he will do us harm.

Dorotheus of Gaza
Let us be convinced that nothing can happen to us apart from the providence of God.

Dorotheus of Gaza
In the mercy of God, the little thing done with humility will enable us to be found in the same place as the saints who have labored much and been true servants of God.

Dorotheus of Gaza
If we have true love with sympathy and patient labor, we shall not go about scrutinizing our neighbor's shortcomings.

Dorotheus of Gaza
In the measure that we pay attention and take care to carry out what we hear, God will always enlighten us and make us understand His will.

Dorotheus of Gaza
Who hated sin more than the saints? But they did not hate the sinners at the same time, nor condemn them, nor turn away from them. But they suffered with them, admonished them, comforted them. gave them remedies as sickly members, and did all they could to heal them.

Dorotheus of Gaza