St. Isaac the Syrian
St. Isaac the Syrian was a seventh-century ascetic who entered monastic life at a young age and became renowned for his holiness and learning.
Consecrated Bishop of Nineveh, he resigned after only five months, longing for the life of silence, and withdrew to the mountains to live among the hermits, finally settling at the monastery of Rabban Shabur, where he reposed around the year 700. His Ascetical Homilies, written from deep personal experience of prayer and stillness, became one of the most beloved spiritual works in the Orthodox Church, treasured especially for their teaching on repentance, humility, and the boundless mercy of God.
What is a merciful heart? It is the heart's burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons, and for every created thing.
Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.
The ladder of the Kingdom is within you, hidden in your soul. Dive down into yourself, away from sin, and there you will find the steps by which you can ascend.
As a handful of sand thrown into the ocean, so are the sins of all flesh in comparison with the mind of God.
This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits.
Silence is a mystery of the age to come, but words are instruments of this world.
Troparion · Tone 4
In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence; your humility exalted you; your poverty enriched you. Hierarch Father Isaac, entreat Christ our God that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion · Tone 2
O Hierarch Isaac, divine thunder, spiritual trumpet, planter of faith and pruner of heresies, great favorite of the Trinity, while standing with the Angels before God, pray unceasingly for us all.
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