--Geronda [Elder], a young man who has chosen married life asked me how he should make a good start in it.

--First of all, he must take care to find a good wife who will comfort him internally, for every person is comforted differently and by a different person. He should not expect that she be wealthy and beautiful, but that she be above all simple and humble. He should pay careful attention to her inner beauty rather than her external beauty.

"The Monk Is a Beacon of Light Upon the Rocks."

---Geronda [Elder], what is the work of a monk?

---The work of a monk is to become a vessel of the Holy Spirit. A monk must make his heart as sensitive as the gold leaf used by iconographers. The entire work of the monk is love (agape), just as he became a monk out of love for God, which includes love for one's neighbor. The monk meditates upon the sufferings of society, his heart is pained and he prays from the heart constantly for all the people. Thus he helps the world through his prayer.

Saint Athanasius the Great, that brilliant, immortal example of virtue, was born in Alexandria, the renowned capital of Egypt. His parents were devout Christians and reared him in piety. From childhood his calling was evident, as the following story makes clear.

The venerable Anthony was born in Egypt of noble parents known for their piety. He was brought up at home and had no dealing with outsiders. Because he disliked the rough company of other boys, he was unwilling to go to school, but burning with divine desire, cultivated purity of heart in solitude. Childish games held no attraction for him, and whenever his parents went to church, he accompanied them. He heeded what was read there, applying it to his own life. Unlike most worldly youths, Anthony had no interest in sweets or savory foods, but was content with anything given him.

--Geronda (Elder), how do you pray about a certain matter?

--The main thing is to feel compassion. If one is not compassionate, he may sit for hours with the komboschoini (Prayer-rope), and his prayer will have no result whatsoever. If there is pain in his heart about what he is praying for, even with a single sigh he will have prayed from the heart. Many, who when asked to pray have no time, will sigh for the other's problem and that in itself is a prayer. I'm not saying prayer needn't be done, if there is no time, a sigh for the pain of another is a prayer from the heart; it equals hours of prayer.