"I know my own soul, how feeble and puny it is: I know the magnitude of this ministry, and the great difficulty of the work; for more stormy billows vex the soul of the priest than the gales which disturb the sea"
- John Chrysostom
About this Quote
John Chrysostom's quote talks to the difficulty of the priestly ministry. He acknowledges his own soul's frailty and recognizes the magnitude of the work he has been called to do. He compares the problem of the priestly ministry to the stormy billows of the sea, suggesting that the spiritual work of the priest is harder than the manual labor of the sailor. Chrysostom's quote talks to the significance of the priestly ministry and the need for strength and courage to carry out the work. It likewise functions as a suggestion of the requirement for humbleness and self-awareness in order to recognize the magnitude of the work and the limitations of one's own soul. Chrysostom's quote is a suggestion of the significance of the priestly ministry and the need for strength and nerve to carry out the work. It also functions as a tip of the need for humility and self-awareness in order to acknowledge the magnitude of the work and the limitations of one's own soul.
"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization"
"Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear so, and therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped myself in mystery, devoting my time to fasting and prayer"