It’s not important whether I live on the Holy Mountain, in Russia, Cyprus, or America.

It’s not important whether I live on the Holy Mountain, in Russia, Cyprus, or America. It’s important how I live! I can live carelessly on the Holy Mountain and not succeed. Or I can live in New York and become a saint! Lifestyle and the Church matter. The Holy Mountain is so precious because it belongs to the Church. Monasteries are precious because they are part of the Church. The Church saves us. Wherever the Orthodox Church is, there are the holy Sacraments; wherever there are Christian podvigs [spiritual struggle] and spiritual fathers who help us to live the spiritual life, there is the salvation of man.

The Church is the ark of salvation. Not a monastery. Not the Holy Mountain. Not the desert. The Church! The Church saves the desert and the city. The Church saves every person.

A monk and a married person have different living conditions, but in fact their path is one, because Christ desires our heart. All of them have to love Christ!

+ Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol