John Chrysostom (347 – 407 AD) was an Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. Known for his eloquent preaching as "Golden-mouth".
When you take refuge in a Church, do not seek shelter merely in the place but in the spirit of the place. For the Church is not wall and roof but faith and life.
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 that disturb the sea.
Do not hold aloof from the Church; for nothing is stronger than the Church. The Church is your hope, your salvation, your refuge. It is higher than the heavens, it is wider than the earth.
Let no one boast; for all have sinned. If then, doing well yourself, you are inclined to revile others, consider your own former life, and the uncertainty of the future, and restrain your anger.
Prayer should be the means by which I, at all times, receive all that I need, and, for this reason, be my daily refuge, my daily consolation, my daily joy, my source of rich and inexhaustible joy in life
Where is your sting, oh death? Christ was resurrected, and you were crushed. Christ is risen and life reigns. Christ has risen and no dead man remains in the grave.
Enter all into the joy of our Lord. Rich and poor dance in each other's arms. The table is full, enjoy the riches of God's goodness. Let no man mourn for his faults: for forgiveness hath arisen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the death of the Savior has set us free.