Marcus Eremita, Mark the Ascetic or Marcus the Ascetic[n 1] was a Christian theologian, saint, and ascetic writer of the fifth century AD.
One evil receives strength from another. In the same way, good deeds also sprout one from another, and the one in whom they are found grows larger.
One who has sinned cannot escape retribution in any other way than by repentance corresponding to his sin.
He who seeks forgiveness of his sins loves humility, but if he condemns another he seals his own wickedness.
We must receive the one who curses us as a messenger from God, rebuking our hidden evil thoughts, so that we, seeing our thoughts with exactness, might correct ourselves. For we do not know how many hidden evils we have; Only a perfect man can understand all of his own shortcomings.
Whoever prays for those who hurt him lays the demons low; but he who opposes his affronter is bound to the demons.
Do not try to decide a difficult matter by means of disputing, but that which is enjoined by the spiritual law, namely patience, prayer, and thoughtful hope.
God tested Abraham. That is, he sent him afflictions for his benefit, not so that he could find out what sort of man he was, for God knows everything, but so that He give him the means to perfect his faith.
Whoever does not fight the one who despises him, neither in word not in thought, has received true knowledge and demonstrates a firm trust in God.
If someone falls into any sin and is not sincerely grieved about it, it is easy for him to fall into the same thing again.
Failure to do the good that is within your power is hard to forgive. But mercy and prayer reclaim the negligent.
Guard your mind from self-praise and flee a high opinion of yourself, so that God does not allow you to fall into the opposite passion to the virtue for which you boast, for man does not accomplish virtue alone, but with the help of God who sees all.
Whoever has a spiritual gift and compassionate toward one who does not have it guards his gift through his compassion. But whoever is proud of his gift loses it through self-opinion.
Whatever we do or say without prayer always ends up either sinful or harmful and convicts us through the deeds in some mysterious way.
Consistently pray in all things, so that you might not do anything without the help of God. . . Whoever does or busies himself with anything without prayer does not succeed in the end. Concerning this, the Lord said: "Without Me you can't do anything". (John 15:5)
Because God's justice is inexorable, it is hard to obtain forgiveness for sins committed with complete deliberation.
The devil makes small sins seem smaller in our eyes, for otherwise he can't lead us to greater evil.
If someone puts his trust in God in a matter, let him not argue with his brother about it.
If you want the Lord to hide your sins, then don't talk to people about what kind of virtues you have. For as we relate to our virtues, so God relates to our sins.
When you have been insulted, cursed, or persecuted by someone, do not think of what has happened to you, but of what will come from it, and you will see that your insulter has become the cause of many benefits to you, not only in this age, but in that which is to come.
Conquer temptations by the patience and prayer. If you oppose them without these, you will fall all the more severely.