Elder Thaddeus: Because of the Fall of man, the natural order of things has become chaotic. . . .

Because of the Fall of man, the natural order of things has become chaotic. In nature, there is an order for all things, but with man there is chaos, Everything is distorted and turned around. Because of our disobedience to the commandments of our Heavenly Father, we have lost the natural order. In order to reestablish this order, we must practice abstinence.

+ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

St. Basil the Great: Do not say, “This happened by chance . . .

“Do not say, ‘This happened by chance, while this came to be of itself.’ In all that exists there is nothing disorderly, nothing indefinite, nothing without purpose, nothing by chance … How many hairs are on your head? God will not forget one of them. Do you see how nothing, even the smallest thing, escapes the gaze of God? ”

— St. Basil the Great