“Once, St Paul of Thebes was having a conversation with Saint Antony the Great. St Paul asked St Antony: ‘How come your name is better known than mine, since I have fought more fierce battles than you?’ Obviously their conversation was not so much for their benefit as for ours, when we were going to learn of it later. St Antony teasingly replied: ‘It is simply because I love the Lord more than you. My name has become better known only because I love the Lord more than you’. Now the mystery has begun to unravel. He who accomplishes more is the one who loves the Lord more and Divine Grace influences him more. This is the key! In practice…to love the Lord more so that Grace increases in us and assists us in overcoming our despicable ways which hamper our spiritual progress.”
– ‘The Practical Expression of Love’