I gaze at eternity: all that is temporal is trivial, vain, insignificant. I love solitude: in this state one can gaze at eternity more intently, observe what is needed, and prepare this needful thing in advance, before the soul departs from the body. I am attracted to the Gospel. My gaze is overwhelmed by the traits of God’s image and the nuances of God’s likeness that are depicted in the Gospel! “Be like unto Me,” – the Lord says to mankind, and in order for men to absorb this wondrous likeness more easily – God became incarnate. What ineffable beauty in this new Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ! And what ugliness in myself, what disorder! How many stains there are upon me! This is how I see myself when I look into the mirror of the Gospel.
Saint Ignaty (Bryanchaninov)