John Cassian

“ Indeed, with all the diligence that is in us, we should apply ourselves, so that we might maintain the unstained purity of chastity in that time especially, in which we elect to approach the venerable altar, and with the most alert attention we should take care, lest the blamelessness of our flesh which previously we maintained, in that particular time in which we are preparing ourselves for the communion of the life-giving banquet, should be cheated from us at night. ”

“ But if that most vile enemy, in order to withdraw from us the medicine of heavenly cure, has violated the safekeeping of our sleeping mind, provided only that it has been contaminated by no blameable sensual desire, no assent to delight, but merely some voiding produced by natural necessity, or at least drawn out by the attack of the devil without any pleasurable sense to create an obstacle to our sanctification, we can and should confidently approach the grace of the life-giving food. ”

“ Everyone who is clean shall eat meat, but any soul in which there is uncleanness that shall eat from the meat of the saving sacrifice which is of the Lord, he will be destroyed before the face of the Lord. ”