Elder Macarius of Optina

This morning after Matins, we were reading from Elder Macarius of Optina. I was very moved by some of what we were reading, so much so that at lunch today I looked around on the internet for some more. I found Letters of Elder Macarius of Optina and was reading through some of them. Apparently it is a collection of snippets from letters (the context is usually apparent) he wrote to various people in various situations, organized by the themes of the Beatitudes. If you have the inclination and time, I recommend you spend a little time there. Here's one quote that jumped out at me, probably because it speaks (tangentially) to the thing I've been rambling on and on about over the last few posts.

"I am glad that you have come to see that a life lived in the world can be as good, in the eyes of God, as one spent in a monastery. It is indeed only the keeping of God's commandments, love of all, and a true sense of humility that matter, wherever we are."