For instance you do prostrations. When I was young I would compete with my brothers and see who can do more prostrations in an hour. I could do 500, but now I can’t do even one. And you don’t do them with pride, but for your sins. And I feel sorry that I cannot do them and I say: God have mercy on me the sinner! And God receives them both.”

Father Cleopa said: “The most important thing in this life is to leave everything aside and weep for your sins because eternity is the most valuable thing. Thus, we shall do everything we can in order to avoid losing it, because if we do, we have lived in vain!”

Everything that Father Cleopa did was adorned with humble reflection. Because he said “We shall never say we made a good start. We should say: Lord, help me make a good start!”

Other times he said: “Repentance and humbleness complete the deeds you have not done. For instance you do prostrations. When I was young I would compete with my brothers and see who can do more prostrations in an hour. I could do 500, but now I can’t do even one. And you don’t do them with pride, but for your sins. And I feel sorry that I cannot do them and I say: God have mercy on me the sinner! And God receives them both.”

Once, a brother went to confession and said “Father Cleopa, I lack motivation.” The father replied “You do? Then be humble! No one achieved salvation for fasting or other struggles. Thus, be humble and you will achieve salvation.”

Other time, one of his disciples asked him to pray for him, and he said “My prayer is as the smoke of Cain’s sacrifice. It crawls on the earth!”

A brother asked father Cleopa “Father, how should I read the psalter? Should I think it was written for David the Prophet, or that was written for all of us?” The father answered: “You should think you are a sinner.”

The father said “The devil has fallen out of his pride and this is why he cannot say ‘forgive me!’ When you will see that someone asks you for forgiveness and you don’t say ‘May God forgive you’ you resemble the devil. Or if you did something wrong and you don’t ask for forgiveness you resemble the devil who cannot say ‘forgive me’. And even if you are not guilty you shouldn’t think ‘Why should I ask for forgiveness? He is the guilty one, not me!’ This is why we should always be humble.”

(Archimandrite Ioanichie Bălan, Patericul românesc, Editura Mănăstirea Sihăstria, pp. 759-760)