Venerable Abba Isaiah:
"Do not delude yourself into thinking that you are chosen by God. If you lack humility, then even if you raised the dead, you will be alien to God. God's chosen are recognized not by their gifts, but by the depth of their self-abasement."
Saint Theophan the Recluse:
"God chose us before the foundation of the world; but He chose us so that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love. God's election confirms our work of salvation, but does not replace it. It gives us strength, but does not accomplish salvation without us."
Saint John Chrysostom:
"God predestined us, not by compulsion, but by His own will. He does not make anyone chosen by force; on the contrary, He calls all, and those who willingly respond—them He makes chosen." Just as the sun shines on all, but only those who have opened their eyes benefit from it, so God calls everyone, but only those who themselves desire it become chosen.
Venerable Abba Dorotheus:
"No one knows which people are pleasing to God and which are not. Therefore, we must honor all people as holy and chosen, lest we ourselves be among the rejected. God's election is a mystery hidden in His heart, and we do not have the key to it."
Venerable Maximus the Confessor:
"The chosen are those in whom the Divine will has become their own desire. They are not 'chosen' by God as objects, but have become co-workers with God, because there is no room left in their hearts for a will contrary to God."
St. Gregory the Theologian:
"Many desire to be chosen, but few are ready to bear the responsibility that comes with being chosen." Chosenness requires a heart willing to be pierced, a life willing to be sacrificed. It is not a gift to be enjoyed, but a gift to be served.
Saint John Chrysostom:
“Do you want to know if you are chosen by God? See if temptations befall you. For God chastens whom He loves, and scourges every son He accepts. Trials are the seal of chosenness, with which the Lord marks His own, lest they become lost in this world.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian:
“God's chosen ones live in the world as strangers and pilgrims, and no one knows of their greatness, because they do not seek glory from men. Their chosenness is secret, in hidden worship of the spirit. Do not seek the signs of election externally; seek them in the silence of your heart, when it abides in love for God, despite all the storms of life.”