21. The devil presents minor sins as insignificant
in our eyes, because otherwise he would not be able lead us into major ones.
21. Having allowed sin to enter into you
(accepting the thought), don’t say: it will not conquer me, because the extent
that you have permitted it in is the degree to which it has conquered you.
21. Don’t say: "What should I do? I don’t
want to, but it (forgetfulness) still comes." — This is because you
neglected your responsibilities when you knew of them.
21. When the mind, having been fortified in the
Lord, diverts the soul away from prolonged bad habits, the heart is subjected
to the executioner-like punishment of passions that drag it from one place to
another.
21. He, who overindulged in requisite physical
pleasures, will pay for this excess a hundred times over in a variety of
torments.
21. A willful sinner finds it difficult to repent,
knowing it is impossible to hide from God’s truth.
21. If anyone sins openly and does not repent —
having suffered no grief up to the day of his departure (from this life) — then
know that the judgement over him will be merciless.
21. A person that genuinely repents is subject to
denigration by the foolish. But this should be a sign to him that his penitence
is pleasing to God.
21. If a person falls into some type of sin and
does not lament about this to the same depth as the measure of his crime, he
will again fall into the enemy’s snare.
28. Don’t think that you have acquired virtue
without sorrows; such virtue is unreliable (not experienced) by reason of its
ease in acquiring it.
28. Having fulfilled a commandment, expect
temptations; because love toward Christ is tested by difficulties.
28. If you want to free yourself of future
sorrows, then endure present ones with willingness — for in this way, you will
mentally change one for the other, and through these small sorrows, avoid great
sufferings.
28. Do not seek perfection (of the Law) in human
virtues, because there is no perfection in them: its perfection is secreted in
Christ’s cross.
28. People’s denouncements inflict pain on the
heart, but sometimes are the reason for its cleansing who bears them.
28. Because of many heartfelt sorrows, Christ’s
commandments, if fulfilled conscientiously, bestow solace. Moreover, one and
the other come in their own time.
28. When, as a consequence of some insult you
become irritated, do not grieve because it has mentally activated the concealed
evil within you. Vanquish these thoughts that have sprung up in the knowledge
that as they are destroyed when they arise, the evil underlying them that leads
them toward action is also destroyed. If these thoughts are allowed to linger
and appear often, then evil usually becomes stronger.
30. If you see someone praising you
hypocritically, then expect rebuke from him at another time.
30. Having some type of spiritual gift, and
commiserating with one who doesn’t have it preserves such a gift. A haughty
individual will lose this gift, having been stricken with conceited thoughts.
30. The lips of a humble individual speak the
truth, while those that contradict them are like the servant that struck Christ
on the cheek.
30. Do not exalt yourself because of your
knowledge (borrowing) of the Gospel so as not to fall into blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit.
30. Do not attempt to solve dark and entangled
deeds through the means of an argument, but through prayer and unshakeable
hope.
30. Know beforehand that when you notice that your
idea promises public acclaim, it undoubtedly is preparing you for humiliation.
30. If you want your sins to be absolved by
Christ, then don’t speak out before people about any virtue that you may have,
because God will treat our sins the same way we treat our virtues.
30. If you notice that someone is extremely sick
at heart, caused through dishonor, know that he is vain and is now unpleasantly
reaping the harvest from the seeds that he himself had planted in his heart.
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