The truly intelligent man

The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and to conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His  providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul. 

 

We are never alone

When you close the doors to your dwelling and are alone you should know that there is present with you the angel whom God has appointed for each man...This angel, who is sleepless and cannot be deceived, is always present with you; he sees all things and is not hindered by darkness.

You should know, too, that with him is God, who is in every place; for there is no place and nothing material in which God is not, since He is greater than all things and holds all men in His hand. 

Our life and death is with our neighbor

Our life and our death is with our neighbor.  If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.

On the great work of a man

This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath. 

On lack of contentment

Any circumstance in which a man finds himself unwillingly is a prison for him. So be content with whatever circumstances you may now be in, lest, by being ungrateful, you punish yourself unwittingly. 

Who are the intelligent?

People are generally called intelligent through a wrong use of this word.  The intelligent are not those who have studied the sayings and writings of the wise men of old, but those whose soul is intelligent, who can judge what is good and what is evil; they avoid what is evil and harms the soul and intelligently care for and practice what is good and profits the world, greatly thanking God. 

What the lover of God can expect

I will show you another work that can establish man firmly (on his way) from beginning to end.  It is to love God with all his heart and intention and to worship Him.  God will then give him great strength and joy, and all the works of God will become to him as sweet as honeycomb.  So will all labors of the body become light and sweet, along with his meditation, vigil and carrying the Lord's yoke. 

However, on account of God's love for man, He unleashes upon him adversities so as not to be conceited, but stand firm in his struggle and proceed further in his growth.  Instead of strength he feels languor and feebleness, instead of joy, sadness; instead of sweetness, bitterness.  Many similar things befall him who loves God.  Nevertheless, he is all the more strengthened in his struggle against them and eventually overcomes them. Once he does so, the Spirit of God stands by him in all things and strengthens him so as never to fear anything evil.