A man can be harmed by another only through the causes of the
passions which lie within himself. It is
for this reason that God, the Creator of all and the doctor of men’s souls, who
alone has accurate knowledge of the soul’s wounds, does not tell us to forsake
the company of men; He tells us to root out the causes of evil within us and to
recognize that the souls’ health is achieved not by a man’s separating himself
from his fellows, but by his living the ascetic life in the company of holy
men. When we abandon our brothers for
some apparently good reason, we do not eradicate the motives for dejection but
merely exchange them, since the sickness which lies hidden within us will show
itself again in other circumstances. St. John Cassian
Remember that we are all weak, are very easily overcome by
passions, and therefore be meek and patient to those who sin against you,
knowing that you yourself often suffer from the same infirmity as your
brother. Forgive those who trespass
against you, so that God may forgive your trespasses incomparably greater than
the trespasses of others against you. Be
always calm, patient, kind-hearted, unsuspicious and firm, and you will always
triumph over your enemies. St. John of Kronstadt
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