St. Theophan the Recluse: Dealing with Personal Animosity

St. Theophan the Recluse: Dealing with Personal Animosity

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09.06.2023, 01:16

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Friday, June 9 (May 27), 2023
Rom. 2:14-19; Mt. 5:33-41

“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil” [Mt. 5:39] ─ or, in other words, as it might seem ─ give in to people’s malice and enmity. Is it at all possible to live by such a rule?

Don’t worry. The One Who has given this commandment is at the same time our Provider and Guardian. When you decide, with full faith and utmost sincerity, to live without violent resistance to any personal offence, the Lord Himself will provide for you a way of life not only bearable, but even happy.

Moreover, as it happens in certain cases, resistance annoys your opponent yet further and provokes him for new offences, while a concession on your part will disarm and pacify him. Have enough patience to withstand the first attack of hate ─ and people will pity you and leave you alone. Resistance and revenge, on the other hand, feeds bitter animosity which spreads from personal into family relations and lasts for generations.

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