Woe to
those who are rich, who are full, who laugh, and who are praised. But good
shall come to those who endure every wrongful accusation, beating, robbery, or
compulsory difficulty. This is completely opposite to what people usually
think and feel! The thoughts of God are as far from human thoughts as heaven is
from the earth. How else could it be? We are in exile; and it is not remarkable
for those in exile to be offended and insulted. We are under a penance; the
penance consists of deprivations and labors. We are sick; and most useful for
the sick are bitter medicines.
The Savior
Himself all of His life did not have a place to lay His head, and He finished
his life on the cross — why should his followers have a better lot? The Spirit
of Christ is the spirit of preparedness to suffer and bear good-naturedly all
that is sorrowful. Comfort, arrogance, splendor, and ease are all foreign to
its searching and tastes. Its path lies in the fruitless, dreary desert. The
model is the forty-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert. Who follows
this path? Everyone who sees Canaan beyond the desert, boiling over with milk
and honey. During his wandering he too receives manna, however not from the
earth, but from heaven; not bodily, but spiritually. All the glory is within.
St. Theophan the Recluse, Thoughts for Each
Day of the Year:
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
Source: http://www.orthodoxchurchquotes.com/2015/10/12/st-theophan-the-recluse-woe-to-those-who-are-rich/
CONVERSATION