But, what if it is impossible to live peaceably with everybody?
* Do not be the cause of the controversy.
Be the crucified not the crucifier. You may face troubles from others, but do not be the beginner of evil. Moreover, do not be over-sensitive with regard to the faults of others.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
Category: DISCERNMENT
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If a person has an opportunity to save someone from an attack against him, would he not do under pretext of gentleness?
He could say: It is not my business. What have I to do with that? Leave me alone! Or rather he advances valiantly to save him, gently. In this way the Lord Christ saved the woman caught in the very act from being stoned. He said to those who wanted to stone her: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” He said this gently, without revealing their sins, but wrote them down on the ground.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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…If you keep silent, your silence will be wrong. Gentleness does not mean that you live like a still corpse in the society. You should have your own personality, but in a gentle way, even to express yourself with one word as the Baptist did, saying: “It is not lawful for you” (Mt 14: 4)
St. Paul the Apostle said, “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20: 31) His gentleness did not prevent him from warning everybody, but gently: with tears!
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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The gentle is usually bashful; he cannot look at anyone fully in the face.
He does not examine one’s features to know his inner feelings or the truth of his words. If he is fought with this, he will say to himself: It is not my business. Let me mind my own business! He is by nature gentle, and is not inclined to examine others’ actions.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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Even in the case of best friends, one should be sensitive regarding continuously visiting and intruding. It is an easy thing to wear out one’s welcome. If one does not respect their neighbors in space, the neighbor may become weary and eventually come to hate them.
Frequently people who wear the best of friends become the bitterest enemies because of neglect of so simple a scripture as this.
—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef -
If only we could go back and do something differently, perhaps we would feel differently right now. But perhaps not. If things unfolded differently, we may be suffering a different hurt, and wish for that to be different.
On moving things forward
Madeleine Dore -
The thoughts that encompass all evil are eight in number: those of gluttony, unchastity, avarice, anger, dejection, listlessness, self-esteem and pride. It does not lie within our power to decide whether or not these eight thoughts are going to arise and disturb us. But to dwell on them or not to dwell on them, to excite the passions or not to excite them, does lie within our power.
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Whoever writes should put in his mind before writing what consequences, effects and reactions are likely to result from it. A piece of writing is something for which one is responsible before, one’s conscience, before God and before its readers. Blessed is the person who writes with his conscience before his pen. And blessed is he whose writing can call forth nobility and not sharp arrows of animosity. No one ought to write and publish without considering the possible reactions to his work, or just to achieve some personal gain.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Experiences in Life
SO GOOD QUOTES 