Wednesday, October 15, 2014
On sins of the tongue
On the conduct of a pure heart
Treat every man not with flattery, but simply, just as you do yourself. As you appear to him outwardly, be so inwardly as well; and what you say to him and what you have on your lips must be in your heart also. For flattery and treachery are the works of pestilent people, and the devil lives in their heart teaching them flattery and treachery so as to deceive us.
Keep, then, from treating your neighbour craftily and treacherously, lest you give place to the devil in your heart, and lest he overcome you and take you captive.By no means offend anyone
Be extremely careful not to offend anyone in word or deed, for it is a grave sin. When someone is offended, God, Who loves the man, is also offended, for there can be no offending man without offending God. Whoever sins against a man, also sins against God. This is a serious matter, as you can see for yourself. And when you offend your neighbour, straightway humble yourself before him and beg forgiveness of him with humility, lest you fall under God’s just condemnation.Do not pry into other people’s affairs
Keep from prying into other people’s affairs, for such prying gives occasion for slander, judgement and other grevious sins. Why do you need to be concerned about others? Know and examine your own self.
Recall your own past sins and purge them with repentance and contrition of heart, and you will not look at what other people do. Look often into your own heart and examine that most ruinous evil hidden there, and you will have sufficient material for investigation. For we can never examine our heart without knowing precisely that every evil is contained in it.
This investigation is profitable to you, for it gives birth to humility and to fear and watching over one’s own self, and to sighing and prayer to God. But examination of the sins of others is the beginning of every iniquity and it is a curiosity hateful to God and man. Then guard yourself against it.
St Tikhon of Zadonsk (18th century)
