Against Anger and Resentment
September 3
(Holding Anger Against One's Neighbor Gives Place to the Devil)
September 3
(Holding Anger Against One's Neighbor Gives Place to the Devil)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
A certain monk named Isaac recounted the following incident from his life. "One day," he said, "I quarreled with my brother and became angry with him. Meanwhile, while sitting at my handiwork, I remembered my quarrel, repented, and, troubled by the fear of accountability before God, I pondered: 'what should I do?' At that moment, a certain young man entered and, without making the sign of the cross as one ought, said: 'You have sinned and are troubled; surrender yourself to me and you will be at peace.' I, realizing that this was the devil, replied: 'Go away, for you are not from God.' He said to me: 'I pity you: you ruin your own soul, yet you are still mine.' I replied, 'No, I am not yours, devil; I am God's.' He then said: 'The anger of those who hold grudges and remember evil has been entrusted to us by God; yet you have been angry with your brother for three weeks.' I responded: 'You lie.' And he said: 'You harbor ill will against him; but those who hold onto grudges await the fire of Gehenna, and I am assigned to such people, and you are mine.' Hearing this, I immediately went to my brother, bowed to him, and reconciled with him. And what happened? Upon returning home, I found that the devil, unable to bear my reconciliation, in his malice had burned my handiwork and the mat that I usually laid down when I prayed."
From this narration, dear brethren, you see that whoever harbors malice against a neighbor has the devil, the enemy of our salvation, closest at hand; that those who do not repent of their malice are subject to the devil's power; that those who cling to malice await the fire of Gehenna in the life to come; and that, finally, through repentance for our anger and reconciliation with our neighbors, we shame the devil and drive him away from us.
Knowing this, what shall we do, brethren? We must extinguish the sparks of anger in our hearts at the very outset, so that they do not turn into flames and consequently transform into the flames of Gehenna. We must forgive offenses and love our enemies. And in order to become accustomed to this, let us first meditate more often on our guilt before God and on God’s mercy towards us, the sinners. In all our distraction, our sins often terrify us greatly, and we ourselves feel worthy of every punishment. But how does our Heavenly Father deal with us? Does He punish us for our sins? No; He employs all measures for our admonition and correction; He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from sin and death; as a caring father, He provides us with all that is necessary for life: food, clothing, and shelter; He cares for every hair on our heads; He calls all of us sinners to Himself and says: "Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
From this narration, dear brethren, you see that whoever harbors malice against a neighbor has the devil, the enemy of our salvation, closest at hand; that those who do not repent of their malice are subject to the devil's power; that those who cling to malice await the fire of Gehenna in the life to come; and that, finally, through repentance for our anger and reconciliation with our neighbors, we shame the devil and drive him away from us.
Knowing this, what shall we do, brethren? We must extinguish the sparks of anger in our hearts at the very outset, so that they do not turn into flames and consequently transform into the flames of Gehenna. We must forgive offenses and love our enemies. And in order to become accustomed to this, let us first meditate more often on our guilt before God and on God’s mercy towards us, the sinners. In all our distraction, our sins often terrify us greatly, and we ourselves feel worthy of every punishment. But how does our Heavenly Father deal with us? Does He punish us for our sins? No; He employs all measures for our admonition and correction; He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from sin and death; as a caring father, He provides us with all that is necessary for life: food, clothing, and shelter; He cares for every hair on our heads; He calls all of us sinners to Himself and says: "Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
