Письмо XXXIV. Тому же

Going into suffering, the Lord sent us peace, and by rising from the dead, He again gave us peace (John 14:27). What did He mean by this? That we must dispassionately endure unfavorable times, without succumbing to difficult circumstances and without losing hope for the best, but also not to be carried away by events that give reason for joy, and not to reject the mind that educates us, but to always remain the same in both suffering and well-being. And this does not happen if we do not first step on the asp and the basilisk (Ps. 90:13), that is, we do not rise above disobedience to Divine speeches and the acceptance of crafty reasoning, and we do not trample the lion and the dragon (Ps. 90:13), that is, anger and lust, after the removal of which all peace will be with us, for nothing that is here can disturb us. Let us overcome anger and lust - and then we will bring down the entire foreign house with all the household members, destroying the passionate way of life along with the passions. [367] You might be interested in: