РЕВНОСТЬ

A well-meaning person should grieve over all the sins of others, especially when he sees a soul mired in the wickedness of paganism. For such a soul should not only grieve, but burn and flame with jealousy for anyone who considers himself a disciple of Paul. When Paul was in Athens, his spirit, according to the writer, was on fire at the sight of a city filled with idols. But what motivates holy men to harbor such jealousy? What motivates our wonderful father to be such a guardian of piety? Just as the king of the earth, having the universe under his authority, has arbiters of justice in every court of justice, so God has faithful shepherds - guardians of piety. Many of the pagans often respond to the remarks of Christians with abuse; They are told, for example: why do you blaspheme? Why do you persist in wickedness? And they immediately object with abuse: these are the intercessors of God! Can't God stand up for Himself? But in fact, He does not stand up for Himself (because the Divine does not tolerate offense), but punishes ungrateful slaves through faithful servants. Does God need intercessors? Yes, not because, of course, He is unable to defend Himself, but so that you can discover your jealousy. After all, if He did everything by Himself, then the path of life would be closed for the zealot. Didn't Pharaoh once fight against God, wallowing in wickedness? And there was no scourge on him until faithful Moses appeared. Did not the lie of polytheism flourish with its false priests and false prophets, undefeated by God, until Elijah came forward as a zealot for piety? Without a doubt, holy men are intercessors for God. That is why Paul says: “and are ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is completed” (2 Cor. 10:6) (9). From diligence, as they say, will be born diligence, and from laziness, laziness. Anyone who has done something small as he should has received an incentive to begin something more important, and from here to go much further. And just as fire, the more wood it consumes, the stronger it becomes, so jealousy, the more it arouses pious thoughts, the more it arms itself against the rest of the thoughts. I'll give you an example. There are in us, like thorns, perjury, lies, hypocrisy, deceit, deceit, slander, ridicule, ridicule, obscenity, blasphemy; on the other hand - covetousness, robbery, injustice, slander, slander; further - evil lust, uncleanness, voluptuousness, fornication, adultery; as well as envy, jealousy, anger, rage, rancor, vindictiveness, blasphemy and thousands of similar vices. If we are corrected from the first, then we will already be corrected not only from them, but through them - and from those who follow them, because our soul acquires from this greater strength to destroy them (10). You might be interested in: