Беседа 37. Каковы признаки смирения, ощущаемые человеком в самом себе. 1228 И о благодарении в искушениях. И как возможно для человека претерпевать их 1229 без жалоб.

1. Constant reprimands of conscience are a sign of humility. Their absence in any action is a hardening of the heart: this is an indication that a person is accustomed to justifying himself, blaming his neighbor instead, or - worse than that - the wise Providence of God himself. A person cannot go beyond the bounds of humility unless he first sees himself as innocent, blaming instead the events and incidents that were providentially provided for him by God. 2. For when, strictly following his conscience, he sees himself guilty of what happened, then he will know that his state is a deep degree of humility. This is evident from the fact that he is peaceful and calm in the face of surprises, for he remains unperturbed. This is the peace of humility that is the fruit of maturity. 1230 Whoever has entered into this will have greater peace than confusion in every temptation. 3. But until a person has acquired true knowledge, 1231 he cannot see something good in the rod of God, which causes pain, and he does not cease to complain about God’s providence for him, in different ways in what is providential for him in different ways by the wisdom of God under the guise of troubles. It happens that your neighbor suddenly greets you with a harsh word about something unpleasant; or something that a person possessed turns out to be damaged, and this makes him irritated and annoyed; or some illness befalls him, or malaise, or something else happens to his body; it happens, again, that demons overcome a person; it happens that he is deprived of his property. 1232 the weak does not see the finger acting through these circumstances, but is indignant, 1233 annoyed and upset by external events. O foolish child! Why do you blame a person, or a demon, or events that happen nearby? 1234 Better look at the internal, more distant and hidden reasons for these. 1235 Stop being outraged by the actions of God through the people who carry them out, as well as by the external side of 1236 events; and you will find in them knowledge of the truth, humility and other benefits. 4. For if you will sometimes examine the events that cause pain to your hidden wounds, and go inside yourself and check what is hidden in you, and you will remind yourself that God, who suddenly sends trouble to a person, is not evil, then you will quickly find relief from your temptations and consolation from your vexation, and you will achieve true knowledge thanks to the growth that is in your temptations. 5. But if, during annoying circumstances, you look only at their external side and do not look at your innermost sores, which are the real cause of these circumstances, 1237 and do not examine them, no matter how much you are indignant, you will only aggravate your misfortune and will only increase your troubles, which you have brought upon yourself: from one to another you will be thrown, just as ocean waves meet one another and roll over one another. We translated this long phrase freely. Lit. “jumps up”, “jumps up”. Lit. "which are visible nearby." Lit. "to distant causes that are hidden within these." Lit. "external forms". Lit. "which set these events in motion." You might be interested in: