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Children are strictly forbidden to hang out, communicate and be friends with evil people, since anger will change even a good mind. Anyone who touches the resin will be blackened; and the one who communicates with the proud will be like him (Sir. 13:1), says Sirach. And one more thing: with the obstinate you will become corrupt (Ps. 17:27), says the psalmist. We see that he [the devil], when he himself cannot catch a person, sends evil people to him, his servants, through whom, as his real instrument, he tries to catch him. From here we see many charmers, cunning people, deceivers who pretend to be kind and try to creep into a pious heart and enter into friendship with it, but inside there are wolves in sheep’s clothing and a secret weapon of the devil. Through such servants of his, the devil tries to catch a pious soul and confuse him in his nets. Such wolves are more dangerous than the devil himself. But they are known by their fruits, for no matter how cunning and how they hide themselves, they still show their poison, hidden inside them. Beware of such people, Christian! Our Savior told us: by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:16). A person is poor because he does not have true and sincere friends. True friendship cannot exist without mutual and heartfelt love, without unanimity and agreement. Love is rare in the sons of men. Cunning, cunning, lies, hypocrisy are shown in almost everyone. There is little truth among the sons of men. Each one spoke vain things to his neighbor: flattering lips spoke from the heart, and evil from the heart (Ps. 11:2-3). One will deceive, another will lie, a third and a fourth will do the same, and so one must fear and be afraid of everyone. The human heart is deep and deceitful (see Jer. 17:9). It happens a lot to us to have friends, but then they soon become our enemies; so we find out that they were false friends to us. A sincere friend is always a friend. In our happiness we have many friends - they are like a shadow during the radiance, but when the radiance of our happiness disappears and the day of our well-being darkens, then they, like a shadow, retreat from us and hide. And from here it is clear that their friendship was false. True love is always united with the beloved, both in happiness and in misfortune. Since true love makes two one, and therefore where one is, there the other is inseparably present, although not always with the body, but always with the heart. Our true friend is the one who does not leave us in misfortune. Look for such a friend, especially in this day and age, when people are learning to deceive and seduce each other, to laugh at and slander each other. O poor Christians, how far you have departed from those Christians who had one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). And from here you see for yourself that your Christianity is false. The father of lies, the devil, teaches people to lie to each other, deceive and deceive each other, and so all loyalty and love would dry up from human hearts... Christian, what kind of friends can we hope for here? Here there is obvious trouble for a person: trouble from neighbors, trouble from family, trouble from friends, trouble from brethren, trouble from servants and slaves. There can be no greater friendship than between husband and wife, but even here we see how much enmity, how many complaints we hear from them against each other, and slander, and other evil! What kind of friendship is this – complaining and slandering each other? You see, Christian, that we do not have true and sincere friends, and therefore we are beggars, and there is nowhere to find them. Let us turn to Christ, unite with Him and draw closer with our hearts. Without a doubt, He loves us and the unworthy as a Lover of mankind, so He laid down His life for us. Let us also love Him as He who loves us, and so there will be friendship between us, but faithful, true, sincere, unceasing, blessed and eternal, for mutual love makes friendship. Then, although the whole world will be at enmity with us, truly nothing will harm us. You are My friends, O goodness, O love of Jesus, O honor and Christian dignity, if you do what I command you (John 15:14), says the Lord. Anyone who wants to maintain piety and succeed in this must avoid friendship and worldly conversations. In the assembly of the sons of this age, nothing more is done than words and deeds that are contrary to the will and holy law of God. In one meeting they talk about this and in another about that. There they revile and curse the other, here they complain about the other and with their teeth, like a weapon and a sharp sword, they wound his name, and when they are fed up with slander about him, they attack the other. In that meeting there was feasting, drunkenness, disorderly cries and other things that followed drunkenness; in the other, quarrels, quarrels and mutual abuse take place, and thus the law of God is ruined, either in word or in deed, and temptation is given. All this strikes and almost hurts our conscience and deprives it of peace and quiet. And, Christian, you will return to your home no longer the same as you left home. Just as those who enter a pharmacy filled with fragrant ointments, and those who linger there for a while, take with them the incense of those ointments, so a pious soul, having entered into a meeting of people who live according to the flesh and the world, and lingering, takes out a few evil spirits, like the stench that has clung to them. Our feelings, especially hearing and vision, are like doors through which all evil enters our heart and, whether we want it or not, strikes it and draws us to what either the ear has heard or the eye has seen. But since the human heart is inclined toward evil, it conveniently turns to evil and is seduced, and thus conceives and gives birth to lawlessness. So the holy David, leaving his house and walking on the roof of the king’s house, saw Uriah’s wife, and was deceived and fell (see 2 Samuel 11:2-4). That is why we read in church history that the saints withdrew from cohabitation with the wicked. Many deigned to live in deserts rather than in cities and villages, so as not to be harmed by the temptation of lawless deeds and words. Therefore, the whole world is surprised at the righteous Lot that, living among the lawless Sodomites, he remained safe (see Gen. 19). But it was no small torment for the holy man to see and hear such iniquities of wicked people: for this righteous man, living among them, was tormented daily in his righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds (2 Pet. 2:8). This world is Sodom, lawless and unclean, and those who love peace are like the Sodomites. If you do not want to damage your soul and perish with these Sodomites, Christian, avoid their communication and friendship like fire or like a pestilence. And if you need to leave your house and be in a meeting, do not hesitate there, guard your eyes and ears, so that evil does not enter your heart and, in the likeness of a thief, destroy your spiritual home, and in that case pray to God: turn away my eyes, so as not to see vanity (Ps. 119:37). Woe to the world from temptations, for temptations must come (Matthew 18:7), says Christ. Satan everywhere lays snares for the pious and tries to catch them with them: as soon as you leave the house, then you are met by the temptation of words or lawless deeds, which will either hurt or disturb your conscience. But you cannot know the ulcer until you are alone in the house. On the contrary, in the home and in solitude, one who stays is free from incidents that in meetings and conversations of those present lead to sin. The house and walls cannot give temptation, the ear does not hear and the eye does not see evil - and so a person does not accept temptation from others, and he himself does not give temptation to anyone, but all this can be contrary. There may be an examination of conscience, which, like a notebook, will present to you the sins of your past life, will present God’s judgment for sins and Gehenna prepared for sinners, from which true repentance and heartfelt contrition will follow. There is righteous and true reasoning about worldly and perishable things, wealth, honor, glory and sweetness, which will show you all this joy, like a dream vision, appearing and disappearing for a short time, and will imagine death approaching, and it is not known when, but coming to everyone, which puts an end to everything. From death, two paths will appear to you: one leading to a prosperous eternity, the other leading to an unfavorable eternity. This reflection will take you away from vanity and excite you to prepare for a blissful outcome - to avoid an unfavorable eternity by the grace of God, and to desire and seek a prosperous one. Do not make friends with anyone until you find out whether the person you want to know is truly a good person and not a hypocrite, otherwise you will repent and regret later, but it will be too late. Many wolves walk in sheep's clothing: by their fruits, says the Lord, you will recognize them (Matthew 7:16). Many speak quietly, smoothly and softly, many are silent, many fast and read a lot of prayers and so on (which in itself is not bad and commendable), but inside they are evil, bitter and rotten, like apples that are beautiful on the outside, but rotten on the inside and with wormholes. Know for sure: if there is no piety inside, then in essence there is no, and external, visible piety without internal is deception and hypocrisy. However, do not despise anyone, do not disdain, but love and honor everyone in a Christian way and do not condemn anyone, for you do not know what a person has inside.