157. К Италике

In all other respects, both by nature and by activity and occupation, there is a difference between the sexes - I say, the male sex differs from the female. The woman is assigned to the household; for a man – involvement in both social and political affairs. But in deeds for the sake of God and in labors for the benefit of the church there is no such difference, and on the contrary, it happens that in labors and good deeds of this kind, a woman takes on an even more significant share than a man. Wanting to show this among other things, in his letter to your hometown, Paul praises the names of many women who, according to him, have worked hard to correct men and lead them to the true path (Rom. 16). For what purpose am I saying all this? So that you do not consider it a foreign matter for yourself to take part in care and work tending to correct the church condition, but recognize it as your duty, both directly and through others, through whomever you can, to bring on your part the proper zeal to tame the general unrest and confusion that has gripped the Eastern churches. The more severe this excitement and the more ferocious this storm, the greater will be your reward for your determination to do everything and endure everything to restore the broken world and for your zeal to return to proper order everything that has fallen into disorder. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: