If anyone insults you…

If anyone insults you or otherwise troubles you, pray for him, as the Father says, as for one who does you great benefit in curing you of your love for pleasure. From this your violent passions will be lessened. The Fathers say that genuine love is the curb of the passions and, before all, it entreats God to give you sobriety and a clear understanding to know what is His will, what is good and well-pleasing to Him and perfect, and the power of being constant in the performance of every good work.

- Saint Dorotheus of Gaza, “Discourses and Sayings”

Love for God

He who has realized love for God in his heart is tireless in his pursuit of the Lord his God, and bears every hardship, reproach and insult nobly, never thinking the least evil of anyone.

- St. Maximos the Confessor

Musing of an Orthodox Brit: 14 messages insulting me and my Orthodox faith will not break my spirit. If demons can not destroy the saints then Tumblr trolls will not destroy me! :-P

Depression

So now you stopped insulting me (after 7 insulting messages) and you started insulting Daniel?

In this way you don’t promote Catholicism, you make people fear of Catholicism, can’t you understand that??

PS. Thank you for all the encouragement messages from Christians of all denominations (including dear Catholic friends). I love you all!

Daniel please don’t worry,

God bless you all

I’ve Been Insulted!

Jesus on the Cross

There are few things that can make a person angrier than being insulted and criticized. I know there’ve been times when I said something like, “He said what? Well, let me tell you a few things about him…” But when you read the lives of the saints, you realize that they didn’t let accusations upset them.

Here’s what St. Isaac the Syrian says:

The man who endures accusations against himself with humility has arrived at perfection. He is marveled at by the holy angels, for there is no other virtue so great and so hard to achieve.

So when you’re verbally attacked, follow the example of our Lord: He was silent when people said evil things against Him