The Shepherd, May 2009
So, I beseech you, let us flee from this wicked and unforgivable sin. And, if you want to learn that the darkness of rancour is worse than any other sin, listen to me. Every other sin is committed for a short time and is quickly accomplished. For example, one fornicates, and after this he realizes the magnitude of the sin, and recognizes his guilt. But remembrance of wrongs is an unceasing and festering passion. For, whether he stands up, lies down, prays, or travels, one who is gripped by this passion retains the poison of it in his heart unceasingly and unremittingly, with the result that, being thus enslaved, he neither enjoys the Grace of God nor obtains the forgiveness of his sins. Where rancour puts down its roots, nothing is of any avail: neither fasting, nor prayer, nor tears, nor confession, nor supplication, nor virginity, nor almsgiving, nor any other good deed. Rancour towards one’s brother destroys everything.
Let us also take careful note of the following point. Christ did not say, If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thou hast ought against thy brother, but if thou rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Matt. 5:23-24). If, therefore, we ought to heal the evil and wickedness of a brother, what forgiveness do we have, not only if we fail to do this, but also if we remember wrongs that our brothers have done to us and conceal within ourselves the pernicious venom of the serpent? I often hear many people saying: Alas, how can I be saved? I do not have the strength to fast, I do not know how to keep vigil, I cannot practice virginity, I cannot bear to withdraw from the world—how, then, can I be saved? How? I will tell you. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (cf. Luke 6:37). Behold, a single short path to salvation. I will show you a second way, too. And what is this? Judge not, and ye shall not be judged (Luke 6:37). Behold, another way, one that does not involve fasting, vigil, or effort.
Therefore, do not judge your brother, even if you see him sinning with your own eyes. For, there is one Judge and Master, Who will render to each man according to his deeds, and one Day of Judgment, on which we shall stand, laid bare according to our actions and receiving the mercy of God. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son (Jn 5:22). He, therefore, who judges before the Second Coming of Christ is an Antichrist, for he usurps the office of Christ. Let us not judge our brothers, I implore you, so that we might be vouchsafed forgiveness. Well, perhaps you see him sinning; but you do not know what kind of ending his life will have. That thief who was crucified with Jesus had committed homicide, whereas Judas was an Apostle and Disciple of Jesus and one of His genuine Disciples. And yet, within a short span of time an exchange took place: the thief entered the Kingdom, while the Disciple went to perdition. Now, granted your brother is a sinner, how do you know about his other deeds? For, many who have sinned frequently and openly have secretly brought forth great repentance. We see them sinning, but we have no knowledge of their repentance and conversion. By us they are judged to be sinners, but they are justified by God.
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