28 April 2020
Falsehood is From the Evil One
In
the Scriptures it is written that falsehood is from the evil one, and that He
is the "Father of Lies" (John 8:44), while God is truth, for He Himself says,
"I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6). Thus you see from whom
we estranged ourselves and to whom we are united by
a lie. So then, if
we really want to be saved, we must love truth with our
whole hearts and guard
ourselves from all falsehood. There are three different types of lies: in
thought, in word, and in life itself. A man lies in thought when he accepts as
true his own imaginations, that is his vain despite
of his neighbor. Such a one, when he sees that someone is conversing
with his neighbor, makes his own estimation and
says, "They are talking about me." If someone says a word, he considers that
it was said to grieve him. Never believe your own guesses
and interpretations, for a crooked measurement makes even the straight
to be crooked. Human opinion
is false and harms those who are given to it. The one who sins in word is one who, for example, when out of despondency
he has not gotten
up for the service, does not say, "Forgive me, I
was too lazy to get up," but
says, "I had a fever, I had too much work, I hadn't
the strength to get up, I
was sick," and says ten false statements, rather than
make a single prostration
and be humbled. One who lies by his life is one
who, if he is defiled, pretends to be chaste, or if he is avaricious, praises almsgiving,
or if he is proud praises humility. Thus, in order to escape falsehood and be
delivered from the part of the evil one, let us strive to appropriate
truth, in order
to have union with God.
Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine
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