21 July 2021
Obtaining the Divine Prize
Hence,
if we desire to obtain in its entirety that divine prize of which it is said,
'Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God,' [anger] must not only
be cut off from our actions but must even be uprooted from the depths of our
soul. For as wrathful anger that has been checked in speech and that has not
manifested itself in deeds is of no value whatsoever if God, from whom the
secrets of the heart are not concealed, sees that it exists in the recesses of
our breast. For the words of the Gospel command that the roots of our vices be
cut off rather than the fruits, which will certainly never grow anymore once
the shoot has been pulled up. And when they have been pulled up not from the
surface of our deeds and actions but from the depths of our thoughts, our mind
will then be able to abide in utter patience and holiness.
John Cassian (360–435)
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