People in the world, when they erect a luxurious house, give themselves no rest at night, and at the end of the day they toil and plan, laboring until they have achieved their objective; and such is the longing that fills them that their mind is wholly occupied in this and in considering how the roof may be well covered, or how the floor, adorned with many different marbles with every other form of elegance, will offer lovers of fine sights the most pleasing appearance. But if someone were to wish to tear them away from that care, they would be more distressed, as though they were being seriously wronged.
But we. when we are building not a corruptible house but an incorruptible one, one not made out of stones and wood, but one skillfully constructed from spiritual graces, how can we be idle and come far below these others in zeal? How should this not be the greatest of wrongs?
That other house harbors people who love the flesh, and when it has passed through many masters it will be pulled down and deserted. The other knows that it welcomes the Holy Spirit, since we are a temple of the living God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us, as the living Apostle says.
- St. Theodore the Studite
No comments:
Post a Comment