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When a man desires a thing too much, he at once
becomes ill at ease. A proud and avaricious man never
rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart
lives in a world of peace. An unmortified man is
quickly tempted and overcome in small, trifling
evils; his spirit is weak, in a measure carnal and
inclined to sensual things; he can hardly abstain
from earthly desires. Hence it makes him sad to
forego them; he is quick to anger if reproved. Yet if
he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience
overwhelms him because he followed his passions and
they did not lead to the peace he sought.True
peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions,
not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the
carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but
there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man.
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Vain is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.
Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and
to seem poor in this world. Do not be self-sufficient but place
your trust in God. Do what lies in your power and God will aid
your good will. Put no trust in your own learning nor in the
cunning of any man, but rather in the grace of God Who helps the
humble and humbles the proud.If you have wealth, do not glory
in it, nor in friends because they are powerful, but in God Who
gives all things and Who desires above all to give Himself. Do not
boast of personal stature or of physical beauty, qualities which
are marred and destroyed by a little sickness. Do not take pride
in your talent or ability, lest you displease God to Whom belongs
all the natural gifts that you have.
Do not think yourself better than others lest, perhaps, you be
accounted worse before God Who knows what is in man. Do not take
pride in your good deeds, for God's judgments differ from those of
men and what pleases them often displeases Him. If there is good
in you, see more good in others, so that you may remain humble. It
does no harm to esteem yourself less than anyone else, but it is
very harmful to think yourself better than even one. The humble
live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are
envy and frequent anger.
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