Elder Paisios the Athonite
Injustice Draws the Wrath of God
It
is important for a man to have God's blessing. It is great wealth! What
God blesses will stand firm; it will not crumble. Whatever is not
blessed, will crumble. Injustice is a great sin. All sins have some
"extenuating circumstances", but injustice has none. Injustice draws
the wrath of God. It is a tremendous thing! Those who commit injustice
set their heads on fire. You see them do all kinds of injustices, and
then their loved ones die and they seem not to care at all. How can
people who are so unjust prosper? They do the things they do, they give
the devil rights over them, and for this reason they suffer so much,
they get sick and so on and then they come to you and say, "Pray that I
get well!"
Most bad and harmful things happen when we wrong other
people. For example, when a fortune is made unjustly, the owners may
live a few years like royalty, but, in the end, they will spend all
their money on doctors. Remember the saying: "What is gathered by the
wind is also scattered by the wind." Or remember what the Psalm says,
“Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abundance of many
wicked” (1). What they collect is spent, blown away. Rarely will an
illness, a bankruptcy and so on be sent as a trial from God. In such
cases, one's reward will be great, and he will later become richer, as
happened with Job. Some people are buried and their bodies do not
decompose; it's usually because they have done some kind of injustice.
The Unjust Person Is Tormented
An
unjust person and in general all those who commit injustice and do not
ask for forgiveness, end up haunted by their conscience and the
indignation of those they have treated unjustly. For if the wronged do
not forgive and complain, then the unjust are tormented and suffer very
much. They cannot sleep. They feel like they are at the mercy of
crashing waves that twist them around from every side. It's a mystery
how the perpetrator is informed of this! When we love somebody and think
about him in a good way, he knows it. So too, in this case, the
victim's pain tears the unjust into pieces! It does not matter where he
may be, in Australia or in Johannesburg; as long as the person he has
treated unfairly is indignant with him, he cannot find peace.
- And what happens if he is insensitive?
-
Do you think that insensitive people do not suffer? The best they can
do is resort to some sort of entertainment to be distracted. Then again,
those wronged may have forgiven the offender but still harbour some
resentment. In this case, the victim suffers to a degree, but the
wrongdoer suffers to an even greater extent from his victim's
indignation. But if the perpetrator seeks forgiveness and his victim
refuses to forgive him, then it's the victim that suffers. There is no
greater fire than the inner burning of the soul by the conscience.
Unless one repents in this life for the injustices he has committed and
makes reparation, his soul will be tortured and eaten away by woodworm
and in the eternal life by the "sleepless worm". Even if he has no other
way of showing repentance, the least he can do is have the right
intent.
I remember how this one lawyer, who committed many
injustices, suffered at the end of his life. He practiced his profession
in a province with many stockbreeders. Naturally, their herds would
damage the fields, and many shepherds would hire him because he could
convince the Justice of the Peace or the agronomist with his cunning
arguments. The poor farmers could rarely find justice for damage done to
their crops, and they even found themselves in trouble. Everyone knew
this lawyer and no honest man went near him. I should tell you about the
advice that a Spiritual Father gave a sensitive shepherd.
This
shepherd had a small herd and a sheep dog. The dog had given birth to
puppies and he gave them all away except one that he kept for the
mother. It happened that this ewe had gone missing leaving behind its
little lamb that was still suckling. With its mother missing, the little
lamb would run after the dog to find nourishment, something that
relieved it as well. Thus, the two animals had got used to each other
and one would find the other. As hard as the poor shepherd tried to
separate them they would not part. Because the shepherd was a sensitive
man, he thought of asking his Spiritual Father if the lamb's meat would
be edible or not. Knowing how poor the shepherd was, the Father thought
for a while and then said to him, "My son, this lamb is not edible
because it fed on the dog's milk, but you know what you should do? Since
all the other shepherds bring gifts of lambs and cheese to this certain
lawyer, you should bring him this lamb to eat. He is the only one who
has a blessing to eat it, since everyone knows what an unjust man he
is."
When this unjust lawyer reached old age, he became
bed-ridden and suffered from nightmares for years and could not sleep.
He also suffered a stroke and could not even speak. The Father tried to
make him at least write down his sins, but he had lost control of
himself. The Spiritual Father was thus forced to read him the blessing
of the Seven Youths (2) so that he could close his eyes and get some
sleep. He would even read exorcisms to give him a little peace, until
finally the man passed away and was laid to rest. May God grant him the
true rest.
- Geronda, many people believe that they are under a magical spell. Is it really possible to put a spell on someone?
-
If a person repents and goes to confession, such spells are not
effective. For witchcraft to stick, a person must be guilty of some
injustice, such as harming someone or fooling a girl. In this case, he
must repent and ask for forgiveness, confess, settle spiritually and
restore the wrong he has done. Otherwise, even if all the priests in the
world would read an exorcism for him, the spell would still not go
away. But even if no witchcraft is involved, the resentment borne by the
soul he has treated unjustly is enough to torment him.
There are
two forms of injustice: material and moral. Material is when we harm
another person with regard to material things. Moral injustice is when
the wrong is of a moral nature, such as when a man deceives a woman; and
if she happens to be an orphan, the burden on his soul is five-fold. Do
you know that bullets will go after wrongdoers in war? There you can
clearly see the justice and protection of God. There's no room for
dishonour in war. A bullet will find its way to an immoral person.
Once,
my company was on its way to replace a battalion. On the way, we got
hit and returned fire. I remember that one man from my company had
actually committed a dishonourable act the day before. He had raped a
pregnant woman, poor woman. And guess what? He was the only one who got
killed that day! Horrible, isn't it? Everybody was saying, "This beast
deserved to die." In the end, the devious and cunning try to escape one
way or another, but they are not spared. We know from experience that
those who truly believe and, as a result, live an honest, Christian
life, have their honest bodies protected from enemy fire; it's like they
carry a relic of the Holy Cross and even more than that.
One’s Descendants Are Also Tormented by Injustice
- Geronda, when I left to join the Monastery, my family was unjust to me. Should I ask for what legally belongs to me?
- No, that's not the proper thing to do.
- I fear that something bad may happen to them as a result of this injustice.
-
Now, this is what I call pure philotimo. If I were you, I would tell
them, "I want nothing for myself. But I would like you to give the share
that is rightfully mine to the poor, with your own hands, starting with
our poor relatives. I am asking for this because I don't want the
wrath of God to fall on your children". You see, sometimes a father may
give away his fortune for the good of his soul, to create a charitable
institution for example, and leave nothing to his own child.
The
grandparents in a family may have done something wrong and still live a
good life, without consequences. But their children or grandchildren
may suffer. They become sick and are forced to give the money their
ancestors made unjustly, to doctors, to pay back the injustices of
their grandparents.
A family I once knew was going through many
difficulties. The head of the family got very sick first, went through a
lot, was bed-ridden for a few years, and then passed away. Then his
wife died and later his children, one after the other. His fifth and
last child passed away recently. Even though they were a very rich
family, they lost everything and ended up poor, because they had to sell
their property to pay the doctors and the various expenses. I used to
wonder why all these horrible things, sickness and accidents, were
happening to them. I happened to know some of the members of the family
and it did not seem to me to be the good kind of trial, the kind that
God sends to those He favours. Rather, it seemed to me that God's
spiritual laws were put into effect. I wanted to be certain, so I tried
to find out more about the family from reliable sources, namely, some
old folks who lived in the same town.
I learned that the man had
inherited a certain fortune from his father which he increased by doing
all sorts of wrong things. So, if a widow, say, were to ask him for a
loan to pay for her daughter's wedding, and promised to return the money
once she had harvested the crops, he would ask for a piece of land she
owned. And, as she was in great need, she would have to sell him the
land at any price he offered. Another man would ask him for a loan to
pay the bank and promise to repay him after having harvested the cotton.
He would demand the poor fellow's land and would get it for nothing, as
the farmer was afraid the bank would come after him. When someone else
asked him for a small loan to pay the doctors, he would seek to take his
cow from him, for pennies. This is how he made his fortune. The pain he
caused to all these poor people was returned not only to him and his
wife but also to his children. So, the spiritual laws came into effect
and caused them to suffer the very same things that their actions had
caused to others. In order to pay all their medical expenses, and so
on, they sold their land for nothing and after becoming poor, they left
this life for good one after the other. God, of course, with His love
and sense of justice will judge them accordingly. The others who were
harmed, all the poor folk who were forced to sell out their belongings
to pay off the doctors, all these people will be rewarded for the
injustices they endured. And, of course, the unjust will also pay their
due.
The One Who Wrongs Us Is Our Benefactor
- Geronda, how should we consider someone who treats us in an unfair way?
-
How should we consider him? We must treat him like a great benefactor
who makes deposits on our behalf in God's Savings Bank. He is making us
eternally wealthy. This is not a matter of minor importance. Are we not
supposed to love our benefactors? Shouldn't we express our gratitude to
them? In the same way, we must love and feel grateful to the person who
has treated us unjustly, because he benefits us eternally. The unjust
receive eternal injury, whereas those who accept injustice with joy
will be justified eternally.
A pious family man had suffered many
injustices in his work. But he was full of kindness and endured it all
without complaining. He came to the Kalyvi once and told me all about it
and then asked me, "What do you advise me to do?"
"What you
should do," I said, "is to expect the divine justice and the divine
return and to be patient. Nothing is lost. In this way, you are putting
'money' in God's 'Savings Bank'. You will surely receive dividends in
the next life, for all the trials you are going through now. You should
know that the Good Lord rewards the unfairly treated person even in this
life. And if He does not always reward him, He will surely do so with
his children. God knows. He has providence for His creature. Where there
is patience, things fall into place. God provides. We need patience,
not logic. Since God is watching, He is observing us, we must surrender
unconditionally to Him. You see, the Righteous Joseph did not say a
thing when his brothers sold him into slavery. He could have said, 'I am
their brother'. But he said nothing, until God spoke and made him king
(3). But when one has no patience, he suffers. From that point on he
wants things to come his way, as it suits him, and as is comfortable for
him. But, of course, he does not find comfort that way, and things
don't come out the way he wants them to come."
When someone is
wronged in this life either by men or by demons, God does not worry,
because the soul benefits as a result. Many times, however, we say that
we are wronged, while in reality we are the ones causing the harm. We
must be careful to distinguish the two.
"Render Therefore to All Their Due” (4)
- Geronda, when we purchase something for the Monastery, some people don't want to issue us a receipt. What must we do?
-
They should always issue you an invoice and you should limit your needs
and demands. This is what I would do. God will provide for what you
need. If we monks ask people not to issue invoices, we make others sin.
They think to themselves, "Since the Monasteries are doing it..." When
we, who are supposed to obey the commandments of God, operate in this
fashion, what will people think? Won't they be scandalized? The Holy
Scripture reads, "Render therefore to all their due". Even when I send a
letter with a person and not through the post office, I still put a
stamp on it. Lay people may justify their actions, but if the
Monasteries act like them, there will be little honesty left and the
Gospel will be put aside. When we do not give from our possessions - and
if any one would sue you and take thy coat, let him have thy cloak as
well (5) - we are giving a negative sermon, a negative example, that
allows the secular people to find an excuse for their faults. They are
looking for a way to comfort their conscience. We must be careful
because we will have no justification for our actions on the Day of
Judgment. Our goal should be primary to defend the spiritual principles
and not only the material things. When, for some reason, they do not
give you an invoice, you must consider this a spiritual loss.
-
Geronda, it happens sometimes that someone gives a small amount as a
donation to the Monastery and wants a receipt for a bigger amount in
order to present it as a tax-deductible expense. What must we do in this
case?
- You must tell them, "We don't issue receipts for a
bigger amount. If you don't agree, we will return your money and you
may find someone else who may accommodate you." Be careful not to catch
this disease.
- Geronda, a workman asked us to fire him so that he would collect unemployment benefits while still working for us.
-
Oh no, that is not right. Even a person with only a bit of conscience
left in him would not do such a thing. It does not become a Monastery to
get involved in such matters. It is better that you pay the workman a
double wage, even if you are in financial difficulty, in order to
discourage him from such behaviour. It's that serious. Blessed deeds
bring more blessings, while injustice brings disaster. You should be
very careful with these matters. Avoid bargaining with the workmen
either. This is why we have fires and other catastrophes in Monasteries.
An
employee takes an oath to perform his job in an honest way. For us
monastics, this oath is twice as demanding. The promise we make is
spiritual, and if we break it, the sin for us is twice as bad. Be
careful to strike a balance, and create a different, a higher standard. I
detect a wound swelling. It will break and clear up. God will not give
His Grace in a wrong situation, because the only one being helped in
that case would be the devil. Be careful to put sincerity and honesty
first. Otherwise, you will end up like a drunken man who cannot walk
straight. Can anyone in that condition stand on his own two feet? God's
wrath will come and we'll be put to the test. In the first phase, gold
will be separated from brass. In the second phase, it will become clear
how many carats of gold each one of us is worth.
The world is
full of lies. People now grow into liars. They have made up a new kind
of conscience. I will not become a liar and turn into something I am
not, because society demands it. I'd rather tell the truth and suffer.
One must be careful not to enter in the orbit of secularism. Of course,
our financial system today is of little help. People are forced to
declare a smaller income.
Once, I scolded some income tax
officials who happened to be believers. "What are you doing?" I asked
them. "You must make sure to keep some of the yeast intact. I know of
too many things that go wrong! Someone comes to the Revenue Service and
says, 'I have an income of one million drachmas.' The official declares
that the man has an income of three million drachmas. He assumes that
he is revealing only a part of his income, as is common practice, and
that this hike will make up the difference. If, however, he is dealing
with a conscientious person, tripling his income in this manner will
backfire; it will make the man cheat on his taxes the next year. In
other words, instead of helping change the situation for the better, you
are making things worse." "But we don't know when they are telling us
the truth," the income tax person said. "When you start leading a
spiritual life, you will know," I replied. "Then you will be able to
understand and discern the difference. God will inform you, and you
will know."
How the World Has Cheapened
People's
malice has exceeded all bounds. They try to deceive one another and
they consider it to be an achievement! Our world has become so cheap!
Everything they make these days is a fake. And imagine that today people
make more money than their parents and grandparents who were poor and
only made a little. The quality of most things is so cheap. One day
someone brought me some tomato plants. Each plant was inside a very
small bag containing coarse soil, and some coarse sand to keep the
moisture. They didn't even bother to pour some water or manure; they had
sprinkled some on the top like salt and pepper! When I took them out of
the bag, I realized that their roots were rotten. I had to put a layer
of soil on top, so that the plants could grow new roots.
They are
so clever in tricking people! Listen to this. Someone had brought me a
big box with pastries. "I will open it," I said to myself, "when I have a
large company.
If I open it now, it will attract ants." So, one day,
I had a large gathering and I figured that the box should be enough and
I should even have some left-over. As soon as I opened it, I saw that
it was full of wrappings ... and the actual container with the sweets
was so tiny. The rest of the box was empty. Another time, they brought
me a fancy box with pastries, all wrapped in ribbons. "I will keep it," I
thought, "for the students of the Athonias Academy” (6). Well, inside
there were Turkish delights, stale and hard as a rock! I would never
treat people with this kind of sweet!
- Geronda, don't they see that this is a type of injustice?
-
No! They consider it to be an achievement. Sin has become fashionable
nowadays and cheating someone is considered to be a sign of cleverness.
Unfortunately, the secular spirit sharpens the mind in deception and
people consider it a clever achievement to wrong their fellow human
beings. There's even an expression, "He's as smart as a devil; he gets
things done." Inside, of course, the man suffers from the checks of his
conscience, his little hell.
The Just Person Has God on His Side
Not
all people fit well in the world today, especially those who want to
lead spiritual and honest lives; they seem to have such a hard time.
- Geronda, why don't they fit?
-
When someone is sensitive and finds himself in a harsh environment and
people make his life hell, how can he put up with it? Either he has to
begin cursing, or he must leave. But that's difficult because one needs
to make a living. His boss tells him, "I trust you because you don't
steal, but put some rotten produce among the fresh. Take these fresh
clover bales and stick some fermented ones in the package." He even
makes him manager in order to keep him on the job and the poor man has
to do as told to stay employed. And of course, he cannot sleep at night
and starts taking sleeping pills. Do you know how hard life is for
honest people? They run into all kinds of difficulties and have to take
all kinds of abuse from their employers. Life becomes hell for them. And
they cannot quit because they have a family to feed. If they stay on,
it's trouble everyday. They are between a rock and a hard place.
Wherever they turn their eyes, they see a dead end. It makes one go
crazy. So, they carry on and try to manage as best they can.
In
another case, one employee did all the work while another colleague
would only show up to collect his pay check. I know of someone who was
department head somewhere. When the new government came to power, they
removed him from the post and replaced him with a party member who had
not even graduated from High School. They made him department head but
he knew nothing about the work and so they could not really send the
previous manager away to some other position. What did they do? They
just added a second desk in the office. The old boss did the work and
the new one was just sitting there smoking, chatting and drinking coffee
... and being completely shameless. And in addition to this, he would
say whatever came to his mind while all responsibility fell on the other
employee who was doing all the work, until he finally couldn't put up
with the situation anymore and left the job, the poor soul. "Maybe I
should go somewhere else, there's not enough space for two desks," he
said one day and got up and left, because the new head was making his
life hell. We are not talking about one or two days. It is unbearable to
have someone like that over your head every day.
The just person
is usually given the worst position, or may even lose his position to
others. They abuse him and step all over him. Don't we have the saying,
"They walk over corpses; they stop at nothing?" But the more people push
the just and righteous person down, the more the Good God lifts him up,
like a cork. It's not easy though and it takes a lot of patience.
Patience clears up so many things. The person who wants to live a
virtuous life and be honest in his work, be it a labourer, a merchant,
or whatever else, must accept the fact that, once he begins work, he may
have to reach the point of not being able to even pay the rent, for
example, if he has a store, for the blessing of God to come to him. But
he should not have this as his goal: "If I should reach that point, then
I will surely have plenty of customers." One must not think that way or
aim at that, because then, God will not bless him. But when he decides
to live as God wills and resolves not to cheat or overprice things, God
will not abandon him.
Another person may gain much profit by
overpricing. At first, he makes a lot of money and becomes rich, but
then people find out that he is dishonest, and his business goes stony
broke. On the other hand, the honest merchant gains customers and hires
more employees. So he is tested in the beginning, but wins in the end.
The good person is tried and tested by evil and cunning people; he has
to pass through the card (7).
When someone follows the devil's
path, and comes up with tricks and all kinds of deceptive schemes, God
will not bless his work. Schemes of deception don't work; they appear to
flourish, but they collapse in the end. It's important that we start
with God's blessing in everything we do. A just man has God on his side.
And if he has some boldness before God, then miracles happen. When
someone lives according to the Gospel, he is entitled to divine help. He
walks with Jesus Christ. What can we say? The man has earned His
blessing. This is the foundation of it all. Once that is given, there is
nothing to fear. The important thing is that Christ, Panagia and the
Saints should find rest in everything we do, and when that happens, we
will have their blessing and the Holy Spirit will overshadow us. Honesty
is the most precious Holy Cross. If someone is dishonest even if he has
a piece of the Honorable Cross on him, it's like he has nothing. But if
one is honest, he has God's help even though he doesn't have a piece of
the Honorable Cross. Now, if he has both, well, then he's got
everything!
The Just Person Is Rewarded in This Life
I
have seen injured souls who have endured injustice with good thoughts,
and have been showered with God's Grace in this life. Many years ago a
pious, simple and good-natured Christian man came to see me. He asked me
to pray so that Christ may enlighten his children when they grow up, to
endure without grudges a great injustice done against them by their
relatives. He told me the affair. As far as I could see, he was really a
man of God.
He was the oldest of five children. After the
untimely death of his father, he stood by his younger siblings like a
good father. He worked hard, increased the family fortune, bought more
property, land and so on, and helped his two sisters get married. His
younger brothers got married too and they took all the good fields, the
olive groves and so on, leaving him with a few useless, barren and
sandy fields. In the end he got married too, and had three children. By
that time, he was older, and was worried about his children, that they
may be bitter over the injustice when they would grow up. He used to
say to me, "I am not concerned about it for myself, because I read the
Psalter. I do one reading in the afternoon and two before dawn. I
almost know it by heart. You don't read anywhere in the Psalms that the
unjust prosper. God looks after the just. You see, Father, I am not sad
for the land I lost, but for my brothers who are losing their souls."
He went away at that time, and visited me again some ten years later.
He
was very happy: "Remember me, Father?" he asked, "remember me?" "Of
course," I replied and asked how he is doing. "I am wealthy now," he
said. "And how did you get rich, my good brother?" I asked him. "Well,
all that useless, sandy land of mine appreciated greatly because of its
location on the beach. This time, I have come to ask your advice about
how I should spend my money." "You should make sure your children have a
home to stay and put aside enough money for their education." "I have
enough for that," he said, "and more." "Well, then give some to your
poor relatives and to other poor people that you know." "I have done so,
Father," he said, "but it's still a lot." "Then, you should give some
to repair the Church in your village and the Chapels in the
countryside." "I have done that too," he said, "and I still have
plenty." "Then," I told him, "I pray that Christ guides you to do good
to those who really need it." I asked him about his brothers. He started
weeping. "I don't know, Father, I have lost track of them. They sold
their land in the village, the olive groves and the fields, and I have
no idea where they are now. They had gone to Germany first, then to
Australia and that's the last I've heard of them." I was sorry I had
asked about his brothers. I hadn't realized how sad he would get. I
tried to console him and he left at peace. I told him that we should
both pray to get good news from them. Later I remembered the Psalm, "I
have seen a wicked man overbearing, and towering like a cedar of
Lebanon. Again I passed by, and, lo, he was no more; though I sought
him, he could not be found" (8). That's exactly what happened to this
man's brothers.
There's nothing worse than the injustice. Make sure you have God's blessing in whatever you do.
Footnotes
1. Ps 37:16
2. Seven Youths of Ephesos (252 A.D.). Their Feast Day is commemorated on 22 October and 4 August.
3. Cf. Gen 37:20 f.
4. Rom 13:7.
5. Mt 5:40.
6.
The Athonias was established in 1748 on Mount Athos as an Academy of
Greek studies. Today it functions as an Ecclesiastical High School.
7.
Card is a wire-toothed brush or a machine fitted with rows of wire
teeth, used to disentangle fibres, as of wool, prior to spinning.
8. Ps 37:35-36.
ELDER
PAISIOS OF MOUNT ATHOS SPIRITUAL COUNSELS "WITH PAIN AND LOVE for
Contemporary Man", Part 1, Chapter 4, p. 87-104, Holy Monastery
"Evangelist John the Theologian" SOUROTI, THESSALONIKI, GREECE.
