From the teachings of Saint Dorotheus, abbot
On false spiritual peace
 he man who finds fault with
himself accepts all things cheerfully—misfortune, loss, disgrace, dishonor
and any other kind of adversity. He believes that he is deserving
of [1] all
these things and nothing can disturb him. No one could be more at peace than
this man.
 But perhaps . . . someone asks
why he should accuse himself when he was sitting peacefully and quietly when a brother
came upon him with an unkind or insulting word. He cannot tolerate it, and
so he thinks that his anger is justified. If that brother had not approached
him and said those words and upset him, he never would have
sinned.
This kind of thinking is surely
ridiculous and has no rational basis. For the fact that he has said anything
at all in this situation breaks the cover on the passionate anger within
him, which is all the more exposed by his excessive anxiety. If he wished,
he would do penance. He has become like a clean, shiny grain of wheat that,
when broken, is full of dirt inside.
The man who falsely believes that he is
so pure as to be quiet and peaceful has within him a passion that he does not see.
A brother comes up, utters some unkind word and immediately all the venom and mire
that lie hidden within him are spewed out. If he wishes mercy, he must do
penance, purify himself and strive to become more perfect. [In this scrutiny] he
will see that he should have returned thanks to his brother instead of returning
the injury, because his brother has proven to be an occasion of profit to him.
[If he continues this process] it will not be long before he will no longer be
bothered by these temptations. The more perfect he grows, the less these
temptations will affect him. For the more the soul advances, the stronger and
more powerful it becomes in bearing the difficulties that it meets.
—Saint Dorotheus, abbot
(Office of Readings,
Tuesday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time)
___________
1. That is, humble, and not believing that he is so
special that he should be exempt from any insult.
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