Self Knowledge

Find fault in self

St. Dorotheus, VI century abbot, Monday, ninth week in ordinary time

Let us examine, my brothers, how it happens that many times a person hears something unpleasant and goes away untroubled, as if he had not heard it; and yet on some occasions he is disturbed and troubled as soon as he hears such words. What is the cause of this inconsistency? ...this results from the condition in which the person happens to be...

... either because he is not in a good frame of mind, or because he hates his brother. There are a great number of other reasons as well. Yet the reason for all disturbance, if we look to its roots, is that no one finds fault with himself.

This is the source of all annoyance and distress. This is why we sometimes have no rest. We must not be surprised when we are rebuked by holy men. We have no other path to peace but this.

We have seen that this is true in many cases, and, in our laziness and desire for rest, we hope or believe that we have entered upon a straight path when we are impatient with everyone, and yet cannot bear to blame ourselves.

This is the way we are. It does not matter how many virtues a man may have, even if they are beyond number and limit. If he has turned from the path of self-accusation, he will never find peace. He will always be troubled himself, or else he will be a source of trouble for others and all his labors will be wasted.

 

Pope Francis
Christ reminds the Pharisees that "it is not that which comes from the outside that dirties the soul, but that which comes from the inside...  [Therefore] think not whether the soul is dirty or clean, but what is in my heart? … What is inside that I know but no one else knows? Such honest self-knowledge is not easy, because we always seek to cover it"
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