He who sins is the slave of sin, tortured by sin. Therefore, do not be too severe, but be

gentle with the sinner, considering our common infirmity… It is necessary to take care

of such a person in every way, so that the fire of sin will not consume him, darken him,

bind him, plunge him into darkness, destroy him. ¶ We have become accustomed to the

works of God, and therefore we hardly value them at all. We do not, for instance, even

value mankind, that greatest work and miracle of God’s omnipotence and grace, as

we should. Look at every person, whether he is one of your household or a stranger to

you, as a novelty in God’s world, the greatest miracle of God’s omnipotence and grace,

and do not let the fact of your being accustomed to him become a reason for you to

neglect him… ¶ We must not be exasperated, angry, or proud against those who are

angry, envious, or proud toward us, as is usual for our corrupt nature, but we must

pity them as those possessed by the flames of hell and by spiritual death. We must pray

to God for their sakes from the depths of our hearts, that the Lord may take away the

darkness from their souls and enlighten their hearts with the light of his grace. We

are darkened by our own passions and therefore do not see their foolishness and

wickedness, but when the Lord enlightens us with the light of His grace, then we,

awaking as from a sleep, clearly see the wickedness, the foolishness of our thoughts,

feelings, words, and actions. Our hearts, which were hardened until then, soften, and

the evil passes away and is replaced by mercy, kindness, and condescension.

-St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, (2018 ed.), pp. 150–152

#Orthodox #Christian