Friday 14 September 2012

ELDER PAISIOS ON DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS

 Elder Paisios The Athonite
Geronda(Elder),what is divine righteousness?
-Divine righteousness is doing what brings rest to others.
If, for example,you have something to share with another,
you should offer not half of what you have,but as much as
the other needs.Tell him,"How much do you need?
Two and a half? Three? Take it."
Give the good and keep the spoiled.Give more and keep
less.Look,let's say that a sister brings us now ten plums,
If i eat eight of them out of gluttony and leave two for
you,I will be unjust and will have wronged you.If i say
"Since there's two of us,I'll eat five and leave you the
other five,"then i demonstrate human justice.But if i
see that you like plums and eat only one and tell you,
"For the sake of Love,you eat the rest because i don't
like them that much and they upset my stomach,"then i
have divine righteousness.
-Then what is human Righteousness?
-Human  righteousness is when,for example,you have
 to share something with another person and you give
away half and keep the other half for yourself.
Geronda(Elder),what place does human righteousness
have in the spiritual life?
-Human righteousness is not for spiritual people;it
merely serves to restrain worldly people.A spiritual
person is a fool if he relies on human righteousness,
which is nothing compared to divine righteousness.
But even a worldly person, though he may achieve
something in this life by applying human righteousness,
will not have real peace and  joy.

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