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Prelest

1 byte added, 03:27, February 7, 2021
View from the outside: more correct translation
==View from the outside==
It is possible to consider someone holy only when viewing from the outside. Considering oneself holy is a clear manifestation of prelest because the closer someone is to God, the more sinful he sees himself. St. Macarius the Great says: "if you see that someone is arrogant and proud of that he is a partaker of grace, then even if he created miracles and raised the dead, but if he does not recognize his soul as dishonest honourless and despised, and himself poor in spirit and vile, he is robbed by malice not knowing that for himself. Even if he creates miraculous signs, one should not believe him, because the sign of Christianity – for the ones who are well-versed before God, is to strive to hide it from people, and if he has all the king’s treasures, to hide them and always say: “this is not my treasure, the other put it at my place, and I am a beggar, when the one who put it will want, he will take it away from me.” If someone says: “I am rich, I’m quite enough of what I have acquired, and I don’t need more of it,” then this is not a Christian, but a vessel of delusion and of the devil. For the enjoyment of God is insatiable, and to what extent one tastes and communes is, in such a way becomes more greedy. Such people have an eagerness and uncontrollable love for God, the more they try to succeed and gain, the more they recognize themselves as poor, as they are meager in everything, and have not gained anything. They say: “I am not worthy that this sun illuminates me.” This is a sign of Christianity, this is humility."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/prochee/dobrotoljubie_tom_1/13 St. Macarius the Great. State of those who Received the Action of Spirit. Ch. 24. Philokalia, vol 1.]</ref>
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes that "humility does not see itself humble. On the contrary, it sees in itself a lot of pride. It takes care to find all its branches; looking for them, it sees that there is still a lot to look for."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://librarium.orthodoxy.ru/ignatiy/i_09.htm St. Ignatius. On Prelest. On True and False Humble Thinking.]</ref>
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