On Humility – St. Isaac the Syrian
O n Humility T he iniquitous mouth is stopped during prayer, for the condemnation of the conscience deprives a man of his boldness. A good heart joyously sheds tears in prayer. V oluntary and steadfast endurance of injustice pur ifies the heart. P atient endurance of injustice springs from disdain for the world; and a man endures calumny cheerfully because his heart has begun to behold the truth. J oy arising from voluntary endurance of calumny and injustice exalts the heart. T hey for whom the world is dead submit to contumelies with joy. B ut they for whom the world still lives cannot submit to injustice: either, moved by vainglory, they are provoked to anger and are troubled, being stirred up in the manner of brutes, or else they are overcome by grief. O how difficult it is to attain this virtue, and how much glory it procures from God! He who would attain to this virtue must depart from his kinsmen and live the life of a stra