The spiritual state of man is seen from what his thoughts are. People make conclusions about something depending on what content their thoughts have. If their thoughts do not have spiritual content, they make mistakes and inflict injustice on others. If, for example, a man who shares alms at night so nobody could see him, sees someone late at night on the street, he will never think anything bad about him. But if that man sees someone who spends nights in sin, he will say: “Look at him, who knows where he spent the night” because he has such experiences himself…
Do you remember how the two robbers who were crucified with Jesus, confronted Him? And they both saw Christ on the Cross, the Earth shaking and the other things. They both had thoughts. One of them, one on the left, blasphemed against Him, and said: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us”! (Lk.23,39). And the other, one on the right, said: “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” (Lk.23,41). This one was saved, and the other went to hell.
Saint Paisios the Athonite
His memory is celebrated on November 23rd
