You don't know it, but you may have sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you were not careful before the child, because you did not foster in yourself a careful, actively benevolent love.Brothers, love is a teacher; but one must know how to acquire it, for it is hard to acquire, it is dearly bought, it is won slowly by long labour.For we must love not only occasionally, for a moment, but for ever.Everyone can love occasionally, even the wicked can.
My brother asked the birds to forgive him; that sounds senseless, but it is right; for all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending; a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth.It may be senseless to beg forgiveness of the birds, but birds would be happier at your side- a little happier, anyway- and children and all animals, if you were nobler than you are now.It's all like an ocean, I tell you.Then you would pray to the birds too, consumed by an all-embracing love, in a sort of transport, and pray that they too will forgive you your sin.Treasure this ecstasy, however senseless it may seem to men.
My friends, pray to God for gladness.Be glad as children, as the birds of heaven.And let not the sin of men confound you in your doings.Fear not that it will wear away your work and hinder its being accomplished.Do not say, "Sin is mighty, wickedness is mighty, evil environment is mighty, and we are lonely and helpless, and evil environment is wearing us away and hindering our good work from being done." Fly from that dejection, children! There is only one means of salvation, then take yourself and make yourself responsible for all men's sins, that is the truth, you know, friends, for as soon as you sincerely make yourself responsible for everything and for all men, you will see at once that it is really so, and that you are to blame for everyone and for all things.But throwing your own indolence and impotence on others you will end by sharing the pride of Satan and murmuring against God.
Of the pride of Satan what I think is this: it is hard for us on earth to comprehend it, and therefore it is so easy to fall into error and to share it, even imagining that we are doing something grand and fine.Indeed, many of the strongest feelings and movements of our nature we cannot comprehend on earth.Let not that be a stumbling-block, and think not that it may serve as a justification to you for anything.For the Eternal judge asks of you what you can comprehend and not what you cannot.You will know that yourself hereafter, for you will behold all things truly then and will not dispute them.On earth, indeed, we are, as it were, astray, and if it were not for the precious image of Christ before us, we should be undone and altogether lost, as was the human race before the flood.
Much on earth is hidden from us, but to make up for that we have been given a precious mystic sense of our living bond with the other world, with the higher heavenly world, and the roots of our thoughts and feelings are not here but in other worlds.That is why the philosophers say that we cannot apprehend the reality of things on earth.
God took seeds from different worlds and sowed them on this earth, and His garden grew up and everything came up that could come up, but what grows lives and is alive only through the feeling of its contact with other mysterious worlds.If that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you, the heavenly growth will die away in you.Then you will be indifferent to life and even grow to hate it.That's what Ithink.
(h) Can a Man judge his Fellow Creatures? Faith to the End.
Remember particularly that you cannot be a judge of anyone.For no one can judge a criminal until he recognises that he is just such a criminal as the man standing before him, and that he perhaps is more than all men to blame for that crime.When he understands that, he will be able to be a judge.Though that sounds absurd, it is true.
If I had been righteous myself, perhaps there would have been no criminal standing before me.If you can take upon yourself the crime of the criminal your heart is judging, take it at once, suffer for him yourself, and let him go without reproach.And even if the law itself makes you his judge, act in the same spirit so far as possible, for he will go away and condemn himself more bitterly than you have done.If, after your kiss, he goes away untouched, mocking at you, do not let that be a stumbling-block to you.It shows his time has not yet come, but it will come in due course.And if it come not, no Matter; if not he, then another in his place will understand and suffer, and judge and condemn himself, and the truth will be fulfilled.Believe that, believe it without doubt; for in that lies all the hope and faith of the saints.
Work without ceasing.If you remember in the night as you go to sleep, "I have not done what I ought to have done," rise up at once and do it.If the people around you are spiteful and callous and will not hear you, fall down before them and beg their forgiveness;for in truth you are to blame for their not wanting to hear you.And if you cannot speak to them in their bitterness, serve them in silence and in humility, never losing hope.If all men abandon you and even drive you away by force, then when you are left alone fall on the earth and kiss it, water it with your tears and it will bring forth fruit even though no one has seen or heard you in your solitude.
Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and praise God in your loneliness.And if two of you are gathered together- then there is a whole world, a world of living love.Embrace each other tenderly and praise God, for if only in you two His truth has been fulfilled.
If you sin yourself and grieve even unto death for your sins or for your sudden sin, then rejoice for others, rejoice for the righteous man, rejoice that if you have sinned, he is righteous and has not sinned.
