Christians must, according to the commandment of the Lord, become holy and perfect.
Perfection and holiness are first engraved deeply in the soul of the Christian, and from there they become sealed in his thoughts, his desires, his words and his actions.
Thus, the grace of God, which exists in the soul, pours forth throughout the whole external character.
The Christian must be kind [eugenikos] with everyone. His words and actions should exude the grace of the Holy Spirit which dwells in his soul, so as to bear witness to his Christian way of life and that the name of God might be glorified.
Whoever is measured in his words, is measured also in his actions. Whoever tests the words that he is about to speak, also tests the works that he is about to perform, and thus he never oversteps the bounds of good and virtuous conduct.
The grace-filled words of the Christian are characterized by tact and kindness. These are those that give birth to love, and bring peace and joy. In contrast, idle talk gives birth to hate, enemies, trials, love of falls, brawls, riots and wars.
Therefore, let us always be kind. May an evil word never pass our lips, a word that is not seasoned with the grace of God, but may they always be grace-filled words, good words, words that bear witness to kindness according to Christ that adorn us spiritually.
St. Nektarios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Pentapolis