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
