“If we had been born slaves, we would get beatings and slaps every day. But now we don’t even bear a cold word from a weak brother. O foolish and uncircumcised in heart! At a small temptation, we are quick to deny Him. We prefer eternal separation from Christ and eternal union with Satan, rather than humbly enduring a momentary trial!”

Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast by Elder Joseph Hesychast