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From the sayings of ABBA SHENOUTE THE ARCHIMENIDRITE aboutWISDOM

From the sayings of ABBA SHENOUTE THE ARCHIMENIDRITE aboutWISDOM

 

Abba Shenoute tells: “The following is the story of a butcher and his encounter with a dog:  the dog used to come to the butcher at his butchery and snatch meat from him.  When the butcher saw this, he brought a stick and he began to beat the dog to the point where the dog ran away frantically.  A few days later, the dog began to hunger and he longed to return back to the butcher.  When the butcher noticed the dog’s arrival from afar, he brought out the stick and he left it at the door – when the dog saw the stick, he was overcome with fear as he recalled all the beatings from the previous time; hence, he ran away once again.  This is exactly what happened between God who loves us, and the devil – our enemy.  Our Lord Jesus noticed that the devil had encircled our hearts, our feelings, our instincts, and our whole selves, which are His creation, and has turned them into vessels that are full of sin – as if the devil himself had created them.  In seeing this, our Lord Jesus was zealous over His creation, so He beat the devil severely through the cross; hence, the devil fled.  Despite that, the devil still returns back from time to time in order to try and dwell in our hearts – it is just as the Holy Bible mentions, “Then he says, ‘will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he findsit empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the laststateof that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”  (Matthew 12:44-45)  Nevertheless, if a man instills the cross within his heart and all over his body – the devil will flee instantly.  O, how great is God’s love for us, how great is His fatherhood, for he granted us a mighty stick – the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we too may use it to banish evil and all the powers of darkness.”