The Sanctifier and bright Lord who is glorious in operation, the dispositioner, the effector of all trans-substantiations, who sets the traverse wall according to the measure of the angel with the reed, who knows best how to gather his epiklesis from that open plain, who transmutes their cheerless blasphemy into a lover's word, who spoke by Balaam and by Balaam's ass, who spoke also by Sgt. Bullcock.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The Stadium of Virtue
The word virtue has lost its force over the ages: we tend to think of a virtuous person as someone who avoids evil-doing and resists temptation. The Greek word we translate virtue means excellence. The ancient philosophers thought of the virtuous person as the one who is outstanding, who excels others. The stadium of virtue is the arena where we compete to excel - to excel in love, kindness, wisdom, self-control, justice and honesty. It is the battle-ground where we fight the dark and dangerous aspects of our own personality, the tendency to meanness, foolishness, injustice and dishonesty, the temptation to see others simply as a means to our own ends, people to be used and manipulated, for our own pleasure or our profit.
- David Melling
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