falcochronicles

"Everything bad in a person is accidental. You young people should not express disgust toward those who drink excessively, fight, or use profanity, because the image of God is preserved within them as well—even though they probably aren’t aware of it. The enemy defiles them and covers them with filth, just as an icon becomes covered with dust; but if it falls into good hands, it will be cleaned, and it will begin to shine. Of course, it is difficult to see the image of God in those who treat you badly and insult you—those whose faces bear the likeness of a beast rather than a human being—but they deserve even greater pity, because their souls are distorted, perhaps even beyond repair, and condemned to eternal torment and torture. How difficult it is to love your enemy. How difficult it is to devote your entire life to learning how to love those who insult you… But you must know that through such love, you become like Christ.” St. Gabriel of Georgia