269- Judge Yourself Before Others Judge you

 

St-Takla.org Image: The Three Makarious Saints, modern Coptic art: St. Makarios of Alexandria, St. Makarious the Bishop, and Saint Macarious the Great. Written underneath it: A gift from Bishop Abraam the Metropolitan of Baliana to the Church of Saint Makar, the Lamp of the Desert of Shiheat (Scetes) - 1646m (1930). صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: الثلاثة مقارات القديسين – أيقونة قبطية حديثة،: القديس مقاريوس الإسكندري، القديس مكاريوس الأسقف، القديس الأنبا مقار الكبير. وقد كُتب في أسفلها الإهداء التالي: "مقدمة من نيافة الحبر الجليل الأنبا أبرآم مطران كرسي البلينا لبيعة القديس العظيم أبي مقار كوكب برية شيهات بالدير سنة 1646 شهداء - 1930م.".

It was hard to believe that a monk let a woman visit him in his cell. One of his fellow monks noticed this fact and along with other monks, they watched him to make sure. Then they went to St. Makarius to complain and to ask for the dismissal of the monk. St. Makarios told them not to believe that of their fellow monk because a monk would not behave this way. Since they saw the woman themselves, they told St. Makarios to come with them to see by himself.

 They waited from a distance until they saw the woman go in the cell, then one of them stood by the cell door while the others went to get the Saint so he could see the woman. The Saint asked them to go away from the cell and let him get in first in case what they saw was a mirage. When he knocked the door, the monk was embarrassed and told the woman to hide under a big couch.

St. Makarius went in, sat on the couch and spoke to the monk as if he knew nothing. Meanwhile, the monks came in, looking all around in the cell but they couldn’t find the woman; they were ashamed and left the area. As the Saint was leaving the cell, he took the monk’s hand and said to him, “My brother, judge yourself before others would judge you.” Then he bade him farewell and left.

 As he was going out, he heard a voice saying, “Blessed you are Makarios, who emulated your Creator and like Him, covered the flaws of others.”

The monk cried in repentance and spent the rest of his days struggling to live a pure life.

 In all our private and public prayers we thank God because He covered us. Let us cover our brethren as God covers us every day so that He would cover us on the Day of Judgment.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: أُحكم على نفسك، قبل أن يُحكم عليك!

Thank You God for, You always cover me.

May Your Spirit Work in me,

So that with love, I cover my brethren and not defame them.

You covered me with love inside You,

Let my heart forgive everybody’s weaknesses.

Love Dispute

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

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