An Old Tale of Pride & the Devil
A desert monk, Abba Daniel (circa 400 AD) taught:
Upon an invitation a monk attended the house of a woman possessed by the devil. When she saw the monk approaching she left through her front door and walked down the stony path to meet him. At their meeting she said nothing, instead she reached out and then firmly slapped his face. In response he only turned the other cheek according to the Lord's command (Matthew 5:39).
The devil within her was tortured by this response, and so he cried out:
What violence! The commandment of Jesus drives me out.
Immediately the woman was cleansed.
Other older men too saw this brief interchange and so gave glory to God saying:
This is how the pride of the devil is brought low, through the humility and commandments of Christ.#
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility, perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. (Zephaniah 2:3)
'It was pride that changed the angels into devils; it is humility that makes men into angels.' ~ Augustine
Today's Soul Snippet:
'All great virtues bear the imprint of self-denial.' ~ William Channing
ENJOY too ~ Tales Strange & True from the Desert, A Parable of an Old Man
#Benedicta Ward (translator), The Sayings of the Desert Fathers ~ (Kentucky Cistercian Publications, 1984), 52 with SoulSupply edits.