Seminar by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III at the Book Fair – A Word on the Mind
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the mind and its importance, and the types of minds and their difference between intelligent, genius, average, and low intelligence, and he shows that the mind is not the only thing that directs a person because many factors affect it.
Types and strengths of the mind:
His Holiness explains that the mind includes understanding, inference, memory, and other mental capacities, and that there are photographic minds and strong memories and weak ones, which affect a person’s value and behavior.
Influences that disable or drive the mind:
He clarifies that psychic desires, inflamed nerves, lusts (body, power, money, positions), fear, and doubt can make the mind follow desire or emotions, obstructing sound thinking.
Effect of environment, knowledge, and society:
He emphasizes that books, media, friends, group impressions, popular proverbs, and guides may direct the mind; some people become minds that follow another mind or family and social influences instead of being independent.
Doubt, fear and their spiritual effect:
He warns that doubt invades the mind and affects faith, and that fear paralyzes thinking and may lead to random actions; therefore fears and their sources must be examined and the mind given its balance.
Conscience and divine knowledge:
He explains that conscience is a power given to man but may err if not illumined by divine knowledge; the enlightened conscience guides the mind to right conduct, while the ignorant conscience may justify falsehood.
Freedom of mind and responsibility:
His Holiness calls for a sound mind, free in reflection, not imprisoned in blind obedience or a rigid principle, and disciplined by principles and knowledge so that it leads a person on a straight path serving the Church and society.
Educational spiritual summary:
What is required is a balanced mind: deliberate, contemplative, rooted in knowledge and divine conscience, able to discern and resist lusts, fear, and doubt, working with faith and not driven by the desires of the self or emotions.
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