The sin of cruelty

The lecture discusses the sin of cruelty, describing it as a common sin that may go unnoticed because it hides behind emotional or social excuses. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that cruelty appears in our relationship with God when the heart becomes hard and refuses repentance, and also appears in our relationship with people through various forms such as injustice, anger, revenge, and hurting others’ feelings.

Cruelty toward God

• Spiritual cruelty is rejecting God’s voice, refusing His love, and not accepting the work of grace.

• Scripture warns: “If you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

• The unrepentant heart is considered cruel because it resists the Holy Spirit.

Cruelty toward people

• The Pope gives many examples:

  • Cain’s cruelty in killing his brother, and Pharaoh’s harsh oppression.

  • The jealousy that hardened the hearts of Joseph’s brothers.

  • Cruelty from possessiveness, selfishness, or family conflicts.

  • Cruelty from greed, as in Naboth the Jezreelite’s story.

  • Cruelty resulting from lust, corrupted environments, or a naturally harsh temperament.

Cruelty in behavior and treatment

• Harsh rebuke, mockery, insult, and defamation are all forms of cruelty.

• Injustice, betrayal, false testimony, and persecution also reveal an unmerciful heart.

• Lack of compassion toward the weak and needy is a form of cruelty condemned by God.

Christ’s stance toward cruelty

• Christ was gentle toward sinners and firm toward the cruel.

• He saved the woman caught in adultery from the cruelty of the Pharisees.

• He defended the sinful woman against the harsh-hearted Pharisee.

• He entered the homes of tax collectors despite people’s harsh attitudes toward them.

Spiritual remedy for cruelty

• Meekness and kindness are fruits of the Holy Spirit and the opposite of cruelty.

• Gentle words, soft correction, and mercy heal the heart.

• Abigail’s example with David shows how a tender word can prevent evil.

• Scripture says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Spiritual conclusion

A cruel heart does not respond to God’s love, does not show compassion to others, and does not accept change. But a soft heart is easily shaped, like a flexible branch. The Christian life calls for mercy, kindness, gentleness, and avoiding any behavior that harms others or rejects God’s voice.

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