The Comforting Soul
The Main Idea of the Lecture
The lecture speaks about the “comforting soul” that gives rest to others in its dealings and becomes a cause of peace and joy for everyone who approaches it. A person is either like a gentle breeze that refreshes hearts, or like a storm that exhausts those around him. The spiritual question raised by Pope Shenouda III is: Are we comforting souls or tiring ones?
✢ The First Model of the Comforting Soul
The first image of a comforting soul that a person experiences is the tenderness of the mother and the warmth of her embrace, where the child feels reassurance and safety through calm looks and gentle features. This shows that the comforting soul begins with simplicity, tenderness, and cheerfulness.
✢ Traits of the Uncomfortable Soul
The uncomfortable soul is characterized by harshness in words and judgments, exaggerating matters, painful reproach, pressure and insistence, and excessive useless arguments. It is also marked by suspicion, interference in others’ privacy, lack of appreciation for their circumstances, love of control, and imposing opinions.
✢ Cheerfulness and Hope
The comforting soul is marked by cheerfulness, kindness, and joy, and it transforms gloom into happiness. It delivers news in a spirit filled with hope. It does not shock others but considers their feelings and speaks in a calm and reassuring manner.
✢ Respect and Trust
Among the characteristics of the comforting soul is that it does not think evil, but gives trust and respect, because respect generates respect and love generates love. It is far from quick anger, suspicion, and prying into people’s secrets.
✢ Appreciating Others’ Circumstances
The comforting soul considers people’s circumstances, does not embarrass anyone, does not impose its opinion, and does not insist in a tiring way. It gives space for thinking, understands the suitable time for speaking, and has spiritual sensitivity toward others’ feelings.
✢ The Spiritual Dimension
The comforting soul constantly does good and seeks the comfort of others without waiting to be asked. It reflects true Christian love, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep, becoming a source of blessing and peace in society.
✢ The Spiritual Message
The essential message is that a person is called to be a source of comfort and peace to everyone around him, striving to remove harshness, suspicion, and pressure from within himself, replacing them with love, cheerfulness, and long-suffering, so that he may truly become a comforting soul that reflects the image of Christ in his dealings with others.
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