The Holy Escape
The lecture speaks about an important spiritual virtue, which is “the holy escape” or distancing oneself from everything that leads a person to sin or weakens him spiritually. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that escaping from evil is not weakness or fear, but rather spiritual wisdom and humility of heart, just as Joseph the righteous did when he fled from sin and rejected it with all strength.
He explains that there are wrong kinds of escape, such as escaping from God or from spiritual duty, as happened with Jonah and Adam, while there are holy and beneficial kinds of escape, most importantly escaping from evil, sin, and temptations that corrupt the soul.
The lecture also confirms that staying away from places of evil and bad companionship preserves a person in a life of holiness, because bad company corrupts good morals, and because a person may become weak if he approaches the sphere of sin no matter how strong he is spiritually.
His Holiness also discusses the importance of escaping from disturbing thoughts, anger, and problems that drain the soul, because continual immersion in them may destroy a person psychologically and spiritually, while temporary withdrawal and prayer help restore inner peace and calmness.
The lecture also focuses on the danger of emptiness, explaining that emptiness gives Satan an opportunity to plant his thoughts and desires inside the person, therefore the believer should always occupy his time with what is spiritually and practically beneficial.
The lecture also explains the importance of escaping from excessive الكلام, noise, and too many distractions, because silence and quietness help a person enter into spiritual depth and enjoy a true relationship with God.
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III emphasizes that a life of holiness needs spiritual discernment, so that a person knows when to confront and when to withdraw, because distancing oneself from evil is sometimes the strongest way to preserve the soul and the purity of the heart.
In the end, the lecture calls the person to live in inner peace, using his time in prayer, spiritual work, and quietness, fleeing from everything that distances him from God or corrupts the purity of his heart and mind.
The Holy Escape
Holiness
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