Controls
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks in this lecture about the importance of controls in a person’s life, affirming that everything in life needs regulation and discipline, because life without controls leads to chaos and deviation. A person, like any device, needs something to stop him at the proper limit so that he does not harm himself or others.
External Controls
His Holiness explains that there are external controls such as laws, punishments, leaders, and guides. These controls preserve public order and prevent aggression against the rights of others. Freedom itself also has controls; freedom does not mean that a person does whatever he wants without regard to values, laws, or the rights of others, but rather that he practices his freedom within a framework that preserves order and mutual respect.
Internal Controls
The spiritual teaching focuses on the internal controls that God placed within the human being, such as the conscience, the mind, the will, and holy fear. These elements help a person distinguish between right and wrong and push him to discipline himself by his own will, without waiting for external pressure. The true spiritual person is the one who disciplines himself before society disciplines him.
Self-Control in Spiritual Life
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III affirms that spiritual life is based on self-control through fasting, prayer, spiritual exercises, and firmness with oneself. Excessive pampering of the self leads to falling, while moderate spiritual pressure leads to virtue. He also stresses the necessity of controlling thoughts, the tongue, the senses, and time, so that a person does not get lost in sin or trivial matters.
Controls of Freedom and Thought
His Holiness points out that freedom does not mean breaking God’s commandments or spreading ideas that contradict Church teaching. Discipline even includes thought and doctrine, so that a person does not deviate behind personal opinions or the desire for appearance and distinction, which may lead to heresies and division.
Humility and Controlling Honor
He also warns against seeking honor or authority without control, because pride leads to falling. A person is required to use any honor, gift, or authority in humility, placing before him the principle that virtue is the middle way between excess and negligence.
Entering Through the Narrow Gate
Discipline is walking in the narrow path spoken of by Christ, where a person struggles against his desires, controls his inclinations, and disciplines himself, thus living a righteous life that pleases God. The righteous person is the one who establishes controls for himself from within, so that virtue becomes a stable nature in him.
The Spiritual Message
The essential message of the lecture is that self-discipline is the path of salvation and spiritual growth, and that the person who disciplines himself by his own will receives the blessing of obedience, lives in inner peace, and becomes an example in respecting values and commandments.
“For better translation support, please contact the center.”
