His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks in this sermon about the sin of harshness, explaining that it is one of the most dangerous sins, often unnoticed, yet deeply damaging to one’s relationship with God and with others. A hard heart cannot hear God’s voice nor accept His love or show compassion.

🔸 First: Harshness Against God

Harshness toward God means rejecting repentance, resisting the Holy Spirit, and refusing God’s desire to dwell in the heart. Scripture warns: “If you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” The unrepentant heart is harsh because it rejects reconciliation and closes itself against divine love.

🔸 Second: Harshness Toward Others

Harshness toward people appears in rough treatment, insults, injustice, anger, slander, and revenge. The Pope gives examples from Scripture:

• Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and the people.

• Cain killed Abel out of jealousy.

• Rehoboam lost his kingdom through cruelty.

• Ahab and Jezebel killed Naboth out of greed.

These reveal that harshness often stems from envy, greed, self-centeredness, domination, or revenge.

🔸 Third: Results of Harshness

Harshness destroys relationships and kills mercy in the heart. It opposes the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as meekness and kindness. The harsh person will be judged by the same measure he uses for others, as the Lord said: “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

🔸 Fourth: Christ’s Example of Mercy

Christ was compassionate toward sinners but firm with the harsh. When the Pharisees brought Him the adulterous woman, He saved her kindly and said: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” He also defended the weeping woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee, showing that mercy outweighs judgment.

🔸 Fifth: The Call to Gentleness and Mercy

Believers are called to meekness and kindness—the fruits of the Spirit—because God loves compassion, not cruelty. Even rebuke must be gentle and loving, as St. Paul said: “For three years I did not cease to warn everyone with tears.”

🔸 Sixth: Harshness in Daily Life

Harshness may appear through neglect, ridicule, insult, or indifference. Ignoring the cry of the needy is a form of cruelty. Scripture says: “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.”

🔸 Seventh: The Cure for Harshness

The cure is a compassionate heart—tender in repentance before God and merciful toward others. A soft heart is like pliable clay, easily shaped by God’s hand, while the hard heart resists all change. As the poet said:
“The branches, when bent, can be straightened; the dry wood never bends.”

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