Letter 833: God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
It is better to keep the beauty of the soul unblemished and free from passion. But if this is difficult to preserve, let us at least receive the injury in small and easily healed matters, and not in vital ones. For do not suppose, because you hear me conceding that perfect purity is hard to maintain, that I am giving you license to sin boldly. Far from it. What I am saying is this: if you cannot avoid every wound, at least avoid the mortal ones. If you cannot keep the garment entirely spotless, at least keep it free from the stains that cannot be washed out. The soldier who receives a scratch on his hand may continue fighting; but the one who takes a sword through his heart falls and does not rise again. So too the soul that stumbles in small matters may recover through repentance; but the soul that plunges headlong into great sins may find the way back far more treacherous and uncertain. Guard therefore the citadel of the heart above all else, even if you cannot guard every outpost. For if the citadel falls, all is lost; but if it stands, the outposts may be recovered. Consider too that the one who lives well but does not share his wisdom with others is like a lamp placed under a bushel — it gives light to no one. And the one who speaks well but does not live according to his words is like a signpost that points the way but never travels it. Only the one who both lives and teaches, who both practices and preaches, fulfills the double calling of the Christian. For we are not saved by knowledge alone, nor by deeds alone, but by the living union of both, animated by the grace of God and directed by the truth of his word.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
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