What are the most important virtues that characterize the Christian person?

1. Love : for God, for one’s neighbor, and even for one’s enemies.

St. John Chrysostom says, “this virtue especially makes man God-like. Notice how many other virtues are inferior to this, which are man-centered—the fight with concupiscence, the war on gluttony, the campaign against avarice, the battle against anger. Charity, on the other hand, is something man shares with God. That is why Christ said: Pray for those who calumniate you, that you may be like your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:44–45). Paul knew that charity was the crowning virtue and wished to cultivate it with the greatest care.”⁷²⁵ St. Augustine says, “For he has no fruit, who has not Christ … Do not wonder at what follows, when charity leads the way.”⁷²⁶

2. Joy : although both St. Paul the Apostle and St. John Chrysostom are often painted with stern and unsmiling facial expressions, in reality, both of them exhibited the depth and wonder of joy in their lives as well as in their writings. We can say that of their views of God and of the Holy Bible, the Church, worship, social issues, and even repentance, etc., that joy radiates from them, as it does also from their lives and in their call to all to the heavenly and godly life. They are like a dynamo that generates joy in the Lord in everyone they meet or address.

The Church is, in essence, the bride rejoicing in her heavenly Bridegroom. In Him she dwells in the highest, while she is still on earth in the body. By true membership in the Church a person is elevated, so that even his earthly body becomes heavenly, awaiting with joy the partaking of eternal glory. St. John Chrysostom says, “Amazing again, where has He raised the Church? as though he were lifting it up by some engine, he raised it up to a vast height, and set it on yonder throne; for where the Head is, there is the body also.”⁷²⁷

This is mystery of joy:

• a. Hope and patience in distress with unceasing prayer (Rom. 12:12).

• b. Sharing in the joy of the joyful (Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26).

• c. Rejoicing in the joy of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).

• d. Rejoicing with the wise in that which is good (Rom. 16:19).

• e. Rejoicing at the repentance of our brothers and sisters (2 Cor. 2:2; 7:9).

• f. Rejoicing when we are weak, and our brothers are strong (2 Cor. 13:9).

• g. Rejoicing for the barren who will have children; that is, the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 4:27).

• h. Rejoicing when people preach Christ, whether in pretense or truth (Phil. 1:18).

725 St. John Chrysostom, In Praise of St. Paul (Saint Paul Brotherhood Press, 2014) 3: p. 41.

726 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 39.1 (NPNF I/6:389)

amended.

727 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians 3 (NPNF I/13:61) amended.

• i. The apostle invites us to lead everyone to rejoice with him (Phil. 2:18, 28).

• j. The apostle rejoices because he fills up in his own flesh whatever is lacking in the afflictions of Christ (Col. 1:24).

• k. We wait with rejoicing till our Lord Jesus Christ returns at His last coming (1 Thess. 2:19).

3. Peace : the believer carries within him a peace that cannot be crushed by hardships or sorrows; even if tears run from his eyes, or if he shares the sorrows of others.

St. Basil the Great says, “He who seeks after peace, seeks Christ, because ‘he himself is our peace,’ who has made two men into one new man (cf. Eph. 2:14), making peace, and ‘making peace through the blood of his cross, whether on earth or in the heavens’ (Col. 1:20).”⁷²⁸

St. Clement of Alexandria says, “For man is truly a pacific instrument … the one instrument of peace, the Word alone by which we honor God, is what we employ.”⁷²⁹

In this lies the mystery of peace:

• a. Peace to everyone who works what is good (Rom. 2:10).

• b. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

• c. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17).

• d. The God of peace will crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20).

• e. God has called us to peace (1 Cor. 7:15).

• f. God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Cor. 14:33).

• g. God is the source of peace: “Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3).

• h. Unity of the Church: for He Himself is our peace, who has made two into one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation (Eph. 2:14, 17).

• i. To emulate the apostles: “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9).

728 St. Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 16.10 (FOTC 46:266).

729 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) 2.4 (ANF 2:248).

• j. To flee youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).

4. Long-suffering : if God is called long-suffering, then it is fitting for us, as His children, to bear the same trait. Thus, we do not seek revenge against those who oppose the truth, no matter how evil they may be. The Son of Sirach says, “A patient man will hold fast until the proper time, then afterwards gladness shall burst forth for him” (Sir. 1:20). This is how he distinguishes the person who is wronged and becomes angry and revolts from the person who falls under oppression, and endures with long-suffering. In the first case, although his anger is based on an injustice that befell him, his anger becomes a burden to him and causes him to fall. But in the second case, he endures for a while in silence, but then joy returns to him, and many testify on his behalf even while he remains silent and does not defend himself.

Sirach also says, “be patient with a man of humble circumstances, and do not keep him waiting for your alms” (Sir. 29:8). Thus does the Son of Sirach call us to be patient with those who are suffering harsh conditions and therefore ask of us a loan or alms. We ought to help the poor and thus fulfill the command; for that is preferable to possessing gold and silver.

5. Kindness : exhibiting a wisdom that is neither too lax nor too strict, St. Gregory of Nazianzus says, “We must overcome our enemies by gentleness; win them over by forbearance. Let them be punished by their own conscience, not by our wrath. Let us not at once wither the fig-tree, from which a more skilful gardener may yet entice fruit!”⁷³⁰

St. Anthusa says, “He who loves does not wish to command nor rule, but he feels more grateful being subject and being commanded. He wishes to confer favors rather than to receive them, for he loves, and feels as if he had not gratified his desire.”⁷³¹

6. Goodness : what does the apostle Paul mean by goodness? What is its source? It is not just moral behavior — it is first and foremost the work of the Holy Trinity in the life of the believer:

• a. It is the gift of the Father to the believer as his child: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph. 5:1).

• c. It is the gift of the risen Christ, as the apostle says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” (Eph. 5:8–9). With a love that is put into practice, we imitate God who is the light and we are granted to partake of His nature, such that we are considered “children of light” — there is no place for the darkness of death in us, but rather we receive the light of the resurrection. Through this concept, the apostle teaches us to behave in practice in ways that befit us as children of the light enjoying the power and joy of the resurrection. This is manifested in our daily

730 Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints (Benziger Bros, 1894): p. 175.

731 “On Ideal Friendship” in A. H. Hyatt, ed., The Gift of Friendship , (J.B. Lippincott, 1910): p. 237.

lives and in our private and public behavior, leaving behind the works of darkness that do not befit us.

• d. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer, speaking and working in him, as the apostle says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness …” (Gal. 5:22).

7. Faith : which is the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a person who longs for salvation and an eternal inheritance.

St. John Chrysostom says, “for even from the corruption in our present life we have escaped by no other means than through the faith. Thus shone also all those aforetime, thus Abraham, thus Isaac, thus Jacob, thus too the harlot was saved, the one in the Old Testament, and likewise the one in the New. For, ‘by faith,’ he says, ‘the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace’ (Heb. 11:31). For if she had said to herself, ‘and how can they that are captives and exiles, and refugees, and live the life of vagabond tribes, get the better of us who have a city, and walls, and towers?’ she would have destroyed both herself and them. Which also the forefathers of those who were then saved did suffer. For when, upon the sight of men great and tall, they questioned the manner of victory, they perished, without battle or array, all of them [Num. 13:31–33]. Do you see what a pit is that of unbelief! What a wall that of faith! For the one carried down endless thousands, the other not only saved a harlot, but made her the patroness of so numerous a people!”⁷³²

8. Gentleness and humility : to remove the spirit of anger from ourselves and from our brothers and sisters.

St. Isaac the Syrian says, “Blessed is the man who knows his weakness. This knowledge becomes for him the foundation and the beginning of his coming unto all good and beautiful things. When a man knows and perceives that he really and in truth is weak, then he restrains his soul from profuseness which is dissipation of knowledge and he will augment the watchfulness of his soul. Unless a man has been remiss in some small things and a slight negligence has appeared in him and tempers have surrounded him either with temptations that arouse bodily affections or with temptations which stir the affectable power of the soul, he cannot perceive his own weakness. Then, however, he recognizes the greatness of God's help by comparing it with his own weakness … When he knows that he needs Divine help, he will frequently pray. And by much beseeching the heart becomes humble. For there is no man who is needy and asking, without being humble. And God will not despise a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17). Until the heart has become humble, it will not rest from distraction.”⁷³³

732 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 2 (NPNF I/11:350) amended.

733 St. Isaac the Syrian, Mystic Treatises by Isaac of Nineveh , trans., A. J. Wensinck (Amsterdam: Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, 1923) 8 (104–105): pp. 70–71.

9. Purity and restraint : purity of the heart, body, emotions, thoughts, and even dreams.

St. Gregory of Nyssa says, “It has been proved as well that this union of the soul with the incorruptible God can be accomplished in no other way but by herself attaining by her virgin state to the utmost purity possible,—a state which, being like God, will enable her to grasp that to which it is like, while she places herself like a mirror beneath the purity of God, and molds her own beauty at the touch and the sight of the Archetype of all beauty.”⁷³⁴

10. Obedience : to God, parents, rulers, Church and civil leaders, and sometimes even to children and youth in order to win them for the Kingdom.

St. Basil the Great says, “To sum up, I note the following three kinds of disposition which necessarily compel our obedience:

• a. we avoid evil through fear of punishment and take the attitude of a slave;

• e. or, seeking to obtain a reward, we observe the commandments for our own advantage and in this we are like hirelings;

• f. or else, for the sake of the virtuous act itself and out of love for Him who gave us the law, we rejoice to be deemed worthy to serve a God so good and so glorious and we are thus in the disposition of sons.”⁷³⁵

11. Kindness : we ought to be kind to everyone we encounter of every social class; and even in dealing wisely with animals and birds, with crops and inanimate objects. For if God created this world for us with all its beauty, then we should avoid spoiling nature as much as we can.

St. Ambrose of Milan says, “That good Samaritan, who is a symbol of Christ, is the Guardian of our souls (for the word Samaritan means Guardian), may, I say, not pass by him but tend and heal him. Perchance He therefore passes him not by, because He sees in him some signs of life, so that there is hope that he may recover. Does it not seem to you that he who has fallen is half alive if faith sustains any breath of life? … Place him upon your beast, give him over to the host, lay out two pence for his cure, be to him a neighbor.”⁷³⁶

12. Generosity and benevolence : we offer what we can, generously and joyfully, without expecting for anything in return. The apostle speaks of his generosity towards his congregation without any expectation of recompense thus: “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved” (2 Cor. 12:15). He is pleased to offer his possessions, his time, his strength, and all that he has on behalf of his children; even to suffer and die for them. He is like the sun that is itself consumed that it may give light to others.

734 St. Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity 11 (NPNF II/5:356).

735 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Preface (FOTC 9:227).

736 St. Ambrose of Milan, Concerning Repentance 1.11.51 (NPNF II/10:338) amended.

St. John Chrysostom says, “[St. Paul] shrank from no expenditure for those to be saved—words, deeds, his very life. He who submitted himself to countless deaths would not hesitate to spend any money if he had it. Why do I say ‘if he had it,’ when I can prove that he was unsparing of money even when he did not have it? Don’t think that I am speaking in a paradox, but listen again to his own words: I will most gladly spend and be spent myself for your souls (2 Cor. 12:15). And addressing the Ephesians he said: You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided for my needs and those of my companions (Acts 20:34).”⁷³⁷

13. Boldness and courage : to stand on the side of the truth without compromising, at all costs, but wisely; so that the truth may not be corrupted by anger and lack of love. As God says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). The Lord Christ came to His disciples amidst the raging waves to teach His disciples that afflictions are the time in which the Lord transfigures among His children. He does not take away the pain, but rather appears before their eyes, declaring His presence, His fatherhood, and His care; before calming the waves. He says to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).

14. Justice and truth: on the last day the Lord will say, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:27). When greed rules a person, not only does he hold back from giving what is his to those in need, he even deprives others of what is theirs: he ruins the homes of the poor and dispossesses them; he is not ashamed to violently destroy them. A person who obtains money unjustly and then gives of it as charity practices a charity devoid not only of divine love, but also of even human love; for he wrongs one person to help another.

Pope Athanasius the Apostolic says, “If you offer God a portion of what you have acquired unjustly and by extortion, He will not accept your gift … Be merciful to those whom you have oppressed, treat them with mercy and love, deal with them with goodness; for in so doing, you offer mercy and truth. God does not partake in our covetousness, nor does He share with thieves and looters; for though He is capable of feeding the poor whom He has entrusted to us, He seeks the fruits of righteousness and love from people.”

15. Determination : the believer lives in the spirit of being resolute with moderation and wisdom so as to neither pressure and crush his brothers, nor to be excessively lenient with them and push them towards indifference. The word of God is gentle with sinners and opens the door of hope to all; yet it is also firm and strong, and does not know “lukewarmness.” It declares the truth and reveals it, and exposes falsehood and crushes it.

737 St. John Chrysostom, In Praise of St. Paul (Saint Paul Brotherhood Press, 2014) 3: pp. 47–48.

St. Ambrose says, “Moreover, due measure befits even our words and instructions, that it may not seem as though there was either too great mildness or too much harshness.”⁷³⁸ and “when in office, again, it is not right to be harsh and severe, nor may one be too easy; lest on the one hand we should seem to be exercising a despotic power, and on the other to be by no means filling the office we had taken up.”⁷³⁹

16. Self-control : the apostle says, “Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (1 Cor. 9:25). The Son of Sirach says, “give and receive and deprive yourself, because in Hades there is nowhere to seek luxury” (Sir. 14:16); and “do not walk after your own desires, but restrain your appetites” (Sir. 18:30).

St. John Chrysostom says, “For he that would be a Teacher must first teach himself. For as he who has not first been a good soldier, will never be a general, so it is with the Teacher; wherefore he says elsewhere, ‘Lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway’ (1 Cor. 9:27).”⁷⁴⁰

17. A vision of purpose : a believer must have a clear vision of his purpose in order to achieve it, and to help his brothers and sisters to conduct themselves in the spirit of truth.

St. Clement of Alexandria believes that the aim of the spiritual (gnostic) man is to know God (the Truth) and to see Him⁷⁴¹ face to face. That is, to pass over to the perfection of knowledge of the Divine through faith, through the experience of pure life, and through constant contemplation. If we have passed over from paganism to faith, we ought also to pass over from faith to knowledge;⁷⁴² to see God and to know Him. This knowledge is a divine gift that we receive through the Son by accepting Him and imitating Him — that is, through purity of heart. St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Then it follows that the gnosis, which is the knowledge and apprehension of things present, future, and past, which is sure and reliable, as being imparted and revealed by the Son of God, is wisdom.”⁷⁴³

The apostle Paul stresses our need to keep our goal always before our eyes, saying, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14). The mystery of the power of the apostle Paul is his awareness that he has not yet reached perfection; an awareness that does not arise from a spirit of despair and negligence, but from a determination to continue striving and struggling. He realizes that the Lord Christ Himself calls him and seeks him in order to redeem him as His son. While he desires to know Christ,

738 St. Ambrose of Milan, Duties of the Clergy 2.22.112 (NPNF II/10:60).

739 St. Ambrose of Milan, Duties of the Clergy 2.24.120 (NPNF II/10:61).

740 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy 5 (NPNF I/13:424).

741 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies 2.10 (ANF 2:262–263).

742 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies 7.10 (ANF 2:538–540).

743 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies 6.7 (ANF 2:494).

he knows perfectly well that Christ knows him. The apostle’s zeal for his own salvation is nothing compared to the zeal of the Lord Christ to make him His own.

St. Augustine says, “Lot’s wife [Gen. 19:26], by looking behind, remained motionless. To whatever point then any one has been able to reach, let him fear to ‘look back’ from thence; and let him walk in the way, let him ‘follow Christ.’”⁷⁴⁴

“There remains hope, which, as I think, is compared to an egg. For hope has not yet arrived at attainment; and an egg is something, but not yet the chicken … Hope therefore exhorts us to this, to despise things present, to wait for things to come; ‘forgetting those things which are behind,’ let us, with the Apostle, ‘reach forth unto those things which are before’ (Phil. 3:13).”⁷⁴⁵

The apostle says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).

St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage saying, “he is reasonably full in offering consolation … ‘A good fight,’ he says … But is that a good fight, where there are imprisonment, chains, and death? Yea, he says for it is fought in the cause of Christ, and great crowns are won in it. There is no worthier than this contest. This crown is without end. This is not of olive leaves. It has not a human umpire. It has not men for spectators. The theater is crowded with Angels. There men labor many days, and suffer hardships, and for one hour they receive the crown, and immediately all the pleasure passes away. But here far otherwise, it continues for ever in brightness, glory, and honor. Henceforth we ought to rejoice.”⁷⁴⁶

And the apostle Paul also says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (1 Cor. 9:24–25). The participants in such contests observe a strict diet, abstain from drinking alcohol and delicious foods, are trained to endure heat and cold, and adhere to a demanding regime. The wrestler trains himself and subdues his body to attain the highest possible level as a competitor. Only one can win the prize, and in those days, a wreath of leaves and flowers crowned the head of the victor. But it is a crown that perishes. The faithful, on the other hand, train themselves for the race of life, and all of them can attain the indestructible crown of victory. The boxer trains himself so that when he faces his opponent in the boxing ring, he can strike him with accuracy. If he fails to train well, he will flail his arms left and right, as one boxing the air. He justly becomes an easy

744 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 46.10 (NPNF I/6:411).

745 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament Sermon 55.7 (NPNF I/6:432).

746 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Second Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy 9 (NPNF I/13:509, 511).

target for his opponent. Likewise, the believer must realize the value of his body. That is why the apostle says that he does not wish to be like someone who strikes the air.

18. A sense of responsibility : to be committed to fulfilling one’s duties and to not take lightly any advice one receives. The apostle says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16). St. John Chrysostom says, “I will not stop fulfilling my duty, whatever the reasons may be, for I was placed here for this duty.”

19. Honesty and sincerity : the believer who is faithful in much as well as in what is least (cf. Luke 16:10) does not forget the love and sincerity of others towards him, but repays love with love, and sincerity with sincerity. At the same time, he seeks the grace of God to help him to repay even evil with good, and to offer help to those who harm him. He refuses to admit enmity into his mind or heart, regardless of the attitude of others towards him.

20. Perseverance and endurance : a Godly person never knows despair, even to the last breath, and never stops striving, even on the deathbed. The Son of Sirach calls us to choose friends from among those who persevere rather than those who easily give up. He says, “Persevere with a godly man who you know keeps the commandments, whose soul accords with your soul and will share in your suffering if you fall” (Sir. 37:12).

St. Anthony the Great says, “A man cannot become good and wise immediately, but only through much effort, reflection, experience, time, practice and desire for virtuous action. The man who is good and enjoys the love of God, and who truly knows Him, never ceases to do ungrudgingly all that accords with His will. Such men are rare.”⁷⁴⁷

21. Seeing the world through eyes of hope : the believer focuses not on the difficulties that face him; but on cultivating a spirit of hope, confidence in the grace of Christ, and on the guidance he receives from the Holy Spirit.

22. Gratitude : the thought and heart of a believer never ceases to give thanks to God and to everyone, no matter how small the other’s gift may be. The apostle says, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18); and “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). Always giving thanks is a characteristic of heavenly beings, who, knowing that God is all-wise and all-loving, thank Him for His goodness and His good providence.

Thus, the believer cannot give thanks in everything with his tongue unless he possesses, through baptism, a new heavenly and illuminated nature; so that his heart sings with a neverending praise of thanksgiving. He feels that he owes his entire life to his heavenly Father, being aware God’s fatherhood and immense care for him. Thus, from the depths of his heart,

747 St. Anthony the Great, “On the Character of Men and the Virtuous Life: One Hundred and Seventy Texts,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, Volume I , trans., G. E. H. Palmer et al., eds., Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain, and Makarios of Corinth (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979): p. 335.

he cries out with praise, and the mouth of his inner man pours forth song, as the children and infants did when the Lord Christ entered Jerusalem. If we embrace the heavenly life in Christ, praise naturally radiates out from the depths of the heart and our entire being responds to it, even in the midst of tribulation.

It was this that bewildered the pagans when they saw Christians praising God in prisons, especially when they were sentenced to death. In the fourth and fifth centuries in particular, the Egyptian monasteries and their valleys were like a paradise, where the uninterrupted sound of praise was the only sound heard, as St. John Cassian tells us. The Church proclaims her joyful nature in the Lord with praise in all her liturgies, as well as in the private prayers of each of its members.

23. Reverence : we ought to speak with a calm smile and avoid excessively raucous laughter. It is said that Pilate wrote to Herod that the Lord Christ often smiled but was never found laughing, and wept in certain circumstances.

24. Loving to serve : whether serving individuals, families, the Church, the nation, or all humanity. The believer strives for the good of all, as much as he can, even those who have committed serious crimes. St. Augustine believes that as long as a person is still alive, God hopes for his salvation, no matter how wicked he may be.

25. Providing service to others : regardless of age, nationality, gender, religion, principles, or philosophy.

26. Wisdom and a good counsel : one should seek good advice, but also take care to give good advice to others, as much as he is able.

27. Honesty : if Satan is called a liar and the father of liars (cf. John 8:44), we must hold fast to truth, whatever the cost.

28. Politeness and good morals : we ought to treat others with a spirit of reverence and respect in a polite (ethical) manner, remembering that all humanity was created in the image and likeness of God.

29. Loyalty and faithfulness : we ought to be loyal and trustworthy in all our affairs; especially at work. We should never follow the principle we sometimes hear — that we should only work as hard as our wages deserve. In all situations, we ought to conduct ourselves faithfully, even with those who treat us unfairly.

30. To be noble⁷⁴⁸ and hardworking: we should not stop persevering in our work and struggle till the last breath.

748 Translator’s Note: The Arabic word here, عصاميين ( ‘eisamiayn ), is difficult to translate into English. It carries connotations both of being self-taught or self-made, and of becoming noble, eminent, distinguished.

31. Far-sightedness : we train the young in the spirit of leadership, wisely, according to their individual capabilities, potential, and talents, with the goal that they will one day surpass us in their abilities, talents, and knowledge; and will thus be of service both to society generally and to everyone they meet individually. We never cease to labor, looking ahead to the fruits that will be reaped by the next generation or future generations; for many have planted small trees knowing that it is their children who will eat of their fruits.

32. Embracing endless learning : we learn new lessons every day of our lives, even to the last day.

33. Fulfilling our mission as people of God : the apostle Paul reminded his congregations that they are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) and children of God; and that therefore, they ought to be a people of unceasing prayer.

34. Being prudent : we ought not to live with a spirit of merely seeking to be entertained, as though our life had no real purpose or value. Rather, we should fix our eyes on the eternal inheritance that we have acquired as a result of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that was paid as a gift on the cross. We are called to meet with our Lord on the clouds, for we are the heavenly bride who will meet her heavenly Bridegroom and be led by heavenly choirs in a heavenly procession that brings her into the bosom of the Father.