Humility has great power and melts the devil. It is the strongest shock for the devil. Where there is humility, the devil has no place. And where there is no devil, it is natural for there to be no temptations. Once, an eremite forced a devil to say, “Holy God…”. The devil said, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,” but did not say, “Have mercy on us.” “Say, ‘Have mercy on us!'” It said nothing. If it had said it, it would have become an Angel. The devil says everything, but it does not say, “Have mercy on me,” because humility is necessary. “Have mercy on me” has humility, and the soul receives the great mercy of God, which it asks for.
Regardless of we do, humility, love, nobility is needed. Things are simple. We complicate them. As much as we can, let us do what is complicated for the devil and easy for humans. Love and humility weigh heavily on the devil, but are light and natural for humans. Even someone who is sickly and unable to perform ascetic practices can strike the devil with humility. In a minute, a person can become an Angel or a devil. How? With humility or with pride. Did it take hours for the Morning Star to become a devil from an Angel? It happened in a few seconds. The easiest way to be saved is through love and humility. Therefore, let us start with love and humility, and then we will progress with the rest. Pray to always bring joy to Christ and sorrow to the devil, especially since the devil loves hell and does not want to repent.
Excerpt from With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man – Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, Evanghelismos Publishing House.
