Time ago among the believers there was a teacher of Physics who at the exams for passing in the second grade from high school had given difficult problems thus the most of the students wrote of 8 or 9, the mark for passing the exam being 19. The teacher found himself in a difficult situation and in the end he gave 10 to those who had obtained 9 while those who had abstained 8 were not passed and they had to give another exam in September.
But his conscience rebuked him and he went to ask elder Paisios.
So while he was staying with the others heard the elder saying:
`Now I am going to tell you something about discernment. I give you an example. Let`s say that some students wrote of 8 and 9 at an exam. I ask you: what should the teacher do?
The others didn`t know what to answer while the teacher listened dumb of amazement.
`Let me tell you what is the solution, the pious continued. If he passes all of them he seems he shows love but those who studied less will become lazy and this won`t be of any use for them.
The discernment says : those who obtained 9 and got close to the passing mark should be passed. The others should be left to continue reading during summer.
The discernment is a difficult thing and it is needed to have divine enlightenment. That is why you should ask God to give it to you.
Excerpt from Saint Paisios the Athonite– Evanghelismos Publishing.
