Tempted by Virtues

“The devil does not tempt us only with sins. He tempts us with virtues even more than with sins. We can see sins and avoid them, but we strive and struggle to acquire virtues. A holy man once said: ‘Do you want to fast? The devil will help you. Do you want to give alms? The devil will help you. To build a church? The devil will help you. Why?
Because he knows that if we succeed in all of this, we will become proud and lose everything. We must master the one virtue he does not have: humility.’”
Elder Nikon of the Holy Mountain
#humility #pride #devil

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