Something I read...

I'm reading "First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew" by Frederica Matthewes-Green, during Lent this year. I'm just in the introduction which is quite long and read something I just loved! I must share...
She's talking about sin being sickness. The goal of life in Christ is to be healed...
This is really a long process. It takes a lifetime. But it is God's plan for reclaiming and transforming His world....
Though we may do many things to increase our self-control (like fast, keep a schedule of daily prayer, tithe, and sacrifice time and money), one of the main things God uses for our spiritual growth is other people. As they interact with us, frustrate and annoy us, we are over and over given opportunities to act in love. The main evidence that we are growing in Christ is not exhilirating prayer experiences, but steadily increasing humble love for other people. (something she touched on at the retreat which I might have mentioned in my post regarding the retreat---is God speaking to me?)
The cardinal rule is humility. We don't understand humility very well in our culture; we're more attracted to a model of heroism, which deals out punishment to wrongdoers and wins admiration as a champion of the right. But this was not a usual feature of early Christian spirituality. Instead, even wrongdoers were to be treated with love, in the awareness that we are equally sinners....
So the goal is to avoid judging anyone, and steadfastly to resist getting angry. (My favorite sentence is next hence the emphasis.) Other people rub off our rough edges, and so we grow into the likeness of Christ, who forgave His enemies from the cross.

Oh Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to they servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen (Prayer of St. Ephraim)