11. Do No Harm to a Person of Good Will

11. Do No Harm to a Person of Good Will

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

The Church hath ever taught that the innocent and the just must be defended as we would defend Christ Himself.
St John Chrysostom (†407) wrote:
“He who honours the just man honours God who dwelleth in him.”
St Ambrose (†397) excommunicated the Emperor Theodosius for the massacre at Thessalonica, proving that no earthly power may crush the righteous with impunity.

Therefore:

• Never slander, betray, or strike the man who seeketh to live honestly and peacefully.
• If thou seest the good oppressed (whether priest, parent, neighbour, or stranger), stand beside them, for “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you… for my sake” (Matthew 5:11).
• Even if they be of another nation or rite, if they bear good will, protect them, remembering the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).

He who harmeth a person of good will woundeth the Heart of Christ and storeth up wrath against the day of wrath (Romans 2:5).

12. Safeguard and Improve Thy Surroundings and Thy Neighbour’s

God placed Adam in a garden “to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).
All creation groaneth until the sons of God be revealed (Romans 8:22); therefore we are stewards, not destroyers.

12-1. Keep thy body, thy dwelling, and thy city clean and orderly, for “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
The desert fathers kept their cells immaculate as an act of worship.

12-2. Labour to make thy neighbourhood beautiful and safe.
Repair what is broken, plant what is barren, teach the ignorant; for “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

12-3. Care for the earth, the animals, and the poor, for the Lord “hath given the earth unto the children of men” (Psalm 115:16) to be used with reverence, not ravaged with greed.

Thus thou preparest a dwelling-place worthy of the returning King.

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