#measure

"Measure" 12x16 inches, oil on linen

"Geronda, Saint Isaac the Syrian writes: 'God considers virtue according to the discernment with which it is practiced.'"

That is right. Every action of ours, to be pleasing to God, and every virtue, needs discernment. Discernment is the salt of virtues. That is why Christ also tells us in the Gospel: "Every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt" (Mark 9:49). Let us think, for instance, of how much discernment asceticism requires! A person must take into account their own strength, their spiritual state, and so on. For, if you exceed the measure, you will end up being unable to do anything, and this will be to the detriment of your entire spiritual life.

That is why the Fathers say that everything that is beyond measure is from the devil. For Saint Paisios the Great, for instance, who could fast even for twenty days, it was not an exaggeration when he often kept a strict fast for three days. But for someone whose legs are trembling and who cannot fast those three days even once a year, if they wanted to keep a strict fast all the time, that would be an exaggeration, meaning from the devil."