Patristic Quote of the Day

Nothing pains the soul more than slander, whether directed against one's faith or one's manner of life. No one can be indifferent to it except those who like Susanna have their eyes firmly fixed on God. For only God has the power to rescue from peril, as He rescued her, to convince men of the truth, as He did in her case, and to encourage the soul with hope. To the extent that you pray with all your soul for the person who slanders you, God will make the truth known to those who have been scandalized by the slander. -- St. Maximos the Confessor, *Fourth Century on Love* par. 88, 89