¹ Moses wrote in the Law: “God made man in His own image and likeness”. Consider, I ask you, the dignity of this statement. Almighty God, invisible, incomprehensible, inexpressible, and beyond estimation, formed man from the dust and ennobled him with the dignity of His own image. What connection is there between man and God? Between what is made of clay and the Spirit? For God is spirit. It is a great honor that God granted man the image of His eternity and the likeness of His virtues. The likeness to God is a great dignity for man—if it is preserved—but it is also a great condemnation if the image of God is violated. For if man, having received his being from the breath of God, perverts its use to the contrary and defiles the gift of nature, then he corrupts and, as far as he is able, erases the likeness of God. However, if he uses the virtues implanted in his soul rightly, then he will be like God. Whatever virtues God sowed in us at our first creation, He taught us through His commandments to return to Him. The first commandment is this: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, for He first loved us from the beginning and before we even existed. The love of God is the renewal of His image; and he loves God who keeps His commandments, for He said: “If you love me, keep my commandments. This is His commandment: love one another, as it is written: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”. True love, however, is not merely in words but in deed and in truth.

² Let us therefore return to our God, our Father, His image untainted in holiness, for He is holy, as it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy”. Let us return it in love, for “God is love”. Let us return it in piety and truth, for He is merciful and faithful. Let us not become painters of an alien image! For he who is fierce, wrathful, or proud is the painter of a tyrannical image. Just as there is false knowledge, so too is there a false and distorted image. Truth is separated from falsehood, justice from iniquity, love from malice, diligence from negligence, fairness from perversity, love from hypocrisy; and each of these paints in us images that are contrary to one another. Piety and impiety, peace and discord are opposites. Let us therefore take care not to introduce tyrannical images into ourselves; rather, let Christ paint His image in us, for He painted it when He said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”. But what does it profit us to know that peace is good if we do not keep it well? For what is most excellent is often the most fragile, and whatever is precious requires greater caution and more diligent care. What is extremely fragile can be destroyed by a careless word and lost by the slightest offense against a brother. You do not harm anyone when you flatter him, nor do you deceive anyone when you despise him. But say to someone, “You fool,” and you have violated peace and made yourself guilty of hellfire.

³ Therefore, whoever seeks to fulfill fraternal love must be careful not to speak as he pleases or to move his tongue according to his emotions, for we must give an account not only of injurious words but also of idle ones. Thus, we must strive not to dwell on many words but to speak only what is necessary, for nothing is sweeter to men than speaking about others, concerning themselves with others’ affairs, scattering idle words everywhere, and slandering those who are absent. Therefore, those who cannot say, “The Lord has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to sustain the weary with a word”, should remain silent, and whatever they say should be peaceful. Even a wise man offends less with few words than with many. For when a person lies, speaks evil, or slanders, he slays himself with his own weapon. What else could our enemies wish for us but that we would succumb by our own arms? “Do not slander,” says Scripture, “lest you be uprooted”. Consider how much labor goes into works of impiety: a dwelling is built, a plantation is established, and only through great and daily toil is a plant set to grow; yet with a single word of slander, it is uprooted. What scarcely stands firm through long labor is overturned by a single spoken word. Let each one take care, lest his root be removed from the land of the living due to slander born of hatred; for no one ever slanders someone he loves—slander is the firstborn of hatred, and therefore such a son of such a father deserves to be eradicated.

⁴ Beloved, it is dangerous to dwell in a place where these things are not avoided. For if, as the Apostle says, “You bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another”. If one who does not love is already in death, where will the slanderer be? We need tears more than words for these matters. What has the Law of God commanded more carefully and abundantly than love? And yet you will rarely find anyone who acts accordingly. What excuse shall we offer? Can we say it is burdensome, that it is difficult? Love is not labor; it is most sweet, most healing, most beneficial to the heart. If the heart is not weakened by vices, its very health is love, for love is what is most dear to God. Nothing is more dear to God than spiritual love, especially since it is the sum of His Law and all His commandments, as the Apostle says: “He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law”. Whoever fulfills the Law through the practice of love has eternal life, as John says: “Brothers, we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love remains in death. Whoever hates is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him”. Therefore, either nothing should be done except love, or nothing should be expected except punishment, for “love is the fulfillment of the Law”. May He, the Merciful One, deign to abundantly inspire this love in us—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, as the Giver of peace and the God of love, deemed us worthy to receive it—to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.