Crucified Orator new file

lust. By entertaining them, if the mind indulges in the illicit pleasure, it undoubtedly insults his Guardian.” The evil spirit is the most experienced and diligent Apelles 10 . With a brush soaked in various colors, he always stands near the canvas of our thoughts; and if he notices that they are poorly guarded, he attempts to paint upon that canvas such images as he desires: They can be of the hunting diana 11 , the jealous and prideful Juno 12 or the dissolute Venus 13 . He endeavors to separate our mind from God and turn [it] toward the world, toward its vanities and curiosities; he strives to smear our mind with a delu- sion of ill ambition and revolting pleasure; he tries to ignite a fire of licentiousness through the injection of dirty images. For he knows that one persisting thought is enough for the commission of a mortal sin, and that the soul, marred by that thought, is des- tined for eternal pain. If, however, he cannot persuade man to a deed leading to death, then at least he suggests the worst thoughts to him, so that entangled by such tricks and ruses he can drag the soul with him into the eternal abyss. Seeing that this very thing was occurring to him, the Psalmist King sighed deeply: “The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path” (Ps 18:5, NLT ). david considered idle, curious, and vain thoughts as the “ropes of the grave” for they precipitate the man who delights in them into the pains of hell. He [david] calls them also the “snares of death” because whoever is entangled by them, does not easily avoid grave sin, which brings death to the soul. In such a way did the ever pru- dent king free himself from their bonds, as he teaches us clearly 10 Apelles, a famous painter who executed the portrait of Alexander the Great, lived in the 4th century BC. His works were characterized by a perfect mastery of perspective and color. The most beautiful painting of his is of Aphrodite (Venus). 11 diana, identified by the Greeks as Artemis, in roman mythology was the goddess of the moon, birth, and fishing. 12 Juno, identified by the Greeks as Hera, was a jealous, vindictive, prideful wife of Jove (zeus). 13 Venus, identified by the Greeks as Aphrodite, received all of Hera’s attributes and features. She was the daughter of zeus, the wife of Hephaestus. We had many illegitimate children, among them Eros, who was the son of Ares. She was the goddess of love. S TANISLAUS P APCzyńSKI e Crucified Orator 72