A Man Rejected

Αἱ ἀλωπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν παρακαλέσαντα ἀκολουθεῖν ἀπεκρίνατο, καρδιογνώστης ὑπάρχων, ὡς πλάσας καταμόνας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίας. Καταμόνας δὲ εἵρηται, ὅτι οὐ δεηθεὶς ἑτέρου βοηθοῦντος ἐποίησε. Καὶ ὁρῶν δολίοις λογισμοῖς κεκρατημένον τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὑπὸ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν κατοικούμενον, καὶ ἀνεπιστρόφως πρὸς τὴν κάκωσιν ἔχοντα· καὶ τούτου χάριν τῆς οἰκείας συνουσίας αὐτὸν ἀπέπεμπεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἐπίμονον τῆς ἐκείνου φαυλότητος, σκανδάλου γένηται τοῖς πιστεύουσιν αἴτιον, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀτενίζουσι, καὶ τῆς Δεσποτικῆς δυνάμεως καταψηφιζομένοις ἀσθένειαν, ὡς τὸν μαθητὴν μεταβαλεῖν πρὸς ἀρετὴν μὴ ἰσχυσάσης. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΙΖ' Παυλῳ

'Foxes have their holes and the birds of heaven their nests,' the Lord replies to him who asked to follow, 1 He who has knowledge of the heart, for He alone shapes the heart of men, He alone, for he does not need other help making. And perceiving the man overcome by deceitful thoughts, and being ruled by wicked spirits, and being indifferent to the evil he possesses, on account of this He sends him from his group, lest not only his be the error but he become a cause of scandal to those who are faithful, who gazing on that man would condemn the weakness of the Lord's power, that it was not able to turn a disciple to virtue. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 17, To Paul 1 Mt 8.20 2 Mt 5.13