The Fear of the Lord Is Our Cross

The fear of the Lord is our cross. One who is crucified no longer has the power to move or turn his limbs in any direction he pleases. In the same way we too ought to fix our wishes and desires, not according to what is pleasant and delightful to us now, but according to the law of the Lord, wherever it binds us. He who is fastened to the wood of the cross no longer thinks about present things or about what he likes. He is not troubled by anxiety and care for tomorrow, nor stirred by any desire to possess, nor inflamed by any pride or strife or rivalry. He does not grieve over present injuries or remember past ones, and while he still breathes in the body he considers himself dead to all earthly things, sending the thoughts of his heart on ahead to the place where he has no doubt he will shortly come. So we too, when we are crucified by the fear of the Lord, ought to be dead indeed to all these things, that is, not only to the vices of the flesh but to all earthly things as well, keeping the eye of our minds fixed on the place where we hope at every moment that we will soon pass. For in this way we can have all our desires and fleshly affections put to death. [a]