Faith & Spirituality
Byzantine Nun Says Her Generosity Was Actually Rooted in Self-Love
Pints with Aquinas
Experiencing the Beautiful Love of God (Mother Natalia) | Ep. 582
"I thought that I was an extremely generous person. I realized that a lot of my generosity was coming actually from a self-love. This person is difficult to live with when they're in a bad mood. So I want to ease their load so that they're not in a bad mood so that it's more pleasant for me to live with them."
Mother Natalia shared a revelation about her character after years in the monastery. She discovered that acts she believed were pure generosity—like making coffee for sisters in bad moods—were actually motivated by self-interest to make her own life more pleasant. This represented a key moment of self-awareness in her spiritual formation.
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Pints with Aquinas