Even the devil is afraid of an apology

One Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, the Elder was in his office talking. At one point, a spiritual child with his four-year-old daughter was added to the group.

The Elder immediately recognized that the little one was angry and asked to know the cause. Because she did not answer, her father explained that she had recently slapped her uncle as he joked with her. However, despite the recommendations made to her and her uncle's apology, she did not apologize.

Then the Elder leaves them all in the office, takes her by the hand and goes to the other room. From there she calls her uncle, explains the reason for the call and tells the little one:

"Come on, my good girl, apologize to your uncle."

The little one keeps her mouth shut.

"It's a word. Tell her, my good girl. I will give you a gift tomorrow. Say that little word!"

The little one resists  with stubborn silence. And the Elder continuess:

"Look how the devil is afraid of this word, even when a small child says it! See how much he has tied it up and won't let it go!"

The effort continues for more than half an hour. At the end, the Elder says to the little one in a respectful manner:

"Listen, my child, if you do not apologize, you will not have God's help and you will get sick. Did you hear; You will get sick!"

The little one began to whine through her teeth the "apology". The Elder insists:

"Louder, my child, louder for the devil to hear and go away!"

The little one says it again a little louder. The Elder then kisses her, gives her money and leads her to the office, where he had left the guests waiting.

Let us celebrate, because today she fought with the devil and defeated him

Elder  Epiphanios Theodoropoulos