The elder said to the brother: My son, the truth hurts only as long as you keep it at the door; when you let it inside, it no longer hurts it heals. The pain does not come from the truth, but from the resistance of the heart. Truth is like a doctor: if you fight it, it hurts you; if you place yourself in its hands, it makes you whole. Do not fear the truth that wounds you, for that wound is the place where the light enters. Only the proud mind flees from the truth, while the humble mind receives it as an old friend. Know, my son, that the truth does not wound to destroy you, but to awaken you and the one who awakens is healed. Then the elder added: When you are able to give thanks for a truth that hurts you, you will know that your healing has begun.
Apophthegm
A brother said to the elder: Father, if the truth heals me, why do I sometimes flee even from the smallest truths about myself?
The elder answered him: Because man loves the light, but fears what he might see in it.
The brother was troubled and said within himself: How can I love the light without fearing it?
Pustia Inimii 