First of all, we should start by realising that we are selfish, and after to pray to the Lord to soften our heart, to make ourselves better and be ashamed of our selfishness. Being selfish is a reality for us all. We all are, to some extent, selfish.

An elderly lady from Sibiu, once told me: “Come in the afternoon to have lunch with me, but only if no one else invites you. I don’t want to be selfish.” In other words, she didn’t want to have this honour all by herself, but, if someone else wanted me to be their guest, to share this joy with them. I liked her reasoning, here’s a way of not being selfish.

(Translated from Arhimandrit Teofil Părăian, Iubirea de aproapele – ajutor pentru bucuria vieții, Editura Doxologia, Iași, 2014, pp. 76-77)