Monday Morning in the Desert

The Desert Fathers teach us that fighting fire with fire is not always the best strategy when faced with harm:

"It was said of Abba John the Persian that when some evildoers came to harm
him, he took a basin and wanted to wash their feet.  But they were filled
with confusion, and began to do penance"

( From this online collection of sayings of the Desert Fathers:  http://www29.homepage.villanova.edu/christopher.haas/saying%20of%20the%20desert%20fathers.html )