My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE SPIRITUAL CHALLENGES PRESENTED IN
THE LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT. [Part III]
THE CONTINUATION OF THE FINAL STEPS:
Step 21
ON UNMANLY FEARS
"If you pursue virtue in a monastery or gathering of holy men, you are unlikely to be attacked by cowardice. But if you pass your time in solitary abodes, you must strive not to be mastered by cowardice…Cowardice is childish behavior within a soul advanced in years and vainglory. It is a lapse from faith that comes from anticipating the unexpected. Fear is sanger tasted in advance, a quiver as the heart takes fright before unnamed calamity. Fear is a loss of assurance. A proud soul is the slave of cowardice. Trusting only itself, it is frightened by a sound or a shadow… So as you go where fright will lay hold of you, put on the armor of prayer, and when you reach the spot, stretch out your hands and flog your enemies with the name of Jesus, since there is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth. And when you drive the fear away, give praise to the God Who has delivered you, and He will protect you for all eternity, provided you remain grateful…"
Step 22
Step 22
ON VAINGLORY
"Saint Gregory the Theologian lists the eight principal temptation of Evagrius were: GLUTTONY, LUST, AVARICE, ANGER, DESPONDENCY, (ACCIDIA), VAINGLORY AND PRIDE.
Some would hold that vainglory is to be distinguished from pride, and so they give it a special place and chapter. After all, what pride remains in a man who has conquered vainglory? The difference is between a child and a man, between wheat and bread, for the first is a beginning and the second an end…To be a show off is to be vainglorious, and the fast of such a person is unrewarded and his prayer futile, since he is practicing both to win praise.
Vainglory induces pride in the favored and resentment in those who are slighted. Often it causes dishonor instead of honor, because it brings great shame to its angry disciples. It makes the quick-tempered look mild before men. It thrives amid talent and frequently brings catastrophe on those enslaved to it…"
Step 23
PRIDE
"Pride is a denial of God, an invention of the devil, and contempt for men. It is the mother of condemnation, the offspring of praise, a sign of barrenness. It is a flight from God’s help, the harbinger of madness, the author of dowfall. It is the cause of diabolical possession, the source of anger, the gateway of hypocrisy. It is the fortress of demons, the custodian of sins, the source of hard heartedness. It is the denial of compassion, a bitter pharisee, a cruel judge. It is the foe of God. It is the root of blasphemy… Pride begins where vainglory leaves off… Pride is utter poverty of soul disguised as riches, imaginary light where in fact there is darkness. The abominable vice not only stops our progress but even tosses us down from the heights we have reached…"
Step 24
ON MEEKNESS, SIMPLICITY, GUILELESSNESS,
AND WICKEDNESS.
"The light of dawn comes before the sun, and meekness is the precursor of all humanity. So let us to the order in which Christ, our Light, places these virtues. He says: "Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart" [Matthew 11:29]. Therefore before gazing at the sun of humility we must let the light of meekness flow over us… Meekness is a mind consisten amid honor or dishonor. Meekness prays quietly and sincerely for a neighbor however troublesome he may be.
Simplicity is an enduring habit within a soul that has grown impervious to evil thoughts. Guilelessness is the joyful condition of an uncalculating soul.
Malice is honesty perverted, a deluded thought, a lying disposition, perjury, and ambiguous words. Malice is a false heart, an abyss of cunning, deceit that has become habitual, pride that is second nature. It is the foe of humility, a fake penitence, mourning depleted, a refusal to confess, an insistence on getting one’s own way.
The evil man is the namesake and companion of the devil, which is why the Lord taught us to call the devil by that name, saying, "Deliver us from the Evil One" (Matthew 6:13)…"
25
ON HUMILITY
"Do you imagine that plain words can precisely or truly or appropriately or clearly or sincerely describe the love of the Lord, HUMILITY, blessed purity, divine enlightenment, fear of God, and assurance of the heart?
Humility is constant forgetfulness of one’s achievements," someone says. "It is the admission that in all the world ONE IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT AND IS ALSO THE GREATEST SINNER," another says. "It is the mind’s awareness that one is weak and helpless," a third says. "It is the acknowledgment of Divine grace and Divine mercy." "It is the disposition of a contrite soul and the abdication of one’s will."
"As soon as the cluster OF HOLY HUMILITY BEGINS to flower WITHIN US, we come, after hard work, to hate all earthly praise and glory. We rid ourselves of rage and fury; and the more this Queen of Virtues spreads WITHIN OUR SOULS THROUGH SPIRITUAL GROWTH, the more we begin to regard all our good deeds as of NO consequence, in fact as loathsome…"
Step 26
ON DISCERNMENT
"…DISCERNMENT is–and is recognized to be–A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE WILL OF GOD IN ALL TIMES, IN ALL PLACES, IN ALL THINGS; and is found only among those who ARE PURE IN HEART, IN BODY, AND IN SPEECH.
EVERY DEMONIC UPHEAVAL WITHIN US arises from the following three related causes, namely, CARELESSNESS, PRIDE, OR THE ENVY OF DEMONS. The first is pitiable, the second deplorable, but the third is blessed. Let our God-directed conscience be our aim and rule in everything so that, knowing how the wind is blowing, we mau set our sails accordingly.
One has to distinguish between, Divine Providence, Divine assistance, Divine protection, Divine mercy, and Divine consolation. Providence is shown in all of nature, assistance among the faithful alone, protection among those believers whose faith is most alive, mercy among those who serve God, and consolation among those who love Him…"
Step 27
ON STILLNESS
"Stillness of the body is the accurate knowledge and management of one’s feelings and perceptions. Stillness of soul is the accurate knowledge of one’s thoughts and is an unassailable mind.
Brave and determined thinking is a friend of stillness. It is ALWAYS ON THE WATCH AT THE DOORS OF THE HEART, KILLING OR DRIVING OFF INVADING NOTIONS. What I mean by this will be well understood by the man who practices stillness in the deep places of the heart, while the novice will have no experience or knowledge of it.
The start of stillness IS THE REJECTION OF ALL NOISINESS AS SOMETHING THAT WILL TROUBLE THE DEPTHS OF THE SOUL. The final point is when one has no longer a fear of noisy disturbance, when one is immune to it…"
Step 28
ON PRAYER
"PRAYER IS BY NATURE A DIALOG AND A UNION OF MAN WITH GOD. Its effect is to hold the world together. It achieves a reconciliation with God. PRAYER IS THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER OF TEARS. IT IS AN EXPIATION OF SIN, A BRIDGE ACROSS TEMPTATION, A BULWARK AGAINST AFFLICTION. IT WIPES OUT CONFLICT, IS THE WORK OF ANGELS, AND IS THE NOURISHMENT OF ALL BODILESS BEINGS. PRAYER IS FUTURE GLADNESS, ACTION WITHOUT END, WELLSPRING OF VIRTUES, SOURCE OF GRACE, HIDDEN PROGRESS, FOOD OF THE SOUL, ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE MIND, AND AXE AGAINST DESPAIR, HOPE DEMONSTRATED, SORROW DONE AWAY WITH. It is wealth of monks, treasure of hermits, anger diminished. It is a mirror of progress, a demonstration of success, evidence of one’s condition, the future revealed, a sign of glory. For the person who really prays it is the court, the judgment hall, the tribunal of the Lord– and this prior to the Judgment that is to come.
Let us arise and pay heed to what that holy queen of the virtues cries out to us in a loud voice, saying: "Come to me, all of you who labor and are weighed down, and I will give you rest. Take upon yourselves my yoke, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29), and a balm for the blows that fall on you. "FOR MY YOKE IS EASY" and is remedy for great sins."
Step 29
ON DISPASSION
"Stars adorn the skies AND DISPASSION HAS THE VIRTUES TO MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL. By dispassion I mean a heaven of the mind within the heart, which regards the artifice of demons as a contemptible joke. A man is truly dispassionate–and is know to be such–when he has cleansed his flesh of all corruption; when he has lifted his mind above every created, and has made it master of all the senses; when he keeps his soul continually in the presence of the Lord and reaches out beyond the borderline of strength to Him…Dispassion is an uncompleted perfection of the perfect… A dispassionate soul is IMMERSED IN VIRTUES AS A PASSIONATE BEING IS IN PLEASURE.
Step 30
ON FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE
"And now at last, after all that has been said, there remains that TRIAD, FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, BINDING AND SECURING THE UNION OF ALL. "but the greatest of these is agape" (1 Corinthians 13:13), since that is the very name of God Himself (cf. I John 4:8). To me they appear, one as a ray, one as light, and one as a disk, and all as A SINGLE RADIANCE AND A SINGLE SPLENDOR. The first can make and create all things, the mercy of God encircles the second and keeps it from confusion, while the third never falls, never halts on its way, never gives respite to the man wounded by its blessed rapture.
The man who wants to talk about love is undertaking to speak about God. But it is risky to talk about God and could even be dangerous for the unwary. Angels know how to speak about love, but even they do so only in proportion to the light within them. "God is love" (I John 4:16). But someone eager to define this is blindly striving to measure the sand in the ocean. Love, by its nature, is A RESEMBLANCE TO GOD, insofar as this is humanly possible. In its activity it is the inebriation of the soul. Its distinctive character is to be a fountain of faith, an abyss of patience, a sea of humility.
HOPE is the power behind love. Hope is what causes us to look forward to the reward of love. Hope is an abundance of hidden treasure. It is the abundant assurance of the riches in store for us/ It is a rest from labor, a doorway of love. It lifts despair and is the image of what is not yet present. When hope fails, so does love. Struggles are bound by it, labors depend on it, and mercy lies all around it. Hope comes from te experience of the Lord’s gifts, and someone with no such experience must be ever in doubt. Hope is destroyed by anger, for hope does not disappoint and the angry man has no grace.
FAITH is the wing of prayer, and without it my prayer will return to my bosom. FAITH is the unshaken stance of the soul andis unmoved by any adversity. The believing man is not one who thinks that God can do all things, but one WHO TRUSTS THAT HE WILL OBTAIN EVERYTHING. FAITH is the agent of things unhoped for, as the thief proved (cf. Luke 23:42-43). THE MOTHER OF FAITH IS HARD WORK AND AN UPRIGHT HEART; THE ONE BUILDS UP BELIEF, THE OTHER MAKES IT ENDURE. FAITH IS THE MOTHER OF THE HESYCHAST, FOR AFTER ALL, HOW CAN HE PRACTICE STILLNESS IF HE DOES NOT BELIEVE. [Resources: The Ladder of Divine Ascent]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 