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.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY: ON DISCERNMENT
By Saint John Climacus
Among beginners, DISCERNMENT is real SELF-KNOWLEDGE; among those midway along the road to perfection, it is a spirituality capacity to DISTINGUISH UNFAILINGLY BETWEEN WHAT IS TRULY GOOD AND WHAT IN NATURE IS OPPOSED TO THE GOOD; among the perfect, it is a knowledge resulting from Divine Illumination, which with ts lamps can light up what is dark in others. To put the matter generally, 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 IT IS FOUND ONLY AMONG THOSE WHO ARE PURE IN HEART, IN BODY, AN DIN SPEECH.
The man who has devoutly destroyed WITHIN HIMSELF the three has also destroyed the five. According to Evegrius, (Philokalia, p. 38), the three PRINCIPAL EVIL THOUGHTS ARE GLUTTONY, VAINGLORY, AND AVARICE; the give rise to the other five, LUST, DESPONDENCY, PRIDE, DEJECTION AND ANGER. Ifhe has neglected any of the former, then he will not be able to overcome even a single passion.
DISCERNMENT IS AN UNCORRUPTED CONSCIENCE. IT IS PURE PERCEPTION. No one seeing or hearing something in monastic life that has a force over and beyond nature should, out of ignorance, become unbelieving. For much that is supernatural happens where THE SUPERNATURAL GOD ABIDES.
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 may set our sails accordingly.
Amid all our efforts to please God, THREE PITFALLS LIE, prepared for us by demons. FIRST is their attempt to impede any sort of worthwhile achievement; and if this fails, they strive secondly to ensure that what we do should not be in accordance with the will of God. And if the scoundrels fail in this too, then they stand quietly before our soul and praise us for the fact that in every respect WE ARE LIVING AS GOD WOULD WISH. We should fight these risks, the first by ZEAL and fear of DEATH, the second by OBEDIENCE and SELF-ABASEMENT, the third by UNCEASING SELF-CONDEMNATION. "This work is ahead of us until the fire of God shall enter our sanctuary" (cf. Psalm 72:16-17), and indeed the power of our predispositions will no longer constrain us. For our God IS A FIRE CONSUMING ALL LUSTS, ALL STIRRINGS OF PASSION, ALL PREDISPOSITIONS, AND ALL HARDNESS OF HEART, BOTH WITHIN AND WITHOUT, BOTH VISIBLE AND SPIRITUAL.
DEMONS, on the other hand, bring about the very OPPOSITE TO ALL THIS. Grabbing a soul, they put out the light of the mind in our wretchedness; we find ourselves lacking sobriety or discernment, self-knowledge or shame; and we are burdened instead with indifference, insensitivity, want of discernment, and blindness. All of this is well known to those who have abandoned FORNICATION AND BECOME CHASTE, who have reigned in their tongues and switched from shamelessness to modesty. They know that when the mind was cleansed, its callousness ended, or rather its mutilation healed, shame filled them for what they said and did previously in the season of their blindness…Our eyes are a light to all the body. DISCERNMENT OF THE VIRTUES IS A LIGHT TO ALL THE MIND. [Resources: The Ladder of Divine Ascent]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in Christ’s Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
