OIKOS, October 17
"Taking up the cross as a weapon and clothed with faith as a breastplate, O all glorious Andrew, thou wentest forth to wrestle with visible and invisible enemies, a self-called Martyr, and thou didst cast down their arrays by the might of the Spirit. Since thou art abundantly filled therewith, O righteous Father, grant even unto me a small portion of grace, that it may enlighten my mind to praise thy courageous struggles worthily, O light of the orthodox Faith."
I. Our weapon in the spiritual life is the cross. What does this mean in practical terms? It means that we need to embrace mortification as an essential part of our life. Our share in the cross is twofold. First, we participate in the cross passively, by accepting all of the mortifications that come to us through the Providence of God. We keep in mind that everything that happens to us is either positively or permissively willed by God, and that, in either case, He has only one motive for all the things that He wills-- His compassion for all His creatures. Whatever suffering we have to endure, if we embrace it in the spirit in which it is given, as a share in the sufferings of Christ to encourage our growth, then we are in a position to profit from it. It is only when we resist it through anger, sadness, etc., that we miss our opportunity to grow closer to God and destroy our passions. Further, we also participate in the mystery of the cross as our weapon actively by seeking mortification that we can embrace intentionally and voluntarily. We might, for example, commit ourselves to special prayers, or fasting, or some other penance for the same reasons as a means to greater communion with God and the destruction of our passions. We need to go out to battle both with our weapon (the cross) and our armour, the breastplate that is the faith. We need to have an abundance of faith, because we cannot make sense of the mortifications that God sends us without faith. It is only with the eyes of faith that we can understand, even in the limited way that we human beings are capable of, the workings of God in our lives. Whatever we choose to do for ourselves, the penances that God sends to us through His loving Providence are by far more important. We should praise God and thank Him for the opportunity He gives us to use the cross as a weapon for these two purposes. We should resolve to practice some special mortification, and to always and seamlessly whatever God sends us in the way of suffering.
II. We should remember that our battle is against both visible and invisible enemies. Our visible enemies are whats rather than who's. Our visible enemies are the material circumstances that are ancillary to temptation, things like advertising, television programmes, music and specific aspects of the behaviour of others. All of these things are visible, but they are not the temptations themselves. They are ancillary to the temptations. A number of theologians have argued persuasively that the beat itself of popular music aids in arousing certain passions-- a fact that in Christian thinking is always problematic, since Christian anthropology regards the passions as demon-controlled. Added to the visible enemies, we also have invisible enemies: the temptations themselves and the demons who inspire them. Our battle is against both of them. It is against them that we wear our armour and use our weapon. God is our strength and defense against visible and invisible enemies, and we should concretely resolve to firmly commit our will to resist both temptations to sin and the material circumstances that help them.
III. The arrays of our enemies are cast down by the Spirit. Well, wait. I thought we said that the cross (that is mortification in communion with Christ) and faith (trust in God that He knows what He is doing in sending us particular mortifications) are the way that we defeat our temptations both visible and invisible. No, the cross and faith are the ways that we fight against them. We are required to fight against them, but the way that we fight against them is not the way that they are defeated. They are defeated by the Spirit. Our efforts are required as a sign of our bona fides, but they do not, in themselves, accomplish the victory. The victory comes through the Spirit, Who, in filling us, becomes our Spirit too. We receive a share of the Spirit in proportion to our ability to receive Him, and it is His portion that accomplishes victory over sin in us through the enlightenment of our minds. We can thank God and praise Him abundantly, reaching out to Him in renewed love, for finding us worthy of a portion, and an ever-increasing portion, of His Spirit. We should make a firm resolution to renew and expand our particular devotion to God's Holy Spirit. Think of specific ways that an increasing portion of the Holy Spirit can assist you in the circumstances of the interior life.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
The Tree is Known by its Fruit, and a House by its Foundation
Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and yet don't do what I tell you? Anyone who comes to me and listens to my words and obeys them-- I will show what he is like. He is like a man who, in building his house, dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. the river flooded over and hit that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But anyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a man who built his house without laying a foundation; when the flood hit that house it fell at once--and what a terrible crash that was!"(Luke 6: 43-9)
I. The Lord Jesus' reference in the Gospel of St. Luke concerning the image of the tree, reminds us at once of all the many other times that the Lord uses this same image throughout the wholeness of salvation history. It is one of God's favourite images. We think, for example, first of the Garden, and the trees that are in the Garden, which are good for food and delightful to the eyes, and especially of the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden. Yet, even after the human race lost access through sin to the Tree of Life, human beings were still expected to be like life-giving trees, living to the greatest extent possible in communion with God. In the first psalm, for example, we read: "Blessed is the man, who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked... He shall be like a tree planted by flowing waters, which will give its fruit in due season. Its leaf shall not wither, and in everything he does, he prospers." Similarly, in Psalm 92, we read that "the just man shall flourish like the palm tree, and he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." In the forgoing verse, communion with the Lord is highlighted by the reference to the "courts of our God." If we were to read the passage from St. Luke without this background in the rest of the Scriptures, we would perhaps think that, according to the Lord's saying, the good and the bad are unchanging quantities, and that the bad are irreformable. It certainly sounds that way. But understanding the passage as a fulfillment of what is said in the Psalms and in the rest of the Tradition, guides us to see that being good or bad rests in a decision, and then, in a habit of decisions. Communion with God begins with the decision to turn to God, but that communion is deepened by habitual decisions to draw closer to God through grace. The passage speaks about "the treasure of the heart," and that this treasure can be either good or bad. A treasure is not heaped up in a day. Of course, God can give us a treasure all at once, and instantly, for God can do anything. Yet, is such a thing really consistent with God's designs. How is our growth really humanly possible without repeated synergistic decisions to draw ever closer to God. OK, so what does "synergistic decisions" mean? Well, it means that our cooperation with grace is a synergy. It is like electricity. If the electrical current did not flow out from the wall to the lamp, the lamp would not be lit. At the same time, however, if the electrical current did not flow from the lamp back to the wall, the lamp would not be lit. When the circuit is complete, where does the current begin, and where does it end? Where is the important part of the current? Is it that that comes from the wall, or is it that that goes back from the lamp to the wall? Christianity, in the past, has allowed itself to become embroiled in chicken and egg controversies regarding this very question, but these controversies have obscured the truth more than they have revealed it. We receive God's energy (grace), but we have to cooperate with that energy by means of a corresponding synergy. Is our synergy, in fact, the energy of God simply returned to Him? Of course. What could be more obvious? We heap up a treasure of good in our heart through repeated decisions to deepen our communion with God. It is a great motive for us to love God, and love Him deeply, in that He has equipped us to participate in this kind of ever-deepening relationship with Him. We should make concrete resolutions concerning our own circumstances, how we are able to deepen our relationship through prayer, sacrifice and work.
II. This leads us to the second consideration. The Lord tells us that if we really hear His words and put them into practice, we will have to dig deep. This is, of course, another way of saying what He was saying above. It is not enough to simply hear His words when the Gospel readings are read in Church, even if we were to go to the church for every service, everyday. No, we cannot simply hear in this fashion. We have to dig deep. Digging deep means following the example of the Mother of God, which is given to us twice in the same Gospel. We have to ponder the Lord's ways in our hearts. We have to meditate on them. The very concept of meditation was inspired by watching ruminating animals. Ruminating animals have more than one stomach. They will, in the course of digestion, vomit the contents of their first stomach back up into their mouth, so that they can chew it again. Gross! Yes, but it is a useful image of what we are supposed to do with the Lord's words and His ways in our lives. We are supposed to meditate on them, that is to chew them over and over again. In them is life, just as life is in our food, but it takes some effort on our part to extract that life, just as a ruminating animal cannot simply swallow its food once and be done with it. If we have approached the spiritual life in that way in the past, we need to correct that. We can no longer read the Gospel and say, "OK, now I understand that. I'll move on to something else." Deepening communion with God results from continued meditation. We have to dig deep, and there, in communion with God, lay our foundation. We should certainly praise and thank God for the very invitation to "dig deep." After all, we realize that God did not have to reveal Himself at all. There is no necessity in any particular manifestation of His goodness. We can resolve in a concrete way to make "digging deep" a greater part of daily life.
III. So what can we expect if we don't dig deep. The Lord answers this by giving us the image of the person, who does not build on rock. What is the rock? His words? No, the rock is communion with God, that is, sharing the identity of God, becoming God by grace, since that which shares the same life is entitled to share the same name. If we hear His words and assume, "OK, I understand that. I can move on to something else," then we have not really heard Him. We may think that we are faithful, even daily communicants, but our whole life in religion is vitiated by the lack of mental prayer. Mental prayer, that is meditation, is that "digging deep" that we need in order to draw ever closer to God. If we are not drawing ever closer to God, we are getting further away from Him. There is no standing still in the spiritual life. We should stand in absolute awe of the goodness of a God, Who invites us so freely to communion with Him, Who wants us to share His life so fully. A resolution to expand the place that mental prayer holds in our life would be appropriate.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
St. Lucian of Antioch-- Building a Temple to the Lord from Virtues
Ode 3 of the Canon of St. Lucian of Antioch
With the splendour of the virtues thou madest thy soul a house for God, O Martyr Lucian; and by thy prayers thou didst raze the idols' temples to the ground.
Holy Martyr, Lucian, pray to God for us!
Compassed by trials and oppressed by painful tortures, O Martyr, thou dost praise as thy Benefactor Him that deemed thee worthy of such good things.
Holy Martyr Lucian, pray to God for us!
Thou didst surrender thy body unto tortures, O Martyr, but thou keptest thy soul in safety offering thyself unto the Master as an unblemished and most precious sacrifice. (October Menaion, 15)
This ode of the canon of the saint shows us an illustration of our contribution to our salvation. It is true that we are saved by faith in Christ, but we are also saved through the works done in faith, which "fill up what is wanting in the sufferings of Christ on behalf of His Body, the Church." We contribute to the great work of our salvation through works that are done in Christ. According to the image that is provided in the canon, we are building our soul into a beautiful temple for the Lord, by using the virtues as our raw material. We have to be expert carpenters and masons as we fit together the beautiful virtues into a dwelling that is holy in the Lord. This tropar of the canon makes us think explicitly of the Book of Proverbs (9:1): "Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it." Traditionally, the Fathers of the Church have interpreted this verse to refer to the seven virtues that are the support and basis of the Christian life (the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity; and the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance). The Christian life is made up of virtue. On the one hand, we love virtue as we see it in the Lord and in others around us, but on the other hand, we pray for the grace to build the corresponding virtues in ourselves. At the same time that we are building, we are also tearing down the diabolical temples that we raise up within ourselves as a result of our attachments. We make created things into gods through our attachments to created things. Through the destruction of the passions, we tear those idolatrous temples down, as we build the virtuous temple to the Lord.
The second tropar is far more explicit about the particulars of this process. We accept the mortifications that are sent to us by God. We view as our benefactor the one who gives us trials and sufferings, because we know by the eyes of faith that He gives us these things in order to perfect us in the image and likeness of God. Praising God as our Benefactor means accepting what the Will of God gives to us in every circumstance. Despite the terrible sufferings that we may endure, we accept the direction of God's Will as holy, that is, separated from all earthly concerns, and impartial in its application, though, at the same time, completely motivated by unconditional compassion for each creature as if it were the only creature. We accept that that which befalls us is the best that could happen to us, not given our limited knowledge of the ways of universe, but according to the infinite knowledge and power of the Maker of the universe, who understands all its ways, and directs all its ways according to His own boundless love. It is a leap of faith, but not without reason, for it is eminently reasonable that God loves what He has made and what He continuously sustains in being.
The third tropar tells us that St. Lucian willed to become a unblemished sacrifice to God by giving his body over to torture. It goes on to say that it is precisely in giving his body over to torments that he keeps his soul safe for everlasting life. In the same way, we recognize that by willing embracing the mortifications and sufferings that God sends to us, we keep our souls safe through cooperation with God's Will. All of this leads us to a greater love for our God, Who has designed everything to work together for the good of those who love Him.
With the splendour of the virtues thou madest thy soul a house for God, O Martyr Lucian; and by thy prayers thou didst raze the idols' temples to the ground.
Holy Martyr, Lucian, pray to God for us!
Compassed by trials and oppressed by painful tortures, O Martyr, thou dost praise as thy Benefactor Him that deemed thee worthy of such good things.
Holy Martyr Lucian, pray to God for us!
Thou didst surrender thy body unto tortures, O Martyr, but thou keptest thy soul in safety offering thyself unto the Master as an unblemished and most precious sacrifice. (October Menaion, 15)
This ode of the canon of the saint shows us an illustration of our contribution to our salvation. It is true that we are saved by faith in Christ, but we are also saved through the works done in faith, which "fill up what is wanting in the sufferings of Christ on behalf of His Body, the Church." We contribute to the great work of our salvation through works that are done in Christ. According to the image that is provided in the canon, we are building our soul into a beautiful temple for the Lord, by using the virtues as our raw material. We have to be expert carpenters and masons as we fit together the beautiful virtues into a dwelling that is holy in the Lord. This tropar of the canon makes us think explicitly of the Book of Proverbs (9:1): "Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it." Traditionally, the Fathers of the Church have interpreted this verse to refer to the seven virtues that are the support and basis of the Christian life (the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity; and the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance). The Christian life is made up of virtue. On the one hand, we love virtue as we see it in the Lord and in others around us, but on the other hand, we pray for the grace to build the corresponding virtues in ourselves. At the same time that we are building, we are also tearing down the diabolical temples that we raise up within ourselves as a result of our attachments. We make created things into gods through our attachments to created things. Through the destruction of the passions, we tear those idolatrous temples down, as we build the virtuous temple to the Lord.
The second tropar is far more explicit about the particulars of this process. We accept the mortifications that are sent to us by God. We view as our benefactor the one who gives us trials and sufferings, because we know by the eyes of faith that He gives us these things in order to perfect us in the image and likeness of God. Praising God as our Benefactor means accepting what the Will of God gives to us in every circumstance. Despite the terrible sufferings that we may endure, we accept the direction of God's Will as holy, that is, separated from all earthly concerns, and impartial in its application, though, at the same time, completely motivated by unconditional compassion for each creature as if it were the only creature. We accept that that which befalls us is the best that could happen to us, not given our limited knowledge of the ways of universe, but according to the infinite knowledge and power of the Maker of the universe, who understands all its ways, and directs all its ways according to His own boundless love. It is a leap of faith, but not without reason, for it is eminently reasonable that God loves what He has made and what He continuously sustains in being.
The third tropar tells us that St. Lucian willed to become a unblemished sacrifice to God by giving his body over to torture. It goes on to say that it is precisely in giving his body over to torments that he keeps his soul safe for everlasting life. In the same way, we recognize that by willing embracing the mortifications and sufferings that God sends to us, we keep our souls safe through cooperation with God's Will. All of this leads us to a greater love for our God, Who has designed everything to work together for the good of those who love Him.
Monday, October 28, 2013
The Love of Benevolence as the Likeness of God
"If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that! And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:32-36)
First we are invited by the the words of the Gospel to consider the general love of benevolence. We should have the love of benevolence for every creature. The love of benevolence is the continuous intellectual decision to will the good for the other. This is the perfect love that we are commanded to have for God and neighbour. The love of benevolence mirrors God's love. It is God's love returned to Him in a synergy. St. Isaac the Syrian tells us:
The love of benevolence is the general orientation towards all things that makes us Godlike. For God is not a God who rules OVER all things like a taskmaster. He is not the sinister and intimidating Allah of Islam, who delights in the destruction of the things he has made. He is the compassionate Ruler of all Creation in the sense that He is the basis and foundation of everything that exists. He does not rule OVER all things, but supports all things, seeking the lowest place, so as to be and become the ground of all things.
Though the love of benevolence is the beginning and the sine qua non of becoming like God, the Lord Jesus goes on to say that we must do good in order to be like God. We must do concrete works. It is not enough to bear universal benevolence in our hearts. We must do deeds that manifest the benevolence of God. They needn't be enormous things of great moment. They merely need to be works of love done specifically for those who are normally outside of our circle of benevolence. Reaching beyond our circle of benevolence is essential to understanding the Lord's words. It also plays an essential part in his next remark.
He next tells us that we must "lend," but that we must not lend according to the world's way of lending. It does not take very long to come to the conclusion that when He says "lend," He is actually inviting us to give in a sacrificial way. This is the only possible way to interpret his instructions to lend, expecting nothing in return. Lending, but expecting nothing in return, is not technically lending. It is giving, donating in a sacrificial way. It is selflessly sacrificing that which we have a right to.
The Lord directs us in this passage to form within us the love of benevolence for every creature, to do specific works of kindness to those who are normally outside our circle of benevolence, and to do those acts in a selfless and sacrificial way. We can form specific resolutions now to make these three aims a part of our daily life. First, we can resolve to pray with a greater awareness of the love of benevolence. Second, we can make a specific resolution to deliberately reach, in a personal way, beyond our usual circle of benevolence to embrace someone in need, whom we know slightly, do not know, or is one of our enemies. Further, we can resolve to do these things in a truly sacrificial way, so that our entire beings are involved in the love that makes us like God.
First we are invited by the the words of the Gospel to consider the general love of benevolence. We should have the love of benevolence for every creature. The love of benevolence is the continuous intellectual decision to will the good for the other. This is the perfect love that we are commanded to have for God and neighbour. The love of benevolence mirrors God's love. It is God's love returned to Him in a synergy. St. Isaac the Syrian tells us:
Once an elder was asked, "What is a merciful heart?" He replied, "It is the heart's burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons, and for every created thing; and at the recollection and sight of them, the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. From the strong and vehement mercy that grips his heart and from his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in creation. For this reason he offers up prayers with tears continually even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner he even prays for the family of the reptiles, because the great compassion that burns without measure in his heart is the likeness of God."(Homily 71)
The love of benevolence is the general orientation towards all things that makes us Godlike. For God is not a God who rules OVER all things like a taskmaster. He is not the sinister and intimidating Allah of Islam, who delights in the destruction of the things he has made. He is the compassionate Ruler of all Creation in the sense that He is the basis and foundation of everything that exists. He does not rule OVER all things, but supports all things, seeking the lowest place, so as to be and become the ground of all things.
Though the love of benevolence is the beginning and the sine qua non of becoming like God, the Lord Jesus goes on to say that we must do good in order to be like God. We must do concrete works. It is not enough to bear universal benevolence in our hearts. We must do deeds that manifest the benevolence of God. They needn't be enormous things of great moment. They merely need to be works of love done specifically for those who are normally outside of our circle of benevolence. Reaching beyond our circle of benevolence is essential to understanding the Lord's words. It also plays an essential part in his next remark.
He next tells us that we must "lend," but that we must not lend according to the world's way of lending. It does not take very long to come to the conclusion that when He says "lend," He is actually inviting us to give in a sacrificial way. This is the only possible way to interpret his instructions to lend, expecting nothing in return. Lending, but expecting nothing in return, is not technically lending. It is giving, donating in a sacrificial way. It is selflessly sacrificing that which we have a right to.
The Lord directs us in this passage to form within us the love of benevolence for every creature, to do specific works of kindness to those who are normally outside our circle of benevolence, and to do those acts in a selfless and sacrificial way. We can form specific resolutions now to make these three aims a part of our daily life. First, we can resolve to pray with a greater awareness of the love of benevolence. Second, we can make a specific resolution to deliberately reach, in a personal way, beyond our usual circle of benevolence to embrace someone in need, whom we know slightly, do not know, or is one of our enemies. Further, we can resolve to do these things in a truly sacrificial way, so that our entire beings are involved in the love that makes us like God.
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