Hagia Sophia and the Fantasies of Gabriel Said Reynolds

Thursday afternoon, someone posted the article over at Church Life Journal entitled “Is the Decision to Turn the Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque an Obstacle to Interreligious Relations?” by Gabriel Said Reynolds. Having read the article, it struck me that there was so little dependence in it on the place of Islam in Catholic Tradition. I naturally dismissed the article as fantasy and posted a comment to that effect under the article. Later, the poster of the article contacted me in Messenger to tell me that he had deleted my comment because it was “anti-conciliar” and “theologically illiterate.” The manner in which this person dealt with my comment was immediately a red flag to me. Rather than reply to my comment under his post, he removed my comment from public view, where both our positions and ideas could be evaluated by others, and decided to “refute” me in private. I knew immediately, someone that has a coherent and compelling argument does not act this way. His actions were deliberately designed to conceal the fact that his arguments are weak.

I have come to recognize in fairly recent years that there is a very widespread heresy in the Church today. I have come to know it as “Secundovaticanism.” The essence of Secundovaticanism is the belief that the entire Catholic Tradition must be understood through the lens of the most recent Ecumenical Council. This, of course, is the opposite of the orthodox position. The truth is that the most recent Ecumenical Council must be understood in the light of the entire Catholic Tradition. This is what Pope Benedict XVI referred to as “the hermeneutic of continuity.” Secundovaticanists, on the contrary, give to the Second Vatican Council and to certain recent Popes of Rome a “superauthority” that transcends that of the rest of the Tradition. In many cases, Secundovaticanists believe that the most recent Ecumenical Council has, in fact, altered the Faith.

In the aforementioned article, Gabriel Said Reynolds states on the authority of the most recent Ecumenical Council that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. The passage in the Council document Lumen Gentium that declares this is well known and requires no direct citation. Yet, it is clear from the context of this text that the intent of the Council Fathers was merely to make an irenic statement concerning shared monotheism. This is, in the final analysis, the only possible interpretation of the text of Lumen Gentium, because, if the Council Fathers had intended to say that the gods of Christianity and Islam are conceptually identical, they would have been guilty ipso facto of impugning the known truth. After all, the differences, conceptually speaking, between the two are enormous. Neither are the differences confined to the matter of the triad versus the monad. The poster of the article to FaceBook mentioned above, when he took me aside privately in Messenger, in order to “refute” me, kept insisting on the fact that the Mystery of the Trinity cannot be rationally ascertained. That is true enough, but it is not to the point. Islam is not natural religion any more than Christianity is. Islam is a revealed religion that has its foundation in the Quran and the Sunnah, revealed texts.

Indeed, the differences between the gods of Christianity and Islam are legion. The Christian God cannot deceive, but Allah is the best deceiver. The Christian God is not the source of evil, but only good, but Allah is the source of both good and evil. The Christian God, because of His innate goodness, has bound Himself to the system of natural laws, which are observable and predictable in the world around us. Allah, on the other hand, is bound by nothing, but is instead Pure Will.

The gods of Christianity and Islam are identical in name (as the Second Vatican Council insists), but they are different conceptually. In a similar way, the Jesus of the Quran may be identical in name with the Jesus of the Gospels (although this idea is tenuous, because the name “Isa” was never in use among Christian Arabs), but they are conceptually different. One is the Divine Son of God, the other is merely a prophet. One is a faithful Jew, the other is a Muslim. One is born in a cave stable in Bethlehem of Judea, the other is born under a date palm tree with a rivulet of water flowing between his mother’s feet. One died by crucifixion, the other merely appeared to have died by crucifixion. Naturally, the list could be further elaborated, but the idea is clear. The claim that these two persons are the same person is impugning the known truth. In the same way, beyond the mere recognition of shared monotheism, the insistence that the Christian God is the same as the Allah of Islam is impugning the known truth.

The recognition that the gods of Christianity and Islam are conceptually different leads us to the essential question that can only be answered by Catholic Tradition: Why are these conceptions of the Supreme Being different? Catholic Tradition replies: They are different because Islam is of demonic origin. It doesn’t sound “nice.” It isn’t irenic, but the Tradition is consistent. The Church traditionally sees Islam as demonic not only because of the content of its revelations, but also because of the mode of those revelations. Texts of Scripture like Galatians 1: 8 and 1 John 2:22 were looked upon from the earliest times of Christian and Islamic interaction as being condemnatory of the revelations and mode of revelation in Islam. In fact, Saint John of Damascus, in the early eighth century, identifies the “heresy of the Ishmaelites” as being a forerunner of Antichrist on the basis 1 John 2:22. The theme of Islam as a “religion of Antichrist” would continue to develop in the ensuing centuries. Numerous Popes of Rome, such as Callixtus III and Pius II described Islam as a “diabolical sect.” In fact, by the 17^th century, spiritual writers like Saint Juan de Ribera regard Islam’s demonic origins as self-evident.

The theme of the demonic origin of Islam finds its ultimate basis in the traditional Islamic sources themselves. Both the most trusted hadith collection, Sahih al-Bukhari and the Histories of At-Tabari both relate that the prophet of Islam thought that he was possessed by a demon. Further, the religion’s most trusted sources also relate the prophet’s inability to distinguish between revelations that came from the angel Gabriel (the usual source for Quranic material) and counterfeit revelations that came from Satan. Christians, of course, became aware of this tradition within Islam, a tradition that added “ammunition” to the Church’s natural suspicions regarding the Arab religion’s origins.

The Catholic Tradition regarding the demonic nature of Islam as an “angel-revealed religion” is consistent throughout the fourteen centuries since the Arab prophet’s appearance. Yet, we find a will in the Church today to interpret the irenic statement in Lumen Gentium regarding the shared monotheism of Islam and Christianity as a literal affirmation that the two religions have conceptually the same God. This is so true that a great many eyebrows were raised when Robert Cardinal Sarah stated in October of 2015 that “Islam and the liberal West have the same demonic origin.” The statement is, of course, completely consistent with the constant Tradition of the Church, but on account of heretical, Secundovaticanist ideology widespread in the Church of the 21^st century, it is the Tradition that is dismissed because it contradicts a literal reading of the text of Lumen Gentium. In other words, the authentic understanding of the reception of the Council has been turned on its head by the insistence that the entire Catholic Tradition be interpreted through the lens of the Council documents. The heretical ideology of Secundovaticanism is delaying (and perhaps preventing) the Council’s reception, that is, the understanding and assimilation of the Council’s teachings according to the totality of the Tradition of the Church.

The idea that Christians should rejoice that Hagia Sophia is once again “a place of prostration” to “the true God” is, pace Gabriel Said Reynolds, completely inconsistent with the Tradition of the Church. In order to come to his conclusion, Reynolds must ignore the entirety of the Tradition, choosing to base himself on an irenic statement from a document of the Second Vatican Council. The same irenic statement should have been rightly understood in the light of the Tradition, namely that Christianity and Islam have a shared monotheism, although their concepts of God are completely different owing to Islam’s demonic origin.

Фундаментальні відносини: Творець та істота The Fundamental Relationship: Creator and Creature

Читання Євангелія, призначене на сьогодні, є заохоченням до глибокої, практичної віри. Бог насправді піклуватиметься про нас, причому не тільки з достатністю, але і з багатством у тому, що стосується нашого спасіння. Бог любить кожного з нас особисто і бажає нашого особистого спасіння. Ми повинні уважно ставитись до дета́лей історії. Учням немає чого запропонувати, крім п’яти́ хлібів та двох риб (іншими словами, по суті нічого в порівнянні з великою кількістю людей). Але Господь приймає цю мізерність і перетворює її на на́длишок, який задовольняє всіх і не залишає нічого бажаного.

The Gospel reading appointed for today is an encouragement to a deep, practical faith. God indeed will care for us, and not just with sufficiency but with abundance in that which concerns our salvation. God loves each one of us personally and desires our personal salvation. We should pay careful attention to the details of the story. The disciples have nothing to offer except five loaves and two fish (in other words, essentially nothing compared to the great number of people). Yet, the Lord takes that meagerness and transforms it into a superabundance, which satisfies all and leaves a great deal left over.

Надлишок, який задовольняє нас і залишає багато, що залишилося, є символом того, як Бог поводиться з нами в нашому повсякденному житті, особливо в тому, як Він відповідає на наші молитви. За умови, що ми прийшли до Нього з вірою, Він відповідає на наші потреби точно таким же дуже рясним способом.

The superabundance, which satisfies us and leaves much left over is a symbol of the way that God deals with us in our daily lives, especially the manner in which He answers our prayers. Provided we come to Him with faith, He answers our needs in exactly the same superabundant manner.

Таким чином, ми приходимо до реальної теми сьогоднішнього Євангелія, а саме до молитви віри. Молитва повинна здійснюватися з вірою, з глибокою довірою, що Бог має наші найкращі інтереси по душі і що Він візьме наші турботи в руки. Віра є настільки важливою, оскільки вона лише надає сенс нашим клопотанням. Не важко зрозуміти, що молитва, яка робиться без віри, не очікуючи відповіді, по суті є безглуздою. Більше, ніж безглуздо, це образа для Бога, Його щедрості, Його сили, Його любові. Духовний письменник ХІХ століття Іван Кронштадський багато що може сказати про молитву, яку пропонують без віри. Він каже нам: "З тобою буде погано, якщо під час самої молитви твоє серце хитається у своїй вірі і в ній не твердо стоїть; тоді навіть не сподівайся отримати від Господа те, про що ти молився, без сумніву, бо так ти образив Господа, і Бог не дає Своїх дарів людині, яка Його позорить.".

Thus, we come to the real subject of today's Gospel, namely the prayer of faith. Prayer must be made in faith, with deep trust that God has our best interests at heart and that He will take our concerns in hand. Faith is so essential, because it alone provides the meaning for our petitions. It is not hard to see that prayer, which is made without faith, with no expectation of answer, is essentially meaningless. More than meaningless, it is an insult to God, to His generosity, to His power, to His love. The nineteenth century spiritual writer John of Kronstadt has much to say about prayer that is offered without faith. He tells us, "it will go ill with you if during the prayer itself your heart wavers in its faith and does not stand firm in it; then do not even expect to obtain of the Lord what you have prayed for doubtingly, for in so doing you have offended the Lord, and God does not bestow his gifts upon a reviler."

Наша віра полягає у всемогутності Бога і всемогутності молитви з Богом, бо, як каже нам святий Альфонс, «Бог управляє Всесвітом, але молитва править Богом». Сам він гарантував, що це так: "проси, і ти отримаєш; шукай і знайдеш; сту́кай, і воно тобі відкриється".

Our faith is in the omnipotence of God and the omnipotence of prayer WITH God, for, as Saint Alphonsus tells us, "God rules the universe, but prayer rules God." He Himself has guaranteed that this is the case: "ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened to you."

Молитва повинна бути сповнена клопотань, тому що ми нужденні, але вона не може закінчитися нашими проханнями. Наші клопотання - це лише частина діалогу, який охоплює все наше життя. Наш Бог хоче, щоб ми жили і працювали в Його присутності. Він хоче бути в наших думках, і Він хоче нас керувати своїми натхненнями. Словом, Він хоче жити у відносинах з нами. Це наш привілей, але також і наше завдання. Принаймні на початку ми маємо уявляти наші стосунки з Богом так, ніби це стосунки з іншою людиною. Тільки таким чином ми можемо, так би мовити, рухатися назад до нашого Джерела, навчившись розуміти фундаментальні стосунки створіння і Творця через приціл усіх інших наших відносин.

Prayer needs to be petitionary because we are needy, but it cannot end with our petitions. Our petitions are merely parts of a dialogue that embraces our entire life. Our God wants us to live and work in His presence. He wants to be in our thoughts, and He wants to guide us by His inspirations. In short, He wants to live in relationship with us. This is our privilege, but also our challenge. At least at the beginning, we must image our relationship with God as if it were a relationship with another human person. Only in this way can we, so to speak, proceed backwards towards our Source, learning to understand the fundamental relationship of creature and Creator through the lens of all our other relationships. 

Ми дуже швидко дізнає́мось, коли наближаємось до близькості з Богом, що в кожному з наших людських стосунків є аспекти наших Основних Відносин. Як ясно показує Святе Письмо, іноді наш Бог може бути Батьком, братом, другом, дружиною, навіть матір'ю. Потім, як тільки ми відходили від людських відносин до наших відносин з Богом, ми виявляємо, що наше зростаюче і поглиблююче спілкування з Богом дає світло цим самим людським стосункам. Коли ми наближаємось до Бога, ми також знаходимося ближче один до одного. Ми краще розуміємо інших і виявляємо зростання співчуття та терпіння.

We learn very quickly when we draw near to intimacy with God that there are aspects of our Fundamental Relationship in every one of our human relationships. As the Scriptures clearly show, sometimes our God can be Father, brother, friend, spouse, even mother. Then, just as we have proceeded backwards from our human relationships to our relationship with God, we find that our growing and deepening communion with God gives light to those very same human relationships. As we draw near to God, we find ourselves nearer to one another too. We understand others better and we find an increase in compassion and patience.

Через безмежну щедрість Бога, будь-які зусилля, які ми витрачаємо на поглиблення наших відносин з Ним, отримуємо велику винагороду. Тож, єдина небезпека полягає в тому, що ми нехтуємо цими Основними Відносинами. Якщо насправді ми нехтуємо ними, це нехтування невблаганно призводить до зане́паду всіх наших відносин протягом життя. Є лише одна причина, коли наша культура та суспільство занепада́ють: забудькуватість Бога, нехтування стосунками створіння до Творця. Понад половину шлюбів у всій західній цивілізації закінчується розлученням, завдаючи́ непоправної шкоди дітям у багатьох випадках. Існує міжгенераційна ворожнеча, подібної якої ще ніколи не бачили в записаній історії світу, тому що стосунки між поколіннями руйнуються. Ми повинні знайти свій шлях назад до Бога. Бог духовний. Тому шлях може бути лише духовним. Лише молитва може залікувати наші рани.

Because of the infinite generosity of God, any effort we expend in deepening our relationship with Him is richly rewarded. The only danger, then, is that we neglect this Fundamental Relationship. If indeed we neglect it, that neglect leads inexorably to the decay of all of our relationships throughout our life. There is only one reason our culture and society are falling into decay: forgetfulness of God, neglect of the relationship of creature to Creator. Over half of marriages throughout the Western civilization end in divorce, dealing irreparable harm to children in many cases. There is intergenerational animosity the likes of which has never been seen before in the recorded history of the world, because the relationships between generations are breaking down. We must find our way back to God. God is spiritual. Therefore, the way can only be spiritual. It is only prayer that can heal our wounds.

THE POPE, THE BISHOPS, THE PRIESTS—INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF GOD

The Holy Apostle Paul says to us that Christ is not divided. He says this, because there were factions among the Corinthians, which were loyal to different Christian teachers. Paul names three such teachers, which the factions followed: Paul himself, Apollos and Cephas. We should note that Paul immediately blames those, who are his ardent followers, and later, in the third chapter, he ridicules those, who follow Apollos, but he never blames those, who follow Cephas, since, as Catholics, we can understand that Paul already recognizes the apostolic authority of the Holy Chief-Apostle Peter, namely Cephas. In other words, when the Corinthian Church split into factions, some people appealed to the center of unity-- the blessed Apostle Peter. This behaviour was not fractious, because Christ gave to the Apostle Peter an authority over the other apostles, in order to confirm the unity of the Church in love. For this reason, after many years, Saint Ignatius the God-bearer, the archbishop of Antioch, described the Church of Rome, which inherited Saint Peter's authority, as "the Church that presides in love over all the other Churches."

 The unity, which comes from the Holy Apostle Peter, is a very great treasure of our Catholic Church, since through this unity we have association not only with the visible Church, but also with all the saints in heaven. This is true, because our Church has a guarantee from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that we will always have the correct faith, for He said to Peter before His Passion: "O Simon! Simon! Satan has asked leave that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." So, we can be absolutely certain concerning our faith, if we are united with the successor of Saint Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

 Naturally, this does not mean that everything that we hear from the Vatican is true and is a part of our faith. On the contrary, many things from the Vatican can be incorrect. We must be able to discern between the things, which are essential to faith, and those things, which are merely personal opinions. For example, the personal opinions of the Pope of Rome concerning global warming are obviously not part of our faith, but Church teaching concerning doctrine and moral questions-- these things are part of what we believe, and we must accept these things very seriously. We must always keep this truth in our minds: when we hear the teaching of the bishops, and especially the bishop of Rome, we hear the voice of the Holy Apostles, and, through them, we hear the voice of Christ Jesus, since the Lord Jesus continues to speak in His Church.

 This lesson is very powerful in today's Gospel, since we see that the disciples did not feed the five thousand people by their own power, but by the power of the Lord Jesus. They went to Jesus with a problem, and He miraculously created loaves and fish to feed the people. In the same way, the power of the bishops to feed us comes directly from Christ. Therefore, we should have confidence in Christ and trust in Him, because He grants to us a share in a victory, which He has already won on the cross. There, He already answered all our prayers and satisfied all our longings. We merely need to accept this treasure of the Lord's goodness. This treasure belongs to the Church, and she gives it to us through her Mysteries and divine service.

 So, how senseless it is, when people stop going to church, because they don't like the bishop, or, even less, the priest, since these people are only instruments, tools in the hands of God. Just as you have good tools and poor tools, so too does God have good tools and poor tools. As you know, a bad tool does not diminish the innate skill of the worker. In the same way, we also recognize that all of us are instruments for our salvation and for the salvation of others. We must try to be good tools for God, even as we recognize that bad tools can also be useful for us on the way to God. Even more, we must recognize that every bad tool can become a good one through the action of grace.  For this reason, we pray for our bishop, the Pope, our Metropolitan, our Patriarch and our priests and one another, because they can change, even as we can change. In this way, we fulfill our role in the communion of the Catholic Church, and by our part, we strengthen this communion. 

Our Good Works Should Be Hidden So That the Heavenly Father is Glorified

In the Gospel reading today, we see that the Lord Jesus insists on the privacy of the cure that He is about to work in behalf of the two blind men. We see this pattern played out in many places in the Gospels. The Lord Jesus regularly takes people aside to deal with them personally, separately, to work the cure of their ailments for them. In this, we are able to see the Lord Jesus as one who practices what He Himself teaches, for He tells us not to do good works to be seen by others, but to do good works in secret so that the Heavenly Father Who sees in secret can reward us. Just so, the Lord Jesus, when He cures so many bodily ailments, does not have the disciples sound a trumpet before Him, so that everyone will know that He is about to work a cure. No, rather, He takes those who are to be effected apart, separately, and heals them in a completely private manner.

In acting this way, the Lord Jesus acts in our behalf to give us an example. God is all-glorious and acts only for His own glory, just as He Himself tells us when He says, "I give not my glory to another." Thus, when we do something good, praiseworthy, virtuous, we should do it in a hidden and secret way, so that it is obscured from human gaze. In this way, we fulfill the commandments of the Lord Jesus to avoid praise. Avoiding praise, we avoid conceit and pride and we come to know more and more fully that all true good comes from God.

Yet, how can we make the Christian life known? How can we bring others to the Christian Faith without doing our works in the sight of men? For God this is a simple thing. It is our responsibility to adhere to the commandments of Christ. If God wants our works to become known, then He will make them known, for the Church of God is built up by the power of God, not by marketing strategies. In the Prologue to Saint John's Gospel there is a clear allusion to this truth, for there the members of God's Holy Church are called "the children of God," and Saint John tells us that they are born "but by blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God."

It is the Father's responsibility to reveal His works (those which we do in His name) if He desires that they be known. It is our responsibility to diligently work without concern for recognition, praise or reward except from God. In fact, our concern should be the opposite. Our concern should be that we will be found out in doing good and have to forgo our reward in Heaven for a transitory reward acquired on earth. Thus, we also have the commandment of the Lord to work for treasure that moths cannot destroy, treasure that is stored up in the Kingdom of Heaven.

So, what works should we guard ever so carefully, so that they can be only for God and we can attain our reward only from Him? Well, we know that the eminent good works are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. There are others, of course, but these are the foundation and basis of the others. Of the three, prayer is the ruler and queen, since it alone among them is able, if need be, of existing without the others. Fasting, on the other hand, is worthless without prayer, and almsgiving without prayer is only human pride. Prayer can fill up the need for all three when fasting and almsgiving become impossible for a variety of reasons.

So, how are we to harmonize the commandment to conceal our good works from the eyes of men, so that our reward will come from God and the commandment to let our light shine before men, so that they see our good works and give glory to God the Father in Heaven? It is a difficult and intricate question. The commandment concerning the light is given in the context of a comparison between the disciples and a burning lamp. The only way to obscure the light of a burning lamp is to hide it underneath something like the bushel basket, which is described in the metaphor. Otherwise, unimpeded, the light of the lamp diffuses throughout the surrounding universe of its own, because it radiates light. The light emanates from the lamp without any action by the lamp. This lesson is key to our understanding. The kind of works that this metaphor is talking about are the generalized "fragrance" of the Christian life, which emanates from God's people due to the action of Divine Grace in their lives. Christians would only be able to obscure the radiation of this light by refusing to live as Christians, to cast the beatitudes behind their backs and thus to cease to be Christians in any sort of meaningful sense. When God's people live according to the commandments of Christ, the world perceives this generalized "fragrance." They see the peace of those who believe in Christ. They see the manner in which believers in Christ handle adversity. They see the love that Christians have towards other people around them.

There is nevertheless a contrast between this generalized "fragrance" of Christian life and the hidden, specific works of God, wrought by disciples of Christ in everyday life: prayer, fasting and almsgiving done only for God, seeking a reward only from God. Ultimately, because these works have their foundation in faith, they are the works of God Himself and God can make them known if their knowledge would conduce to His glory.

Наше прагнення до Бога Our Yearning for God

У багатьох місцях Святого Письма ми зустрічаємо згадку про специфічну тугу до Бога, яку не може задовольнити жодна створена річ. Святий Августин висловив цю тугу у Сповіді наступними словами: "Наші серця створені для Тебе, Господи, і вони неспокійні, поки не спочинуть у Тобі". Цю саму ідею висловив власний предок Господа Ісуса, цар Давид, коли Він сказав, наприклад, "як олень, який прагне текучими потоками, тому моя душа тужить за Тобою, Боже мій", або, в іншому місці, "О Боже, Боже мій, за тобою я прагну, за Тобою душа моя спрагла. Моє тіло спрагле Тобою, як суха, стомлена земля без води".

In many places in the Scriptures, we find mention of a specific yearning for God, which cannot be satisfied by any created things. St. Augustine expressed this yearning in The Confessions in the following terms: "Our hearts are made for You, Lord, and they are restless till they rest in You." This same idea was expressed by the Lord Jesus' own ancestor King David, when He said, for example, "like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for You, my God," or, in another place, " O God, my God, for You, I long, for You my soul is thirsting. My body pines for You like a dry, weary land without water. "

Дійсно, бажання Бога є найважливішим елементом духовного життя, адже душа людини усвідомлює, що життя в Бозі, а Бог - це реальне життя. Таким чином, душа людини природно тягнеться до Бога, доки вона не перешкоджена турботами цього світу. Опанувавши турботами про земні речі, вона стає обваженою і млявою. Тоді душа повинна звернутися до Бога у вірі, щоб Бог знову притягнув душу до себе за допомогою благодаті. Вона не може піднятися самостійно. Вона сама по собі не може зняти важке лушпиння земних турбот, але, звертаючись до Бога, вона просить Його для спасіння через віру.

Indeed, the yearning for God is an essential element of the spiritual life, because the human soul realizes that life is in God and God is real life. Thus, the human soul naturally stretches toward God, as long as it remains unimpeded by the cares of this world. Once encumbered by the cares of earthly things, it becomes weighed down and sluggish. Then, the soul must turn to God in faith, so that God will draw the soul again to itself by means of grace. It cannot rise on its own. It cannot, by itself, shed the heavy husk of earthly cares, but turning to God, it implores Him for salvation through faith.

Людська душа повинна кликати до Бога, коли має мало помітної любові або її немає. Як і інші чесноти, любов до Бога є даром від Бога, якого ми повинні просити у вірі. Чесноту треба шукати від Бога в молитві, але все ж отримання будь-якого Божого дару не може бути причиною нашої молитви. Бог - щедрий дарувальник. Він хоче викласти свої дари на улюбленному. Однак причиною нашої молитви повинно бути бажання, щоб перебувати з Богом. Далі, це бажання має зростати, незважаючи на будь-які негаразди, адже це міра нашої вірності Богові. Таким чином, ми благаємо Господа для збільшення чеснот не заради них самих, а заради близькості до Нього. Він, у свою чергу, відповість на наші прохання, якщо те, що ми просимо, зробить нас більшими друзями та слугами Його величності.

The human soul must begin to call out to God when it has little or no sensible love. Just like the other virtues, the love of God is a gift from God, which we must ask for in faith. Virtue must be sought from God in prayer, and yet receiving any gift from God cannot be the reason for our prayer. God is a generous giver. He wants to lavish his gifts on His beloved. Yet, the reason for our prayer must be a desire to be with God. Further, that desire must increase despite every adversity, because this is the measure of our faithfulness to God. Thus, we implore the Lord for increase in the virtues, not for their own sake, but for nearness to Him. He, in turn, will respond to our requests if what is asked makes us greater friends and servants of His majesty.

Молитва за збільшення конкретних чеснот завжди в контексті наближення до Бога. Це сенс побожності, вдосконалюючи подобу Бога в нас. Отже, ми щиро молимося за збільшення чеснот, яких нам не вистачає, щоб ми могли стати більш схожими на Бога. У тузі ми тягнемося до Бога, і Бог реагує зі збільшенням.

Praying for an increase in specific virtues is always in the context of growing closer to God. This is the meaning of godliness, perfecting the likeness of God in us. So, we earnestly pray for an increase in the virtues that we lack, so that we can become more like God. In yearning, we stretch out towards God and God responds with the increase. 

Все-таки часто, коли ми пам'ятаємо молитися за підвищення чесноти, ми забуваємо важку працю «моделювати» чесноту. Спочатку наше напруження, розтягнення і тяга до життя в Бозі набуває форми "здійснення" доброчесних дій, які незручні та неприродні. Тільки через звикання вони стануть природними, тобто відповідно до нашої природи. Чеснота - це звичка, і, як і будь-яка звичка, її треба будувати дією за дією, жестом за жестом, відповіддю за відповіддю.

Yet, often as we remember to pray for the increase in virtue, we forget the hard work of "modelling" the virtue. Initially, our straining, stretching and yearning towards life in God takes the form of " performing" virtuous acts, which are halting, awkward and unnatural. Only through habituation will they become natural, that is, according to our nature. Virtue is habit and, like any habit, it must be built act by act, gesture by gesture, response by response. 

Заради зростання подоби Божої ми спочатку стаємо схожими на акторів, імітуючи чесноту до того, як вона стане для нас природною. З часом, коли дія стає звичною, сама чеснота стає все більш природною. Тоді придбання цієї чесноти завершується, хоча завжди є можливість її погли́бити та зміцнити.

For the sake of growth in the likeness of God, we first become like actors, simulating virtue before it becomes natural to us. Over time, as action becomes habitual, the virtue itself becomes more and more natural. Then the acquisition of that virtue is complete, although there is always the opportunity to deepen and strengthen it. 

Оскільки ми «моделюємо» чесноту, практикуючи бути терплячими, коли ми ще не терплячі, наприклад, нам допомагає молитва. Як ми говорили на початку, молитва за збільшення чеснот, які нам потрібні, незамінна на нашому шляху до життя в Бозі. Але, коли ми прагнемо зростати в подобі Бога через більшу чесноту всіх сортів (особливо в тих сферах, де ми бачимо потребу в зростанні), найкращий спосіб, який ми можемо зрозуміти молитву, - це просто стійке рішення бути з Богом . Ми дуже добре розуміємо цю концепцію, тому що ми постійно приймаємо рішучість залишатися в компанії тих, з чиєю компанією нам подобається. Це суть нашої молитви: Просто рішення залишатися з Богом незалежно від того, чим ми зайняті. Цей простий акт молитви - це те, на що ми здатні робити миттєво у всіх своїх діях.

As we are "modelling" the virtue, practicing being patient when we are not yet patient, for example, we are assisted by prayer. As we said at the beginning, prayer for increase in the virtues that we need is indispensable on our path towards life in God. But, when we are committed to growing in the likeness of God through greater virtue of all kinds (especially in those areas where we see the need for growth), the best way that we can understand prayer is simply the sustained decision to be with God. We understand this concept very well, because we continually make the determination to remain in the company of those whose company we enjoy. This is the essence of our prayer: Simply the decision to remain with God no matter what we are occupied with. This simple act of prayer is something that we are capable of doing moment to moment in all our actions. 

Зауважте, що Павло вважає "подарунками" Notice the Things That Paul Considers "Gifts"

У читанні Апостола, Павло говорить нам, що ми володіємо дарами, які відрізняються за благодаттю, яку нам дав Бог. Благодать, яка нам надається, відрізняється за якістю, що призводить до розповсюдження різноманітних «подарунків», але також пропорційно до кількості, що призводить до більших і менших проявів того ж «дару».

In the Epistle, Paul tells us that we possess gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us by God. The grace that is given to us differs in quality, leading to a diffusion of a variety of "gifts," but also in proportion and quantity leading to greater and lesser manifestations of the same "gift."

Деякі з елементів списку Апостола не дивують. Мало хто заперечує, що, наприклад, пророцтво є даром. Так само, навчання також очевидно є подарунком, оскільки ми з досвіду знаємо, що не кожен, хто займає посаду вчителя, може ефективно навчати, а серед вчителів є різний ступінь подарунка.

Some of the occupants of the Apostle's list are not surprising. Few would contest that prophecy, for example, is a gift. Similarly, teaching is also clearly a gift, since we know from experience that not everyone who holds the office of a teacher can effectively teach, and among teachers there are varying degrees of the gift.

Тим не менш, в цьому списку є деякі речі, які нас дивують та інтригують. Наприклад, Павло визначає фінансовий внесок у церкву, як дар. Він закликає тих, хто володіє цим даром, здійснювати його щедро. Так само, згідно з думкою Павла, діла милосердя - це дар, який ті, хто володіє даром, повинні здійснювати з життєрадісністю.

Nevertheless, there are some things on the list, which surprise and puzzle us. Paul, for example, identifies contributing financially to the church as a gift. He exhorts those who possess that gift to exercise it with generosity. Similarly, according to Paul's thinking, works of mercy are a gift, which those who possess the gift must exercise with cheerfulness.

Слідуючи міркуванням Апостола, нам не потрібно багато часу, щоб дійти висновку, що Павло просуває філософію, яка визначає все як дар. Дивлячись на наше життя, складання "списку справ" - це перерахування та розгляд подарунків, які нам дав Бог. Павло насправді закликає нас подумки перенести наш підхід до праць нашого життя з "я повинен щось робити" на "я можу щось зробити", тому що у мене є дар від Бога, який я маю тепер привілей здійснювати.

Following the Apostle's reasoning, it does not take us very long to come to the conclusion that Paul is advancing a philosophy that identifies everything as a gift. Looking at our life, compiling the "to-do list" is an enumeration and consideration of gifts given to us by God. Paul is actually exhorting us to mentally shift our approach towards the labors of our life from "I have to do something" to "I get to do something," because I have a gift from God, which I now have the privilege of exercising.

Насправді, ця філософія має багато сенсу у Всесвіті, який співчутливий Бог ство́рює, і яким Він абсолютно керує. Бо в такому випадку, якщо ми мусимо щось зробити, ми можемо бути впевнені, що це буде на наше благо. Ця ідея особливо втішає у тих випадках, коли ми маємо зробити щось складне чи непопулярне, оскільки закон Божий закликає нас до цієї дії. Не так давно́, наприкінці червня, ми відзначали свято Новомучеників України. Одним із таких мучеників був отець Зиновій Ковалик, який врешті-решт був розп'ятий відступаючою радянською армією в червні 1941 р. За місяці до арешту, члени його громади сказали священику: "Зме́ншіть вашу критику режиму. Не нападайте на комунізм і атеїзм безпосередньо ". Але совість отця Зиновія закликала його виступити, і він не міг діяти проти своєї совісті. Через диктат своєї совісті, отець Зиновій відчув, що він має щось робити. Виступ проти зла був у його поговорному "списку справ". Це було неприємно, непопулярно і важко, але священик міг запевнитися в глибині серця, що це завдання йому на благо.

Actually, this philosophy makes a lot of sense in a universe that is created and ruled by a compassionate God. For, in that case, if we must do something, we can be sure that whatever that thing is, it will be for our good. This idea is especially comforting in cases in which we must do something difficult or unpopular, because the law of God urges us to that action. Not long ago, at the end of June, we celebrated the feast of the New Martyrs of Ukraine. One such martyr was Father Zynoviy Kovalyk, who was eventually crucified by the retreating Soviet army in June of 1941. Months earlier, before his arrest, members of his community told the priest, "tone down your criticism of the regime. Don't attack communism and atheism directly." But, Father Zynoviy's conscience urged him to speak out and he would not act against his conscience. Because of the dictates of his conscience, Father Zynoviy felt that he had something he had to do. Speaking out against evil was on his proverbial "to-do list." It was unpleasant, unpopular and difficult, but the priest could be assured in the depths of his heart that this task was for his good.

Звичайно, ми можемо побачити, що виступ проти злого, атеїстичного та авторитарного режиму є дуже вагомим елементом у списку завдань когось. Але той самий принцип стосується всього, що ми повинні робити. Усі ці речі є дарами від Бога і свідченням благодаті, що дається нам за наше вічне здоров'я, життя та досконалість. Це дуже добрі історії про те, як святі роблять повсякденні речі, які потрібно було зробити, і приймаючи ці речі як подарунки від Бога.

Naturally, we can see that speaking out against an evil, atheistic and authoritarian regime is a very weighty item in anyone's list of tasks. But the same principle applies to everything that we must do. All these things are gifts from God and evidence of grace being given to us for our eternal health, life and perfection. There are very good stories about the saints doing the everyday things that had to be done and accepting those things as gifts from God.

Одна з моїх улюблених таких історій стосується канадської містики Катерини Догерті, яка зрозуміла, що всі її щоденні маленькі завдання виконують цінну функцію у поширенні Добрих новин про Господа Ісуса Христа. Вона зрозуміла, що може використати навіть своє підмітання для просування справи Царства Божого. Це так само для нас. Усі ці безлічі маленьких подарунків, які Бог дає нам протягом дня, щодня, призначені для просування свого Царства, і Царство завжди на наше благо.

One of my favorite such stories concerns the Canadian mystic Catherine Doherty, who realized that all her daily little tasks served a valuable function in spreading the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. She realized that she could use even her sweeping to advance the cause of the Kingdom of God. It is just the same for us. All these many little gifts that God gives to us throughout the day, every day, are intended for the advancement of His Kingdom and the Kingdom is always for our good. 

Але від нас вимагають бути навмисними у своїй молитві та в принесенні Богові цих маленьких трудів, які насправді є його дарами для нас. Ми повинні працювати таким чином, щоб ми визнавали подарунок і цінува́ли люблячу причину, за яку він був даний. Бути навмисним у своєму щоденному діалозі з Богом, визнавати Його дари і пропонува́ти себе перед Ним за будь-яких обставин - це початок найвищої філософії. Це забезпечує нашу радість тут у нашому повсякденному житті так само, як і де завгодно, навіть у тюрмі чи переслідуванні чи найглибшій втраті.

But we are required to be intentional in our prayer and in our offerings to God of these little labors, which are, in fact, His gifts to us. We must labor in such a way that we recognize the gift and we appreciate the loving reason for which it has been given. Being intentional in our daily dialogue with God, recognizing His gifts and offering ourselves to Him in every circumstance is the beginning of the very highest philosophy. It ensures our joy here in our everyday life, just as it would anywhere, even in prison or persecution or the most profound loss.