February 27, 2000
Guarding the Sense of Hearing
-- St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain
Pope John Paul II's visit to Egypt has focussed the world's
attention briefly on the Coptic Church and the "other Pope," Pope Shenouda III.
This oldest of the Christian Churches has gone through great periods of martyrdom many
times in its history, and even today continues to suffer in Moslem-dominated Egypt. If you
would like to learn more about the state of Christian-Moslem relations in Egypt today,
send us a blank e-mail and
we'll send you a recent article from the Toronto Star which looks closely at this
issue.
In this issue we will continue our study of the teachings of a more
contemporary "Desert Father," St. Nicodemos (1749 - 1809) of the Holy Mountain
(Mount Athos). St. Nicodemos compiled "The Philokalia" which contains the
treasured teachings of many of the ancient Desert Fathers. As a contemporary father of the
18th and early 19th centuries, St. Nicodemus's writings (over 200 in all!) have inspired
generations of monastics and spiritual strugglers right up to the present day. His
writings are steeped in the teachings and traditions of the ancient Desert Fathers and he
is in large part responsible for the revival of interest in the Fathers over the past two
hundred years.
We began our series with an overview of the five senses and then
the sense of sight; today will look at the second sense, the sense of hearing.
BEGIN:
[THREE EVILS BORN FROM "HEDONISTIC" MELODIES]
-- The second sense is that of hearing and one must be careful to
guard it from corrupt melodies, which are composed for pleasure and which pour out the
sweet honey of sound unto the ears. It seems to me that there are three evils that come
from such melodies. First, these hedonistic and worldly songs tend to weaken the manly and
proud bearing of the soul so that it becomes effeminate and lethargic as it listens to
these sweet sounds. Secondly, these sensual songs tend to fill up the mind with the many
passionate images which they describe. Thirdly, let us suppose that even if the persons
doing the singing are not seen -- and especially when these may be women -- nevertheless
the songs themselves are capable of impressing the imagination, moving the desire of the
heart and drawing out an asset from the soul. This is why St. Basil taught us: "Do
not submit your souls to corrupt melodies that come to us through the ears. Many passions
that enslave us have been caused to grow in our natures by this sort of music." St.
Gregory the Theologian in one of his paschal homilies said: "Let us not have the
flute played to our hearing." And in his Iambic Poetry he wrote, "Block your
ears with wax, and foolish words hear not, nor pleasant songs or thrilling melodies. . . .
"
[THE PROBLEM OF SLANDER]
-- You must definitely shut your ears to slanderous remarks against
other persons, as is commanded by God: "You shall not utter a false report"
(Exodus 23:1). You must be especially careful to oppose the slanders leveled against the
clergy. St. Paul when writing to Timothy said: "Never admit any charge against an
elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses" (I Timothy 5:19).
Open therefore only one of your ears to hear the words of slander
according to the example of Alexander the Macedonian. Do not by any means allow yourself
to open both ears to the slanderers and to draw your conclusions and decisions on the
basis of what they alone have to say, and thereby judging the case 'in absentia' without
the presence of the person slandered to defend himself.
Oftentimes many unjust and irrational decisions have followed from
such slanderous accusations. St. Basil noted that each slanderer is unjust to three
different persons: to himself for lying, to the hearers who may be misled and deceived,
and to the person slandered for destroying his good reputation and honor. "For this
very reason then I beseech your love in Christ not to accept the slanders presented
onesidedly as at all true. For, as it is written, the law does not judge anyone unless the
judge listens and finds out what indeed the defendant has done.
It is therefore necessary not to keep silent before such slanders,
not that we will avenge ourselves through controversy, but rather because by not conceding
(to the slanderer) we do not promote falsehood and do not allow those deceived to fall
into harm. He who slanders does harm to three persons at the same time. First of all he is
unjust to the person he has slandered; he also harms those persons who have to listen to
his slander; finally the slanderer harms himself. . . . "
[USING THE SENSE OF HEARING IN A POSITVE WAY]
It goes without saying, of course, that while one must avoid the
many abuses of hearing, one must also be more inclined to utilize this important sense of
hearing for the many positive ways available to us in our Christian way of life; to listen
to the word of God, to attend and participate in the worship services of the Church, to
sing hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God, to listen with compassion and understanding
to the concerns of your fellow human beings, and to do so many other positive things with
our wonderful sense of hearing. END
From Chamberas, Peter A. (trans.), "Nicodemos of the Holy
Mountain: A Handbook of Spiritual Counsel," (New York: Paulist Press, 1989), pp.
97 - 100
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