March
31, 2002
"Directions
in Spiritual Work - Part III"
-- Sts. Barsanuphius and John
In this issue, we will continue our reading of
the counsels of Sts. John and Barsanuphius. At the end of the reading,
you will find notes about two fantastic books I have been reading here
in Kosovo that are simply incredible. They are especially valuable in
light of our recent discussion of how to find a spiritual father. Both
these books are written by modern day searchers who tell about their
search for spiritual fathers and their experiences are very useful for
all of us.
Now, on to today's "thought!"
Sts. Barsanuphius and John lived in the sixth
century as fellow spiritual strugglers in Palestinian monasteries and in
isolation in the desert. We are blessed today to have a wonderful
collection of their teachings on the spiritual life which should be
studied by every serious student of the Christian faith. St.
Barsanuphius spent some fifty years in his cell, forbidding himself the
sight of another person. A great ascetic, he was brought three loaves of
bread a week by the monastery purser, but often did not eat even that.
St. John was his equal in asceticism and was blessed with the additional
gift of prophecy.
The book written by these two fathers contains
850 answers to various questions asked by a wide variety of people. Some
were written by St. John, but the vast majority were give by St.
Barsanuphius. He did not actually write the answers down himself, but
dictated them to Abba Serid. When the saint first began to give his
answers to questions, he asked Abba Serid to write it down. Not
expecting to retain in his memory all the words said to him by the great
desert father, Abba Serid was in a quandary how to write down so many
words and expected the saint to tell him to bring paper and ink in order
to take dictation as he listened. By his gift of clairvoyance, St.
Barsanuphius read the secret thought of Serid. His face became like a
flame and he said to Serid, "Go, write it down and fear not. Even
if I say innumerable words for you to write down, know that the Holy
Spirit will not you write one single word more or less than what I have
said, even though you wish it, but will guide your hand in writing down
everything correctly and in right order."
Obviously, we cannot put all 850 of their answers
in our newsletter, but we will share some of our favorites with you I
these newsletters. Today we will look at some of their teachings on
humility.
DIRECTIONS IN SPIRITUAL WORK --
PART III
-- If you cannot discourse about faith, do not
try to. If a man is firm in faith he will never be confused in
discussions and disputes with heretics or unbelievers, because he has in
him Jesus, the Lord of peace and quiet. After a peaceful discussion,
such a man can lovingly bring many heretics and unbelievers to the
knowledge of Jesus Christ our Savior. As for you, since discoursing on
some subjects is beyond you, keep to the royal road, that is to the
faith of the 318 holy fathers (and for us now, to the faith established
by the seven ecumenical councils), into which you were baptized. It
contains everything stated exactly for perfect understanding. But most
of all have attention in yourself, meditating on your sins and on how
you will be received by God.
-- When you hear someone praising you, remember
the words of the Scriptures: "O my people, they which lead thee
cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths" (Isaiah 3:12).
Such praise prevents us from seeing the abomination of our actions; it
probably does harm even to those who have attained a measure (of
spiritual achievement) and separates man from faith in God, Who says:
"How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another?"
(John 5:44). He who accepts the humility of the Apostle will rather
choose to be "a fool, that he may be wise" later (I
Corinthians 3:18). But if a man shows himself clever rather than
spiritual, it would surprise me if he escaped the judgment reserved for
boastfulness.
-- The Lord has taught us how to acquire wise
humility, saying: "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:29). If you too
want to find perfect rest, understand what the Lord has endured and
suffer the same; and cut off your will in all things. The Lord Himself
says: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). And perfect humility
consists in enduring blame and abuse and other things which our Teacher,
Christ Jesus, has suffered. The same is also a sign that a man has
touched perfect prayer -- namely the fact that he is no longer troubled
even if the whole world were to abuse him.
-- The approach to perfect prayer is when a man
is freed from dispersion of thoughts and sees his mind, enlightened in
the Lord, filled with joy. A man has attained perfection in prayer if he
makes himself dead to the world with its ease. But when a man does his
work diligently for the sake of God, it is not a distraction but a
thoroughness, which pleases God.
-- The Lord wishes you to regard every man as
superior to yourself. Show obedience to your staretz in all things and
do all that he tells you, whether it refers to food or drink or some
other matter. If they slander you, rejoice -- it is most useful. If they
insult you, endure it, for "he that endureth to the end shall be
saved" (Matthew 10:22). Give thanks to God for all things, because
thanksgiving is intercession before God for our weakness. Judge yourself
always and in everything as a sinner and as one seduced -- and so God
will not judge you; be humble in everything and you will receive grace.
-- Let us have recourse to humility on all
occasions; for the humble lie prone on the ground, and how can a man
fall if he lies on the ground? But a man who stands on a height can
easily fall. If we have been converted and have mended our ways, it did
not come from ourselves but was a gift of God, for "The Lord
openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed
down" (Psalms 146:8).
-- He who wants to be a monk must in no way have
any will of his own. Christ our Lord taught us this when He said:
"I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will" (John
6:38). But if you obey in one thing and refuse to obey in another, you
will show by this that you are wiser than him who directs you, and this
is the same as being mocked by the demons. So you must obey in
everything, even if it should seem to you that what is ordained is not
without sin. The Abba who ordains you to do it will bear your sin and
will have to answer for you. If something is extremely difficult and
dangerous for you, or above your strength, explain this to the Abba, and
do what he decides.
-- If anyone, while keeping fast, adds something
to it by his own will, or if he fasts seeking men's praise or some gain
from it, such a fast is abomination in the eyes of God. And so it is in
all things. Every good action, which is done not merely from love of
God, but is mingled with one's own will, is unclean and unpleasing to
God. The same can also be seen from the Divine law which says:
"Thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a
garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee" (Leviticus
19:19; Deuteronomy 22:9-11). END
Kadloubovsky, E., and Palmer, G.E.H., trans., "Writings
from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart," (London: Faber and
Faber, 1983, pp. 350 - 367.
TWO NEW BOOKS FOR YOUR
CONSIDERATION
I began reading two new books this week that I
just received that are, quite simply, two of the best books I have ever
read on the search for spiritual truth. As most of you will remember,
several weeks ago our newsletter dealt with the issue of finding a
spiritual father in today's world or otherwise finding spiritual
direction through readings and study. Both of these books relate similar
experiences of modern-day people looking for spiritual direction.
The first book, "Wisdom for the
Journey," is by Dr. Serge Bolshakoff who visited with monastic
fathers of the Russian Orthodox Church over a fifty-year period in
Russia, Estonia, Finland, and Mount Athos. His detailed recollections of
conversations with these holy men over the course of his life are
extremely rich and rewarding and full of wonderful advice and guidance
from fathers living through a very turbulent period of Russian Church
history. Their advice to people living in the world is as valid today as
it was in past decades when it was given to Dr. Bolshakoff. This book is
also very well written and reads very easily. Check it out at Amazon by
following the link below and look out for cheaper, used copies you can
purchase at a good savings:
The second book which I have just begun reading
-- and has already made a very strong impression on me! -- is called
"The Mountain of Silence," by Kyriacos C. Markides, a
spiritual seeker who discovers the deep, inner wisdom of Orthodox
spirituality after many explorations of other religious traditions. In
this book, Markides follows Fr. Maximos from Mount Athos to Cyprus where
the Athonite monk establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in
that deeply divided land. As this Father and the conversations recorded
are our contemporaries (from the late 1990s), the words are especially
relevant to all of us seeking spiritual wisdom while maintaining secular
lives in the outside world. This book is wonderful.
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