- Part 1: On Faith in the Life of a Christian
- Part 2: On Battling Pride
- Part 3: The Spirit, and Spirits
- Part 4: The Role of Christian Women
- Part 5: On Seeking the Kingdom of God
- Part 6: On Love of God and Love of the World
- Part 7: Merciful Is the Man Who Does Good to the Unworthy
- Part 8: On Cultivating a Prayerful Spirit
- Part 9: The Silence of the Theotokos
Monastic life
The monastic life is arduous, filled with sorrows and ascetic struggles. Therefore, people of the world rarely understand it. The laity think we live idly, in abundance, carefree, being of no benefit to anyone. Very few of them comprehend the true meaning of the labor of prayer. But the great ecumenical teachers of the Church prove that this world is held together by the prayers of monastics. Indeed, prayer is the main work of the monk, his most important care, his most necessary and useful work for the world.
Monks prove their love for neighbors first of all by their prayers, but the word “prayer” must be understood as the entire monastic life in God, because prayer is useful and powerful only when it comes from a pure heart, free from the passions.
Monks reach the heights of prayer through the strict daily fulfillment of their prayer rule and going to all the Church services. The laity judge monastics by the reverent celebration of these services and are drawn to the monastery. There’s nothing higher than Church obedience!
Love of neighbor requires works of mercy from the monk, as it does from all people.
The ascetic, monastic life requires initial improvement in an environment detached from the world so that a man can be reborn in this new, difficult, and spiritual school, strengthen himself with inner strength, and only then open himself to those seeking consolation, instruction, and guidance, or reappear in the world in order to serve men.
The world, so fond of monitoring monasteries and strictly judging them, unsettling those beginning an ascetic life and striving to prove that one can be saved in the world just as well as in monasteries, especially often asks monks: “Are you happy?”
Such a question lacks any knowledge and understanding. Every Christian bears his cross, and it’s difficult, sorrowful, and heavy for everyone. But a man in the world usually tries to avoid bearing his cross, which is impossible, and therefore considers himself unhappy. But a monk doesn’t come to the monastery in search of happiness or to get rid of his worldly cross. Monasticism is voluntary martyrdom. In the world, you can find a path to salvation, but you’ll never be able to choose the path to perfection, to which only a few who can accommodate it are called by the Lord. Therefore, can we really ask a laborer falling under the weight of a burden if it’s easy for him, or an enduring martyr if it hurts, if he’s happy?
Monastic abode
Life in monasteries seems quiet, secluded, peaceful, and joyful. Hidden from human eyes, these humble abodes, often surrounded by high walls, are inhabited by special people who have renounced the world and deadly self-will. In them, everyone from the novice to the elders and eldresses is called to asceticism through sorrows, unbearable trials, spiritual illnesses, human malice, and the enmity of relatives, and only in rare cases through special signs and inspirations from the Lord Christ Himself.
Here everyone is lonely, orphaned, deprived of the participation and affection of relatives and the sympathy of others; all are in sorrows, prayers, and tears, persecuted by a world that slanders, condemns, curses, and by the enemy of salvation, tormenting with embittered slanders and innocent suffering. Here, there is restless youth, dreaming during times of temptation about the past, about the sweetness of freedom and the joys of family; and grumbling old age, enduring all sorts of bodily ailments and diseases, being treated with ceaseless prayer.
Amidst this visible quietness and peaceful life are so many who are suffering in soul, tormented in heart, losing self-control, defeated in the battle with the spirits of evil, and tortured by passions! This solitude, these stone walls don’t relieve the soul or bring peace. In monasteries, as elsewhere, there are people who are anxious about their affairs, duties, and interests, who are suffering, sorrowing, and tempted, who go to their spiritual fathers or mentors from the Holy Gospel or to more experienced elders and ask them for guidance. And at the end of the conversation, they always receive the same wise answer: “Endure, for without sorrows you can’t be saved. This is why we’ve come to the monastery—to endure!”
Only in his cell does a sorrowing monk find comfort, sympathy, and a truly soul-profiting answer, when his prayerful gaze rests upon the divine face of the Mother of God, consecrated by the warmth of a lampada.
We come to the monastery sick with worldly sorrows, fearing for our lives, convinced that the earthly life of man, whoever he is and wherever he lives, is nothing but sorrow, seeing that we’re powerless to help ourselves and be useful to others, possessing only infirmities.
Here, living in prayer, diligence, piety, and self-abasement, we hope to preserve what was promised to Christians in the future life: namely, happiness and blessedness in the glory of Christ, the Son of God.
By surrendering to the will of a spiritual guide, we protect ourselves from harmful self-will and disobedience.
By strengthening bodily labors, mortifying the flesh, we acquire patience to bear our sorrows and temptations.
Patiently enduring voluntary martyrdom, sometimes involuntarily recalling our former life in the world and realizing that life is more fun there, we receive the reward of a peaceful spirit—such peace of heart that people in the world can’t even imagine.
Those who excel in ascetic feats eventually taste an incomparable joy in the Lord. All this is obtained only through self-sacrifice, sorrows, and sufferings, if so be that we suffer with Him, the Apostle says to all ascetics, that we may be also glorified together (Rom. 8:17).
Do not, brothers and sisters, seek happiness on earth, but seek only salvation. Only then will you understand all the righteousness of God. He that shall endure unto the end, in faith in God’s love, the same shall be saved! (Mt. 24:13)
Arts and science
The study of any science should lead to knowledge of God, otherwise it’s on the wrong path and will never reveal the truth.
Every art should elevate the human soul and bring it closer to God, otherwise this art will be lifeless, false, and will never touch the highest divine poetry.
All that is carnal, physical, as well as the lower aspects in poetry and art, gravitates towards the earth. But poetic ideals and human souls strive towards their spiritual center, or Prototype—God.
Demonic possession
In our times, there are many more possessed people than there were even in pagan times. But isn’t it because the human eye is already used to seeing vice, crime, and immorality that they go unnoticed?
On the other hand, people who don’t allow for the existence of evil spirits in the aerial realm are unable to distinguish and identify those who are possessed.
First of all, we have to understand what possession is. It requires knowledge, and there’s no other path to understanding the spiritual realm than careful study of the Gospel narratives and every word of Revelation.
The Holy Gospel points to very different forms of possession. There were fierce ones, mute ones, deaf ones, paralytic ones, raving ones, those throwing themselves into fire and water, and those emitting wild animal-like cries.
In our time, in addition to those listed, there are other forms of possession, corresponding to the modern enlightenment of peoples and other conditions of their lives. There are those who drink to madness, those who indulge in all forms of debauchery and revelry, those suffering from all kinds of manias (even to the most shameful), those who conceive of murders, malicious silent ones, wild fanatics, sorcerers who excel in blasphemy against God and in denial of everything spiritual, and so on.
Consequently, possession is not a disease with known symptoms, a certain form in which some separate organ suffers and you could determine the center of the disease. It’s not a nervous disease or even a mental illness, insanity.
In possession, a disorder of all organs, of the entire body is observed, because it’s a disease of the spirit, it’s spiritual suffering...
If those falling ill suffered only in one organ or in the nervous system alone, it would be possible to provide medical help. But this is what distinguishes spiritual diseases from mental and physical ones, that medicines have absolutely no effect on them. Christ explained to His Disciples that possession is treated only by prayer and fasting (Mt. 17:21).
The very name of the disease—“possession”—proves that no one has found a definition for it other than indicating the cause of the illness. By his actions and deeds, the man begins to resemble a demon. And this definition is completely accurate. Possession occurs from nothing other than the presence in the human heart of a satanic spirit, a diabolical force, a spirit that is malicious, cunning, lying, criminal, depraved, vicious, blasphemous, hostile to the Lord Jesus Christ, His Church, and everything Christian.
The possessed
A man possessed by an evil spirit completely changes, losing his former appearance, the expression in his eyes and face, and their distinctive Christian qualities. He becomes unrecognizable, extremely angry, irritable, malicious, vindictive, hateful to everything good, and especially to the moral purity of others, to manifestations of virtue and piety. At the same time, he becomes secretive and timid. In educated and well-mannered people, the external manifestations of possession are less apparent, but their internal state is even more painful.
The demoniac’s hatred of everything spiritual, ecclesiastical, and blessed testifies to the origin and qualities of the spirit residing in him.
There can be no doubt that the spirit of malice abides in a man with but one purpose—to destroy a human soul. Therefore, many possessed people end up committing suicide, throwing themselves into fire and water, or they die suddenly from an immoral life.
Where are our demoniacs? They’re now in cities, and in villages, in all strata of society and the people, among the rich and poor, among the learned and unlearned, in basements and in luxurious chambers, in schools and in places of entertainment; not just in the streets and squares, but even in books, newspapers, pictures, and in all kinds of printed material.
Read Dostoevsky’s Demons and you’ll see the types taken from modern life.
Open a newspaper and you’ll see whole columns of daily reports about the most monstrous crimes, murders, and robberies committed in fits of anger, revenge, and delusion.
What refinement in lies, slander, and deception aimed at inciting those already possessed against useful and influential figures! How many daily victims of this possession end their lives by suicide!
All this is mixed with offensive and blasphemous articles directed against Christianity, Orthodoxy, piety, and people’s devotion to their sacred objects.
Go to court and listen to the speeches of famous lawyers, defenders of vice, crime, and fanaticism, who strive with all their might to pervert justice.
At lectures and political meetings, listen to the demands of the representatives of socialism, equality, and revolution who have lost all concept of justice, truth, and Christian foundations of life—it’ll give you a shudder!
Look at the displays at bookstores, newsstands, and theater entrances and you’ll understand how freedom has been exploited by the possessed who decided to devise means for the strongest manifestation of animal sensuality, base instincts, and the pursuit of debauchery in men.
Are there not now many embittered failures, dropouts, and half-beggars wandering the streets near houses, looking at you with hatred and hostility, just seeking a pretext for violence and crime?
How many are there everywhere who are satiated with life, ruined by passions, with painted faces and discolored eyes, having nothing sacred within them, ready to betray and dishonor anyone for a few dollars!
Are we not all witnesses to the extreme decline of national and societal morality, the collapse of family life, the perversion of children’s relationships with their parents, children’s attempts on the lives of their father or mother—the desecration of everything that Christians have always considered sacred, inviolable, honorable, heroic, glorious and necessary—the overthrow of religious foundations, state pillars and Christian institutions, and finally, the open struggle of secret organizations against God and the service to the devil? Is this not ancient, pagan possession?
Excommunication
Every action in the Orthodox Church is based only on the instructions, commandments, and ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and on the Apostolic rules and regulations approved at the foundation of the Christian Church.
That is why our Church is called Orthodox—because it has nothing arbitrary, but acts correctly in everything and glorifies the Lord infallibly, as the Holy Spirit taught the Apostles.
Talking with the Apostles about people who disobey the Church, Jesus Christ said: Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican (Mk. 18:15-17).
Therefore, Jesus Christ established an ecclesiastical court over those members of the Christian Church who show disobedience, which should consist of the following actions: First, it’s necessary to bring your accusation to the guilty in private; if that doesn’t help, repeat the accusation in front of two or three witnesses; if he still doesn’t correct himself, tell the Church, the entire assembly of the faithful, but if he doesn’t obey the entire Church, then the guilty party must be completely rejected, cut off from communion with the Church, or given over to anathema.
To confirm the Apostolic and priestly rights in the Christian Church, the Lord then added to His Disciples: Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven (Mt. 18:18).
It’s quite clear from these words of the Son of God that the pastors of the Church have a direct duty to judge and bind some people, that is, to excommunicate them from the Church and all its privileges. If it’s necessary for salvation that people be Christians, then of course there must be an ecclesiastical court, for the Holy Church is obliged to protect the purity of the Christian with all rigor in order to save the lost from eternal perdition and lead them to repentance.
Anathema is the Church’s last voice of warning to the deluded, but the voice of warning, no matter how loud, is it not the voice of love?
By bringing the lost to shame, the Church thereby removes the charm of their peculiar seductive wisdom and delusions, striking them with the name of God. It takes away the hope for safety, but doesn’t deprive them of the paths to repentance, and thus the doors of mercy, which have been opened in vain for them so many times, “can still be opened again” (St. Philaret).
And it’s not the severity of the Church’s law that should surprise us, but the malice, enmity, and infernal power of those sinners who don’t obey the judgement of God, who don’t submit to the Church of Christ and continue to fight, despite exhortations, reproaches, judgments, and finally, rejection by the Church. Such people can’t access the concept of the feeling of love. Apostates are proud, like the enemy of mankind himself whom the love of God didn’t save; they put themselves above the Church of Christ, and involuntarily they can only be rejected and anathematized!
Whom does the Church excommunicate? Those who deny the existence of God, who assert that the world came about by chance, without God’s providence, those who deny God’s attributes, the Incarnation of the Son of God, His death and Resurrection, those who distort the most important dogmas of the faith, who deny the immortality of the soul, the end of the age, the Dread Judgment and the Holy Sacraments of the Church, holy traditions, the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, and holy icons. Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit are excommunicated!
To be continued…
