Hieromonk Eugene of Sarov (conclusion)

Here presented is the second and final letter of Hieromonk Mikail to Hieromonk Eugene.

Dearest in Christ brother and friend,

Merciful Reverend Father!

I sincerely rejoice thanking God that you are well and are satisfied with all necessities you have and that your mother Taisia is finding salvation in the Lord. The common way of thinking suggests that the old people should die first; yet, it happens often to see an old priest burying a young man. I think your mother would like to be buried by you, we both agree on that, yet, we do not know how the Lord will decide it. Let us entrust our lives to the mercy of Christ and His will.

It is quite comforting for me to hear from you that you are especially and indescribably pleased with your superiors, and that you do not desire any honors, and furthermore, do not even think about it and so on. That is a rarity nowadays, like a white crow. Do not have regrets about scholarly learning, that you did not have a chance to engage in it; instead, you may educate yourself in everything from the Holy Scriptures and become wise in piety – for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with treats, according to St. Apostle Paul (Heb. 13:9).

I do not know why you, while having the desire, feel hopeless about seeing me and talking about the Lord? Indeed, I am already old, weak and ill, incapable to ride, and not inclined to it at all; but you are not in that kind of state. If the occasion is favorable, if you wish, you can, after venerating Hierarch St. Dimitry along with Venerable Sergius, come to venerate the Moscow Miracle Workers^[1]. Then, if I am alive, and if you wish, you will see me. In 1812^[2] I was not far from you at Pechorsk Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod^[3]. You could have seen me if you had the wish then. You were not in the sad state then that I was in – expelled unexpectedly at mid-day, with danger to my life, almost without any necessities, later on survived a fire, was robbed, not having a place to rest, in need of everything, not knowing what my fate would bring, to make matters worse it was the fall and the winter season, I lived in Nizhny Novgorod from September 28^th till December 10^th.

It is also unclear to me why your spiritual duty causes such confusion in you, and it is difficult and burdensome for you? The numbers are not that great it seems – about a hundred people. Parish priests have more. To say more, you must have compared to others almost ten years. Although, you have had thought and continue to think about quitting, yet you are afraid of Fr. Igumen (I would add the spiritual children as well, and most of all God) in order not to insult them by doing so. For now, I will not be able to meet you in person, I consider giving you this friendly advice out of love for you. God called you to this duty lawfully and rightly through the abbot and the brothers, with the personal blessing and approval of your bishop; and you, out of love to the Savior, Who said, “Feed my sheep [John 21:17]”, have agreed to it during ordination to priesthood and at the time you were chosen for it; therefore you must perform the duty as long as you have strength. Unless you have a lawful and valid reason not to.  Brothers and sisters, each person, as a responsible one before God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them [cf. 1 Cor. 7:24]. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown [Apoc. 2:10]. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown [Apoc. 3:11]. Yet, you insist that one should acquire great holiness and wisdom for it, and as for you, you say that you know your shortcomings. Indeed, it is so! Any priestly duty requires this. When you agreed to be a priest of the Lord, you agreed then to take care about holiness and wisdom; and, without a doubt you can get them from God. Anything is possible for a person who believes and asks. Also, it is not true that greater holiness is required to be a confessor than is required to serve the liturgy. Since sometimes, according to the decision of a bishop, a priest is removed from serving liturgy, yet is allowed to remain a spiritual guide if he is skilled in that. On the other hand, sometimes the right to be a spiritual guide due to misuse is taken away, yet, one is allowed to serve liturgy. Yet, you again say that it is difficult and burdensome. True! Yet, it is not completely inconvenient and impossible.

However, great rewards happen to come for great deeds and labors, just try to serve in this capacity as is right before God. If thou dost return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth [Jer. 15:19]. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins [James 5:20]. These are the rewards! The grace of God, which always strengthens the weak and replenishes what is missing, will help you, as well as the advice of your elders and the decisive order of your bishop, from whom you may sometime, in case of downfalls of doubt, according to the rules of the church, demand instructions for yourself, while not mentioning any names. When your health declines completely, and you see yourself incapable of carrying your duty, seek another person for your position, who is not less or perhaps even more worthy and capable than you are. Then out of love for God and your neighbor with humility you may surrender it so that the flock of Christ would be guided better by your successor, and you spend your last days in attention to your own salvation only. However, may the Lord God enlighten you with His grace to choose what is better and advances salvation for you, as for me, I cannot say anything more aside from what has been said using only guesswork on matters, which are not clear and coherent.

As a sign of my love and gratitude to you I am sending along to you a book “Primary Chronicle” with events dating from 1206 to 1534. I am asking you to accept it with the same love as the one it is sent with.

I am wishing you to spend the Holy Lent with benefit for the soul, I congratulate you with the coming feast of the Resurrection of Christ, may it bring joy and illumination in the Lord.

At last, having wished you earthly and heavenly blessings and everything holy, I continue to remain with feeling of honest reverence to you and sincere love, asking your holy prayers and continuation of Christian love.

Most humble servant and a fellow petitioner

of my brother in Christ and friend,

Hieromonk Mikhail

March 7^th, 1816.

The New Monastery of the Saviour, Moscow

 1. Saints Peter Alexis and Jonah Metropolitans of Moscow and Wonderworkers of Russia

 2. Napoleon’s incursion into Russia.

 3. Nizhnu Novgorod is a large city of the Volga River in Western Russia

A Sermon: Sunday after Theophany/Baptism of the Holy Spirit

          Beloved of God, in the liturgical cycle of the Church we have reached the Sunday after the feast of Theophany.  I believe we are aware that this feast can also be called the baptism of our Lord; and some commentators have thought of it as the initiation of the sacrament of Baptism. As usual, we have a particular Gospel and Epistle reading for this day.  In the Gospel our Lord calls all to follow Him with His words: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Elsewhere in the Gospel we hear Him say: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  (Luke 12:32). And again, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).  This is a reality that is made manifest through the sacrament of Baptism and it becomes a completed living reality through our repentance. Let me explain.

          In the writings of Sts. Ignatius and Kallistos in the Philokalia they speak of this.  The title of one chapter is as follows: “In holy Baptism we receive divine grace as a free gift.  We obscure this gift with  the passions, but then we cleanse it again by keeping the commandments.”  And they continue to write: “In the divine womb—that is, the sacred font—we receive divine grace as a free and entirely perfect gift, through the affairs of this present life, we have wrongfully covered over this supernatural splendor with the murk of the passions.  Yet through repentance and the fulfillment of deifying commandments we can uncover its surpassing radiance once more and repossess it, beholding its manifestation with the utmost clarity.” (The Philokalia, The Complete Text, Volume Five, p. 21)

          This quote brings to mind a conversation I once had with the monk, Father Lukas of the Monastery of Philotheou on the Holy Mountain.  He was considered the theologian of Philotheou and had been a university professor before becoming a monk.  I asked him about the meaning of the phrase found in the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian, “baptism of the Holy Spirit” since this phrase was being used by Charismatics and Pentecostals who claimed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  These people believed that they had the same experience as St. Symeon.  But, before continuing with Fr. Lukas, I want to go on a little tangent and quote someone else, Archbishop Basil Krivochenie.  He was the Moscow Patriarchate bishop in Brussels, Belgium; but prior to this he spent about twenty-two years at the Monastery of St. Panteleimon on the Holy Mountain.  He was an expert on St. Symeon the New Theologian and wrote a book on the saint called, In the Light of Christ.  In 1976, he gave a few talks at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.  He commented that for the Charismatics, baptism of the Holy Spirit was the beginning, but for St. Symeon the New Theologian it was the end.  In his book he points out that, in the writings of St. Symeon, greater emphasis is placed upon repentance and a “baptism of tears,” while the phrase “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is very rarely used. 

          Now let me get back to Father Lukas.  He spoke along these lines: The concept baptism in the Holy Spirit used by St. Symeon is not different from the first [the sacrament of Baptism] but rather a manifestation of the first.  We were baptized as infants and we are not aware of what we may have experienced at that time.  As we grew older grace diminished and we became more and more immersed in the world, and so we are in a state where we are no longer conscious of this grace of Baptism within us.  Converts who are baptized at a mature age may have a very shorted-lived experience of grace when baptized because they receive this grace into a vessel which is not pure.  They are not purified from the passions and sin, so then, the action of grace is covered over.  Let me make an illustration: If you shine a light through a glass that is dirty it will be dull.  But the more you clean that glass, so much more does that light shine through it.  So it is with us: The more we are purified from sin and passions through repentance, so much more does the grace of God given in Baptism become active within us.  If we are completely purified then we attain that baptism of the Holy Spirit which is greater that the first baptism.  It is not different than the first but the manifestation of the first.    

          So then, as the Lord said, let us “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—it is “with us”.  To acquire this we need ongoing repentance.  In some people repentance acts temporarily according to the sins they have committed. There is confession, the resolve to change, remorse, and maybe some act of penance. However, in others, repentance acts systematically, remaining upon one, leading him from one degree of purification to another. Then, continuing on, one can be led from one degree of enlightenment to another.  Finally, one can reach the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” spoken of by St, Symeon the New Theologian.  These are the stages of grace of which St. Joseph the Hesychast writes.  He wrote the following to a correspondent: The spiritual life is divided into three stages, and grace acts in a person accordingly.  The first stage is called purification, during which the person is cleansed.  What you have now is called the grace of purification.  This form of grace leads one to repentance.  All eagerness that you have for spiritual things is from grace alone.  Nothing is your own.  It secretly acts upon everything.  So when you exert yourself, this grace remains with you for a certain period of time.  If a person progresses in noetic prayer, he receives another form of grace which is entirely different. 

          “The second grace is called the grace of illumination.  During this stage one receives the light of knowledge and is raised to the vision of God.  This does not mean seeing lights, fantasies, images, but it means clarity of nous, clearness of thoughts, and depth of cognition.  For this to occur, the person praying must have much stillness and an unerring guide. 

          “The third stage—when grace overshadows—is the grace of perfection, truly a great gift.” (Monastic Wisdom, The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, pp. 44-5) This last is the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” that St. Symeon the New Theologian writes of and it is very rare.

          Does this leave us without hope? It should not.  We are not all going to become great saints.  But if we repent according to our strength and become humble, we will become partakers along all the saints of the kingdom to come. Humility has been called “the throne of divine grace” (Saint Ephraim of Katounakia The Disciple Full of Grace, Elder Joseph of Vatopedi p. 93) and it opens to us the kingdom—the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. So be it.

Hieromonk Eugene of Sarov

Hieromonk Eugene, who passed away in his old age in Sarov during the abbacy of Igumen Niphont (Abbot from1818 until 1842), was a diligent servant at the monastery. This humble, reverent elder was a true image of piety and meekness, therefore, novices, having arrived to the monastery had a special trust for him and through him they learned hard work, prayer and other monastic virtues. His soul, imbued with piety drew the attention of novices and his mature manner of behavior caused them to respect him and actively imitate his chastity, obedience, meekness and humility. He, in this manner, greatly helped those who sought salvation and advancement in spiritual life. He was later on elected to be a confessor and spent quite some time serving in that obedience to the benefit of those around him. Due to his humble-mindedness and sincere earnestness for the salvation of his neighbor he sought wise council from experienced elders.  This is why he exchanged letters on spiritual matters with reverent fathers from whom he received edifying correspondence.  Here we are providing two of them.

Most reverend and all honorable Hieromonk Father Eugene, beloved brother and friend in Christ!

Do not be surprised, dearest brother, that while approaching your forty seventh year of monastic life, you have started feeling greater uneasiness than in the previous years. You have been walking down the hill for eleven years now. As for the thought about death, which comes to your mind often and causes some fear and anxiety in you, it is because you have some spiritual ailments within.  In that respect, my dear, I will tell you sincerely, you will not have any fear, neither anxiety if you heal those ailments with the dressing of the holy repentance, by avoiding evil and doing good.  Contrition, tears, and reformation—the proper fruits of repentance, with humility again open to us the embrace of the Heavenly Father; and the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God cleans us from any sin. Without them (the fruits of repentance) entrusting oneself to the protection of the most merciful God and the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel and all the saints (aside from unexpected fatal accidents) alone will not lead to the healing of spiritual ailments of ours. We sing of mercy and justice to God with the Prophet [Psa. 100:1]; His mercy is indeed without limit, likewise His justice.  He established the mystery of holy repentance for cleansing our sins after Baptism.  He, who uses it properly, saves himself – that is mercy! He, who rejects it, postpones it, does not use it – perishes, that is justice. It is only the daily weaknesses which we may call spiritual infirmities, which happen even to the saints, or, in other words, pardonable sins, that do not deprive us, the faithful, of grace. Yet, even those must be washed away by a sincere confession to God in front of the spiritual father, and so we get rid of them.  In that case the anxiety and fear of death will not attack us.  Only there might be melancholy and a spirit of weak faith or faithlessness that sometimes will trouble us.  However, the weapons against them are clear to us. Faith and hope in our Savior and a warm prayer to Him with humility will eliminate all arrows of the enemy, even though they will be the burning ones.  Thus, with these weapons we shall implement the remedy, which is used against the demon of blasphemy.  In this way the God of peace will be with us forever!

Having entrusted myself to your ongoing love and benevolence, I ask for your holy prayers, that God may, according to His great mercy, grant me to always have true repentance and to bring its fruits to Him. With wishes of health to you, salvation and all kinds of blessings I remain with sincere reverence and devotion to you.

The humble servant and fellow petitioner

of the beloved brother and friend,

Hieromonk Mikhail.

 March 1, 1815.

 The New Monastery of the Savior¹ Moscow.

1.    A monastery in the southeast of Moscow founded in 1490.

!6th Sunday After Pentecost: A Sermon on Luke 6:31-6

Beloved of God, today I would like to concentrate upon the last two verses of the Gospel reading.  Our Lord said: “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Let us first consider that last verse and the very last word, “merciful”.  If we were to translate this back into Greek we would immediately render it “eleos” which is the usual word in Greek for mercy.  This is what is used in response to petitions in the litanies which is “Kyrie eleison” and we render as “Lord have mercy”.  However the Greek word here is not a form of eleos rather it is “Oiktermon” which comes from the lamenting cry “oi” used in the Greek tragedies for deep pain which could be translated as feeling pity upon.  So this term “Oiktermon” can actually be thought of as a superlative of mercy.  That is how our Lord asks us to be.  We should feel deep pain for or feel pity upon all others, all of our fellow men and really all creation.  This “pain” or “pity” should proceed from the heart, so then, what we really need is to develop tenderheartedness as a primary state of being.  For if the heart is tender the aforementioned would be natural, yet, I am sure we all realize that this is far from easy to acquire. 

So now, let us move on to the words of our Lord just before this and the great command, that is, to love our enemies.  On a human level, with our own human powers can we acquire love of enemies?  Humanly speaking it is impossible even if we seem to be nice, kind, merciful and tenderhearted, adverse circumstances in life have proved that many such people cannot live up to the commandment of “love your enemies”.  However, what is impossible for men, is possible for God.  So if anyone desires to fulfill this commandment he must seek help from God.  He must seek to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, through the action of the Holy Spirit within a person this is possible.  It is not something that someone does of himself but it is something that one participates in.    

Archimandrite Zacharias of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex has written wonderfully about this as follows:  

“Love for enemies, which is active in the heart through the Holy Spirit, is well-pleasing to God as it embraces the whole Adam, the entire creation, even hell.  For this reason, only love for enemies can open the way for man to know and bear within himself the whole created being, as well as Divine Being according to grace.”

“Saint Silouan did not preach love for enemies naively.  He knew that save for the grace of the Holy Spirit it is unattainable.  He also knew that the fulfillment of the double commandment of love, of which the highest degree is love for enemies, attracts the grace of God.  For this reason, whoever loves his enemies will come to know the Lord in a perfect way through the Holy Spirit.  Saint Silouan teaches that love for enemies banishes all pride from the soul and brings into the heart the humility of Christ, which “passes description and is sweet”.  He determines that where there is love for enemies, there is also the Holy Spirit at work.  He discerns the authenticity of spiritual experiences according to the measure in which they are followed by prayer for the whole world and love for enemies. ‘And if…you yourself have compassion on all creation, and love your enemies, counting yourself the vilest of all, it is a sign of abundant grace of the Holy Spirit in you.’  Thus, for Saint Silouan, the criterion of the presence of the Holy Spirit and of true communion with God is prayer and love for enemies. Through love for enemies the believer acquires much grace from God and through prayer for enemies he is able to preserve it.” (The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, Archimandrite Zacharias (Zacharou), pp 54-5)

This is the “kingdom of God within us” (cf. Luke 17:21), let us strive to enter it. Amen! 

The Eulogy at the burial of Hieromonk Hilarion, the Confessor of the Sarov Hermitage^[1]

So then, sojourner on the earth, you have completed your journey; you have crossed the sea of temptations and afflictions, you have acquired peace for yourself! Yet, what crowds surround you? Look, our father and mentor! These are your children, who have come not to see your departure, but listen to the words of eternal life from your sweet lips; but, you are asleep, having closed both your eyes and your lips. Rise up! Give us a blessing! Alas, he is lifeless. Father, your friendly words, with which you greeted and saw everyone off, are no longer heard. Three days ago, you used to say – forgive me, brother, goodbye, and now you have left the world yourself. Alas, what a pitiful loss! Where is our spiritual father? Where is our mentor? What have we lost? Father! Father! Wake up and listen! An unfortunate pauper is asking for alms, a traveler is waiting for your comforting word by the gates, an ill person, who is barely breathing, is waiting for your visit, prayers and absolution. Another one, who having fallen into temptation is waiting for comfort in his misfortune, the bell ring is calling you to the Cathedral to singing and prayer, the sons of the Church are waiting for you there with the offering of the bloodless sacrifice. Yet, no, indeed, neither the ring of the bell, nor my voice, nor the voices of all of us have the power to wake you up from such a deep sleep! Be at rest until the sound of the Archangel’s trumpet!

Oh, God! See our sorrow, hear the cries of our hearts, see the torrents of the tears running in our eyes, we dare to ask, where will we get a mentor and advisor for our salvation? Where will we find comfort in sorrows and afflictions? If, according to Thy word, Thou “desirest all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” [1 Tim. 2:4], and if the salvation is received through much counsel, then why didst Thou take this wise mentor, leader and teacher away? We do not dare to say any more. Thine is the truth, truth for all ages and Thy word is truth – brother, “dust art thou, and unto dust shalt thou return [Gen 3:19], whither we mortals all shall go^[2].

 For this with a prostration we pray to Thou, merciful Lord! Have mercy on this Thy servant, who hath departed from us, do not bring him into judgement [cf. Psalm 142:2]; “if Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who shall stand” [Psalm 129:3], even if his life on the earth be but one day [cf. Job 14:5]. As for us, who have become orphaned in teaching of the word of Thy truth, take us into the hands of Thine Almighty protection and be Thyself for us the leader and superior on the path of our salvation, and bring us to Thyself, the source of our salvation, our life and light! As for us, we will kiss for the last time our father and wise mentor, shed tears on his remains with the offering of warm prayers for his repose in Abraham’s bosom. As for you, our father! We ask you with our last request, if the Lord vouchsafes you the boldness before the throne of His majesty, do not forget us, as you have promised, visiting our souls and hearts interceding for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May our hearts and lips never be silent and without ceasing to utter the phrase: Memory Eternal!  Forgive us, peace be with you, go with peace into the heavenly cloister, prepared for you from the creation of the world. Amen.

The special qualities of Father Hilarion were love and meekness. No matter who was the person who came to him, he never reproved him reproachfully, he never expressed strong reprimands and never put difficult burdens on anyone, carrying himself the cross of Christ with its afflictions. If he reprimanded someone, he did it always quietly, gently, mixing exhortations with humility and love, and trying to arouse the action of conscience through showing the ways of salvation. Neither the rich, nor the poor, nor the common folk, nor nobility went away from him without an admonition. There was enough living water from the lips of the humble elder, everyone felt the meek power of his love.  That is why while strengthening them with instructions and advice, he always pointed out to them the dangers on the way to salvation and inspired towards love to God with his own love. He taught those from the brethren who came to him, “In a spiritual cell, humility is the base, the foundation; patience is the wall, enclosure; love is the cover, the roof. A temptation is temporary, but the reward is eternal. Whatever you condemn a person of, you will suffer from yourself; if you see a person committing a sin, do not judge him, but pray for him to God—the One Lover of mankind God, that the Lord God may correct him, and save you from a fall into sin. Consider everyone to be your father and a benefactor, and yourself to be a footrest for all. Do not make known any of brothers’ temptations – this irritates God quite a bit. The duties of a Christian: 1) prayer; 2) reading and listening to the Gospel; 3) occupying himself with handiwork as an obedience. Warfare for a soldier is temporary and short-term, as for a monk – it is until his departure to God. If you want to be a monk, engage in it and endure steadfastly. Oh, our heavenly peace! Where shall we go, where can we find it? Go anywhere, live anywhere you want, and no matter where you live, you will not escape the cross of patience. Keep the thought within yourself that every person is better than you; without this thought even if someone performs miracles, yet he will be far away from God. Consider yourself to be unworthy to be among the brethren, this is the sum of the holy books [Matt. 7:12].

 Elder Hilarion often cited these wonderful words of St. John Chrysostom, especially to those who lived in the world and needed his edification, “Almsgiving’s wings are great. She cleaves the air, surpasses the moon, and goes beyond the sun’s rays. She rises up to the very vaults of the heavens. She does not stop there; rather, she surmounts heaven and overtakes the multitudes of angels, the choirs of archangels, and all the higher powers, and she stands next to the royal throne.”

^[1] This eulogy is believed to be delivered by Igumen Niphont of the Sarov Monastery.

^[2] From the Orthodox Cannon for the Soul of a Deceased Person, Kontakion, Tone 8.e

Instructions of Hieromonk Hilarion (conclusion)

On the Will

Do not follow your own will, and do not make your own judgements, in this way you will get rid of resentment.  Let go of your own will like you would of foul-smelling clothes, since one’s own will is worse than all evil doings.  The obedient have all been saved, the headstrong have been hurt and some even perished.  One living in silence falls when he abandons prayer; as for a novice, this happens when he starts making his own judgements.  “I know of no fall that happens to a monk”, says Abba Dorotheos, “that does not come from trusting his own judgement.”  And St. Peter of Damascus: “As long as we remember our monastic duties we can be saved in any situation, provided we renounce our own will.”

On Forgiveness

When you fall into sin, being a human being, repent for it before God.  If someone reproaches you, then without any excuses hasten to ask forgiveness with a bow, saying, “Forgive me, I have sinned against you, I am guilty.”  It is good to say forgive me in reply to any words against you, teaches Abba Dorotheus.  If someone reprimands you, insults you or offends you in some other way, do not get angry at that brother.  But, having walked away, say a prayer for him to God this way: “Lord, forgive him”; and attribute that offense to a demon, since it is the demon, who teaches us to offend each other.  Never lie to anyone about anything, and let not your heart cling to evil against anyone, since he who hates those who offend him, hates meekness.  And he who runs from those who offend him, runs away from the peace of Christ.  He, who does not accept punishment, hates himself; he, who accepts reprimands, loves his soul.

On Patience

Try as hard as you can, with the help of God, to acquire patience in bearing sorrows and afflictions.  Ask, knock, and seek day and night, and you will receive help and the firmness of patience from Christ the Savior if you desire it from the heart. One should learn patience which is an indication of greatness of soul, and to suffer everything that happens to us without complain. We will have patience when we accept everything that happens to us both joyful and sorrowful as if coming from the hand of God.  “In your patience possess ye your souls” [Luke 21:19], Christ teaches us.  Endure, servant of God, and you will acquire your soul, if you have destroyed it with sin.  In patience there is a collection of all virtues, which save our souls. St. Ephraim says that he who is patient touches every kind of virtue, since he rejoices in sorrows and in misfortunes.  He is being wise, he is joyful in affliction, he is ready for obedience, he is full of love.  He glorifies God when he is hurt, he is humble when he is reproached, unshakable in distress. He who has acquired patience has acquired hope, he is adorned with all kind of virtuous deeds.  As for other virtues, which are many, like faith, hope and love, you should read the holy books about them and listen to exhortations, through which you will become wise and inherit eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, which may we all receive through His very help and the grace of God. Amen.

The Transfiguration and Orthodoxy

The feast of the Transfiguration was this past Monday for those who follow the Old Calendar.  Therefore I am now publishing a short sermon for this feast which I believe is consistent with the abovementioned title.

The event of the Transfiguration in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ is something that has always held great importance in our Orthodox Church.  However it is also a prime factor that separates us from other Christian confessions of faith – not only in those in the West, that is, the Catholics and Protestants – but even the Coptic Christians along with the other non-Chalcedonians. 

How can I make this statement?  What do I mean by this?  Let us look into this matter today, beginning with the Coptic Christians.  It is true that they are closer to the Orthodox Church than those of the West.  There are even some clergy and systematic theologians who say that we really have the same Christology.  However, in truth, they still fall short of the fullness of truth.  The Transfiguration and its significance in the Orthodox understanding of salvation is a vital factor in this difference.  I once asked a long-time spiritual child of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in England what Father Sophrony thought of this issue.  He said that Father Sophrony commented that, “Unless you believe that Christ is fully God and fully man in the Orthodox manner you cannot have the experience of the Uncreated Light. And the non-Chalcedonians do not have this in their ascetic tradition.”  The Uncreated Light is the Light of the Transfiguration.  They do not have this in their ascetic tradition because they separated from the Church after the Ecumenical council of Chalcedon, thus creating a schism.  They are outside of the Church and they share neither our Christology nor our concept of salvation. This can be seen in some of the pamphlets authored by the late Pope Shenouda in which he writes that Holy Communion involves only the human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. He also denies the Orthodox concept of deification, which is consistent with their history.  During the medieval period, the Coptic Church actually downplayed the concept of deification; and this – the deification of man- is the message of the Transfiguration.  In being transfigured before His disciples our Lord showed us what we can become.  So, as I said, the understanding of the Transfiguration and the deification of man is a vital factor which separates us from the Coptic Christians. 

The same holds true for the Christians of the West – the Catholic and the Protestant Churches – though in a slightly different way. Nonetheless, the Orthodox understanding of the Transfiguration is one of the things that separates us from them.   One Catholic author, Robert Payne, in his book The Holy Fire, writes about some of the Holy Fathers of the East.  He acknowledges that “the Western Church fixed its eyes on the Atonement.” (The Holy Fire, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, originally published by Harper, New York, p. 294) –  their main focus was the Cross.  In the West, men simply wanted to be saved, meaning that they wanted to escape eternal punishment. This was their prime thought concerning salvation.  The Cross is the deliverance from punishment.  Both the Protestants and the Catholics have actually come up with a guaranteed salvation in their theology: on the one hand the Catholics have their system of works, each bearing their own merit, indulgences and purgatory; and on the other the Protestants are guaranteed salvation through a confession of faith.  

When speaking of the Eastern Fathers, Payne acknowledges that in the East, the main emphasis was on the Incarnation and the Transfiguration.  As St. Basil the Great states in his Liturgy, “He [Christ] was likened to the body of our lowliness so that He might liken us to the image of His glory”.  This is a gift of grace.  Also the Apostle Peter declares: “we have become partakers of the Divine nature.”  We partake of the Divine nature as a gift; it is not ours, it is not natural to us, we do not own it as if it were our own.  Rather we participate in it as a gift.  In The Holy Fire, Payne arrives at the following conclusion: “In the West men wanted to be saved; in the more contemplative East, it was a small thing to be saved if one could meet God face to face”(ibid).  This is the message of the Transfiguration.  And in the matins service one hymn says that in the Transfiguration Christ shows the exchange we will make at His second coming.  However we must be worthy of this gift

So then, “since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God” (2Cor. 7:1).  For, as the Apostle John the Theologian says, “we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn. 3:2).  He then goes on to instruct us, “and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1Jn. 3:3).

               Thus I conclude with the appeal of the Apostle Paul: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom 12:1).  Amen!

Instructions of Hieromonk Hilarion

On Prayer

The foundation and the start of all virtues is prayer, of which the Apostle says: “Pray without ceasing” [1 Thess. 5:17].  In other words, one should call upon the name of God always, if one is in a conversation, if one sits, or walks, if he is doing something, or is eating, or doing something else.  At all times and in every place one should call the name of God; the enemy’s temptation is destroyed in this way, writes Chrysostom.  “Strike the enemies with the name of Christ”, says John Climacus, you will not find a better weapon neither in heaven, nor on earth.  Prayer drives away sorrow and despondency, it is the abode of meekness and peacefulness.  It is a manifestation of joy and thankfulness and the acquisition and increase of countless blessings.

On Self-reproach

One should learn self-reproach, in other words to blame oneself always, and not others; reproach oneself and not others, and call oneself a wretch and a fool, slothful and negligent, lazy and careless.  “He who acquires self-reproach, acquires peace”, writes Abba Dorotheos, and he is never disturbed.  If an illness befalls him, an offence, oppression, or any other kind of calamity, he attributes everything to his own sinfulness and thanks God.  If the superior penalizes him or scolds him, he takes it as a blessing and considers it an act of God.  Pride takes root in a person when he does not yet have any self-knowledge.  Therefore acquire self-knowledge and guard yourself against pride and vainglory as the greatest detriments for the soul; one cannot chase them away other than with constant self-reproach and with humbling oneself.

On Self-knowledge

One has self-knowledge if he considers himself incompetent and unworthy of any higher positions. To know oneself is to consider oneself foolish, slothful, negligent and lazy, etc.; one should not pay attention to others’ sins, but look at one’s own, Cand repent them always.  Consider yourself and judge yourself, and do not get involved into anything external other than your own duties.  “Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith” [2 Cor. 13:5], writes the Apostle.

Silence

Silence, according to the words of Venerable Arsenius[1] is the root of living free from sin.  Therefore a novice should always pursue it.  Be silent until the proper time; say little, furthermore, do it quietly, do not speak without a need.  He who guards his mouth, guards his soul; he who is impudent in words will disgrace himself.  Silence gathers, talkativeness squanders. A wise man teaches saying, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry” [James 1:19]; he who is silent has much wisdom.

[1] Venerable Arsenius the Great (354-449) once heard the voice of God, saying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue”.

Read less, Pray more

I apologize to my readers for such a long delay since the last time I published something on this blog.  I do have a first draft of a translation continuing the instructions of Hieromonk Hilarion of Sarov which I hope will soon be ready.  For the time being I want to encourage you to read less and pray more.  I am not implying that we should leave off reading, for reading does support prayer, but rather, “Read less and pray more”. 

Permit me to begin with an explanation; in doing so I will refer to the late Elder Ephraim of Arizona.  Shortly after the women’s monastery of Holy Protection was established in Pennsylvania,  Elder Ephraim of Arizona visited.  There was a small gathering of people present,  and he was asked, “Why is it that we find many people in the Church who will read a lot, go to talks for hours, and go to long church services; but we don’t find anyone who will spend a lot of time in their private personal prayer?” Elder Ephraim began to reply saying, “Yes, yes.”  Then he spoke of prayer as being a difficult struggle and quoted an early desert father who said, “Prayer is a struggle to our last breath.”  He went on to say, “When we pray we unite to God with our mind, we touch God with our mind.  The devil had this and he lost it therefore he fights against us at this time.  He does all he can to distract us from prayer, because he hates to see us acquire what he lost.”

Once one of the Elder’s monks was giving a talk at the women’s monastery of The Birth of the Theotokos in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.  He was encouraging the listeners to spend time in prayer.  He said, “We give up too easily.  We let ourselves get distracted or we are tired, or we have a headache and we lay prayer aside.”  He repeated a number of times the cliche familiar in our ascetic tradition, “Shed blood and receive the Spirit.”  I had heard this many times before, but always in reference to physical labors.  This was the first time I heard it applied specifically to prayer.  This monk put forward as an example one Athonite father who spent 10 hours a day in prayer.  He did not give the name of this father, but it may have been St. Joseph the Hesychast or one of the secluded hermits of the Holy Mountain.  As he concluded one visitor expressed the following, “From what you have said I conclude that through prayer we acquire the grace of God more than any other work.  And what we may acquire through other works we be lost if we are not very prayerful as if we were to pour water into a bucket with holes.”  He agreed with this conclusion.

The Apostle Paul instructs us, “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17).  Likewise when the Apostle and Evangelist Luke relates the parable of the persistent widow and unrighteous judge, he precedes it by saying: “And He (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).  What is the fruit of this ascetic endeavor?  If we struggle much in prayer and it can be that prayer develops as a state of being, then prayer will become the primary state of our being.  It is then that prayer—which can become an action of God within us—is a great weapon. It can rise up within us and take hold of us and can influence us as the passions had formerly done.  At the Red Sea Moses said to the Israelites: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today” (Ex. 14:13).  If we become strong in prayer we can experience such a victory, not against a visible enemy, but against the passions that war against us.  I will now conclude and repeat the words with which I began: Read less, Pray more.  There is fruit that is worth striving for.  Amen.  Let’s do it!            

The Sunday of the Paralytic

Today in the Pentecostarion period we hear how Christ raised up the paralytic from his bed of affliction.  In two weeks we will have the healing of the blind man.  In the services of the Church our attention is drawn to our spiritual poverty and need of growth in the life in Christ.  The services tell us that our spiritual state is as though we are paralyzed or blind in our soul.  We read, sing or hear this but do we really believe it?  How can this be? After all we faithfully attend Church services, we strive to pray, fast and read Church books.  So how can this be?  Can we really believe this which the Church services tell us?  That we are blind and paralyzed in soul.

In order to solve these perplexing illustrations we need to take a look at the state of our human condition in this life.  In the Matins Canon of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ we read: “Man fell from the divine and better life, though made in the image of God he became wholly subject to corruption and decay, but now the wise Creator fashions him anew.”  In his Eucharistic prayer St. Basil the Great tells us that when Adam and Eve disobeyed God Who had created them; being deceived by the guile of the serpent they were sent forth from paradise into this world.  They were alive in body but what was the state of their souls?  They lost their uninhibited communication with God.  Their souls were in a state of separation from God.  What is meant by a state of separation from God?  St. Ignatius Brianchaninov tells us that in paradise Adam and Eve had union of mind and heart, and that mind and heart were separated after their fall.  As the heart is the meeting place between God and man, their souls were in a state of separation from God.  And as descendants of Adam and Eve this is what we inherit from them: separation from God, and also the inclination to sin—this is the result of ancestral or original sin.

But what has happened to us, the descendants of Adam and Eve, since that time?   According to the Church calendar we are now in the eighth millennium and our separation from God and attachment to the world has certainly become greatly augmented.  In addition outright evil has abounded to great heights.  What do we need?  We all need repentance.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)  We all need repentance.  And not repentance as a one-time act but continual repentance.  The Orthodox faith is an ascetic faith, and for an Orthodox Christian ongoing repentance is something central to true life in Christ.  Repentance in the Orthodox Church has various shades of meanings.  The Greek word “metanoia” literally means a change of mind, implying what the holy Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).  The equivalent word in Slavonic – “pokaianie” – implies to be wretched, to mourn and lament – to be filled with tears.  In conjunction with the disposition of one’s heart, and effort of free will, this “spirit of repentance” acts in varying degrees.  In some people it acts temporarily according to the sins they have committed.  There is confession, the resolve to change, remorse, and maybe some act of penance.  However, in others this “spirit of repentance” acts systematically, remaining upon one, leading him from one degree of purification to another.  Then, continuing on, this “spirit” – which is an action of the grace of God – leads one from one degree of enlightenment to another.  Perhaps this is what the Apostle Paul wrote of in his letter to the Corinthians: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord” (IICor. 3:18). 

We can see the struggle set before us.  Let us not be self-satisfied and think we are just fine in our Christian life, let us not be stagnant.  Rather let us keep in mind the words of the Apostle Paul: “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Then he adds: “Let those of us who are mature be thus minded.” (Php. 3:14-5)  Why did he add the latter?  Because God is infinite, therefore our struggles never end.  Let us then never cease struggling in our life in Christ and in so doing let us also keep in mind the words of the Apostle Paul: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (Php. 3:12)  Those final words: “Christ Jesus has made me His own”, give us the hope we need to struggle and not despair. So let us take up our struggle to repent, to ascend in purification, to be ever more illumined.  Thus being delivered from spiritual paralysis and blindness we may, as the Apostle says, “Have the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” (Eph. 1:18-9)  Amen.