Month: November 2018

November 8

Let us stand firm in the fear of God, rigorously practicing the virtues and not giving our conscience cause to stumble. In the fear of God let us keep our attention fixed within ourselves, until our conscience achieves its freedom. Then there will be a union between it and us, and thereafter it will be our guardian, showing us each thing that we must uproot. But if we do not obey our conscience, it will abandon us and we shall fall into the hands of our enemies, who will never let us go. This is what our Lord taught us when He said: ‘Come to an agreement with your adversary quickly while you are with him in the road, lest he hand you over to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer and you are cast into prison’ (Matthew 5:25). The conscience is called an ‘adversary’ because it opposes us when we wish to carry out the desires of our flesh; and if we do not listen to our conscience, it delivers us into the hands of our enemies.

~St Isaiah The Solitary (Philokalia, vol. 1, p. 22-23.)

 

Let us keep our attention fixed within ourselves, as opposed to being focused on what others are doing. God gave each of us our own conscience to assist us on the path to spiritual freedom in Him. Through cooperation with Him, and by this gift of the Spirit, we can achieve greater and greater freedom. Like a flashlight shining upon the darkness within, we can use it to uncover deeper and deeper shadows of vice, or passions, by listening and being obedient to this great helper. Let us likewise be diligent in applying our conscience, not giving ourselves license, excuse, or even the time to dally with sin, but rather make haste, and act quickly to flee what our conscience is exposing to us as the enemies of our soul. Let us transform our conscience from an adversary into a beloved companion through its constant attention and use.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

November 7

You partake of angelic life and attain an incorruptible and hence almost bodyless state when you have cleansed your intellect through tears, have through the power of the Spirit resurrected your soul even in this life, and with the help of the Logos have made your flesh–your natural human form of clay–a resplendent and fiery image of divine beauty. For bodies become incorruptible when rid of their natural humours and their material density.

~St Gregory of Sinai

The Words Escape Me

I have a nervous tongue,

but a steady hand.

I lack eloquence in speech,

but I can put down, in writing,

a pretty good sentence.

 

Words jumble and tumble from my mouth,

jostling one another to get free—

running, then stumbling over my lips.

 

As thoughts pile up in my head,

words fight each other for proper order;

struggling at the tip of my tongue,

pushing and shoving,

lunging then leaping out the door.

 

I hear their chaos

as they echo in my ears,

and I wonder,

“Do you understand me?”

 

“I’m not sure I just did.”

 

You nod and smile politely.

 

And I think again,

“If only I could have written to you instead.”

 

~FS

Wasting Grace

Grace will raise us up and give us new life, a life transformed and renewed. It will give us eyes to see, and ears to hear, so that we can become enlightened, illuminated by true wisdom. Grace is blessed life, given us by God, that we may live our life in God; in blessed peace and joyfulness.

We have this gift, this power that can make all things new for us. How is it then that I use this power, instead, to give my old self renewed power? I treat the power of life like it’s a battery-charger; using it to fill me up, and revitalize my profligate activities.

I squander grace in idle talk; giving myself over to foolishness, wasting precious moments, pregnant with opportunity for godliness, upon pettiness and vanities.

God gives us power to do His will, yet I pour this power flagrantly, out upon the earth. The gift He has given me, I have used selfishly, and upon my own desires. Whereas it was given to me for the benefit of others, as a power of spiritual freedom; I have used it wantonly, as a power of enslavement—binding myself and others to worldly distractions, and ridiculous delusions.

This life is not for my amusement, nor is the precious breath of life intended to fuel the selfish satisfaction of my vain pursuits.

Sometimes, I am justly denied God’s grace that I may rightly see the results of my choices. Then, in my utter lostness and despair, I cry out to God for help. And wonderfully, grace returns, sometimes immediately, and other times after long anguished waiting.

Grace is a gift that leads us into wisdom and light. May we live in grace wisely, never wasting grace.

~FS

November 6

By ‘many dwelling-places’ (John 14:2) the Savior meant the differing stages of spiritual ascent and states of development in the other world; for although the kingdom of heaven is one, there are many different levels within it. That is to say, there is place for both heavenly and earthy men (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:48) according to their virtue, their knowledge and the degree of deification that they have attained. ‘For there is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory’ (1 Corinthians 15:41); and yet all of them shine in a single diving firmament.

~St Gregory of Sinai

November 4

Requitals correspond to our deserts, even if many people think they do not. To some, divine justice gives eternal life; to others, eternal chastisement. Each will be requited according to his actions–according to whether he has passed through this present life in a virtuous or in a sinful manner. The degree or quality of the requital will accord with the state induced in each by either the passions or the virtues, and the differing effects these have had.

~St Gregory of Sinai