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How might we approach assisting others who are suffering, in ways that are empathetic but not pitying, as their servant and not their savior—in ways that are healthy—while at the same time developing our own spiritual foundation from which to serve? St. Silouan presents a powerful paradigm for life, which can assist us in accomplishing all of these goals.

He tells us to “keep thy mind in hell, and despair not.” Contained in this is a constant awareness of our sinfulness and fallen state, yet also at the same time a trust and faithfulness in God’s supreme love for us. The former provides many spiritual benefits in our spiritual formation while the latter draws us ever closer in relationship with God through faith and hope.

How does this work? Archimandrite Sophrony explains it in this way: “Spiritual pain is the source of the energy needed to resist the pull of earthly attractions for the sake of that other divine and eternal world (Sophrony Wisdom 7).” It is a way to conquer sin within us (11), a way to resist the passions, especially pride and vanity, and to learn humility. Additionally, it can help us shift our vision from what is earthly and temporal to what is heavenly and eternal. Our “approach to the divine mysteries lies through the humility and the kind of kenosis that we see in Christ… (7).” And ultimately it is Christ who we emulate when we keep our minds in hell but despair not, much in the same way that He emptied himself, crying tears of blood when he prayed in Gethsemane, and when he suffered on the cross and descended into hell before rising again.

By this practice we keep our mind in focused awareness of our sinfulness in the face of God and this protects us and keeps us from the deceptions of pride and vanity. If we can consciously and intentionally accuse ourselves of our sin we nullify the accusations that come from others, destroying the power that sin has over us, and restoring our freedom in Christ. We see our enslavement to the passions in contrast to the holiness of God and this brings us to a state of terminal humility—a humility that is our end, or telos as human beings, and a humility which casts out the passions, killing them and leading us to true life.

In a way, this concept is like mindfulness of death in its effect; as a method which keeps our mind and heart in the house of mourning, where we are told wisdom is to be found, rather than in the house of mirth, which could be equated to all of the ‘worldly’ pursuits. All of the spiritual benefits which derive from this practice, but in particular humility, engender in us a peacefulness, and a love for others that can be healing.

It is difficult, perhaps impossible to look and see the hell that exists around us, and within us, due to sin, without feeling tempted to despair, and perhaps even succumbing to this temptation. However, it is not inevitable that we feel despair at this, because God is love and He loves us, and He desires that we know Him and know His profound love for us (cf. Archim. Sophrony, St. Silouan, 194). We learn of His love by faith and hope, through the action of grace in the Holy Spirit and by our actions of obedience to God. In particular, by the action of “keeping our mind in hell, and despairing not” we can work away at our pride in order to manifest an attitude of humility, which allows us to approach and know God and His love for us, further protecting us from falling into despair in the face of the world’s suffering. And as we attain this state we can share it with others to assist them also in resisting the temptation of despair.

Furthermore, St. Silouan describes this power of grace which helps us avoid falling into despair as we keep our mind focused on the abyss, he states: “When we properly condemn ourselves to eternal infamy and in agony descend into the pit, of a sudden some strength from above will lift our spirit to the heights (Sakharov 104).” This grace of God strips us bare, shows us our spiritual poverty but also gives us courage to overcome ourselves and see ourselves as God sees us (Archim. Zacharias, Enlargement of the Heart, 74).”

Finally, “by descending into hell, we do nothing other than follow the trail of the Lord Himself. However, the way of the Lord leads to life, and for this reason we should not despair (Archim. Zacharias, Christ Our Way & Our Life, 268).” We can hope in this because it is the way of Christ—strength in weakness, victory over death by His death, descent into hell leading to eternal life.

This is the life opposed to self-exaltation, like the path that infamous angel took before he was cast to the depths. Instead, this is the reversal of his path, this one empties us of pride, leading us first into the depths so that we can be raised up again, and along the way gain humility and other spiritual gifts which allow us to walk alongside those who suffer, not seeing ourselves as saviors or heroes but as simple servants doing what is expected of us for the love of God and our neighbor.

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Archimandrite Sophrony. Wisdom from Mount Athos: The Writings of Staretz Silouan, 1866-1938. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press. 1974.

Archimandrite Sophrony, St Silouan The Athonite. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press. 1991.

Archimandrite Zacharias. The Enlargement of The Heart: ‘Be Ye Also Enlarged’ in the Theology of Saint Silouan the Athonite and Elder Sophrony of Essex. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press. 2013.

Archimandrite Zacharias. Christ, Our Way and Our Life. St Tikhon’s Monastery Press. 2003.

Nicholas V Sakharov. I Love, Therefore I Am: The Theological Legacy of Archimandrite Sophrony. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press. 2002.

~FS

I have always very much wanted that any understanding I have, be rooted in experience, so that my understanding isn’t merely concepts held within my mind, like words from a book, but that it also infuses my whole being, so that my understanding is empirical and ontological knowledge—somehow living and alive within me.

So when I saw a man holding a sign this morning which said: “Jesus Saves” I considered for a long while what this really means. If I were to hold up a sign that said this, what would I mean by it? If someone asked me what I meant by holding up this sign, what would I say, how exactly would I follow up this statement that ‘Jesus Saves’? With what explanation would I try to explain it, one that reaches the empirical and ontological dimension of our understanding? Could I even do this?

If I were dead, I expect I should have a more complete experiential understanding of salvation in Jesus, but I’m not yet dead. Though if I were, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to anyone here anyway. So what does this mean, and how can it be known, here and now, that ‘Jesus Saves’?

I believe that ‘Jesus Saves’ means the freedom to resist and overcome our bad habits, sins, and our acts and thoughts of un-love in all their forms; and it means the peace of forgiveness when we are unable to do so, and forgiveness of others when they also are unable.

I believe that ‘Jesus Saves’ is the end of fear of my neighbor, of every neighbor, and of every other person, and the beginning of love for all of creation, even those who hurt me or have hurt me. It yields within us the courage to be, to live, and to give of ourselves sacrificially; Jesus gives us the courage and the freedom to live our lives for others and not solely for ourselves.

Jesus Saves me from myself, and gives me freedom to live for Him. And this means that I can live in patience and acceptance of all things, at peace and in joy, enduring the pains and difficulties of this life with gentleness and equanimity.

He saves us from the hell that we create for ourselves; He saves us from earthly hell which is easy to perceive, and then from eternal hell which we cannot perceive as yet.

~FS

It is often, typically the case that human nature sees suffering and adversity from a narrow, self-oriented point of view, as something abhorrent and devoid of meaning or purpose. Our epistemological perspective on suffering and adversity is often viewed through a hedonistic lens as something which gets in the way of our pleasure, our goals, and our very life. However, if we can learn to see suffering/adversity from a wider perspective, from a Christological point of view, following in the footsteps of the incarnate Christ, as spiritual children trusting, humble and obedient to our loving God and father, then we can begin to frame the idea of suffering or adversity in a more true and meaningful way—a way that can lead us into a deeper relationship with God and open to us the very doors of heaven.

By growing in these virtues (i.e. trust, humility and obedience) we can grow “in godliness and in conformity to the imago Dei (Guroian 146), because it is sin that diminishes the image of God within us, but it is virtue that enhances the image and allows us to know God and His Kingdom (Guroian 147). As St Silouan says, “to be with the Lord, we must be like Him, or like little children, lowly and meek (Archim. Sophrony 24).” As a living example of childlike simplicity in the face of suffering, St Silouan shows us how to accept the outcome of our prayers to God in the midst of suffering when he asks God for healing (i.e. fishbone and headaches) and then discerns the meaning of his suffering from the facts of whether or not God heals him in response to his prayers. As St Silouan says: “my soul submitted to God, and now I accept every affliction that befalls me (Archim. Sophrony 68).”

It is our sinful or passion-filled state which makes it impossible for us to understand, or to trust in God’s will and timing. “Because of sin and a corrupted will…human ‘maturation’ into spiritual life also requires penance and conversion, enabled by God’s freely offered grace through the power of the Holy Spirit (Guroian 172).” However, “were we like children, the Lord would show us His paradise (Archim. Sophrony 43).” We need grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit to help us turn from our passions and seek the virtues of the child so that we can gain a wider, more godlike perspective on everything in our lives, especially suffering and adversity. St Silouan says something very important to this point: “let us humble ourselves brethren and the Lord will show us all things, as a loving father shows all things to his children (Archim. Sophrony 43).” Humility is one of the keys allowing us to see suffering from God’s perspective.

Children show us what kind of person we need to be in order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Guroian 161). Cultivating the virtues of the child points us in the direction of the Holy Spirit, and can lead us ultimately to experience the fruits of the Spirit. Patience, as one of these fruit, is a condition which will allow us to accept adversity and suffering in our life, and to view suffering not as man typically sees it, but more as God sees it. Christ’s filial relationship to God the father is predicated upon trust, humility and obedience (Guroian 177). It is His example, that of the incarnate Christ, who came to earth, humbled Himself as a man, lived among us, died a humiliating death on the cross through obedience to God the father, spent three days in the horrors of hell, and then gained victory over death—it is His example which can teach and inspire us to live similarly, in relation to our own crosses, and sufferings, which God intends for each of us.

We can expand our epistemological framework with respect to human suffering, and bear it patiently if, “as spiritual children, we lovingly and trustingly give ourselves over completely to God’s parental care (Guroian 177).” And then, accepting the office of child (i.e. making ourselves as little children with respect to these virtues) we make our way to eternal life, fulfilling our role in relation to God, our father, and receiving His eternal blessing (Guroian 177).

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Archimandrite Sophrony, Wisdom from Mt Athos: The Writings of Staretz Silouan, 1866-1938. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press. 1974.

Guroian, Vigen, The Orthodox Reality. Baker Publishing Group. 2018.