Unbelief

September 27, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Thursday. [Eph. 4:14-19; Mark 11:27-33] The Saviour proves that He was sent from heaven using the testimony of John the Forerunner. They were silent, for there was nothing to say to the contrary, yet they did not believe. Another time He proved the same thing through His deeds, and they thought up a new twist: [He casteth out devils] by the prince of the devils (Mt. 9:34, Mk. 3:22). But when this twist was ex?posed to be completely inappropri?ate, they again were silent, but nev?ertheless did not believe. Thus un?believers never believe no matter what you tell them and how con?vincingly you prove the truth. They cannot say anything to the contrary, while nevertheless they do not be?lieve. One might say that their mind is paralyzed, since they reason sen?sibly about other things. Only when the issue touches upon faith do they become confused in their concepts and words. They also become con?fused when they present their out?looks as a substitute for the tenets of faith given by God. Here their doubt raises such a buttress that it is like a firm cliff. If you hear their entire theory through, you will see that a child could figure out that this is a spider’s web; but they do not see it. O unfathomable blindness! One can explain the obstinacy of unbelievers as their not wanting to believe, but where does this come from? Where does it get such power that it makes a sensible man consciously cling to an illogical form of thoughts? This is darkness. Is it not from the father of darkness?

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Doing Good

September 21, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Friday. [Eph. 1:7-17; Mark 8:1-10] Having filled four thousand with seven loaves of bread, the Lord straightway entered into a ship, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha as if nothing particular was done. Such is the true doing of good — to do it continually, not paying atten?tion to what has been done, and al?ways forgetting what is past, to stretch towards what is ahead. This comes naturally for those who are filled with goodness. Just as a strong man lifts heavy weights without noticing while a weak man who has lifted up a small weight cannot seem to forget it, so one who is strong in goodness does every good without strain, whenever the occa?sion arises, while one who is poor in goodness cannot manage without straining. He remembers the good, and he keeps looking back and glancing at it. A good heart craves to do good, and is not satisfied until it has done good in abundance, as a man is not satisfied until he has eaten his fill. While hunger is felt, dinner is remembered, but when the hunger is satisfied, all is forgot?ten: so with a truly good person a good deed is remembered while it is not yet done; but once it is done, it is forgotten.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Evil Thoughts

September 19, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Wednesday. [Gal. 6:2-10; Mark 7:14-24] From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, de?ceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blas?phemy, pride, foolishness. Here com?mon sins are listed; but all the rest also, both large and small, proceed from the heart, and the form in which they proceed are evil thoughts. The first seed of evil falls as a thought to do this or that. Why and how does it occur? Part of these occurrences can be explained by known laws of the combining and linking of ideas and images, but on?ly part. Another, most significant part comes from the self-propelled irritation of the passions. When a passion lives in the heart, it cannot not demand satisfaction. This de?mand is revealed in an urge for something or other; with the urge is united with some or other object. From here comes the thought: “That is what I must do.” Here the same thing happens as, for example, when one is hungry: feeling hunger, one feels an urge for food; with the urge comes the thought of the food itself; from this follows obtaining this or eating that. Third, perhaps a bulkier part, proceeds from unclean powers. The air is filled with them, they dart around people in packs, and each according to its kind spreads its influence around itself onto people with whom it comes in?to contact. Evil flies from them like sparks from a red-hot iron. Where it is readily accepted the spark takes root, and with it the thought about an evil deed. Only by this can one explain why evil thoughts arise for unknown reasons, in the midst of activities which decisively are not related to them. But this variety of reasons does not make for variety in terms of how to react to evil thoughts. There is one law: an evil thought has come — cast it out and the matter is finished. If you do not cast it out the first minute, it will be harder the second minute, and the third minute yet harder; and then you will not even notice how sym?pathy, desire, and the decision will be born; then the means will ap?pear… and sin is at hand. The first opposition to evil thoughts is sober?ness, and vigilance with prayer.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Importance of internal and external

September 17, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Monday. [Gal. 4:28-5:10; Mark 6:54-7:8] The Lord rebukes the Pharisees not for their external routines and rules of conduct, but for partiality toward them — for limiting them?selves to external worship of God, with no concern for what was in the heart. It is impossible to be without externals. The highest internal things require the external as their expression and garment. In reality, internal things are never alone, but are always united with the outer; only in false theories are they sepa?rated. But again it is obvious that externals alone are nothing; their worth comes from the presence of the internal things contained in them. Thus, once the internal ceases to be, the external might as well not be there. Meanwhile, we have a weakness for outward appearances in which the internal is depicted and takes definite form, to such an extent that we are satisfied with ful?filling them alone, without even thinking that there might be inter?nal things. And since the internal is harder to attain than the external, it is quite natural to get stuck on the latter, not striving for the former. What can we do? We must govern ourselves and keep the internal things in mind, always pushing our?selves toward them through the externals, only considering a work to be real when the internal and ex?ternal are united in it. There is no other way. Attentiveness toward oneself, soberness, and vigilance are the only levers for raising up our nature which is fat and has a penchant for lowly things. Notice that those who possess the internal never abandon the external, though they consider it to be of no particu?lar value.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Egoism

September 16, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Saturday. [I Cor. 4:17-5:5; Matt. 24:1-13] Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Love is destroyed by transgressions; the more sins, the less love. Where there is all sin, do not seek love. Therefore, he who seeks the spread of love and curtailment of lack of love ought to be concerned with de?creasing sin and cutting short the sin-loving realm. This is the true foundation for humanism! Having taken up this work, one must use all means to oppose sin. External sins are the fruit of inner sinfulness. In?ner sinfulness is rooted in egoism and its offspring. Consequently, humanists need to make it a rule for themselves to suppress egoism by all means; egoism is suppressed most forcefully by not allowing one’s own will. Do not allow your?self to have your own will, and soon you will overcome egoism. On the contrary, no matter what means you want to use against egoism, you won’t be able to do anything with it if you give freedom to your will. It would follow that wherever people seek their own little will, they are seeking an expansion of egoism and the waxing cold of love — and they are seeking the greater evil. Yet such is the spirit of the current time — and evil is growing.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Bearing the Cross

September 14, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

[Eph. 5:20-26; Luke 3:23-4:1] The honourable cross is brought out for veneration in the middle of Great Lent in order to inspire those who toil in fasting to patiently bear the yoke they have taken to the end. Why is this done in September? Is it accidental? But there are no acci?dents for the Providential Wisdom that arranges all things. This is why: [in Russia], at least, in September the harvest is taken from the field. And so that some of the Christians might not feel too satisfied and say: “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry!” and so that others might not fall in spirit be?cause of scarcity, the elevated cross is brought before all. It reminds the former that the support of well be?ing is not possessions, but their bearing of the cross in a Christian, inner way, should God’s goodness bring external plenitude; and it in?spires the latter to possess their souls in patience, through the cer?tainty that they will go from the cross directly to heaven. Therefore, may some endure, knowing, that they are travelling a smooth path to the heavenly kingdom; and may the others enjoy external comforts with fear, not sealing the entrance to heaven against themselves.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Sympathy towards the Divine

September 13, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Thursday. [Gal. 3:23-4:5; Mark 6:30-45] And people ran afoot thither out of all cities… and came together unto Him. This is to the Bethsaida desert, where the marvellous filling of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fishes was performed. What drew the people to the Lord? Sympathy towards the Divine. The Divinity of the Lord, hidden under the cover of human nature, reveal?ed itself in word, deed, gaze, and in all that was visible in the Lord. The manifestations of the Godhead awakened a feeling of the Godhead hidden in the heart, and through it drew people to the Lord. Nobody has power to hold back such a movement toward the Lord, not even the one who feels it, because it is deeper and stronger than all oth?er movements. The same Divinity, manifested later by the Saviour, drew people of every tongue under the heavens to Him. It has been the same throughout the entire history of the Church, even to this day. A small trace of the Divine draws peo?ple to itself. What follows from this experience everywhere and at all times of our spirit’s aspiration for the Divine? What follows is that what is Divine, what is supernatural — is the Godhead, its source. This aspiration lies in the foundation of our spirit and constitutes its nature, as anyone can see from our intellec?tual, aesthetic and practical con?cerns. But in nature there cannot be lies and deception; consequently they do not exist in this aspiration for the Godhead. From this it fol?lows that God and the Divine exist, and that the naturalists, in rejecting what is supernatural, are going a?gainst the nature of the human spir?it.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

From whence hath this man these things?

September 11, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Tuesday. [Gal. 2:21-3:7; Mark 6:1-7] From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him? Thus spoke the people of Nazareth about the Lord, having known His former life of low estate. The same happens with everyone who truly follows the Lord. He who strictly holds to the path of the Lord changes completely once he has labored to overcome all that is not right within himself. His whole constitution — his gaze, walk, speech, and behaviour all bear the mark of particular harmony and dignity, though he may have come from a lowly background, and has no education. It is then heard, “From whence hath this man these things?” If things that are bodily and visible are so transformed, what can be said of the inner things, of the soul, which are more directly and closely subject to the action of transforming grace, and to which the externals serve only as an ex?pression and consequence? How bright, exact and determined are his thoughts about everything! How true is his judgment about what ex?ists and occurs! His viewpoint on everything is higher than that of philosophers! And his intentions, actions and undertakings? All is pure, holy, reflecting heavenly brightness. In truth, this is a new person! He has not received an edu?cation, has not heard lectures in universities, and has no [illustrious] upbringing at all, and yet he is most well-mannered and wise. Attentive?ness toward oneself, labour over oneself, prayer and drawing near to God refashioned everything through God’s grace; and nobody saw how it happened. That is why the question arises, “From whence hath this man these things?”

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Touching the Lord

September 10, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Monday. [Gal. 2:11-16; Mark 5:24-34] The woman with the issue of blood had only to touch the Lord with faith, and power went out of the Lord into her: straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up. The issue of blood is an image of passionate thoughts and intentions, incessantly springing forth from the heart, if it has not yet been cleansed from all sympathy to sin — this is our sinful disease. It is sensed by those who have repented and zeal?ously strive to keep themselves pure not only outwardly, but inwardly as well. Such people see that evil thoughts incessantly proceed from the heart, and they grieve over this and seek healing. But it is not possi?ble to find such healing in oneself or others; it comes from the Lord, or more precisely, it comes when the soul touches the Lord and power goes out of the Lord into the soul. In other words, it comes when tangible contact with the Lord occurs, to which a particular warmth and in?ner burning testifies. When it hap?pens, I say, immediately the soul feels that it “was healed of that plague.” This is a great good; but how can it be attained? The woman with the issue of blood pressed to?wards the Lord and received heal?ing — we too must press towards the Lord, going without laziness by the narrow way of inner and outer spiritual endeavours. Everything is narrow and pressing for those who go by this way, and the Lord is not in sight. But then suddenly there is the Lord. And joy! The Kingdom of God does not come noticeably…

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Lord! Thou knowest all things. Do with me as Thou willest!

September 5, 2012 | Saint Theophan, Uncategorized

Wednesday. [II Cor. 13:3-13; Mark 4:35-41] The disciples are sailing a?cross the sea; a storm arises and places them in a dangerous situa?tion, while the Lord sleeps. They call out to Him: “Lord, save us!” and He calms the storm with one word. This is another real representation of the order of Divine providence. Every person, the nations, and the Church are sailing across the sea of life themselves by means of the nat?ural and supernatural powers placed in them, according to the routines established by God. The Lord rests, although He also abides amidst moving events; He Himself begins to act when an unavoidable misfortune threatens, which could turn the direction of events to op?pose His Divine plans. He is every?where, preserves everything, and warms everything with the breathe of His love; but He leaves His crea?tures to act themselves, by means of the powers given by Him, according to the laws and routines every?where established and upheld by Him. He is not personally all-acting, although everything proceeds from Him and without Him nothing oc?curs. He is always prepared to act Himself when it is necessary ac?cording to His boundless wisdom and truth. Prayer is the receiver of God’s operations. But the best prayer is: “Lord! Thou knowest all things. Do with me as Thou willest!”

Saint Theophan the Recluse