Friday. [Heb. 11:8, 11–16; Mark 9:33–41] The Saviour sets forth a child as a model of faith and life. Simplicity of faith gives birth to simplicity of life; from both of these comes a model moral system. Let philoso-phizing in here, and it will make disorder within; under the appear-ance of better arranging affairs, it will throw one’s entire life into dis-order. Philosophizing always cries, “This is not so, that is not so; let me establish everything in a new way; the old is worthless, boring.” But it has never yet, in any place, ar-ranged anything good; it only throws things into confusion. The mind should obey what is com-manded by the Lord. True, the mind is called “the tsar in the head”; how-ever, this tsar is not given legislative power — only executive power. As soon as it starts making laws, it con-structs it knows not what. Moral, re-ligious, worldly, and political orders are thrown into confusion, and ev-erything goes upside down. It is a great misfortune for society when the mind in it is given freedom to soar, with no restraint by Divine truth! This is God’s wrath. About it is said, hide thyself a little for a mo-ment, until the indignation pass a-way (Isaiah 26:20) During this apo-gee of mental self-wilfulness it is best to wrap oneself in simplicity of faith. Just as during a storm it is bet-ter to sit at home and not step out to fight self-assuredly with it, so dur-ing stormy self-mindedness it is bet-ter not to step out into battle with it, or to seize the weapon of philoso-phizing, or resist it. Simplicity of faith is stronger than philosophiz-ing; clothe yourself in it, like in ar-mour, and you will withstand.
Saint Theophan the Recluse