Simplicity Of Faith

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