Mission Monthly – April 2004
“I think it best that a man should have a little bit of all the virtues. Therefore, get up early every day and acquire the beginning of every virtue and every commandment of God. Use great patience, with fear and long-suffering, in the love of God, with all the fervor of your soul and body. Exercise great humility, bear with interior distress; be vigilant and pray often with reverence and groaning, with purity of speech and control of your eyes. When you are despised do not get angry; be at peace, and do not render evil for evil. Do not pay attention to the faults of others, and do not try to compare yourself with others, knowing you are less than every created thing. Renounce everything material and that which is of the flesh. Live by the cross, in warfare, in poverty of spirit, in voluntary spiritual asceticism, in fasting, penitence and tears, in discernment, in purity of soul, taking hold of that which is good. Do your work in peace. Persevere in keeping vigil[ence] and remember at all times that death is near!”
John the Dwarf Sayings of the Desert Fathers
As we come to the end of Great and Holy Lent and prepare to embark on the great journey of Holy Week I will offer some final thoughts on the pursuit of virtue and the hope of our souls bearing good fruit from the Lenten discipline. My heart is already poised for the celebrations that lay ahead as another challenging Lenten journey comes to a close. My mind, however, will not yet let go of the reigns of restraint; though not simply out of obedience to the prescribed way of holiness held out to us by the Church, but also for fear that I might lose thankfulness for current challenges meant for my good during the Church’s season of repentance!
Often at the close of Lent each year the following scripture is recalled in my mind, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force”(Matt. 11:12). I am tired. My feet hurt. The days pass too quickly. There is always too much to do. There is always something I would rather be doing. With all my complaining (not to mention my sinfulness) is it any wonder the kingdom of heaven suffers violence! Where is my perseverance? Where is my vigil? Where is my treasure? Where is my thankfulness? It is questions such as these and their answers that compel me again and again to seek understanding of the warfare that is going on in the battleground of my heart. I feel as though I know what it means to do the right thing, yet as St. Paul said, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Romans 7:7-25). It is this struggle that moved me twenty years ago to seek answers in Christ, and it is this struggle that still moves me today. And while I do not know if I have changed much over these past twenty years, I do know the answers haven’t changed. It requires a broad view to see the time-line of God’s creation of the world, man’s fall, and our redemption in Christ. It requires honesty to admit how we are still very much in the midst of our passions. It requires courage to desire repentance (change) in our fallen state. It requires violence and force if we ever hope to “take” the kingdom of heaven.
I always find it interesting when people discover the spiritual writings of the Orthodox Church. I remember when I first discovered the Philokalia while reading the spiritual classicThe Way of a Pilgrim. I was so intrigued by the reported contents of the Philokalia that I searched and searched for a copy. Eventually I found volume one, and then two, three and four, and then needless to say, I was overwhelmed! What I discovered was indeed a rich wealth of Truth and spiritual guidance, but also that in my pride I had fooled myself into thinking that I was even slightly ready for such wisdom. I discovered an important understanding of Jesus’ words, “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required” (Luke 12:48). I discovered that my faith is much more about action and much less about “spirituality.”
As I read these words of John the Dwarf I was reminded again of this last discovery, giving context again to the Lenten journey with all its challenges and blessings to grow in faith and virtue. Fr. Thomas Hopko writes, “The purpose of all prayer and fasting, of all liturgy and sacraments, of all spiritual exercises and ascetic practices, is to come to know and love God in all people and things, especially our enemies and the ‘least of the brethren.’ This is the purpose of the Lenten spring and of life itself.” In just a few short days we will enter into the joy of Pascha and celebrate the presence of the risen Christ for 40 days. During this season of celebration (and every Sunday—each a “little Pascha”) we are reminded that this gift of redemption is freely given with love and for love, and for our capacity to strive daily“to know and love God in all people and all things.” We must see how, on the one hand the purpose of our life is to live “from Pascha to Pascha” with joy, and how on the other hand the purpose of our life is to live in repentance, fiercely striving each day for virtue in every season of our lives. Beloved, Christ is risen!
Truly He is risen!