Elder Joseph on unjust accusations

"Let humility serve as a garment in all your actions, and become a sponge in the brotherhood that mops up every reproach and abasement. Do not water your soul with honors and praises, but with reproaches and accusations, even if you are innocent.

"Never seek to find what is just, because then you are unjust. On the contrary, learn to endure temptations bravely, regardless of what the Lord permits. Without a lot of excuses, just say, "Forgive me!" and without actually being at fault, repent as if you were. Do so with conviction of soul; not just outwardly admitting to be at fault for the sake of praise, while inwardly judging.

"During times of affliction, do not seek human consolation, so that God may console you.

"The bridge we must all cross is to forgive the transgressions of others. However, if you don't forgive them, you destroy the bridge that you should have crossed. So become a good model and example to the others through your good and God-pleasing deeds, and do not wish to defeat everyone with your words.

"Do not think that you will find rest when you speak out, seeking justice for yourself. Justice is to endure with bravery the temptation that comes so that you emerge victorious, whether or not you were at fault. But if [instead] you say, "But why [should I suffer this unjustly]?", you are fighting against God who sent the afflictions because of your passionate condition. God disciplines us so that we reach dispassion. Thus, if you do not endure it, truly you are fighting against God."

- Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Monastic Wisdom, Sixth Letter. 

On the Passions - Part 8

DISPASSION

The goal of this warfare with the passions is dispassion, that blessed state achieved by many of the saints.

But “a man who has not become free from the passions cannot know what passionlessness is, nor does he believe there can be anyone like this on earth. For if a man has not first renounced himself and has not exhausted his blood for the sake of this truly blessed life, how can he imagine that anyone else on earth has been able to do it?” (St. Symeon the New Theologian, Precepts).

“He who has become a lover of God, and wishes to participate, however imperfectly, in the passionlessness of God, in spiritual sanctity, serenity, quietness and meekness, and taste the joy and gladness born of them, must strive to lead his thoughts far away from every passion which may trouble the soul, and contemplate Divine things with a clear and unclouded eye, insatiably enjoying the Divine light.

“A man who has implanted this attitude in his soul becomes like God, insofar as such a thing is possible, and is loved and welcomed by Him as one who has courageously under this great and difficult work. He becomes capable, in spite of the fact that his nature is joined to matter, of conversing with God by sending Him pure thoughts stripped of carnal passions” (St. Basil the Great).

This does not mean that one who is passionless never feels any passions. He still has a fallen nature, and will have it until death. So, since the passions are inextricably part of this nature, they may be conquered, but never uprooted.

“Passionlessness does not mean not being attacked by demons, for if that were the case we would go out of the world (1 Cor. 5:10). Rather, passionlessness means remaining unconquered when attacked. And so, just as armored warriors hear the sound of flying arrows when they are attacked, but remain unharmed because of the strength of their armor, immune in battle, so too ourselves if we are clothed through righteousness in the armor of the light and in the helmet of salvation” (Diadochus).

“Thanks to many kinds of virtues, both seen and unseen, which the saints have acquired, passions lost power over them and so could not be easily aroused to attack them. In this way, the mind no longer needs to keep its attention with the passions; it is filled instead with thinking, studying, and investigating the most perfect contemplations . . . Whenever passions begin to move and be excited, the mind is suddenly lifted away from them by a perception of Divine things. Thus, the passions remain without effect” (St. Isaac of Syria).

“Souls, which have the love of the Lord ardently and insatiably, are meet for eternal life; for which reason deliverance from the passions is vouchsafed to them and they obtain perfectly the shining forth and participation of the unspeakable and mystic fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the fulness of grace” (St. Macarius the Great, Homily 10).

“As the heavens are beautified by the stars, dispassion is adorned by the virtues; for dispassion is nothing else than the inner heaven of the mind, where the tricks of demons are regarded as mere toys.

“And so the truly passionless one is he who has . . . raised his mind above created things and has subdued all of his senses, keeping his soul in God's presence, always reaching out to Him even beyond his strength . . . He who has been granted such a state, while still in the body, has God always dwelling within him as his Guide in all his words, deeds, and thoughts . . . The dispassionate man no longer lives, but Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20)” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder).

Therefore . . .

Let us awake from sleep while we are still in the body. 

Let us sigh and mourn over ourselves from our whole heart, day and night.

(St. Anthony the Great)

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nicodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY 2002. 

On the Passions - Part 7

It is rightly said that struggle against the passions is the most difficult warfare any man can know. It is so filled with trials, downfalls and temptations to despondency, that it is likened to the bearing of a cross. St. Isaac of Syria writes:

“This cross-bearing is of two kinds: one consists in enduring the bodily privations which are inevitable in struggling with passions . . . The other consists in . . . meditating on God, abiding in prayer, and so forth, and is called contemplation.

“The first [bodily cross-bearing] purifies the passionate part of the soul, while the second [contemplation] brings light to it . . .” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training).

The great temptation for beginners is to entirely skip bodily struggle after the first unsuccessful attempts to subdue the passions. But, having still some liking for spiritual things, they give all of their attention instead to lofty and divine matters. [Which is also the great temptation of seminary life.] This is why the Holy Fathers issue this stern warning:

“Every man who, before perfecting [i.e., completing – FrB] his training in the first activity [bodily struggle], passes to the second [contemplation], being attracted to its delights, not to speak of his own laziness, is overtaken by God's wrath for not having first mortified his members which are upon the earth (Col. 3:5)” (Ibid.)

How, then, can one avoid the temptation to be discouraged at the outset of his struggle with the passions? By following carefully these instructions:

First, “He who struggles with passions must strive not to allow the memory of them to come to passion, just as he who has already conquered passions drives away even the first hint of passion . . . [For] just as no cloud is formed without the breath of the wind, no passion can be born without a movement of the thoughts” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Two Centuries on Spiritual Law).

Second, “When trials make you despondent and you weary of them, say to yourself: 'Again you long for an impure and shameful life!' And if the body says to you, 'It is a great sin to kill oneself' [that is, by strong bodily mortification to “put to death” the passions – FrB], answer it: 'I am killing myself because I cannot lead an unclean life. I will die here lest I see the real death of my soul – death in the eyes of God” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training). [Remember, literally "mortification" means putting something to death, and St. Paul says that we are to die to the world.]

Third, we must always remember that “we are not condemned for the multitude of our evils, but because we do not want to repent and learn.” And so, “those who have sinned must not despair. Let that never be” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Directions from Discourses).  [Or, as Eldress Macrina of Portaria of blessed memory used to say, God will not ask us why we fell, but rather why we did not get up.]

Fourth, one must have an orderly and thoughtful approach to this warfare, not trusting in oneself, but diligently seeking to learn about it from those who are wise with experience, just as a child meekly learns to write the alphabet by listening to and imitating his teacher in the classroom.

“For children first learn to recognize the letters [of the alphabet]. Then they practice distinguishing those letters which are not properly formed from those which are. Finally, they proceed in an orderly way to use these letters in reading.

“Just so let us also do. Let us divide virtue and learn first not to swear . . . nor to speak evil. Then, proceeding to the next row [of letters], let us learn not to envy, not to lust, not to be gluttonous, not to be drunken, nor fierce, nor slothful, so that from these we may pass on again to the things of the Spirit and practice continence, neglect of the belly, temperance, righteousness, and so that we might be above glory, and gentle and compunctionate in mind, let us join these with one another, and so write them upon our soul.  [This is an example of St. John Chrysostom at his pastoral best - he's so domestic, so down-to-earth.] 

“And all these let us practice at home, with our friends, with our wife, with our children. And, for the present, let us begin with the first and easier things; for instance, with not swearing. Let us practice this one letter continually at home. For, in truth, there are many at home to hinder this our practice . . . sometimes an annoying wife, sometimes an indocile and disorderly child, which urge us on to swearing . . .

“And with respect to the other passions, too, let us do this self-same thing, exercising ourselves against them at home . . . Let each one, on returning home, call his own wife [or husband], and explain these things, asking for help . . . And though you fall once, twice, many times in your training, do not despair, but stand again, and wrestle. Do not give up until you have bound around your head the glorious crown of triumph over the Evil One, having stored up riches of virtue in an inviolable treasure-house for the future life” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 12 on St. Matthew).

“The Fathers tell us how we may purify ourselves little by little by examining ourselves carefully every night about how we have passed the day . . . and by asking God's forgiveness, if necessary, for any faults we have committed. [Daily examination of conscience - a powerful tool.] 

“But we really need to examine our conduct every six hours in order to see how we have sinned . . . and we should say to ourselves: 'Have I done anything to upset my brother? Have I judged him harshly, hated him, or spoken evil of him?'” (Abba Dorotheos, On Cutting Off Passionate Desires).  

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nicodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY 2002. 

On the Passions - Part 6

“There are two means of arousing, strengthening, and inflaming the power of zeal to guard the soul . . .

1. “If a man is afraid that he may lose the blessing he has gained or hopes to acquire, zeal is awakened and inflamed. When this fear is aroused, zeal burns day and night like a red hot furnace, or like a Cherubim, ever watchful in all directions, diligently guarding his blessing against all hostile attacks from within and without.

2. “The other way to inflame this zeal is by intense longing for virtue. The greater this longing in the soul, the greater in proportion will be the zeal for virtue” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training).

Next, we “need sobriety in all things, so that the good things that we appear to have may not turn to our harm . . . [so that] those who have wisdom are not deceived by their wisdom. A man must be well-tempered in everything, joining kindness with severity, wisdom with discretion, word with deed, trusting in the Lord in all things, not in himself. For virtue is seasoned with many differenct spices, just as food is often seasoned with pepper as well as honey” (St. Macarius the Great, Homily 6).

Carefully joined to sobriety must be patience, “for nothing is equal to long-suffering. Such a man is never insulted . . . The longsuffering man is high, so high that he is not wounded by the darts of the enemy” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 22 on Hebrews).

And then, “if possible, let us constantly remember death, for from this is born the exclusion of all cares and vanities, the guarding of the mind and constant prayer, non-attachment to the body and hatred of sin. Frankly, almost every . . . virtue arises from it [i.e., remembrance of death]. Therefore . . . let this remembrance be as continuous as our breathing” (Hesychius of Jerusalem, Texts on Sobriety and Prayer).

Finally, let us learn the practice of continence, which is nothing else than “a complete avoidance of everything that tends to harmful pleasure” or passion. “In other words, we may use whatever we can to relieve our basic needs with the least disturbance” (St. Basil the Great, The Long Rules). For this reason our Savior gave us the law of fasting – from food, from sin, and from pleasure. [See note below.]

“The Savior began the work of our salvation with fasting. In the same way all those who follow in the footsteps of the Savior build on this foundation the beginning of their endeavor, since fasting is a weapon established by God. Who will escape blame if he neglects this? If the Lawgiver Himself fasts, how can any of those, who have to obey the law, be exempt from fasting?

“This is why the human race knew no victory before fasting, and the devil was never defeated by our nature as it is; but this weapon indeed deprived the devil of strength from the outset. Our Lord was the Leader and the first example of this victory, in order to place the first crown of victory on the head of our nature. As soon as the devil sees someone possessed of this weapon [fasting], fear immediately falls on our adversary and tormentor, who remembers his defeat by the Savior in the wilderness; his strength is at once destroyed, and the sight of the weapon, given us by our Supreme Leader, burns him up.

“A man armed with the weapon of fasting is always afire with zeal. He who remains therein, keeps his mind steadfast and ready to meet and repel all violent passions” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training).

NOTE on the term “pleasure”: According to Saint John Damascene, “some pleasures are of the soul, and others are of the body. The pleasure which comes from learning and contemplation belongs to the soul alone” (On the Orthodox Faith). The pleasures which come from aesthetic enjoyment – such as great music, high art, etc. - are also pleasures of the soul.

But the pleasures we usually think of as belonging exclusively to the body really “are shared by both soul and body.” The includes the pleasure of eating, sexual intercourse, etc. “However, there are no pleasures which belong to the body alone.

“Of the pleasures shared by the body, some are quite natural and also necessary, for without them we could not live: thus, food . . . and necessary clothing.

“Still other pleasures are natural, but not at all necessary: for example, natural and legitimate sexual relations [with one's spouse]. These assure the continuation of the race; but it is nevertheless quite possible to live in virginity.

“Still other pleasures are neither necessary nor natural: for example, intoxicating alcohol [i.e., alcohol to the point of intoxication - Fr. B.], lewdness, and too much of anything exceeding our needs. These do nothing to maintain our life or perpetuate the race – on the contrary, they are harmful.

“Therefore, the man who lives according to God must seek firstly those pleasures which are both necessary and natural. But those which are natural but unnecessary must be given second place in one's life and indulged in only as time, manner and moderation allow. However, the other [those which are both unnecessary and unnatural] must absolutely be rejected” (St. John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith).  

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nicodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY 2002. 

On the Passions - Part 5

The General Struggle

There is one overriding condition which must exist if there is to be any degree of success in the struggle with the passions: one must first be an Orthodox Christian. On this foundation may be built a bastion of defense against the passions, fortified by zeal, sobriety, longsuffering, remembrance of death, and [restraint].

“He who has been baptized into Christ has already been given grace. But this same grace acts in proportion to the degree that he follows the commandments. Although this grace never ceases to help in secret, it lies in our power, in our will, to do or not to do good. This grace fittingly arouses our conscience . . . Also, this grace may be concealed in the advice of a brother. Sometimes it teaches us truth through pious reading” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Texts for Those Who Think to be Justified by Deeds).

Our Savior showed us how we may cleanse ourselves from passions: “He instilled in man's conscience the power to judge between good and evil. He awoke our conscience from sleep, and He showed us the causes of sins.

The whole aim of our Master, Christ, is to teach us how it is that we commit our sins and fall into evil. He first sets us free by means of Holy Baptism . . . He forgives us our sins and gives us the power to do good if we desire to . . . Then He instructs us through precepts how to be cleansed from our passions and keep from falling into them again.

“He gives us the medicine we need in order to be able to obey and be saved. What then is this medicine . . . ? Listen to what our Lord Himself says: Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:29) . . . [By this] He shows us that pride casts us down and that we can obtain mercy only through humility . . . and a humility which is not humble in word and in outward appearance, but is planted very deep in the heart: this is what He meant when He said that I am meek and humble of heart . . . For where else do [the passions] come from if not from our own arrogance, our thinking too much of ourselves?” (St. Dorotheus, On Renunciation).

Our Savior is the true “physician of souls: He knows all things and applies the correct remedy for every illness. For instance, for the sickness of vainglory, He gives the commandment about humility; for love of pleasure, He prescribes temperance; for avarice, almsgiving. To be brief, each disease has its proper remedy in a particular commandment, for this Physician is not inexperienced, nor are His medicines old or useless, for Christ's commandments are never stale. Therefore, the only thing which prevents the healing of the soul is the unruly self-will of the soul” (ibid.).

Extremely important for those who struggle with passions is “the precious Blood of Christ, which, if it be received with full confidence, will have the power to extinguish every disease. Together with this, the careful hearing of the divine Scriptures and the giving of alms will enable us” to do battle with the passions. “Then, and then only, shall we live: for now surely we are in no better state than those who are dead, because while passions live in us, we cannot live; we perish. So unless we kill the passions here, they will surely kill us in the life to come . . . Yes, every passion is cruel, tyrannical and insatiable, ceaselessly devouring us every day” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 4 on St. Matthew).

If, therefore, one is a member of the Body of Christ by baptism, he can begin to acquire effective zeal, “fervent as burning coals,” in the effort to subdue the passions. “Without this virtue, no good is produced” (St. Macarius the Great, Homily 6).  

On the Passions - Part 4

“Those who are note satisfied with what they have to sustain life” - whether it be food, clothing, position in life, etc. - “but who seek for more, make themselves the slaves of passions which introduce trouble into the soul and introduce into it ever worse thoughts and fantasies: the idea that everything is bad, and therefore new and better things must be acquired. Just as very long garments hinder travellers in their walking, so excessive desire . . . does not allow the soul to make efforts to be saved” (St. Anthony the Great, 170 Texts on Saintly Life).

But “to the extent that each man believes the Lord concerning future blessings, and despises human glory and pleasures, to that extent he will have power to control his thoughts and to be more at peace than a man who loves pleasures . . . No power impels us forcibly either to good or evil. But for whomever we work of our own free will, be it God or the Evil One, that one incites us to do those things which are of him” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Directions from Discourses).

“If a man arms himself with patience and an unswerving faithfulness to the commandments of God, the Holy Spirit will teach his mind how to purify his soul and body from such movements. But if at any time he weakens in his feeling and permits himself to neglect the commandments and ordinances which he has heard, evil spirits will begin to overpower him, will press upon all parts of his body, and will befoul it . . . until the tormented soul will not know where to turn” (St. Anthony the Great, Directions on the Life in Christ).

“If you wish, you can be a slave of passions; and, if you wish, you can remain free and not submit to their yoke – for God has created you with that power” (St. Anthony the Great, 170 Texts on Saintly Life).

“It is impossible to live without natural desires arising in us, but it is quite possible to avoid giving in to them” (Abba Dorotheus, On Renunciation).

The first-created man obeyed not God, but his own impulse, thus giving birth to the first passions, pride and gluttony.

This is why, “amongst the demons who work against us, those who stand in the forefront of the battle are those entrusted with lust, gluttony, and greed (both love of money and love of human glory). The other demons follow behind and receive the wounded, whom these pass down to them. For it is impossible to fall into the hands of adultery unless a man has fallen because of gluttony; it is impossible to be agitated by anger unless one covets and fights for goods, or money, or fame . . . In short, it is impossible for a man to fall under the power of any demon, unless he is first wounded by these three” (Abba Evagrius, On Various Evil Thoughts).

Aiding these three passions are what Saint Mark the Ascetic speaks of as “three giants of the Evil One”: ignorance, forgetfulness and laziness (or indifference), “which, out of darkness, weave a dusky garment and cloak in the soul . . . For through indifference, forgetfulness and ignorance the props of all other passions grow and strengthen” (Epistle to the Monk Nicholas).

Abba Evagrius advises: “When an enemy comes and wounds you . . . do as we tell you: analyze the thought in yourself introduced by him: what it is, of what it is composed, and how it affects the mind . . . If you examine it at all, the thought will vanish . . . and the demon will run away” (On Various Evil Thoughts).

“There is a war: that of desire for money, of envy, of the passions. Paul, describing this war, says, We wrestle not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). This war is ever at hand. Therefore he wishes us to stand ever armed” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 6 on Hebrews).

+        +        +

Since earliest Christian times, the Holy Fathers developed a systematic approach to discussing the passions. The ascetic fathers generally agree that there are eight principal passions:

“There are eight principal passions which attack mankind: first, . . . gluttony, secondly, fornication, thirdly love of money or covetousness, fourthly anger, fifthly dejection, sixthly . . . despondency, seventhly vainglory, and eighthly pride” (St. John Cassian, Conference of Abba Serapion).

These eight give birth to all of the other passions, which are legion . . . .

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nicodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY 2002.   

Elder Philotheos on How a Priest Should Behave

   . . . "Priesthood is administered on earth, but it has the rank of the heavenly hosts," according to the divine Chrysostom. And according to Isidore of Pelusium, "a priest is an angel of the Lord Almighty." As great, therefore, and lofty as the dignity of the priesthood is, so much ought the priest also to be great and lofty in virtue; not in pride, but rather in humility which exalts; in meekness, innocence, purity, chastity, temperance, understanding, and prudence.

   Fear of God, great care, and unceasing prayer are necessary. If the hierarchs and priests were all as the divinely inspired Apostle Paul defines and as God wants them to be, in other words to be a light to the rest of the people, with their shining works, the people would glorify the Father in heaven. They would not revile or blaspheme Him, but would live on earth like the angels in heaven. Unfortunately, the light has become darkness (with rare exceptions), and the darkness has become so great that the people, in their total blindness, fall one on top of another and are crushed.

   Our Lord Jesus Christ said to the Holy Apostles and their successors: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works" (Matthew 5:16). The majority of hierarchs and priests see to it that their golden altars, vestments and cassocks shine, but not their works. I am not saying that the hierarch or priest should be filthy, unclean, and ragged - far from it! He should be seemly and clean, as a minister, servant and representative of the Heavenly King, yet he should not only have garments and boast in them, but also have God-pleasing and shining works.

     Strive to walk worthily of the vocation to which you were called. Do not pay attention to the majority, but to the few and the elect. Do not walk the wide and spacious road which leads to perdition, but the narrow and sorrowful one, which few walk and which leads to life. In this way you will please God and the angels, and benefit yourself and our brother Christians as well . . . .

- Elder Philotheos Zervakos. Paternal Counsels, Vol. 1, 15-16. 

On the Passions - Part 3

“God out of His goodness gave us holy instructions which, if we keep them, can purify us of our sins and also from those tendencies which lead us to evil. Sin is one thing, but passion is another. These are our passions: pride, anger, sexual indulgence, hate, greed, and so on. Sin occurs when we gratify these passions by bringing them into reality through our actions” (ibid.).

Saint John Climacus explains that “passion was not planted by God in nature, for He is not the Creator of passions . . . God is not the cause of evil. Those who teach that passions are natural to the soul are wrong, not realizing that it is we who have turned natural things into passions. For example, by nature we have within us the seed necessary for childbearing; but we have perverted this into fornication. Nature gave us the feeling of anger, which we are supposed to use against the Evil One; instead we use it against our neighbor . . . We have been given a longing for pleasure; but we use it for dissipation” (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). Passion, then, is an exaggeration or perversion of something natural to fallen human nature.

“Pleasure and pain, and the desire and fear that accompany them, were not originally created together with human nature [that is, before the fall of man] . . . According to the teaching of the great Gregory of Nyssa, they were introduced after our being had lost the inherent perfection of its nature, having been grafted upon that part of us which is the least rational. It is through these [pleasure and pain] that, immediately after the transgression of the commandment, our likeness to dumb animals, instead of to the blessed image of God, became visibly and clearly manifest in us” (St. Maximus the Confessor, Contemplations and Active Texts).

In other words, at the time of the fall of man, the rational, knowing, discerning part of our nature became darkened; we began to be motivated by an irrational, animal-like desire for pleasure and avoidance of pain, rather than by a rational love for God.

Therefore, “we who wish to achieve the life of Christianity with any great thoroughness must, before anything else, cultivate with all our might that part of the soul which discerns and discriminates. In this way we will acquire a delicate sense of the difference between good and evil . . . By using the power of discernment as a kind of eye, we may keep free from any union with the suggestions of sin. Thus the heavenly gift may be vouchsafed to us by which we become worthy of the Lord . . . .

“The body has the eye for its guide. The eye, by seeing, guides the whole body straight . . . It is his light, to save him from stumbling down the cliffs, or getting drowned in the waters, or injured by some other danger . . . But if a man is idle, and slothful, and careless, and clumsy, and slack . . . and if he does not attend properly and well to what his eye tells him, he will himself fall into some ravine, or be drowned in the waters.

“In the same way the soul, which is clothed in the fair garment of the body for its vesture, possesses the faculty of discernment to direct the whole soul, together with the body, as it passes amidst the thickets and thorns of life, and the mud, and the fire, and the precipes, which are the lusts and pleasures and other wrong things of this world. It ought to wrap itself . . . closely in on every side with vigilance, and resolution, and heed . . .

“But if a man goes his way in this life with slackness and carelessness . . . and, to please himself, will not turn away from all the lust of the world, and will not seek the Lord, and Him alone . . . he is pierced on the thorns and thickets of this world, and the garment of the body is burned by the fire [of passions]” (St. Macarius the Great, Homily 41).

“We can cultivate the ability to discern right and wrong if we understand the three movements which lead to passion:

1. “The first is a natural movement, inherent in the body, which does not produce anything sinful or burdening to the conscience, but merely lets it be known that it exists in the body” - such as hunger.

2. “The second kind of movement in the body is produced by too much food and drink, which stimulates the body to fight against the soul,” urging it towards sin.

3. “The third movement comes from evil spirits who, because they are envious, try to tempt and weaken us . . . leading us astray” (St. Anthony the Great, Directions on Life in Christ).

Here we see that the natural appetite of the body innocently expresses itself: feeling the pangs of hunger, we prepare food and eat to fullness. Suddenly certain thoughts come to us involuntarily. Until “our will consents, these thoughts constitute neither virtue nor vice, but merely disclose the inclination of our will” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Epistle to the Monk Nicholas). This thought is: I will eat more than is needful.

If we act upon this thought by eating more, passion is born.

“Suppose a thought of love of money has been suggested to you. Separate it by analysis: 1. the thought of gold, 2. gold itself, 3. and the money-loving passion [greed]. Finally ask: Which of these is the sin? Is it the mind? But how can that be, since it is the image of God? Is it the thought of gold then? But what man who has a mind can even say that? Is gold itself sinful a sin? But then, why was it created? Thus, it remains the passion itself, which is neither a concrete, independent thing . . . but an inhuman lust, born of free will and urging the mind to misuse God's creations” (Abba Evagrius, On Various Evil Thoughts).

Once our willpower weakens and we begin to indulge a passionate deed (whether a deed of the mind or the body), then evil spirits seize upon our lack of vigilance and suggest to us even greater sins.

“All thoughts coming from demons introduce into the soul sensory objects, and the mind turns them over in itself. So we can learn from this which demon has approached us. For instance, if an image of someone who has done me harm or who has insulted me comes into my mind, it shows me that the demon of resentment has drawn near . . . I do not mean that all memories of such things come from demons, . . . but only those things that unnaturally evoke excitation or desires” (Abba Evagrius, On Various Evil Thoughts). This is why St. John of Damascus says that “passion is a movement against nature,” immoderate and intense (On the Orthodox Faith).

“If we deliberately . . . give ourselves over either to eating or drinking beyond measure . . . then we replace the body's naturally gentle movement by one that is violent and unbridled.

“All that God has created, He created most beautifully and harmoniously. And as long as this degree of harmony with what we are by nature is preserved in us, natural movements cannot force us to stray from the path. Only harmonious movements arise in our body, which merely informs us of the existence of a natural passion, but produce no excitement or turmoil so strong as to interfere . . . Attacks come from our laziness and excessive indulgence of the flesh . . . When the body is kept within bounds, thoughts cannot indulge in dangerous flights” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions in Spiritual Training).

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nikodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY, 2002.  

On the Passions - Part 2

“I am king today, for I reign over the passions.” - Abba Joseph of the Desert

“What a man loves, that he certainly desires; and what he desires, that he strives to obtain” (Abba Evagrius, Directions on Spiritual Training). This is the first principle to be grasped if one wishes to understand and conquer the passions. One can love God, or one can love that which contends with God.

“The most grievous disease of the soul, the worst calamity and disaster, is not to know God, Who has created all for man and has given him mind and word, by which, rising on high, he can enter into communion with God, contemplating and glorifying Him” (St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training).

“But so long as the soul is sick with passions, it cannot perceive that which is spiritual. In fact, in such a state the soul does not even know how to desire that which is spiritual. It learns about spiritual things only in a second-hand manner, from hearsay and holy writings.

“Passions are like a closed door . . . Unless a man opens this closed door, he will not enter” into divine communion (ibid.), for “men are like clouds, shifting hither and thither in the sky with the change of the winds,” passionately desiring first this, then that; inconstant, self-important, superficial, self-trusting (St. Basil the Great, Letter to Gregory).

“In the face of such passions and worldly enticements, who can guard his footsteps? A glance leads the mind astray; the ear hears and one is distracted; a fragrant smell makes one's thoughts stumble; a mere touch kindles the fire of passion” (St. Ambrose of Milan, On Joseph).

Therefore, in order to strive for that which is godly, one must be healed of the disease of passions; this begins with an exact understanding of their nature.

From whence came the passions? Abba Dorotheos says:

“According to Scripture, in the beginning God created man and placed him in Paradise. He adorned him with every virtue and commanded him not to eat of the tree set in the middle of paradise . . . [Man's] emotions and senses were healthy and perfect . . ., for, in God's own likeness was man created, immortal, independent and free, and virtuous” (Abba Dorotheos, On Renunciation).

But man disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. As a result, he was cast from Paradise “and fell from a state which was in accordance with his nature to a state which is contrary to nature – that is, subject to sin, ambition, a love of worldly pleasures, etc. Man was mastered by the passions and became enslaved to them . . . Little by little evil increased in the world, and death ruled over all. Piety disappeared, and ignorance of God took it's place” (ibid.).

The few righteous ones of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, kept themselves in piety as much as possible, but in general sin ruled mankind until “God in His goodness had mercy on His creatures and revealed the written law to Moses, forbidding some things and allowing others, saying, 'This you shall do, but that you shall not do,'” (ibid.).

The Law of Moses helped man by providing direction and guidance to his life. But still sin prevailed. God then sent the Prophets to mankind, and still “everything was enslaved to sin . . .”

“Finally, our good and man-loving God sent to earth His only-begotten Son, for only God would overcome such misery” as was upon the earth. “Therefore, our Lord came, being made man for our sakes, in order that like should be healed by like, soul by soul, flesh by flesh, as Scripture says, for He became completely man – but without sin . . . And in this has He renewed man . . . restoring his depraved senses and human nature to that which it had been in the beginning. . . .”

Our Savior removed the power of the Evil One over us; He “broke his strength, snatched us from his hands, and freed us from slavery to him – unless we of our own will still choose to obey him by sinning.  

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, New York, 2002. 

On the Passions - Part 1

“You are mistaken if you suppose that there is ever a time when the Christian does not suffer persecution. You are beset without even knowing it, for our adversary as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and do you think of peace?

“On the one side self-indulgence presses me hard; on another covetousness strives to make an inroad; my belly wishes to be a god to me, in place of Christ (Phil. 3:19), and lust would fain drive away the Holy Spirit that dwells in me and defile His temple (1 Cor. 3:17).

“I am pursued, I say, by an enemy 'whose name is legion and his wiles untold' (Virgil); and hapless wretch that I am, how shall I hold myself a victor when I am being led away captive?” (Blessed Jerome, Letter 14)

Saint Jerome's words tell us that the Evil One, using a man's passions, destroys souls. But to speak of this is not easy today, when every passion has been given the name of virtue and most men are totally beguiled by the spirit of the world.

“The most dreadful thing of all is that, entangled in evil, we are pleased to hug our chains to ourselves! Dwelling in a dark prison, we refuse to come forth into the light, but rivet ourselves to evil, actually rejoicing in our malady!

“We are in a worse state than those that work in mines, enduring labors and afflictions . . . And what is truly worst of all is that if anyone tries to free us from this bitter captivity, we do not allow it; we are even vexed and displeased with them. We are no better than madmen – or rather, we are worse – because we are not even willing to be delivered from our madness” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 36 on St. John).

The word passion comes from the Latin passio, which means suffering. Yet we most often use the word “passion” in connection with romantic love. It is true that passion also means an intense or overpowering emotion, but our society does not see this as something bad or unworthy of man.

But the Spirit of God is the spirit of freedom from enslavement to passion. This is true freedom, true peace, such that this world cannot give nor can it understand. As the Prophet David says: Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver them out of them all (Psalm 33:20, 22).

So long as we accept and revel in our every passionate impulse – which is exactly what the spirit of the world encourages us to do – we are like sheep among wolves (Matt. 10:16), being unprotected by the staff of truth and vigilance, holding “not a double-edged sword, but a staff of reed” (St. Mark the Ascetic, Two Centuries on Spiritual Law).

The teaching of the Orthodox Church Fathers may be summarized by this parable:

In the city there was a courtesan who had many lovers. The governor came to her and said, “If you will promise to be good, I will marry you.” She promised, and the governor brought her to his home.

But her former lovers said to each other, “That ruler took her to his house. Let us go to the back of the house and whistle for her. Then, when she recognizes the whistle, she will come down.”

When she heard the whistle, she stopped her ears and withdrew to an inner chamber, shutting the door fast behind her.

Abba John explains that this courtesan represents our soul. Her lovers are the passions. The governor is Christ, and the inner chamber is the eternal dwelling. Those who whistled are the demons. Behold how this soul took refuge in the Lord!  

- From The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Passions. 

Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, New York, 2002. 

Holy Pascha 2012

Christ is risen! 

Indeed He is risen! 

Having beheld the resurrection of Christ, 

let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, 

the only sinless One. 

We venerate Thy Cross, O Christ, 

and we praise and glorify Thy holy resurrection. 

For Thou art our God, 

and we know no other than Thee. 

We call on Thy name. 

Come, all ye faithful, 

let us venerate Christ's holy resurrection. 

For behold, through the Cross joy has come to all the world. 

Let us ever bless the Lord, 

praising His resurrection. 

For by enduring the Cross for us

He has destroyed death by death. 

Bearing life and more fruitful than paradise, 

brighter than any royal chamber, 

Thy tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection. 

Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem! 

The glory of the Lord has shown on thee. 

Exult now, and be glad, O Zion! 

Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, 

in the resurrection of thy Son. 

St. John Chrysostom on Holy Thursday

How many now say, I would wish to see His form, the mark, His clothes, His shoes. Lo! thou seest Him, Thou touchest Him, thou eatest Him. And thou indeed desirest to see His clothes, but He giveth Himself to thee not to see only, but also to touch and eat and receive within thee.

Let then no one approach it with indifference, no one faint-hearted, but all with burning hearts, all fervent, all inspired. For if Jews standing, and having on their shoes and their staves in their hands, ate with haste, much more oughtest thou to be watchful. For they indeed were to go forth to Palestine, wherefore also they had the garb of pilgrims, but thou art about to remove unto Heaven.

Wherefore it is needful in all respects to be vigilant, for indeed no small punishment is appointed to them that partake unworthily.

Read the full sermon at pravoslavie.ru