Mystagogy 1 part 8/13

(92) He does not yet possess dispassion who, on the occasion of a trial, is unable to overlook a fault of his friend, whether it actually exists or merely seems to.

For the passions lying within the soul, when stirred up, blind the mind and do not allow it to see clearly the rays of truth, nor to distinguish the better from the worse.

Such a one, then, has not acquired perfect love, which casts out the fear of judgment.

(93) A faithful friend is beyond all price, for he reckons his friend's misfortunes as his own and suffers together with him, enduring hardship even unto death.

(94) Many are the friends, but in time of prosperity;

but in time of trial you will scarcely find even one.

(95) Every man is to be loved from the soul;

but hope is to be set on God alone, and He is to be served with all one's strength.

For as long as He preserves us, all our friends attend to us and all our enemies are powerless against us;

but when He abandons us, all our friends turn away from us and all our enemies prevail against us.

(96) There are four general modes of abandonment by God:

the one according to the dispensation, as in the case of the Lord Himself, so that those who were abandoned might be saved;

another for testing, as in the case of Job and Joseph, that the one might be shown forth as a pillar of courage, the other of self-control;

another for fatherly correction, as in the case of the Apostle, that being kept humble he might guard the abundance of grace;

and another by way of rejection, as in the case of the Jews, that being chastised they might be bowed down to repentance.

And all these modes are saving and full of divine goodness and wisdom.

(97) Only those who keep the commandments exactly and are genuine initiates of the divine judgments do not abandon as friends those who are tried by God's permission.

But those who despise the commandments and are uninitiated in the divine judgments, when their friend prospers, enjoy good things together with him;

but when, being tried, he suffers hardship, they abandon him;

and there are times when they even take their stand with his adversaries.

(98) The friends of Christ love all men genuinely, but are not loved by all;

the friends of the world, however, neither love all men nor are loved by all.

And the friends of Christ preserve the continuity of love unto the end;

but the friends of the world do so only until they clash with one another over the things of the world.

(99) A faithful friend is a strong shelter, for to the friend who prospers he is a good counsellor and a like-minded fellow-worker;

and to the friend who suffers hardship, a most genuine helper and a most compassionate defender.

(100) Many have said many things about love, but you will find it only if you seek it among the disciples of Christ; for they alone had true love itself as the teacher of love, concerning which they said:

"If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, but have not love, I am nothing profited."

He, therefore, who has acquired love has acquired God Himself, since God is love.

To Him be the glory unto the ages. Amen.

THE ASCETIC DISCOURSE, by way of question and answer

The Brother asked the Elder, saying:

"I beseech you, Father, tell me: what was the aim of the Lord's becoming man?" And the Elder answered and said:

"I am amazed at you, Brother, that hearing the Creed of the faith every day, you ask me about this.

Nevertheless I tell you that the aim of the Lord's becoming man was our salvation."

"How do you say this, Father?" And the Elder answered:

[Editorial note] The text is taken from the Patrologia, collated with the text of the editions "TO BYZANTION" of the series "GREGORIOS PALAMAS," Thessaloniki, in the Philokalia of the Watchful and Ascetic Fathers, volume...

"For since man, having been made by God in the beginning and placed in paradise, transgressed the commandment and fell under corruption and death;

and afterwards, being governed by the manifold providence of God throughout every generation, he persisted in advancing toward the worse, being led by the manifold passions of the flesh to despair of life; for this cause the only-begotten Son of God, the pre-eternal Word who is from God the Father, the fountain of life and immortality, appeared to us who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, becoming incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the holy Virgin, and showed us the way of life conformed to God;

and having given holy commandments, and promised the kingdom of heaven to those who live according to them, and threatened eternal punishment to those who transgress them;

and having suffered the saving Passion and risen from the dead, He bestowed on us the hope of resurrection and eternal life, having loosed by His obedience the condemnation of the ancestral sin, and abolished the dominion of death by His death;

so that, just as in Adam all die, so also in Him all shall be made alive;

and having ascended into the heavens and taken His seat at the right hand of the Father, He sent down the Holy Spirit as a pledge of life, and for the illumination and sanctification of our souls, and as a help to those who struggle for their own salvation to keep His commandments.

This was the aim of the Lord's becoming man, to speak of it in brief."

"What commandments, then, ought I to perform, Father, that through them I may be saved? I would wish to hear it briefly."

"The Lord Himself said to the apostles after the resurrection:

'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.'

So then, every man baptized into the name of the life-giving and divine-source Trinity must keep all that He has commanded.

For this reason the Lord joined the keeping of all the commandments to the right faith, knowing that it is impossible for a person to be saved if one of these be severed from the other.

"I directed my steps according to all your commandments;"

"every unrighteous way I have hated."

For against every unrighteous way all the commandments have been given to us by the Lord;

and if even one be neglected, it altogether introduces in its place the opposing way of wickedness.

"And who is able, Father, to do all the commandments, being so many?" The Elder said:

"He who imitates the Lord and follows in His footsteps."

"And who is able to imitate the Lord? For the Lord was God, even though He became man;

but I am a sinful man, enslaved to countless passions;

how then can I imitate the Lord?" And the Elder answered:

"None of those enslaved to the matter of the world can imitate the Lord;

"Behold, we have left all and followed You" — those receive [the power] both to imitate Him and to fulfil all His commandments.

"What sort of power?" The Elder answered:

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy;

and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Having received this power and authority, Paul said:

"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ."

"There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts."

"The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

"He who dwells in the help of the Most High shall abide under the shelter of the God of heaven."

"You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in Him."

"You shall tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and you shall trample down the lion and the dragon;

for He shall give His angels charge concerning you, to keep you in all your ways."

But those who cleave to the flesh and love the matter of the world — hear what sort of things they hear from Him:

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me."

"And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."

And, "Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."

He, then, who wishes to become His disciple, and to be found worthy of Him and to receive from Him power against the spirits of wickedness, separates himself from every fleshly attachment;

and he strips himself of every material attachment, and thus contends against the invisible enemies on behalf of His commandments, just as the Lord Himself gave us the pattern, both being tempted in the wilderness by their chief, and, when He came into the inhabited world, by those whom that one energizes.

"But many, Father, are the commandments of the Lord;

and who can hold them all in mind, so as to contend for them all? — and I especially, being of feeble mind. I would wish to hear a concise word, that holding fast to it I might be saved by it."

"Even though they are many, Brother, yet they are summed up in one word, in this:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your strength and with all your mind;

and your neighbour as yourself."

And he who strives to keep this word fulfils all the commandments together.

But no one who has not separated himself, as has been said, from attachment to material things can love either God or neighbour genuinely;

since to cleave to matter and at the same time to love God is impossible.

And this is what the Lord says:

"No one can serve two masters;

no one can serve God and mammon."

For as far as our mind clings to the affairs of the world, [so far] is it enslaved to them and despises the commandment of God, transgressing it.

"What sort of affairs do you mean, Father?" And the Elder answered:

"Foods, money, possessions, reputation, kinsfolk, and the like."

"Tell me, Father, did not God create these things and give them to men for use? And how does He command us not to cling to them?" And the Elder answered:

"...but we, being weak and material in mind, have preferred material things to the commandment of love, and clinging to them we fight with men;

whereas we ought to prefer the love of every man to all visible things, even to the body itself;

which love is the mark of love toward God, just as the Lord Himself shows in the Gospels:

"He who loves Me," He says, "will keep My commandments."

And what is the commandment which, by keeping it, we love Him — hear Him saying:

"This is My commandment, that you love one another."

"Since you have said, Father, that we ought to prefer the love of every man to all visible things, even to the body itself, how can I love one who hates me and turns away from me? And if he also envies me and shoots me through with revilings, and contrives deceits and tries to plot against me, how can I love him? By nature, Father, this seems to me impossible, since the passion of grief naturally compels one to turn away from the one who has grieved him."

"In the case of reptiles and wild beasts, which are led by nature, it is indeed impossible not to ward off, as much as one can, that which afflicts;

but in the case of those created according to the image of God and led by reason, who have been deemed worthy of the knowledge of God and have received a law from Him, it is possible not to turn away from those who grieve us and to love those who hate us."

"Do good to those who hate you," and so forth — He does not command these as things impossible, but plainly as things possible;

since otherwise He would not have punished the transgressor.

But since we are lovers of matter and lovers of pleasure, and prefer these rather than the commandment, for this reason we cannot love those who hate us;

indeed, on account of these things we often turn away even from those who love us, being disposed worse than beasts and reptiles;

and for this reason, being unable to follow in the footsteps of God, neither can we know His purpose, so as to receive power.

"Behold, Father, I have left all — kindred, possessions, luxury, and the glory of the world — and I possess nothing in this life save the body;

and yet I cannot love the brother who hates me and turns away from me, even though I force myself not to repay evil for evil in deed.

Tell me then what I ought to do, that I may be able to love him from the heart, even him who in whatever way afflicts and plots against me."

"It is impossible for anyone to love the one who afflicts him, even though he seem to have renounced the matter of the world, unless he truly knows the purpose of the Lord;

but if, by the Lord's gracious gift, he be able to know it, and hasten to walk according to it, he can love from the heart the one who hates and afflicts him, just as the Apostles also, having known it, loved."

"And what was the purpose of the Lord? I beg to know, Father."

"If you wish to know the purpose of the Lord, listen attentively.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, then, being God by nature, and having deigned out of love for mankind to become man, born of a woman, was made under the law, according to the divine Apostle;

that, as man, by keeping the commandment, He might overturn the ancient curse of Adam.

The Lord, then, knowing that the whole law and the prophets hang on the two commandments of the law, in 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself,' hastened to keep these from beginning to end in a manner befitting man.

But he who from the beginning deceived man, and through this gained the power of death — the devil — seeing Him at His baptism witnessed to by the Father and receiving as man from heaven the kindred Holy Spirit, and having gone into the wilderness to be tempted by him, mustered all his warfare against Him, to see whether he might somehow make even Him prefer the matter of the world to the love of God.

The devil, then, knowing that these three are the things in which all human matters are shaken — namely foods, money, and glory — by which he ever dragged man down into the pit of destruction, in these three he tempted Him in the wilderness;

but our Lord, having shown Himself superior to these, commanded the devil to go back.

This, then, being the mark of love toward God, whose commandment the devil was unable by what he promised to persuade Him to transgress, he thenceforth strove, by every device, to make Him transgress the commandment of love toward neighbour — when He came into the inhabited world — working through the lawless Jews.

For this reason, as He was teaching the ways of life and showing forth in deed the heavenly polity, proclaiming the resurrection of the dead, and promising eternal life and the kingdom of heaven to those who believe, but threatening eternal punishment to the unbelieving, and, for the confirmation of His words, displaying paradoxical divine signs, and calling the multitudes to faith, the devil stirred up the lawless Pharisees and Scribes to manifold plots against Him;

in order that, being unable (as he supposed) to bear the temptations, He might be turned to hatred of those who plotted against Him, and so the destroyer might attain his purpose, having declared Him a transgressor of the commandment of love toward neighbour.

But the Lord, being God, knowing his designs, did not hate the Pharisees who were energized by him — for how could He, being good by nature? — but through love toward them He warded off the one who energized them;

and those who were being energized — inasmuch as they were able not to be energized, but willingly through slothfulness tolerated the energizer — He admonished, reproved, rebuked, lamented, and never ceased doing them good; being blasphemed, He was long-suffering; suffering, He endured; He displayed toward them all the works of love;

but the energizer He warded off by His love toward those energized — O paradoxical warfare! — displaying love instead of hatred, and smiting the father of wickedness with goodness.

For this reason, having endured so many evils from them — or rather, to speak more truly, on their behalf — He contended unto death in a manner befitting man for the commandment of love;

and having won the perfect victory over the devil, He took up for us the crown of resurrection, and thus the new Adam renewed the old.

And this is what the divine Apostle says:

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

This, then, was the purpose of the Lord: that He might obey the Father unto death, as man on our behalf, keeping the commandment of love, but ward off the devil by suffering at his hands, through the Scribes and Pharisees who were energized by him;

and He delivered the world from his dominion.

In this manner Christ was crucified out of weakness;

through which weakness He put death to death, and abolished him who had the power of death.

In this manner Paul too was weak in himself and gloried in his weaknesses, that the power of Christ might rest upon him.

Having learned the manner of this victory, he said, writing to the Ephesians:

"Your struggle is not against blood and flesh;

but against the principalities, against the powers," and so forth.

He bids them take up the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of hope, and the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit, that they who wage the war against the invisible enemies may be able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one;

and showing forth in deed the manner of the struggle, he said:

"So I run, not as uncertainly;

so I fight, not as one beating the air;

but I buffet my body and bring it into subjection, lest having preached to others I myself should be disqualified."

"Even to this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted."

"In watchings often, in cold and nakedness, besides the things that are without."

And this struggle he waged against the demons that work the pleasures in the flesh, driving them off through the weakness of his own body;

but against those who fight by means of hatred, and for this reason stir up the more careless of men against the godly — that through them, when tempted, men might hate them and transgress the commandment of love — again showing us by deeds the manner of victory, he said:

"Being reviled, we bless;

we have become as it were the offscouring of the world, the refuse of all things until now."

For the demons suggested reviling and blaspheming and persecuting, in order to move men to hatred of the one who reviled and blasphemed and persecuted him, having as their purpose the transgression of the commandment of love.

But the Apostle, not being ignorant of their devices, blessed those who reviled, and bore with those who persecuted, and entreated those who blasphemed, that they might depart from the demons who work these things, and be made the household of the good God;

but the demons who work these things he warded off in this manner of struggle, ever overcoming evil with good, after the imitation of the Saviour; and thus, having drawn the whole world away from the demons, they made it the household of God — he and the rest of the Apostles — through defeat overcoming those who had hoped to conquer.

If then you also, Brother, hold fast to this purpose, you too can love those who hate you;

but if not, it is otherwise impossible."

"In truth, Father, it is so and not otherwise;

and for this reason the Lord, being blasphemed and buffeted and suffering the other things which He suffered at the hands of the Jews, endured, suffering together with them as with those who were ignorant and led astray;

wherefore He said also on the cross:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do;"

but triumphing on the cross over the craftiness and the deceit of the devil and of his rulers, having contended against them unto death — as you have said — for the commandment of love, and having granted us the victory over them and destroyed the power of death, He bestowed His resurrection unto life upon all the world."

"But pray for me, Father, that I may be wholly strengthened to know the purpose of the Lord and of His Apostles, and may be able to be vigilant in the times of temptation, and not to be ignorant of the devices of the devil and of his demons."

And the Elder answered and said:

"If you ever keep the meditation of the things aforesaid, you can avoid being ignorant.

But also, if you understand that just as you are tempted, so too your brother is tempted, and you sympathize with the one tempted, but resist the tempter who wishes to lead you into hatred of the one tempted, not heeding his contrivance.

And this is what James, the brother of the Lord, says in the Catholic Epistles:

"But resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

If then, as has been said, you keep vigilantly and unceasingly the meditation of the things aforesaid, you can know the purpose of the Lord and of His Apostles, and so love men and suffer with them when they stumble, but unceasingly war against the wicked demons through love.

But if we are slack and careless and slothful, and entangle our reasoning with fleshly pleasures, then we war not against the demons but against ourselves and our brothers, and rather, by means of them, we minister to the demons, fighting with men on their behalf.

for indeed out of my carelessness the demons ever take occasions against me;

but I beg you, Father, tell me how I ought to acquire vigilance."

"Complete freedom from anxiety about earthly things, and the continual meditation of the divine Scripture, brings the soul to the fear of God;

and the fear of God brings vigilance; and then the soul begins to see the demons that war against it through the thoughts, and to ward them off;

"And my eye looked down upon my enemies."

To this struggle Peter also, the chief of the Apostles, rousing the disciples, said:

"Be vigilant, be watchful, for your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour;

whom resist, steadfast in the faith."

"Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation."

"If the spirit of one in power rise up against you, leave not your place."

And the place of the mind is virtue, and knowledge and the fear of God.

And the wondrous Apostle, contending very vigilantly and nobly, said:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh."

"For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty before God for the pulling down of strongholds;

casting down reasonings, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God;

and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience."

If then you also imitate the saints and labour diligently in leisure for God, you will be vigilant."

"And what ought one to do, Father, that he may be able unceasingly to have leisure for God?" And the Elder answered:

"It is impossible for the mind to be wholly at leisure for God, unless it acquire these three virtues:

love, I mean, and self-control, and prayer.

For love tames the anger, and self-control withers desire, and prayer separates the mind from all thoughts and presents it naked to God Himself.

These three virtues, then, are comprehensive of all the virtues;

and without these the mind cannot be at leisure for God.

"I beg you, Father, to learn how love tames the anger."

And the Elder answered:

"Since it has the showing of mercy and the doing of good to one's neighbour, and the bearing long with him and the enduring of the things brought upon one by him, as we have often said.

Love, then, having these, tames the anger of the one who possesses it.

But blessed is he who is able to acquire it.

Yet I am indeed far from it.

But I beg you, Father, tell me what is to be long-suffering."

"To persevere in hardships and to endure evils;

and to await the end of temptation, and not to give vent to anger at random;

neither to speak a word in folly, nor to suspect or think anything unbecoming to a God-fearing person, just as the Scripture said:

"For a time the long-suffering man will hold out, and afterward gladness will spring up for him;

for a time he will hide his words;

and the lips of many shall declare his understanding."

These, then, are the marks of long-suffering;

and not only these, but also to reckon oneself the cause of the temptation is proper to long-suffering.

since most of the things that befall us happen for our instruction, either for the removal of past sins, or for the correction of present negligence, or for the prevention of future sins.

He, then, who reckons that the temptation has come for one of these reasons does not chafe when smitten, especially being conscious to himself of sins;

nor does he blame the one through whom the temptation comes;

for whether through him or through another, he was altogether bound to drink the cup of the divine judgements;

But the foolish man often asks God to have mercy on him, yet when the mercy comes he does not receive it, since it did not come as he wished, but as the physician of souls judged to be profitable.

And for this reason he is faint-hearted and troubled, and sometimes contends in anger with men, sometimes blasphemes against God;

and indeed he displays his ingratitude, and does not receive the chastening rod.

"But I beg you to tell me this also, how self-control withers desire."

"Since it makes one abstain from all things that do not fulfil a need, but produce pleasure;

and it makes one partake of nothing except what is necessary for living;

nor to pursue pleasant things, but profitable things;

and to measure food and drink to the need;

and not to allow superfluous moisture in the body;

and to maintain only the life of the body, and to keep it undisturbed in respect of the impulse to intercourse.

Thus, then, self-control withers desire;

but pleasure and the surfeit of foods and drinks inflame the belly, and kindle the appetite to shameful desire, and thrust the whole creature toward lawless union.

Then the eyes are shameless, and the hand unbridled, the tongue speaking charms for the ear, and the ear receiving vain hearing, and the soul working adultery in the mind and calling the body to the unlawful act.

"In truth, Father, it is so;

but I beg to learn also concerning prayer, how it separates the mind from all thoughts."

"Thoughts are thoughts of things;

and of things, some are sensible and some are intelligible.

The mind, then, dwelling among them, carries about the thoughts of them;

but the grace of prayer joins the mind to God;

and joining it to God, it separates it from all thoughts.

Then, then, the mind, naked, conversing with Him, becomes godlike.

And becoming such, it asks of Him the things that are fitting, and never fails of its petition.

"And how can the mind pray unceasingly? For even while psalmodizing and reading and conversing and serving, we draw it off to many thoughts and contemplations."

And the Elder answered:

"The divine Scripture enjoins nothing impossible;

since the Apostle himself both psalmodized and read and served, and yet prayed unceasingly.