Wonderful talk. I am a complete failure at any kind of consistency in my spiritual struggle. Thank you for the reminder that it is better to do something small on a daily basis, than something big occasionally - only to be followed by nothing for weeks at a time afterwards. In fact, as this has been a long standing problem for me, I recently bought a 50 knot prayer rope (instead of 100) for this very reason since it only takes 15 minutes to go around it one time, which I should be able to make time for on a daily basis. May our merciful Lord help me!
Strange, this is the second time someone has said that! However it works fine on my end and for most people. Have you tried using another browser/device?
Unfortunately there is no transcript that I know of.
Thank you for sharing this talk Father. Would you be willing to share the quote from St. Isaac about those on the road to the new city, some just starting out, some a good way along the journey and some even reaching the gates?
I don’t think this (Homily 12) is the specific passage I was recollecting, but it is similar:
“THE STAGES through which man advances are three: the beginner's stage, the intermediate, and that of the perfect. In the first stage all a man's thinking and recollection is held within the passions, even if his mind is directed toward good. The second is a kind of midway laid between passion and dispassion: both thoughts from the right hand and those from the left move equally within him, and light and darkness never cease from welling forth, as has already been said. But if he should desist for a little from continuous reading of spiritual writings and from the forming of vivid conceptions of divine subjects (which, when he muses upon them, set him aflame by their modes of truth according to his capacity), and should he cease as well from his outward watchfulness (from which come both inner watchfulness and proficient work), then he is certain to be swept away into the passions.
He should, therefore, feed his natural ardor in ways I have said, and should not leave his quest and search and yearning after those things which are afar off, even though he has never seen them, but only the indications of them found in his reading of the divine Scriptures. By these things he should nourish his thoughts, holding them close lest they incline to the left. He should be careful not to accept some devilish seed of phantasy in the guise of truth, and should ardently watch over his soul. Then, if he does these things, and if he asks God with arduous prayer and patience, He will grant him his petition and open His door to him, but chiefly for his humility's sake.
For 'mysteries are revealed to the humble.’
But if he dies in this hope, even if he has nowhere seen that land from close at hand, nevertheless it seems to me that his inheritance will be with those righteous men of old, who hoped to reach perfection even though they never saw it, as the Apostolic utterance says, ‘For they labored in hope all their days, and they slept.’ For otherwise what should we say if such a man were not to gain entry to the land of promise, which is the stage of perfection, that is, lucid comprehension of the truth according to the measure of his natural capacity? Is he then barred from it on that account, and does he remain in the lowest stage, where the entire disposition is inclined toward things of the left? Or because he has not apprehended the whole truth, shall he then continue in the ignobleness of the lowest stage, which has no cognizance of, nor any desire for, these things? Or is it fitting that he should be raised to that middle stage which I have mentioned?
For even though he has never beheld it, not even 'through a mirror,' still he hoped from afar, and through this hope was added to his Fathers. And although he was not deemed worthy of perfect grace while here, nevertheless, because he was always conversant with it, and with all his understanding he always absorbed himself in it, and because his desire was fixed upon it as long as he was alive, he was able to cut off evil thoughts. And so, his heart being filled with God, he departed from life with this hope.
Anything whatsoever possessing humility is of its nature comely. For the incorporeal meditation of the understanding on the love of God (which meditation is guided by the understanding of the divine Scriptures) screens the soul from within against evil thoughts. And further it holds the mind in the remembrance of good things to come, lest the mind in its idleness should be diffused amid recollections of worldly things, and by these the fervor of its movements should be chilled, and it should fall into desires. But to our God be glory. Amen.”
Wonderful talk. I am a complete failure at any kind of consistency in my spiritual struggle. Thank you for the reminder that it is better to do something small on a daily basis, than something big occasionally - only to be followed by nothing for weeks at a time afterwards. In fact, as this has been a long standing problem for me, I recently bought a 50 knot prayer rope (instead of 100) for this very reason since it only takes 15 minutes to go around it one time, which I should be able to make time for on a daily basis. May our merciful Lord help me!
The audio for this is so corrupted that I cannot understand it. Is there a transcript?? Thank you!!
Strange, this is the second time someone has said that! However it works fine on my end and for most people. Have you tried using another browser/device?
Unfortunately there is no transcript that I know of.
Just tried a different browser. Same result. Maybe it’s my phone. Thank you for the reply!!
Thank you for sharing this talk Father. Would you be willing to share the quote from St. Isaac about those on the road to the new city, some just starting out, some a good way along the journey and some even reaching the gates?
I don’t think this (Homily 12) is the specific passage I was recollecting, but it is similar:
“THE STAGES through which man advances are three: the beginner's stage, the intermediate, and that of the perfect. In the first stage all a man's thinking and recollection is held within the passions, even if his mind is directed toward good. The second is a kind of midway laid between passion and dispassion: both thoughts from the right hand and those from the left move equally within him, and light and darkness never cease from welling forth, as has already been said. But if he should desist for a little from continuous reading of spiritual writings and from the forming of vivid conceptions of divine subjects (which, when he muses upon them, set him aflame by their modes of truth according to his capacity), and should he cease as well from his outward watchfulness (from which come both inner watchfulness and proficient work), then he is certain to be swept away into the passions.
He should, therefore, feed his natural ardor in ways I have said, and should not leave his quest and search and yearning after those things which are afar off, even though he has never seen them, but only the indications of them found in his reading of the divine Scriptures. By these things he should nourish his thoughts, holding them close lest they incline to the left. He should be careful not to accept some devilish seed of phantasy in the guise of truth, and should ardently watch over his soul. Then, if he does these things, and if he asks God with arduous prayer and patience, He will grant him his petition and open His door to him, but chiefly for his humility's sake.
For 'mysteries are revealed to the humble.’
But if he dies in this hope, even if he has nowhere seen that land from close at hand, nevertheless it seems to me that his inheritance will be with those righteous men of old, who hoped to reach perfection even though they never saw it, as the Apostolic utterance says, ‘For they labored in hope all their days, and they slept.’ For otherwise what should we say if such a man were not to gain entry to the land of promise, which is the stage of perfection, that is, lucid comprehension of the truth according to the measure of his natural capacity? Is he then barred from it on that account, and does he remain in the lowest stage, where the entire disposition is inclined toward things of the left? Or because he has not apprehended the whole truth, shall he then continue in the ignobleness of the lowest stage, which has no cognizance of, nor any desire for, these things? Or is it fitting that he should be raised to that middle stage which I have mentioned?
For even though he has never beheld it, not even 'through a mirror,' still he hoped from afar, and through this hope was added to his Fathers. And although he was not deemed worthy of perfect grace while here, nevertheless, because he was always conversant with it, and with all his understanding he always absorbed himself in it, and because his desire was fixed upon it as long as he was alive, he was able to cut off evil thoughts. And so, his heart being filled with God, he departed from life with this hope.
Anything whatsoever possessing humility is of its nature comely. For the incorporeal meditation of the understanding on the love of God (which meditation is guided by the understanding of the divine Scriptures) screens the soul from within against evil thoughts. And further it holds the mind in the remembrance of good things to come, lest the mind in its idleness should be diffused amid recollections of worldly things, and by these the fervor of its movements should be chilled, and it should fall into desires. But to our God be glory. Amen.”