St. Theophan the Recluse
What
success can one expect when there is no enthusiastic zeal for a
Christian pleasing of God? If there is something that involves no labor,
one is ready to do it; but as soon as one is required to do a little
extra labor, or some kind of self-sacrifice, immediately one refuses,
because one is unable to accomplish it oneself. For then there will be
nothing to rely on that can move one to good deeds: self-pity will
undermine all the foundations. And if any other motive besides the one
mentioned becomes involved, it will make the good deed into a bad deed.
The spies under Moses were afraid because they
spared themselves. The martyrs willingly went to death because they were
kindled by an inward fire. A true zealot does not do only what is
according to the law, but also what has been advised and every good
suggestion that has been secretly imprinted on the soul; he does not
only what has been given, but he is also an acquirer of good things; he
is entirely concerned with the one good thing which is solid, true, and
eternal.
Saint John Chrysostom says that everywhere we must
have fervor and much fire of the soul, prepared to be armed against
death itself. For otherwise it is impossible to receive the kingdom.
The work of piety and communion with God is a work
of much labor and much pain, especially in the beginning. Where can we
find the power to undertake all these labors? With the help of God's
grace, we can find it in heartfelt zeal.
A merchant, a soldier, a judge, or a scholar has
work which is full of cares and difficulties. How do they sustain
themselves in the midst of their labors? By enthusiasm and love for
their work. One cannot sustain oneself by anything else on the path of
piety. Without this we will be serving God in a state of sluggishness,
boredom, and lack of interest. An animal like the sloth also moves, but
with difficulty, while for the swift gazelle or the nimble squirrel
movement and getting about are a delight. Zealous pleasing of God is the
path to God which is full of consolation and gives wings to the spirit.
Without it one can ruin everything.
One must do everything for the glory of God in
defiance of the sin which dwells in us. Without this we will do
everything only out of habit, because it seems "proper," because this is
the way it has always been done, or the way others do it. We must do
all we can, otherwise we will do some things and neglect others, and
this without any contrition or even knowledge of what we have omitted.
One must do everything with heedfulness and care, as our chief task; otherwise we will do everything just as it comes.
And so, it is clear that without zeal a Christian is
a poor Christian. He is drowsy, feeble, lifeless, neither hot nor cold —
and this kind of life is not life at all. Knowing this, let us strive
to manifest ourselves as true zealots of good deeds, so that we might
truly be pleasing to God, having neither stain nor spot, nor any of
these things.
Therefore, a true witness of Christian life is the
fire of active zeal for the pleasing of God. Now the question arises,
how is this fire ignited? Who produces it? Such zeal is produced by the
action of grace. However, it does not occur without the participation of
our free will. Christian life is not natural life. This should be the
way it begins or is first aroused: as in a seed, growth is aroused when
moisture and warmth penetrate to the sprout which is hidden within, and
through these the all-restoring power of life comes. So also in us, the
divine life is aroused when the Spirit of God penetrates into the heart
and places there the beginning of life according to the Spirit, and
cleanses and gathers into one the darkened and broken features of the
image of God. A desire and free seeking are aroused (by an action from
without); then grace descends (through the Mysteries) and, uniting with
our freedom, produces a mighty zeal. But let no one think that he
himself can give birth to such a power of life; one must pray for this
and be ready to receive it. The fire of zeal with power — this is the
grace of the Lord. The Spirit of God, descending into the heart, begins
to act in it with a zeal that is both devouring and all-active.
To some the thought arises: should there be this
action of grace? Can we ourselves really not do good deeds? After all,
we have done this or that good deed, and, if we live longer, we will do
some more. Perhaps it is a rare person who does not ask this question.
Others say that of ourselves we can do nothing good. But here the
question is not only of separate good deeds, but of giving rebirth to
our whole life, to a new life, to life in its entirety — to such a life
as can lead one to salvation.
As a matter of fact, it is not difficult to do
something which is even quite good, as the pagans also did. But let
someone intentionally define a course for himself of a continuous doing
of good, and define the order of it according to what is indicated in
the word of God — and this not for one month or for a year, but for
one's whole life — and place as a rule to remain in this order
unwaveringly; and then, when he remains faithful to this, let him boast
of his own power. But without this it is better to close one's mouth.
How many cases there have been in the past and in the present of a
self-trusting beginning and building of a Christian life! And they have
all ended and continue to end in nothing. A man builds a little in his
new order of life — and then throws it away. How can it be otherwise?
There is no strength. It is characteristic only of the eternal power of
God to support us unchanging in our disposition in the midst of the
unceasing waves of temporal changes. Therefore one must be filled
abundantly with this power; one must ask for and receive it in order —
and it will raise us up and draw us out of the great agitation of
temporal life.
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