Saint Maximus the Confessor.
I was recently moved by reading an
article by Saint Maximus the Confessor. I was surprised at its clarity
and simplicity, yet its completeness and elegance. I had always thought
of Saint Maximus as one to avoid reading because he was so hard to
grasp. What I found was the opposite. It will try and capture the
essence of this article which is a dialogue between a brother and an old
man.
It is titled “The Ascetic Life”.
He begins with a question asked by one of his spiritual children who asks,
“What was the purpose of the Lord’s becoming man?
Answer: Our salvation.
Question: How do you mean?
Answer: Man, made by God, disobeyed God in Paradise. He then was
subject to death. From generation to generation he became more and more
evil because of his dedication to his passions rather than to the
commandments of God. God then sent His Son to take on flesh to show us
the way to live according to His commandments. He promised man at this
time that those who did follow Him would live in heaven forever. He also
threatened man with eternal punishment if he did not obey. The Son
suffered, was killed, but then resurrected showing that all those who
struggle will find the path to eternal life in heaven.
Question: What are the commandments?
Answer: As the lord said, “Go, teach ye all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19).
Question: But Father, who can do all the commandments, there are so many of them?
Answer: He who imitates the Lord and follows in His footsteps.
Question: Who can imitate the Lord? He was God and I am a man, a sinner, enslaved by many passions.
Answer: The Lord tells us, “Behold I have given you the power to
tread serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy; and
nothing shall hurt you. (Luke 10:19) Paul tells us, “They that are
Christ’s have crucified their flesh.” (Gal 5:24) Christ says, “He that
loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:37).
“He that taketh not up his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of me”
(Matt 10:38). And, “Every one that doth not renounce all that he
possesseth cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33)
Question: But the Lord’s commands are so many , who can keep them all in mind in order to strive for them?
Answer: They are all summed up in one word. “Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with thy whole strength and with thy whole mind, and thy
neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:30). We need to separate from worldly
things and passions to genuinely love either God or neighbor.
Question: What things do you mean?
Answer: Food, money, possessions, acclaim, relatives and the rest.
Question: But, didn’t God make these things and give them to us for our use?
Answer: Yes He did, and everything He made is good. Our error is that
we prefer material and worldly things above the commandment of love.
The Lord has said, “He that loves me will keep my commandments” (John
14:15)
Question: But, how can I love the person who hates me?
Answer: The Lord does not command the impossible when he says, “Love
your enemies; do good to them that hate you” (Matt 5:44). It is because
we are lovers of material things and pleasure, more than His
commandments, that we are not able to love those who hate us.
Question: Look Father, I have given up everything, relatives,
property, luxury, and acclaim but still I am not able to love one who
hates me. What am I to do?
Answer: You cannot love your tormentor unless you know the purpose of the Lord.
Question: What is the Lord’s purpose?
Answer: The Lord knew the whole law rested on love (Matt 22:37-40).
He therefore set out a life to demonstrate a life of love and claim
victory over the devil and all his temptations. He tried to teach the
Jews this way of love. But this only stirred up their hatred of Him. But
He did not hate them who opposed him or who tried to kill him. Instead
of hate He set forth love. After complete victory over the devil, He
crowned Himself with the Resurrection all for our sake. His purpose was
as a man to obey the Father until death keeping the commandment of love.
In addition to his life we can also learn from the lives of His
disciples. Remember what he said on the Cross, “Father, forgive them,
since they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Question: What you say is true, pray for me that I may have the
strength to know perfectly the Lord’s and His Apostles’ purpose so I can
be sober minded in time of temptations.
Answer: If you are always attentive to what I have told you you can
have this awareness. You must remember that your brother is tempted in
the same way you are.
Question: Tell me how to hold on to soberness.
Answer: Complete lack of concern for earthly things and continuous
meditation on the divine Scriptures brings the soul to fear God. It is
the fear of God that brings soberness.
Question: What should one do to devote one’s self continuously to God?
Answer: Be merciful and do good to one’s neighbor, be long suffering
in this regard, endure all he inflicts. It is love that tames our anger.
Question: What is long suffering?
Answer: perseverance in adversity, endurance of evils, to abide to
end of temptation, not to let anger out by chance, not to think anything
that does not become a God fearing man. (Eccl 1:29) Many difficulties
that we are given are part of our training. We should give thanks to God
for everything He gives us like David, Job and his wife.
Question: Why do I lack compunction?
Answer: Because you have no fear of God and are complacent. Such
people scorn the thought of the dreadful punishment of God that awaits
us if we do not live with love. Maximus then give an extensive review of
this punishment as recorded in Old Testament and New Testament. (Deut
32:22, 41; Isa 33:14, 50:11, 66:24; Jer 13:16, 5:21, 2:19-21, 15:17;
Ezech 7:8; Dan 7:9, 7:13-15; Ps 61.12; Eccles 12:13; 2Cor 5:10; Rom
14:10; Jer 31:10; Matt 7:13, 25:41; Exod 20:13-15; Matt 5:20; Jer 9:1.)
We must think about the defense we must have on that judgement day. Are
not we all gluttonous? Are we all not lovers of pleasure? Are not we all
desirous of material things? Are not we all nurturers of wrath? Are not
we all revilers? Are we not fond of scoffing…. Are we not worse than
the Jews who killed Christ? How can we be called sons of God? Do we show
the fruits of the Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity,
goodness, faith, meekness, contingency (Gal 5:22). How can we be called
Christians, who have nothing at all of Christ in us?
Maybe someone will say, I have faith and faith in Him is enough for
my salvation. But James tells us, “The devils also believe and tremble;
Faith without works is dead in itself (James 2:17; 2:19; 2:26). So also
is works without Faith.
Those who truly believed Christ and made Him dwell within themselves
spoke like this: “And I live, now not I; but Christ lives in me. And
that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and delivered Himself for me (Gal 2:20). Christ clearly said,
Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse
you, and pray for them that treat you with despite (Luke 6:27).
Question: After hearing all this the brother is in tears saying, there is no hope of salvation for me.
Answer: the Lord said, “With men salvation is impossible; but with
God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26) Isais said, “When you return
and moan, then you will be saved” (Isa 30.15). The Lord says, “Do
penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). Let us
purify our hearts, let us weep for our sins, let us quite our vices, let
us hear His threats, let us love one another with our whole heart. Let
us master our passions.
We must rid ourselves of every bit of sinfulness from our hearts.
“Let us then love one another and be loved by God; let us be patient
with one another and He will be patient with our sins. Let us not render
evil for evil, and we shall not receive our due for our sins.”
(Maximus)
The Lord has told us as follows:
“Forgive, and you shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). If you will forgive
men their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your
offenses”(Matt 6:14). Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy” (Matt5:7). “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to
you again” (Matt 7:2).
Our salvation is in our will’s grasp. Let us give ourselves totally
to the Lord. Let us place all our hope in Him alone. Let us love every
man sincerely, but put our hope in none. Let us truly do penance. Let us
watch and be sober. Let’s emulate the Holy apostles and the saints
imitating their combats., eagerness, preserve fence, patience,
endurance, in long suffering, compassion, meekness, zeal, unfeignedness
in love, sublimity in low lioness, plainness in poverty, kindness,
clemency.
Reference: The Ascetic Life, Vol 21 Ancient Writers, pp 103-135
Source- http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.hk/
