9 am - 5 pm Day Retreat, Teaching sessions, Question and answers period, and discussion groups.. Saturday July 26, 2014 The study of this great book of discipleship written by St John Climacus Registration will be $40.00 For registration, click the below link......
We have heard from that raving mistress gluttony, who has just spoken, that her offspring is war against bodily chastity.…
Colossians 3:5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Ephesians 5:3 - But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Romans 13:13- Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 - For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
In this step, St. John writes about the struggle for chastity: "The man who decides to struggle against his flesh and to overcome it by his own efforts is fighting in vain. The truth is that unless the Lord overturns the house of the flesh and builds the house of the soul, the man wishing to overcome it has watched and fasted for nothing. Offer the Lord the weakness of your nature. Admit your incapacity and, without your knowing it, you will win for yourself the gift of chastity."
John promises, you will win for yourself the gift of chastity. Sadly, in today's world, these words sound foreign. As a society, we have abandoned the concept of virtue and purity. On our television screens and in the movie theaters, we calmly watch without reaction repeated violations of chastity.
As Christians we have come to accept and tolerate attitudes and behaviors in ourselves and others that at another time would have been unthinkable. In so many ways we have lost sight of the fact that Chastity is not only precious in the eyes of God but a necessary virtue for us to obtain in our ascent to heaven. Holy Scripture makes this clear: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness . . . and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God"(Gal 5:19,21). For this reason, St. John calls unchastity "a sort of death within us, a sin that is catastrophic."
What then is Chastity? St. John answers: "The chaste man is not someone with a body undefiled, but rather a person whose members are in complete subjection to the soul."
The struggle for chastity begins with controlling the body’s desires. It ends with the transfiguration of the body’s desires. A chaste man is someone who has driven out bodily love by means of divine love, who has used heavenly fire to quench the fires of the flesh. He is pure who expels love with love and who has extinguished the material fire by the immaterial fire.
One must remember that for St. John the body is both adversary and friend: adversary in as much as it has been marred by the fall, friend in as much as it remains God's creation and is called to share in the resurrection glory. For the Christian, the body is not a tomb or prison, not a piece of clothing to be worn for a time and then cast aside, but an integral part of the true self. The Christian's aim is "a body made holy." We are told in Scripture, “Be holy for I am holy” ( 1 Peter 1:16). Likewise, the passions, although a consequence of the fall and therefore no true part of human nature, are merely the distortion of the natural impulses implanted by God. While repudiating the passions, we should not reject the natural God-given impulses that underlie them, but should restore to good use that which has become misdirected as a result of the fall.
Our watchword should be "transfigure" not "suppress"; "educate" not "eradicate". Therefore, physical eros is not to be considered sinful, but can and should be used as a way of glorifying God. In fact, physical love can be a paradigm of our longing for God. The struggle for chastity, then, begins with controlling the body's desires, through prayer and spiritual discipline, and ends with their transfiguration. Having overcome the passion, we are free to be our true selves, free to love others, free to love God.
How do we fight against the spirit of unchastity? St. John speaks a great deal about the necessity of doing serious battle against "evil thoughts" - that is, thoughts provoked by demons. This also includes conceptual images such as fantasies. Never brood by day the fantasies that have occurred to you during sleep.
Chastity begins in the mind!!! John insists that we must never allow ourselves to hear or look at anything unchaste. We should strive in all possible ways neither to see nor to hear of that fruit we have vowed never to taste. It amazes me to think we could imagine ourselves to be stronger than the prophet David, something quite impossible indeed.
Do you think your stronger than David?
Through ascetical discipline, the practice of self-denial, and prayer we must foster watchfulness - a state of spiritual sobriety, alertness, and vigilance in which one constantly guards the heart and intellect. In our discipline we must be as relentless and cunning as the demons who tempt us. With one difference - - We must in humility recognize our weakness and absolute dependence upon God to attain this virtue.
In the battle for chastity, we must rely only on the grace of God. It alone can transform nature.
Do not imagine that you will overwhelm the demon of fornication by entering into an argument with him. Nature is on his side and he has the best of the argument. So the man who decides to struggle against his flesh and to overcome it by his own efforts is fighting in vain.
John warns that we must not be fooled by periods of continence, bodily restraint, moderation. Rather we must take precautions against the enemy, studying how he works.
When our spiritual foes are drawn up to do battle with us, we should ponder what it is they can do, just as we would take precautions in a visible war. In the battle against ascetics and those leading the solitary life, the devil regularly uses all his force, zeal and low skill, all his intrigue, cleverness, and evil designs to overpower them by means that are unnatural rather than according to nature.
Our relentless enemy, the teacher of fornication, whispers that God is lenient and particularly merciful to this passion, since it is so very natural. He wants you to believe that its just you and it’s a natural trait you have. Yet if we watch the wiles of the demons we will observe that after we have actually sinned they will affirm that God is a just and inexorable judge. They say one thing to lead us into sin, another thing to overwhelm us in despair. And if we are sorrowful or inclined to despair, we are slower to sin again, but when the sorrow and the despair have been quenched, the tyrannical demon begins to speak to us again of God's mercy.
He is relentless, he is not stopping in trying to cause you to step down from who you are.
In the following paragraphs John tells us that in striving for chastity we need not only cultivate temperance, but the virtues of obedience wherein one learns to renounce his own life and desires to God, stillness through which one develops and accurate knowledge of his feelings, thoughts and perceptions, and humility wherein one acknowledges his absolute dependence upon the grace of God. In every way we must be sober and watchful, guarding each of the senses, knowing the times when temptation is most likely to come, and arming ourselves with the necessary weapons for battle.
1 Peter 5:8 (EXB) Control [Discipline] yourselves and be ·careful [alert]! The devil, your enemy, ·goes around [prowls] like a roaring lion looking for someone to ·eat [devour].
The mother of chastity is stillness and obedience. Often the dispassion of body attained by stillness has been disturbed whenever the world impinged on it. But dispassion achieved through obedience is genuine and is everywhere unshakable.
The man who imagines he can conquer the demon of fornication by gluttony and by stuffing himself is quite like someone who quenches fire with oil. And the man who tries to put an end to this struggle by means of temperance only is like someone trying to escape from the sea by swimming with just one hand. However, join humility to temperance, for the one is useless without the other.
The body can be defiled by the merest touch, for of all the senses this is the most dangerous.
We have to be especially sober and watchful when we are lying in bed, for that is the time when our mind has to contend with demons outside our body. And if our body is inclined to be sensual then it will easily betray us. So let the remembrance of death and the concise Jesus prayer go to sleep with you and get up with you, for nothing helps you as these do when you are asleep.
When temptation comes, our best weapons are sackcloth and ashes, all-night vigils standing up, hunger, the merest touch of water and most important of all, humility of heart; and if possible a spiritual director or a helpful brother, old in wisdom rather than years, should also support us. Indeed it would come as a great surprise if anyone could, by his own efforts alone, save his ship from the sea.
Jesus said this kind does not go out but by fasting and prayer (Matt 17:21).
We must guard against becoming prideful or easing up on our discipline. Demons, John warns, often hide themselves in order to bring about a greater fall. Therefore, we must never look upon or listen to those things which may lead to impurity. We must not subject ourselves even once to anything that is sinful. To do so is to weaken our resolve and to expose ourselves to future conflict.
But all of you who wish to practice purity and preserve it would listen now to another cunning stratagem of that deceiver, for I have been told by someone who had to suffer the experience that the demon of sensuality often hid himself completely. Then he would have a monk sit or talk with women. He would inspire him with great piety and even a flood of tears, and then suggest that he speak about the remembrance of death, judgment, and chastity. The unfortunate women, deceived by his words and spurious piety, would rush to him, thinking him to be a shepherd instead of the wolf he really was. Acquaintance would grow into familiarity, and the wretched monk would suffer his downfall.
The serpent of sensuality has many faces. To those who have had no experience of sin he suggests the idea of trying it once and then stopping. Then the crafty creature, exploiting the recollection of having sinned once, urges them to try again. And many of the people without experience feel no conflict within themselves because they do not know what is evil, whereas the experienced, knowing the evil for what it is, suffer disturbance and conflict . . .
John gives us an analysis of the process of temptation in order that we might learn how the demons seek to incite us to sin. He admits, that while one may understand this process, the onslaught of a disturbance and thought is often so swift that it is beyond a man's recognition. This demon is persistent and patient. It is cunning; even when thwarted by our efforts it will always seek a new point of entry. We must fight hard and get into the habit of waging war for, as John warns, this demon tries harder than all the others (Ephesians 6:10).
Captivity is a forcible and unwilling abduction of the heart, a permanent lingering with what we have encountered and which totally undermines the necessary order of our souls. By struggle they mean force equal to that which is leading the attack, and this force wins or loses according to the desires of the spirit.
Captivity is judged in different ways, depending on whether it happens at the time of prayer or at some other time, whether it happens in regard to what is unimportant or in the context of evil thoughts. But passion is unequivocally denounced in every situation and requires suitable repentance or future punishment. From all of which it follows that he who regards the first encounter with detachment cuts off with one blow all the rest that follow.
The most exact of the spiritual Fathers point to another more subtle notion, something they call pararripismos, or disturbance of the mind. John speaks of this as a “flick of the intellect.” What happens is this. In a moment, without a word being spoken or an image presented, a sudden passionate urge lays hold of the victim. It comes faster than anything in the physical world and is swifter and more indiscernible than any spirit. It makes its appearance in the soul by a simple memory, which is unconnected with anything, independent of time and inexpressible, and in some cases comes without the person himself realizing the fact. Someone who has been able to detect such a subtlety, someone with the gift of mourning, may be able to explain how with the eye alone, with a mere glance, by the touch of the hand, through a song overheard, the soul is led to commit a definite sin of unchastity without any notion or evil thought.
Without constant guard or thought of our heart and soul, we are attacked and move into the trap set for us, thus our downfall. Any laxiety is an automatic hit, stay on guard.
After we have fought long and hard against this demon, this ally of the flesh, after we have driven it out of our heart, torturing it with the stone of fasting and the sword of humility, this scourge goes into hiding in our bodies, like some kind of worm, and it tries to pollute us, stimulating us to irrational and untimely movements. This particularly happens to those who have fallen to the demon of vainglory, for since dirty thoughts no longer preoccupy their hearts they fall victim to pride. Such people can discover whether or not this is true if once they have attained a certain stillness they quietly take stock of themselves. For they will then discover that deep down in their hearts, like a snake in dung, is the notion that by their own efforts and enthusiasm they made great advances in purity. Poor wretches! They forget the saying: "What have you got that you did not receive as a gift either from God or as a result of the help and prayers of others?" (cf. 1 Cor 4:7). Let them beware then. Let them with all zeal eject from their hearts the snake mentioned above. Let them kill it with great humility . .
This demon is especially on the lookout for our weak moments and will viciously assail us when we are physically unable to pray against it.
The effort of bodily prayer can help those not yet granted real prayer of the heart. I am referring to the stretching out of the hands, the beating of the breast, the sincere raising of the eyes heavenward, deep sighs and constant prostrations. But go somewhere apart, if you can. Hide for a while in some secret place. If you can, lift up the eyes of your soul, but if not, the eyes of your body. Stand still with your arms in the shape of the cross so that with this sign you may shame and conquer your Amalek. Cry out to God, Who has the strength to save you. Do not bother with elegant and clever words. Just speak humbly, beginning with, "Have mercy on me, for I am weak" (Ps. 6:3). And then you will come to experience the power of the Most High and with help from heaven you will drive off your invisible foes. The man who gets into the habit of waging war in this way will soon put his enemies to flight solely by means of spiritual resources, for this is the reward God likes to bestow on those who put up a good struggle, and rightly so.
There is no way of concentrating on God, of looking upward toward God, while at the same time subsiding to worldly cares, looking downward or the other way, “Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). To look into opposite directions at the same time is to see nothing either properly or clearly. It is a form of duplicity (contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially : the belying of one's true intentions by deceptive words or action). For John, it is like holding your legs together tightly and simultaneously trying to walk quickly. The intellect is “pure” (Katharos) only when it beholds Gods grace, which alone can purify it. Total concentration is, in fact, a mutual, personal relationship with God; then, the intellect speaks to God, in prayer, “face to face” or rather into Gods ear.
All demons try to darken our minds so that they may then suggest to us what they want us to do, and so long as the mind stays awake we will not be robbed of our treasure. But the demon of fornication tries harder than all the others. First, by darkening our minds, which guide us, it urges and inclines us in the presence of other people to do things that only the mad would think of.
In these final paragraphs John poetically describes the mystery of the human person, the disunity that we experience within ourselves and the nature of our quest for personal integration.
By what rule or manner can I bind this body of mine? By what precedent can I judge him? How can I hate him when my nature disposes me to love him? How can I break away from him when I am bound to him forever? How can I escape from him when he is going to rise with me? How can I make him incorrupt when he has received a corruptible nature? How can I argue with him when all the arguments of nature are on his side?
If I try to bind him through fasting, with the result that I am handed over to him again. If I defeat him by not passing judgment I turn proud - and I am in thrall to him once more. He is my helper and my enemy, my assistant and my opponent, a protector and a traitor. I am kind to him and he assaults me. If I wear him out he gets weak. If he has a rest he becomes unruly. If I upset him he cannot stand it. If I mortify him I endanger myself. If I strike him down I have nothing left by which to acquire virtues. I embrace him. And I turn away from him.
What is this mystery in me? What is the principle of this mixture of body and soul? How can I be my own friend and my own enemy? Speak to me! Speak to me, my yoke-fellow, my nature! I cannot ask anyone else about you. How can I remain uninjured by you? How can I escape the danger of my own nature? I have made a promise to Christ that I will fight you, yet how can I defeat your tyranny? But this I have resolved, namely, that I am going to master you.
And this is what the flesh might say in reply: "I will never tell you what you do not already know. I will speak the knowledge we both have. Within me is my begetter, the love of self. The fire that comes to me from outside is too much pampering and care. The fire within me is past ease and things long done. I conceived and give birth to sins, and they when born beget death by despair in their turn. And yet if you have learned the sure and rooted weakness within both you and me, you have manacled my hands. Manacled = A device for confining the hands, usually consisting of a set of two metal rings that are fastened about the wrists and joined by a metal chain, handcuffed. If you starve your longings, you have bound my feet, and they can travel no further. If you have taken up the yoke of obedience, you have cast my yoke aside. If you have taken possession of humility, you have cut off my head."
This is the fifteenth reward of victory. He who has earned it while still alive has died and been resurrected. From now on he has a taste of the immortality to come.
Spiritual, Physical and Material Passions… Gluttony: “On that clamorous mistress, the stomach”
Scriptures on Gluttony
Philippians 3:19 - Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.) Proverbs 23:21 - For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags. Deuteronomy 21:20 - And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard. Psalms 78:18 - And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Romans 13:14 - But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. Proverbs 23:20 - Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: Galatians 5:16- [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh 1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Your spirit man, just as the physical, hungers… But question is what are you feeding him??
At gluttony's root is a lack of self-control, and our self-discipline is tested every time when we are as is says in James 1:14,"Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." The responsibility for our actions is upon each of us individually.Verse 15 continues, "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." This is the process that leads to gluttony—and to death.
Gluttony adversely affects our character in all areas of self-control, exhausting us of perseverance for good and draining us of resistance to evil. Speaking from firsthand experience, Solomon warns, "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food"(Proverbs 23:1-3). A person given to appetite has little or no willpower to resist his excessive cravings; he will do anything for the object of his excessive desire.
Gluttony is hypocrisy of the stomach. Filled, it moans about scarcity (being scarce, inadequate supply); stuffed, and crammed, it wails about its hunger. Gluttony thinks up seasonings, creates sweet recipes. Stop up one urge and another bursts out; stop that one and you unleash yet another. Gluttony has a deceptive appearance: it eats moderately but wants to gobble everything at the same time. A stuffed belly produces fornication, while a mortified stomach leads to purity. The man who pets a lion may tame it but the man who coddles the body makes it ravenous.
The thoughts and behaviors of the gluttonous are described, as well as the self-deceit that accompanies this vice. The gluttonous monk celebrates on Saturdays and Sundays. He counts the days to Easter, and for days in advance he gets the food ready. The slave of the belly ponders the menu with which to celebrate the feast. The servant of God, however, thinks of the graces that may enrich him.
If a visitor calls, then the slave of gluttony engages in charitable acts - but for the reasons associated with his love of food. He thinks that by allowing relaxations for himself, he is bringing consolation to his brother. He thinks that the duties of hospitality entitle him to help himself to some wine, so that while apparently hiding his virtuous love of temperance, he is actually turning into a slave of intemperance.
We must constantly cultivate temperance while we have the strength, not letting up on our discipline.
As long as the flesh is in full vigor, we should everywhere and at all times cultivate temperance, and when it has be tamed - something I doubt can happen this side of the grave - we should hide our achievement.
I have seen elderly priests tricked by demons so that on feast days they dispensed the young men with a blessing, though they were not in their charge, from abstinence from wine and so on. Now if priests giving such permission are quite clearly holy men, we may indulge. But within limits. If such priests tend to be careless, then we should ignore the permission they give, and we should do so especially if we are in the thick of the fight against the flesh.
Our temperance must be sensible and prudent. We must know what kind of food to eat and when to eat it. John also warns us that we must guard against the demon who suggest that we should modify our fast or extend it. When our soul wants different foods, it is looking for what is proper to its nature. Hence, we have to be very cunning in the way we deal with this most skillful opponent. Unless we are caught up in some crisis or unless we happen to be doing penance for some particular failings, what we ought to do is to deny ourselves fattening foods, then foods that warm us up, then whatever happens to make our food especially pleasant. Give yourself food that is satisfying and easily digestible, thereby counteracting endless hunger by giving yourself plenty. In this way we may be freed from too great a longing for food as though from a plague by rapid evacuation. And we should note too that most food that inflates the stomach also encourages desire.
Be sure to laugh at the demon who, when supper is over, says that in the future you should eat later, for you may be sure that at the ninth hour he will change the arrangements made on the previous day.
We are all familiar enough with the urges of gluttony. But perhaps we have not stopped to fully consider the spiritual dangers of gluttony. This is something St. John spends a great deal of time discussing. His analysis is very helpful, for he opens up to us the interconnectedness of the spiritual life. St. John expresses the teaching of the Fathers in this way: "the belly is the cause of all human shipwreck."
Why? For two reasons: first, a gluttonous lifestyle feeds the passions which are inherent in man. Unrestrained eating habits spill over into an unrestrained lifestyle. The reason for this is clear: "Gluttony is the prince of the passions."
St. John gives several examples. If you struggle with unclean thoughts, remember: "The mind of someone intemperate (excessive, not temperate, too much) is filled with unclean longings." If you struggle with talking too much, remember: "The tongue flourishes where food is abundant." If you struggle with a lack of repentance, remember: "A full stomach dries up one's weeping." If you struggle with sexual sin, remember: "The man who looks after his belly and at the same time hopes to control the passion of fornication is like someone trying to put out a fire with oil."Of course, these are just a few examples of many. The point which St. John is making may be summarized as follows. The passions with which you struggle are energized by your gluttonous habits. Gluttony feeds your passions. Fasting takes away their nourishment.
Fasting strengthens prayer, calms one's thoughts, makes one more docile and puts a curb on talkativeness; whereas Gluttony dries up the tears of compunction and encourages the spirit of fornication.
A fasting man prays austerely, but the mind of someone intemperate is filled up with unclean imaginings. A full stomach dries up one's weeping, whereas the shrivelled stomach produces these tears. And the man who looks after his belly and at the same time hopes to control the spirit of fornication is like someone trying to put out a fire with oil.
The nature of the spiritual life is that all passions are interconnected. We cannot allow one passion to be unrestrained. This is especially true with gluttony. If we are gluttonous, we will be overwhelmed by other passions as well (like trying to put out a fire with oil). And what is true in a negative way is also true in a positive way. If we struggle with gluttony and gain some victory, we also gain victory over our other passions.
Begrudge the stomach and your heart will be humbled; please the stomach and your mind will turn proud. And if you watch yourself early in the morning, at midday, and in the hour before dinner, you will discover the value of fasting, for in the morning your thoughts are lively, by the sixth hour they have grown quieter and by sundown they are finally calm. If you can begrudge the stomach your mouth will stay closed, because the tongue flourishes where food is abundant. Fight as hard as you can against the stomach and let your vigilance hold it in. Mark the effort, however little, and the Lord will quickly come to help you.
But gluttony is not only dangerous because it unleashes our passions. The Fathers also teach that gluttony is dangerous because the demon of gluttony is the front man for other more dangerous demons.
How the demon of fornication pursues the gluttonous man "You should remember,"counsels St. John, "that frequently a demon can take up residence in your belly and keep a man from being satisfied, even after having devoured the whole of Egypt and after having drunk all of the Nile. After we have eaten, this demon goes off and sends the spirit of fornication against us, saying: `Get him now! Go after him. When his stomach is full, he will not put up much of a fight.' Laughing the spirit of fornication, that ally of the stomach's demon, comes, bind us hand and foot in sleep, does anything he wants with us . . .
How seldom do we consider this when we are moved to eat!! We have been taught to believe everything our body tells us about its needs and desires. Our modern “evolutionary” world has taught us that the body is pure and can experience no evil desires. We assume this to be the case, not knowing that very often the body’s desires are demonic desires. We have been taught to pamper our bodies and submit to their every demand. Very few of us, however, question what spirit may be behind these desires.
In these paragraphs, Climacus touches upon the mystery of the human person, the relationship between body and spirit and how the body is both enemy and friend. It is a subject he will explore in greater detail in Step 15, On Chastity. The path of true temperance is straight and narrow, John tells us, and we must keep to it, always remembering our destiny and what Christ suffered for us. Attend and you will hear Him who says: Spacious and broad is the way (of gluttony) that leads to perdition of fornication, and many there are who go in by it: because narrow is the gate and hard is the way (of fasting) that leads to the life of purity, and few there are that go in by it (Matthew 7:13-14).
Fasting described: what it fosters and helps to conquer.
To fast is to do violence to nature. It is to do away with whatever pleases the palate. Fasting ends lust, roots out bad thoughts, frees one from evil dreams. Fasting makes for purity of prayer, an enlightened soul, a watchful mind, a deliverance from blindness. Fasting is the door of compunction, humble sighing, joyful contrition, and end to chatter, an occasion for silence, a custodian of obedience, a lightening of sleep, health of the body, an agent of dispassion, a remission of sins, the gate, indeed, the delight of Paradise.
John reveals a great deal about the nature of gluttony when he allows her to speak:
Listen to Gluttony describe herself, her children and her enemies. Let us put a question to this enemy of ours, this architect of our misfortunes, this gateway of passion, this guide to every uncleanness. Let us ask her from whom she is born, who her children are, what enemy there is to crush her, who finally brings her low. Let us ask this bane of all men, this purchaser of everything with the gold coin of greed: "How did you gain access to us? To what does your coming lead?
Angered by such abuse, raging and foaming, Gluttony answers us: "Why are you complaining, you who are my servants? How is it that you are trying to get away from me? Nature has bound me to you. The door for me is what food actually is, its character and quality. The reason for my being insatiable is habit. Unbroken habit, dullness of soul, and the failure to remember death are the roots of my passion. And how is it that you are looking for the names of my offspring? For if I were to count them, their number would be greater than the total of the grains of sand. Still, you may learn at least the names of my firstborn and beloved children. My firstborn son is the servant of Fornication, the second is Hardness of Heart, and the third is Sleepiness. From me flow a sea of Dirty thoughts, waves of Filth, floods of unknown and unspeakable Impurities. My daughters are Laziness, Talkativeness, Breezy Familiarity, Jesting, Facetiousness, Contradiction, Stubbornness, Contempt, Disobedience, Stolidity of Mind, Captivity, Boastfulness, Audacity, Love of Worldly Things, followed by Impure Prayer, Distracted Thoughts, and sudden and often unexpected Catastrophes, with which is linked that most evil of all my daughters, namely, Despair. The thought of past failings is an obstacle to me, but hardly overcomes me. The thought of death is my enemy always, but nothing human can really wipe me out. He who has received the Paraclete prays to Him against me; and the Paraclete, when entreated, does not allow me to act passionately. But those who have never tasted Him inevitably seek pleasure in my sweetness."
Victory over this vice is a brave one . . He who is able to achieve it should hasten towards dispassion and total chastity.
Despondency or Sloth can entail different vices. While sloth is sometimes defined as physical laziness, spiritual laziness is emphasized. Failing to develop spiritually is key to becoming guilty of sloth. In the Christian faith, sloth rejects grace and God.
Sloth has also been defined as a failure to do things that one should do. By this definition, evil exists when good men fail to act.
Over time, the "acedia" in Pope Gregory's order has come to be closer in meaning to sloth. The focus came to be on the consequences of acedia rather than the cause, and so, by the 17th century, the exact deadly sin referred to was believed to be the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts.
Scripture on Despondency:
…so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow... 2 Corinthians 2:7 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 "In the morning you shall say, `Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, `Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread..”Deuteronomy 28:67
St. John explains "tedium of the spirit" in this way: "Tedium is a paralysis of the soul, a slackness of the mind, a neglect of religious exercises, a hostility to vows taken. It is an approval of things worldly." The word for despondency in the Greek is "akidia" and it indicates a listlessness or torpor. The best English word that could be used to explain this is the word "BOREDOM," because something has become “tedious,” or perhaps we could even use the word "DISTRACTION." Very often, it begins with a loss of a sense of purpose and ends in despair and spiritual death. St.
John gives numerous examples which are sure to strike home to us.
In our day and age, this demon is very much at work. How often does he confuse us with the suggestion that our spiritual labors are in vain!? How often does he suggest to us that our efforts are accomplishing no good result? How often does he point out to us many others who seem to be "gaining ground" without laboring as hard as we are? How often does he suggest that we shouldn't take the spiritual life quite seriously? How often does he remind us of our failures and suggest that perhaps we are wasting our time in pursuing the spiritual life? How often does he weigh our hearts down with earthly cares and thoughts even in the midst of our prayers? How often does he encourage us to take a day off, to sleep in and skip our prayers, to take a spiritual vacation? How often does the demon of boredom confuse our thoughts so that we forget what the goal is and how we are to achieve it?
How do we battle such a powerful demon? St. John suggest two things: Perseverance in the course taken and cooperation with others who are struggling. The only way to beat boredom is to labor through it. Once we have been started on a certain path of prayer and struggle, we must keep on keeping on without allowing ourselves to be distracted. Furthermore, we beat boredom by reminding ourselves of what others have done and are doing. Tedium is rebuffed by the common life and by the constant remembrance of the lives of the saints. Knowing that we are not alone, gives us the encouragement and motivation to persevere when we feel like quitting.
1-2 Despondency defined: its causes and qualities.
As we have already frequently said, this—we mean despondency—is very often one of the branches of talkativeness, and its first child. And so we have given it its appropriate place in this chain of vices. Despondency is a slackness of soul, a weakening of the mind, neglect of asceticism, hatred of the vow made. It is the blessing of worldlings. It accuses God of being merciless and without love for men. It is being languid (having no inclination to exert oneself, lazy) in singing psalms, weak in prayer, stubbornly bent on service, resolute in manual labour, indifferent in obedience.
Tedium is a paralysis of the soul, a slackness of the mind, a neglect of religious exercises, a hostility to vows taken. It is an approval of worldly things. It is a voice claiming that God has no mercy and no love for men. It is a laziness in the singing of the psalms, a weakness in prayer, a stubborn urge for service, a dedication to the work of the hands, an indifference to the requirement of obedience. An obedient person does not know such tedium, for he has used the things of the senses to reach the level of the spirit.
3 A person under obedience does not know despondency, having achieved spiritual things by means of sensory things.
4 The time of day when this when the demon of despondency shows itself and is most powerful. Community life is opposed to despondency. But she is a constant companion of the hermit. She will never leave him till his death, and wrestles with him daily till his end. Seeing an anchorite’s cell, she smiles, and creeps up and camps near by.
Tedium is rebuffed by community life, but she is a constant companion of the hermit, living with him until the day of his death, struggling with him until the very end. She smiles at the sight of a hermit's cell and comes creeping up to live nearby. She taps him on the shoulder while he is in prayer or study.
5 How this demon uses every means to lead a monk away from solitude, silence and prayer. A doctor visits the sick in the morning, but despondeny (tedium) visits ascetics(hermit) about noonday (Known as the “Noonday Demon” also known as depression, despondency, despair, distractions …boredom)..
Tedium reminds those at prayer of some job to be done, and in her brutish way she searches out any plausible excuse to drag us from prayer, as though with some kind of halter.
6-9 How it shows its itself and works on a monk at different times of the day.
Despondency is a pretext for hospitality. She insists that by means of manual labour, alms could be given; and she urges us eagerly to visit the sick, recalling Him who said, I was sick and you visited Me. She puts it into our heads to go out visiting the dejected and faint-hearted, and sets one faintheart to comfort another.
She reminds those standing at prayer of necessary duties. And, brutish as she is, she leaves no stone unturned to find some plausible pretext to drag us from prayer as with a kind of halter.
At the third hour the demon of despondency produces shivering, headache, and even colic. At the ninth hour the sick man gathers his strength. And when the table is laid he jumps out of bed. But the hour of prayer has come; again the body is weighed down. He had begun to pray, but it steeps him in sleep, and tears his response to shreds with untimely yawns.
Each of the other passions is destroyed by some particular virtue. But despondency for the monk is a general death.
At the third hour, the devil of tedium causes shivering, headache, and vertigo. By the ninth hour, the patient has recovered his strength, and when dinner is ready, he jumps out of bed. But now when the time for prayer comes, his body begins to languish once more. He begins his prayers, but the tedium makes him sleepy and the verses of the psalms are snatched from his mouth by untimely yawns.
10-11 Why despondency is the gravest of the eight deadly sins.
A courageous soul resurrects his dying mind, but despondency and sloth squander all his riches. Since despondency is one of the eight capital vices, and moreover the gravest, let us deal with it just as we have dealt with the others; but let us only add this. When there is no psalmody, then despondency does not make its appearance. And as soon as the appointed Office is finished, the eyes open.
Tedium is a kind of total death for the monk. A brave soul can stir up his dying mind, but tedium and laziness scatter every one of his treasures. Tedium is one of the eight deadly vices, and indeed the gravest of them all.
12-13 The great spiritual gain that comes from fighting against it.
Spiritual heroes come to light at the time of despondency, for nothing procures so many crowns for a monk as the battle with despondency.
Observe, and you will find that if you stand on your feet despondency will battle with you. If you sit, it will suggest that it is better for you to lean back; and it urges you to lean against the wall of the cell; then it persuades you to peep out of the window, by producing noises and footsteps.
The real men of spirit can be seen at the time when tedium strikes, for nothing gains so many crowns for a monk as the struggle against this. Note how tedium hits you when you are standing, and if you sit down, it suggests that it would be a good thing to lean back. It suggest that you prop yourself up against the walls of your cell. It produces noise and footsteps - and there you go peeping out the window.
14-16 The means by which it is prevented and overcome. John reveals its many sources and offspring and how they may be mastered.
He who mourns over himself does not know despondency. Let this tyrant be bound by the remembrance of your sins. Let us buffet him by manual labour. He should be brought into court by the thought of blessings to come. And when brought as before a tribunal let him be duly questioned:
‘Tell me, you nerveless, shuffling fellow, who viciously spawned you? Who are your offspring? Who are your foes? Who is your destroyer?’ And despondency, under compulsion, may be thought to reply: ‘Among those who are truly obedient I have nowhere to lay my head; but with those amongst whom I have a place for myself, I live quietly. I have many mothers: sometimes insensibility of soul, sometimes forgetfulness of the things above, sometimes excessive troubles. My offspring who abide with me are: changing from place to place, disobedience to one’s spiritual father, forgetfulness of the judgement, and sometimes breach of the vow. And my opponents, by whom I am now bound, are psalmody and manual labour. My enemy is the thought of death. What completely mortifies me is prayer with firm hope of future blessings. And who gave birth to prayer? Ask her.’
The man who mourns for himself does not suffer from tedium. This tyrant should be overcome by the remembrance of past sins, battered by hard manual labor and brought to book by the thought of the blessings to come. And when led before the tribunal, let these be questions put to him: "You there! You crass and sluggish creature, what was it that evilly begot the likes of you? Who are your children? Who are your enemies? Who can destroy you?" And tedium may be constrained to reply: "I cannot lay my head among those who are truly obedient, and I live quietly where I may. I have many mothers - - Stolidity of Soul, Forgetfulness of the Things of Heaven, or, sometimes, Too Heavy a Burden of Troubles. My children who live with me are Changing from Place to Place, Disobedience to One's Superior, Forgetfulness of the Judgment to Come, and sometimes, the Abandonment of One's Vocation. The singing of psalms and manual labor are my opponents by whom I am now bound. My enemy is the thought of death, but what really slays me is prayer backed by a firm hope in the blessings of the future.
This is the thirteenth victory. He who has won it is really outstanding in all virtue.
If we pursue the spiritual life long enough, eventually we struggle with despondency. This is that vice which calls us to end the spiritual struggle because it feels like we are making no progress and it is of no benefit. We all know this condition. We have all seen it and experienced it before. First comes difficulty in prayer and spiritual reading. We grow discouraged in our efforts and slowly we give in to the temptation to slacken our efforts. If we continue in this way for too long, soon we will have wasted all that we have attained. Despondency will find for us any excuse to avoid the discomfort of spiritual work. All too easily we sleep in instead of rising to pray and meditate. We choose to watch TV or go to a movie rather than spend time reading and reflecting. Slowly we allow our lives to be filled with numerous distractions. We grow in love of possessions and our own selfish desires.
St. John comments that each of the passions can be defeated by a specific virtue, but that despondency is a general death which we must defeat by using all the practices, skills and virtues we have learned so far on the Ladder. Do not expect that by doing nothing God will grant you the desire to continue the journey. You cannot wait for some miraculous and divine intervention. You must at the very least pray continually for the desire to continue the journey and the struggle, if nothing else. These times of despondency are perhaps the most crucial test of your resolve and your desire for union with God. It is up to you to push through these times with renewed effort. It is only when we are obedient when we don’t feel like being obedient that we begin to experience the life of submission and humility that is the path to God.
Throughout the Ladder John Climacus discusses the logical progression from one vice to another. And so it is with the vice of falsehood. It arises out of undisciplined chatter, talkativeness and foolery. Falsehood, or lying, John states, is the destroyer of charity and perjury is the denial of God himself. Thus, he tells us, we must not be fooled into thinking that lying is a minor offense. In reality, it is a sin "above all others."
The effects of one who lies are not restricted to himself, but have the consequence of leading others into sin. Through their ability to deceive, and provoke laughter in doing so, they often distract others from their spiritual pursuits and dry up their tears of contrition. Therefore, John argues that we should seek to separate ourselves from such people, or, when appropriate and helpful, to offer fraternal correction with charity.
To combat such a vice we must foster a genuine fear of the Lord and the judgement He will bring. A strong and well-formed conscience will serve us well in this task. Likewise, true compunction will aid us in this struggle. Sorrow for one's sins will destroy this vice. Compunction is by definition, a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain
What Scripture says:
Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. (Leviticus 19:11) No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. (Psalm 101:7) The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. (Proverbs 12:22) Better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22) He whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. (Proverbs 17:20)
1. The offspring of flint and steel is fire; and the offspring of chatter and joking is lying.
2. A lie is the destruction of love, and perjury is a denial of God.
My observation is that we have become desensitized to lying. No longer do our consciences bother us when we are less than honest. Worse yet, we often justify our lying and excuse it as being “necessary.”
3. Let no one with right principles suppose that the sin of lying is a small matter, for the All-Holy Spirit pronounced the most awful sentence of all against it above all sins. If Thou wilt destroy all who tell lies, as David says to God, what will they suffer who stitch an oath on to a lie?(Psalm 5:7)
Why is desensitization to truth so spiritually dangerous? The key issue is our hearts. Every time we lie, shading or stretching the truth, our hearts become spiritually confused. It divides our hearts and makes us unstable, unsteady, and if we continue we become internally disconnected from the truth. Where we are no longer able to know the difference between truth and lies, we blur our ability to apprehend the truth.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). God is the author of Truth because He is Truth. Satan is, according to the Scriptures, the father of lies (John 8:44).The more we tell the truth, the more pure our hearts become, and the more surely and intimately do we know God. I said “know God” not “know about God.” We are told only the pure in heart are allowed to see God (Matt 5:8).
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4)
Without clean hands and a pure heart, without complete dedication to the true God, without honesty and habitual truth-telling, we cannot ascend to or stand in His presence. As like seeks like, if our hearts are used to falsehood, we will seek the presence of satan and avoid the presence of God. But, if our hearts are accustomed to Truth, we will flee from the presence of satan and pursue the presence of God.
This is why God led Adam and Eve out of the Garden, to protect them from His purity and the absolute splendor of His divinity. All of the Old Testament ceremonial regulations had this as their goal, to protect the people of God from premature contact with the splendor of His divinity. Remember what happened to Uzzah when he touched the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Again, when we are unpure, we cannot stand in His presence.
By truth, and habitually telling the truth, we are made pure. Think why it was necessary for God to find a pure human being before He could come in the flesh. Think and marvel for a second, the fact that her womb, Mary’s womb, contained the fire of His divinity without being consumed by it. She received the truth of the angel’s word, and conceived the Truth within her womb. By the truth we are made pure in heart. To experience full joy, we must prepare ourselves by sanctifying our souls and become pure in heart.
4. I have seen some who, priding themselves on their skill in lying, and exciting laughter by their jests and twaddle, have pitiably destroyed in their hearers the habit of mourning.
Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" (Proverbs 26:18-19)
5. When the demons see that in the very beginning we intend to keep aloof from the witty lecture of a coarse leader, as from an infectious disease, then they try to catch us by two thoughts, suggesting to us: ‘Do not offend the story-teller,’ or: ‘Do not appear to love God more than they do.’ Be off! Do not dally, otherwise at the time of your prayer the jokes will recur to your mind. And not only run, but even piously disconcert the bad company by offering for their general attention the thought of death and judgment. For perhaps it is better for you to be sprinkled with a few drops of vainglory, if only you can become a channel of profit for many.
(Translation) But when the demons observe that we stay clear of the sallies of some outstanding wit, as though we were avoiding the plague, they try to catch us with two seemingly plausible thoughts, namely that we should not be offensive to the person telling the witty story and we should not give the appearance of loving God more than he does. Be off! Do not dawdle! Otherwise the jokes will start coming back to you when you are at prayer. But do not simply run away. Break up the bad company in a devout way by setting before them the thought of death and judgment . .
Some lies mask themselves as prudence and as serving the good. Admittedly, John states, there may be some circumstances when one may resort to concealing the truth, but only when there is no desire to do such a thing and when compelled by fear or necessity. True innocence, however, knows nothing of this vice.
By his mention of vainglory, this is the moment when we know the truth will fix the problem, but we would rather not the fight it may cause, we keep silence. Remember, vainglory is all about us. For this moment though, we decide not to enter into the ordeal. But remember, by vainglory, the ordeal in truth keeps going on like an endless habit or cycle.
6. Hypocrisy is the mother of lying and often its purpose. For some define hypocrisy as no other than meditation on falsehood, and an inventor of falsehood which has a reprehensible oath twisted up with it.
7. He who has obtained the fear of the Lord has forsaken lying, having within himself an incorruptible judge—his own conscience.
8. We notice various degrees of harm in all the passions, and this is certainly the case with lying. There is one judgment for him who lies through fear of punishment, and another for him who lies when no danger is at hand.
9. One lies for sheer wantonness, another for amusement; one, to make the bystanders laugh; and another, to trap his brother and do him injury.
10. Lying is wiped out by the tortures of superiors; but it is finally destroyed by an abundance of tears.
Magistrates can root out lying with tortures, though it is an abundance of tears that truly destroys it
11. He who gives way to lying does so under the pretext of care for others and often regards the destruction of his soul as an act of charity. The inventor of lies makes out that he is an imitator of Rahab (Joshua 2), and says that by his own destruction he is effecting the salvation of others.
A man may lie on the grounds of prudence, and indeed regards as an act of righteousness the actual destruction of his own soul. The inventor of lies declares that he is following the example of Rahab and maintains that his own destruction is the cause of salvation for others.
12. When we are completely cleansed of lying, then we can resort to it, but only with fear and as occasion demands.
13. A babe knows nothing of lying; neither does a soul that is stripped of evil.
A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil. A soul that is cleansed of evil only know the truth. And therefore only can speak truth.
14. He who has become merry with wine involuntarily speaks the truth on all subjects, and he who is drunk with compunction cannot lie.
One who is honest with himself will be honest with others. Truth, John concludes, is the root of all blessings. The more we tell the truth the more pure our hearts become and the more surely and intimately do we know God. "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit" (1 Peter 3:10).
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. (Psalm 34:12-13)
The twelfth step. He who has mounted it has obtained the root of all blessings.
1In the preceding chapter we spoke briefly of how extremely dangerous it is to judge others and of how this vice steals into even the most apparently spiritual people; and how it is better to subject oneself to condemnation and punishment by the tongue. Now we must show the cause of this vice, and give a proper account of the door by which it enters, or rather, goes out.
What is the cause of slander? It is quite simply that we exercise very little (if any) control over our tongues. In short, we talk too much. Saint Faustina sees talkativeness as the biggest hindrance to interior silence and listening to God.
2 Talkativeness is the throne of vainglory on which it loves to show itself and make a display. Talkativeness is a sign of ignorance, a door to slander, a guide to jesting, a servant of falsehood, the ruin of compunction, a creator of despondency, a precursor of sleep, the dissipation of recollection, the abolition of watchfulness, the cooling of ardour, the darkening of prayer.
On the other hand, silence brings with it great spiritual benefit.
Ecclesiates 3:7 There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
3 Deliberate (Intelligent) silence is the mother of prayer, a recall from captivity, preservation of fire, a supervisor of thoughts, a watch against enemies, a prison of mourning, a friend of tears, effective remembrance of death, a depicter of punishment, a meddler with judgment, an aid to anguish, an enemy of freedom of speech, a companion of quiet, an opponent of desire to teach, increase of knowledge, a creator of contemplation, unseen progress, secret ascent.
Our talkativeness, John argues, imperils our souls, and through it we reveal our vainglorious nature. Rather than expressing our holiness or wisdom, talkativeness in reality reveals a host of different vices. It is "a sign of ignorance, a doorway to slander, a leader of jesting, a servant of lies, a ruin of compunction, a summoner of despondency, a messenger of sleep, a dissipation of recollection, the end of vigilance, a cooling of zeal, the darkening of prayer." We can see from this list that vocalizing all of our thoughts can lead us to great sin and reveal our ignorance of what is truly valuable.
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak… (James 1:19)
****Extra Note***
“Nothing is better for rendering the heart penitent and the soul humble that wise solitude and complete silence. Nothing has a greater power of disturbing the state of silence, and of depriving it of God’s help. Than the following principal passions: presumptuousness, gluttony, talkativeness and vain cares, arrogance and the mistress of all passions….. self-regard. Whoever readily permits himself to acquire the habit of these passions will become, in the course of time, more and more shrouded in darkness, until finally he is completely deadened….. The soul is often filled with diabolical confusion and turmoil and becomes another Babel, so that “the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matthew 7:45).Then the man turns into a violent enemy and defamer of those who practice silence, always sharpening his tongue against them, like a razor or a double-edged sword.” (St. Gregory of Sinai.. “Texts on Commandments and Dogmas” Philokalia On Prayer of the Heart)
As spiritual sojourners we are called to the discipline of what John calls intelligent silence. Such silence creates the opposing virtues to the vices arising from talkativeness.
To ascend to God we must be silent!! For many it is hard to implement these words of wisdom. As a society we are very uncomfortable with silence. We fear silence, and we surround ourselves with noise. We are afraid of what silence brings. Silence makes us pay attention to ourselves. It reveals to us the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We are externally directed people, taking our cues from the outside. To face what is truly inside, to stop listening to others, to escape the distraction of external noise, to stop talking and to be silent is a fearful proposition.
We must come to grips with who we are. And we must be quiet if we are going to hear God’s directions.
If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom (Job 13:5 NIV)
5 The friend of silence draws near to God, and by secretly conversing with Him, is enlightened by God.
We should be lovers of silence, John tells us, for in it we draw close to God and remember his great mercy to us.
6 The silence of Jesus put Pilate to shame, and by a man’s stillness vainglory is vanquished.
No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8)
We often talk too much because we are undisciplined, lazy people. The tongue is a member of the body, like the rest, and therefore needs to be trained in its habits.
Talkativeness is to the mouth what gluttony is to the belly. We are lazy people who give in to our passions. We are undisciplined and do not exercise control over our bodily members. How often do we think before we speak?
Briefly, possible causes of talkativeness. First, through leading a relaxed lifestyle we give free reign to our tongue. Like any other member of our body, John states, our tongue requires discipline and often of the most severe sort.
7Peter, having said a word, lamented it bitterly, because he forgot him who said: ‘I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue,” (Psalm 38:1) and the other who said: ‘A fall from a height to the ground is better than a slip with the tongue.’ The tongue does the greatest evil to men. (Elder Ephraim of Philotheou Mount Athos, "Counsels from the Holy Mountain")
Second thought, talkativeness comes from vainglory. As often happens to those involved in spiritual or intellectual athleticism, there is a tendency to become puffed up through individual achievements or gifts.
We often talk too much because we are proud. We usually talk because, for us, what we have to say is important. We share our opinions because we think they are right. Sometimes we are quick to share our opinions about everything and everyone, before even thinking a situation over. Thus, again, So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak… (James 1:19)
Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle. A talkative soul will never attain sanctity. The sword of silence will cut off everything that would like to cling to the soul. We are sensitive to words and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it is God's will that we should speak. A silent soul is strong; no adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is capable of attaining close union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance… St. Faustina
8 I do not wish to write much about this, even though the wiles of the passions urge me to do so. But I once heard from someone who asked me about silence that talkativeness is in variably born of one of the following causes: either from a bad, lax environment and habit (for the tongue, said he, being a member of the body, like the rest of the members, requires the training of habit), or again, in the case of ascetics, garrulity (talking much about unimportant things) comes especially from vainglory, and sometimes also from gluttony. That is why many who bridle the stomach by force afterwards easily check the tongue and its chatter.
Another thought, gluttony, if not restrained, will give way to chattering. The reason in this, is because of “passion.” Through our “passions” we speak more than disciplining the passion. Through keeping a strict rule over our stomachs it would seem that our tongue loses its strength. Sometimes this “gluttony” is a hunger for recognition, a hunger to be considered wise in thoughts, when we are too quick with our opinions. The Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and garrulous. He speaks by His quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected, to a soul that knows how to keep silence.
9 He who is anxious about his departure, cuts down words; and he who has obtained spiritual mourning, shuns talkativeness like fire.
10He who has come to love silence shuts his mouth, but he who delights in wandering about outside is driven out of his cell by his passion.
11 He who knows the fragrance of the Fire from on high, runs from a concourse of men like a bee from smoke; for the bee is routed by smoke, whereas man is hampered by company.
12 Few can hold water without a sluice; still fewer can tame an intemperate mouth.
This word “intemperate” means having or showing a lack of self-control; immoderate. Some call it “running off at the mouth.” Also it is known as “Drip dirty mouth.” Pointless or harmful speaking..
As Thumper’s mother in the movie Bambi reasoned: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
The eleventh step. He who has mastered it has cut off at one blow a multitude of evils.
Proverbs 10:18 ESV The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
Psalm 101:5 ESV Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
Proverbs 16:28 ESV A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
1 Peter 2:1 ESV So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
John labels the tenth step On Slander. His introduction explains the connection with the steps which went before:
1 I imagine that no one with any sense would dispute that slander is the child of hatred and remembrance of wrongs. 2 Slander is the offspring of hatred, a subtle yet coarse disease, a leech lurking unfelt, wasting and draining the blood of charity.
We are all aware of the nature of slander. To slander someone is to speak evil of them behind their backs; it is to criticize them and to malign them to others. Slander, he points out, is covered by “pious” intentions…
4 I have rebuked people who were engaged in slander, and, in self-defense, these evildoers claimed to be acting out of love and concern for the victim of their slander.
For St. John, it is spiritually dangerous for two reasons.
First, it is hypocritical… It puts on the appearance of love and is the ambassador of an unholy and unclean heart.
Very often when we slander others we practice the worst kind of deceit. The person whom we are slandering knows nothing of our dislike or disagreement. We say nothing to them. Yet, when they are not around, we speak of them negatively to others. This is duplicity. Putting others down can also be a way that we "build" ourselves up. It makes us look good (pious, intelligent, etc.) to be able to point out the bad in someone else. It often puts us into the good graces of others when we join them in their slander.
Notice how we use others for our own gain when we act this way. Our concern is not for them (we would speak to them first if it was), nor is our concern for the safety of the ones to whom we speak . . . Our concern is for ourselves. We look good at the expense of someone else. How far have we strayed from the path of divine love and self-sacrifice. The Bible says:"Love covers a multitude of sins."(1 Peter 4:8)…True love covers the “nakedness” of sin… We, with a malicious spirit, often delight in exposing the mistakes and weaknesses of others. The worst part of this is that we most often do this with regard to pious and holy things. With our tongue,
“….we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude (image) of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, those things ought not to be so” (James 3:9-10).
16 A good grape picker chooses to eat ripe grapes and does not pluck what is unripe. A charitable and sensible mind takes careful note of the virtues it observes in another, while a fool goes looking for faults and defects…
Secondly, St. John condemns slander because of the attitude which lies behind it. Slander is the fruit of a judgmental spirit. The Apostle James identifies the connection: "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?" (James 4:11-12).
When we judge others we make ourselves equal to God. In so doing, we invite His strict judgment. When we refuse to judge others, we make ourselves His inferiors. In this position, we invite His mercy and compassion. We make no claims for ourselves, but confess ourselves to be equal to the greatest of sinners. In this position we emerge as victorious.
To encourage us to refrain from judging others, John points out how very often our judgments are incorrect. Do not condemn. Not even if your very eyes are seeing something, for they may be deceived.
Given the finitude of our minds and knowledge, we see all things not as they are in fulfillment, but as they are in process. And things in process often look very different than they do in fulfillment. Some of the world’s greatest masterpieces looked very ugly halfway through! This is why we are ALL works in process.
4 Do not start passing judgment on the offender – Judas was one of the company of Christ’s disciples and the robber was in the company of killers. Yet what a turn-about there was when the decisive moment arrived!!
We do not know the end to which a person may come and we certainly cannot read their hearts. Jesus then answered, "That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him." So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.…(John 13:26-28)
6 I knew a man who sinned openly but repented in secret. I denounced him for being lecherous (having or showing an excessive or disgusting interest in sex) but he was chaste in the eyes of God, having propitiated (gaining favor, for something that had been wrong) him by a genuine conversion.
Only God knows the heart of man. In fact, when we judge others, we often condemn those who have already repented and been forgiven by God. We oppose God's mercy with our own justice.
“Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
14 To pass judgment is to usurp shamelessly a prerogative of God, and to condemn is to ruin one’s soul.
9 So listen to me, all you accountants of other people’s faults, listen well; for… whatever sin of body or spirit we ascribe to our neighbor we will surely fall into ourselves.
A judgmental spirit also carries with it a spiritual boomerang. "Those who pass speedy and harsh judgment on the sins of their neighbors fall into this passion."
10 It is the murdering demons who push us into sin. If they are balked here, they get us to pass judgment on those who are sinning, thereby smearing us with the stain we are denouncing in others..
There are certain "laws" which govern the spiritual realm even as "natural laws" govern the physical. One of these is that what we judge others for we will soon be guilty of ourselves in some form or another.
For all of us who struggle with this dangerous sin, John’s advice……
7 Do not allow human respect to get in your way when you hear someone slandering his neighbor. Instead, say this to him, “Brother, stop it! I do worse things every day, so how can I criticize him?” You accomplish two things when you say this. You heal yourself and you heal your neighbor with one bandage.
17 Do not make judgments and you will travel no quicker road to the forgiveness of your sins. This is the tenth step, and he who succeeds in it has practiced love or mourning.
Step Nine On Remembrance of Wrongs “Letting the Past be Past”
ON MALICE (On Remembrance of Wrongs)
Ephesians 4:31-32Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:7-8In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Ephesians 4:26-31 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ...
The remembrance of wrongs, real or imaginary, has senseless anger for its mother. 2 Remembrance of wrongs is the consummation of anger,it is the keeper of sin (this is when we say “I will remember that” and in so doing, we never let go of the offenses done to us). It hates a just way of life, the ruin of virtues, poison of the soul, worm of the mind, shame of prayer, stopping of supplication. It is turning away from love. A nail stuck in the soul, it is a pleasure-less feeling cherished in the sweetness of bitterness. It is a never-ending sin, an unsleeping wrong, a dark and loathsome passion (hourly malice).
When we become angry, upset, and bothered by the actions of others, if we embrace that anger and claim it as our own (rather than rejecting it as belonging to the devil), if we take it into our hearts and into our souls and nourish it, feed it with our memory (which has a tendency to exaggerate what it remembers, tilting it to our favor), we have practiced what is being described here. It is practicing what is called the “broken record” syndrome: playing the hurts over and over again in our minds.
4. He who conquers anger wipes out the remembrance of wrongs, because childbirth continues only while the father is alive…. Remember, this only grows as we provide for it. By rehearsing, pursing, and nursing the remembrance.
5. A loving man banishes revenge; but a man remembering wrong stores up troublesome labor for himself.
When anger is taken into our hearts and fed by our memory, it soon pushes other things out of our hearts. The nature of anger is that it is always growing.
The man who has put a stop to anger has also wiped out remembrance of wrongs. We must learn how to immediately reject the feelings of anger and disturbance as being satan-inspired and spiritually destructive. Forgive quickly and you will be abundantly forgiven. To forget wrongs is to prove oneself truly repentant….
If we find ourselves unable to forgive the person, we must remind ourselves who is the real source of sin and destruction. To remind ourselves constantly of his ability to deceive is to remind ourselves to stay far away from his devices and stay close to the Holy Church, to listen and obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you must remember wrongs, think only of the wrongs the devil has done to you. He desires to make your life an ungrateful and treacherous friend. The more you care for it, the more it hurts you. 9 Be malicious and spiteful against the demons……..
10 Remembrance of wrongs is an interpreter of Scripture of the kind that adjusts the words of the Spirit to its own views.
Malice twists the words of Scriptures to suit itself. Malice is gone only when you do not rejoice at the misfortune of him who has offended you. To remove malice, see what your sin did to Jesus. Embrace malice and you will have no forgiveness. To forget wrongs is proof you are repentant. To remember wrongs is proof of an unrepentant soul.
In order to rid ourselves of this vice, we must purge ourselves of anger. Our greatest weapon in this task is the Lord's Prayer (The Jesus Prayer). For we cannot but be put to shame for our maliciousness when we ceaselessly cry out to God to forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
10 Let it be put to shame by the Prayer of Jesus which cannot be said with it. (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner)….
11 If after great effort you still fail to root out this thorn, go to your enemy and apologize….. Mark 11:25 (Common English Version) “And whenever you stand up to pray, if you have something against anyone, forgive so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your wrongdoings."
Hard words!! But how much harder is hell!! If in case you don’t see how these words apply to you, consider the following…
12 You will know that you have completely got rid of this rot (decay and corruption of soul) not when you pray for the person who has offended you, nor when you exchange presents with him, nor when you invite him to your table, but only when, on hearing that he has fallen into spiritual or bodily misfortune, you suffer and weep for him as for yourself.
REMEMBRANCE OF WRONGS is the offspring of anger and its culmination. It holds on to another's sin. Climacus describes it as a poison of the soul. The seriousness of this cannot be underestimated for, he states, 13"a malicious hesychast is like a lurking snake carrying about its own deadly poison." It is deadly to the soul because it makes a mockery of its prayer and stifles true love.
We may also be healed of this passion through looking to the example of Christ's long suffering and his patient endurance of the many wrongs done to him. 14 The remembrance of Jesus’ sufferings cures remembrance of wrongs……..
Reading works such as The Ladder by St. John Climacus is fruitful work for the soul during seasons of repentance. Such writings often show us far more about our hearts than we are ready to learn. The remembrance of wrongs is just one of many burdens which weigh heavily on the soul and make it impossible for it to rise above itself to anything heavenly. Such remembrance also has the capacity to weigh down everything around it.
15 Worms grow in a rotten tree, and malice finds a place in falsely meek and silent people. He who has cast it out has found forgiveness, but he who sticks to it is deprived of mercy.
On the individual level the remembrance of wrongs is a dead end. But it can be a confining memory, one whose existence grows ever smaller until we find our heart so squeezed that nothing but pain can come from it.
17 The forgetting of wrongs is a sign of true repentance. But he who dwells on them and thinks that he is repenting is like a man who thinks he is running while he is really asleep.
19 Never imagine that this dark passion is a passion of no importance, for it often reaches out even to spiritual men…. The ninth step. Let him who has reached it boldly ask the Savior Jesus for release from his sins for the future.
