Spiritual Homilies 1 part 12/36

God therefore commanded that a piece of wood be cut off and cast into the water, and thus, when the wood was thrown in, the water was sweetened, and being changed from its former bitterness, it became useful and drinkable for the people of God.

In the same way the soul has become embittered, having drunk in the venom of the serpent, and having been made like his bitter nature, becoming sinful.

Therefore God casts the tree of life into the bitter spring of the heart, and it is sweetened, being changed from its bitterness and blended together with the Holy Spirit of Christ, and thus, having become useful, it goes forward into the service of its Master;

for she becomes spirit that bears flesh.

Woe to him in whom the tree of life has not been cast into his heart, for he remains in bitterness until the end;

for not having received the tree of life, he cannot acquire any good change.

The rod of Moses bore two images: to the enemies it appeared as a serpent, biting and killing, but to the Israelites as a staff on which they leaned for support.

So also the wood of the true Moses, who is Christ, is death to the enemies—the spirits of wickedness—and is itself an enemy, but to our soul it is a staff and a secure support and life, on which she rests.

For formerly these were types and shadows of the true realities.

For the old worship is a shadow and image of the present worship.

And the tabernacle, and the circumcision, and the ark, and the jar, and the manna, and the priesthood, and the incense, and the washings, and, in a word, all things whatsoever that came to pass in Israel, or in the Law of Moses, or in the Prophets, came to pass for the sake of this soul—the soul made according to the image of God, and fallen under the yoke of slavery and under the king of bitter sin.

For with this soul God desired to have communion, and this he betrothed to himself as a bride of the King, and this he cleanses from defilement, and, washing it, he brightens it from its blackness and its shamefulness, and gives it life from deadness, and heals it from its brokenness, and makes peace with it, reconciling the enmity.

For being a creature, she has been betrothed as bride to the Son of the King, and by his own power God first receives her, transforming her together with himself, until he increases her by his own increase,

and lengthens her into boundless and immeasurable growth, until she becomes a worthy and blameless bride of his.

For first he begets her through himself and causes her to grow in himself, until she attains the perfect measure of his love.

For he, being a perfect bridegroom, takes her as a perfect bride into the holy and mystical and undefiled communion of marriage, and then she reigns together with him unto the boundless ages.

These gifts and these graces God has bestowed upon the human soul, and thus he stretches her out to an infinite breadth, until he perfects her, and then she rules over all things, having received the heavenly bridegroom.

For God has loved none of his works as he has loved man, and none of his creatures has loved God as man has loved him.

According to the Law of Moses, Aaron, having put on the holy robe and the ankle-length garment with its twelve bells, and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel inscribed upon the twelve stones, and two other precious stones upon his shoulders, entered into the Holy of Holies, performing all the priestly ministry and worship prescribed by the Law, prefiguring by this image the true priesthood of Christ.

For thus also the Lord, taking his children the apostles, some from this side and some from that, bearing their names, entered into the heavenly altar, into the Holy of Holies, within the veil, having become a forerunner on our behalf.

And the many-colored, twelve-belled ankle-length garment is the Paraclete Spirit, with which he clothed the souls of the apostles, who indeed sounded forth in all the world the gospel of the kingdom of Christ.

To him be glory unto the ages.

If anyone is naked of the divine and heavenly garment, which is the grace of the Spirit—as it has been said:

'But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his'—let him weep and beseech the Lord that he may receive the spiritual garment from heaven, that the soul, stripped bare of divine energy, may be clothed; for he who is not clothed with the garment of the Spirit is wrapped in the great shame and dishonor of the passions.

For just as, in visible matters, if anyone is naked, he is in much shame and dishonor—for friends turn away from naked friends, and genuine kinsfolk from their own; when children saw their father naked, they turned their faces away so as not to gaze upon the naked body of their father, and, going backward, covered him, and thus turned away their eyes—so also God turns away from those who are not clothed in full assurance with the garment of his Spirit, from those who are not truly clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first man himself, upon seeing himself naked, was ashamed;

so great is the dishonor that attends nakedness.

If, then, nakedness manifests such great shame in bodily matters, how much more the soul that is naked of divine power, not wearing and not clothed with the ineffable garment of the Spirit and with the Lord Jesus Christ himself in truth—how much shame and dishonor of the passions does it wear! And every one who is naked of that divine glory ought thus to be ashamed of himself and to know his own dishonor, just as Adam was bodily ashamed, being naked, and made himself a covering of fig leaves, and yet still bore the shame.

For if anyone stands only in his own righteousness, not awaiting the righteousness of God—which is the Lord, who, as it is said, became for us righteousness and sanctification and redemption—he labors in vain and to no purpose.

For all his self-conceit of righteousness will be shown, in the last day, to be as a filthy rag, as Isaiah the prophet says.

Let us therefore ask and beseech God to be clothed with the garment of salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ, the ineffable light;

Which, once souls have put it on, they shall never be stripped of unto the ages, but at the resurrection their bodies also shall be glorified by the glory of the light with which the faithful and noble and holy souls are, from now on, clothed, as the apostle says:

'He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit dwelling in you.'

And again, just as the woman with the flow of blood, believing in truth and touching the fringe of the Lord's garment, immediately obtained healing, and the flow of blood from that unclean fountain was dried up, so every soul that has the incurable wound of sin—the fountain of unclean and evil thoughts—if it comes to the Lord and, believing in truth, entreats him, obtains saving healing from the incurable fountain of the passions, and that fountain, which gushes forth unclean thoughts, is dried up and fails, through the power of Jesus Christ alone.

But it is impossible for anyone to heal this wound of the soul in any other way.

For such was the enemy's device in Adam's transgression, that he wounded and darkened the inner man, the ruling mind that beheld God.

For then the eyes were opened to evils and passions, having been shut out from the heavenly good things.

For he was wounded in such a way that it is possible for no one to heal him, save only the Lord, for whom alone this is possible.

For he himself came and took away the sin of the world, that is, he dried up the unclean fountain of the evil reasonings of the soul.

For just as, in that case, the woman with the flow of blood, having spent all she had on those who promised to heal her, found that none of them was able to cure her; but when she drew near to the Lord, believing in truth, and touched the fringe of his garment, she immediately perceived her healing and the flow of blood was stopped—so also the soul, wounded from the beginning with the incurable wound of the passions of wickedness, no one—neither of the righteous, nor of the fathers, nor of the prophets—was able to heal.

For Moses came, but he was not able to give complete healing to the soul.

Priests, gifts, tithings, sabbath-keepings, new moons, washings, sacrifices, whole burnt offerings, and all the rest of righteousness were performed under the Law, and yet the soul was not able to be healed from the unclean flow of evil thoughts, and all their righteousness was not able to cure it, until the Savior came—the true Physician who heals freely, who gave himself as a ransom for the human race.

He alone wrought the great and saving healing for the soul, and he set her free from slavery and led her out of darkness, glorifying her with his own light; he it was who dried up within her the fountain of unclean thoughts.

'Behold,' he says, 'the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.'

For the earthly remedies—that is, one's own righteous deeds alone—could not treat and heal her from so great an invisible wound; but through the heavenly and divine nature of the gift of the Holy Spirit, by this remedy alone was man able to obtain healing and to attain eternal life, cleansing the heart through the Holy Spirit.

But just as, in that case, the woman, even though she could not be healed and was wounded, nevertheless had feet to come to the Lord, and, having come, she obtained healing;

but because he could not see to come to the Lord, he sent forth instead a swifter messenger, his voice—for he cried out, saying:

For just as, if that blind man had not cried out and the woman with the flow of blood had not come to the Lord, they would not have obtained healing, so likewise, unless someone comes to the Lord of his own will and with his whole purpose, and entreats him with full assurance and faith, he does not obtain healing.

For those men, having believed, were healed at once, but we have not yet truly seen clearly, and we have not been healed of our hidden passions, even though the Lord takes far greater care for the immortal soul than for the body — which soul, if it should see clearly, would be according to him who says:

"Open my eyes" — it will no longer be blinded forever, and having been healed, it will no longer be wounded.

For if the Lord, having come, took such care for corruptible bodies upon the earth, how much more for the divine and immortal soul, made according to the image of God?

But because of our unbelief and division, and because we do not love him with our whole heart nor truly believe in him, we have not yet obtained spiritual healing and salvation.

Let us therefore believe in him and come to him in truth, that our Lord may swiftly bring about the true healing.

For he promised to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him, and to those who seek, to find, and to those who knock, to open; and he who promised is not a liar.

To him be the glory forever.

If someone in the world happens to be exceedingly rich and possesses a hidden treasure, from that treasure and wealth which he has he possesses all that he wishes, and whatever choice possessions he desires in the world he easily gathers to his treasure, being confident that through it he acquires easily and readily every possession he might wish.

So too those who have sought from God, and found, and have within them the heavenly treasure of the Spirit — Christ himself shining in their hearts — accomplish all the righteousness of the virtues and all the good acquisition of the Lord's commandments from the treasure of Christ that is within them, and through these in turn gather still greater heavenly wealth.

For through the heavenly treasure they work every virtue of righteousness, trusting in the abundance of the spiritual treasure within them, and easily they accomplish all righteousness and the commandments of the Lord through the invisible wealth of grace within them.

For thus also the apostle says:

"Having this treasure in earthen vessels" — that is, the treasure which, being in the flesh, you were counted worthy to acquire, the sanctifying power of the Spirit; and again:

"who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

He, then, who has found and has within himself this heavenly treasure of the Spirit, accomplishing all righteousness, works out in it every labor of the virtues blamelessly and purely, and thereafter without constraint and with ease.

Let us therefore also entreat the Lord, and seek him out, and beseech him, that he may graciously grant us the treasure of his Spirit within us, and that thus we may be able to conduct ourselves blamelessly and purely in all his commandments, and to fulfill all the righteousness of the Spirit purely and perfectly through the heavenly treasure, who is Christ.

And a man who is poor and naked in the world, and hungry, having nothing, can acquire nothing, since poverty holds him fast.

But for him who has a treasure, as has been said, all things are easy, and he acquires without pain and with ease whatever possessions he wishes to acquire.

So too the soul that is naked and destitute of communion with the Holy Spirit, and is under the dread poverty of sin, can do nothing, even if it wishes truly to produce the fruit of the Spirit of righteousness, before it partakes of the Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless each one must constrain himself to ask of the Lord, so that he may be counted worthy to receive and find the heavenly treasure of the Spirit, and thereafter be able to keep all the commandments of the Lord easily, readily, and without toil, and blamelessly and purely — which before, even with much straining, he was unable to accomplish.

For being poor and destitute of communion with the Holy Spirit, how could he acquire such spiritual things without spiritual treasure and wealth? But the soul that has found the Lord through seeking and faith and much patience — the true treasure — works the fruits of the Spirit, as has been said, with ease; and all righteousness and the commandments which the Lord commanded, the Spirit itself works within her and through her, purely and perfectly and blamelessly.

Or again, let us make use of another illustration.

Just as, if there is a certain rich man who makes lavish dinners, he spends from his wealth and the treasure that he has, and does not fear that anything will be lacking to him, since he has great wealth; and thus he sumptuously and splendidly delights those invited by him, providing them with various, costly, and ever-newer dishes.

But the poor man, lacking wealth, if he wishes to prepare a dinner for some, borrows everything — the very vessels and garments and other items — and thus, after those invited have dined as at a poor man's dinner, he afterward returns to each one whatever silver vessels or garments or other items he borrowed.

And thus, when all things have been returned to each one, he himself remains poor and naked, having no wealth of his own from which he can take delight.

So too those who are rich in the Holy Spirit, truly having heavenly wealth and communion of the Spirit within themselves, whenever they speak the word of truth to certain people, and whenever they share a spiritual word with certain people and wish to gladden souls, speak out of their own treasure, which they possess within themselves, and out of it they gladden the souls of those who hear the spiritual word; and they do not fear that anything will fail them, because they possess within themselves the heavenly treasure of goodness, out of which they bring forth and gladden those who are spiritually feasted.

But the poor man, who has acquired nothing of the wealth of Christ, having no spiritual wealth within his soul — the wealth that overflows with all goodness of words and works and divine thoughts and unspeakable mysteries — if he too wishes to speak the word of truth as he ought, and to gladden some by the word he has heard and by the meanings of the scriptures, in deed and power and truth, yet does not possess the word of God within himself, but only remembers it and makes use of words from each scripture, or things heard from spiritual men, and recounts and teaches them, he seems indeed to gladden others, and others do enjoy his words; but after he has finished his recounting, each word departs to its own place, whence it was taken, since he has no treasure of the Holy Spirit of his own within, from which one may bring forth and benefit and gladden others.

He himself, then, is first of all not rejoicing, nor exulting in the Spirit.

Having found in him salvation and eternal life, then we too may be able, as far as is attainable, to benefit others, bringing forth from the inward treasure of Christ all the goodness of spiritual words, and giving an account of heavenly and spiritual mysteries.

For thus the goodness of the will of the Spirit desired to dwell in everyone who believes and asks and loves him.

"For he who loves me," he says, "will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him"; and again:

"I and my Father will come, and we will make our dwelling with him."

Thus the boundless kindness of the Father willed it; thus the inconceivable love of Christ was well pleased; thus the ineffable goodness of the Holy Spirit promised it.

For those who have been counted worthy to become children of God, and have been born from above of the Holy Spirit, and have Christ within them shining and giving them rest, are led in various and different manners of the Spirit, and are invisibly governed by grace in the heart, in spiritual rest.

Let us bring forward images from the visible enjoyments in the world, partially indicating by examples the ways in which grace behaves within the soul.

There are times when they become as though at a royal banquet, rejoicing and exulting with inexpressible exultation and gladness.

At another hour they are like a bride resting together with her bridegroom in communion, in divine repose.

At other times they become as bodiless angels, being in such lightness and buoyancy even while having a body, that they do not even think they have a body.

At other times they are as though gladdened in the intoxication of drink, being made drunk in the Spirit with a divine and spiritual intoxication of spiritual mysteries.

At other times they are in weeping and lamentation, interceding on behalf of the human race, and they take up the mourning and weeping of all Adam, being inflamed by the love of the Spirit toward humanity.

At other times they are so set on fire by the Spirit with such love and exultation, that if it were possible they would gather every person into their own inward parts, without distinguishing the bad from the good.

At other times they are so humbled beneath every person in humility of spirit, that they consider themselves the very last of all and lesser than everyone.

At other times they are swallowed up in inexpressible joy by the Spirit; at other times they are like some mighty man who has taken royal armor, and who, going down into battle against enemies, fights powerfully and strongly and wins the victory — so the spiritual man takes up the heavenly weapons of the Spirit and goes down against the invisible enemies and wages war and subdues them under his feet.

At other times, in a certain deep stillness and calm and peace and rest and ineffable well-being, the soul rests in great stillness and quiet, given over solely to spiritual delight.

At other times it is made wise by grace with a certain understanding and ineffable wisdom and unsearchable knowledge of the Spirit, which cannot even be spoken by the tongue of the mouth.

At other times it becomes wholly given to the salvation of all people.

Thus grace behaves within them in various ways and leads the soul in manifold and diverse fashion, giving it rest according to its own will, and trains it in different ways, in order to restore it perfect and blameless and pure to the heavenly Father.

Now these aforementioned workings of the Spirit belong to great measures, proper to those who are near to perfection.

For the aforementioned varied restings of grace are worked in them in diverse ways, but not without interruption — one working of the Spirit succeeding another working.

Having been united in communion and commingled with the Spirit, then the soul itself will be counted worthy to become spirit, being commingled with the Spirit; then it becomes wholly light, wholly spirit, wholly joy, wholly rest, wholly exultation, wholly love, wholly compassion, wholly goodness and kindness.

And they are swallowed up into the virtues of the Holy Spirit, and just as in the depths of the sea a stone is surrounded on every side by water, so these are surrounded in every way, commingled with the Spirit, and, united with the grace of Christ, are made like unto Christ, possessing the virtues of the Spirit unchangeably within themselves, and displaying such fruits to all — inwardly blameless and spotless and pure, having been perfected through the Spirit.

How then is it possible for fruits of wickedness to come upon them from without? But always and continually the fruits of the Spirit shine forth in them.

Let us therefore also entreat the Lord, and believe with love and much hope, that he may give us his heavenly grace, the gift of the Spirit, so that the Spirit itself may govern us and lead us into all the will of God, and give us rest in the manifold variety of its rest, so that through such governance and through the training of grace and spiritual progress we may be counted worthy to reach the perfection of the fullness of Christ.

"that you may be filled with all the fullness of God"; and again:

"until we all attain to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

For the Lord promised to grant to all who believe and ask and entreat him in truth the mysteries of the ineffable communion of the Holy Spirit.

Let us therefore also, having wholly devoted ourselves to the Lord, and having consecrated ourselves in soul and body, and having cleaved to the cross of Christ, be counted worthy to obtain the aforementioned good things, and thus, found worthy of the Lord, become heirs of the eternal kingdom in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the dominion forever.

Just as from one fire many lamps are kindled and the torches are burning, and all the torches and lamps are kindled and shine from one and the same nature, so also Christians are kindled from the one nature of the divine fire of the Son of God, and have lamps burning in their hearts, and shine before him, he and they being one thing.

"Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions."

For he was called Christ, so that with the same oil with which he himself was anointed, we too, having been anointed, might become christs, of one substance, so to speak, and one body.

"For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one."

For in one respect Christians are like lampstands having oil within themselves (that is, the fruits of righteousness); but if they are not kindled from the lamp of the Godhead within them, they are nothing.

For indeed concerning John the Lord says:

"He was the burning lamp" — because of the Holy Spirit that remained in him and set his heart on fire.

Just as if there were a purse made of sackcloth, cheap and plain, yet filled with pearls, so also Christians ought to be humble and lowly to outward appearance in the outer man, while inwardly, in the inner man, possessing the precious pearl — so that they may not appear to the world to be anything, even though they are great before God.

Lowly and easily despised, while inwardly possessing the precious pearl.

Since there are others who are like whitewashed tombs, which are outwardly painted and very beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and much stench and unclean spirits.

As the apostle says, that the heir, as long as he is a child, is under guardians and stewards — the evil spirits — which spirits do not want the child to grow up, lest, having become a mature man, he begin to seek after the house that is his by law and to reclaim his lordship.

The Christian, then, ought always to keep the remembrance of the Lord.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" — so that he may love the Lord not only when he enters the house of prayer, but also while walking and conversing and eating, so that he may always have the remembrance of the Lord, and love, and affection.

Where your mind is, there is your treasure also.

For to whatever thing a man's heart is bound, and wherever his desire draws him, that thing is his god.

If his heart always desires God, then God is Lord of his heart.

But if someone, having renounced the world and become without possessions and without a city, and fasting, is nevertheless still bound either to a house or to affection for his parents...

...wherever his heart is bound and his mind is taken captive, that is his god; and he is found to have gone out of the world through the wide door, but to have entered again and fallen back into the world through the side window.

Just as brushwood thrown into the fire cannot resist the power of the fire, but is immediately burned up, so too the fiery demons who wish to war against man are burned and consumed by the divine power and its fire.

—only provided that the man is always clinging to the Lord and has his hope and confidence in Christ Jesus.

And even if the demons are as strong as iron mountains, by prayer they are burned up like wax before the face of fire.

For it is written: 'As wax melts before the face of fire, so shall sinners perish before the face of God.'

Yet in the meantime a great contest and war lies in the midst of the soul.

There are rivers of dragons, and there are mouths of fiery lions, ever blazing and setting the soul on fire.

Just as the consummate evildoer is drunk with the spirit of error, or the murderer stands at the extreme point of evil, so too the Christian, through the Holy Spirit, becomes inexperienced in evil.

But those who have grace, and are still mixed with sin, are still in great fear and travel through fearful places.

For just as merchants sailing the sea, when they find a favorable wind and a calm sea, but have not yet reached the harbor, are still in fear lest a contrary wind arise, the sea be stirred into waves, and the ship be endangered, so too Christians, even if they have grace and the favorable wind of the Holy Spirit blowing upon them, are in fear lest the wind of the opposing power come upon them and stir up some disturbance and wave in their souls.

Much diligence, therefore, is needed, that they may reach the harbor of rest, the perfect world, the eternal delight, the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, the assembly of the firstborn.

But if one has not passed through those measures, he is in great fear, lest in the meantime the opposing power should work some fall in him.