Spiritual Homilies 1 part 25/36

For what fellowship has light with darkness, or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

As a temple of God, therefore, know yourself, fleeing from the imprint of idols formed by the thoughts in your heart.

For every passion working in the soul is an idol; whence it has been well said:

"By whom a man is overcome, of the same he has also been enslaved."

But if we are enslaved to the passions of the flesh, it is clear that we are not enslaved to the holy and passionless Spirit.

For no one can serve two masters.

"You cannot," it says, "serve God and mammon."

For the temple of God is holy, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

For the holy spirit will flee deceit, and will withdraw from senseless reasonings, and wisdom will not enter into a maliciously crafted soul.

Believing, therefore, that all our law is written on the heart by the finger of God, not with ink, but by the divine Spirit, let us receive the truth of the Lawgiver who said:

"I am the truth"—he who both performs the circumcision of the heart and inscribes upon the hearts of the worthy the law of his goodness, as he says through the prophet:

"Giving my laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them upon their minds."

Accordingly, as many as are concerned to attain to a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, readily receive the working of the life-giving Spirit.

Wherefore be exhorted to pray, that we may be deemed worthy, even if only briefly, to understand the single-hearted rectitude of our conduct in Christ.

For such a soul, having put away the shame of the countenance, and no longer being mastered by the shamefulness of its thoughts, and not being made to commit adultery by the evil one, communes, evidently, with the heavenly Bridegroom alone, as being single-hearted.

For, wounded by love for him, she longs and faints—if I may dare to say it—for the noetic and mystical union with him as a maiden, according to the incorruptible bond of the union in sanctification.

Truly blessed is such a soul, which, having been overcome by spiritual love, has worthily been wedded to God the Word.

Let my soul exult in the Lord;

for he has clothed me with a garment of salvation, and has put on me a tunic of gladness, as a headdress on a bridegroom, and has adorned me with ornaments as a bride.

For, having desired her beauty, the King of glory deemed her worthy to be called not only a temple of God, but also a king's daughter and a queen:

a temple of God, as having been made kin to the Holy Spirit; a king's daughter, as having been made a child by the Father of lights; and a queen, as having been joined to the Godhead of the glory of the Only-begotten.

...vine and bread—a rock, because of the unshaken and inaccessible quality of his strength; a door, because he is the entrance of eternal life; an axe, because he cuts off the roots of wickedness; and a way, because he leads the worthy to the knowledge of the truth; and a vine, because from him the wine that gladdens the heart of man is produced as fruit; and likewise also bread, in that it strengthens the heart of the rational creature. In the same manner, the blameless soul that has been made kin to the Word of God, being single-hearted, according to its many advances in the spiritual virtues, will be deemed worthy of very many gifts as well.

Now these things have been said by me so that the designation of the Bride may be understood not only in three ways, but in many ways.

But know this, that there is labor set before us, until we enter into the sanctuary of God, to God who gladdens our youth.

For the Savior wishes that we, while being in the flesh, should also be deemed worthy of his passionlessness and be filled with sanctification, so that we may say with confidence:

Though walking in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down reasonings and every high thing raised up against the knowledge of God.

It is necessary, then, that from now on we already nail to the cross the passions of sin, according to the prayer of the prophet:

Nail my flesh with fear of you.

For 'flesh and blood,' concerning which the Apostle says they cannot inherit the kingdom of God, is not this visible body — for this was formed by God — but the mind-set of the flesh, which is stirred by the spirits of wickedness that work in the sons of disobedience.

For the struggle of those who are perfect athletes in Christ is not against blood and flesh, but against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness.

If, then, we confess that this activity is not natural but comes from the opposing powers, we shall be able, taking up the whole armor of Christ, to withstand their stratagems against us, the Savior granting us power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy, so that, though still in the flesh, we may boldly say:

'If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard me'; and:

'Without iniquity I ran and directed my way' — that is, walking easily in the heavenly citizenship without any fleshly passion, pressing on toward the mark, toward the prize of the upward calling.

For, having become estranged from every passion, let us dare to say:

'Not only have we kept the faith, but we have also finished the course.' For one must not only believe in Christ, but also suffer with him, according to what is said:

'For to you it has been granted, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake.'

For merely believing in God belongs even to those who mind earthly things — not to mention that it belongs also to the unclean spirits, who say:

'We know who you are, the Son of God.'

For both these measures are hostile to God — or rather, to the cross — as the Apostle says:

'The enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction … and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.'

You see that not only the apostate powers are enemies of the cross, but also those who mind earthly things, because they are worked upon by these very powers.

Believing in Christ is common to every creature and to every disposition, whether good or wicked; but to suffer with Christ and be glorified together with him belongs only to those who have crucified themselves to this world and have borne the marks of Christ in their own bodies.

We must therefore suffer just as Christ also suffered, so that, being put to death according to the earthly man, we may be made alive according to the heavenly man.

'And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, created according to God.' And again:

'Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed.'

Does this humble him? Who, then, is the inward man, concerning whom the same apostle also says:

For likewise the Apostle also says:

'When I am weak according to the mind-set of the flesh, then am I strong according to the mind-set of the spirit.'

'For the power of the Lord is made perfect in the weakness that belongs to the earthly man.'

It is necessary, however, as I said before, that even now, while we are still in the flesh, we strip off the old man, who is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, and thus be deemed worthy of the perfect recalling of the Spirit.

For sanctification follows when purification comes first.

'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me,' and so on. And again:

'Who redeems your life from corruption, who crowns you with mercy and compassion.'

For if we depart from this wretched life without purification and sanctification, we shall be empty, as though we had never existed.

'Look away from me, that I may recover before I depart and am no more.'

For it is evident that there is no confession of praise in Hades.

Therefore the same prophet says:

'Will anyone declare your mercy in the tomb, or your truth in destruction? Will your wonders be known in the darkness, and your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?' And Isaiah says:

'But the dead shall not see life.' And Hezekiah says:

'For those in Hades shall not praise you, nor shall the dead bless you, nor shall those in Hades hope for your mercy.'

'The living shall bless you, as I do also.'

'For if a man goes down to Hades, he shall no longer come up.'

Surely, then, dead are those who, because they are carnal, are found unworthy of the indwelling of the life-giving Spirit; and Hades is the ruling place of vanity, in which is the pit of sin.

From this present life, then, is the stadium of Christ, in which anyone who has not competed lawfully is not crowned.

So let us pursue, that we may lay hold; so let us run, not uncertainly, but as persuaded by him who said that the kingdom is within you.

And what is this kingdom, but the fullness of the divine Spirit in souls? Of this the athletes of Christ must already, from this present life, be deemed worthy, nothing else being left to them except only the redemption of their bodies in the resurrection, for the sake of which the Apostle said:

'Being conformed to his death, if by any means I might attain to the resurrection from the dead.'

For he who had Christ speaking within him, and who had come to fill up what was lacking, was in want of nothing except, as I said before, the resurrection of the body from the dead, concerning which he said:

'Not that I have already attained, or am already made perfect.'

For he did not speak as one who was imperfect — for, 'as many as are perfect, let us be thus minded.'

Let us, then, renounce that other law in our members, which wars against the law of our mind and takes us captive to the law of sin that is in our members, and let us receive within ourselves God's spiritual law, so that the steps of the soul may not be tripped up, according to him who says:

'…in their hearts, and their steps shall not be tripped up.'

And these things we write, but you must put them into practice.

For I believe that you, being taught by God, have stripped off every working of the filthiness of evil thoughts and shameful imaginings, and have put on the whole armor of the Lord in the good mind-set of the Spirit.

…of the full measure of the stature in Christ, so that, being made akin to the divine power — where the sanctuary of God is — we may stand fearlessly before his judgment seat on the great day of his glorious coming.

You have heard the Scripture saying that they forsook the Lord, the fountain of living water, and dug for themselves broken cisterns, which are not able to hold water.

This was said concerning our thoughts: that we abandon the seeking of communion with the Lord, which is found through stillness and hope, and set our minds instead on things corruptible and harmful — though the Lord has said:

'Seek the kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you.'

And what does 'shall be added' mean? Not that we should be full of anxious cares, but that we should hope; and not as we wish, but as he wills.

For what is beneficial: to be filled with desires, or, having been purified, to desire nothing? And again, what is advantageous: to lord it over one's enemy, or rather to love him? And what is better: to reason and be anxious and constantly fail, or to believe and hope and prosper? For it happens that some matter violently or unreasonably drags us away from prayer and from the stillness of the mind, and, abandoning hope, we go forth relying on bare human judgment alone, not perceiving that we are suffering great loss.

But the one who prizes the kingdom above all things, and believes in the Lord, patiently accepts whatever is arranged by him.

For he knows that, to one who hopes, the things that are sent work together for good, provided only that we do not, by our unbelief, turn them into something else.

For even if for the present it seems grievous, later, through endurance, it brings forth saving fruits.

Whenever, then, we say, 'O Lord our God,' it is so that we may believe in the power of the name — that he is Lord of all, of heaven and earth, of life and death, of soul and body, of things visible and things hidden; and in all these things he is made known through the heart.

'For blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'

For having granted us the faculty of intellect and free will, he told us to seek within it the hidden kingdom, and not to run out after external things that come from without.

For the cause of them is within.

And the root of every sensible thing is the intellect.

And to the extent that there is a deficiency of piety, to that same extent an infliction of evils comes upon us, which no one is able to turn away completely, unless he entreat the Lord.

For he it is who works out our salvation:

for he did not appoint these afflictions unto wrath, but unto repentance, as it is written:

'Blessed is the man whom the Lord reproves … upon the earth.'

Let us not, then, reject external things, considering them contrary to nature, but rather let us conquer through prayer.

For whenever we think to cast them off merely in a bodily way, more grievous dangers are brought upon us.

As many of us, then, as neglect prayer concerning eternal things, let us also fear the danger on earth that results from such neglect.

For nowhere is a man free from danger unless he is guarded by the Lord's Spirit.

Is not anguish of spirit and pain of heart more grievous than every other suffering? As it is said:

Every labor, but not the labor of the heart… And again he says:

In distress of spirit he will cry out.

Since, then, you have a heart and a spirit bound together with flesh, what room is left for you to be without fear? Therefore fear Him with prayer, and you will fear nothing.

But when the mind forgets the spiritual and godly affliction, then it also forgets the commandments; and wherever it thinks it is running, it turns aside from the smooth path and goes on crookedly.

Therefore he meets with wild beasts.

We have fallen into temptations. For to those who are afflicted concerning the soul he says:

God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able [to bear].

But evils will befall the undisciplined.

Let us be eager, then, to do through prayer whatever He Himself commands us, and not act as we in our contentiousness wish.

For He precisely knows what is profitable for our souls, and from us He desires the hope that comes from faith.

Having therefore committed all things to Him, let us be anxious about nothing, except the communion of the Holy Spirit.

For thus we shall both flee the evil demons and endure the afflictions that befall us, and being made wise in the Lord by His grace, may we be able to give thanks to the Holy Spirit, who redeems us from the sin within.

It is therefore fitting to keep prayer concerning this at all times, everywhere.

For by this it will become evident whether we believe the apostolic word, or disbelieve it.

Let us therefore fear, not our enemies, but the Lord.

For evil thoughts, by afflicting those who strive as combatants, compel them—even against their will—to take refuge in the Lord all the more; but by leading the pleasure-loving astray, they drag them down into forgetfulness.

For this reason manifest afflictions also come upon us, so that through them we may, at the very least, turn back again to piety.

Now the infants seek God because they fear the danger that is on earth, but those who have advanced are held fast by longing.

For perfect love casts out fear.

The cunning and power of the evil one, without the cooperation of man's free will, is virtually dead and powerless, or has only the semblance of fear and threat.

But whenever it has the free will cooperating with its purpose and delighting in its suggestions, then, as though it were a living and powerful man, it wages war against him through him.

One must therefore watch closely and strive in every way to keep the free will always discordant and unallied with the evil one, so that he may grow weak of himself and be put to death, being unable to accomplish through us anything that he desires.

For this is the contest and struggle of Christians: not to cooperate with his evil undersowings, so that he may not gain strength and sinew through us, but rather, being of himself weak and unable to do through us what he wills, he may die completely away from us, grace reigning in us.

For the passion of sin that befell the soul through Adam's transgression, incurable by men, can be healed by God alone.

Therefore also the Lord's coming among us has taken place:

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

But it is impossible for the soul to receive healing otherwise, by the Spirit's countless remedies, unless the self-determining and free will ceases from sinning, ceasing to be coupled with wickedness.

For just as, when a thorn is fixed in the foot, or something else lodged in the body, it is impossible for the pain to be healed by countless remedies unless one first removes the thing lodged in the body, so likewise, with regard to every passion that the soul has by its own choice—whether hatred toward one's neighbor, or some envy, or jealousy, or slackness, or some other attachment, or some plausible-seeming bond—unless the free will turns completely away from its former prejudices and evil habits, and ceases and rests from them, it is impossible for a complete healing of the soul to come about through the power of the Spirit, and for it to be restored to the former nobility of its original purity.

For the evil that was transmitted to all through Adam's transgression, having a power that incites but does not compel, suppose, for my purpose, to be one ounce, equal for each person.

Through association with wicked men, he learned to do evil deeds by a variety of practice; whatever, then, the free will afterward multiplied in whatever manner—so to speak—of the talent of wickedness,

this must again be undone by the free will, through nobly turning away from and hating all the former evil habits and wrong prejudices, just as… by free will it had increased the evils.

One must, then, mortify and diminish the passions to such a degree, until it comes down again to the single ounce that is the measure of wickedness, according to the example stated, the free will having wholly departed from sinning by deliberate purpose; and then, by the righteous Judge, complete vengeance will at last be wrought against the passions, the heart being fully purified and sanctified by the Spirit, and thus being made worthy of the kingdom.

If baptism were faithful and true for you, you would not be expecting to receive something else from heaven.

But now, behold, it is evident that it is being nullified, because you await something else.

The answer to this: We receive the beginning of the subsistence of the Spirit and of our salvation from that baptism.

provided that we hold fast, firm to the end, the beginning of His subsistence, and that very thing which each of us received in baptism; in proportion to faith it grows in those who advance in virtue and persevere in prayers, in those who are zealous and believe; and, for those who progress even unto perception and revelation and rightly journey onward, it works out the perfection of purity and the redemption from the passions, the veil of darkness being wholly taken away, and we are counted worthy to receive the Spirit of adoption, the Comforter.

The man who believes he has received the participation of the Spirit takes his beginning from such great subtlety that he does not even perceive its working; and, being governed by a mere nod of grace, he comes little by little to growth and manifestation.

For just as an infant that is born, having the same members and body, though small, grows until it is restored to the stature of a perfect man; and just as the grain of mustard seed, as the Lord said, when sown, is little by little restored into the growth of a tree—to which He also compared the kingdom of heaven—so also, in the one who believes, we say the gift of the Spirit grows, and the pledge of the inheritance grows, until the whole inheritance (that is, the Comforter Spirit of adoption) is his, as he advances through every virtue and zeal and runs on straightway, until he is made completely worthy.

As also the Apostle, leading up from the partial perfection of the gifts to the perfection of love, as though they were still infants,

And yet, he says, I show you a still more excellent way.

Though I speak with the tongues of angels, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I have faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I have prophecy and know all mysteries, but have not love, I am nothing profited.

Observe the 'I am nothing' and the 'I am nothing profited,' and the comparison drawn to the perfection of love, as of an infant compared to a perfect man.

And yet how does the same [apostle] say:

I wish you all spoke with tongues, but rather that you would prophesy.

having loved all these things, presenting themselves as little ones before Him, and having endured in every contest for the sake of the kingdom, [attain it]; but the slothful, indolent, and cowardly, having turned away from the path and not having endured to the end, will be exposed as estranged from the kingdom.

From such subtlety, then, does divine grace begin to come to be in man, that he neither perceives nor comprehends it; and just as, for those who are ruled over by the Spirit, because of the overflowing abundance of the riches of grace and of the Spirit's dealings, it is impossible to comprehend or recount the manifold variety of its workings and ineffable mysteries, on account of the surpassing greatness and heavenly riches of grace—so likewise, concerning the subtlety of grace and of the Spirit's dispensation, in those in whom it comes to be, no one is able to comprehend or know either its subtlety and smallness, or the greatness and ineffable, heavenly riches of its power.

So that baptism is true and sure for us, and we receive the life of the Spirit from it; and, as we remain steadfast and advance in all virtues, in all zeal and struggle, it grows and is manifested in us, perfecting us by its own grace.

Someone questioned the Lord, saying:

Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And the Lord answered him:

Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, God. Was the Lord, then, not good, was He not kind? But He answered according to the one who had questioned Him:

For that man supposed Him to be a human teacher like all others.

But the Lord placed Himself together with the race of Adam, saying:

No one is good but One, God—that is, as you suppose, I am not good; but as you do not know, so I am good.

For from the race of Adam no one is good—for all have come under sin—but One, God, is without sin.

He redeemed the race of Adam from the authority of the devil's darkness that had held it fast.

But it also, in turn, has other meanings.

No one is good but One, God—that is, only Jesus is good;

for He was born without sin, just as He alone was also born without the union of a man.

He alone came into the world free and unfallen, that He might redeem us from sin.

For this was the Word who was in the beginning, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life—that is, everything that was made lives and moves in Him, because He is the God of all things, and all things live from God, and each thing has its own life, according to its own measure and quantity, from God;

for instance, the birds possess their own life, the wild beasts, the reptiles, the fishes—each of the things that exist lives, having life from God.

But also the created things—heaven and earth, plants, seeds—and also the invisible beings, I mean the angels, principalities, powers—live from God.

For God is the life of all things.

God is the light of men, and in immortal light live those men who have been born from above of God and are children of God.

For this light, from now on, shines forth and illumines the souls of the children of light, who have been born of the Spirit.

This light is to them rest, life, food, drink, clothing, weapons, victory, the crown, the joy.

This light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it; that is, sin has not known it nor seen it, or rather, the men who are under a veil are not able to know or see the true light, which is God.

Being blind, they do not see the one shining upon them; but those who see clearly see the light, because their eyes have been opened. So too the light of God shines everywhere, because it is uncircumscribed; but those who are under the dark cloud of sin do not know it nor see it, because the eyes of their heart have been blinded.

But those upon whom grace has shone, and who have been born again from above of the Holy Spirit, know and see the true light with full assurance, since the darkness of sin has been separated from them, and the veil has been taken away from the eyes of the soul, and the eyes of their heart have been illumined by the true light.

In this light live the children of God who are being born.

Woe to anyone in whose heart this true light has not shone!

Woe to anyone whose veil has not been taken away!

Such a one is in the darkness of sin.

And the one who is in darkness—it is necessary that darkness should succeed him.

But he who is born in the true and ineffable light has passed from eternal death into eternal life.

And likewise, again, from now on the light that dwells in the one accounted worthy accompanies him, being renewed day by day, and departs together with him to the heavenly Father.

For wherever this light shines and works, the darkness of sin flees from the heart, just as darkness flees before the light of the sun.

And whoever sees this true light and has it within himself must necessarily see the darkness vanishing away, as he has come to possess the fruits of the Spirit.

For this light is ineffable love, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, and the other workings of virtue.

All these things are this true light, which is God, as the apostle John says:

For just as fire has by nature the property of being hot, and water of being moist, so too the true light, which is God, has by nature the property of being love, joy, peace, and goodness—infinite and immeasurable, as it is written:

According to his greatness and his mercy.

And into whatever soul this ineffable light shall shine, there it remains unceasing.

Let us therefore entreat God night and day, that he may open the eyes of our soul and separate the darkness of sin from our hearts, and cause his true light to shine upon us, and commune with our soul in an ineffable communion, as with his own bride, that we may become partakers of his goodness, being blended together with him, and that he may take away from us every blemish and wrinkle of the soul, so that, being from now on illumined and having this true light in our hearts, this very light may receive us into eternal life.

Moreover, at the resurrection our bodies also will rise, glorified and illumined by this very light which even now dwells in us; and thus, having become wholly light in soul and body, and being blended together with the light of God, we shall reign together with him unto endless ages.

And just as the sun, shining through a window into a house, illumines only one part of the house, whereas in the clear air and on the earth outside the house it shines wholly and entirely, without any shadow, so too the true light, when it shines upon the soul, is as it were only in part, and the soul is not yet wholly illumined, but darkness still lies about it.

It has indeed the beginning of illumination and of divine knowledge, but it is not yet perfectly illumined.