Spiritual Homilies 1 part 30/36

'What king, going out to encounter another king in battle, does not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.'

See how you ought to contend and give yourself wholly, knowing that you are about to fight such wars, both open and hidden. For Moses too, prefiguring the shadow of the truth, commanded a herald to proclaim among the people, whenever they were about to go out to war:

'If anyone,' he says, 'is fainthearted, let him not go out to war, lest he make others cowardly and cause the hearts of his brethren to melt like his own, and turn them back.'

Likewise, if anyone, he says, has recently married a wife, let him not go out, lest, being in the battle and remembering his wife, he turn back and take others with him.

If anyone has built a house and has not finished it, let him not go out to war, lest, remembering the building and growing faint-hearted in the battle, he cause others also to turn back.

In the same way, the Lord here also, seeking noble, willing, and courageous souls, was saying that He first considers whether He is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against Him with twenty thousand; and if not, while the enemy is still far off, He asks for terms of peace—seeking courageous and eager souls who, in confidence, have committed their whole will to the Lord, who surrender their own free choice entirely, follow after Him, and believe that all victory comes through the spiritual weapons given from heaven to those who believe.

It is necessary, then, for the one who wishes to become worthy of the Lord, first to withdraw from all visible things, and to hate the affairs of the world—pleasures, luxuries, glories, honors, possessions, and homeland, parents, kinsmen and friends according to the flesh, and the honors, praises, and homage of men—and when, having contended, he has nobly conquered these visible things, thereafter it is necessary for him to persevere with the Lord in all supplication and labor, in the petition of prayer, so that he may receive the weapon from heaven, the sword of the Spirit, and be trained in the use of these weapons.

they advance to greater progress day by day.

But these measures are different from those of one who is only just beginning to fight.

But if he does not have the weapons of the Spirit, he cannot fight against the enemies nor win the victory over the spirits of wickedness.

Just as no one in visible warfare fights without sword and weapons—since otherwise he would be slaughtered—so also here.

Let us, then, also entreat God, we especially who have become estranged from this life, and, living as solitaries, have become strangers to our own kin, with unceasing prayer and travail of heart and perseverance in supplication, that the Lord may give us the heavenly weapons of the Spirit, so that through them we may be able to overcome all the spirits of wickedness set against us; and that thus, having contended according to the will of God, having surrendered our whole will to Him, having acted valiantly through His weapons, and having won the victory over the enemies, Christ may thus render to us the crown of righteousness, deeming us worthy to reign together with Him unto the endless ages.

Souls that love truth and love God, who with much hope and faith desire to be perfectly clothed with Christ, have no great need of reminders from others, nor even of being urged toward the heavenly longing and love for the Lord—even though they may at times undergo some diminishing of it—but, being wholly and entirely nailed to the cross of Christ, and wounded with heavenly love for the spiritual Bridegroom, they perceive within themselves, day by day, a sense of spiritual progress.

Being wounded with heavenly longing, and hungering insatiably for the righteousness of the virtues and for the illumination of the Spirit, having an unquenchable desire—even if they are counted worthy through their faith to receive the knowledge of divine mysteries, and become partakers of the gladness of heavenly grace—they do not trust in themselves, thinking themselves to be something; but the more they are counted worthy of spiritual gifts, the more insatiably, with heavenly longing, they earnestly seek after it.

And the more they perceive spiritual progress within themselves, the more they hunger and thirst for the receiving and increase of grace.

And the more they are spiritually rich, the more they regard themselves as poor, being insatiable in their spiritual longing for the heavenly Bridegroom, as the Scripture says:

'Those who eat me will hunger still, and those who drink me...'

Such souls, having fervent and insatiable love toward the Lord, are found worthy of eternal life.

Therefore they are also counted fully worthy of redemption from the passions, and of the sanctification of the Spirit; and in the fullness of grace they fully receive the illumination and participation of that ineffable and mystical communion.

And there are souls, of a lowly disposition, that neither hunger for the perfect measure of dispassion, nor await, with all diligence and faith, to be completely filled with grace, but instead became satisfied, were at rest, and remained content with the Spirit's slight consolation, having advanced more toward pride than toward humility.

Such souls are, at some time or other, stripped even of the gift of which they were counted worthy, on account of careless disdain and the vain conceit of their self-opinion.

For the soul that truly loves God and loves Christ, even if it performs countless acts of righteousness, regards itself as one who has accomplished nothing, because of its insatiable longing for the Lord.

Even if it wears out the body with fastings and vigils, it is disposed as one who has not yet even begun to practice the virtues.

Even if it be counted worthy to obtain various gifts of the Spirit, or revelations and heavenly mysteries, it regards itself as possessing nothing yet, because of its immeasurable and insatiable love toward the Lord.

But every day, hungering and thirsting through faith and love, in perseverance of prayer it arrives at the mysteries of grace, and remains insatiable for every degree of virtue, wounded with the love of the heavenly Spirit; and it continually stirs up within itself, through grace, a fervent longing for the heavenly Bridegroom, desiring to be counted fully worthy of the mystical, ineffable communion with Him in the sanctification of the Spirit—the soul, unveiled, standing face to face with the heavenly Bridegroom in a spiritual and unspeakable light, being mingled with Him in all full assurance, and being conformed to His death with great longing, and always awaiting death for Christ's sake, believing with full assurance that it will receive from the Spirit complete redemption from sin and from the darkness of the passions—so that, being cleansed through the grace of the Spirit and sanctified, it may be counted worthy to become a pure vessel for the reception of the heavenly ointment and a dwelling-place of the true King, Christ.

and, having here become a pure dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit, an heir of the eternal kingdom.

But for a soul to arrive at these measures will happen neither all at once nor without testing; rather, through many labors, contests, long periods of time, and diligence, together with trial and various temptations, it receives spiritual growth and progress, until it reaches the perfect measure of dispassion; and being found courageous in all things, and enduring readily and nobly every temptation brought on by wickedness, the soul is then counted worthy of great honors, spiritual gifts, and heavenly riches, and thus becomes an heir of the heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever.

The entire visible dispensation of the Church of God has come to be for the sake of the living and intelligent substance of the rational soul, made according to the image of God, which is the living and true Church of God.

And for this reason the irrational, lifeless, and bodily things have been honored with names similar to those of the rational, living, and heavenly things, so that the immature soul, journeying through the shadow, might arrive at the truth.

For the man of God is himself the Church of Christ, the temple of God, the true altar, and the living sacrifice, through whom also the bodily things that are sanctified have obtained the invocation of the heavenly realities.

For just as the worship and manner of life under the Law was a shadow of the present Church of Christ, so also the Church now seen is a shadow of the inner, rational, and true man.

...of the Church passes away at the consummation, and there remains the rational and intelligent substance of the inner man, unto which all the dispensation and ministry of the heavenly mysteries of the Church of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, ought to be accomplished, so that, being truly fashioned as a holy temple of God and a Church of Christ through the living working of the Spirit, it may become an heir of eternal life.

For this reason many who are still infants in the knowledge of the truth oppose us, supposing that we depart strangely from the Scriptures proper to us, and from the ordinances and the services, because of the similarity of the names; these, being fully persuaded only with regard to the temporal dispensation, and trusting only in the ordinances of the flesh, having neglected the searching out and renewal of the soul according to the inner, rational man, and not having received the knowledge of the new creation of the mind, slander us out of their ignorance.

For the soul that loves the truth searches out the very root of things, not supposing Christianity to consist merely in superficial observance, nor remaining content with the outward forms of ordinances and services, but faithfully awaits to receive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, full assurance according to the inner man.

which is true Christianity.

"And behold, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age," so that from baptism, and the altar, and the eucharist of the bread, and all the mystical worship that is in the church, faithful hearts may be worked upon by the Holy Spirit in all power and in the virtues of heavenly fruits; and thus, renewed and refashioned by the power of grace, living a true life according to the heavenly mind, they may be shown forth — having stripped off the material and earthly mind through the power of the Spirit.

For if the Spirit overshadowed the ark that was according to the Law — or rather, was present with it — how much more in the altar and the church and all the mystagogy of holy baptism?

But just as there, when the Israelites were sinning, the Spirit did not work, although it was present with the ark of God — for behold, at certain times, because of the sins of the people, the ark itself was even handed over to the nations unworthy of it, helping them not at all because of their many transgressions, although the Spirit showed its own working and sign, that it was present with the ark of God, because of the sign of God then wrought among the nations — so also now, the Spirit, being present with the holy church of God and the holy altar and all the visible dispensation, works in various gifts for those who are worthy and faithful, but remains far off from the unworthy.

For the living working of the Holy Spirit in living hearts is what is sought by God, because all visible things and every dispensation pass away, but living hearts remain in the Spirit.

For this reason the Savior has come, and for this reason there is all the figuration of the image of the church, so that the intellectual essences of faithful souls, having been recreated and renewed through the working of grace, and having undergone transformation, may be able to inherit eternal life.

That the visible things are a type and shadow of the hidden realities — the visible temple a shadow of the temple of the heart, and the priest a shadow of the true priest of the grace of Christ, and all the remaining sequence of the visible dispensation a shadow of the rational (according to the inner man) and hidden things — shows that the manifest dispensation and governance of the church is wrought into the soul by grace.

If the readings and the psalmody and the assembly of the people and the whole sequence of the ecclesiastical order are not first accomplished, the priest does not perform the divine mystery itself of the body and blood of Christ, and the mystical communion of the faithful does not take place; and if the whole ecclesiastical canon is accomplished, but afterward the mystical eucharist of the offering is not brought forward by the priest and the communion of the body of Christ does not take place, the mystery has not been accomplished, nor has the ecclesiastical order been completed, but the worship of the divine mystery upon the altar is deficient, since it was not performed by the priest. And likewise again, the mystery of the oblation is not offered plainly and bare, unless the whole ecclesiastical canon is first prepared; for these things too are incomplete and idle without the completion of the mystery — and that mystery is not completed, unless these things are first prepared.

Just as there is a certain adornment and glory belonging to the mystery, so also is the Christian:

if he has fasting, vigil, psalmody, all asceticism and every virtue, but the mystical working of the Spirit in the altar of the heart, by grace, in all spiritual sense and rest, is not accomplished, the whole sequence of asceticism is deficient, and it is almost idle, not having the head — the exultation of the Spirit, mystically wrought by grace in the heart.

Just as, again, the love of the Spirit — that heavenly mystery which intoxicates the soul in the exultation of grace — does not simply work indiscriminately in the dissolute and licentious, but only in a heart that is faithful and reverent and has an exact conduct and asceticism.

For these things are the adornment and rest of the working of the Spirit.

For to the degree that the soul is found in exact asceticism and much humility and meekness and virtuous conduct, to that degree the grace of the Spirit rests upon it in all power and working.

But the soul that has the conduct, yet does not yet perceive within itself the working of the Spirit in full assurance, is still lacking the sanctification of the heart.

Therefore let it seek, let it mourn, let it weep before the Lord, so that it may have the sanctification of the Spirit in its virtuous conduct as a beautiful adornment, and the working of grace in the mind with ineffable contemplations, so that it may acquire in itself the perfect mystery of Christianity, according to the aforementioned parable of the church.

But just as in the church those who sin bodily are excommunicated by the priest, and upon turning back are again deemed worthy of communion, while those who do not sin and are blameless advance and come to the priesthood, and are transferred from some outer place to the altar, that they may be ministers of God and assessors — so too, with regard to the matter before us, Christians, being worked upon by grace and resting in the consolation of the Spirit in the heavenly gladness of the mystical communion of the Spirit, concerning which the apostle has said:

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit," and so forth.

Attend exactly to what is said, and you will find the holy and worshipful Trinity dwelling in the man who has been purified, through the help from above and his own excellent conduct — dwelling, I say, not according to what it is (for it is incapable of being contained by all creation), but according to the capacity and receptivity of the man who is pleasing to it.

If the soul, having turned back again, walks uprightly toward the good pleasure of the Spirit, repenting in all humility and confession, then it is again deemed worthy of the visitation of the grace of the Spirit, and receives the heavenly gladness all the more abundantly.

But if it does not embitter grace, and does not grieve the Spirit through evil ways and base conduct, but agreeably follows all the Master's commands, and of its own free choice, in all gravity and perfect struggle, sets itself against evil thoughts, and always clings to the Lord with its whole purpose and gives grace rest, then such a soul is justly and consequently deemed worthy of advances and marvels and heavenly gifts, and of transposition and spiritual rank — being deemed worthy to be transposed from divine mysteries to heavenly mysteries, and from glory to glory, and from rest to still clearer and more perfect rests — so that its mind comes to be in great measures and much boldness and the glorious wealth of grace; and thus, having reached the perfect measures of Christianity both through the struggle of its free will and through the help from above, it will be enrolled among the perfect workers and the blameless ministers of Christ and assessors in the kingdom, on account of the good conscience and much zeal that it showed toward the good, inheriting the Lord unto the ages of ages.

The heavenly fire of the Godhead, which Christians receive within themselves in the heart now in this age — this very fire, ministering within their heart, when the body is dissolved, becomes outward again, and reassembles the members, and works the resurrection of the dissolved members.

And just as the fire in Jerusalem that ministered at the altar, at the time of the captivity, was hidden away in a pit, and that very fire, when peace came and the captives returned, was as it were renewed and ministered as before — so also now, the body that is being fattened, which after it is dissolved becomes mire, is likewise worked upon by the heavenly fire, and it renews and raises up the corrupted bodies.

For the fire that now dwells inwardly in the heart then becomes outward, and works the resurrection of bodies.

For indeed, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the fire that was in the furnace was not divine, but was a creature; but the three youths, on account of their righteousness, though in the visible fire, had in their hearts the divine and heavenly fire ministering and working within their thoughts, and that very fire appeared outside of them:

For it stood in their midst and restrained the visible fire from burning and harming the righteous.

Likewise also in the case of Israel: since their mind and reasoning had, by intention, set out to be removed far from the living God and turned to idolatry, Aaron was compelled to tell them to bring the golden vessels and ornaments; and so the gold and the vessels, which they cast into the fire, became an idol.

Behold a marvelous thing, how the fire imitated their intention.

For since, by intention, in secret, in their thoughts, they had resolved on idolatry, the fire likewise made an idol of the vessels that were cast into it, and so they became idolaters outwardly as well.

...a heavenly image for mankind.

And just as the fire formed the golden vessels and they became an idol, so also the Lord, inasmuch as he imitates the intentions of faithful and good souls, forms according to their will a new image in the soul, and at the resurrection he appears to them outwardly and glorifies their bodies both outwardly and inwardly.

But just as bodies are for now, in this present time, corrupted and dead and dissolved, so too are the thoughts corrupted by Satan and dead, separated from life — or rather, buried together in mire and earth, for the soul has perished; and just as the Israelites cast the golden vessels into the fire and it became an idol, so now man has handed over the golden vessels — the pure and good thoughts — to wickedness, and they have been buried in the mire of sin.

And the soul lies there as in an idol's shrine, being in the darkness of sin.

And how shall one find them out and distinguish them and cast them out of one's own house? Here, then, the soul has need of divine light and of the Holy Spirit, which adorns the darkened house, of the shining sun of righteousness that illumines and rises into the heart:

It has need of a weapon that conquers the war.

For indeed that woman who lost the drachma first lit the lamp, then set the house in order; and so, the house having been set in order and the lamp having been lit, the drachma was found buried in dung and filth and dirt.

And now the soul cannot of itself find its own thoughts and distinguish them, but when the divine lamp is lit, it kindles within the darkened house, and then the soul sees its thoughts, how they lie buried in the uncleanness and mire of sin.

The sun rises, and then the soul sees its own destruction and begins to call back the thoughts that are mingled in the dung and filth.

For the soul lost its image by transgressing the commandment.

Just as if someone were a king, and had wealth and servants under himself who ministered to him, and it happened that he was seized by enemies and taken captive — and once he was seized and exiled, it is necessary that his servants and attendants follow after him — so also Adam was created pure by God for his service, and these created things were given to him for his service; for he was appointed lord and king of all creation. But from the moment the evil word approached him and conversed with him, he first received it through outward hearing, then it passed through his heart and took possession of his whole being; and so, once he was seized, the creation that ministered and was subject to him was seized along with him.

For through him death reigned over every soul, and it obliterated the whole image of Adam through that man's disobedience, so that men were turned away and came to the worship of demons.

For behold, the fruits of the earth, which were well created by God:

they offered bread and wine and oil and animals to the demons upon their altars; and not only that, but they also sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons.

Now, therefore, he himself who fashioned the body and the soul comes himself and dissolves all the conduct of the evil one and his works that are carried out in the thoughts, and he renews and forms a heavenly image, and makes a new soul, so that Adam may again become king over death and lord of creation.

As, in the shadow of the Law, Moses was called the savior of Israel and led them out of Egypt, so now the true redeemer, Christ, passes into the hidden places of the soul and leads it out of the dark Egypt and the heaviest yoke and the bitter slavery.

This is to go out of the world and to become poor of all visible things and to have no earthly care, but night and day to stand at the door and to wait eagerly for when the Lord, opening our closed hearts, will pour out upon us the gift of the Spirit.

He therefore said to leave behind gold, silver, and kindred, to sell one's possessions and give to the poor, and to store them up in the heavens; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lord saw that within, in this matter, Satan prevails over the reasoning, by dragging it down into concern for material and earthly things.

Because of this, God, providing for your soul, told you to renounce all, so that even against your will you would seek after heaven and have your heart set toward God.

For even if you should wish to turn back again to your possessions, you will find yourself possessing nothing of what is visible.

And whether you wish it or not, you are compelled to look toward where you have stored and laid up these things — that is, toward heaven:

For where the treasure is, there your heart will be also.

For indeed, in the Law, God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent, and to lift it up and fasten it to the top of a pole; and as many as were struck by the serpents, by looking at the bronze serpent, obtained healing.

And here too this takes place providentially, as part of the divine dispensation.

For those who are held fast in earthly cares and idolatries and the pleasures of Satan and every impiety, by such a manner, in some measure, lift up their heads toward the things above, and having raised themselves up from below, they attend to the things on high, and from those in turn advance to the highest, and thus, advancing little by little to the highest and uppermost part, they come to recognize that there is a Most High God above all creation.

So also he commanded you to become poor, and, having sold everything, to give to the poor, so that from then on, even if you should wish to crawl back down upon the earth, you would not be able to.

For you search into your heart and begin to converse with your own thoughts:

"We have nothing on earth; let us go up to heaven, where we have our treasure, where we have done our business." Your mind begins to lift itself up toward the height, and to seek after the things above, and to advance in this.

Is it not a wonder that the dead serpent fastened to the top of the pole healed those who had been struck? The dead serpent conquered the living serpents, so that it is a type of the body of the Lord.

For the body which he took from Mary the Theotokos, he bore up upon the cross and fastened and hung upon the wood; and the living, creeping serpent that was in the heart, the dead body conquered and put to death. Here is the greatest wonder: how the dead serpent put to death the living one. But in the manner that Moses there made the bronze serpent — and from the beginning of creation no bronze serpent had ever existed, but Moses himself made a new work, a likeness of the living serpent — so also the Lord made a new body out of the ever-virgin Mary, the Theotokos, and put this on; but he did not bring the body down from heaven:

But the Spirit was heavenly; rather, entering into Adam, he wrought a new man, and mingled this together with the Godhead, and put on human flesh and formed it in the womb.

Just as, then, the bronze serpent was not commanded by the Lord to come into being in the world until the time of Moses, so also no new and sinless body appeared in the world until the Lord.

For when the first Adam transgressed the commandment, death reigned over all his children.

Therefore a dead body conquered the living serpent.

And this marvel is to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness.

But what does the apostle say? "We preach Christ Jesus, and him crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to us who are being saved, the power of God and the wisdom of God."

The Lord comes to Death and converses with him, and commands him to bring the souls out of Hades and out of death, and to give them back.