Asceticism Beyond church rites and legalism Outline I

Asceticism: Beyond church rites and legalism.

Outline I. Introduction A. The deep spirituality of the Coptic church is found in it’s ascetics and monastic movement. . B. Ancient II. Give example of Story of Sts. Agape, Irene and Shiona III. Definition of Asceticism A. Solitude i. Physical and Spiritual Desert ii. The Inner life-going into oneself; in order to find God. B. Repentance C. Humility D. Obedience/Discipleship E. Prayer Life; praying without ceasing F. Watching

Outline cont. IV. Conclusion: Ways that we can live this deep spiritual life today A. Inner chamber; physical and spiritual B. Jesus Prayer (prayer of the heart) C. Discipline (routine) D. Life of Repentance and Watching/Vigil E. Spiritual guidance and practicing obedience/ Participating in the Mystery of Confession F. Spirit of Humility in my relationships

Introduction • Popular spirituality today: Eastern Spirituality including Meditation; Mantras • The Rothko Chapel

Introduction • Our Coptic Orthodox Church; fulfills that spiritual need for us; on the outside; the church can seem dry; and overly ritualistic; if we take a deeper look at it’s rich roots and history; we will uncover the ancient beauty and rich soil of our church; the Pearl of Great Price. • One American guy did…

Journey Back to Eden • An ethnographic study by a Benedictine monk/anthropologist of the Egyptian monastic life

He writes in a journal style titled “Becoming Acclimated” P. 26 Becoming Acclimated OCTOBER 5, SUNDAY During these days I am becoming immersed in the monastic routine, entering as much as possible into the schedules of prayers, both communal and private, that the monks have adopted. Both in St. Macarius and in St. Bishoi Monastery, the monks rise very early in the morning. Here they arise at 2: 30 A. M. and begin prayer at 3: 00 A. M. Morning Prayer consists of more than seventy psalms which are sung, one after the other, with various antiphons, short hymns, intercessions, and incensations from 3: 00 A. M. until 6: 00 A. M. —all of this done while standing! Then, at 6: 00 A. M. the Coptic Mass (the Kodes) begins and continues till long past 9: 00 A. M. or 9: 30 A. M.

Journey Back to Eden So, in fact, the monks have six hours of standing in a very thick cloud of incense every morning before they can even have their first glass of tea! This is the routine from which they never deviate; this is the routine which is the rhythm of their life, and it is exhausting. Nevertheless, it is also very moving, and the manner in which the monks celebrate these prayers is altogether genuine and sincere—nothing affected, no sense of drudgery, either. It’s their work, their primary work, but it’s a work which they perform with great sincerity, great veneration, and great reverence in an almost simple, childlike way.

Journey Back to Eden The monks complete the whole Psalter in the course of the day (150 Psalms in Coptic or Arabic!), which is an extraordinary number. It takes a certain amount of practice and determination to enter into this regime. The Rule of St. Benedict provides for 150 psalms a week (with certain repetitions and canticles), whereas in my own Benedictine Abbey, we cover the same number in a month! We pray them much more slowly and with pauses, but we are seated. Comparisons are difficult.

Asceticism How would you define it?

Asceticism • It’s a world of spirituality that exists and that we can try and get a taste of; even if we live in the world, in the U. S in the 21 st century. • It’s ancient: St. Antony the first monk in the world; established monasticism in Egypt.

One example in the Synaxarion • The Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins: Agape, Eirene, and Shiona. • On this day( April 16 th Ths year it fell on Wed of the last week of Holy Lent---Barmouda 8 th 1724 the three holy virgins: Agape, Eirene, and Shiona (Susinia) were martyred ….

Asceticism • 1 Corinthians 9: 24 -2724 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Asceticism • askesis in Greek (means training/practice)asceticism; the lifelong training in self-control that is essential to spiritual growth. A tearing down and building up (metahnias), a tearing down of the old man (the man of sin) in order to be renewed in the new man (Christ Jesus)-the mind of Christ. Tear down bad habits and replacing them with new ones. • Asceticism; the dedicated, persistent and conscious effort we bring to the way we live.

Asceticism • Asceticism is not self-infliction (the guy from the devinci code); When we have the right understanding of who Christ is; we will have the right practice. Our Lord Jesus is God incarnate; fully man and fully divine; if we have an incorrect understanding of the nature of Christ; we would abhor and hurt the body; despising the physical in favor of the spiritual , in the name of so called spirituality.

Asceticism is Balance • Asceticism is balanced; the monks say about themselves (St. Gregory of Sinai) “True humility is not--- to abuse oneself in self-belittlement. Yet it still is voluntary martyrdom; death to the world; to passions; to the self; in order to gain eternal life. A life of discipline, of obedience, of fasting and prayer as a means to purification of the soul. They see the command to repent in Mathew 3: 2 “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” not for a one time deal but for a continual life of repentance.

Asceticism is Balance • Asceticism is not self infliction or hatred: “For the holy fathers taught us to be killers of the body. ” The Monks Callistus and Ignatius on Directions to Hesychasts • The outward man perishes but he inward man is renewed day by day: 2 Corn 4: 16

Asceticism • Ascetics are so enthusiastic about spending time with God; in fact all their time with Him. As a lover with a loved one; time passes and they are enraptured. The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words “en” and “Theos; to be immersed in God; in the case of the ascetics they are so inspired by and passionately dedicated to the pursuit of their spiritual growth that they are immersed in this process and ultimately they come to union with God.

Asceticism • They have Agape love towards God; love that doesn’t hold back and is not concerned about the self; as to what they’ll get for their asceticism; they do it for it’s own sake; they forsook the world because all they wanted was the sole focus and pursuit of their salvation; so they manifested this pursuit in the way they lived. They practiced this Agape love in their letting go of themselves. They emptied themselves; of their passions; pride; selflove; as God Himself emptied Himself (as is mentioned in the Friday Psali) and became man. “God cannot fill what is already filled with itself. ” P. 44 of In the Spirit of Happiness

Asceticism • Ascetics are not attached to anything or one or their own selves…all they have is their faith. • Dying to the World • Gal 6: 14: “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. • Gal 5: 24): And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. • Meaning of the word: “world” is “Evil desires”, it could mean; 1. geographic, 2. people 3. bad desires • Is the world alive in my eyes? If it is, then I am affected by it; tempted, moved by small things, or whatever if the world is truly crucified in my eye, it’s dead, nothing is appealing in it in my yes.

Asceticism • Voluntary death: Choosing to have a spiritual life • Involuntary death: Succumbing to our bodies; therefore having eternal death. • They are crucified to the world: The cross is the key to the Resurrection. • Three pillars of worship: Charity, Prayer and Fasting

A pillar of Asceticism is Solitude A Quote from Abouna Elia; a monk from St. Macarius Monastary; a disciple of Pope Kyrillos when he was still a monk (called Abouna Mina the Solitary at the time): “We must go out into the desert of our own purification and sanctification. We must accept the eventualities of divine Providence which come to us with he same Spirit of affirmation who came over Jesus in the waters of the Jordan, the Spirit who likewise drove him in the desert where he was alone and abandoned, the Spirit who drove him even to the Cross. …. God came to visit us to make this fountain of life flow into our desert. . ”

Back to Fr. Mark Gruber I reflected afterwards about what Abuna Elia had shared with me, comparing it to my own experience of these few months in the desert and to my own earlier reflections on the Baptism of Jesus and his subsequent wilderness sojourn. It seems to me that what Abuna Elia said is an appropriate measure of the ambivalence of the desert, for it is certainly a hostile environment. It is one which impoverishes its inhabitants and intimidates anyone who passes through it. Yet, at the same time, if one is patient and does not rush through it too quickly, he can discover its hidden springs. There is a kind of silence, for instance, in which the word of God can echo and be better heard in his heart.

Father Mark Gruber Cont. There is a peace in the desert that relativizes all the stresses and troubles of human life in the city. The desert baptizes us into the worst of our human weakness, but it transforms that weakness into genuine poverty before God. Rather than a place that fosters our pretenses and illusions about ourselves, it is a means by which we are baptized into the truth of divine love, divine life. They walk through the barren desert and they make it a place of flowing springs (cf. Psalm 84: 7).

Asceticism includes Humility • Ascetics high level of spirituality; the very act that they renounced the world never goes to their head. This is the most critical trick by the devil for them (and us) the trick that they/we have arrived, that we’re good, we don’t need to change. They remain watchful and repentant even if Christ and a legion of angels welcome them at their death; it is precisely their true humility and feelings of unworthiness that bring them to this level and this is the attitude that we want to learn. “Any act, even the most virtuous, can be approached incorrectly, egotistically. ” P. 67 of In the Spirit of Happiness

Entering the Physical desert; allows one to enter the Spiritual desert How do we begin to know our internal vices? Whether we are lazy; impatient, angry, jealous, , lustful, greedy, egotistical? By beginning to know these aspects of ourselves; we then allow ourselves to be freed from them; when they’re not in the dark they don ‘t have as much of a strong grip on us. . We first need external silence in order to gain internal silence and ultimately peace.

What did they find in their Spiritual Desert? • Feelings of Greed; lust; anger; emotional reactions that sometimes feel beyond our control are what the fathers call passions; but to be a passionate person in our society/modern life has positive connotations actually. This is because these emotions give color to life; they are not good or bad in themselves but it is our inability to control them but rather they controlling us is what’s harmful. We need to understand what makes us angry, or jealous; what triggers those feelings and what kind of thinking fuels them. Once we can get an understanding of this about ourselves (through spending time in silence and prayer and selfreflection) we then are less gripped by them and are free. “The more intense the emotion or need, the more our thinking is blinded and our free will shackled. ” In the Spirit of Happiness, p. 126

Different Passions St. Gregory of Sinai identifies different types of Passions; of the mind, of the soul, of emotions, of desire and of the tongue; for example a Passion of the emotions; is as we know; anger, bitterness, hot temper. Of desires; love of money; debauchery; self love, of the body; impurity; laziness, gluttony, attachment to the world. Passions of speech; deceit, craftiness, lying, flattery, mockery, idle talk. Passions of the mind: pride, being puffed up, argumentativeness, showing off. The mistress of all passions is Self-regard. The passions needed to be subjected/ruled by the spirit and by reason.

Asceticism and Life of Repentance Continual life of repentance. A monk was asked what they do all day in the monastery and they said we fall down and get up, fall down and get up. Both literally and figuratively. Ascetics live a life of repentance; the Greek word for repentance is metanoia where we get the Arabic “meh-than-ee-ah); the prostrations we make seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness and doing it with a sad heart for our sins but rejoicing as we get up in the hope of our salvation. Meta= change, noia=mind. Repentance is a change of one’s mind.

Continual Life of Repentance • This wasn’t easy; the spiritual warfare was very real in the desert. It’s a wrestling both oneself and with the forces of evil, opposition on the inside and the outside.

Ladder of Divine Ascent

The result of Asceticism: • “ But you, my child, although of the flesh, are moved by love for a better life and a desire to live in your body as though free from it…” how monks Callistus and Ignatius address the fathers in their wriritngs “Directions to Hesychasts”

How else were the demons defeated but through: HUMILITY “He who entirely renounces self-will has already attained everything he deems to be good, spiritual and pleasing to God, even before he has entered a life of spiritual struggle, for obedience means not believing that anything good comes from oneself, even to the end of life. ” ~The monks Callistus and Ignatius.

Discipleship and Obedience • The fathers emphasize that if a monk undertakes the life of asceticism on his own without guidance; they will be lost souls. Reaching certain spiritual heights without guidance could lead one into pride and false understanding of themselves.

Discipleship and Obedience • For example: • “…. When a man sees light with his bodily eyes, smells sweet scents, hears voices and many other phenomena. Some have become totally possessed, and in their madness wander from place to place: others have been lead astray, mistaking the devil for an angel of light, in the guise of which he appeared to them without their recognizing him. Thus they remained incorrigible to the end, refusing to listen to any brother’s advice. Some of them instigated byt the devil, have committed suicide: . . ” St. Simeon the New Theologian

Contrast that last quote with: “If someone observes perfect obedience towards his spiritual father, he becomes free of all cares, because once and for all he has laid all his cares on the shoulder of his spiritual father. For if a man has given himself up entirely to God and has shed all his cares on to God and his spiritual father, so that, in his obedience, he no longer lives his own life or follows his own will, but is dead to all worldly attachments and to his own body---what accidental thing could ever vanquish and enslave such a man? Or what worry or care can he have? Therefore all the wiles and stratagems used by the demons to entice a man towards many and varied thoughts are destroyed and dispersed by attention, prayer and obedience. ” St. Simeon the New Theologian

Asceticism includes Obedience • Ascetics are not their own guides/leaders but enter into a disciple relationship; lifelong learners. Not only have this attitude but enter into the difficult relationship with a spiritual father who sees their ‘naked’ wounded and sometimes ugly soul; loves them; prays with and for them. Watches them fall over and over again and rejoices in their triumphs.

Asceticism is Discipline • From 13 th-14 th monk; St. Gregory of Sinai; on how an ascetic spends his time: “From the early morning; freeing oneself from everything, it is necessary to keep remembrance of God, by prayer and silence of the heart, and for the first hour to pray patiently; for the second hour to read; for the third hour to psalmodize; for the fourth—to pray; for the fifth to read; for the sixth to psalmodize; for the seventh to pray, for the eight to read; for the ninth to psalmodies; for the tenth to eat, for the eleventh to rest--if need be; for the eleventh to recite the vespers. Thus spending the day in a godly manner; man pleases God. ”

Spiritual discipline • Spiritual discipline does not leave room for what one feels like doing; usually we leave it to our “feelings” to spend time with God…I feel depressed so I’ll try to pray. But when we have a discipline; a scheduled time to pray or a tool like the agpeya to help us pray; we are then trained and our ego and our passions (bodily desires/emotions) are not in control of our spirit but the other way around.

Praying without Ceasing: Thessalonians (5: 17) Pray without ceasing • The monks/nuns are described as angels living on earth; because their prime occupation is like that of the angels; which is constant praying/praising. “Angels give themselves completely to their work; which is nothing but the glorification of God. ” In the Spirit of Happiness, p. 176.

Monks are Angels on Earth • Angels never tire singing praises to the Creator; nor does a mind, emulating them in purity, ever tire in the same. As insubstantial angels in heaven care not about food, so those who are substantially insubstantial (men who practis sobriety on earth) have no care of it when they enter into the heaven of silence of mind. ”

Praying unceasingly starts with… Silence ? ? Yes. Silence. Fathers, harkening to the Lord Who said: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies’ and: These are things which defile a man’(Matt 15: 19, 20), hearing also that in another place of the Gospel we are instructed to “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matt 23: 26), have renounced all other spiritual work and concentrated wholly on this one thing, that is on guarding the heart, convinced that, through this practice, they would easily attain every other virtue, whereas without it not a single virtue can be firmly established. Some of the fathers called this doing, silence of the heart; others called it attention; yet others—sobriety and opposition (to thoughts), while others called it examining thoughts and guarding the mind. ” St. Simeon the New Theologian

Why Silence? • “Silence is the mystery of future life; whereas words are the instrument of this world. ” ~The monks callistus and Ignatuius • Stillness of the mind (takes practice): “If a man prays with his lips while his mind is wandering, what use is this? ” (St. Gregory of Sinai)

What is this Future Life? • Waiting for the True Bridegroom • They live waiting/watching for the bridegroom as the parable of the ten virgins instructs us to do. Living with this attitude not only prepares us to join the triumphant church and our Heavenly father but also enriches our lives; “Knowing that tonight’s sunset might very well be your last changes the way you see it. ” P. 51 In the Spirit of Happiness.

In Conclusion: Ways that we can live this Spiritual Life…. do we have to be monastics? NO! But we can still live it! YAY!

Ways that we can live this Spiritual Life…. do we have to be monastics? • Do we have a spiritual Schedule/Routine? Frequent practice is the mother of habit and habit becomes second nature. • Agpeya? • Holy Bible? • Spiritual Father? • Confession? • Am I humble in my relationships? “ You call yourself a sinner, but in effect you show that you do not feel yourself to be one. A man, who admits himself to be a sinner and the cause of many evils, disagrees with no one, quarrels with no one, is not wroth with anyone, but considers every man better and wiser than himself. ”

The Jesus Prayer • My Lord Jesus Christ; Have Mercy on Me a Sinner • My Lord Jesus Christ, Help Me. • My Lord Jesus Christ…. . • My Lord…Jesus Christ!

Driving in traffic, Waiting at the Dr. ’s office, until we do it in our sleep! • The Jesus prayer is a good way to start to train ourselves, our mind; lips and heart to pray all the time; so that way our minds are always directed towards Christ. Our very breaths; our very existence become a fragrant prayer. God is always present in front of us and whatever we do and think is permeated by this focus; this conscious awareness of being in God’s presence. “ The monk should have memory of God in place of breath. ” (St. Gregory of Sinai)

Jesus Prayer • When you will be worthy of the gift of ceaseless prayer in the heart, then, according to Isaac of Syria, you will have reached the summit of all virtues and become a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; then the prayer will not cease, whether you sit, walk, eat, drink, or do anything else. Even in deep sleep prayer will be active in you without any effort, for even when it is externally silent, it continues secretly to act within. ``Way of a Pilgrim

Jesus Prayer • The sun; passing over the earth produces daylight; the holy and worshipful Name of Lord Jesus, constantly shining in the mind, produces a measureless number of sun-like thoughts.

Why the Jesus Prayer St. John Chrysostom teaches; • So that the name of the Lord Jesus, descending into the depths of the heart, should subdue the serpent ruling over the inner pastures and bring life and salvation to the soul. He should always live with the name of the Lord Jesus so that the heart absorbs the Lord and the Lord the heart, and the two become one. Do not estrange your hear from God, but abide in Him and always guard your heart by remembering our Lord Jesus Christ, until the name of the Lord becomes rooted in the heart and it ceases to think of anything else. May Christ be glorified in you. ”

How do I practice the Jesus Prayer? • You must think of God more often than you breath’ directions to Hesychasts by the monks callistus and Ignatius • It is our mantra…breathe in, breathe out. • “The sun; passing over the earth produces daylight; the holy and worshipful Name of Lord Jesus, constantly shining in the mind, produces a measureless number of sun-like thoughts. ” • Read this book: it’s the guidebook for the Jesus Prayer; HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

Life of Prayer • Therefore it said that when the Holy Sprit comes to live in a man; he never ceases to pray, for then the Holy Spirit Himself constantly prays in him (Rom 8: 26) • It is a give and take relationship; we have to draw near so He can be near to us; we receive grace in proportion to our faith.

Grace in proportion to our faith? • It’s a combination of work and grace • Mark the hermit says: “To make an effort to pray is in our power, but to pray purely is a gift of grace. ” And so offer to God what is in your power. Begin by bringing to God a sacrifice of constancy in prayer, and God’s almighty power will swallow your weakness; your dry and distracted yet frequent prayer will become a habit and second nature; your prayer will be made pure, fervent and powerful. ” Way of a Pilgrim

Having Sobriety of Mind • What is sobriety? • Calmness; sitting quietly, bringing every thought under subjection directing everything thought to prayer; calming the storms; inner and outer. • Not having useless conversations just for the sake of conversation: • Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4: 5 -6 “Prayer needs sobriety, just as a small lantern needs a candle (perhaps as a lantern needs windless calm to burn like a candle. )

Prayer requires attention; crucifying our minds • Silence and prayer requires that we break the chatter of the mind ; that’s why we can use icons; to help us focus on the heavenly (we can pray with our breathing; this focuses our minds; using the Jesus prayer) St. Nilus says: “Strive to render your mind deaf and dumb during prayer: then you will be able to pray as you should. ” • St. John Climicus or (of the Ladder) says; “The beginning of prayer is to banish ongoing thoughts as soon as they appear. Its middle stage is to keep the mind contained in the words we say or think. The perfection of prayer is ravishment to the Lord. ”

The Jesus Prayer is called the Prayer of the Heart: The inner chamber: • St. Isaac writes: “Strive to enter within you inner chamber and you will see the chamber o heaven. For the two are the same and one entrance leads to both. ” Therefore it is there that one must look to see whether the grace of the most holy Spirit has inscribed therein its laws. ’ There, Where? In the ruling organ, the throne of grace where the mind all the thoughts of the soul are to be found, that is, in the heart. ” Monks Callistus and Ignatius

We Shine… • The mind that is ‘sober’ has complete attention through constant prayer; together with Holy Communion works to brighten and prepare the soul for it’s wedding day: “ Whenever we unworthy ones are thought worthy to be admitted, with fear and dread, to the Divine and undefiled mysteries of Christ, our God and King, then let us all the more show forth sobriety, watchfulness of mind and strict attention, so that our sins and our small and great uncleanness may be destroyed by the Divine fire, that is, by the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. For when it enters into us it straightway drives from our heart the spirits of wickedness, and it does away with our sins of the past, and the mind is left empty of the restless importunities of evil thoughts. If after this we guard the mind strictly, and stand in the gate of our heart, each time we are again counted worthy, and the holy Secret Divine Body will more and more brighten the mind, and make it shine like a star.

What happens when we become vessels of prayer? • We have power: The power and strength of this discipline of prayer: “When the soul becomes freed from everything external and is united with prayer, then prayer like a flame envelops it, as fire envelops iron and makes it all fiery. Then the soul, though still the same soul, like red hot iron, can no longer be touched by anything external. ” St. Elias Ekdikos

Pure, Salt, and Light • Matthew 5: 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. • “As salt enhances the taste of bread and all food, and even preserves meant from decaying, so you should resolve to guard the inner savor of the mind and the wonderful activity in the heart, for it will bring divine sweetness to both the inner and th outer man, drive away wicked thoughts, and preserve you continually in what is good. ” Way of a Pilgrim

We become one with Him, our Triune God. • In prayer we reflect the true image in which we were creatd: Uniting your mind body and soul: “It is evident that prayer; which consists of an unceasing invocation of the Divine Name, is the harmony and union of mind, word and soul (heart). For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them (Math 18: 20) says the Lord. Thus, in recalling the powers of the soul from their dispersion among objects of passion, and in uniting them with one another and with the tripartite soul itself, prayer mirrors the One God in three hypostases. ” • Glory be to Him forever Amen.

References: • Coptic Synaxarium • In the Spirit of Happiness; The monks of New Skete; 1999 New Skete Monastary: Cambridge, N. Y. • Journey Back to Eden; My Life and Times among the Desert Fathers; Mark Gruber O. S. B, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 2002 • Writings from the Philokalia on the Prayer of the Heart; Translated by E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer, Faber and Faber Limited, 1951 • The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way; Spiritual Classics from Russia