Guarding inner communion in a sinful world

[leonard mazilu]

I want to say hello from Romania .
I have some problems with my internal life .
Haw can keep the permanent conection with God in actual life when the 'bad' is anywere .
Haw can I be succeseful in the fight with my thinks .

leonard mazilu

[M.C. Steenberg]

Re: Leonard on guarding inner communion

Dear in the Lord, Leonard,

Perhaps a word from the Fathers will provide some guidance. Though we live in the midst of a world succumbed to sin and often revelling in it, and though we are certainly a part of this world and actively live in its midst, we are called to be dispassionate to it; i.e., we are to acknowledge and work against the sin present in the world, but we are not to be attached to the 'worldly cares' that engender becoming part of such sin. St Diodochos of Photiki writes:


'A person who is not detached from worldly cares can neither love God truly nor hate the devil as he should, for such cares are both a burden and a veil' (On Spiritual Knowledge, §18).

He also writes, concerning the man who loves God truly, that:


'He is both present in this life and not present in it' (On Spiritual Knowledge, §14).

It seems that the Fathers agree that the first step in living with God in the sinful world, is to cultivate a heart that is dispassionate towards the many draws that the world offers, and rests instead wholly on God. Unless the heart is centred upon the Trinity in this way, the sin of the world will always serve as a powerful force keeping us from Him; but if the heart knows only God, He will conquer in us the drives of the passions to sin.

I find it very beautiful that the Fathers of the Egyptian desert (the 'Desert Fathers (http://www.monachos.net/monasticism/desert_fathers.shtml)' of the 4th century) viewed the fact that we must struggle with the temptations of sin in the world, as a great help in our inner spiritual struggle. It is the oftentimes overwhelming temptation of sin that engages us in the struggle of force by which we must obtain the Kingdom of God. Without such a goading on by the character of the world, we might rest in our laziness and never take up the fight. Evagrios of Pontus one said, 'Take away temptations, and no one will be saved' (Apothegmata Patrum, Evagrios, §5).

The constant remembrance of Jesus the Saviour seems the best tool in combating the passions and dwelling in God despite the sin of the world (see Abba Paul the Great: 'Keep close to Jesus', Apothegmata Patrum, Paul the Great, §4). To this end, the Jesus Prayer (http://www.monachos.net/monasticism/jesus_prayer.shtml) is the traditional aid blessed by the Church. Perhaps you have read of this? If not, do follow the link for some of the classic texts on the Prayer.

Do you have other thoughts, Leonard?

INXC,
Matthew

[Joseph Bell]

I know what I'll do, I will pray for you Leonard. Could you pray for me too? I am having the same problem.

Yours in Christ,
Joseph Bell