Warfare

Jan222021

Eastern Orthodox axiom

St. John of Damascus writes:

“St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, recounts in his ‘Spiritual Garden’ that Abbot Theodore Aeliotes told of a holy hermit on the Mount of Olives, who was much troubled by the demon of fornication.

One day when he was sorely tempted, the old man began to complain bitterly, “when will you let me alone? be gone from me! you and I have grown old together.”

He said this to the devil. The devil then appeared to him, saying, “Swear to me that you will keep what I am about to tell you to yourself, and I will not trouble you any longer.”

And the old man swore it. Then the devil said to him, “Do not venerate this Icon, and I will cease to harass you.”

The Icon in question represented Our Lady, the holy Theotokos, bearing in her arms our Lord Jesus Christ.

You see what those who forbid the veneration of Icons hate in reality, and whose instruments they are. The demon of fornication strove to prevent the veneration of Our Lady’s Icon rather than to tempt.

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Aug252020

Humility Prayer

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire Of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire Of being extolled, deliver me. Jesus.
From the desire of being honored. deliver me. Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me. Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear Of being humiliated, deliver me. Jesus.
From the fear Of being despised. deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me. Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me. Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me. Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear Of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me. Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That Others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus. grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, gram me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus. grant me the grace to desire it.

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Aug272017

Film watching on a Sunday

I watched an intriguing movie ‘Pilgrimage’, a thirteenth century drama set in Ireland. Brutal in reality, the violence is intense, while the subtler spiritual story of individuals and their response to events details an inspiring wisdom. The ever-present mysterious presence of God surrounds within the splendor of nature, the stunning Irish countryside detailing omnipotence. Providence whispers within prayer, chants, mountains, fogs, and the sea, while dramatically pronouncing in violence, thunderstorms, confusion, and death. Fanaticism, dogma and judgement are usurped by innocence, kindness, and the willingness to be subjected rather than the subjector; those willing to acquiesce to fate ultimately victorious over those attempting to conquer: the story of Christ retold in a different setting. A Cistercian, hard of heart, a consecrated one constantly manipulating in a perceived dedication to God, one who raises fear and domination up as the ultimate attributes of God, drowns from his obsession with a relic. While one pure at heart, able to exercise the relic with faith, hope, and charity has the clouds open to him, sunshine pouring down upon him with his rejection of the relic. Another accompanies, a mute one properly discerning, while maintaining continual contrite vigilance after a life of sin and death, a background of hinted at violence during escapades in the Holy Land warring in the Crusades. Lines from the gem of a film: “How does a man without a voice confess his sins?” The prince of wrath, violent and intent screams when the Cistercian curses his fate: “If I wait long enough there will be another crusade, another chance of absolution. It’s the way of the world.” In other words, he declares: I am a wrathful man, intent upon anger, vengeance and violence. I possess the courage and strength to bear forth my will in seizing what I want. I kill as I need. I will then make everything eternally correct by dedicating my warrior skills, my brutality, to the Church for the reconquering of the Holy Land. Not for the faint of heart, ‘Pilgrimage’ proves to prevail as a stunning film of proper faith.

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Aug152015

Day by Day, stone by stone, build your secret slowly

Certain portions of Sacred Scripture, attentively pronounced or reverently considered, are similarly of great efficacy.  Consequently, we should be familiar with those facts corresponding to the virtue in question (virtue concentrated upon), and employ them frequently, particularly when beset by the predominant opposite passion.  Those, for instance, who’s strive to attain mildness and patience may repeat these or similar passages: 

“Bear patiently with the wrath of God which comes upon you in punishment for your sins.”  –Baruch 4:25

“The patience of the poor shall not perish, or be deprived of its reward”.  –Psalm 9:19

“The patient man is better than the valiant; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he taketh cities.”  –Proverbs 16:32

“By your patience you will win your soul.”  –Luke 12:1

“With patience run to the fight set before us”.  –Hebrews 12:1

Those or similar aspirations may be used: “O God, when shall I be armed with patience as a shield against the weapons of my enemy?  When shall I so love Thee as to receive with joy all the afflictions Thou shalt be pleased to send?  O life of my soul, shall I never begin to live for Thy glory alone, perfectly resigned to all sufferings?  O how happy, I should be, if in the fiery trial of tribulation, I burn with a desire of being consumed for Thy service”.

–Dom Lorenzo Scupoli ‘The Spiritual Combat’

Spiritual Combat

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Aug122015

Spiritual Combat

…you must not attempt to acquire patience by immediately seeking crosses in which to delight; rather seek first the lowest degrees of this great virtue.  Similarly, do not aim at all sorts of virtue—not even many—simultaneously, but cultivate one firmly, then another, if you wish such habits to take deep root in your soul with greater facility.  For in the acquisition of a particular virtue, and in the focusing of thought upon its cultivation, the memory will be exercised more in this one line of endeavor; your understanding, enlightened by divine assistance, will find new means and stronger motives for attaining it, and the will itself will be invigorated with fresh ardor in the pursuit.  Such concentrated power of action is not possible when the three faculties are divided, as it were, by different objects. –Dom Lorenzo Scupoli ‘The Spiritual Combat’

St Dominic painting El Greco

St Dominic painting El Greco

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Mar272015

Habit increasing the small into the insurmountable

…St Bernard writing upon the words of Job: “I am reduced to such an extremity that the very things I had a horror to touch are at present become ordinary food”. “Would you know”, says he, “what power practice or habit has over us? At first a thing will appear to you insupportable; but if you accustom yourself to it, in time it will seem less hard, afterwards you will find it easy, and in the end it will give you no pain at all, but a great deal of joy and delight”; so that you may say with Job–“I now take pleasure in feeding upon those things, which before I had difficulty to touch”. –Fr. Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection volume I’

san_alonso

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Perpetual advancement of humility, allowing proper mortification and prayer, thus a deepening and expanding of the virtues

When one fails to advance in perfection because one fails to advance in humility, it is easy to grow discouraged and backslide.  Lost is the spirit of perseverance.  Replacing it is the delusion that doubling up on spiritual exercises will increase satisfaction.  Instead one only feels more aridity.  Motivated by self-seeking rather than by self-denial, one misses the mark of real advancement, stubbornly refusing to take counsel and reasonable instruction from one wiser than he or she.  It is hard to admit that what seems so right has proven to be so wrong.  Moral deeds have been done, but for the motive of increasing joy in oneself, not submission to God.  Hardly anyone escapes this danger.  Before long this “outstanding citizen,” this “pillar of the church,” this “mirror of virtue” grows slack in love of God and charity to others and may even fall into corruption he or she so publicly abhorred.  

—Susan Muto ‘John of the Cross for Today: The Ascent”.  The originator of the wonderful term ‘wasting time gracefully’

There are certain spirits I am immediately and intensely attracted to.  Susan Muto is one.  I find her to be a beautiful woman, immensely wise in the subtly of profound spiritual growth.  I enjoy contemplating her physical beauty as a woman.  I heard it said that though St John of the Cross is a name tossed about by many, few truly comprehend the depth and ascension of his thought.  The previous statement basing the idea of comprehension upon a demanding utilitarian aspect.  Vital comprehension of St John of the Cross involves application rather than knowing.  From a distance, I rest assured Dr Susan Muto is a soul attuned to St John of the Cross.

popejpII_0

 

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