Meditation 37
The Purification of the Sensuous Nature
When the priests of
Aaron received their participation in the sacred meal of God this took
place in front of the Second entrance of the Sanctuary – the gateway
into the Holy – they made the prefiguration of the cross as mentioned
in previous meditation. This was an admonition to the fact that the way
into the Holy is the Way of the Cross which every soul is obliged to go
in obedience of spiritual poverty in order to be purified in the live
of grace. The Way of the Cross is the Way of Life – the way to eternal
and everlasting life.
In order to emphasize this fact still further the priests were not allowed to nourish themselves on the blood of the sacrifice under penalty of death. The blood in the Old Covenant was the sacred symbol of Eternal Life of the Lamb of God which He merited for us on the Sacrificial Hill of the Cross by offering His own life as a sweet offering for you and me, dear reader.
The bronze laver was placed in front of the Second entrance to remind the priests on the fact that they were entering God's golden House and holy abode and the prerequisite for such an entrance was the washing in the pure water of the laver. The priests were thus obliged to wash themselves without tediousness in its water and thus every becoming priest in the Royal Priesthood of the New Covenant must follow their example by purifying himself in the life giving grace of the sacrament of Confession by confessing committed sins.
The most serious sin that a soul can commit in this earthly Tabernacle is to repute and disdain the real presence of her Creator and God in her own heart and follow her own presumptuousness. Nothing is as hurtful and grievous for the Sacred Heart of Jesus like to be denied in such a profound manner. Thus the human being becomes like a pig in the live of grace as Abba Chearemon shed light upon in the desert formerly. Such a soul denies also His real presence in the Eucharist and the salvatic nourishment of the flesh and blood which no soul can get participation in otherwise than by absolution of her sins from the lips of a priest instituted in accordance with the holy apostolic tradition of the Church.
Thus the opposite state of purity is the impurity and the abba referred to its fire by quoting the words of Saint Paul, “Mortify thus your members which are on earth” (Col 3. 5). This death consist in being freed from the prison of the law of sin or “this body doomed to death” (Rm 7. 24). And the abba shed still further light upon this corpus (body) of sin, “This body of sin consist of the 'members' of the vices. By this is meant sins in deeds, words and thoughts. These members are regarded as being 'on earth' or represent the earthly nature. This is certainly true because a man who is full of vices can not say of himself, “But our homeland is in heaven” (Ph 3. 20). Again the abba referred to the words of Saint Paul who gave a list of these members of sin, “sexual vice (fornicatio), impurity (immunditia), uncontrolled passion (libidi: burning desire), evil desires (concupiscentia)” (Col 3. 5).
The sexual vice leads to sexual immoderacy, the impurity is like being dead drunk the wine of unrestrained passion lead to rootless behavior while evil desires enkindle lust. Finally he mentioned the fifth member of this body of sin which Paul added to his list or the greed (avartia),
The abba pointed next to the fact that numerous Christians had turned their back on earthly belongings and ownership and thus it were obvious that they had uprooted all desires to such things from their heart, “Can we not thus expect that we are also able to cool the fire of lust? The apostle does not compare the possible to what is impossible, but he knows that both of these things are possible and thus he demanded that both of them should be mortified.” [3]
A man who keeps his eyes on the perfection rises from the state of the pig feeder to the hired worker the abba said (referring to Lk 15. 14-31). On this stage it are the rewards which matter as he has not as yet reached the state of the son who shares everything with his father. This is how the one thought who lost his son ship as well as wealth and, “I no longer deserve to be called your son” (Lk 15. 19). The saintly abba continued,
(1) The pig feeder is a soul who nourishes herself on the pitiable food of the pigs; i.e. “the disgusting food of the vices.” But when the pig feeder “comes to his senses” (Lk 15. 17) he begins to despise the impurity of the pigs which he became commingled with because of his fear of hunger.
(2) Consequently he begins to desire the stage of the hired worker when he thinks of the salaries he receives, “I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers” (Lk. 18, 19). And the abba pointed to the fact that the father did not only receive him because of his repentance, but spared him the experience of being a hired worker.
(3) “Let us thus hast to the third stage on the wings of vehement love,” the abba continued – to the son ship – “ because we are sons who can look at all the wealth of the Father as our own property.” The first two stages uproot easily the urge to love as the “laziness, lust and vices devour the soul's strength as she neither fears hell rather than looks to heaven.” The abba pointed to the fact that a healthy fear is a urge to perfection when we escape from the vices and approach the stage of love because “as it is written, In love there is no fear, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 Jn 4. 18). “In no other way can we rise but by loving God as He loves us. Nothing is behind this love but our salvation. And thus we shall love God only because of His love. Thus we must try to rise in burning love from the fear to the hope and from hope to the love of God and the love of the virtues. This is how we begin to love the goodness as such and do not halter to both sides in as perfect way as human nature can.” [4]
Next followed still more sublime stage of love in the teachings of the abba! He who has shoot roots in the love must rise to still higher state: to the fear of love . . . it is the wonderful nature of love which enkindles this fear the abba continued,
The abba concluded by saying that a chaste man would experience the same mystery as Jacob in his ascend in a profound way as from the struggle against the vices he would rise in humility in order to carry the name of Israel,
When the soul gazes at her own image as reflected in the pure mirror of the laver she realizes how distorted her God images has become and just as the prodigal son she is filled by desire to return home, to the spiritual Mount Zion, the abode of her heavenly Father behind the curtain of the Second entrance.
In order to emphasize this fact still further the priests were not allowed to nourish themselves on the blood of the sacrifice under penalty of death. The blood in the Old Covenant was the sacred symbol of Eternal Life of the Lamb of God which He merited for us on the Sacrificial Hill of the Cross by offering His own life as a sweet offering for you and me, dear reader.
The bronze laver was placed in front of the Second entrance to remind the priests on the fact that they were entering God's golden House and holy abode and the prerequisite for such an entrance was the washing in the pure water of the laver. The priests were thus obliged to wash themselves without tediousness in its water and thus every becoming priest in the Royal Priesthood of the New Covenant must follow their example by purifying himself in the life giving grace of the sacrament of Confession by confessing committed sins.
The most serious sin that a soul can commit in this earthly Tabernacle is to repute and disdain the real presence of her Creator and God in her own heart and follow her own presumptuousness. Nothing is as hurtful and grievous for the Sacred Heart of Jesus like to be denied in such a profound manner. Thus the human being becomes like a pig in the live of grace as Abba Chearemon shed light upon in the desert formerly. Such a soul denies also His real presence in the Eucharist and the salvatic nourishment of the flesh and blood which no soul can get participation in otherwise than by absolution of her sins from the lips of a priest instituted in accordance with the holy apostolic tradition of the Church.
In Thebaid Cassian
and Germanus met this elder, Abba Chearemon, as Cassian gives account
of in the eleventh and twelfth chapter of his Collatio. He was more
than one hundred years old. This saintly abba shed light upon the love
saying it were inseparable from God in a special way and those having
got participation in the image of God (eikon) had been likened to God.
He emphasized that it is God who infuses good will into the heart of
man and that this fullness of love is unattainable without purity as
“the love and purity are like a double wreath of victory woven of palm
leafs, two blessed sister which are so close to each other that one of
them can not thrive without the others” [1]
Thus the opposite state of purity is the impurity and the abba referred to its fire by quoting the words of Saint Paul, “Mortify thus your members which are on earth” (Col 3. 5). This death consist in being freed from the prison of the law of sin or “this body doomed to death” (Rm 7. 24). And the abba shed still further light upon this corpus (body) of sin, “This body of sin consist of the 'members' of the vices. By this is meant sins in deeds, words and thoughts. These members are regarded as being 'on earth' or represent the earthly nature. This is certainly true because a man who is full of vices can not say of himself, “But our homeland is in heaven” (Ph 3. 20). Again the abba referred to the words of Saint Paul who gave a list of these members of sin, “sexual vice (fornicatio), impurity (immunditia), uncontrolled passion (libidi: burning desire), evil desires (concupiscentia)” (Col 3. 5).
The sexual vice leads to sexual immoderacy, the impurity is like being dead drunk the wine of unrestrained passion lead to rootless behavior while evil desires enkindle lust. Finally he mentioned the fifth member of this body of sin which Paul added to his list or the greed (avartia),
By this he desires
without doubt to say that we are not only obliged to stop to desire our
own belongings but rather not to value them much. This was formerly the
disposition of whole of the community of the Church as we can read in
the Acts, “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no
one claimed private ownership of any possession, as everything they
owned was held in common . . . all those who owned land or houses would
sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to
the apostles; it was then distributed to any who might be in need” (Ac
4. 32, 34) . . . So no one will maintain that by this was a perfection
intended for few chosen, the apostle proclaims that avartia (greed
after money, egoism) is idolatry. And this is true! One who does not
meet the need of the poor and guards his money by a pitiless
heart of the infidel and appreciate such things more than the
commandments of Christ is an idolater and this is the source of all
vices when material things are estimated more than the divine love. [2]
The abba pointed next to the fact that numerous Christians had turned their back on earthly belongings and ownership and thus it were obvious that they had uprooted all desires to such things from their heart, “Can we not thus expect that we are also able to cool the fire of lust? The apostle does not compare the possible to what is impossible, but he knows that both of these things are possible and thus he demanded that both of them should be mortified.” [3]
A man who keeps his eyes on the perfection rises from the state of the pig feeder to the hired worker the abba said (referring to Lk 15. 14-31). On this stage it are the rewards which matter as he has not as yet reached the state of the son who shares everything with his father. This is how the one thought who lost his son ship as well as wealth and, “I no longer deserve to be called your son” (Lk 15. 19). The saintly abba continued,
(1) The pig feeder is a soul who nourishes herself on the pitiable food of the pigs; i.e. “the disgusting food of the vices.” But when the pig feeder “comes to his senses” (Lk 15. 17) he begins to despise the impurity of the pigs which he became commingled with because of his fear of hunger.
(2) Consequently he begins to desire the stage of the hired worker when he thinks of the salaries he receives, “I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers” (Lk. 18, 19). And the abba pointed to the fact that the father did not only receive him because of his repentance, but spared him the experience of being a hired worker.
(3) “Let us thus hast to the third stage on the wings of vehement love,” the abba continued – to the son ship – “ because we are sons who can look at all the wealth of the Father as our own property.” The first two stages uproot easily the urge to love as the “laziness, lust and vices devour the soul's strength as she neither fears hell rather than looks to heaven.” The abba pointed to the fact that a healthy fear is a urge to perfection when we escape from the vices and approach the stage of love because “as it is written, In love there is no fear, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 Jn 4. 18). “In no other way can we rise but by loving God as He loves us. Nothing is behind this love but our salvation. And thus we shall love God only because of His love. Thus we must try to rise in burning love from the fear to the hope and from hope to the love of God and the love of the virtues. This is how we begin to love the goodness as such and do not halter to both sides in as perfect way as human nature can.” [4]
Next followed still more sublime stage of love in the teachings of the abba! He who has shoot roots in the love must rise to still higher state: to the fear of love . . . it is the wonderful nature of love which enkindles this fear the abba continued,
This is the fear of
love which the prophet refers to when he sheds light on the seven
spirits who rested upon the God man in His incarnation in accordance
with the predestination. After having said, “On him will rest the
spirit of God, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel
and power, the spirit of knowledge and the piousness of God,” and
finally he adds, “And the fear of God will fill him” (Is 11. 2 –
Septuagint). Pay special attention to the fact that that not is
written, “On him will rest the fear of God,” just as is said of the
other infused graces of the Spirit. Instead of that is said, “And the
fear of God will fill him.” Here is referred to the fullness in all its
abundance. This means: that this reaches not only to a part of the man
but to him all, as soon as this has become his participation in the
power of the virtues. This is obvious as this fear is inseparable from
the love because “Love never comes to an end” (1 Cor 13. 8) . . . What
is meant can be seen in human love. With tender love men who love each
other love and embrace each other: the son loves a lovable father
without limit, the brother a brother, a friend a friend, husband a wife
and reciprocal. They do not fear to be beaten up nor expect hurtful
words from each others lips, but that the love will be injured – even
the most ignoble. Not only in attitude, but also in words they are
attentive in the intimacy of a lovable heart as this burning love will
not be cooled. [5]
The abba concluded by saying that a chaste man would experience the same mystery as Jacob in his ascend in a profound way as from the struggle against the vices he would rise in humility in order to carry the name of Israel,
The blessed David has
also said light upon this development – a participation in the Spirit
of God – when he says, “God is acknowledged in Judah, his name is great
in Israel.” This means that a soul who is still on the stage of
confessing her sins is in Judah in this context as “Judah” means
“confession.” “In Israel” means on the other hand: he who does see God,
or better said, in him who has become just God is not only confessed,
but here “his name is great” (Ps 76. 2). But he turns his back on this
stage to still more sublime stage. He wants to show us the place where
God has made his abode and says, “his Tent is pitched in Salem
(peace).” This means: he does not make his abode in warfare, where men
struggle with the vices, but where the peace is predominant, where the
purity is enkindled in the steadfastness of a pure heart. If someone
has been able to reach to this place of peace [within himself] by
uprooting his fleshly lust, he will ascend to still more sublime stage,
to the exalted tower of divine contemplation which in a symbolic
way is described as a ascend to the spiritual Mount Zion. This means
that he becomes an abode of God . . . See now: in the peace of purity
God's abode is to be found. In the contemplation he is seen in the
power of the virtues. [6]
When the soul gazes at her own image as reflected in the pure mirror of the laver she realizes how distorted her God images has become and just as the prodigal son she is filled by desire to return home, to the spiritual Mount Zion, the abode of her heavenly Father behind the curtain of the Second entrance.
[1].
Collatio 11, 6.
[2]. Ibid, 12, 1, 2.
[3]. Ibid, 12, 3.
[4]. Ibid, 11, 7.
[5]. Ibid, 11, 2.
[6]. Ibid, 12, 2.
[2]. Ibid, 12, 1, 2.
[3]. Ibid, 12, 3.
[4]. Ibid, 11, 7.
[5]. Ibid, 11, 2.
[6]. Ibid, 12, 2.