2 posts tagged “god”

Having consumed a number of classics by Dostoevsky, Gogol, Turgenev, and Pushkin over the past year, I should have turned out a lot smarter and insightful by now than I actually did.  But maybe I picked up on a thing or two.

Amongst the things these writers have in common seems to be this - they are most aghast at the travesty of a life lived and completed with no impact whatsoever on anything - a creature having existed then perished without anyone having taken notice.

The writers' descriptions of such people usually focus on their mundane existence, their clockwork striving for the next scrap of food or clothing.  I think some of the novelists writings are meant to redeem the existence of these poor souls, to give some meaning to their life if only by proxy through fictional archetypes.

It seems to me that the poor and unnoticed characters sometimes represent the lost'ness of the well-to-do as well, sort of a mirror showing the reverse image of the same thing.  Those who are endlessly attending balls or counting their rubles may end up with just as meaningless an existence as their unbathed counterpart.

And all of this serves as a mirror for ourselves.  Those in the novels whose life is actually rich, worthwhile, and with lasting effect are the ones who live the Gospel - sometimes represented in Dostoevsky for example as the naive one, the one who suffers the scorn of others simply because they care deeply (Alyosha, the idiot, etc.).  And so we ask, how does one become like that, assuming they are prepared for ridicule?

I like the Church Father's discussions about developing a "habit of virtue", and St. Seraphim of Sarov's instructions to do all in order to attain the Holy Spirit.  Those two together, the practice of virtue and the reason for doing so, seem key to becoming one who's existence is not wasted.  Their memory becomes eternal, as they take on the attributes of God Himself.  Like this - "eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality" (Romans 2:7).  Here's a synopsis of the practice as derived from St. Maximus the Confessor by Dr. Farrell, one in a series of explorations by my dear wife.

If we are to say we're not gnostic, that God is the creator of matter as well as spirit and therefore the body is good as the spirit is good, then why did so many of the Orthodox Saints mortify their bodies and work so hard to deny physical needs?

I found enlightenment at Dr. David Bradshaw's emerging web site: http://www.uky.edu/~dbradsh/

In a talk Dr. Bradshaw presented at Asbury College, he said,
"I am sure you are all aware of the commandment of St. Paul to "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof".  You are probably also aware that the flesh is not the body... Perhaps the simplest way to understand flesh is that it is self-love.  It is our innate tendency to seek our own comfort and security rather than acting, feeling, and thinking in a way that is permeated with the love of God.   It manifests itself through the whole range of sins and passions: hatred, anger, gluttony, lust, sloth, and all the others.
Now the Fathers were well aware that the flesh is not the body.  However, they thought that the surest way to conquer the flesh is, in fact, by disciplining the body.  The reason is that the flesh manifests itself at the most elemental level as love for one's own body.  To meet it on it's own turf, so to speak, one must confront the body and it's power of domination.  This does not mean neglecting the body.  lt means habitually denying one's bodily urges and replacing them with urges of the spirit.
The desire for food must be met by fasting.
The desire to let the mind coast... must be met by prayer and study of Scripture.
The desire for sleep must be met by vigils.
The desire for physical security must be met by almsgiving.
The desire for distraction and idle chatter must be met by silence and solitude.
And all of this must be done regularly enough that you actually WANT to pray more than you want to plop down in front of the TV.
This is very difficult.  It is especially difficult to be done alone.  That is why practices such as communal prayer and regular periods of fasting were so important in the early Church.  Difficult though it may be, ascetic struggle is necessary if ones most basic habits and inclinations are to be reoriented away from love of self and toward love of God."

This makes sense to me.  May God grant me the fortitude to follow in the example of the saints, who mortified the flesh and gained Christ.