From The Well

Reflections on a Spiritual Journey

Reflections

Passion

“First we must struggle against our own passions, watching and keeping in mind the course of the battle; and then on the basis of personal experience we can advise others about this warfare, and render victory easier for them by describing the tactics beforehand.”
St Neilos The Ascetic
Ascetic Discourse
Philokalia Volume 1

I rarely hear people say they are struggling against the passions in ordinary conversation. In reality, passion has more a positive connotation in our culture. I am passionate about this game, this team, this candidate, this idea, this position etc. Passion evokes energy and excitement about the moment or about a future event. For the early desert fathers and mothers, they saw the other side of passion or, as we shall say, the passions. The passions for them were necessary temptations that had to be identified and overcome as part of their spiritual journey. We all struggle with various passions which can be understood as anything we do that is a detriment to our relationship with one another and God. Passion is good when the end result is our greater participation in God’s work in the world. This week take several opportunities to outline things in your normal routine where you struggle with the passions or things that take you away from God. When you identify them do not feel bad but begin the work of overcoming them which may be an arduous process, but in the end a very fulfilling one.

Wisdom

“The task of wisdom is to prompt the intelligence to strict watchfulness, constancy, and spiritual contemplation.”
St Hesychios the Priest
On Watchfulness and Holiness
Written for Theodoulos
Philokalia Volume 1

I remember growing up that my brother was often described as being “wise beyond his years”. As a young lad I always wondered what that meant because I was blinded by jealousy and sibling rivalry. Now I understand what people saw in my brother; his deep concern for those around him. You see being wise is not about having the right answers or attaining some degree of knowledge that sets you apart, but, rather, it is about your intentional desire to connect to God and God’s commands. St. Hesychios the Priest reminds us that wisdom is more about watchfulness and spiritual contemplation than actual knowledge. In the contemplative tradition, we are reminded of the importance of wisdom for our spiritual development. We do not seek to cultivate it but connect to it as it resides deep within us and the cosmos. Our active contemplation in life at work, school, or with our families provides opportunities for us to contemplate God and connect to the wisdom that lives within us. The result of our connection to wisdom is a humble life that reminds us of the awesome wonder that is God and God’s call on our lives. Let’s take time this week connecting to the divine and gaining wisdom in our relationships with one another and with God. The well of wisdom is deep and ever flowing which brings great excitement to those who begin the work of contemplating it.

Hate

“For, although the unjust are worthy of hatred, it makes no sense for a God-loving soul to be troubled by hatred, because when hatred is present in the soul, knowledge of God is no longer active within it.”
St. Diadochos
Hypothesis XLI
The Evergetinos Volume 1

Hatred is becoming a common feeling and expression in our world. Hatred is not new to the world or to Christians. Many of us hear daily that “I love the sinner, but hate the sin” and usually as you listen further you realize they might hate the sinner as well. St. Diadochos hits home the danger of letting hatred consume us to our core. The desert tradition is rife with stories about people overcoming hatred by learning to focus their hearts and minds on the love found in God. Through knowledge of God we gain a better understanding of what it means to love and how that love informs our life. We soon realize that we have the strength and ability to love over hate, to build over destroy, and to forgive over resent. These are the hallmarks of our spiritual discipline and like any discipline we must be intentional about working toward a life filled with love. Considering all the recent events in the world, let us find one place in our lives where hatred either lives or is starting to awaken and bring the love of God to bear on that place.

A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Energy

“God’s divine energy is neither an essence nor an accident, nor is it something utterly nonexistent.”

St. Gregory of Palamas
150 Texts on the Moral and Ascetic Life

Energy is motion, action, life, exciting, and can be overwhelming. Rarely, do you think of the divine energy of God in the world God created. For the early church fathers, it was imperative that we understand God’s presence within creation. Their understanding came from the creation story in Genesis where God touched and the creation started which meant the divine energy was there from the beginning. Today we can imagine that every part of God’s creation has this divine energy embedded within it which is the lifeblood of our entire cosmos. This is the underbelly of the contemplative tradition: to seek God out in our interactions with the each other and the world. As you walk, jog, stroll, or run through your day look for the divine energies of God in the world.