Discourse 56

Discourse 56 — Isaac of Nineveh Beautiful distinctions concerning the life of a human being. For in proportion as a human being draws near to this world in his conduct: The love of the passions is established in him, and the creature is disturbed by them in a confused manner, and for their sake he contends with his fellow humans. And with each one of the persons who exist, he is united without discernment in love. But when, by a fixed contemplation of the world to come, the mind is enriched, a thought unlike that of the confused one is conceived in him. And those who do not see him, he dismisses with hope; by the forgetfulness of those who have passed away, he errs, and loses himself in the confusion of time, while he is swallowed up by cares, and his thoughts cause him to groan over those things that are seen. Thus, also, like thought, so too action is clothed according to the measure of their causes. The mixed affection, which indicates persons, is dissolved from him, and a unique love without vision is established in his soul. The sensation of memory is chosen hand in hand from his thought in these hidden things, and the thought of the hidden things increases in him. And he becomes rich, and conquers the bodily thoughts, and remains henceforth free from those destructive passions, as is fitting for nature.

and if it were not for the fact that the remembrance of the inner man stirs him up, he would be in a state of constant agitation for something that can never be fully attained. The abundance of time in these future things holds a firm intention, by means of the excess that has been added to them in his own regard. And he becomes a wanderer on account of them, for all the wisdom of the world. And he becomes deficient in memory, and not as one who has the taste of experiential knowledge. Blessed is the human being who has drunk deeply of these things! The tears from his eyes do not cease, when he prays to himself, by the remembrance of those things in which human beings go astray in their lives. For he has left them behind, and the inner man holds fast to the limit of them. And what labor, and what error, on account of these things! Three years did Paul say that on account of these things the movements of his soul were agitated, and tears were added to him, when he was not able to bring them to an end. This thought, by the agitation of tears, deliberates in a human being: when he perceives that future hope, and he prays in his mind concerning these things of this world. How much more meager are the personal lives, compared to that hope which is preserved for the worlds in new life. And in this, there is a mortal pain for all the passing things and the desire in them. And mortal in it are all the pains of the body and of the soul.

Let these things be remembered, my beloved, and let us run over these things that are present, as much as we are able. Thus, little by little, we draw near to these future things through their movements. For unless a person first restrains himself and, over a long period of time, forces the flesh concerning those things that are before his eyes, so that little by little he abandons them, he will not in this way draw near to what is before him. And the thought and meditation on these things increase; the person remains in this body with his conduct. Even he who walks the path: were it not for the disturbance that comes day by day before them, and the diminution of their path, but if they stood still in their place, never would the path before them be diminished, and never would they arrive where they gaze, which they desire. Thus also our own desire is like these things. If we do not restrain ourselves little by little, we will never be strengthened to be separated from these things of the flesh, so that tomorrow we may be with God. Wisdom is this: because their pursuit is difficult, if a person once becomes attached to any one of them, he struggles not to draw near to them. And thus he diminishes, even from their thoughts. And again, the mind is satisfied because of the poverty of thought, and tomorrow it is for something else. It is not that the need of our speech is lacking: this is the knot that looses the monk from life.

But the place of divine service is not set as the beginning; rather, the second is set for this divine service. But when this follows in order, leave concern for God aside. More than for yourself, set your trust upon God. And take care to hasten, so that even completely concerning this flesh because of these things. It is not a hope that is possible, where all these testimonies from the scriptures we have, and the one who is strengthened in hope teaches us, as it is written: that our Lord said, "Do not be anxious about anything." And David says: "Cast your concern upon the Lord, and He will sustain you." The rich became poor and needy. And those who desire the Lord will not lack goodness. And our Lord commanded and said: "Do not be anxious about anything, but increase in yourselves the thought of future things." And these earthly necessities because of the constraint of nature will not be lacking to you. For God in His grace gave us that we might increase in His love: the rational soul by which it errs towards the world and its own self, through the loosening of its bonds. And instead of many bonds, it is bound by one bond: that which has no loosening in its affections. That is the kingdom of the worlds above, by which and in which it is bound, so that it might be worthy of the mystery of the beatitudes. Their limit is preserved in the future world for those who stand in its truth.

that even his concern and his trust be placed in the power of his help, forever and ever. Amen.