Sermo 13

Of the Same Author: An Ascetical Discourse. Man was made in the image and likeness of God; but sin corrupted the beauty of the image, dragging the soul down into the passions and desires. God, who made man, is the true life. Therefore, one who has lost the likeness to God has lost kinship with life; and it is impossible for one who is outside of God to be in the blessed life. So then, let us return to the original grace from which we were alienated through sin. And let us again adorn ourselves according to the image of God, being made like the Creator through dispassion. For one who has imitated in himself, as far as possible, the dispassion of the divine nature has taken up again the image of God in his own soul. And one who has been made like God in the manner described has certainly also acquired the likeness of the divine life, remaining perpetually in eternal blessedness. If, then, through dispassion we take up again the image of God, and likeness to God bestows upon us the perpetuity of life, let us, neglecting all other things, devote ourselves to this pursuit, so that our soul may never be dominated by any passion, but our mind may remain unwavering and unconquered in the assaults of temptations, that we may become partakers of divine blessedness.

The partner of such zeal is virginity, for those who pursue this gift according to reason. For the gift of virginity is not accomplished only by refraining from childbearing, but the whole life, conduct, and character must be virginal, displaying the incorruption of the unmarried state through every practice. For one can commit fornication by speech, adultery by the eye, be defiled through hearing, receive pollution in the heart, and fall from the bounds of temperance through immoderation in food and drink. For he who in all these things guards himself by continence under the rule of virginity truly shows in himself the grace of virginity perfected through all things. Therefore, if we desire the character of our soul to be beautified through dispassion in the likeness of God, so that through this the eternity of life may also be granted to us, let us attend to ourselves, lest by doing something unworthy of the promise we fall under the judgment of Ananias. For it was possible for Ananias not to have made the promise of the possession to God in the first place; but since, looking to human glory, he dedicated the possession to God through the promise, so that he might be admired by men for his generosity, but embezzled the price, he stirred up against himself such indignation of the Lord, of which Peter was the minister, that he found not even a term for repentance. Therefore, before the promise of a chaste life, it is permitted to anyone who wishes, according to what is allowed and lawful, to enter into a course of life and give himself to the union of marriage.

Once it has been anticipated through one’s own profession, it is fitting to guard oneself for God, just as something consecrated, so as not to incur the charge of sacrilege by defiling again through service to the common life the body that has been dedicated to God through the promise. I say this not only with a view to one form of passion, as some suppose, who preserve the achievement of virginity solely in the guarding of the body, but with a view to every kind of passionate disposition, so that the one who intends to guard himself for God may be stained by none of the worldly passions. Anger and envy and resentment, falsehood and pride, conceit and idle talk, neglect of prayers, and desire for things that do not exist, carelessness regarding commandments, and adornment of garments, beautification of faces, and meetings and conversations that occur beyond what is fitting and necessary—all these are worthy of such vigilance for the one who has dedicated himself to God through virginity that the danger is nearly equal whether one falls into any one of these or into the forbidden sin. For all things that occur through passion somehow defile the purity of the soul and hinder the divine life. Therefore, the one who has renounced the world must look to these things, so as in no way to defile himself, the vessel of God, by passionate use. And one must especially consider this: that the one who has chosen the life of the angels, having crossed the limits of human nature, has transferred himself to the incorporeal way of life.

This is proper to the angelic nature: to be free from marital union, not to be lifted up toward any other beauty, but to gaze perpetually at the divine countenance. Therefore, one who has transferred to the angelic rank, if he were to be defiled by human passions, is like a leopard’s skin, whose hair is neither entirely white nor wholly black, but is spotted by the mixture of different colors, and is counted neither among the black nor among the white. Let this, then, be a more general instruction for those who have chosen the continent and chaste life. But since it is necessary to distinguish precisely concerning each matter, it would be necessary to leave a brief reminder also concerning these things. Those who have separated from common life and are training themselves for the more divine life should not practice by themselves nor alone. For such a life ought to have a witness, so that it may be free from evil suspicion. And just as the spiritual law wishes those who eat the mystical Passover to be not fewer than ten, so here the number of those who practice the spiritual polity together ought to exceed rather than fall short of ten. One leader of the seemliness of life should preside, chosen in preference to the others by testing of life, character, and all orderly conduct, with age in time also being taken into account for the preference. For the more venerable is somehow more worthy of respect in human nature.

He is to have such authority, with the brotherhood voluntarily obeying only in docility and humility, that it is not permitted for anyone in the community to oppose his will in matters where he prescribes something contributing to seemliness and precision of life. But just as the Apostle says, not to resist the authorities appointed by God (for those who resist God's ordinance are to be judged), so here too the rest of the brotherhood must be persuaded that such authority has been given to the one in charge not by chance, but according to the divine will, so that progress according to God may be unimpeded, with him proposing everything that is beneficial to the soul and useful, and the others receiving the good counsels in obedience. Since, therefore, the community must in every way be obedient and submissive to the one presiding, it is above all necessary to choose as the leader of this way of life one who is such that his life becomes an example of every good for those who look to him; and, as the Apostle says, sober, temperate, orderly, capable of teaching. Thus it seems to me that one must examine his life, not only whether they have the seniority of age (for there are those who in gray hair and wrinkles are youthful in character), but primarily whether his character and manner have been matured through orderliness, so that everything said and done by him becomes law and rule for the community.

Concerning the provision of food, it is fitting for those living such a life that, as the Apostle suggests, working with their hands in a seemly manner, they eat their own bread. It is proper to assign the distribution of labor to some elder, attested for the dignity of his life, who will assign the works of their hands to the needs that are sought, so that both the commandment ordering that food be procured by sweat and toil may be fulfilled, and that irreproachable and blameless seemliness may remain, in that no necessity arises for them to make public the need of their life. Let this be the finest definition and rule of self-restraint: to look neither toward luxury nor toward ill-treatment of the flesh, but to flee immoderation in either, so that the flesh may neither become over-fleshed and disturbed, nor, becoming sickly, be unable for the work of the commandments. For the harm to the soul from either is equal, both when the flesh is unruly, leaping away through good condition into improper impulses, and when it is ailing, enfeebled, and motionless, constrained by pains. For the soul has no leisure, in such a state of the body, to look freely upward, but of necessity is occupied with and inclined toward the perception of pain, being humbled together with the ill-treatment of the body. Let use, therefore, be proportionate to need, and let wine be neither abhorred, if taken for healing, nor eagerly sought without necessity; and let all other things likewise serve the needs, not the desires, of those who are ascetics. Let the whole of life be a time of prayer.

Most especially, since it is necessary to relieve the intensity of psalmody and genuflection with some intervals, one must follow the hours for prayer as established by the saints. The great David says, "At midnight I arose to confess to you concerning the judgments of your justice"; and Paul and Silas are found following this, praising God at midnight in the prison. Then the same prophet says, "Evening and morning and midday." But also the presence of the Holy Spirit occurs at the third hour, as we have learned in the Acts, when, while the Pharisees were mocking the disciples in the varied activity of tongues, Peter says that those speaking these things are not drunk, for it is the third hour. The ninth hour is a memorial of the Lord's passion, which occurred for the sake of our life. But since David says, "Seven times a day I praised you concerning the judgments of your justice," and the mentioned times of prayer do not fill the hebdomad of prayers, the midday prayer must be divided: one part before taking food, and the other after taking food, so that for us also the seven times a day of praising God according to every period of the day may be established as a type. The entrances of the ascetic houses shall be closed to women; and not all men shall enter, but only those whom the superior entrusts with entrance.

For often the indifference of the one who enters introduces a succession of untimely words and useless narratives into the hearts, and casts them into vain and unprofitable thoughts from these vain words. And for this reason, let there be a common rule: only the superior is to be questioned and to answer concerning matters about which it is necessary to speak of necessity; the rest are not to reply to those who engage in idle chatter in vain conversations, so that they may not be dragged down into the succession of idle words. Let there be one common storehouse for all, and let nothing be called private for each—neither a garment, nor a sandal, nor anything else for the necessary needs of the body. But let the use be in the authority of the superior, from the common goods, the appropriate thing for each to serve, according to the guidance of the leader. In this common dwelling, the law of love does not permit partial friendships and associations. For it is absolutely necessary that partial attachments formed individually harm the common harmony in many ways. Now it is fitting for all to be disposed with equal measure of affection toward

to look upon one another, and to maintain one measure of love over the whole community. But if anyone is found to have a greater affectionate disposition towards a monastic brother, or a relative, or any other person for any reason whatsoever, as one who wrongs the common good, let him be corrected. For the excess of disposition towards one person carries with it a strong accusation of deficiency towards the others. The penalties for one convicted of some offense shall be according to the measure of the sin: being prevented from joining in psalmody, not being admitted to communion in prayer, and being excluded from participation in food. In this, the one appointed to oversee the common order shall determine the penalty for the offender according to the magnitude of the fault. The service shall be performed by the common community in rotation, with two in succession in a single week carrying out all the diligence required by need, so that the reward of humility may be common, and that no one may be allowed to outdo the community even in what is good, and that rest may be equal for all. For to be wearied in part and to rest in part makes the toil imperceptible to those who labor. The superior of the order has authority to bring forward those he deems fit for necessary departures, and to order those whom it benefits to stay at home and remain within the house. For often in young bodies, even when the hardship from ascetic discipline is most earnestly pursued, a certain bloom of youthfulness flourishes, and becomes an occasion of passion for those who encounter them.

If, then, someone is young in the flower of the body, let him conceal such comeliness, hiding it, until the visible comes to the proper state. Let there be no sign of anger, or rancor, or envy, or contentiousness in them—neither in form nor in movement; neither in word nor in the intensity of a glance, nor in the disposition of the face, nor in anything else that naturally provokes a companion to anger. And if someone is overtaken by any of these, having previously suffered something distressing is not sufficient as an apology for the offense in which one is caught. For the evil dared at any time is equally evil. Let every oath be banished from the list of those who are ascetics. But a nod of the head and vocal assent shall be considered as an oath, both for the speaker and the hearer. And if someone disbelieves a bare affirmation, an accusation of his own conscience is provided, as one who has not achieved truthfulness in speech, and for this reason he will be ranked among the offenders by the superior, and will be disciplined by a corrective penalty. When the day has passed and every work, both bodily and spiritual, has come to an end, before rest it is fitting that the conscience of each be examined by his own heart. And if anything has occurred contrary to what is proper—whether a thought of forbidden things, or speech outside of what is fitting, or negligence in prayer, or indifference in psalmody, or desire for the common life—let the fault not be concealed, but let it be declared to the community, so that the passion of the one overtaken by such evil may be healed through common prayer.