PRAYER AND HOLINESS The feon of Man Renewed in God DUMITRU STANILOAE Aarhus Universitet fay Det Teologiske Fakultets Bibliotek aT Ab \ sia rruss© ThE sisTens OF THE LOVE OF GoD i982 CONTENTS: Introduetion 1 4 w a AAtusUS UNIVERSITET DE TEOLOGISKE INSTITUTFER ‘TENDERNESS AND HOLINESS PURE PRAVER, OR PRAYER OF THE HEART GOD SHINING THROUGH THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MAN PRAYER AND FREEDOM FORGIVENESS AND THE RENEWAL OF THE CHURCH 7 aACKNONLEDGEMENT ‘The fie essays presented hete wets orginally aldvesee fiven to che monle at the Monastery of Chevetogne in Belgium, a Benedictine community dedicated to work and Dray for Chistian unity, and especialy for unity betveen Chistian Ease snd West, The addreses fis appenred in 1979 in Iéniton, the journal ofthe Communicy, under the sites “Brévinire hésychaste'. The Sister ofthe Lave of Ged wish to record their gearade to Doin Michael van Pays, the Prior of chevetopne, for generously allowing them to Publish their truslation of Fe Staniloac's addresses, the fist of which, "Tendeeoes and Holines has steady ap ested in the Fainacres Chronicle, Samamer 186%. INTRODUCTION PATINA DUNTTRU SPANILOAE, the asthor ofthe five eseys presented in this litle bork, is one ofthe most diinguished of Orthos cheatogaine Born in 1903, he has been profeweor of dogmatic theology how as Sika te ‘Transylvania and at Bucharest, and hat writen many book, notable among them a three volume Degoatie Tbeclegy (1978). & pest aod a ‘waried man, he has throughou his life been concered to stem he links between theology and epriulity. Hence he ip also the eon of the new and enlarged Romanian version of the Pbiotatin, Tis great sathlogy of sisal wrihgs has inthe lst wo hundred years pliyed an inmpereot ‘Partin srengtening the Inner ite ofthe Orhodon Chusches Ia Woman ‘no Jess than in Russa and Greece, and the fist two volumes ate sow salable in English, Fe Seanfoue, a6 we have snd, hat always sought to show che links beticen thenogy and spiialiy. Sul more has he wanted to make te cleat that both are rooted in the faith and life and prayer of the whole Christan people, Hence in the pages tha fllow you wil ind the wonds of an eminent scholir, an orginal thinker, man of deep pray, bus aloe ff « man whe has never fst touch wih the faith and expefence nfs gree varity of pecple in many walks of lf, Theology shouldbe ae the seice. of the whole Christian comunity, an articulation of the faith which is held by a. Lremember Fr Dumitm once telling me that when thinking trough some uitfiele theological problem, he would sometnes ey te ‘wel, ‘How would the vilagers at hoine fel about ths?" We have terefore in these pages an expression ‘of the fit of the ‘Church and ofthe experience of al er peuple. So, for instance, when you ome to the ast section you wil find thst the renewal of the Church i considered nce as a matter for expert siting on 4 commision, bata terns of your prayer and mine, ou wllngnes to forgive and be fompeen [esi our hands to tundir ot hinder eh progress o! tence eis altogether characteitic of thei author that in these pages the ‘most difficult questions are reated with the greatest simplicity tthe fuse section we se how the genteness and Gimness of the man of Gott, tisower to comfort and his power to incite, his nearness and yet his dite ‘ance, ae all dings rooted inthe tanscendent love of God, which comes oe to usin him, Western Chiiatane wil be reminded as they tead of such men as the Curéd’Ars and ishep Edward King, In the second section we look further into the way in whieb; in prayer, man is carried ‘out‘of himsef in love forthe God who has come out from himself love for man, We find the true mening ofthe ancient phrase sbout ‘puting the ‘ind into the hear’ the union of man's fecltiey in ther movement towards God, ‘The thcd section brings us to a consideration ofthe doctrines of the ‘Incemation and of dificatin, The gresest exponent ofthese doctines in ‘the Orthodox tradition is St Maximus the Confessor. Here they ate ex: presed_ with 2 power and directness which convey something of the ‘numensity of the love of God, the limit posites ofthe life of man, 'Man mst be capable of continually tenewing and deepeing his conscious ‘experience of Gods and God in hit tn delights in this perpetual venewal ‘of foy in the man in whom he rest ‘The fourth section discusses the natare of human from. Prom the thought of man’s freedom as 2 person in rslaton to the natural order, it brings us co a wonderful statement ofthe way in which human freedom is rounded inthe infinite feedom of God, who makes us free inthe pif of bis Holy and Lifeqiving spin. We have already mentioned the fith section wih te strest on the need asi and vo grant forgieness, Mucus! forgiveness of each vce ‘Opens the gate of Paracie, 1% is important tha fll weight sbould be given to this seetion, This is the cath in which all che rest planed this imple diect confrontation with {he words of the prayer which every Christan males his own: "Porte us tur tespasses as we forgive ther that treypas aunt ws Tt has been an honour for the Sisters of the Love of God to translate and publish these texts in English itis an honour for me to introduce tem, May they live and work in us, and may a litle of that love wh snimates their author inall hat he does come to animate all who read and pone then, east ofthe Anmuncition 1982 A.M ALLEN ‘TENDERNESS AND HOLINESS 1 Tie PERSON of the sant, Because of his aalabilty, his exreme aten- fon to others and hy the alerty with wih he gives himself to Chess, humanity is Heald and renewed. How does this renewed humanity show uct in practice? The stint shows us 4 Bearng fall of tact, etanupareney, rity of thought and feeling, in relation to every human being His con sideration exencs even to arimals and co things, cau in every creature he ses gift of Gis love and doce not with to wound hat love by te. ing his gifs with negligence or indtference. He has respect for each man and foreach hing. Me shows towaté the suffering of any man, or even af an animal, «profound compasion. St Istac te Syrian says of che compassion of the ssin: What cin one sty of «soul ofa heart, filleé with compassion? Ieis a heat which bums with love for every creature for men, bids and animals, for erpens and for demons, The thought of them and the sight of tem make the teats of the stint flow. And this immense and intense compassion, which flows from the hear of the stints, makes them unable co bets the sight ofthe soulless, mom insignificant wound ia any erasure, Thus hey pray cease les, with tars, even for animale, for enemies ofthe wth an for thove who do chem wrong.” ‘As to Se Clinicas of Cemiea (the most recent of the canonical stints of Romani, who died in 1867), when he was in some ron where he had no money to give tothe poor, he Would euen to his companions with tear, saying, Do get me some money to give wo thet ile brothers of Jesu” ‘Such compassion reveals n hare shat i tende,extemely sensitive, nd 4 stranger toll hardnes,indliference and brvalty, I shows us tat hard es Is the rest of sn and ofthe pasion i she Sevag of te sn, and ‘ven in his hoops, there no teace of vulgarity, meaness ox baseness, no sign of alfectation, oF want of sincerity. Kindle, eenity and twanspareney zome to their fllertexpresion in him, and are combinedPRAYER AND HOLINESS ith purity, generous attention towards men and with the evailabilcy by which he shates with all his eace in thelr problems and rouble, ll ‘hese qualities is shown forth in an eminent depece the fll capacty of man nature, “There is indeed a distinction and nobility fl of feling in thie higher foe of tendemess thats very different fom the conventional distinction and nobility which are distant and formal. This tenderness docs not oid contact withthe mot humble of men, ands unperturbed by steation in which others would be afraid of fling. The model ofthis tendemes f the ena the condescension, of Chis. He did not wish to hold himself sloof from sinners, nor fromthe Rnd of wamen who are avoided by men concerned for theie own reputation. The Renoir, the selfemprying of ‘Christi nisl, te supreme form of tenderness, Init is shown the desire ‘ot ta be a burden to the humble, not to mbaras them, By his Renosis hh desied to open up 2 way into their heats. Ry kindness he intended 12 make them give up thee ervel ways, instead of pessing ins handnes in ‘which the ‘infvioe recurs the contempt of the superior” Inthe kndlines of thee behaviour the ssnt ar ingpced by the kewosis, of Christ, At the same time they are the harbingers of a higher level of human relations in which kindness will be paramount, For humanity st ‘nsnisfied by the exterior equality which amen are coming to realise sttong *hemieles, is ening towards x higher level of monual elatonships which wl bear the miske of rendemes. ‘Thanks to 8 conscience wiose sesitvity has been nourished and o> fined by the sensitivity of God made man for men, a sensitivity in which they share, the snints can see into the moat secret states of oul in others, and they avoid anything that could bes sumbling block to them without, Fhomeres, neglecting to elp them triumph over their wetknensr snd con, ‘gues therdificutes. Thus the sin it sought ont a8 = confidant forthe ‘most intimate secrets. For he i ble co dscemin others a scaecy acu. lard need, the whole of their capacity to desire what is good, Thus he ‘hastens to satly this desire and gives hinge entirely to doing so But he ko disern in ashen hee imps, even shave they hie men shlfalp ‘Then his compassion becomes puntying through the gene strength of bis ‘own purity, and chrough the stfering caused him by the evi intentions of ‘others or thir perverse desires. Thi suffering remit with him always TENDERNESS AND HOLINESS 1m each of hese situations he knows when is opportune to speak, and What needs te be side als knows when to keep silence and what cught to be done, One mis consider this ube dicernment onthe part af the saints os sertof ‘pastoral diplomacy’, «further expression of thie di tinction and robity of haracer, ‘The sane says radates a spirit of generosity, of forbearance of atten tion and willingness to share, without aay thought for himself Ma warnth fives warmth to others and maker them feel they ate regaining the strength, and lets them experience the joy of not being alone. The stne i like an innocent lab, always ready tobe sserficed an to take to himsll the suferng of others bur he is also an unshakeable wall aguas which al ‘an lean for sipport, In sharing thus ehe lot of others the stint sometimes shows great dicretion, while at other times he expresses himself without reserve, Ie is tarly necessiy to speak ofthe total absence of self interest in hie relaonships Moreover, no one is humbler than the sine more ftee fren all thats afc, foréier from any Kind of boasting, more ‘natura’ in As be: haviour, beemte he accepts and understands everything that i truly human all thse lowly and sometimes ridiculous aspects of our humanly, Which is eat only when i is noe hosting ofits geetness. Thus the sine immediately «cates an aemosphere of fiendlines, of Kinship and indeed. of intinacy between himself and others. In ehis way he humans is te- lationships and leaves on ther a mark of gensinenss, becnuse he himtell fas become profoundly human and genuine, He spe Kindly and evoids taming the weakness of overs with brutal frankness; but a the sme time he creas the conditions fora decet, candid and open relationship beeen himaaf and others. He urges them to confes their wetness {nd sins since, and fortis them in their struggle to overcame them, ‘St Maximus the Gonfesir says thatthe saints have attained toa pure simplicity, because they have overcome in chemssives all duality and pre tence, They have pased beyond the struggle between soul and body, bberneen good intentions and works performed, between deceitful xppeat- sneet and hidden thoughts, between what they pretend toe an What ‘they acsunly are, They have become simple beeaste they have given them selves entirely to God. That is why they ae able also to give themscies fncrely fo men in their reltonships with them, If at tines they choosenor to name weaknesses outsight they do in onder not to discourage People, and also because in themeliesdiserction, deliacy, rasnace, Smpliciy and sinceiy are continually growing, ‘The ssints always give encouragement. Sometimes they do ie by rede «ing the exaggerated proportions in which men tend to see their own weske ‘ese, ins and pasions. They free them from felings of desptto& af ‘ter powelesnes, But sometiner alo they subdue the pride of ethers wich alight humour. They smile, but do not laugh loudly or serasialy, AC other times, fed with acts that are immoral or wth blameworty Passions, they disclose the fll seriousness of thet cing, but withou ine ‘piring far. They ascribe an infinite value tothe humblest of men, because ‘the Son of God himself in becoming incarste, hae given ths ifn vale tw every man, They see Christ in all men, some of the Fathers have ex resed i in thei sayings. But atthe sume time they humble the pre af ‘others by therneves presenting an example of humility. Thus they con: Mundy reestablish the maucel equality betweca men, ‘Because of his humility the sane is wearcely noticed, but he i always ‘here when anyone has need af support, consolation or encouragement He stands by the one whom everyone ese abandons With him no difiuly is fnuemountble, no obsucle invincible, when it isa mater of drawing fomeone ost of a station of despals. At such times he shows an astonish fg strength and ski, together with anshakeable calm and contidence, bes ‘tush believes frmly inthe hep of God, eckng it with urgent payer, He isthe most humble and human of men, but atthe sme time ah ne unvensional and suprising figure. He giver others the fering that they fave discovered in him, and therefore in themlves because of him, the nature of tre humanity, This humanity has been so overlaid by artifiily, by the deste to appear rather than to be, that when it reveals its tue self fe ewuset sstorshment, as if it were something unsatural. The stint is the most courteous of men, yet at the rame tne, quite unintendionaly he compels recognition. He isthe ene wh attracts most atcnton and insptes most expec. He Becomes the intimate fiend of each one, the person who best Uunderstani you and pute you at your esse, nd a he sume mes you, ‘op by making you aware of how mach yow fall short and of the sins you vod looking a, He overwhelms you by the simple grandeue of his pusy ‘TENDERNESS AND HOLINESS snd by the warmth of his goodness and consideration: he makes you ashamed of hovng such low standard, of having disfigured human nature in yourelt, of being impure, afi, sll of duplicity and manner, All this is highlighted by the ‘compatiston which you laveluntarly make between youre and hi ‘The sine docs not exercise any earthly power, he doesnot iste his ‘orders with severity, So no citialthoughss of hm ise up in Yo, and you fel no resentment towards him, For he makes the person of Chit rel for you in bis gertenest and strength, Thus you do not ty co hide fom hin ‘oF avoid his eye; oF it may indeed happen thst you doseek to avoid him, ‘more than yeu would someone who imposed stict commands on you, For you sens in him an reducible firmness, the total identification of his being with goodness, although again, his rmnes of his in his eonicions, his tif, inthe opinions and alvice he gives ss firmness which s neither rense nr rig ‘That is wly, by thee wholly parsdoxial character, the opinions and counsel he exjoins upon you so gendy aequte a greater authority for you ‘than any eattly precept; and so you would make any effort, undergo cay stetifice in order to earry them out, For the tenderness of the sin st the sume timefirmness and goodness. Both come from the divine radiance, snd show forth the characer of the divine goodness which, with an Shsolue authorsy, declares icelf in genes, In the same Way, the counsel ofa aint comes ro you asa liberation. I delivers you from the Aisfigurement and powerlessness of your sate and from a supreme lack of confidence, You experience what the aint has sid to you a4 4 strength, and asa sre light on the way of svasion in which You must valk if you x to save youselt from aequescing in the loss of Yous sum Soul. What you feel coming eo you fom the inti not only stengeh and light, bat aso the goodness that flows frum the supreme sousce of good ness. Vou shrink from the gate of the stint penecating he depths of your soul, just as you are afraid that he will discover there some truth di ‘reitable to you, but at the same time you await the discovery a i i rer that of: doctor who is both unquestionably competent nd» een fast tien He wil give you, sx you wel now, the daprone se the cice= tive remedy fer aa illness which you vaguely sense tobe a mora on, J the kininest, gentleness and humility of she ent you perceive &Power that no earthly power ean turn aside to make him fll feom his Party of Kear, from his ove for God and men, from the determination to Bike himself eotally to God and to the service of me, to help them attain ‘stration, Anyone who approaches stint discovers in him & supreme goodnest snd purity veiled ina humliy which makes him sil more attract. Ire girs some effort to discover the heroic qulty of his enunciations, of is ascetisim and of his love for mens bu his geatness makes ie fle in the kindnes, the simpliccy, humlcy and purity which emanate foe hin, 1m him exalted goodness and neighbourtines coincide, He exemplifies areames in Renoss, or hurling. The person a a stint eadates alm and 4 peace which nothing can disturb, But this exlm and peace ae won and raivained by hard strugle. At che same time the aint shares inthe pits ‘of ottess evento teats, He is rooted inthe sabilty ofthe love and ster ing of God incarnate, for this love shines forth from the God who was Iinselt made man and who has suffered for men. The sain ress fn he emigy ofthe ponerand goodness of God which, in Christ, as Se Maxims the Confessor res us, have become avaiable for men for ike Mcehisedek, is whole being bears witness tothe presence of Gog, Buc his sail the crema love of God and of men doce notexchde hi fom shacing in ‘he sorcows of men or in thee abpzations to goodnes, just as Chit docs ‘not cease to bea perpetual sasifice for chem, jst a the angela never cose to offer their ministry. For sabiley in sufering and succouring love, this 0 is eemiy,alvingecernity. This is the ‘Tee che stability. he sabbath ‘nwo whieh the saint bave entered (Heb, 318-4111), those who bave left the Egypt of the passions. I not the sath ofan inseosble Niwa, for by resting the eternity of unshakeable love, the lave of God for men, {he it has power to draw others cowards eternity and help them to over- come thelr suffering with courage and not to give way ro despalt Thos he isthe forerinaer and sstainer of humaskind on che road which leads £0 the perfect falsiment of the Last Day The sun has triumphed over time while living intensely within time, eas thus come to bear the coset resemblance to Chrst, who ie at once fn the hesveny plies, and always wie ur, bringing ity things Co pas He bears Christ within himsel€ with che invincible power 0 hs love, for ‘be salvation of mea, TENDERNESS AND HOLINESS ‘The sane shows ws « human being purtied from the deo of all hats Jess than ura In him we sea ditgured and braised humanity st to sights: « humanity whose cesored transparency reveals the limites good nes, the houndles power and compatsion of is protoy/pe Gd incarate 1k is the image of the ling and personal abolute Being who became mat ‘hat is reestablished in the person ofthe wit, By betyp 90 ‘ely human, he has veached a izzy height of perfection in God, while remaining com pletely at home with men, The sunt ie one who is engaged in comely, free dialogue with God and with men, Hie transparency eves the dae ‘of the divin eternal light in which human aature sto reach ie fale, e isthe compleeeflection af the humaaity of Chie,PURE PRAYER, OR PRAYER OF THE HEART, ‘AND OBSTACLES IN THE WAY PART OF WHAT Iam gong to say is whet Ihave lessned from « Romanian ‘monk, He himself practises this prayer of the heart which is founded largely on the tation of the Fathers of the Fas, In pit also these ae some reflections on that teeching. Pure prayer is concerned with the uniting of the min (nous) end the hear. Neither mind nor heare can be allowed to remain slone, Prayer thet ames only from the mid is cals prayer that comes only from she heart ‘is sentimental and is ignorant ofall that God has venus, giving us mow snd wil give us in Civist fis prayer without herizon or pespective, prayer in which we do nor knov what to thank God for, whet to prise ‘nan for what ta him for. The man wh pee in this way has the feeling ‘of being lost in an impersonal infinity. Such a feeling knows nothing of ‘encounter witha petsonal God, Ang thus itis nox prayer ‘We must also te quite ler that this meeting between mind and heat it ‘ot broughe shout by the ascent of che heat inca the mind, but by the descent of the mind inco the heart. In other words, its not in the nd ‘thathe hear findsit rest; uti sin dhe heart (or athe where the depths of the heart meet the depths of God) thatthe mind finds the rent for which cis seaching CCerainly the Fathers speak also of an opening of the mind to the lnsiniy of God, but it seems to be inthe hei thatthe opening of the mind takes place, By its search for God the mind itself enters into the reality ofthe depth of the heart and knows ica depth set epert for God, ‘he tue Infinity. Deep calls to deep (Pssim 42:9). The infinity of God ean not be experienced apart from hi love for us. Thi ove of God for calla to out love, and ice with the hese, the organ of love within us, dat we fexperenes his love, Ist we ate sping hereof east thar kaw shana to the mind which has enered that this iin isthe infinity of od who is personal, and that God enters into intimate relationship with us PORE PRAYER, OR PRAYER OF THE HBART ‘hrough Chet, That is why itis che mind which comes to restin the heart. im the heart fnds the infinity of God, tee not the heart thet comet fest in the mind, for that would mean that the feeling of the infinity of God had become a theory, chilled by thought, I isnot feling thas must be chilled by thought, but thoughe which must warm itself in the feeling ofthe heart in real conte with the infinity of God, and thes give tht feelings dette conten. Sit speaking, when the mind has descended into the heart weno longer encounter God through ideas, but theough that swaceness OF Ms presence which enables ur to submit our thoughts to the test of sea, Here the seme ofan unstained veality which the mind experiences fe: solved inthe immediate presence of God. The ides of Goof out ideas , ae fulfilled and penetrsted, pierced through by awareness of ‘he tvngreaity of God. The eealty takes the place of the idea snd athe same time veifies it the iden no longer comes between us and God, Thus the heart for the mind sort of sensory ongin in elation to Go just the bodily senses are che apparatus which enable us to perceive and fel ‘he reais with which the body enters nto relation. “There ste however obstacles that can hind the nnd when it wants to eter the heat, to peneteae beyond ideas into experience of the relisy of God, and at the same time co vely the content of is ides These obstacles cone partly fom physica sensations or from the imaginations which refee ther and eo which they give rise In part also they come from the difficulty which the mind itself has in passing beyond the ideas which ate quite matral ro it, but these obstacles are only meant to supply the intellect with provisional intimations of the unfet reality of God, not eo imprison “The fccligs or imaginings which tend to prevent the mind from enser- ing into the Hear and so ataining to pure prayer, or prayer of che hea se either chese which ate the result of sn, ran aiteacion towards sin oF those which nake ws think we are being drawn towards good actions ot real meeting with God himself, but which infact do not lead to God, That 1 why she Pues wasn monks even aainet images thet seen to be gon ‘They exhort them not to rely on any kind of imagination or impression Moreover the Fathers consider though, even theologial thought to be no less dangerous obstcl to the mind's entry int the heat, They mustPRAYER AND HOLINESS ‘he watehfl not to retin thealogctl thinking, o clip neo, when they ‘xe moved to prayer or while they aze praying. Thinking sbout God fate ups rect encountec with him, By theological thinking x man Becomes Sutin on hinge, ‘The Fathers spe of prayer as consisting ofa single thought (momo logitos euebe). Srietly speaking itis not eten a thoughe, but rather sm swarenes of being totally sbsorbed in the realty of God. One cen, nevertheless, call this conscious experience ‘thought’, because itis not simply state of confused feeling or the sensation of being lost inthe jocein of inareslate realty, but itis awareness of encounter withthe ‘personal infinity of God who loves us, Iti he mind's confirmation ofthe reality. 1 do not lose myself in ti infinity, beenuse ii the infinity of © petsonal God and of his love to whick I respond with my love. For the lear is tly the place where one experience the love ofthe other and witere one responds tothe ocher. do not lose mysel, becuase ir the infinity ofa personal God whose lve i my delight I depend on histove 61 depend on his merey, for face to face with him I sel fee infinitely small and a sinner, “This encouncer in love, and atthe same sine this sense of che infinite ference berween God and myself ths need {fel fr the merey of God, allthis is expressed in the Jesus Prayer, The hear: i the souee of feeling nd therefore of love; and love means meeting the other, And because love is mpelied by » movement of infinite dese Tecan only be fully satisfied in encounter with Goa the Infinie, Bue the heart ie alto che source of sorrow an the place where sorrow Ss fet, Before the face of God the heart knows sorrow for sin and fr the offence eaused by sin. In his heart man weeps and asks for forgivenees ‘Tears well up from the heare, tears of penitence, but also ters of joy. ‘There man fet go ofhissetted habits of mind, If, however, che east sinks toa lower level, ic becomes the pace ofthe passions, tha of a infinite feachment to the world and to oneslf—to pettons and things that are fine, So just at the heart can radite infinite love it can also radiate infinite hatred when ie meess with an obstileto those infal atarhmenre Good thoughts and good words come fom the heat, but also thoughts of seed, faced and murdet. Even evil thoughts and’ words receive some quality of infinity from the hear, although they have to do with things PURE PRAYER, OR PRAYER OF THE HEART ‘hat ae fine. But this infinite attachment to finite things cannot satisfy ‘he tray ininive thts of the heart, Only the mestng of the heatt with God ean saily that thirst, And checefre the heart mut be feed from the Passions, from azachment to finite chings, by its capacity forthe infinite. Inthe encounter with Ged eke infinite is perceived as limitless oy and Unites lgh. In expressing this ia words man can only hinc a she joy which s beyond allimitaton. The wotde ofthe Jeus Prayer express abet fecbly, this sense of joy, of grastude, of lve and of infinite humility. But formulating words isnot what really matters, What mater the joy, the seminade, the love and the humiliey, even the infinite sorrow caused by sin, Then the words ae no longer an objec af reflection for the one wo ‘utes them. They no longer come between man and God but in them ma !dareses God in God's own presence. The presence of God supplies wha ver ia. ‘The word ae now both utered and wanscended in the sme moment ‘Thus dey donot deceive us with semblance of independent vali, but ‘hey ae the expression of immediate contact with the lity of God. Our stcention is not directed co she words but to Gouy to whom they ate addresed a8 in dialogue, Bat we can also live in this dialogue without ny words. ‘That is why the monk to whom I refered earlier sid that at an vanced sige of prayer one can even give up the Jems Prayer: Only its content seed be retained. One sume to God and one's ser being express the praise of God, the gente of wander before him, of gratende snd humiliy. This state of profound fecing ie more adequately ‘expressed by the whole being han by words for what is being expreseed Js beyond words, eis pure prayer, prayer of the whole being, in whieh the felings have moved out beyond all ching, all thought beyond the very se, 10 she encounter with God. This exodus of the fetings is lived out in the heat in a state of intense prayer. tn the hear the whole being is impelled cowards God in love, with feelings of a love whichis hounds.HOLINESS: GOD SHINING THROUGH ‘THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MAN 1 THE SADC Gout reveals himself as transcendent, s diferent fom the world, Hones is the luminous and active myatery of God present in all, his wanscendence, © mystery which enligtens and wansfome, Holiness cannot therefore be the aribute of some impersonal reality belonging to ‘he natural order: what is impeesonl lacks the depths of mystery Helinest belongs to the order of mystery; chat i why it can only be the ate of God himself in his nature as ranscendene peron, God, the unfathomably Persone, imparts himself in his eanscendence, Hence che parsdoxtcal rane of holines: itis at one and the ame time wanscendence and selfisclosure, or communication, Since holiness is an ateibute of che transcendent and therefore ‘mysterious person of God we are seized with trembling and overwheined with sane in its presence; for it isthe manifestation of a consience® ‘upetir to our own, one which makes us sce our wickedness. Holiness is ‘he radiance shining from 2 transcendent person whose object in revealing himself sto raise us up to him. We feel impeled to lave out sinful sate 4028 f0 be ale to remain in his pretence, while a che same sme this radiance enlightens our own conscience, making it mote sensitive to sn Is aif the holines of God invaded the human conscience with supreme uunscendent urgency, kindling in us the deie for purification and a longing for what is greater than ourselves, This new birch of humiligy and ‘deste for puiieaton constiute trv selflenowiedge Inthe presence of holiness our conscience develops an exzrene sensitivity, this ean come shout only because our conscience hat zeceived the revelation of one shat 's soperior. St Symeon the New Theologian says: "When the soul hes Tamleoné Note: The French word conics, ed roughout te eet ba the nue meting of he English wore "conser and’ woman, whee ‘er of hse word ir used nei anton, Dok mening fob nde GOD SHINING THROUGH THE cONScrOUSNESS OF MAN received tis impeing when through the grace of the Holy Spits shoughe hasbeen immersed in the depths of humility in Christ out God, ie ceases from then an to attend to the Woeld orto thote who ate ofthe world and ums its whole attention co itself; and when, through perseverance, tis kind of meditation has become habiea! tol the sou! no longer sect anyching bt itself init insignificance and wtterabasemene, sé om vinced tha there ino sulin all the worl a unworthy a il? ‘Taroughthe grace of divine ligh, the intuition of personal unworthiness and an acu sensitivity of canscence are paradoxically united before she lony of Gos, the sory of supreme conscience which awakens conscience in us, Only a superior conscience can awaken another consciences only the light of God can ruse a man’s consiousnes to its highese point, whe at fhe sume tne giving hima clear perception f his insignificance. What it impersonal docs not arouse shame, does aot sharpen conscience, I isthe luminous fs of a God whois conscience tac brs us when his holiness impinget or usin the insistence that we should be holy ashe i holy. Penetraed by the holiness of God at supreme conscience, man becomes & burning bush or agsin, inthe presence of «holy man he fers that he iy standing before taming hush. The shame, ce awe, expetienced in the resece of toliness exceeds any thetctn aise in cesponse eo human beage, Its of another order, because the divine realty ofthe supreme conslence ‘ade visible to us in he conscience of int shows us ourselves exactly at We ate, and reveals tetas supremely agent, jdgng our sinful condom, And yet, a the same time, holiness attcact us, In The Gecleistica Hierarchy Tkonysas the Arcopegice identifies the holines of God with his perfect pasty, and his snecifying ation mith his purifying Aton, ‘The peetct purity of God then evokes 0% only feat bt also jo) for this ‘exponire of ur inmost being, as well at showing up our sn, has shown 50 what is goo! in us has awakened in us the sre to be cleansed frm an in order toe pleising to the conssicusnes of God, We are glad becuse God the Holy One has made it possible for us to become pure, to lew our ‘wickedness hind; we can exchange ou torpor for a vial eastence,drtwa fam the very source of all exitence, the peron of Ged i in owen ctucty. Wea glad because God the Holy One has not ustery rejected ux, ‘ur has awacened in us the desire to purty ourselves We ar lad because we have een relieved of x burden we had been crying unawaves end an‘obstacle co fullesof life has heen taken away, We ae gla because we are ‘no longer hypocitially acting + part which sas bringag us to che point ete weno longer recognized ourselves or had the courage to be curses, foe fear thatthe wickedness of our hears would be lad bare ‘Thus we find our inmost being set fee to live anew le in real come munication with others. Those who feel themes forgiven by God and feed fom the sate of sin have a ceten boldnes (esa) before God and before others. They ate open and srightfcward and enjoy grest. fieedom in their relationships. There is nothing pesampeaousin chi just tbe innocent candour ofa child who is unswate of aay tint of sin. tis ‘andous imbued with profound est in God and in others; + man comes ‘out of himscf and areaches himself to Go and so other people; he actin such away thae God and other people open thls doors to hi, The sine {far from the uncertainty that shuts a man in on himself. Tae innocent daring of purity and tris isthe means of his union with other. Thus the sine atuins rest in God and ia other men, just as God and others, in thelr ‘urn, find their rest in him (ef. Hebrews 3:28) "For you ate Holy, 0 out God, and inthe suns you take your re, sings the Estern Church. That Gol dos eee in his sins is a fact of whieh they ways temaln visi aware, Ie means alo that God takes pleasure inthe wits, jst he snes feel at ene when they rest in God, Human consciousness ean fel at eae only in another consciousness, embraced by the loving awareneis of nother person. This is che supreme mua! indweling, the colgherence ofthe consiouanes of two people In onler to become the resting place of God, orto find it own resting: Place in God, the spivit of man must itelf be capable of astnilating ’ In he same way, theevl we have done to another troubles our sul, We {cl uneasy; we cannot look atthe other person iret, with unclouded eyes, Whenever we meet him we fel awkward, for we suspect him of brooding over the memory of the wrong we have done him. My pide will, not allow me to purify my relations with him, Only a request on my part for his forgiveness cen bing us nga relationship that i open and and face I persist in my proud refusal to ask for, cannot face God openly and stand before him in compunction of here, Behind this request for forgivencse there mart be a sincere and vey sense of yeences Penence lends a permanent expression of sadness to the eyes, but the sme eyes ‘hat are filed with this sadnes stil kep their and ad unclouded gate Wis hus, wit simpie and sincere penitence, that 1 must come before God FORGIVENESS AND THE RENEWAL OF THE CHURCH to ask his forgvenes, having firs asked forgvencs of ty fllow-men. ‘My sins before God ate innumerable and thee ie no end to chem. All ‘har Ihave cames ro me from God and I shoud freely give i all back to him snd vo oters. should be continaly praising him for his goodness in word and deel; but {fail wo do so, And for that reason {need perpetally to renew my penitence my prayer fr hie forgvenes and metcy. That why the Basten monk implores che mercy of God in prayst without ceasing, Thus, at the moment of his death, we see St Antony the Great asking for more ime fr repentance. And since the sins we commit agaist GGod are aio sins ngunst ou fellow-men, and vice ver so ther sno end 0 out sinning agsnst uber, and so 200, we must covcinally be aking thei forgiveness, In any cas, 1 can hardly claim that n my relationships with others my ‘own conduct has at all mes heen beyond seproach, or that Ive done all ‘he good I coild and should have done forall the people {have met. So hen someone reprosches me witha negeiv atnade of which twas not ven aware, lought to accept his reproach and acknowiedge that Tm to ‘ame. At the very least Tar at fale in ging the impression of having ‘this negative wttade of which T am accured. Abba Iniah sud‘! yout brother answers you impatiently, with «harp word, beri with joy. nd Ifyou examin: your though according to he judgement of God, you will find that you have sinned.’ I ean never be quite cetuin that Thave had no pare in creating the unavoidable fistons which constantly aise among, ren and which also affect me.I can hardly make the atertion that i relation to others everything in my own conduct, thoughis and words is 00d; that 1 have been so geneous in my attention to others that they cannot posiiy have fee Uwas indifferent to thet, We areal put of ‘offences aguas all. We muse therefore be penitent for our treament of our fellowrmen, ‘That is why we always commend ourelves to the celebrant f the Liturgy, that oer name he mentioned in the Preparation, and why we at ‘everyone we mest to pray for us. And we too have the obligtion to Temember i our prayers, ae for as ponsble ll whom we ky alin fenerl to mike remembrance of all men, Ovt frgieness of others is implicit in our prayer for them, and our request for thei payers implies ‘har We seek forgiveness. aPRAYER AND HOLINESS We pray fr che dead whom we have known, and in praying for them we actually forgive them, and atthe same time serk to envure that ater ‘er own death Wwe sll have the pravers of those who live on and the prayers of the Church as a whofe n this way we ask them to forgive us after cur death, not jst once, but to goon forgiving us throughote thet Lys, We pray for our forbear, for every soul who hes ded inthe faith, and we too desire to have our share ofthat prayer, as long atthe world shall lst. Iitference to the needs of the dead is indeed sacemount toa sp, and i ought to uouble our conscience ‘The relations which exist, direedy or indieety, between all men tue vehicles of the imperfections common to ally ics our desire that at lease within the Chuseh these relations, which endure beyond death, should be no less inevitably vehicles of forgiveness mutually sought and ‘raced, the prayer of al forall, so that God may paedon al ‘This isan essential element in the eatholicty of the Church, tn this ‘prayer ofall for al, tis penitence undertaken by all on behalf ofall, the ‘Ghuteh is continually being lensed, The purity or the hones of the ‘Ghutch is « dynamic aspect of her life, Sinners are no acparsted from the ‘Ghurh, aor has she any members who ate without snr are taken up into tht movement of purification shrough penitence, through the mutual exchange of forgiveness, through the prayer addessed to God by all that all may be forgiven. The Chore is not a stati society, fixed in inmott, liy, but « dynamic communion made up of men and women whe ae Sinners and who, a the same time, ate being cleansed by thelr proper for ‘one another—not from ‘sin’ in the abstract, ut fom thet ctl sn, the lmperfece deeds andthe indifference they have shown towneds passat persons 4 ‘this living family infirmices ate always apparent, but they ate cevercome, washed away in the ocean of mutual love between the mem bers, ll commie sin, Duc all contbute t0 the work of purification by aking for forgiveness, by graning forgiven, through thei common incerhange of prayer for the forgiveness of al, Sin is never allowed to harden into 2 permanent state, Those who hate sinned cannot remain Indiferout, they are impelea to seee forgiveness, Ther conscience, squickered by the Holy Spirit, drives hem to ask for it. And indeed, "0 sooner is it asked for than penitence begins to undo thir sin. Sin FORGIVENESS AND THE RENEWAL OF THB CHURCH ised by dhe exaseless waves of forgiveness, of prayer, of lov, which the Hoy Spite secein motion. In this, a are seen to be moved by the Holy Spirit in whom they are united, The Holy Sprit eth agene of that interpersonal ife whic fend ing towanls purty, and which i incompauible with nig, unbending Patterns of lationship within the Church He isthe Spite of eeedorn, of relationships formed in the freedom of lve, and therefore he samot sccommodat himself ro hardness, to fixed stisides of defiance o loot ‘ess which ate produced and maintained by the pride that nether asks nor rans forgncness, Where the passions are in contol despite their apy Datently Mucsating nature, a spit of intransigence preva «rigidity, Sonstaint wsich only the Holy Spicc can soften and bendy and this he docs wien he inspires mento forgive and toss forgivenes by rsng shove ‘hei ride ard their other selfish passions, ‘Ths mural forgiveness, eogether withthe intercession ofeach for al, does not merely anna in poshively represen the ling bresth of Love hich opens men's hearts to one another, When we speak ofthe breath of the Sprit, we mean that he i the brnges of love and lie and frestom, ‘Truc fesdom is one with lve, and where love i ther is goodness isl, the source of eveny good thought, every gond word and seton, Thee is ‘hat life whish is dynamic, atthe service ofall, fee from al Bondage > ride and Slssh pasion, ‘Thus the church i renewed throogh che Holy Spire by marl forgive ness and prayer, She Is constancy renewing hers, repirng the fener bonds of love between her members In other Words, she reteating her inner unity, her harmony and eatoliiy ‘The inaitty of Christians to bear the buen of thei gilt cowards ‘other, their eed to sek and to rant forpvenes, reveal the Church's inerent capacity for pusifietion and forthe contineal estorstion of hes tunity and inver bonds. So the Church besomes asit wee a symphony for ‘Gris, soshe revels the mystery of her continuity and the mystery of ‘the perpetualrenewal of her youthFAIRACRES PUBLICATIONS Complete List RECONSILIATION Git Shaw 05 ALONEVESS NOT LONELINESS Mother Mary Cae Sti os INTERCESSION Mother Mery cle S16 0 PRAYER (Devcon) Gilbert Shaw ae LEARNNG TOPRAY Mother Mary Care St 20 STATIONS OF THE CROSS Donald MeCheiney 20 {IF VICTORY OF THE CROSS Dunit sanone a0 {WIE THEOLOGY OF THE RFLIGIOUS LF A.M. Alin a0 “THE APOSTOLATE OF PRAYER Mother Mary Che Ste a SILENCE AND PRAYER Mower Wary Cae SEG an “TE MESSAGE OF ST SERAPH Iona Gorin So JULIANOF NORWICH A.M Alkhin nd SUG io PRAYER: ENCOUNTERING THE DIPTIIS Mother May Care SLG 20 ‘THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIE, A Curent Appr, SeBlicn May SUG 20 LITURGY TODAY: Dine Otfceand Luca, Seeedce SLO. 38 ‘THE WERD OF GOD. Rening he Bb, Se Mary Pal SUG as EXPLOLING SILENCE Wenty Henn 30 {EIGURE Mtr ary a0 SUTHFEESE OF LISIEUX. 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